Echo in the Wind

Set in 1784 England and France, the swashbuckling second romance in Walker’s Donet trilogy (after To Tame the Wind) demonstrates an impressive breadth of historical knowledge. Bored by the glamor of London society, Lady Joanna West becomes a smuggler to support the poor in her hometown in West Sussex. During a smuggling run to the Channel Islands Joanna meets French smuggler Capt. Jean Donet, a handsome single father who has recently become the Comte de Saintonge after the death of his brother and father. After Joanna’s ship is attacked and she is injured, Donet brings her to his chateau to recover. As they grow closer, Donet discovers that his father and brother were murdered and he and Joanna may be in danger. Walker masterfully evokes time and place with historical detail woven throughout and a narrative voice that will put readers in mind of classics from the era. Occasionally, however, the painstaking attention paid to creating the atmosphere distracts from the story and, despite the high-stakes situations in which the couple finds themselves, the relationship between Joanna and Donet develops from attraction to romance with very few obstacles. Still, this is a great choice for readers who want a high degree of accuracy in their historical romance. (Self-published)