"Catherine Coulter is at her best with this historical romance"
In 1278 England, Dienwald de Fortenberry, son-in-law to
King Edward I, bestows knighthood on Sir Bishop of Lythe
for rescuing his wife, Philippa. The English monarch also
reward Bishop for rescuing his favorite daughter born out
of wedlock by naming him the latest spouse of eighteen year-
old Merryn de Gay, a four time widow and mistress of
Penwyth Castle. His Highness believes that Bishop might
just be the person who can end the curse allegedly placed
by witches or Druids that any male who takes Penwyth Castle
by force or assaults its mistress will die as some of the
King's men have. Bishop thinks humans have done the murders so he concocts a
plan in which he will arrive as the King's Wizard sent to
solve THE PENWYTH CURSE. That he figures should provide
him the time and cover to learn what is truly going on in
this Cornwell keep. Merrlyn thinks he is a lying brute,
perhaps a bit more clever than the others. As she sees he
is a lot more different than the previous men because he
cares about people, the couple begins to fall in love. In
a bygone era a wizard also seeks the love of an elusive
butterfly. Catherine Coulter is at her best with this historical
romance that tells the stories of parallel loves. The
story line moves back and forth between the two periods.
This technique displays the author's talent as both
subplots enhance one another. The four prime players and
the secondary cast make for quite a wonderful time for fans
of the sub-genre who desire a fantasy twist to a strong
novel. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 15, 2002
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