Ames’ review of One Whisper Away by Emma Wildes.
Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine-the American whom everyone is whispering about- Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead….
Around town he’s known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately-and, with it, responsibility for his three half sisters-Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can’t wait to settle his father’s estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England…
I’m a big fan of Emma Wildes and I always look forward to her books. One Whisper Away was no exception.
Lady Cecily Francis is at a ball when she accidentally spills some champagne on herself. Imagine her surprise when the ton’s most talked about Earl tends to her décolletage himself. Cecily is shocked and intrigued by this man who lives by his own rules. And it sets the tongues wagging when he whispers in her ear before taking his leave. What did he say? Everyone wants to know.
Everyone around Cecily would like the ensuing gossip about her to die down so they can all focus on her most ardent suitor, Lord Drury. But Cecily knows her older sister prefers Lord Drury so she approaches Augustine and proposes a fake engagement so the way will be clear for her sister and Lord Drury.
I can hear what you’re thinking – a fake engagement plot? But it’s not! As if Emma Wildes would do something so cliché. No, Augustine and Cecily both realize that there’s no way they can lie to everyone they love so they reluctantly admit the truth, they really want the other. It’s not so simple for Augustine however. He is American raised and made it known as soon as he arrived in England that he would return home as soon as all the estate business was wrapped up.
One Whisper Away is an enjoyable read. Despite the fact that I tend to not enjoy Native American characters in historical novels, I was willing to overlook that for Ms. Wildes. She didn’t romanticize Augustine’s culture too much (there were references to his spirituality) and he lived by his own personal code of honor.
Now Cecily is why I truly enjoyed this book. She’s not your usual blushing debutante. She sees and understands the world and the ways of the ton but doesn’t always agree with them. For example, everyone is shocked that Augustine brought his illegitimate daughter with him from America. But Cecily sees that as a good thing, he’s raising his daughter and not hiding her like some secret shame. He’s an honorable man.
All in all, One Whisper Away was an enjoyable read. I loved how Ms. Wildes built up Cecily’s and Augustine’s relationship. My only criticism of this book would be the sub-plot where someone is trying to kill Augustine. It is superfluous and I felt like it didn’t add anything to the plot. Everything else was good.
One Whisper Away gets 4 out of 5 from me.
This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
This is the first book I read of Emma Wildes and I liked it. I picked up a few of her backlist and those were good, too. It’s always nice finding a new author.
i have loved all the books i’ve read by her!
She’s definitely an auto buy for me too.