Whispers of Heaven

by Candice Proctor

Book Overview

After years of schooling in England, Jesmond Corbett returns to her family's estate along the coast of Tasmania. Betrothed since childhood to a wealthy neighbor, Jessie comes home determined to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804119317
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Ivy Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.1" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

PROFOUNDLY HEART-WRENCHING!

Upon her return to her home in Tasmania, Jesmond Corbett was resigned to marrying her fiance, Harrison Tate, as arranged by her family. Since she had no other expectations, she also had no objections, that was, until Lucas Gallagher entered her life. From the first moment, she was keenly drawn to this convict who worked at her homestead. Slowly she realised that she could not keep her promise to marry Harrison Tate, a man who would expect his wife to conform to his strict code of conduct, not when her stolen moments with Lucas were like whispers of heaven.Jessie (Jesmond) was a deeply compassionate, tender hearted and unconventional girl whose love for Lucas threatened to destroy her family's reputation and Jessie found herself on the brink of a decision that would bring about drastic impact on all those she loved.Whispers Of Heaven is beautifully written and although the ending is a foregone conclusion, it is the mounting tension that grips the reader as the story draws to a close.

A flawless romance

This book just gave me a romance story at its best! An unforgetable tale of true love between an aristocrat and a convict that seemed to be another one of those thousands poor boy-rich girl stories surprisingly turned out to be one of the most unique and impressive story I've ever read in years. The author made a great job choosing Tasmania as the location which made the book even more unique and interesting(the fact that I'm an ozzy has nothing to do with the rating, though).Being a romance reader for a long time, I realized it's hard to find a book that I could read without being irritated by one of disturbing formulars I hate in romantic fictions. I hate the book with too typical, too simple plot or characters that, soon after I finished, it easily faded away from my memory or mixxed up with the books I'd read earlier. I hate when the hero and heroine fought each other to death until the very end of the book which often left me unsatisfied. I hate when the hero and heroine tried too hard to hide and ignore their true feelings but unable to control their lusts. I hate when the hero and heroine misunderstood each other just because they jumped to a ridiculous conclusion based on their tendency to think the worst. I hate when the author used miracles or unbelievable coincidences to creat a happy ending that reminded me of those fairytails I used to enjoy when I was a kid. Believe me, this book has none of these problems. Moreover, the story and the author's writing style were so powerfully touching I felt exactly what the characters'd felt throughout the book. The author also did a great job creating the hero, Lucas was very uniquely attractive tortured hero who can easily capture your heart. Hightly recommended!I was very glad to find another book that worth reading and keeping. I bought this book because of the interesting book description at the back cover and its beautiful front cover without any knowledge about the author, now I'm eager to read more of her books.

One of the best

And I don't say that lightly. I didn't care much for The Bequest, and September Moon was a dud, but Candice Proctor struck gold with Whispers of Heaven. It's everything a romance is supposed to be, and I can't find a single flaw in the entire novel. The writing is perfect. Dialogue is realistic. The characterization is thorough. Historical detail is convincing and seems accurate (and if it's not, who cares, I'm not reading the book for a history lesson). Here are some of the highlights:Jesmond and Lucas make sense together. He doesn't look at her and fall in love for no particular reason, and she's got a lot more to love about him than just his good looks. I really believed these two people couldn't help falling in love.Genuine tension. The lovers aren't held apart by some flimsy psychological excuse, like the heroine's fear of intimacy, or the hero's inability to trust. Their affair is dangerous and there is no doubt they are risking it all, maybe even their lives, to be together. I was on the edge of my seat worrying about what would happen if they were found out (which, of course, was inevitable), and I'm very happy to say that I didn't know what would happen until it happened. I was thrilled with the ending, which was both satisfying and *different.*Unique characters and plot. Lucas most of all. His suffering is so real, his predicament so painful and frightening, that it provides a brilliant contrast to the love story, which, in turn, is especially vivid against this background of fear and doubt. As anyone who has been in love knows, it is equal parts pain, longing, and ecstasy, and this book provides all three in very satisfying proportion.

MAGNIFICENT LOVESTORY!!!!!!!!

Whispers of Heaven by Candice Proctor was an unforgettable read. It was an amazing lovestory that fills the reader with sadness, joy and a renewed belief in the power of love.Tasmania, 1840Irishman Lucas Gallagher, is a convict sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor working for the wealthy English. For years, he has suffered brutal whippings and intolerable conditions all the while dreaming of someday escaping. He is desperate to escape not wanting the degradation he has suffered to break him.After years of schooling in England, Jesmond Corbett returns home to her family's estate. She is determined to be a dutiful daughter, hoping to please her very proper and disapproving mother. She strives to become the type of woman her betrothed and her mother want her to be. Yet, there is a restlessness within her that she can't ignore even after all of this time being away. She yearns to break free, to become the woman she wants to be not what society deems is proper.Her life changes when she sees Lucas Gallagher. Convicts have always been a part of her life but there is something about this man that touches her with sadness. His image is seared into her mind forever: midnight black hair, handsome hard features that proclaim his Irish heritage and fierce eyes. Eyes that trouble her so . . . .Society demands that there can never be any relationship between a wealthy young lady and a convict. Even knowing how her mother and fiance would react, Jesmond is drawn to Lucas as he is to her. Once he is assigned to become her groom, they are forced into greater intimacy. Jesmond discovers what kind of man Lucas really is and, in return, she feels wonderously alive in his presence. She doesn't have to pretend to be something she is not. Both know that their love can have no future but they cannot deny the longing they have for each other. A longing that might destroy Lucas' last chance for freedom.This is a MUST READ BOOK. Candice Proctor instilled within this book such depth and feeling. The characters were unforgettable. I laughed with Jesmond and Lucas, cried with them and felt such immense joy once their love prevailed.One of the BEST historical romances I have ever read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Wonderfully Emotional Read

In the beautiful and harsh wilds of Tasmania in 1840, Jesmond Corbett returns home after two years of schooling in England. Her father is now dead, and her mother seems indifferent to her return. Jessie must now ponder her future and set a date to be wedded to her betrothed, Harrison Tate. Though promised to Harrison since childhood, Jessie feels a reluctance to marry him. He is ever the proper Englishman with his tightly controlled emotions and expectations of obediance from his fiancee. But Jessie doesn't truly want to be the perfect Englishwoman. She wants to be true to herself instead of just trying to live up to her mother's expectations. The instant she sees Lucas Gallagher, an Irish convict working at Castle Corbett, Jessie becomes entranced with him. Good looks aside, Lucas is a wonder with Finnegan's Luck, the horse she brought back from London, and Lucas soon becomes her groom. A unique kind of candor develops between Jessie and Lucas, and she feels most alive when she is with him. Quickly becoming more than friends, Jessie and Lucas soon learn that spending too much time alone can lead them into dangerous waters, the culmination of an attraction that can go nowhere. For Lucas will never be pardoned, and Jessie feels that her heart would break if she if forced to live her life with Harrison. An emotionally rich story, set in the lush and sometimes unforgiving background of Tasmania, WHISPERS OF HEAVEN is an incredible romance. It brings together two people with apparently nothing in common who both learn to overlook their prejudices and see the person underneath. Jessie begins to love Lucas as the person he has become, though scarred and tortured by the horrors of his last four years as a convict. And Lucas looks beyond Jessie's haughty English exterior and sees the woman she is at heart with an unending capacity for love. Ms. Proctor's descriptive writing adds much to this wonderful historical. Candice Proctor is definitely one of the rising stars of the romance genre.