"Story just didn't feel right for this reader"

Having failed to save his beloved Katherine from death in a fire, Devan, Marquess of Castlereagh now lives his life attempting to forget. When a woman servant catches his attention while she works in the garden, he recalls how she came to be there. Found near death on the lawn of his home, he allowed her to be taken in although she had no memory of her past. Now she arranges the flowers that grace his home and bears a striking resemblance to Katherine. Known by the name of Raven, Devan has her "promoted" and given the room adjoining his.

Raven does not really appreciate her change in status, but takes a wait-and-see stance. She is still haunted by dreams of a blaze-tressed woman whose name has at last come to her--Mairead. She seems to feel everything this woman feels, but has yet to understand why, or who she really is. Though Devan gives a fair explanation of why he has changed her position, Raven still has doubts of his true purpose. And the dreams continue, becoming more and more detailed as time passes...

Loosely based on "The Ballad of Barbara Allen" and the Irish folktale "The Briar and the Rose", this story is a fascinating blend of the common and the paranormal. Though the hero has all the makings of a tormented soul which should inspire sympathy, he comes across as rather unlikable. Some of the scenes tended to be unbelievable and the story could benefit from more detail. The characters don't seem to act as people of the time period would.

Reviewed by Flora Bell
Posted February 20, 2003

Summary

Based loosely on the old and tragic ballad Barbara Allen. It is set in 1826 England and Ireland.

Devan, Marquess of Castlereagh, has just returned to Dahlingham, his Ireland estate, to mourn Lady Katherine, who died in a great fire the night of the ball at Dakshire - the very night they were to run away to Gretna Green. Raven is a servant, found on the lawn of Dahlingham during his absence, near death. Nursed back to health by another servant, Raven has no memories of her past. Once recovered, she is given employment on the estate, tending to the laundry and the gardens.

Devan first notices Raven, from his library window. He summons the woman to the library, certain that once inspected closely, she will be little more than a shabby imitation of Lady Katherine. But when at last he looks into her eyes of deep lavender-blue, he is certain she can be none other than Katherine - until she speaks, and her thick Irish brogue confirms what his heart had, in reality, already known. Three days later, Devan orders Raven be moved from the servant's quarters to a suite of rooms on the third floor, determined to unlock the mystery of Raven's past and put an end to the disturbing dreams that have plagued him every night since the day she entered his life.

With the face of an angel, the body of Aphrodite and the tongue of a drunken Irishman, he's never met any woman so infuriating... so seductive... so... Realizing he's met his match, something tells him the woman will be his end yet. From historical Ireland and its mystical legends, to the beau monde and the elegant ballrooms of Regency London, together, Devan and Raven discover the truth of her past, and a passionate love so strong it cannot be denied.