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Rating: 
Summary: Renaissance Man, doing the things a renaissance can
Review: This tape is the abridged version of a serial romance novel published in 1981, and re-issued more recently to capitalize on the Jayne Anne Krentz' more recent popularity. Fans of Krentz can find these reprints helpful; most of her earlier work, especially that published under the Stephanie James, can be difficult to come by.[...] In many ways, reading RENAISSANCE MAN feels like reading an abridged novel already, with certain aspects of the story seeming severely underdeveloped. Set in California, Alina Corey and Jared Troy haven't met, but they have engaged in a bitter battle over the unknown historical fate of a particular Italian courtesan and the wealthy mercenary who once bypassed her defenses, romanced her, and then disappeared. Thinking she has found the location of a document that could settle the matter, Alina uses Jared's name to acquire copies of the document. Tipped off to the scam, Jared Troy confronts the heroine, and, in true Krentz fashion, sparks fly immediately. The gist of the novel lies in the way Alina has patterned her personal life after her historical ideal, populating her world with intelligent men kept at arms length. Likewise, Jared is a modern-day merchant-"warrior" -- his business acumen is so finely attuned that he has a computer installed in his home office just for tracking market conditions! In fact, Jared has noticed the similarities in the relationship between him and Alina and that of the renaissance-era lovers. He points it out to Alina, but not after Krentz has explicitly pointed them out to the reader, several times. There is an extremely perfunctory suspense element, reduced further by the presence of only one likely villain. The romance develops roughly, largely because Krentz fails to adequately explain why Alina would disregard Jared's frequently obnoxious behavior. Furthermore, there is precious little of the dialogue that Krentz would become known for. The story is not without some sly tricks, though. The fate of the renaissance lover's is left to the reader's imagination -- a potentially ambiguous ending that I'm not sure would make it into print, today. Ultimately, the lack of character depth is the real disappointment here. Jared is a businessman with a passion for history, and that is as complex as he gets. Krentz fans should still try to check out these early books, because they provide an interesting view on her developing obsessions over the intersections of commerce and art, why still showcasing her dramatic sense of passion.
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