Whispers on the Wind [Paperback]

Nothing against the plot itself, but an author who wants to write historical fiction should actually learn about the time in question.
There are social and legal realities common to a given historical period, as well as mannerisms and patterns of speech.
In 1800 there would not be a woman named billie, she would not inherit nor own any property in her own name - certainly not property belonging to a titled family, she would not go running across the globe unaccompanied, she would not talk about being glad she packed certain dresses when in fact she just spent probably months on a boat to get to a new country and could not possibly just pop back home to pick up whatever she forgot, she would not have 'tons' of questions, there would not be a village lady who proudly proclaims that her occupation is 'busybodying', etc etc etc.
The lack of verisimiltude was highly annoying.

This is a fantastic read, one which kept me turning pages long after bedtime. Ms. Fletcher's ability to tell a story, a love story, is fantastic. It is sweet and sexy, and so is the hero. As a fellow romance writer, I admired Ms. Fletcher's characterizations-the characters leaped from the pages. Even minor characters were well-rounded. The dual love-story/ghostly attraction was funny, sexy, sad, and frustrating; all the emotions the characters felt. I clapped my hands when the heroine finally figures out part of the great mystery-I won't ruin it for you! You must read this book

Great story! Loved all the characters and thought the love triangle between Max, Belinda (aka Billie) and John was clever and well written. I get tired of weak, simpering heroines, or heroines who act strongly, but in actuality, don't think their actions through, resulting in the infamous TSTL label. You won't find that in this story.

Billie is a young woman from America who arrives in Cornwall, England in the early 1800s to claim an inheritance of a manor that she received through her stepfather. The descriptions of the people she encounters both at the village and the manor are wonderful and I got a real sense of atmosphere. A mystery surrounds the manor and the cause of the deaths of two of the previous lords--Maximillian Radborne, and his father, Oran Radborne.

Maximillian (Max) Radborne was the previous lord of the manor, whose ghost is purported to haunt it. Billie's eventual meeting and interactions with him clearly show the chemistry developing and their banter is entertaining.

John Bosworth is the vicar in the village near the manor. Even though Billie has been feeling attracted to Max, she eventually becomes drawn to the gentle, even-tempered vicar.

While some novels would paint the rivalry between John and Max as a good versus evil thing, I was pleasantly surprised to see how Ms. Fletcher described Billie's feelings developing toward both John and Max. John has a real, calming influence on Billie, and she comes to care for and love him. Max brings out passions in her that she acknowledges as being an integral part of her personality. There was no running from or denying feelings in this novel. And I especially liked how Ms. Fletcher didn't use the tired stupid misunderstanding plotline.

Add ghosts to the mix and the mystery of what went on in the caves beneath the manor, and you have yourself a wonderfully satisfying story! I'm eagerly going to look into Donna Fletcher's backlist.

The Kindle price of $0.99 was a steal. Puts other, more expensive and less interesting novels to shame.

The only complaint I have--and this is not the author's fault--is the same problem I have with all Kindle books. EDITING!!! Although this one wasn't nearly as bad as some other books I have read, sometimes it really jarred me out of the story: misplaced words, misspellings, improperly placed punctuation. I'm not sure how this issue should be addressed, but wanted to mention it for the benefit of Amazon and potential readers.

Anyhow, wonderful story and romance! A definite keeper for me.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 25 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars