Windswept [Mass Market Paperback]

Ann Macela (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2008

A terrible secret lurks in the papers of the Windswept Plantation, and its revelation will ruin the Jamison family name. To Barrett Browning, however, the collection of correspondence, ledgers, and journals is a treasure trove of potential publications sure to gain her a valuable promotion at her university. As a historian, her job is to root out secrets from the past and hold them up to the light, no matter the cost. The farthest thing from her mind is getting involved with the papers' owner.

To venture capitalist Davis Jamison, the pile of boxes is a headache he must deal with to protect the family. What better way to solve the mystery than to have an expert inventory the papers in his own house? He expects neither his cousin's frantic obsession to keep all the family sins hidden, nor the fierce need he comes to feel for Barrett. He's sworn never again to trust a woman with his property or his heart. Can he rely on Barrett to guard them both?

As the dark past—a tale of deception and murder—emerges, Davis's question becomes harder and harder to answer . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A complex, intriguing tale. . . . I would highly recommend this novel for the more discriminating romance reader who actually likes mystery and intrigue served up with her romance."  —Morgan Wyatt, Novelspot

"I couldn't wait to find out what happened and it was a hard book for me to put down. . . . I highly recommend this book. It was wonderful"!  —contemporaryromancewriters.com

"This novel is an intriguing blend of contemporary and historical. . . . A wonderful story, I recommend you pick it up!"  —Cheri Jetton, president, Northwest Houston Chapter, Romance Writers of America

"An engaging romantic suspense thriller. . . . Fans will enjoy this fine comparative look at the past and present residents of Windswept."  —Harriet Klausner, Gotta Write Network

"Ann Macela delivers a magnificently well written tale that delights. . . . This is a whirlwind romance that really delivers."  —Coffeetime Romance

"Smooth-as-silk storytelling . . . one of the best contemporaries I have read in a while. . . . I think you will like it as much as I do."  —Romance Reviews Today

"Whether writing a paranormal or contemporary romance, Ann Macela is one author to keep your eye out for."  —Love Romances and More

"A great mystery filled with family secrets [and] villains who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals—with a slow burning love story as the background. Highly recommended."  —A Romance Review

About the Author

Ann Macela is the author of Do You Believe In Magic? and The Oldest Kind of Magic. She lives outside Chicago.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933836342
• ISBN-13: 978-1933836348
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,102,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, I'm Ann Macela, and I write enchanting, smart, and sensual contemporary romance and contemporary light paranormal romance. Sometimes with a touch of humor, sometimes with a little sorrow, always with passion and emotion.

My award-winning Magic Series is about a group of people who can cast spells to help them with their everyday jobs. Wouldn't you like to have an ability that would help you type faster, make accurate change, fix the plumbing, or grow flowers and vegetables? Or whatever it is that you do? And these people, who call themselves practitioners, are guaranteed to find their soul mates. Ready or not, and whether or not they want one at that particular moment. As the series progresses, the magic gets more complicated and so do the relationships. Included in the series are the last two in the series, never before published.

Windswept won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Romance, Small Press, 2008, and several other awards. Writing this standalone contemporary with a historical twist took me back to my first love, the study of history, and it definitely shows off my Texas roots. There's a terrible secret in the papers of the Windswept Plantation . . .

I'm a native Gulf Coast Texan, now living in The Frozen North of Chicagoland. I started life reading mysteries, then sci-fi and fantasy. When I discovered romances, I saw a way to combine all the aspects of books that I liked into my own stories. And what a welcome difference from writing computer manuals--my old job and which has no magic about it at all.

Let me know what you think of my stories. Contact me either at [e-mail] or [e-mail]

P.S. Those of you interested in how my magic works, check out the article, A Theory of Magic, on my website.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Windswept, April 11, 2008

By 

Shay Wiliams "Shaiha" (Tacoma WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windswept (Mass Market Paperback)

It was Davis Jamison's dying uncle's wish that the journals and papers of Windswept Plantation be catalogued by historian Barrett Browning. Davis sees no reason to deny this request but other members of his family are convinced that there are secrets among the pages that should never be revealed. Just how far is his family willing to go to ensure that Barrett doesn't reveal the truths that she might find?

For a reader who cut her eyeteeth on Gone With The Wind, WINDSWEPT by Ann Macela was a real find. Ms. Macela has done a superb job of blending a contemporary romance with a historical suspense with the different times flowing so smoothly that readers will find themselves wondering at times where one ended and the other begins. This is a story that has it all; love, infamy, family, politics and intrigue in both the past and the present!

And let's not forget the wonderful people that readers will get the opportunity to meet. And this reviewer does say people rather then characters as they seem to just jump right off the pages. Davis, our hero, has been put in charge of protecting his family and that is just what he will do even at the risk of his own happiness. Barrett, our heroine, is on a timetable so that she might get tenure in her chosen field and who has no time for romance until she has achieved her goals. Cousin Lloyd is convinced that the secrets buried in those papers will destroy his business and cause him to lose his wife. And our players from the past, Mary Maude Davis Jamison and her husband Edgar. There are also numerous other secondary characters who add richness and at times humor to WINDSWEPT.

Whether writing a paranormal or a contemporary romance, Ann Macela is one author to keep your eye out for. This reviewer highly recommends WINDSWEPT to any reader who enjoys their contemporary romances with that extra punch from the past.

Compliments of Love Romances & More

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific read!, March 12, 2008

By 

Cheri F. Jetton "romwriter" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windswept (Mass Market Paperback)

The legacy of Windswept plantation is not so much in the beautiful 1800's edifice and vast grounds as it is in the myriad boxes, crates, and lockers of written history. The journals and diaries of the masters and mistresses of the house are a veritable treasure with their detailed, practical recording of everyday life on a large, thriving Louisiana plantation. A treasure Dr. Barrett Browning wants badly to get her hands on.

In the publish or perish world of academia, she needs the access promised her by the Jamison family patriarch for her professional survival. But kindly Edgar Jamison has passed away and custody of the entire collection has been left to his grandson, Davis.

Houston venture capitalist E. Davis Jamison has few enough hours in his days without the added annoyance of a college professor who wants to root through the family history. Especially when his dotty relatives in Louisiana are crying foul and hinting at a crippling scandal should an outsider be given license to delve into the old records. This is the twenty-first century, what could possibly shock anyone in this day and time?

The ruthless tycoon and the intellectual book worm. Opposites. But then we know how opposites attract, don't we? The mystery at the vortex of this romance is unexpected and a little heartbreaking, and altogether worth the read. Don't miss it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, December 23, 2011

By 

Carol Blackhurst (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Windswept (Mass Market Paperback)

Ann has such an amazing talent for building romantic suspense and a true gift for writing realistic dialog. I've read this book repeatedly and I'll read it again. I highly recommend it.