I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Windswept by Deborah Martin, Sabrina Jeffries Series: Welsh #2
Published by Pocket Books on February 28th 2017
Genres: Historical
Pages: 384
Goodreads
“If any woman of thy lineage doth not drink of the cup at her wedding, her husband shall die within three years of her wedding.”
FINAL DECISION: The book has an elegance and a more serious tone than other books by Jeffries. I really enjoyed these characters and the journey they took because while there are many secrets and deceptions between them, there is a joy and lightness that surrounds this couple.
THE STORY: Catrin Price is a Welsh widow with a family death curse. If she does not drink from a druid cup at her wedding, her husband will die within three years. That has already happened to Catrin and she knows that if she wants to fulfill her desire for a husband and family, she must recover the cup. She manages to track it down but when she gets it, the man from whom she purchased it is murdered. Evan Newcome is a scholar who is looking for the woman last seen with his friend. He believes that she might have something to do with his death and is determined to find out the truth.
OPINION: This book has two elements that I really liked: the characters connection to one another and the ending which pushes the characters into an uneasy situation where love must overcome fear.
These two characters have a difficult road. Catrin and Evan come to one another with lies and deceptions. Both are lying and concealing information. As they begin to build their relationship, these lies threaten the possibility of any true connection between them. Catrin is a woman determined to overcome the notorious legacy of her family. She takes risks which stretch her understanding of who she is. She makes choices which take her close to the line of doing wrong. Evan is also on a mission. He is determined to avenge his friend’s death. He is willing to do whatever it takes — lies are just the beginning. But he doesn’t count on falling for Catrin. Just when it seems that the two might have untangled their lives, the external threats arise.
I found this story very exciting and liked that it operated to push the two main characters into revealing more about themselves and to grow closer to one another. In the best twist of the book, the plot devise strips the main characters of the expected resolution to the story. As the final chapter closes, the characters have to put their faith in love and one another and trust that life will be good to them. There are no guarantees for these characters, but don’t worry my friends, things work out very well for them in the end.
WORTH MENTIONING: This is a revised and reissued version of the book by the same name originally written by this author under the name of Deborah Martin. Make sure you don’t already have it in your collection before buying it!
CONNECTED BOOKS: WINDSWEPT is the second book in the Welsh series. It is not necessary to read the other book first (I didn’t!). This book can operate as a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.