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Whisper of Yesterday
Julie Darcy

Secret Craving Publishing
March 2012 - Ebook / September 2012 - print
Historical / Paranormal / Romance
Amazon

Reviewed by Cornelia Amiri

"He glanced down to see a red rose-the color of blood by firelight. He could have sworn it hadn't been there before. He picked it up. It was ice cold, sending a chill through his hand. He rubbed at a petal, and found it waxy almost slimy to his touch. And as he watched, one by one, each petal dropped away to wither and turn to rust upon the bare wooden floor. He realized whatever Thornwood held in store, it would not be of the ordinary."

Indeed there is nothing ordinary about Thornwood castle or the romance novel set there, Whisper of Yesterday by Julie Darcy. This incredible cross genre novel is a Paranormal/Historical/Suspense/Romance. Readers who enjoy books with spies, ghosts, England, witches, reincarnation, the moors, or haunted castles will adorethis enchanting novel.

The tale begins in the modern era when an American, Cole de Morgan, inherits a haunted castle in Cornwall, but there are stipulations in the will. He must arrive on All Hallows Eve and stay a month. As the story unfolds, the reader is taken to the 17th century when the heroine, Aylissa Llywellen de Morgan, is burned at the stake as a witch in the courtyard of Thornwood castle. She puts a curse on the man who killed her husband, her child, and herself, Gedrych de Morgan, causing his line to be cast from Thornwood Castle until Cai walks its halls once more. Cai de Morgan was Gedrych's son and Aylissa's husband, who except for having longer hair looked just like Cole. After burning her at the stake, Gedrych bound Aylissa's ghost to the castle by moving a ring of ancient druid standing stones into the courtyard.

As the tale continues it moves into the early nineteenth century and we meet our hero, Lord Aidan Tristan Wyndmire de Morgan, an English spy, who wins Thornwood castle in a card game. His appearance is also the exact likeness of Cai de Morgan except his hair is shorter. He soon becomes involved with the resident ghost, Aylissa, and seeks to explore his attraction to her and to discover the secret of the hold she has over him. As the story travels between the three time periods, the reader beholds a love so strong and magical it overcomes death.

It is always hard for an author to find a creative way to involve a ghost, with the limitations of a spirit's body, in the tantalizing, heated love scenes of a romance. Julie Darcy's method is smooth, superb, and original. I found myself so attached to the intriguing, fully fleshed out characters of Alyssa and Aidan that I know they will haunt me for some time to come. Whisper of Yesterday is a page turner from a familiar Gothic beginning, when an American Scientist braves a blinding thunderstorm on Halloween to reach a castle he unexpectedly inherited, to a surprising, thrilling, and joyful twist at the end. Whisper of Yesterday is an enchanting read, not to be missed. This one's for the keeper shelf.

Reviewer's Note: Book will be on Amazon AUG 2012. Author's website for more info http://www.julieadarcy.com/whisperofyesterday.htm

 

Reviewed 2012
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