Whispering
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
When Caterina Gomez returns to her beloved home of Oporto, Portugal, her troubles have only just begun. The country is at war with France and, even though Oporto is no longer in French hands, it is a shadow of its former self. The scandalous cloud that Caterina left under is still not forgotten, and her cruel and distant father insists on a hasty marriage or the convent. Half English and half Portuguese, she must walk a fine line between both societies, which is all made near impossible considering her troubled past.
Thankfully, her dear friend Miss Harriet Brown and cousin Jeremy Craddock have accompanied her from England. But Harriet can only offer comfort whilst sharing in her fate, and Jeremy, who is seeking treatment for his ill health, becomes distracted by his fair and pretty healer. Then Caterina's past resurfaces in a most confusing manner in the shape of Luiz, her childhood sweetheart, drawing her further into the tangles of political intrigue. Romantic as the adventure is, Caterina must try to keep a cool head in order to find out quickly those who can be trusted, and those who are not what they appear. For she has a secret, one that must be guarded at all costs...
Whispering, first published in 1995, is another great historical romance from the master of the genre – Jane Aiken Hodge.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran author Hodge (Escapade) keeps this deft historical romance set in 19th-century Portugal moving at a crisp pace. Summoned from safety in England by her cruel and dour father, Caterina Gomez--half-British, half-Portuguese, in her late teens--is escorted to tumultuous Oporto, Portugal, by her cousin Jeremy Craddock and a female friend. Against a mise-en-scene of war and intrigue involving French, Portuguese and British forces, the three become enmeshed in romantic and political adventure. Jeremy is enthralled by a shady American masseuse while Caterina, who's soon threatened with life in a convent, naively agrees to gather information for rebel leader Luis Sanchez, with whom she had an affair at age 13. Meanwhile, the Duke of Wellington is to be the honored guest at a planned gala for Caterina, who has been told by Luis's grandmother not to trust her grandson. Though the narrative and characterization are occasionally sketchy, Hodge builds the tension to a dramatic (if not surprising) denouement and ably resolves all the story lines in time for a subtle ending.
