Whispers of the Night

Alcy has traveled from Britain to Hungary to marry Baron Janos Benedek. Although they have traded letters to get to know each other, they have never met. Alcy is more willful and less graceful than other women in English society leaving her still unmarried. Janos needs Alcy's money and so the marriage was arranged. Upon meeting Janos at his castle, they are immediately married. While eating a private dinner after the ceremony, Alcy suddenly realizes that the man in front of her is not Baron Benedek. Alcy is really married to Count Dumitru Constantinescu instead. Dumitru explains to Alcy that he `stole' her from Janos because he needed her money as well. Dumitru and Alcy are getting along surprisingly well. Dumitru is the first man that has acknowledged and encouraged Alcy's intelligence. Dumitru is surprised and immensely pleased with his attraction for Alcy. Although Alcy knows her marriage to Dumitru was based on his need for her money, she has come to believe that he truly enjoys her company and is content with their match, but when then she discovers Dumitru's secret motives she is devastated and betrayed, so Alcy flees into the dangerous dark night. Dumitru finds Alcy after an arduous search, but they are soon captured by Hajduk bandits and taken to their leader. Over the course of several weeks, Dumitru and Alcy are captured repeatedly. Just when they think their ordeal is finally over they are captured yet again. When it appears there will be no escape this time, Dumitru comes to accept that he will never see Alcy again once they are taken to Turkey, but Alcy will not accept their fate. Dumitru has done whatever it took thus far to get them out of trouble time after time, but now it's up to Alcy to save them. Whispers Of The Night is a romance with a heavy political aspect. It is a detailed and complex story. Alcy is extremely intelligent and beautiful. Dumitru is proud, brave, and handsome. The long periods of distance, both self imposed and forced between Alcy and Dumitru had me continually longing for them to be together again. I found the political aspect of the book interesting, although at times slightly overwhelming. Dumitru and Alcy's repeated captivity was realistic but it became almost redundant and the story seemed to end rather abruptly as well. However, I feel that Whispers Of The Night is an articulately written story with a loving romance between the characters. Nannette reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

At first this book seemed rather similar to "Castle Of The Wolf" by Sandra Schwab: on-the-shelf spinster travels to central Europe to meet - and marry - a man she hasn't met before, a German-speaking man who is titled and has a castle. However the differences between these two books become apparent fairly quickly, although they're both equally good. The heroine of this book is the daughter of a Cit, a man who has made money through fabric making and wants to elevate his daughter to the aristocracy. Money can't buy everything, however, and despite Alcyone Carter being beautiful and with a huge dowry she smells too much of the shop for the English nobles. Thus her father arranges a marriage for her with Benedek János, a Baron from Austria, who can offer her six months of the year in Vienna as well as a title. Alcyone travels to meet him, expecting a slow courtship and eventual marriage when they know each other well enough; instead she finds herself rushed instantly into a marriage, most of which is unintelligible to her as it's performed in an unknown language. She also has to convert from Anglicanism as she had expected but, rather strangely, not to Roman Catholicism as had been discussed in the letters between her and her fiancé but to the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity. There are many more unorthodox things taking place and our heroine is no fool - she very quickly realises that she hasn't in fact married the man she was expecting to. She soon discovers that she's not even in Austria but is now in Romania, a country ruled by the Turks, and through marriage has become a countess and princess too. What's nice about our heroine is that she tends to make the best of things and she is certainly not disappointed in her husband, Dumitru Constantinescu, even if he did trick her into marriage. Unfortunately for her there's more going on under the surface than she thought and her new husband needs money that he thought he would receive from her dowry - which has instead been ring-fenced for her safety by her father. Of course Alcy discovers the deception and runs away from her husband who chases after her (of course) but unfortunately they are both captured by Servian bandits. There follows some very interesting writing as Alcy and Dumitru try to escape, face dangers and difficulties and also have to reconcile to each other despite their differences. The second half of the book, as they travel to the heart of the Ottoman empire, is very different from the first half at Severinor Castle, but the descriptions of the events and the people that they meet are fascinating. There is espionage, bribery, politics and danger as well as love and loss for our main characters. This was a very enjoyable read and a change from the standard historical romance set in ballrooms in London although the title of the book wasn't particularly suggestive of an interesting story. The setting of Rumania was of great interest and the author's research has obviously bee

The daughter of an affluent tradesman, Alcyone Carter has failed to find a match after four seasons on the London marriage mart. Her father uses his contacts on the continent to arrange a marriage for his beloved daughter. However, Count Dumitru Constantinescu tricks Alcy into thinking he is her fiancé and marries her because he needs her dowry to help his people. When she learns of his ruse, Alcy is outraged by his deception. However, as he showers her with kindness and sensuality, she falls in love with her husband. When she learns the full truth about her spouse, Alcy flees for Istanbul. Dumitru risks his life as his long time adversary resides in Istanbul, but he throws caution aside as he needs his beloved by his side. Besides bringing to life the Ottoman Empire as a delightful side benefit, WHISPERS OF THE NIGHT is a superb historical romance that hooks the audience from the moment they arrive at remote Castle Vlararchia in Romania and never slows down as they flee Istanbul's Topkapi Palace. The strong story line contains dark gothic elements that turn into a deep abiding passion and love. Fans who value exotic locales away from the genre's norm will fully want to join the charming lead couple as they learn first hand with their lives at stake the Machiavellian principles that rule Eastern Europe. Harriet Klausner