Winds of Glory

Rating:
Summary: An unusual story with wonderful characters.
Review: The above reviewer outlined the story well so my comments will only be a critique. The story starts out wonderfully with the spirited, spoiled miss and the forbiden "stablehand" taking their lifelong friendship toward perhaps adult affection. It gets side tracked by the forced marriage. Our heroines efforts to become a functioning colonial wife are adorable and our hero is of course outstanding. The middle of the book seemed to go on forever with the patriot and loyalist chess moves. I like historic stuff but this was written in a confusing manner. It was difficult to figure the good people from the bad and/or whose side who was on. Perhaps that was meant to be part of the "suspense" but for me, it just took a potentially wonderful book and forced me to wade through the middle. It pulls together in the last chapters. Wiggs is an excellent author and I highly recommend other works of hers which I've also reviewed. This is a story worth reading and finishing because of the characters and the insight into the pain of the american revolutionary period but I wouldn't read it a second time. And that's how I rate my books.

Rating:
Summary: REALLY WELL WORTH READING --
Review: This is romance with a bit of history thrown in to make an excellent story.

Fort George, Rhode Island, December 1774, summoned to serve in King George's Army, private Ashton Markham is wounded

Newport, Rhode Island, May 1775, Bethany Winslow is returning from her schooling in New York and considers herself a staunch Englishwoman - at 18 [grin]-- She has a twin brother, Harry and an older brother, William.

Her father, Sinclair Winslow and mother, Lillian are very upset that Harry has been kicked out of Rhode Island College. Harry wishes to marry a young lady named Felicia and he leaves home to do so, also to follow his patriotic leanings.

Ashton Markham works for Winslow as horse trainer and breeder of Winslow's thoroughbreds. His particular favorite is a black stallion named Corsair. The stallion has several high points through out the story.

Bethany's father informs her that it is high time that she considers a man to marry. He wishes to see her safe under the protection of a husband in these up and coming trying times.

The Tories/or Englishman of Rhode Island expect to be the winning side in the war with the patriots/or Americans.

The Englishman, Dorian Tanner, wishes to court Bethany to procure her inheritance of her father's estate, Seastone and its horses and of course the money involved.

Look for the characters, Finley Piper and his son, Chapin - printer and agitator for the colonies cause. Carrie Markham, Ashton's sister, who will do anything to gain her own ends. Miss Abigail Primrose, Bethany's head mistress and school teacher, who definitely has other fish to fry.

Now the tantilizing event that leads to all of the marital confusion is that the Redcoats come to arrest Harry and get Ashton instead. So Bethany in her misguided enthusiasum to save Ashton from certain death claims to be pregnant by him. Ashton believes the babe to be by Dorian Tanner. [you must read all of the events that lead up to his conclusion].

By the time they all live through the Declaration of Independance and final peace - well, you will not believe all the strife and misunderstanding and torment that they have had to live with. This is a story of how Englishmen, bondsmen and slaves live through treason, spying and war to the bonding of the American people.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [if you can find it] you will enjoy the change of a spoiled and indulged young beauty into an American wife & mother and her maturing & growth in dealing with the man she loves.