A historical-romance sequel about a strong-willed British woman who teams up with an Irish sea captain to rescue her kidnapped brother.
In this follow-up, Wigginton (Angelina’s Secret, 2014), focuses on Isabella Deveraux, the daughter of Lady Angelina Marguerite Amelia Deveraux, the heroine of her first book. As the story begins, Isabella experiences a disturbing dream about her twin brother, Charlie, on the eve of her 19th birthday. Readers quickly learn that Isabella has a sixth sense, just like her mother’s, and when she dreams about Charlie’s abduction in London, it’s more than a simple nighttime delusion. She sets off immediately to London, setting in motion events that require her to reunite with her parents and grandparents, from whom she had been estranged for years. Complicating matters further, her parents have hired an Irish mercenary to locate their son. Isabella insists that she be permitted to accompany the man and his crew, as she believes her abilities will be crucial in the search. After she persuades her family to permit her to accompany the mercenaries, she must next come to terms with her new partner of sorts, Capt. Aiden Townsend, a man with a beautiful face but brutish, harsh ways. Aiden determines that the best way to avoid suspicion as they travel is to pretend that they’re lovers. Despite Isabella’s grave concern for her reputation, she finally consents to this arrangement and romantic chaos ensues. As Wigginton depicts the building romantic tension between Isabella and Aiden, the intensity of the search for Charlie also ramps up. During this fast-paced, action-packed tale, readers are treated to many rich historical details about political unrest in Ireland that lend credence to the story’s setting and also heighten the stakes for kidnapped Charlie and his worried family. Wigginton tells an absorbing tale, peppered with witty, flirtatious dialogue and just the right number of steamy sex scenes. Despite some predictable elements, it contains sufficiently fresh plotting and character idiosyncrasies to satisfy even experienced romance readers.
A captivating, adventurous tale that’s best suited to readers who enjoy capable, stubborn heroines.
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Isabella's Heart
Diane Merrill Wigginton, author
It is 1783 England and Isabella Deveraux is an independent, fearless young woman who has hardened her heart to everyone that mattered to her, until the night she experiences a disturbing dream about her twin brother, Charlie, on the eve of their 19th birthday. Charlie and his school mates have been abducted by the devil incarnate and she is resolved to do anything it takes to save him, even if that means reconciling with her estranged family and placing her faith and life in the hands of an intimidating Irish mercenary Captain.
Captain Aiden Townsend is more than willing to save the lives of three privileged schoolboys, for the right price. Jaded by his own devastating loss, Aiden has worked hard to keep his distance from the female persuasion until he is introduced to Lady Isabella Deveraux. As he sails his ship from England to Dublin, with the beautiful Lady Deveraux aboard, he formulates a plan to help her. But if his plan is to work, he must break through the walls that surround her heart while tearing down a few of his own.
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