Descripción
Libro Whispers of heaven. After years of schooling in England, Jesmond Corbett finds little has changed on her family’s estate along the sea-battered coast of Tasmania. Betrothed since childhood to a wealthy neighbor, Jessie comes home determined to conform to the expectations of her family and the society in which they live. But nothing in Jessie’s life has prepared her for the mysterious stranger who works in the stables, a man with searing eyes who haunts her dreams and awakens passions she never knew existed.
Irishman Lucas Gallagher arrived on the island in chains, a convict sentenced to a lifetime of slave labor for the English gentry. For four years he has lived a dead man’s existence, using every spare moment to plan his escape. But when he meets Jessie, she touches his cold, angry heart. And although their love has no future, he finds himself unable to deny the longings of his battered soul– longings that threaten to destroy what may be his last chance to reach for freedom Libro Whispers of heaven.
Aleyda –
An enjoyable «forbidden» romance between an Irish convict and the gently-bred daughter of the house where he is assigned. It takes place in colonial Tasmania, Australia, and creates a pretty accurate and horrifying picture of the way convicts were treated in Tasmania in the early days.
Jessie is a pretty mixed-up young lady who has been dominated by her strict and joyless mother, and the milieu she was raised in with its strict behaviour expectations. It takes much of the book for Jessie to start to understand that she needs to break free of the cloying restrictions and allow herself the freedom to explore who she really is.
The relationship with Lucas, her assigned groom, grows slowly, with Lucas knowing well that it could lead to disaster for both of them. The book is quite angsty at times, and although I had a few guesses about how the HEA might be reached, it was a little nerve-racking along the way for this reader.
The ending sequence is dramatic and exciting, and a good way to finish the book. I very much enjoyed the Australian setting and the level of historic authenticity. I could wish Jessie had been a little clearer in her understanding of herself sooner rather than later, but both she and Lucas were still engaging characters. Overall, a solid read.