This one took some time for me to wrap my head around a few of the things that happened. Getting past the Druids was okay, but the quick changes in behavior of some of the characters left me scratching my head. Overall the loose ends were tied up quickly, albeit strangely.

"If any woman of thy lineage doth not drink of the cup at her wedding, her husband shall die within three years of her wedding."

FINAL DECISION: The book has an elegance and a more serious tone than other books by Jeffries. I really enjoyed these characters and the journey they took because while there are many secrets and deceptions between them, there is a joy and lightness that surrounds this couple.

THE STORY: Catrin Price is a Welsh widow with a family death curse. If she does not drink from a druid cup at her wedding, her husband will die within three years. That has already happened to Catrin and she knows that if she wants to fulfill her desire for a husband and family, she must recover the cup. She manages to track it down but when she gets it, the man from whom she purchased it is murdered. Evan Newcome is a scholar who is looking for the woman last seen with his friend. He believes that she might have something to do with his death and is determined to find out the truth.

OPINION: This book has two elements that I really liked: the characters connection to one another and the ending which pushes the characters into an uneasy situation where love must overcome fear.

These two characters have a difficult road. Catrin and Evan come to one another with lies and deceptions. Both are lying and concealing information. As they begin to build their relationship, these lies threaten the possibility of any true connection between them. Catrin is a woman determined to overcome the notorious legacy of her family. She takes risks which stretch her understanding of who she is. She makes choices which take her close to the line of doing wrong. Evan is also on a mission. He is determined to avenge his friend's death. He is willing to do whatever it takes -- lies are just the beginning. But he doesn't count on falling for Catrin. Just when it seems that the two might have untangled their lives, the external threats arise.

I found this story very exciting and liked that it operated to push the two main characters into revealing more about themselves and to grow closer to one another. In the best twist of the book, the plot devise strips the main characters of the expected resolution to the story. As the final chapter closes, the characters have to put their faith in love and one another and trust that life will be good to them. There are no guarantees for these characters, but don't worry my friends, things work out very well for them in the end.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a revised and reissued version of the book by the same name originally written by this author under the name of Deborah Martin. Make sure you don't already have it in your collection before buying it!

CONNECTED BOOKS: WINDSWEPT is the second book in the Welsh series. It is not necessary to read the other book first (I didn't!). This book can operate as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Catrin and Evan are used to being judged by others. She is very shy and he is a scholar, but the son of a farmer. They want to be together, but they both are not trusting of others. They both have lied to the other and so the mistrust is understandable. They have to battle a curse and someone trying to steal the chalice from Catrin. Several people have been killed for the chalice and Catrin doesn't want to be one of them. Once they get past the lies and hurt, can their love withstand the curse?

Catrin Price is also known as the Lady of the Mist. Legend has it that the females in Catrin's family are cursed because when they married they did not drink from the Druid challis and the males in her family will all be infertile. Catrin didn't even know about this legend until the day of her wedding to Willie where he ends up dead even before they can consummate their marriage. Now Catrin is determined to find this challis that was sold years ago so she can marry again and not lose her groom to death. Catrin finds out that Lord Justin Mansfield has the challis and has agreed to sell it to her so she travels to London to buy it. After the sale, Catrin heads back to Wales and Justin ends up being murdered.

Evan Newcome's best friend, Justin was murdered and he is trying to find out who is responsible. He is able to figure out that Catrin was suppose to meet with Justin on the night he was murdered and Evan plans to confront her. When Evan meets Catrin, she isn't at all what Evan expected. I just loved their first meeting. It was so pure and raw.

As Evan is trying to get information out of Catrin, Catrin is also trying to purposely keep information from Evan while at the same time these two were enamored with each other. I really enjoyed how these two were so drawn together. It's like they were destined to be each others soul mate.

Just when Evan believes that Catrin is innocent and didn't have anything to do with Justin's death, something big happens and all hell breaks loose! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED when Juliana stepped into action! That was awesome! I really enjoyed the big rescue at the end too. I could really picture what was happening very vividly. I also really enjoyed their well deserved happy ending.

This story was different than any other Sabrina Jeffries book I have read. Overall I enjoyed the story and the characters but it didn't have much of the humor I have grown to love with Sabrina's books. It was certainly an enjoyable read and I even learned a bit about ancient Druids.

Windswept was a delightful afternoon read that I could not put down!
It was a nice escape from reality reading about the Lady of the Mist, widowed Catrine Price, and her chalice cursed misfortunes. Plus, meeting Evan Newcome a man searching for his best friends murderer (the last man to have the chalice). While both Catrine and Evan seem to have all sorts of trust issues and fears... what they had undeniably was an unequivocal attraction to one another that leads us on a journey full of mystery, intrigue, more murder and always a favorite of mine... a passionate love affair. So well written, that in a few places I actually had goosebumps when reading this 2nd novel in the Wales series.
ARC received from Netgalley for honest review.

Wales Book Two

Evan Newcombe is searching for his friend's murderer when his friend directs him to the Lady of the Lake, an old woman Evan has heard tales about since childhood. When he comes across the lovely Catrin Price emerging from the water in naught but a shift, he is stunned by the beauty. Catrin is afraid Evan might be the constable, searching for her after she fled London. When she purchased her family's chalice from Justin Mansfield she hurries from the tavern due to an unexplained feeling of dread. She hears of his death the next morning and knows that if she turns herself in no one would believe she was not involved.

If you're looking for a mystery set in historical Wales, this is the book for you!

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

London - 1802

Catrin Price is a young Welsh widow who has agreed to meet Lord Mansfield at an inn for supper. She is hoping to pay him to remove a curse from her. As a Welsh female descendant of Morgana, she must drink from a chalice on the night of her wedding to prove she honors the ways of her ancestors and then her life will be good. But if she does not drink from the chalice, her husband will die within 3 years, and her sons will be fruitless, and her daughters cursed until they themselves drink from the chalice. Catrin believes herself to be cursed because her husband died on their wedding day.

Carmarthen Wales - 1802

Evan Newcome is looking at his father’s grave. The man has just died and Evan is happy he is gone. He was a violent man and his sons tend to take after him. His friends, Lady Juliana Vaughan and her husband, Rhys, have always cared for Evan and sent him to Eton to become educated.

As part of some research on Welsh folklore that he is doing, Evan tells Juliana and Rhys that he is looking for a woman called The Lady of the Mist who is rumored to be responsible for the death of his friend. She has written papers about it and he wants to interview her. The woman is a widow whose husband died on their wedding day. Her name is Catrin Price.

Juliana and Rhys wish Evan could find a good woman and get married. When asked about Catrin, Juliana fails to tell Evan that the first Catrin has died and her granddaughter now bears her name. She does not tell him because she hopes to do some matchmaking between Evan and Catrin.

When Catrin and Evan first meet, she does not tell him who she really is. She likes her privacy and prefers to stay in her own home with her servants. A very wealthy and well educated woman, she is also a benefactress in her community. There are also some men pursuing her hoping to marry her for her wealth and hopefully to get their hands on the prized chalice.

This book was written in 1996 under the name Deborah Martin which is the Ms. Jeffries’s pseudonym. Unfortunately, this folklore curse scenario is not my cup of tea and I can honestly say I did not enjoy the book. However, Ms. Jeffries’s writing has improved greatly since this book was first published.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5*
Carting Price
Evan Newcomer
I enjoyed this book. It was fun to see that Evan Newcome grew to be an intelligent and interesting young man. I liked his character a great deal and he and Catrin Price had good chemistry and they made a good and believable couple.
Catrin is the current Lady of the Mist. She has land and tenets and a future to take care of and she feels totally inadequate to fully do it. There's a curse that has ended the lives of all men who marry the Lady of the Mist for the last five generations. Catrin husband died on their wedding day and if she can't break the curse she will be alone and her lands and people will be lost.
Evan comes from a farming family and his father was very abusive. If it had not been for Lord Rhys and Lady Julianna who saw what an intelligent boy he was and gave him a chance at a life that was out of his grasp. He may of been a abusive man like his father and he feared he just might be.
After the death of his best friend Justin who was to meet the Lady of the Mist the night be died Evan goes in search of her. Instead of an old woman he finds Catrin a young beautiful woman he suspects to be a murderer. Catrin fears Evan is a constable from London to investigate the mans murder after meeting with her. Neither Evan or Catrin can be truthful with each other and spin lies. As their relationship blossoms their lies unravel and threaten any future possible.
My only problem with the story is that the author went back and forth with Catrin's strengths and weaknesses. I felt she was far stronger then the author gave her credit for.

Publisher's Description:
Originally written under the pseudonym Deborah Martin, this unforgettable tale of mystery, treasure, and passion is back in print at last and newly revised for today’s audience!

Welsh widow Catrin Price is haunted by a family death curse. Any man whom she marries without first drinking from an ancient Druid chalice sold by her ancestor long ago is unquestionably doomed. But when she hunts it down to purchase it, the chalice’s former owner ends up dead. Who will believe her innocent with the man’s treasure in her hands? Now she lives in fear of discovery, afraid to trust, afraid to give away her heart…

Even Newcome, a scholar struggling to overcome a difficult past, travels to Wales to find the mysterious woman last seen with his murdered friend. So when the lady proves to be a beautiful yet shy creature who shares his love of Welsh mythology, he’s torn between believing her guilty and trusting the passion blazing between them. But as unscrupulous men seek the chalice for their own devious purposes, will Catrin and Evan let their wall of mistrust stand between them? Or will they defeat their enemies together and embrace the love intended for them since time immemorial?

My Thoughts:
This is the second of a series of reworked and re-released novels updated for today's audience. I never read it before when it was released as a Deborah Martin title but I very much enjoyed this updated version.
Our heroine finds herself a widow shortly after marrying. In fact her husband dies on the day of the wedding. She learns a short while later of the druid curse connected to her family.
Even who first appeared in Stormswept as a child is our Hero who has returned to Wales in search of information about the murder of his longtime friend.
He begins a very convoluted tale by suspecting our heroine of his friend's murder.
I really enjoyed this read and finished it in short order. As stated I had not read any of Sabrina Jeffries works written as Deborah Martin until they were reworked and released again as Sabrina Jeffries.
I found the characters compelling and the storyline to be well developed. I am sure that the physical relationship was probably a part that was reworked because it draws the interest of today's audience more if it is not just inferred but spelled out.
I would give this book 4 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization. The sensuality rating is 3.5 of 5 flames. It is a heated but not scorching tale.
I received a complimentary digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I voluntarily reviewed.

Really enjoy Jeffries work. This is a rerelease of a book written under a pseudonym, and it is great. Our h is seeking a challis previously owned by her family, hoping to end a curse that prevents her marrying. The H is seeking to find who murdered his best friend and stole the challis. She purchased the challis prior to the mans murder, but feared being accused of the murder. Due to her fear, she has been deceptive. They become involved and eventually begin a relationship. He discovers her deception and becomes angry and determined to take her to London, to face questions by the magistrate. On the trip they encounter danger and she saves his life. There is mystery and passion in the book, and the appearance of a couple from Jeffries book, Stormswept, which was terrific. There is a HEA, a very satisfying book.

With a curse on her family Catrin Price has vowed to never remarry for if she does her husband will die within three years. She has to drink from the caulks for this to be prevented. The only problem is she doesn't have it in her possession. It was sold by her grandfather. When she does locate who owns it she offers to purchase it and in doing so brings a whole lot of trouble to her door. Little does she know she isn't the only one wanting to possess the ancient cup.

When his best friend, Justin, was killed after meeting Catrin Price, Evan Newman decides to do a little investigating into the matter himself. He has every intention in finding Mrs. Price and question her himself regarding his friend's death. After many twists and turns and a couple of really evil men, these two have to decide if there is enough trust and love in their relationship to survive curses and all kinds of evil.

Sabrina Jeffries certainly knows how to write historical romance even adding a bit of mystery of "who dun nit" to the mix. This was an interesting plot, which kept me turning the pages until I was done. Both the hero and heroine were a great balance for each other. I loved how the author turned everything around when there didn't seem to be a way out. Such a fantastic ending, even a bit unusual, which worked very well. I thoroughly enjoyed yet another hit for this author!

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5

Scholar Evan Newcome is looking into the murder of his best friend. To start, he travels to Wales to find the mysterious woman his friend was supposed to be meeting with on the night of his murder. But when he actually meets Mrs. Catrin Price, she's not what he expected.

Catrin has been plagued by the family curse her entire life. Before any of them can marry, the women of the family must first drink from an ancient Druid chalice. By not doing so the groom is fated to die within three years of the marriage. Catrin Price has experienced this curse firsthand when she lost her husband on their wedding day. In order to move on and marry again to keep her family going, Catrin has determined to track down the chalice. And after traveling to London to acquire it back for her family, she finds out that the man who sold it to her wound up dead. In order to avoid any false accusations she hides the fact that she has the chalice. So when Evan Newcome shows up asking about it, Catrin does the only thing she can think of: she lies.

I did not read Windswept when it was first published so I'm not sure of any changes / updates that have been made to the story. I wavered back and forth while reading this one. Just when I would start to think that there was no way the storyline could continue for the amount of page time left, Sabrina Jeffries would introduce a new layer / element that would quickly renew my interest.

There's quite a bit of intrigue surrounding the chalice. I enjoyed this part the most and honestly would have loved more development in this area of the storyline.

Instead, since this is first and foremost romance, the attraction between Evan and Catrin is the main focus. While, yes, the chalice was a factor in bringing them together, and for causing the inevitable conflict between them, by the end the misunderstandings and misrepresentations became a bit too repetitive for my tastes.

While the outside problems that arise from the chalice (not revolving around the relationship between Evan and Catrin) were far more interesting to me.

I loved Catrin's sweet demeanor and shyness, yet in the face of trouble she'd protect what was important to her and wouldn't back down. Evan was just ok for me as far as a hero goes and I think this is just because I felt like we only learn the base fundamentals of who he is. He falls for Catrin almost immediately, yet he feels like there's no chance for them to be together because of the way he grew up. I felt like his turnaround just sort of happens. I didn't really feel like we saw the transformation of him learning to accept who he is / was.

Overall, though, the story was a pretty good read. Regardless of anything I found fault with, I kept being drawn back into the story again and again. This is a testament to the wonderful writing of Sabrina Jeffries.

Welsh widow Catrin Price is haunted by a family death curse. Any man whom she marries without first drinking from an ancient Druid chalice sold by her ancestor long ago is unquestionably doomed to die within three years of marrying her. But when she hunts it down to purchase it, the chalice’s former owner Justin, Lord Mansfield ends up dead. Evan Newcome (who we met in the first book 'Stormswept ' as a young boy), a scholar struggling to overcome a difficult past as he was abused by his father, travels to Wales to find the mysterious woman last seen with his murdered friend Justin. So when the lady proves to be a beautiful yet shy creature who shares his love of Welsh mythology, he’s torn between believing her guilty and trusting the passion blazing between them. But as unscrupulous men seek the chalice for their own devious purposes, can Catrin and Evan let their wall of mistrust stand between them.
Another page turning novel from the author, this is a re release of the book & I’m so glad to be able to read it. The attraction between Evan & Catlin simmers from their first meeting whilst she is swimming. Both of them have sworn not to marry but can’t stop themselves from falling in love. A very enjoyable read with a murder that needs to be solved & then the chalice once again is taken. Misunderstandings & mistrust need to be resolved before they can hope to have a happy ever after. The Vaughans from Stormswept also feature & it was good to catch up with them. I’d recommend this book with no hesitation

Windswept surrounds the murder of a close friend to Evan Newcombe and the family curse for Caitrin Price. Caitrin buys a family heirloom chalice from Lord Mansfield, now the deceased. She is concerned she feels as though she is being watched while meeting him to make the purchase. Unbeknownst to Caitrin as she exits the rear of the building, Lord Mansfield exits the front and on his way home is stabbed repeatedly. Evan had just spent the evening with his friend and knew of his meeting a lady to sell the mythical, Druid chalice. He decides to search for her.

Caitrin returns home telling no one she had purchased the chalice because she is worried she might be suspected in connection to the death of Lord Mansfield. Caitrin’s grandmother was knows as the Lady of the Mists before she passed on. That was all Evan knew about the purported purchaser of the chalice. He realized that his friend, once deceased, had neither the chalice, the letter from the ‘Lady of the Mists’ nor the money he should have been paid had he met with the purchaser.

Through an enchantingly, beautiful, mystical scene, Evan meets Caitrin not knowing she is the one he seeks. Once they do actually find out who the other is, Evan keeps his concern about her possible connection to his friend to himself. She is wary of him thinking him there because of the chalice, but she begins to believe he is there due to their connection through their shared interest in Welsh mythology. He leads her to believe he is interested in her help writing about Welsh mythology.

A widow for five years, Caitrin was still a virgin since her husband died on their wedding day without a wedding night. She believes she must drink from the chalice on her next wedding day or any many she marries will die before their third anniversary as did her great-grandfather, grandfather, father and now deceased husband, thus, her very serious need for the chalice to come back into her family’s hands.

This book ended well with Caitrin and Evan reaching their HEA, but there were numerous situations keeping them from getting there quickly, such as the friend’s murder investigation, Caitrin’s want to be suitor causes issues, Evan getting shot, both of them desiring not to marry, each believing the other lies Caitrin’s family curse and Evan’s family heritage of tremendous anger and physical harm to others – all makes for a great story.

The beginning of Windswept did not pull me in as Sabrina Jeffries’s books normally do. She is such a talented writer that I stayed with it and the charm with which she normally writes shone through about a third of the way into the book. You may find the beginning to be a better draw than I did, but regardless, Windswept is still a great book to read. It was good, too, to see Juliana and Vaughan as an established couple who helps others, love them. Thank you Net Galley for sharing this book in exchange for an honest review.

In rather bright purple prose, Deborah Martin, aka Sabrina Jeffries tells the tale of a chalice of death that has wreaked havoc on a long line of Welsh women, and now is threatening the happiness of the widow Catrin Price, and the life of any man she could love.

This is simply fun, light entertainment for a weekend afternoon.

Ancient curses, murder, lies and passion. This is a reissue of a novel originally written under the name Deborah Martin and has been revised by the author. I really loved this book, the heroine Catrin became a widow on her wedding day and a year later discovered that unless the women in her line drank from a particular chalice on their wedding day, their marriage would last less than three years and any sons born to the union would be unable to father children. Ever since she has been left with the guilt that she was the cause of her husband’s death; moving on another four years, she locates the chalice sold by her great-great-grandfather in the C17th but her mission to recover her family’s heirloom sets unseen evil afoot.
Enjoyed the sexual tension between Catrin and Evan. Liked how the curse was resolved. Recommended read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Beautiful, mysterious and enchanting! I was hooked from the prologue. The mysterious story of Morgana's curse set the stage for the rest of the book. Catrin Price is in search of a chalice that she will believe break a curse that has plagued the women in her family for four generations. Evan Newcome is looking for information about the murder of his best friend, Lord Justin Mansfield. This is what brings our heroine and hero together. Both tell each other lies to protect themselves. Catrin is afraid of being blamed for Justin's murder even though she's innocent and Evan wants information from the last person that saw Justin alive without giving away how much he knows. In the process, Evan and Catrin begin to fall in love with each other but their lies and the curse threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed the beautiful picture the author painted of Wales. It truly added to the magic and mystery of the story. Evan and Catrin have sizzling chemistry from the moment they meet and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I loved the secondary characters. Some you love and some you hate but they add important elements necessary to the development of the story. Evan and Catrin's relationship is steamy without being overdone. There are a couple of sex scenes but they don't overwhelm the story. Overall, this was a great book. The mystery surrounding the chalice was intriguing and kept me engrossed in the story. It's an easy, effortless read with steamy romance and a happy ever after!

**My review is live on Goodreads and I will post my review on Amazon the day the book is published

Didn't know this was a book 2 of the series, can't go thru with the review then sorry!

a truly wonderful historical romance by Ms. Jeffries. A good solid plot with romance.