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A review by amym84
Stormswept by Deborah Martin, Sabrina Jeffries
4.0
Stormswept is a reissue, written by Sabrina Jeffries under the pseudonym Deborah Martin. I'm unfamiliar with the original version of this story, so I don't know what, if anything, has been updated.
So approaching this book as a new reader, I found that I liked Stormswept, at heart, for its simplicity.
Lady Juliana St. Alban's first marriage lasted only one night. Enough to consummate the marriage, but when she woke up the next day her husband had mysteriously disappeared. She waits for years for his return, until the day she's found out he's been declared dead in a shipwreck. The book opens six years after his disappearance with Juliana getting ready to wed another.
Rhys Vaughn returns to Juliana six years after having been deceived into thinking his wife was the conspirator behind his captivity and impressment. Now, he's returned to claim what is still rightfully his; his wife, his lands. And he'll make sure she understands just the type of things he's had to endure for the last six years.
The tangled web of what actually happened on that wedding night six years ago is only known in full by the readers, and the perpetrator, Juliana's brother Darcy. Things have become so muddled for our characters trying to understand how one thing or another happened, it was quite frustrating from a reader's point of view, but taking a step back, putting myself in both Rhys and Juliana's shoes, it was completely understandable.
Above, I say I liked the story for its simplicity, and I say it's simple because the whole of the book boils down to trust. We (readers) know Juliana to be innocent of the crimes Rhys accuses her of, but Rhys doesn't know. Despite what other characters say throughout the story, if Rhys doesn't come to trust his wife, they'll never succeed. It's the trust, or lack thereof, that drives this story, and I really liked the way everything plays out. Such a simple idea, that's anything but simple in execution since giving anyone your unequivocal trust opens up fears and vulnerabilities, happiness and sadness, etc.
I haven't read a lot of Sabrina Jeffries other books, but so far, what I have ready I've enjoyed and Stormswept is no different.
So approaching this book as a new reader, I found that I liked Stormswept, at heart, for its simplicity.
Lady Juliana St. Alban's first marriage lasted only one night. Enough to consummate the marriage, but when she woke up the next day her husband had mysteriously disappeared. She waits for years for his return, until the day she's found out he's been declared dead in a shipwreck. The book opens six years after his disappearance with Juliana getting ready to wed another.
Rhys Vaughn returns to Juliana six years after having been deceived into thinking his wife was the conspirator behind his captivity and impressment. Now, he's returned to claim what is still rightfully his; his wife, his lands. And he'll make sure she understands just the type of things he's had to endure for the last six years.
The tangled web of what actually happened on that wedding night six years ago is only known in full by the readers, and the perpetrator, Juliana's brother Darcy. Things have become so muddled for our characters trying to understand how one thing or another happened, it was quite frustrating from a reader's point of view, but taking a step back, putting myself in both Rhys and Juliana's shoes, it was completely understandable.
Above, I say I liked the story for its simplicity, and I say it's simple because the whole of the book boils down to trust. We (readers) know Juliana to be innocent of the crimes Rhys accuses her of, but Rhys doesn't know. Despite what other characters say throughout the story, if Rhys doesn't come to trust his wife, they'll never succeed. It's the trust, or lack thereof, that drives this story, and I really liked the way everything plays out. Such a simple idea, that's anything but simple in execution since giving anyone your unequivocal trust opens up fears and vulnerabilities, happiness and sadness, etc.
I haven't read a lot of Sabrina Jeffries other books, but so far, what I have ready I've enjoyed and Stormswept is no different.