The Wind from the Sea

Romance fans have a treat in store with this multilayered saga from the author of The House of Kuragin . Left orphaned and penniless by the horrors of the French Revolution, young Isabella de Sauvigny and her brother, Guy, seek refuge in England with their maternal uncle, Sir Joshua Bridges. Unfortunately, Sir Joshua has never been able to forgive his late sister for her impetuous marriage to the duo's father, and his wife is busy attending to her own son and daughter. Left to their own devices, Guy, is increasingly drawn in to the dangerous world of smuggling while Belle faces her own perils: she falls in love with an opportunistic young Frenchman. then causes friction by marrying the man meant for her cousin. Although she comes to love the kindly Robert Armitage as much as he loves her, their path is strewn with obstacles that would daunt the most intrepid of lovers. High adventure, passionate romance, hints of incest, mistaken identities and marvelous depictions of the forbidding and mysterious English seacoast add up to a first-rate read. (Feb.)