"Be swept away to Wales to ponder the ancient curse!"
Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted June 5, 2017
Romance Historical
Carrin Price is worried that someone would come after her.
Why is she so cursed? Having descended from Morgana, a
Welsh Druidic priestess, Carrin was always aware of the
real curse about needing to drink from the family's
ancient chalice or the women in her family would lose
their new husband within three years of their wedding
night. Carrin had always thought that was just a
superstitious belief, but after her beloved husband died
on their wedding night, she isn't going to take any
chances again. Now, she has the chalice again, but why
she is still worried? Why did that man have to come from
London and stir everything up again? How could she get
him to leave? Meanwhile, Evan Newcome is filled with unquenchable anger
and a need to find out who had ruthlessly murdered Justin,
his best friend. He is determined to go on a quest to seek
out the last person Justin was going to see. If need be,
he would use his role as a well-respected scholar at
Cambridge to get people to open up to him and he
definitely is going after the mysterious Lady of the Mists
as first on his list of suspects.
The story of their meeting and outcome of their individual
quests is the heart of this very intriguing Regency
romance set in the beautiful countryside in Wales for the
most part. WINDSWEPT is the second book in Sabrina
Jefferies' Reworked Wales Series, which is an updated
version of the novel that was originally published in 1996
under her pseudonym of Deborah Martin. Jefferies is a master storyteller who brings a multi-layer
plot filled with many secrets, lies, and deceptions into
vivid life as you can't help but visualize all the
characters involved. Carrin is a likable heroine with a
tendency to lie when under stress. Evan has a very
interesting career as an academic, so stories about Welsh
myths and ancient curses flow naturally throughout
WINDSWEPT; yet, while a hero as some levels, at others he
is not as he is too anxious and a bit of a bully about
wanting to turn Carrin into a merry widow. Fans new to Jefferies are sure to appreciate getting a
hold of these wonderful romances and fans who read the
original novel may enjoy revisiting the story. So, get a
copy and be prepared to be WINDSWEPT away to another time
and place that you will love to be! Enjoy!
SUMMARY
Originally written under the pseudonym Deborah Martin, this
unforgettable tale of mystery, treasure, and passion is
back
in print at last and newly revised for today’s audience—and
available as an ebook! Welsh widow Catrin Price is haunted by a family death
curse.
Any man whom she marries without first drinking from an
ancient Druid chalice sold by her ancestor long ago is
unquestionably doomed. But when she hunts it down to
purchase it, the chalice’s former owner ends up dead. Who
will believe her innocent with the man’s treasure in her
hands? Now she lives in fear of discovery, afraid to trust,
afraid to give away her heart… Even Newcome, a scholar struggling to overcome a difficult
past, travels to Wales to find the mysterious woman last
seen with his murdered friend. So when the lady proves to
be
a beautiful yet shy creature who shares his love of Welsh
mythology, he’s torn between believing her guilty and
trusting the passion blazing between them. But as
unscrupulous men seek the chalice for their own devious
purposes, will Catrin and Evan let their wall of mistrust
stand between them? Or will they defeat their enemies
together and embrace the love intended for them since time
immemorial?
ExcerptCatrin lifted her head, then her stomach lurched once more,
forcing her to clap her hand over her mouth for fear she’d
disgrace herself.“Not yet,” Evan murmured. “Give it a moment.” “I-I’ve never done this before,” she stammered into her
skirts. What a coward he must think her. Grandmother would
never have fainted. She would have cut the obnoxious father
of Catrin’s late husband into pieces with her sharp tongue,
then had him thrown bodily out the door. “I’m not the f-
fainting sort, truly I’m n-not.” “Don’t worry about it.” His voice was kind as he stroked
her back. “Under the right circumstances, anyone can get
light-headed. Besides, you scarcely ate anything and you’ve
been dancing on an empty stomach in a crowded room. It’s a
wonder you didn’t faint before.” She said nothing, but as she continued to breathe deeply
and keep her head down, the fainting spell seemed to pass.
Slowly she became aware of the chill in the air now that
dusk was approaching. Then other things caught her attention . . . Evan’s hand
rubbing her back with soothing motions . . . his leg only
inches from hers as he knelt on one knee at her side . . .
his breath feathering her hair. Her awkward position was becoming uncomfortable, too.
Fortunately, this time when she tried to sit up, her
stomach didn’t revolt. Yet he kept his hand on her back,
his fingers still tracing circles on the silk of her gown
while he watched her with obvious concern. His kindness was too much to bear, especially after he’d
been forced to subject himself to her father-in-law’s
insults. “I’m sorry I put you in such an abominable
position.” “Kneeling at your feet?” His tone was light. “It’s not so
bad.” How could he joke about what had just happened? “N-no, I
mean—” “I know what you mean. Forgive my jest, but I thought it
might cheer you.” “I can only imagine what you must think—” He touched a finger to her lips. “I think you’re a woman
unfairly maligned and little understood.” His words only made her feel worse. After all, her
husband’s death had indeed been partly her fault, since she
was accursed. “How can you say that when you don’t even
know me?” When a tear trickled down her cheek, he rubbed it away with
his thumb. Then he traced the rise of her cheek and the
curve of her jaw until his thumb came to rest beneath her
chin. “You’re right.” His voice grew husky. “I don’t know
you well at all. Perhaps it’s time I remedy that.” She met his gaze, and her mouth went dry. He looked at her
as if he could fathom the depths of her soul. Suddenly she
realized how close he was, how intimate his thumb beneath
her chin, how vibrant and rich his eyes in the dying light.
He was close enough for her to feel his warm breath
quickening on her face. He leaned forward to touch his lips to hers.
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