Friday, September 13, 2013

WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Sherrill Bodine & Patricia Rosemoor



Publisher:  Entangled Publishing, LLC
Date published:  August 12, 2013
ISBN:  978-1-62266-227-2
Romantic Suspense
E-Book
Reviewed by Lynne
Obtained via publisher

 


Lady Elizabeth York, the Earl of Wharton’s only child, has agreed to marry Carlyle, Earl of Seymour and heir to the Duke of Lennox, for the sake of her father, to forge an alliance between their two powerful families.  But, unexpectedly, she finds herself attracted to Will Grey, the captain of the guard.  Filled with the power of the ancients, her ancestors, Elizabeth knows that Will is to be hers and not Carlyle who, her powers tell her, is not the man for her, a man who instead fills her with dread.

When Carlyle learns of Elizabeth’s love for Will and that he returns her love, he is furious.  Anxious to secure Elizabeth’s power, to blend it with his own darkness, he fights to maintain his right to Elizabeth, to her detriment.

Fast forward to the future, to Elizabeth’s descendent, Cordelia Ward, a wealthy marine archaeologist, who now holds in her possession Elizabeth’s journal and who bears the same birthmark Elizabeth bore. 

Intent on finding Elizabeth’s treasure that sank in 1605, with The Celestine, a treasure her parents had spent their lives researching and seeking, Cordelia is anxious to retrieve the jeweled dagger and celestial girdle, the source of Elizabeth’s power, as well as Cordelia’s, that she feels rightfully belongs to her.

To Cordelia’s dismay, another treasure seeker, with different motives, enters the picture.   A seemingly self-serving threat to Cordelia, who is anxious to restore her mother to her position as a museum curator by finding what her father had spent most of his life pursuing.

Morgan Murphy, a gorgeous pirate, in Cordelia’s eyes, has been led to the shark-infested waters where The Celestine went down, seeking only to restore the wealth his family once had, yet lost through betrayal.  Unfortunately, he unexpectedly finds himself up against an intelligent, beautiful woman who stirs his senses and his passions.

As Cordelia and Morgan attempt to partner themselves in finding the lost treasure, it is then they must come against the evil forces thwarting them at every turn.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Sherrill Bodine and Patricia Rosemoor is a dangerously romantic romp through two different centuries, and into the lives of two strong, intelligent, gifted women.  Well-written, full of suspense and unexpected plot twists, WRITTEN IN THE STARS is a story that will keep the reader turning pages right up until the end.

From the beginning I was intrigued by our heroine, Lady Elizabeth York.  She is a woman intent on pleasing her father by being the dutiful daughter and marrying a man she has never met.  However, I became more empathetic when she instead finds herself attracted to a man she cannot have because she is honor-bound to maintain the agreement her father has made with the Duke of Lennox.

Carlyle is indeed a man you want to dislike because of his behaviors and of his being in league with his evil nurse, Florea.  I never felt the need to support this man who enjoys the darkness in his life and nourishes his lust for power.

Will Grey, our hero, is, of course, the wonderful, gorgeous man we know Elizabeth deserves and who is willing to risk all for.  Yet, he, too, is a dutiful son, even going so far as to have married a woman he never loved and siring a son by her.

I loved the way WRITTEN IN THE STARS suddenly fast forwards to the present day, to the life of Elizabeth York’s ancestor, Cordelia Ward.  I’ll admit I never saw that coming.

Lots of intrigue and conflict going on at this stage of WRITTEN IN THE STARS, and I absolutely loved it. 

By bringing in an old beau of Cordelia’s, as a hired hand she can’t easily dismiss, Innis Foley adds just the right amount of suspense and curiosity to WRITTEN IN THE STARS.  Especially when Morgan Murphy arrives on the scene, a man Cordelia finds herself attracted to, whether she admits to it or not. 

WRITTEN IN THE STARS is a very heart-warming story, too, as evidenced by how each of our heros and heroines care for their parents’ wishes in both centuries.  Elizabeth and Will both were willing to forego their personal happiness to please their fathers, and Cordelia and Morgan are both anxious to restore what their parents’ have lost over time.  I enjoyed this aspect of the personalities of these characters.  It adds a nice element to WRITTEN IN THE STARS that endears the reader more to our heros and heroines.

The minor characters were unique in many ways in WRITTEN IN THE STARS.  Innis Foley adds a great deal of conflict, not just between himself and Morgan but between him and Cordelia as well, since she is not certain at first which man she truly wants in her life. 

The evil nurse helping Carlyle is an interesting person, who enjoys leading Carlyle astray.  Also, the couple on Cordelia’s ship, The Evening Star, are unique as well.  Leandre is the first mate and husband to Brigitte.  Brigitte, a Haitian cook who practices voodoo behind her husband’s back, adds a great deal of conflict to WRITTEN IN THE STARS, since Innis seems to have great trust in her abilities to help him snag Cordelia’s heart once and for all.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS is full of dangerous sharks, plenty of voodoo and witchcraft and other forms of magic that make this story fraught with mystery, some spicy romance, and plenty of conflicts to threaten our heros and heroines in this exciting tale.  I greatly enjoyed reading it and learning of what treasure seekers have to go through when diving in deep waters.  Very interesting for someone who has never gone scuba diving before.

If one is in the mood for lots of interesting happenings, murder and mayhem, not to mention heart-tingling romance, then WRITTEN IN THE STARS is a perfect tale to help one wile away the hours.  So kick back and settle in for a completely dangerous, romantic yarn that will shiver your timbers to the core, as you explore the depths of the high seas, and learn secrets that will captivate and enthrall you...for a little while anyways.



This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.


 

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