Told in the first person from the perspective of Beth
Arrington, a high school senior, Etude is set among the foothills of Wyoming’s majestic Teton Mountains. Andersen is a quaint, fictional town
centered near the heart of one of the earth’s most powerful vortexes. As
shadows hover over this seemingly insignificant town, mystical energies
combine to help Beth come to grips with the unanswered questions surrounding
the tragic car accident that killed her mother and disabled her left hand,
destroying her promising future as a concert pianist.
Following a confrontation with an unlikely intruder,
Beth learns that she is the daughter of a mortal father and an immortal
mother, a discovery that makes the night of her mother’s death even more of
an anomaly. Beth’s search for answers leads her into the arms of
Jonathan Rollings, an immortal with a past that has haunted him for more
than a hundred and fifty years—ever since the unexplained disappearance of
his first love, Eleanor. A shared passion for the piano unites Beth and
Jonathan, and their relationship develops into a warmly portrayed romance
that is highly sensual, yet bridled by sexual abstinence, creating a
romantically seductive tension that builds throughout the book.
One of Etude’s strengths is its character development.
The plot involves a hopelessly flawed leading man with a past he must
reconcile before he can progress. Jonathan is lovable, strong, and
protective, but he is far from perfect. And he is hiding a secret—a secret
that may cause him to lose Beth forever. Beth is amusing, intelligent, and
curious, yet she struggles with feelings of inadequacy because of her
disabled and disfigured hand. Throughout the book, Beth must search for the
balance between faith and reason.
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