Heart of the Storm

Set in England and Madeira in 1844, Becnel's (When Lightning Strikes) latest romance is a beautifully constructed, entertaining story marred only by the occasional wimpiness of its otherwise appealing heroine. Eliza Thoroughgood is a shy, sheltered young Englishwoman who convinces her family to let her take her 10-year-old cousin, Aubrey, to Madeira to recuperate from a riding injury. What Eliza and her family don't know is that Aubrey is being hunted by his bastard half-brother, Cyprian Dare, captain of the rogue ship Chameleon. Cyprian intends to kidnap Aubrey to get revenge on their father, who ruined his mother and abandoned him. On Madeira, Cyprian's men capture both Aubrey and Eliza. Although Cyprian tries to release Eliza, she refuses to leave her crippled cousin. When Cyprian decides to seduce her, Eliza doesn't provide much of a challenge. Not only is her resistance to Cyprian feeble, but she accepts his statement that his mother-who lost everything and was forced into prostitution because of her seduction by an irresponsible aristocrat-had no regrets. Eliza eventually concludes, ``When you loved a man there could never be regrets''-at which point many readers will conclude that Eliza needs to get a grip. Still, these unfortunate characterizations aside, Heart of the Storm is a well-written and enjoyable read. (Nov.)