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The Kingdom of Northumbria #1
The Whispering Wind
An emotionally-charged historical adventure romance set in Dark Ages Britain. A monk, a handmaid--and an unbreakable bond.
HE IS HER SAVIOR. SHE IS HIS SALVATION.
Northumbria, Britain--670 AD
The day Leofric finds a young woman washed up on a windswept shore, his life changes forever.
A monk upon the island of Lindisfarena, Leofric is living in exile after shaming his family. The girl he saves is Aelfwyn. Once handmaid to a queen, she is now fleeing from an immoral king.
Leofric, an arrogant young warrior forced into a monastic life, isn't used to looking out for anyone but himself. Yet the blonde and beguiling Aelfwyn now depends on him for her survival.
Thrown together by circumstance, the pair escape the north together--and so begins an epic adventure. He helps her heal from the wounds of the past, while she gives him a chance at redemption--only, all too soon, the past catches up with them.
--
THE WHISPERING WIND is Book #1 of The Kingdom of Northumbria series: three Historical Romance novels set in late 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England. The next book in the series, WIND SONG, will be released in late 2017.
Although each novel follows on historically, THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA series can be read as separate, stand alone, love stories.
Jayne Castel has written three series set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England. They are (in chronological order):
THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES
Prequel novella: Night Shadows
Book #1: Dark Under the Cover of Night
Book #2: Nightfall till Daybreak
Book #3: The Deepening Night
THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA
Book #1: The Breaking Dawn
Book #2: Darkest before Dawn
Book #3: Dawn of Wolves
THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA
Book #1: The Whispering Wind
Book #2: Wind Song (to be released in late 2017)
Book #3: The North Wind Comes (to be released in 2018)
Get Jayne's FREE Starter Library and read the prequel novella and Books #1 and #2 to her first series, THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES:jaynecastel.com/home/sign-up
HE IS HER SAVIOR. SHE IS HIS SALVATION.
Northumbria, Britain--670 AD
The day Leofric finds a young woman washed up on a windswept shore, his life changes forever.
A monk upon the island of Lindisfarena, Leofric is living in exile after shaming his family. The girl he saves is Aelfwyn. Once handmaid to a queen, she is now fleeing from an immoral king.
Leofric, an arrogant young warrior forced into a monastic life, isn't used to looking out for anyone but himself. Yet the blonde and beguiling Aelfwyn now depends on him for her survival.
Thrown together by circumstance, the pair escape the north together--and so begins an epic adventure. He helps her heal from the wounds of the past, while she gives him a chance at redemption--only, all too soon, the past catches up with them.
--
THE WHISPERING WIND is Book #1 of The Kingdom of Northumbria series: three Historical Romance novels set in late 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England. The next book in the series, WIND SONG, will be released in late 2017.
Although each novel follows on historically, THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA series can be read as separate, stand alone, love stories.
Jayne Castel has written three series set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England. They are (in chronological order):
THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES
Prequel novella: Night Shadows
Book #1: Dark Under the Cover of Night
Book #2: Nightfall till Daybreak
Book #3: The Deepening Night
THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA
Book #1: The Breaking Dawn
Book #2: Darkest before Dawn
Book #3: Dawn of Wolves
THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA
Book #1: The Whispering Wind
Book #2: Wind Song (to be released in late 2017)
Book #3: The North Wind Comes (to be released in 2018)
Get Jayne's FREE Starter Library and read the prequel novella and Books #1 and #2 to her first series, THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES:jaynecastel.com/home/sign-up
340 pages, Paperback
Published January 20, 2017
68 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Castel
95 books402 followersMulti-award-winning author Jayne Castel writes epic Historical and Fantasy Romance. Her vibrant characters, richly researched historical settings and action-packed adventure romance transport readers to forgotten times and imaginary worlds.
Jayne is the author of a number of best-selling series. In love with all things Scottish, she writes romances set in both Dark Ages and Medieval Scotland.
When she's not writing, Jayne is reading (and re-reading) her favorite authors, cooking Italian feasts, and going on long walks with her husband. She's from New Zealand, but now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sign up to Jayne's newsletter and get a free bundle of short stories! https://www.jaynecastel.com/
Jayne loves to hear from her readers - email her at: contact@jaynecastel.com
Connect with Jayne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaynecastel...
Connect with Jayne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayneCastelR...
Follow Jayne on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jaynecastel/...
Follow Jayne on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jayne...
Jayne is the author of a number of best-selling series. In love with all things Scottish, she writes romances set in both Dark Ages and Medieval Scotland.
When she's not writing, Jayne is reading (and re-reading) her favorite authors, cooking Italian feasts, and going on long walks with her husband. She's from New Zealand, but now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sign up to Jayne's newsletter and get a free bundle of short stories! https://www.jaynecastel.com/
Jayne loves to hear from her readers - email her at: contact@jaynecastel.com
Connect with Jayne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaynecastel...
Connect with Jayne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayneCastelR...
Follow Jayne on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jaynecastel/...
Follow Jayne on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jayne...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 6, 2017
This is an official request for historical romance readers to move out of their Regency-era and Scottish Highlander comfort zones. Author Jayne Castel had me completely immersed in her Dark Ages world of Northumbria. I could feel the rough clothes abrading my skin, see the poverty of the monks, thrill to a knife battle deep in the woods, and wonder at the power and depravity of an immoral king. This book also packs an emotional punch, since I actually teared up as I read about the desperation of Leofric and Aelfwyn. If you enjoy an emotional, eventful story framed around authentic history (the foreword, afterword and maps are fascinating), then I suggest you pick up books by Jayne Castel.
In the blurb for The Whispering Wind, the reader is informed that Leofric, a monk, finds a woman, Aelfwyn, washed ashore near the impoverished monastery where he is living. The hows and whys of Leofric's exile to the monastery play a key importance to both his personality and the plot. Castel has crafted a character in Leofric that has shades. He is impulsive and vain, kind and thoughtless, cheery and impassioned, proud and stupid. I didn't know what to think of him, and that is what made his character, and his character's journey, so engaging. However, once Aelfwyn enters his life he starts to become a worthy man. I love that he doesn't get it right all of the time, either.
Aelfwyn is a sweet girl marred by tragedy and personal abuse. Her emotional fragility is overwhelming in the beginning, but as the story develops she becomes stronger and more resilient. In the end, she is brave to the point of selflessness, with deep emotional impact on the narrative.
"Her ordeal at Bebbanburg had stripped away her illusions about life, but in doing so it had forged her anew. He [Leofric] noted the iron resolve in her and decided he liked it."
For most of the novel, Leofric and Aelfwyn are being hunted. It adds a desperation, and then a weariness, that even as a reader sitting on a couch I began to feel in my muscles and bones. Although much of the book is devoted to this aspect, it never feels repetitive. The interaction between Leofric and Aelfwyn was appropriate to how strangers in a strange circumstance would act. Adding to the stress is the fact that neither lead character is from the ruling class. That means food, money and loyalties are difficult to come by, and the absence of all three impacts choices. I learned a lot about Northumbria and the vagaries of a Dark Ages class system while Leofric and Aelfwyn were fleeing. Optimism, followed by crushing hopelessness, plagues them. I was enthralled to the thrilling end.
Book source: ARC from author.
In the blurb for The Whispering Wind, the reader is informed that Leofric, a monk, finds a woman, Aelfwyn, washed ashore near the impoverished monastery where he is living. The hows and whys of Leofric's exile to the monastery play a key importance to both his personality and the plot. Castel has crafted a character in Leofric that has shades. He is impulsive and vain, kind and thoughtless, cheery and impassioned, proud and stupid. I didn't know what to think of him, and that is what made his character, and his character's journey, so engaging. However, once Aelfwyn enters his life he starts to become a worthy man. I love that he doesn't get it right all of the time, either.
Aelfwyn is a sweet girl marred by tragedy and personal abuse. Her emotional fragility is overwhelming in the beginning, but as the story develops she becomes stronger and more resilient. In the end, she is brave to the point of selflessness, with deep emotional impact on the narrative.
"Her ordeal at Bebbanburg had stripped away her illusions about life, but in doing so it had forged her anew. He [Leofric] noted the iron resolve in her and decided he liked it."
For most of the novel, Leofric and Aelfwyn are being hunted. It adds a desperation, and then a weariness, that even as a reader sitting on a couch I began to feel in my muscles and bones. Although much of the book is devoted to this aspect, it never feels repetitive. The interaction between Leofric and Aelfwyn was appropriate to how strangers in a strange circumstance would act. Adding to the stress is the fact that neither lead character is from the ruling class. That means food, money and loyalties are difficult to come by, and the absence of all three impacts choices. I learned a lot about Northumbria and the vagaries of a Dark Ages class system while Leofric and Aelfwyn were fleeing. Optimism, followed by crushing hopelessness, plagues them. I was enthralled to the thrilling end.
Book source: ARC from author.
March 8, 2018
DNF @ 51%
I'm just not feeling this one. The writing style is a little bland for me. Neither the characters nor their romance have much depth, and I don't feel they're developed very well as individuals. For example, in the prologue, Leofric is brash and rude—almost weirdly so, like why are you acting this way? But the author never commits to this behavior. It's shown in this one scene and then in the rest of the book (well, up to 51%) he was a decent guy with a few cocky moments. I have no idea how he changed or why. As for Aelfwyn, she's just too nice and boring, although I might have liked her more opposite a better hero. And even though these two are doing an insane amount of running, like twelve or more hours at a time, I'm not feeling the urgency of their plight.
I'm just not feeling this one. The writing style is a little bland for me. Neither the characters nor their romance have much depth, and I don't feel they're developed very well as individuals. For example, in the prologue, Leofric is brash and rude—almost weirdly so, like why are you acting this way? But the author never commits to this behavior. It's shown in this one scene and then in the rest of the book (well, up to 51%) he was a decent guy with a few cocky moments. I have no idea how he changed or why. As for Aelfwyn, she's just too nice and boring, although I might have liked her more opposite a better hero. And even though these two are doing an insane amount of running, like twelve or more hours at a time, I'm not feeling the urgency of their plight.
June 17, 2023
Trigger Warning - rape and attempted suicide
I did not enjoy the start of this series as much as The Brides of Skye. There was only one good male character throughout. Plus one by the end since the hero redeemed himself. It was very historically accurate, but it can be difficult to read these stories where the women are just objects - and not prized ones. Both the H and h grew in character and received an unlikely HEA. Jayne Castel's writing was immersive as expected. I will finish this trilogy, but I may need a couple lighthearted books thrown in-between.
I did not enjoy the start of this series as much as The Brides of Skye. There was only one good male character throughout. Plus one by the end since the hero redeemed himself. It was very historically accurate, but it can be difficult to read these stories where the women are just objects - and not prized ones. Both the H and h grew in character and received an unlikely HEA. Jayne Castel's writing was immersive as expected. I will finish this trilogy, but I may need a couple lighthearted books thrown in-between.
May 27, 2017
DNF 50%
I like the characters but this is another case of 'trouble can not sustain my interest'. The problem is that, every time our characters run until some life-threatening situation, I know that they will survive and so the book is just a long wait to the next bit of complication or the HEA. Give me a villain with an evil plot who throws obstacles at our main couple, or give them a goal beyond survival, however crazy (save the queen, storm the castle, go to Stonehenge to meet up with aliens...). It is too bad, this book had a lot of potential.
ps: If are interested, you can read the difference between trouble and conflict, a post by Jennifer Crusie. It really helped me understand why I lose interest in certain books.
I like the characters but this is another case of 'trouble can not sustain my interest'. The problem is that, every time our characters run until some life-threatening situation, I know that they will survive and so the book is just a long wait to the next bit of complication or the HEA. Give me a villain with an evil plot who throws obstacles at our main couple, or give them a goal beyond survival, however crazy (save the queen, storm the castle, go to Stonehenge to meet up with aliens...). It is too bad, this book had a lot of potential.
ps: If are interested, you can read the difference between trouble and conflict, a post by Jennifer Crusie. It really helped me understand why I lose interest in certain books.
February 21, 2017
3.5-4 stars. "An emotionally-charged historical adventure romance set in Dark Ages Britain. A monk, a handmaid--and an unbreakable bond."
I enjoyed reading about this period of time and the hardships inherent in the Dark Ages or early Medieval period. There was a bit too much violence and I felt the characters acted improbably at times but it was an interesting read and the characters will develop in time.I like characters to feel like I know them, even in ancient times or early Britain. People are people.
The East Angles series were my favorite books by Jayne Castel, not sure why, but perhaps we know more period detail for that time.
I enjoyed reading about this period of time and the hardships inherent in the Dark Ages or early Medieval period. There was a bit too much violence and I felt the characters acted improbably at times but it was an interesting read and the characters will develop in time.I like characters to feel like I know them, even in ancient times or early Britain. People are people.
The East Angles series were my favorite books by Jayne Castel, not sure why, but perhaps we know more period detail for that time.
February 4, 2017
Dark ages come to life
Jayne Castel is the best at delivering dark ages historical fiction that is so believable, gritty, hopeful, with powerful emotion. Well written, this tale makes you ache as the couple struggle against terrible odds and the unfairness of class and gender differences. But the story is so worth it. Not only do you feel justice and good prevail, you gain an incredible history lesson.
Jayne Castel is the best at delivering dark ages historical fiction that is so believable, gritty, hopeful, with powerful emotion. Well written, this tale makes you ache as the couple struggle against terrible odds and the unfairness of class and gender differences. But the story is so worth it. Not only do you feel justice and good prevail, you gain an incredible history lesson.
October 24, 2017
I love this author and her unique historical romance novels. The main characters in this story are both really likable. The story is very harsh, but I liked it. The author did not shy away from what a maid and a disowned youngest son would face in a feudal system. I'm glad there was no easy fix or unrealistic saviors in this story. It made the journey and the hea much more satisfying.
Lol but I did have to take a break from reading historical fiction after this novel because of the bleakness of the world back then.
Lol but I did have to take a break from reading historical fiction after this novel because of the bleakness of the world back then.
March 3, 2019
Good
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Never knew what was going to happen next. I enjoy the history threaded through these stories. Gives a glimpse of how things could have been waaayy back when.
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Never knew what was going to happen next. I enjoy the history threaded through these stories. Gives a glimpse of how things could have been waaayy back when.
April 27, 2019
Wow
Loved the story of Leofric and Aelfwin. All of Jayne Castle's stories will bring you into the story so much so that you put everything aside to read. Leofric is given impossible choices. He makes them and puts himself at peril. Aelfwin is excited to be able to leave her home country and serve her Queen as her handmaiden. She is also her friend. Aelfwin then has a horrific attack happen to her. She just doesn't know how to go on. She meets Leofric. He saves her and they run away together. It really is an exciting story all the way to the end. Again, I love how the author brings people from history and weaves them into her stories.
Loved the story of Leofric and Aelfwin. All of Jayne Castle's stories will bring you into the story so much so that you put everything aside to read. Leofric is given impossible choices. He makes them and puts himself at peril. Aelfwin is excited to be able to leave her home country and serve her Queen as her handmaiden. She is also her friend. Aelfwin then has a horrific attack happen to her. She just doesn't know how to go on. She meets Leofric. He saves her and they run away together. It really is an exciting story all the way to the end. Again, I love how the author brings people from history and weaves them into her stories.
November 29, 2017
Wonderful story!
So hook on it interesting till the end... this story is taken back to those time where women are under men and their rulings very harsh and dangerous wold for women but it’s a very great story tho!
So hook on it interesting till the end... this story is taken back to those time where women are under men and their rulings very harsh and dangerous wold for women but it’s a very great story tho!
December 31, 2021
A natural disaster couldn't have torn tear me away from my e-reader as I practically inhaled this. If your historical romance and angst, you'll probably enjoy this.
February 5, 2024
3 stars
July 26, 2023
Uninteresting characters (stereotypes); predictable plot. You've read it all. before in other books--not even Northumberland is interesting.
Read only if you are stuck in a doctor's office.
I would probably have loved it if I were 13 y/o----
Read only if you are stuck in a doctor's office.
I would probably have loved it if I were 13 y/o----
January 22, 2018
I’ve written two awesome reviews on this book and lost them both. It’s nice to read these historical based stories from a female perspective.
So I’ll just say I’m now officially a hisfic romance fan😍
So I’ll just say I’m now officially a hisfic romance fan😍
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews