Creole Betrayal

by Jane Toombs

In the early 1800s, Jurissa Campbell Winterton, pressured into marriage to a man she scarcely knows, sails with him from Boston toward New Orleans. Since her husband, Philip, double her age and fond of alcohol, is ill and can't tolerate her presence, Jurissa spends much of her time alone on deck. There, she meets a dashing Creole gentleman, Leon du Motier, who's entranced by her beauty and pays romantic court to her. The result is they both fall madly in love. One fateful night, Philip Winterton falls overboard under mysterious circumstances, but due to his heavy drinking, no one is blamed and he's presumed dead. Believing she's a widow, Jurissa enters New Orleans nearly penniless, and with Philip's two slaves, a brother and sister, in tow. Meanwhile, in order to save his family's plantation when his father dies, Leon must go through with an arranged marriage of his own. But deeply in love with Jurissa, he continues to see her in secret until she learns of his impending nuptials. Grief-striken of living without Leon, Jurissa also faces potential scandal when she realizes she's pregnant with his child, and makes desperate plans of her own. Will Jurissa ever be able to forgive Leon for his betrayal? And will she ever be able to forgive herself for keeping the knowledge of his child from him? And what will happen to her when Philip Winterborn suddenly resurfaces, very much alive and desperate to reclaim his wife?

455 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Jane was born in California, raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, has returned "home" to live in the beautiful Upper Peninsula on the shore of Lake Superior--with the Viking from her past. Jane has five children, two stepchildren, seven grandchildren, a calico cat named Kinko and two computers.

She's the author of over seventy published books, both in paper and electronic. These include the various romance genres--gothic, suspense, contemporary, historical, Regency and paranormal--as well as other genres such as mystery, fantasy and horror. Jane has used pseudonyms--Ellen Jamison, Diana Stuart, Olivia Sumner--but is now writing under her own name except for her Zebra/Pinnacle romances for which she uses Jane Anderson.

Reviews

[Audrey Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

0/5 stars even for this genre. added to the trash pile.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of those that grabbed you from the first, and kept you involved with the story right through to the end. I finished it in two days! The book is based in New Orleans, during the age of the early 1800's when people owned slaves. This is action packed, very romantic, historically accurate to my knowledge, a great read!