Whispers of the Night (Signet Eclipse) [Paperback]

Lydia Joyce (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Eclipse | Publication Date: July 5, 2006

When four London seasons fail to find her a suitable match, Alcyone Carter does the unthinkable and treks across Europe to marry a foreign nobleman she's never met. But on her wedding night, she discovers her handsome, enigmatic husband is not the man he claimed to be. Rather than live a lie, she escapes his estate into the darkness. But her husband-ignited by his desire and pride-risks everything to follow her from the depths of the Romanian forests into the decadent heart of Istanbul, where they're forced to confront the sensual passion they've discovered-and the dire threat that could cost them both their lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (July 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451218973
• ISBN-13: 978-0451218971
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was very young, I didn't want to be a writer. I wanted to be a grandma. After all, grandmas don't have to work, they enjoy the company of children whenever they desire, and whenever they don't, they send them home to their parents. I would wear a large-old fashioned hat, have salt-and-pepper Gibson girl hair, and grow roses.

When I discovered that grandma-ing was not a career, I settled on writing as second best.

I began dictating my first stories to my mother before I could write. I filled notebooks in elementary school, and in middle school and high school, I wrote over 800 manuscript pages in my spare time as well as four plays that saw production.

Yet I never seriously considered writing as a career after elementary school. Writers starve, I was always told; a writer makes a decent wage about as often as pigs fly. And I wanted to make money, so I moved from Texas to Indiana to enroll in Purdue's engineering program.

I hated it.

Finally, I decided there was a good deal of difference between being good at a thing and liking it and that liking it was more important, so I left engineering. After changing my major a second time, I still managed to graduate in four years with majors in English and Spanish and a minor in religious studies--and almost another major in creative writing if illness hadn't prevented me from completing it. Meanwhile, I wrote three manuscripts and began submitting them and collecting rejection letters.

After graduation, I married a wonderful man I met my sophomore year, and so far we have one son. We're now living on a half acre in the mountains of New Mexico, where I write full time and update my website as frequently as possible.

I got my first contract in the late spring of 2004, two years after I graduated from college, and I'm hoping to sell many more books!

In addition to writing, I am a competitive ballroom dancer as well as a sometime gardener.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rumanian Romance, April 25, 2007

By 

Melissa (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Whispers of the Night (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)

This book almost rates 4 stars. I liked the plot twists. From the beginning there was a darkness to the book and my imagination really never had these two characters, Alcy and Dumitru von Severinor, Prince Constantinescu out in the sunlight. I always envisioned them in the dark Rumanian castle, in the dark woods, in dark rooms. Dumitru is likeable and understandable. He is facing poverty and like all good nobles of his time looks to marry for money. Alcy is not quite as likable as her husband. She tends to be frosty and unemotional and for claiming to be a rational person, she has severe emotional tantrums and acts rashly and dangerously. That part of her personality did not make sense. However, these two overcome many obstacles and their love for each other felt sincere. I like the setting. First time I have ever read a novel set in 19th century Transylvania where there are no vampires.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Mercenary Hero and an Unfathomable Heroine., October 25, 2008

By 

Zou Zou (cape cod,ma) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Whispers of the Night (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)

An unentertaining historical romance.
Beautiful, well-educated heiress, Alcyone Carter, is unable to secure an English Nobleman husband. Her merchant father brokers a marriage with Baron Janos Benedek, a Hungarian Noble. A man that she has only seen in a portrait miniature. She wears the miniature on her person.
She travels to what she believes is Castle Vlarachia to meet a man that she assumes is Baron Janos Benedek.
Before the reader can spell S-t-u-p-i-d, she has been introduced to her betrothed, converted to an unknown faith, and wedded to an imposter.
Rumanian nobleman, Dumitru Constantinescu, has stolen the heiress and dowry that his improvished estate requires.
Poor Dumitru feels deceived and cheated when he discovers that Alcyone's coveted bridal portion can be accessed only through her father's agent.
But not too worry, Dumitru takes immediate steps to forge what ever documents are necessary to transfer control of her money to him.
I found this thieving nobleman husband to be unredeemable. The author did a thorough job of making him totally repulsive.
The heroine, Alcyone, is inconsistent in her actions and emotions. We are supposed to believe that she is very intelligent and independent. She quickly exposes Dumitru's marital deception. After all, she has a portrait of the real Baron Janos. But Dumitru is so sexually proficient that she is content and happy to stay in her marriage. I didn't believe in the Lust At First Sight drivel. That made it more difficult for me to buy into the Heroine's hormonally induced stupidity.
Eventually, she overhears his plot to steal her bridal portion. Her actions become those of an overwrought, hysterical adolescent. She is distraught at his betrayal. Huh? When has the guy evidenced any morality?
She attempts to escape from deceitful Dumitru, he pursues her and they are both captured by Servian Hajduks. The adventure continues. Yawn.
Ultimately, they were such annoying characters that I didn't care if they were captured or rescued, or lived or died. What a waste of an interesting plot.
Not recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Whispers of the Night, July 14, 2008

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whispers of the Night (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)

Alcy has traveled from Britain to Hungary to marry Baron Janos Benedek. Although they have traded letters to get to know each other, they have never met. Alcy is more willful and less graceful than other women in English society leaving her still unmarried. Janos needs Alcy's money and so the marriage was arranged. Upon meeting Janos at his castle, they are immediately married.

While eating a private dinner after the ceremony, Alcy suddenly realizes that the man in front of her is not Baron Benedek. Alcy is really married to Count Dumitru Constantinescu instead. Dumitru explains to Alcy that he `stole' her from Janos because he needed her money as well.

Dumitru and Alcy are getting along surprisingly well. Dumitru is the first man that has acknowledged and encouraged Alcy's intelligence. Dumitru is surprised and immensely pleased with his attraction for Alcy.

Although Alcy knows her marriage to Dumitru was based on his need for her money, she has come to believe that he truly enjoys her company and is content with their match, but when then she discovers Dumitru's secret motives she is devastated and betrayed, so Alcy flees into the dangerous dark night.

Dumitru finds Alcy after an arduous search, but they are soon captured by Hajduk bandits and taken to their leader. Over the course of several weeks, Dumitru and Alcy are captured repeatedly. Just when they think their ordeal is finally over they are captured yet again. When it appears there will be no escape this time, Dumitru comes to accept that he will never see Alcy again once they are taken to Turkey, but Alcy will not accept their fate. Dumitru has done whatever it took thus far to get them out of trouble time after time, but now it's up to Alcy to save them.

Whispers Of The Night is a romance with a heavy political aspect. It is a detailed and complex story. Alcy is extremely intelligent and beautiful. Dumitru is proud, brave, and handsome. The long periods of distance, both self imposed and forced between Alcy and Dumitru had me continually longing for them to be together again. I found the political aspect of the book interesting, although at times slightly overwhelming. Dumitru and Alcy's repeated captivity was realistic but it became almost redundant and the story seemed to end rather abruptly as well. However, I feel that Whispers Of The Night is an articulately written story with a loving romance between the characters.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed