I am not a fan of 'bodice ripper' fiction so started this book with some misgivings.
The setting in Cornwall and the period, at the end of the eighteenth century were well described. The story is set against a background of smuggling and espionage between England and France with a little bit of Irish history thrown in for good measure. The main character, Celia, yearns for freedom from her controlling parents and when they arrange for her to marry a cruel local Viscount, she decides to run away and she meets the handsome French captain of a sailing ship.
Needless to say, the captain is not all he seems.
I'm afraid this book did not really capture my interest, In fact, I put it down only 15 pages from the end last night as I couldn't follow the tortuous plot when I was feeling tired and also there were too many characters with similar names (Jacques, Jago, Pendenning, Polcarrow, Penrose, Pengelly, Roskelly .)
A family tree is provided at the beginning - somewhat pretentious for this type of book, I feel.
The setting in Cornwall and the period, at the end of the eighteenth century were well described. The story is set against a background of smuggling and espionage between England and France with a little bit of Irish history thrown in for good measure. The main character, Celia, yearns for freedom from her controlling parents and when they arrange for her to marry a cruel local Viscount, she decides to run away and she meets the handsome French captain of a sailing ship.
Needless to say, the captain is not all he seems.
I'm afraid this book did not really capture my interest, In fact, I put it down only 15 pages from the end last night as I couldn't follow the tortuous plot when I was feeling tired and also there were too many characters with similar names (Jacques, Jago, Pendenning, Polcarrow, Penrose, Pengelly, Roskelly .)
A family tree is provided at the beginning - somewhat pretentious for this type of book, I feel.