Stormswept

This repackaging of Jeffries's 1995 novel unites an English lady with a daring Welshman in late 18th-century Wales. Lady Juliana St. Albans, sister of the Earl of Northcliffe, is about to hear the announcement of her engagement to Stephen Wyndham, Marquess of Devon, when she comes face to face with Rhys Vaughan%E2%80%94her husband, whom she had believed was dead. Rhys believes that Juliana was responsible for helping her brother get him impressed into the navy on their wedding night six years before, and he is ruthlessly determined to get back at her by forcing her to continue being his wife, under his absolute dominion. She continues protesting her innocence, and though Rhys greatly doubts her, his attraction to her grows. He gradually comes to the realization that she may not have betrayed him after all. The romantic angst simmers as Rhys aches and snarls and Juliana hopes and pleads. The depth of their emotions makes them believable characters, and their fast-paced story is intensely moving. (June)