A Whisper in the Wind

by Sonya C. Dodd

Following the life of the Gampton family, set on a country estate in Georgian England, the novel opens with the death of a servant who begs Henry Gampton, her master, to take care of her baby daughter, Angelina. Against his wife’s wishes, Henry agrees and the child is raised alongside his own daughter, Sophia.
Unaware of Angelina’s background, the girls become like sisters as they grow up.
However, Sophia’s life is turned upside down by the death of first her mother and then her father.
Inexperienced in matters of the heart, Sophia turns to her father’s stable manager for comfort as her world is threatened by the evil intent of her uncle who wishes to ensure that the Gampton estate does not fall into his niece’s hands, nor those of the daughter of a mere servant.
Unable to trust those around her, Sophia decides to run away with Robert and face a life of poverty, yet full of love, rather than be forced into an arranged marriage.
However, her plan is thwarted when her fiancé: Charles Longford, finds Sophia about to depart with Robert in the cold early morning air. Unwilling to see his future disappear, Charles decides to take drastic action in order to stop them.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2013

About the author

Sonya C. Dodd was born in Norfolk, England and still lives there today with her two sons: Hugo and Branwell.
Although Sonya has been writing for a number of years, she only recently began to publish her writing.
Sonya writes in a number of genres including: romance, supernatural and thriller. Sonya has also written a number of short stories.

Reviews

[Denise Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL AND ENGAGING READ

The story is a heart warming tale of human emotions that will keep you reading from the very first page to the last line (which is exactly what I did). I highly recommend this book that is written with great finesse and professionalism. I am so glad Ms. Dodd has other books out—I am going to read every one of them. Please keep them coming.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Whisper in the Wind" is a bitter sweet romantic novel set in Georgian England and tells the story of love and friendship challenged by the class system and prejudices at the time.
Henry Gampton fathers a child out of wedlock but persuades his wife to raise her as their own. Angelina becomes a real sister to their daughter Sophia.
Sixteen years since they took Angelina into their midst Henry dies, leaving the girls to fight for their inheritance against a greedy uncle.
Sophia has fallen for the wrong man in the eyes of her family and Angelina as illegitimate child is also seen as without a right to the fortune left behind.
The two young women are great characters as you would find them in a good Jane Austin story, vulnerable but strong, the chemistry between Sophia and Robert is very well written and comes alive in front of your eyes. With much insight into the morals and the customs of the times the book is an important reminder on the huge impact class had in England and how destructive its power could be.
It is a bitter sweet family story, the love of the father towards his children is heart warming, the greed and corruption of the uncle quite the opposite.
A story well told.

[Jalpa Williby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book, and for the first time, I'm speechless. Wow! The author does a phenomenal job in this story. So much happened- and so fast! Dang, I'm still shocked with the ending of this book!

I haven't read too many historical romances, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. I was able to relate to the main characters. I especially enjoyed Sophia and Angelina's relationship.

My favorite character was Sophia- I loved her feisty personality. She was a no nonsense type of girl and wasn't afraid to stand up to what she believed in. I liked that she wasn't afraid to follow her heart and stood strong by her values. At times, I thought that maybe she's being childish and doesn't understand the full picture here. I questioned if she really understood her feelings. But I was proven wrong at the end of the story. Sophia was definitely strong, and always knew what she wanted.

This story really has a lot of depth to it. It talks about family relationships, sisterhood, friendship, courage, and lastly love. I finished it in two days- a great read!

[Ju Ephraime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about old custom and unrequited love. Set in Georgian England, the story begins with the death of Mariah, a servant in the employ of Henry Gampton, the landowner. The tension between Henry and his wife is evident, and it’s soon revealed that he had an illicit relationship with the dying servant, Mariah. The plot developed when it was further revealed that Henry had fathered Mariah baby, and was now charged with the responsible of raising her alongside his legitimate daughter. Thrown in the mix is Henry’s legitimate daughter’s innocent desire for her father’s stable hand, Robert. When both Henry and his wife suffered an untimely death, the tension and excitement in the story are ratcheted up several notches. Under normal circumstances this would make for a Volatile atmosphere, and the author portrayed this beautifully, building the tension by degrees, until the final explosive finale. Brilliant work, Dodd!

[March McCarron · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A Whisper in the Wind is a historical romance about two sisters facing the difficulties and prejudiced of their time in the wake of their parents’ deaths. Don’t mistake this for the kind of romance novel where the story is a thin thing existing solely to tie together sex scenes. A Whisper in the Wind is more about the struggles of being a young female in a male dominant society and the difficulties facing an individual whose natural inclinations conflict with societal norms. The romances are sweet rather than steamy.

The Story:

Sophia and Angelina were raised as sisters, but after the deaths of their parents it comes to light that Angelina is the daughter of a servant (though we the reader are already in on this mystery thanks to the prologue). Their conniving uncle wants to take their home from them. He refuses to leave their house and heaps abuse upon them, especially Angelina due to her dubious parentage. Sophia turns to the stable master, Robert, for support whilst Angelina falls in love with their gentleman neighbor. The plot has all the ingredients for a good drama: forbidden love, a weaker figure standing up to a stronger one, and the bonds of sisterhood. For me, though, the villain fell flat. He was a little too cruel to feel realistic to me, yet not quite cruel enough to be interesting…if that makes any sense.


What I loved:

I enjoyed that this story tackled issues that are largely ignored in historical romances, or at least are frequently not the focal point. It is difficult reading about this sixteen-year-old girl, who had been so life-loving, as she faces the bullying of her uncle on top of her grief. At times I was frustrated with Sophia, I wanted to her to be stronger, to fight back more. I wanted her to stop being polite and do everything she could to get those bastards out of her house. But I think that she was realistic given her youth, the trauma of losing her parents, and the time period. It’s not the kind of book that is going to have you fist pumping and feeling empowered as a woman, instead it makes you feel a bit suffocated and trapped by the force of the men. Any salvation to be had from the bad men comes through the help of good men—good men who, we see by the end of the story, did not do anywhere near enough to help this young girl. It’s not fun, but it’s real and it takes a bold author to paint such a bleak tale.

What I didn’t love:

My biggest issue with this book—the thing that held me back from really loving it—was the overuse of exposition. I hate to go to the old “show don’t tell” axiom, as it’s rather a beaten-down, tired thing, but there’s a reason that advice exists. This book relied far too much on the “telling,” which has the effect of making the story and characters feel thin, at times as if reading a summary of events or a character bio rather than reading the book itself. I want to be immersed in my fiction—I want to feel it, see it, hear it, smell it, taste it (maybe)—I want it to unfold slowly, while I discover the people and the world along the way. I can’t do that when the exposition overshadows the scenes, when the narrator always labels the character’s emotions, when everyone’s inner feelings are explicitly stated. As a result, I didn’t feel nearly as invested in these characters and in the story as I would have liked.

[Scarlett Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Whisper in the WindPrice: $1.50. Review of A Whisper in the Wind by Scarlett Jensen author of The Angel with Burnt Wings, March 3, 2014, Amazon Verified Purchase.

The story is set in Georgian England, where the Gampton family lives in a 17 th century estate, Longley. There the reader meets privileged high standing people. Henry Gampton unhappily married. We learn about illicit affairs, illegitimacy, heartache, deaths, class distinction, sisterhood, and arranged marriages.You see courage to break away from conflict and bitterness.

The author has an easy-flowing, seamless and coherent writing style. Her characters are for easy reference, given names of their royals. She also describes the opposing characters with opposite characteristics for easy distinction. The author talentfully portrays characters, settings and builds up the interaction to the last minute of the story. The epilogue as last page in the book sums up the novel. The characters interaction with words that enhance the total picture against the descriptive picturesque surroundings.

Greed, obligation, heartache, manipulation, create tension. There are struggles for true love. The heroine, Sophia falls in love across social status bar and the theme of secrecy and whisper is felt through the novel. Whisper relating to the title, is used to carry the tone and embedds the feeling of the yearning for freedom, and the "flying away" from convention and the grief it brings.

The author prepares for the sequel of this story by bringing in descriptions like:"The she heard what sounded like whispers in the wind. ""Soft wind whisked up a few stray leaves from the ground and Angelina thought she heard a voice speaking her name." This also and fully relates to the title of the novel.The tone is set for more whispers in the wind. A beautiful ending.The fight for the inheritance of the family estate is the central theme in the second part of the novel. The will is contested. It is a fight between a young girl and a shrewed uncle. Evil against good sets the tone.

A battle for ownership of Longleytakes place in times that it was unheard of a woman to run a large estate.The moving force: the fight for ownership of ancestral property brings out characteristics like greed, evil, pressure to retain status, responsibility to safeguard the wishes of Henry Gampton in life and in his will. The reader often experiences the forces of evil against good and commitment versus freedom. One feels a magic spell lifting the the facts when secrets are uncovered like lifting a blanket from the ground. 

[Sahara Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A WHISPER IN THE WIND by Sonya C Dodd

This is a historical romance which takes place in Georgian, England. It’s the tale of two sisters 17 years of age: Sophia, the rebellious, outdoorsy and strong woman, and Angelina, the quiet, passive girl. They both fall in love; unfortunately Sophia’s love is the stable manager, Robert. After both of their parents died, Sophia must fight to stop her uncle, George, from taking over possession of Longley Hall, her and her sister’s birthright. There is a fatal confrontation, when George’s scheme backfires.

The characters that stuck out for me were Henry Gampton and his daughter Sonya. Both were strong-willed and trying to do what they deemed right. The villains were Georgiana Gampton and George Gampton. They fit their parts really well.

I thought the dialogue and setting fit the genre of a historical romance. I did think the use of the word ‘whilst’ was overused. Every time I came across that word, it felt like a jab with a pin. I did enjoy some of the description of the surrounding land and the ducks around the pond. Ducks do like to scold.

It did take me awhile to get into the story, partly because of the constant shifting of POV from one character to another in the same scene/sequence. Also I agree with another review, that a big plot twist was missed by not adding the first part of the story as background AFTER the parents died.

When the conflict between Robert, Charles and Sonya came out at the end, I was on the edge of my chair . . . until the accidental second shot from a black powder gun. Or, it could have been a cap and ball pistol. The author never specified. That brought the whole story, for me, to a screeching halt. Authors need to research if they use guns as a prop. In that era, there were no such things as an automatic weapon. The gun would have had to be primed to be shot again.

Anyway, it had a good contrast of good against bad, it brought tears to my eyes and the conflict at the end did not come out the way I anticipated, so I would recommend this story.

[Ashley Macgregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story of first love.
Sisters Sophia and Angelina live in the 19th century world of English class divide. Their home is the seat of an aristocratic family in Yorkshire where parents Henry and Georgiana Gampton have a strained relationship. That’s because one of the girls is adopted which raises its own issues. The plot follows the 16 year old girls and explores their awakening feelings for men, and how the social constraints of the time impinge on who is appropriate to fall in love with.
Sophia and Angelina struggle with their desire and forming unsuitable liaisons. The requirements of etiquette and segregating classes are also challenged, by Henry who wants to relax them, and by Georgiana and her mother, Lady Elizabeth, who want to maintain the rigorous society.
About half way through the story things get a bit darker as a series of disasters strike. These trials and tribulations raise the stakes and open the door for the cads of the story to take advantage. The girl’s uncle George, who was once welcoming, soon shows his true colours of greed and ruthlessness. George sets his designs on the Gampton estate. His conniving reveals his treacherous plans as he sets up a liaison between Sophia and her cousin, Charles, a scoundrel in every sense of the word. George and Charles plot to take Sophia’s inheritance, but no one knows that Sophia is already in love. With the fully developed characters the reader experiences the emotions of good and evil within. Tension builds as we imagine what may happen, Sophia is wickedly tricked and even for a spirited girl her solutions can be surprising.
I like the old English stuffy characters, like the lawyers and the servants. I would prefer the story to progress faster in the beginning, but once into the book it’s a rewarding read.
The ending is bitter sweet after the emotional grip the characters embrace the reader with. It’ll leave you in a sweat.

[Lita Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Whisper in the Wind by Sonya C. Dodd, a historical romance set in Georgian England, tells about Sophia, the outdoor-loving daughter of wealthy parents, and her struggles against the conventions of the time. With her parent’s abrupt passing, the 17-year-old Sophia and her sister Angelina match wits with a scheming uncle who covets the young ladies’ home at Longley Hall. Uncle George wages a legal battle and masterminds Sophia’s arranged engagement to a cad she loathes, Charles.

Mixed in is Sophia’s infatuation with Robert, the stable manager at Longley. The social horrors of such a union would ruin Sophia’s genteel reputation. But she would sacrifice all and follow her heart.

Sophia was my favorite character. Her blend of determination, cleverness, and enlightened attitude were a delight. Robert’s conflict between doing what was proper for his station, yet loving Sophia despite the impossibility of them ever being together, was excellent. The description of Longley Hall was done so well, I felt as if I walked the halls.

A Whisper in the Wind first told the history of Sophia’s parents. For a while, I mistakenly thought the story was about them. After a sixteen year gap, the narrative resumed with Sophia. Alas, the parents’ section all but uttered the “big secret” about the sisters. Removing this introduction, starting the story instead with teenage Sophia, then sprinkling the backstory throughout would have told a spicier tale and kept the secret until the end.

[Alicia Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Star Review

I typically don't like reading historical fiction, but this book may have changed my opinion on the genre as a whole. I found this book to be as engaging as more contemporary pieces. Certainly the Gampton family is as dysfunctional as any present day brood.

The book started off rather slowly in my opinion, setting the stage so that the reader would understand that the Gamptons were of high society. As such, family members were expected to act with a sense of decorum appropriate for the time. Socioeconomic status determined roles and relationships. This class system leads to one of the main storylines in the novel - the burgeoning feelings between Sophia and Robert, who cannot be together because she is a Gampton and he is her father's employee.

I found this to be a compelling story of secrets and lies, of forbidden love and the most painful of losses. Misunderstandings and webs of deceit hide under the impeccable surface of this family's veneer, causing one to question if money and power is really something to be jealous of.

This was a solid four star novel in my opinion throughout. However, the third act was so engrossing to me that it called for me to improve the rating to 4.5. Nothing like going out with an explosive ending to leave a good impression.

If you're one who hesitates to read historical fiction, you may want to try this one out. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

[Kerry Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophia and Angelina grew up as close-knit sisters of Henry and Georgiana Gampton in Longley Hall, a stately rural manor in 19th Century England, unaware that Angelina was really the orphaned daughter of a servant who died shortly after Angelina's birth. Now, as they reach womanhood, Angelina has developed feelings for the son of the owner of a neighboring estate and Sophia's eye is beginning to favor Robert, the stage manager at Longley. However, this is a time when the lines of class were not to be crossed and male lineage was considered superior with property rights. So, after Georgiana and then Henry pass away, both Sophia and Angelina suddenly face the sudden prospect of having their home, love prospects and happiness taken from them as Henry's brother, George, plots with all of the social advantages he has to take Longley Hall from them for his own family. I found the story to be a quick read and I came to care for the characters enough to imagine wrath at the villainous machinations of the greedy uncle, but I felt that a couple of the main characters' rash assumptions which ran counter to relationship history to be somewhat unrealistic and unnecessary to create additional conflict beyond the main issue. I also felt that describing this story as inspirational is open to interpretation. My interpretation did not find much inspiration in the resolution of this tale.

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Whisper in the Wind, by Sonya Dodd, is a novel set in times when men of wealth thought having their way with servants was an ingrained right. Henry Gampton was a privileged man with rather more morals than many powerful males of his time. When the servant Mariah died giving birth to Henry’s child, Henry decided to raise the baby with his legitimate daughter, Sophia.

At the age of sixteen, the two girls are very different. Angelia, daughter of Mariah, is gentle and caring, and loves needlework and the pianoforte. On the other hand, Sophia, Henry and Georgina ’s daughter, is dark, with a fiery temper and a love of horses.

The girls’ romantic interests reflect the irony of the situation. While Sophia is attracted to Robert, who works in the stables, Angelia’s attention is caught by the gently bred Jeremiah Sheritan. At the same time, Edward has feelings for Angelia.

With an evil uncle scheming to arrange a marriage between his son and Sophia, the story takes a dark turn.

Ms. Dodd has written yet another powerful novel. The beautiful writing style reminds me of Georgette Heyer, the wonderful author of historical romances, as well as the modern example Jane Feather.

[Chameleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tale grabbed me right from the beginning, and the more the story unfolded the more entrenched I became. Sonya Dodd is a wonderfully descriptive writer, and I seriously clung to every word. I was shocked that the story took the turn that it did- it was quite unexpected.

The characters were vividly brought to life through their character traits, and they all flowed so nicely through the story that it was not hard to believe you were getting a birds eye view at this troubled family brought fully to life by the author.

Personally, I liked the fact that she didn't spend an undue amount of time describing every detail of every item in the room, etc. Anyone even slightly familiar with this time period would know quite well what was common in dress, foods, and household decor. I think the way she handled descriptions of the things that were important in the story kept this novel from getting bogged down like so many historical romances tend to do.

All I can say is "keep 'em coming, Ms. Dodd!" This is the second book I've read from this author, and look forward to getting her other books. I have no doubt her rich imagination and great writing style will prevail in those, as well!

[Raquel Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whispers, the Dialect of 18th Century English Women

Reading this story made me feel as though I were watching Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. Set in old 18th Century England with all it’s ludicrous rules of conduct, I am definitely happy to be living in this century. Sophia and Angelina, it’s main characters truly come to life in this tale of a priviledged life in England’s countryside.

Greed, love, and all of life’s little unexpected pitfalls are what move this story. Tumbling through it all, it is clear that one of life’s lessons is that you cannot trust many, not even your relatives. This is especially true for two naive young women that have to face unscrupulous characters alone.

While fate may intervene to save Angelina and Sofia; persistent evil can prove to be a never-ending battle. After reading this story I can sincerely say that one of the rooms in Purgatory is located in old Georgian England.

A Whisper in the Wind was very entertaining and engaging. I wanted to jump into the story and save the girls myself! Too bad time travel does not exist. I definitely recommend this story. However, I must warn you that if you are one of those emotional people who hate bullies, you should have a glass of wine when you read it. I recommend a Gamay Beaujolais.

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry and that doesn't happen often.

It's a beautiful story set in Georgian England, initially conjuring up images from Jane Austen's and Henry Fielding's works. Unlike these books, though, it becomes apparent early in the story that Dodd's A Whisper in the Wind will not give everyone a happily ever after, for Georgiana's life is far from it.

There appear to be some small historical inaccuracies, such as the extraordinary skill of Dr Eaton at a time when many medicines included "extract of mummy" as an ingredient, but these are easily overlooked as I became lost in the story.

I think the title and the cover aren't really representative of the story behind them, for this book goes far deeper and darker into Georgian life than Austen dared to.

Dodd used several perspectives in her third-person style narrative, moving seamlessly between them so that when I occasionally found myself wondering what a particular character thought...there it was, soon after.

I'm pleased I bought this as I'd like to read it again.