The Penwyth Curse

November 11, 2002
Set in the 13th century, Coulter's latest (following The Rebel Bride) returns to the world of her Song series (Earth Song, Fire Song, etc.) and tells the story of Merryn, a young woman who's four times widowed but still a maid when Sir Bishop of Lythe arrives at castle Penwyth. Merryn bears the brunt of an ancient curse, which declares that no man will ever take Penwyth, or her, by force. Her four previous husbands all died within hours of storming the castle and seizing its mistress. Unconvinced that the curse is real but wise enough to take precautions, Bishop figures he'll be safe if he woos the lady first. But as he settles into life at the castle, he starts having dreams featuring an unknown wizard and witch. The novel alternates between Bishop's story and that of the mysterious figures in his dreams, but the dream-story eventually overpowers the romance between Merryn and Bishop. The dual plotline is jumpy and disjointed, and it leaves little time for Coulter to examine her characters thoroughly. Though the dream couple's relationship holds some appeal, the story's paranormal touches feel like special effects—a splash of drama to fill out a story stretched too thin. Overall, this offering lacks the emotional intensity of Coulter's best works and is unlikely to woo many new readers. (Jan.)Forecast:Despite the story's weaknesses, Coulter, a reigning queen of the romance genre, should still command strong sales. This book will be well supported by the April re-release of
Earth Song.

December 15, 2002
Coulter departs from her latest immersion in romantic suspense to revisit her romance-writing past, venturing all the way back to 1278 to bring back characters from her popular Song series. In this tale, Sir Bishop of Lythe's reward from King Edward I of England for saving his daughter's life is the keep of Penwyth and, with it, Merryn de Gay for a wife. Merryn is the granddaughter of the present lord, and her dowry is a curse: any who weds her will die. She is just 18, and already four husbands have died just after their weddings. Bishop is to be her fifth. He knows that he cannot announce that he's Merryn's intended when he arrives at the keep, so he tells the lord that he is a wizard sent by the king to end the curse. This story is a perfect cover because, in fact, he has always known things that he shouldn't know, such as when it will rain. Strange occurrences begin to happen when Bishop takes Merryn on a trip that turns into a quest to solve and dispel the curse. He starts to have dreams that may not be dreams but visions of actual events that occurred in the distant past between a very powerful wizard and a witch. Their courtship seems to mirror his and Merryn's, complete with lusty interludes. Ultimately, magic of all kinds makes this romance an enchanted tour de force that will please Coulter's longtime readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)