Blurb...
West Indies, 1571. Shipwrecked on an island for most of her young life, Lily Christian is rescued by the dashing sea captain, Valentine Whitelaw. On the voyage back to England, Lily falls hard for the sun-bronzed man, but her love is not returned.
Back among the glittering halls of court, Valentine tries to forget the young beauty he plucked from the Caribbean. But when he discovers innocent Lily is caught up in a treacherous plot to murder the queen, he will do everything in his power to protect Lily and save his liege. Thrust together into perilous adventure, Valentine and Lily have only each other to trust...and to love.
Wild Bells to the Wild Sky took me by surprise. I hadn’t read anything by Laurie McBain prior to Wild Bells but, from reviews I had seen, I knew this wouldn’t be a run-of-the-mill historical romance. Even so, I wasn’t expecting the epic adventure spanning decades and continents which took me on an exciting journey that had me holding my breath, afraid to read on but unable to put it down.
I had seen a review calling this a ‘bodice-ripper’, but I’m not sure that’s accurate as there was no actual bodice-ripping, no rape…not even an unwanted fondling or groping. Still, I could definitely ‘feel’ the 80’s writing, the kind of storytelling that came before authors were expected to keep page count to a minimum... and I loved every word!
Filled with richly detailed period apparel, elaborate coiffures, architecture, landscapes, and accurately portrayed (though fictionalized) political maneuverings and machinations, I felt as though I was there in Elizabethan England! I could imagine myself walking along the deck of the Arion and the Madrigal, living on a Caribbean island paradise, visiting the royal courts of Elizabeth, The Virgin Queen, traveling with gypsies, escaping danger… I could go on and on but suffice it to say - what a wonderful reading experience this was!
There’s no doubt about it – I will be reading everything Laurie McBain has written. And, thankfully, it appears that her stories are being re-released in e-book (if they aren’t all already) and this makes me very happy!
The bottom line… Wild Bells to the Wild Sky is so much more than a historical romance - it's an intriguing, exciting, poignant, romantic adventure!
An ARC was provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and in appreciation I’m giving them an honest review!
Click here to purchase Wild Bells to the Wild Sky from Amazon
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