Her Dear and Loving Husband, written by Meredith Allard, is book one in The Loving Husband Trilogy. Because of the title, I thought this was going to be your basic romance story. Romance is a big part of the story - it is a love story that reaches down through time - but there is so much more. The story has vampires, witches, and even a werewolf. And it is set in Salem, Massachusetts. What better location for a story with such supernatural characters? To make it even more interesting, reincarnation is also thrown into the mix. I guess it could best be described as a supernatural historical fiction love story.
James Wentworth has a secret. Sarah Alexander also has a secret, one that she doesn't even realize she has. This story about second chances is also a story of terror and what it is like to be afraid.
Sarah has terrifying dreams of being locked up, but her dreams are not set during these modern times. She has dreams about seeing people she loves hanged. She has dreams of a wonderful man, a man whom she loves with all her heart. But she has no clue who this man is. She has left her husband, a man she never really loved, and moved from Califonia to Salem, Massachusetts. Why did she choose to move all the way across the country to this magical and haunted city?
She is immediately attracted to the house of Professor James Wentworth. He sees her in his yard looking at his house, and he runs out to greet her. He calls her Elizabeth, the name of his dead wife. What she doesn't know is that his wife died during the Salem witch trials. He is convinced that Sarah is the reincarnation of his dead wife. And this is the man in her dreams.
Since James and Sarah work at the same school, they soon get to know each other. Watching their relationship grow and deepen with everything going on around them in the present, while their involvement with what happened 300 years ago in Salem during the witch trials slowly becomes known, adds a great deal of suspense to their developing relationship and the novel.
In Salem right now there is an extremely nosy reporter – one who is convinced there are vampires and witches living in Salem. This reporter is determined to find out who they are and expose them, and he is convinced that Professor James Wentworth is a vampire. It would have been terrifying to live in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. You never knew who would be accused of being a witch, and it seemed that no one, no matter how innocent, was safe from accusation. The author takes us back to these terrifying times and allows us to see how such trials could affect life today.
If this nosy reporter succeeds, will there be acceptance of those revealed to be witches and vampires, or will they be feared, locked up, and possibly executed? Could such people actually live as humans in today's world? Is he trying to bring back the fear and random accusations that reigned free during the time of the Salem witch trials?
The story is great, and the characters are fantastic. It was hard for me to put down this book I bought through Amazon because I so wanted to find out what was going to happen next. If you like books with supernatural beings in them, you will love this book. If you like books about second chances with the one you love, then you must read this book. If you are a history buff and especially interested in the Salem with trials, this is a book you don't want to miss. Remember, this is the first part of a trilogy, so reading the next two books in this series will become a necessity after you finish this one.
If you would like to purchase a copy of this book for you own enjoyment and reading pleasure, I have provided an Amazon link below. I've also provided a link for book two, Her Loving Husband's Curse.
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