"A Tale That Grips the Imagination"
Tessa LePrelle is a scullery maid in London in the year
1903. To brighten up her dreary existence she visits a
gallery where a century old painting by Giles Longworth,
the "Bride of Time" is on display. She's not only drawn to
patchwork hills and the manor house hidden in the mist, the
woman in the portrait intrigues her. She resembles her in
many ways. After being accused of stealing from her employer, she
makes a mad dash through the London fog hoping to escape
the Bobbies that are determined to take her away. The fog
lifts and she finds herself in another time, a time where
Giles Longworth is very much alive. She is mistaken for the
new governess and Giles' coachman brings her directly to
the brooding artist. She knows his face immediately for
she's seen his self-portrait in the gallery. While she
tries to figure out how and why she's here, she agrees to
be the governess for Monty, Giles' ward. The child proves
to be more than a handful. He is part gypsy and believes he
is a werewolf. Giles would like to dismiss the child's claims as fantasy,
but the child has bitten him and the wound will not heal.
There have been recent animal deaths and the child's temper
is out of control, forcing Giles to search for answers. Not
only does he have the child to worry about, he must finish
the painting the Prince Regent has commissioned, but he
can't keep a model there long enough to complete it. When
Tessa arrives, he knows she is the face of the "Bride of
Time." All he has to do is convince her. Dawn Thompson has created an intriguing paranormal tale of
suspense. You'll be drawn into her world where the legends
of the lay lines (the time portals) that run along the
route of St. Michael's Churches, and where werewolves are a
threat when the moon is full. Not only are Giles and Tessa
characters that you will love and care for with the hope
that they find a way to be together, you will also fall for
the secondary characters as well. Moraiva, the Gypsy woman
who does all she can to help the young couple and Foster,
Giles' trusted man, who will do all he can to keep the
secret that plagues Longhollow Abbey. I truly cannot say enough about this book with its gothic
romance and the mystery of time travel and the threat of
the werewolf. It is a definite keeper on my shelf. Ms.
Thompson truly had the knack for creating a tale that grips
the imagination. Reviewed by: Karen
Michelle Nutt, author
Reviewed by Karen Michelle Nutt
Posted December 20, 2008
|
