Emerald Embrace

Starred review from December 7, 2009
Drake (a pseudonym for bestseller Heather Graham) lures readers to 1865 Scotland in this sensual and mysterious gothic romance. Martise St. James pays a visit to Castle Creeghan in the Highlands, pretending to be the sister of Mary, the recently deceased Lady Creeghan, in hopes of finding the legendary St. James emerald and learning the true cause of Mary's death. Though she longs to return to Virginia and reclaim her family's estate following the U.S. Civil War, Martise is soon intensely attracted to Lord Bruce Creeghan and compelled to investigate the castle's secrets. Martise is an eminently affable protagonist, possessed of sensuality, intellect, and wit. Passion and mystery combine as Martise wonders whether she will lose her heart or her life. Readers will thrill to this tale, a brilliant testament to Drake's versatility.

December 15, 2009
An intrepid young woman goes to a remote Scottish castle to investigate her friend's mysterious death and finds danger, deception, and love in this reprint of a classic Victorian Gothic romance (Jove, 1991) enhanced with new black-and-white illustrations. Drake is a pseudonym for Heather Graham. (The review copy did not indicate that this was previously published; the final version will likely correct that.)

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