Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32018 - Secret at Orient Point

"Could they fight the evil pulling them towards the same horrible fate as their parents?" (cover blurb) 

 

Picking up and reading this book was hard to do.  When I picked up the first Harlequin Gothic Romance to read back in November 2024, I had seventeen books ahead of me after I finished that one, so I didn't give much thought to actually completing the series.  Now, here we are a little over one year later, and I have finally reached the eighteenth and final Harlequin Gothic Romance.  After literally most of my life thinking I would NEVER pick up and read a Harlequin book, it's funny to look back and realize just how much I thoroughly enjoyed this series of Gothic romances - mainly because the stories had very little romance and more mystery and suspense, which are definitely more my line of reading.  Thus, with of a bit of reluctance, knowing that after this, I would have no more to read in this series, I opened the book and began to read...

 

Let's start with the title.  Secret at Orient Point.  That title alone is enough to catch me, since it has that same format as the children's mystery series I collect (i.e., "Mystery in the..." or "Clue of the...").  Then let's talk about that cover.  Twenty-four year old Erika Barlow, looking back with fear at the ghostly couple dancing in the dark ballroom.  Hints of terror, hints of supernatural, hints of a mysterious tale waiting in the pages within this book.  With all of this swirling in my head, I was excited to forge ahead.  The story is set in the 1880s and centers around Erika's return to her family's hotel, located on North Fork in Long Island, New York.  It has been twenty years since she was taken away to live with her aunt after her mother's murder at the hands of her lover, and now her father has died in a shipwreck, leaving her the sole owner of the hotel.  But her arrival starts a series of events that brings long buried secrets to the surface, kindles a relationship that can never be, and threatens to reveal a truth that someone will do anything to keep hidden - even if it means killing Erika!

 

Erika is aware of her mother's affair with the man she truly loved - Gerhard Langermann.  What she did not know is that she was a product of that affair.  But that secret does not seem overly important until she meets Langermann's son, David, and suddenly finds herself attracted to the son of her mother's lover. They are half-siblings, and despite knowing how wrong it is, neither one of them can deny the feelings they are experiencing.  Erika does everything in her power to fight the growing love she has for her half-brother and focuses on the refurbishing of the hotel so it can be opened for the summer guests.  However, someone seems to be out to get her.  First, there is the attack on the pier that nearly drowns her.  Then there is the fire in the hotel, from which she barely escapes alive.  Later, she experiences a terrifying climb onto the roof during a rainstorm, following the person she believes is trying to kill her.  Who is trying to end her life?  Could it be David, who may have inherited his father's own insanity?  Is it her secretary, whose jealousy of the attention David gives Erika is written all over her face?  Is it Pepys, the near-mute handyman on the property who was always overly protective of her mother all those years ago?  Is it Johannes, the carpenter who is charge of the renovations for the hotel and who seems to have eyes for her?  Is it her own father, who suddenly appears after having been thought lost at sea and makes it clear he wants her to stay away from David?  Or, could it possibly be, the ghost of Julie Ann Barlow herself, come back to haunt the hotel and ensure that no one else has any happiness over the loss of her own?

 

Author Patricia Werner writes a wonderful tale of secrets, lies, ghosts, and suspense that keeps the reader turning pages faster and faster to find out how it will ultimately all end. Werner appears to be the author's real name, and she has written quite a number of romance and Gothic novels over the years, including more than a few in the line of Zebra Gothics (with wonderful titles like Mistress of Blackstone Castle, The Swirling Mists of Cornwall, Island of Lost Rubies, Hidden Gold o Widow's Mountain, and Shadows Over Cypress Swamp).  And Werner writes a rather lengthy acknowledgement on the copyright page to Andrew Marlay (for consultation on costumes), Marlene Hamerling (for advice on Jewish names), Steve Hadley (director of an historical society), and Andrea Budy (for sharing thoughts about her Inn).  Such acknowledgements only adds to the belief that Werner is not a pseudonym, but a real person.

 

The locations Werner uses in the book are real.  North Fork and South Fork (not to be confused with a certain ranch on an old nighttime soap!) are two peninsulas located on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, and like in the book, the water just north of the Forks is referred to as "Long Island Sound."  And, as in the story, the easternmost tip of North Folk is a town called Orient Point (which is where our story is set).  According to online research, Orient Point does have its seasonal swell of visitors during the summer months, which would make Erika's desire to re-open the hotel and her urgency to get all the repairs and renovations done before the summer begins perfectly in-line with reality.  And to keep matters even more real, the Orient Point Inn referenced in the book was an actual place built originally as a residence in 1672, but eventually changed to a hotel and eventually demolished nearly 300 years later. More information about the hotel can be found in the Northforker archives (Orient Point Inn - North Fork). When authors incorporate details like this from the real world, it provides a sense of realism to the story that tempers the more unbelievable aspects (such as ghosts and supernatural elements).

 

Well, with this, I've completed the run of Harlequin Gothic Romances and must move on to another Gothic series (I already have one in mind....).  Never fear, though - at the same time Harlequin began publishing this line, they also started a line called "Harlequin Romantic Suspense," which were stories with a similar suspenseful style.  Sadly, that line only lasted two books, before it was repurposed and renamed as "Harlequin Intrigue."  I have both of those Romantic Suspense novels (not to be confused with Harlequin's later line of Romantic Suspense books, which series continues today) and will eventually get around to reading them and reviewing them here.

 

RATING:  10 diaries hidden in the back of a roll-top desk out of 10 for ending this series with a story of suspense, seduction, surprises, and sinister secrets that make for a superb Gothic romance!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32017 - Shadow Over Bright Star

"The threats were ominous and none too subtle.  Jessica feared most the man she loved ..." (cover blurb)

 

This penultimate book in the Harlequin Gothic Romance line is the second, and final, entry in the series by author Irene M. Pascoe.  Her earlier book in this series, Lord of High Cliff Manor, was a great read, and like that earlier book, this one is a period piece that also features more romance that the other Harlequin Gothic novels.  While the prior book was dedicated to Pascoe's parents, this book has a dedication to her "sister, Nancy Daniels. And for Brett David, welcome to the world, little one."  This dedication, naming her sister as Nancy, confirms my suspicions from my previous blog post about the identity of Irene M. Pascoe and the fact she is one of the few authors who actually used her real name for the books.

 

Shadow Over Bright Star takes place in 1862 in the Nevada Territory, two years before Nevada actually became a state.  Our heroine, Jessica Winsor, has traveled there after receiving a returned letter informing her that her father has "died in an accident."  Upon arriving in Virginia City, she discovers that her father has a majority ownership in a silver mine that is part of the "Comstock Lode."  The problem lies in the fact that her father never told her about any partners in the mine, and she quickly learns that they knew nothing of her!  Two cousins - Derek and Brett Bonner - are now faced with the fact that a Winsor has come to claim their inheritance from the extremely successful and lucrative mine, and that this woman wants to not only claim the inheritance, but she wants to take an active role in the business!  There are plenty of shocks on both sides, but Jessica has the hardest hurdle to overcome - exactly how did her father die?  Everyone keeps telling her it was an accident, but when she finally is told that his body was found with a gun to his head and plenty of empty liquor bottles around, Jessica knows it was no accident.

 

Pascoe definitely did her research regarding the time period and the history of Virginia City. In the real world, Virginia City became a booming mining town after the 1859 Comstock Lode transformed the small town into a booming city and tourist destination.  While the book references "McGuire's Opera House" (p. 129), the real city actually boasts "Piper's Opera House."  The city today still boasts some of the original, preserved 19th century architecture and wooden sidewalks, allowing visitors to feel like they have stepped back in time to when Jessica would have walked those streets.  And like Jessica's father did in the backstory from the book, many of those early miners in the real world dug out holes in the side of the mountain, in which they lived while trying to strike it rich.  I love it when an author integrates real world history and locations into the story, as it breathes a bit more life and realism into the tale.

 

Jessica's fight to not only assert her right to her father's inheritance as the 60% owner of the silver mine, but also to take part in running the business, is the main focus of the story, but there is also the mystery of what happened to her father, who would have done such a thing, and is there someone now coming after Jessica?  Upon arrival, the hotel where Jessica is staying catches fire (starting just outside Jessica's room, nearly killing her and burning up all of her belongings, including personal photos of her father and brother!), and she barely escapes with her life.  Then, after moving in with the Bonners (at the invitation of Brett's parents, who own a small stake in the mine), a wheel comes off a carriage Jessica is driving, causing it to tip over the edge of a cliff, once again nearly killing her.  Thankfully for Jessica, third time is NOT a charm when it comes to attempts on her life, as a falling bottle of acid misses her by only inches while in the chemical laboratory at the business offices for the mining company.  It's clear someone is out to get rid of her, just as they did her father.  Is it Derek, for whom she feels a strong attraction, yet cannot make sense of his harsh attitude towards her?  Is it his cousin Brett, who has been so cordial to her, yet seems jealous of her attention to Derek?  Is it Brett's father, Seth, who is trying everything to coerce Jessica to deposit all of her newfound wealth into his bank for investing?  Is it Brett's mother, Amanda, who is super-sweet on the outside, but is clearly after only more money and power?  Or, are all of these things truly only accidents, and Jessica is making more out of them than what they are?

 

Pascoe does a great job of building the suspense, and she manages to step outside the normal Gothic tropes when it comes to the good guy/bad guy scenario.  The ultimate revelation as to who is determined to get Jessica out of the picture is not at all who I was expecting, which made it all the better to read.  Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was Pascoe's insertion of several supporting characters who added to the world created within the book, fleshing it out and making it much more believable.  First, there is the kindly Mrs. Crawford, who takes Jessica in after she is nearly killed in the fire.  Jessica visits her several times throughout the story - her visits and conversations have no ultimate bearing on the mystery, but they do give the reader a stronger sense of Jessica's character and personality.  Then, there is Julia Bulette, a woman of ... questionable ... profession who is actually a highly respected part of the community, even serving on the fire brigade (she helped put out the fire the night Jessica was nearly killed) - one again, a character that has no connection to the mystery, but she builds up the diversity of the community and the attitudes of various characters when talking about her.  There is also Sophie Tyler, the wealthiest woman in the town who provides Jessica with the truth (or, at least, what the town believes to be the truth) about how her father died.  Pascoe manages to write some very strong, powerful women into the story, which is a pleasant surprise, considering that in the 1880s, most men would have viewed women as Derek, Brett, and Seth do within the story - as the weaker sex, with no mind of their own, and no business being involved in ... well, business.

 

Not sure who provided the cover art for this book, as there is no signature and no credit given.  I do, however, absolutely love the scene, as it steps a bit away from the Gothic norm.  There is no dark mansion in the background; instead, we get a cemetery, with Jessica running through it, tightly gripping the papers (which I can only assume are the documents she brought with her to prove her identity and her right to her father's share of the mine).  The dress she is wearing, lavender with the frill, is described as one she wears in the book, having been given the dress by Julia Bulette after all of her things are burned up in the fire. I love the color and the design of the dress, and I think it blends perfectly with the stormy background.  This scene, however, never actually occurs in the story.  When Jessica does eventually visit the cemetery to see her father's grave, there is no dramatic scene that takes place there.

 

Another Harlequin Gothic that is well worth the read.  

 

RATING:  10 framed maps of the silver mines out of 10 for keeping the danger and threat-level high from beginning to end, making the book a true page-turner! 

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32016 - Mirage on the Amazon

From an isolated island in the last Harlequin Gothic to a trip down the Amazon River in this book, it seems the series is expanding the locations that are typically found in Gothic novels far beyond the dark, brooding mansions one would expect to read about.  This book introduces a new author in the line - Mary Kistler.  She appears to be one of the few Gothic authors to use her real name.  It took some digging, but I found a hardcover edition of one of her books that has a short author bio on the back dust jacket flap, indicating she has authored a number of short stories, as well as several novels (most of which appear to be Gothic in nature).  Judging by this book alone, Kistler appears to have a grasp on the Gothic genre, and it's a shame she didn't write more than the few that she did.  This is her only contribution to the Harlequin Gothic line.

 

Mirage on the Amazon takes its title from the fact that when traveling down the Amazon River, one might actually see mirages, such as islands or landforms in the distance that are not actually there, or boats seem to stack or be distorted, or even phantom coastlines that should not be where they are.  Science has shown that these illusions, or mirages, occur because of the high humidity in the Amazon mixes with varied temperatures to create layers of air with different densities, and when light travels through these varying densities, it distorts the image of objects in the distance.  However, the title is also a subtle hint to the reader that the characters in the book are not what they appear to be, and the truth surrounding each one might be distorted by the Amazon jungle in which they reside...

 

The story is set in 1912 and centers around Julia Scott, a native of England who travels down to South America with her old nurse, Laney, in order to see her sister, Claire.  It seems Claire, the rebellious half-sister from their father's first marriage, left England to become an actress and ultimately married a very wealthy landowner who owned a plantation along the Amazon River.  However, years passed without any word, and suddenly Julia receives a letter from her sister, who has fallen ill and believes the illness is not natural - she believes someone is trying to poison her, and she needs Julia's help!  Of course, this being 1912, it takes Julia and Laney some time to cross the ocean and make their way down the Amazon River to the plantation home of Patrick Courtney (Claire's husband).  And it is one this boat trip, before Julia ever reaches her sister, that things begin to happen.

 

Julia is convinced that her sister is in dire jeopardy.  She has a sense of foreboding that she may already be too late.  The more she learns about Patrick Courtney from the boat's captain and first mate, the more she questions her sister's decision to marry the man.  Then, at a stop along the river to restock the boat, Julia is nearly pushed into the piranha-infested waters!  Was the push intentional or an accident?  Why would someone push her, unless they wanted to stop her from reaching her sister.  Then, upon reaching the village of Iquitos (which, by the way, is a real city in Peru!), Julia is not only shocked to see the same man who she thinks pushed her towards the river, but she also finds the captain of her boat talking to Dalma, the regal-looking housekeeper at the Courtney residence!  But he said he barely knew the Courtneys, so why would he be having such an intense conversation with the household help?  More surprising than this, however, is Julia and Laney's introduction to a young girl by the name of Dominique Courtney - Patrick and Claire's daughter - a daughter Julia's sister had failed to mention even existed!

 

Kistler creates even further tension and intensifies Julia's fears when they arrived at the Courtney plantation to discovery Patrick and Claire are not in residence - Patrick has taken his wife to a hospital far up the river, claiming the doctors there can better care for Claire's continued fever.  Yet, the hospital is not named, nor is the doctor, and Patrick provides no means by which Julia can communicate with her sister.  Now, more than ever, Julia is convinced something is very wrong, and the truth is being carefully hidden from her.  When a man in a dark robe breaks into Julia's room in the middle of night, clearly intending to kill her (fortunately, she is saved by a conveniently timed vase falling from an upper floor!), Julia knows for sure dark forces are at work, and someone is determined to keep her from finding out what has really happened to her sister.

 

The author keeps the reader in suspense, barely hinting at the real truth behind everything going on.  There are plenty of misdirects that the reader does not even realize are nothing more than red herrings until much later in the story, when Julia comes face to face with the real threat behind everything going on - and all of her ideas, as well as those of the reader, are suddenly turned upside down, as it turns out nothing at all is what it seems in the isolated mansion deep in the Amazon jungle!  I readily admit, I was thrown for a loop, as I did not see this twist coming at all - which made it all that more juicy to read!  Bravo to Kistler for keeping the truth hidden right beneath the surface of everything going on in the story, providing for a great shock there at the end!

 

The cover art is provided by Len Goldberg, who has provided the cover art for a number of titles in this series (Castle at Jade Cove, The Blue House, Shadows Over Briarcliff, The Devereaux Legacy, and this one).  As always, Goldberg manages to capture an expression of fear on his damsels in distress.  I love how he captures the reflection of the moonlight in Julia's hair on the cover, giving her an almost "angelic" look with the mist-shrouded jungle behind her giving off a sense of evil just waiting to destroy her.  I would give anything to find the original art for these covers - I can only imagine how much more beautiful they appeared on canvas!

 

As with the first 15 books in the series, this one is another winner as far as I'm concerned.  

 

RATING:  10 well-read copies of The Wind in the Willows out of 10 for proving the Gothic tropes can be placed in pretty much any setting and still tell a suspenseful story full of mystery, intrigue, deception, and terror!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32015 - Island of Mystery

"It was the perfect summer job, or so she thought - until it became a nightmare of danger and intrigue" (cover blurb) 

 

The fifteenth Harlequin Gothic Romance was written by yet another new author to the line:  Margaret M. Scariano.  Ms. Scariano (1924-2013) was the author's actual name, and she was a graduate of Fresno State who went on get a master's in English from Illinois State University.  She was not exactly a prolific writer, having only 18 books published; however, her works were of a wide variety, including stories for lower reading levels, young adult fiction and non-fiction, adult stories, and this book - her one and only contribution to the Gothic genre.  Based on this story, it is rather surprising Scariano did not write more Gothics, as she definitely has the talent for it, capturing the right mix of mystery, suspense, and romance.

 

Island of Mystery is the story of a young woman hired to help organize a wealthy family's papers to help put together a family history, and in order to do this, she must travel to an isolated island and stay in a rather foreboding house with family members who do not necessarily want her there!  If this plot sounds familiar, perhaps that is because it is a nearly identical plot to Tree of Evil, which book I just read and reviewed just two weeks ago.  I have no doubt there are plenty of Gothic novels from his era with similar plots (considering the plethora of books pushed on the market at the time, there would have to be!), but I do find it rather amusing that by pure chance I would read two books so similar this close to each other.  I mean, the opening sequence with the young protagonist on a boat, traversing rough waters to get to the island is almost identical to that of Roberta Morrison's Tree of Evil.  Both stories also feature a family member who dies from falling off a cliff, and both stories feature a locked room from which sounds can be heard (when there is not supposed to be anyone in there), as well as some secret that is held within the family papers that someone is willing to kill for. And if that were not enough, but stories have natives (Hawaiians in the Tree of Evil, and Native Americans in this one) who play an important part of the tale.  Thankfully, though Scariano eventually diverges and provides some variations that gives this Gothic some distinction from the other.

 

In Island of Mystery, Jenny Fletcher (a relation of Jessica Fletcher, perhaps?) is a grad student who goes go Lone Lake Lodge in order to help Grace Hamilton put her family papers in order so that they can be donated to the Montana Historical Society (the author likely chose Montana as the setting, since she was originally from that state and began her college career there).  From the moment of her arrival, however, there is unrest with the family.  Grace resides on the island with her two nephews - Glenn and Martin Larabie, whose mother was Grace's sister.  She took them in after their father left and their mother died in a tragic boat accident.  The brothers are at odds, however, on what Grace should do with the island when she dies, and poor Jenny gets caught in the middle.  Bobby Black Bear, the Native American who also resides on the island, warns her not to take sides, as it will not end well for her.  Jenny also learns that Grace has had previous secretaries, none of whom lasted very long.  Jenny is determined to prove them wrong, as she plans to use the Hamilton family history as a part of her thesis for grad school.  She just never realized the tension she was going to face in the great house.  To round out the oddball cast, there is Lone Willow, the companion to Grace, a young Native American who is going to college via correspondence courses (yes, this definitely shows the age of the book!), and who the family affectionately refers to as "Ruthie."  There is also Mr. Alger, the rather rough-around-the-edges cook who makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he knows the real reason Jenny is there and does not want her there.  

 

The mystery comes into play when Grace and Jenny come across an old lease that reveals the island was only leased to her family, and neither she, nor the boys, own the property.  Jenny is certain they will come across a later document that eventually transferred title, but Grace is unsure.  When Grace finds the diary of Glenn and Martin's mother, she learns a dark secret that could have very serious repercussions on the entire family, particularly with regard to who really owns the island!  Unfortunately, before she can reveal the truth, she is murdered, and the diary goes missing.  Jenny soon finds her life is in danger, as someone thinks she knows what was in that diary, and they are determined to keep her from revealing it!  The suspense really plays out in the final act of the story, and in true Gothic fashion, everyone's secrets are revealed at last, and Jenny (along with the reader) learns that not everyone is who they say they are!

 

The cover artist is not identified, but the art is beautifully rendered.  The scene is actually a mixture of several scenes - one scene, where Jenny is pushed down the stairs when exploring the fourth floor ballroom, and another scene where Jenny has found the diary on a stormy night.  The only thing I noticed about the art (and it's rather nit picky, I know) is that while Jenny's hair appears to be blowing from the wind, the wick of the burning candle does not appear to be affected at all by that same wind.  (And since that particular scene of Jenny occurs while she is in a room with a broken window, it would only make sense that the wind from the storm outside was blowing in, affecting both her hair and the candle.)  This is probably one of my favorite covers from this series - that half turn, the storm outside, the hands reaching out for her. It breaks the mold of the stereotypical "girl running away from the house in the background" standard scene and instead gives us a tension-filled moment where we can almost feel Jenny's fear as she is about to be pushed.

 

One thing I did want to mention was the author's choice of names for the cook.  Mr. "Alger" made me immediately think of Horatio Alger (1832-1899), who was a very prolific author of young adult novels in the second half of the 19th century.  Most of his stories are referred to as "rags to riches" tales about young lads in poverty who rise above their circumstances to make good for themselves.  Interestingly enough, one of Alger's pseudonyms was Arthur "Hamilton," which also happens to be Grace's last name in this book.  It could be pure coincidence - or, just perhaps, Scariano was actually paying a slight homage to a fellow author, albeit one a bit before her time.

 

RATING: 9 rugged mountain sheep out of 10 for spinning a slightly new take on an already established Gothic plot - and throwing in a few surprises along the way.

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32014 - The Devereaux Legacy

"She had never believed in ghosts - then she came face-to-face with their deadly omen" (cover blurb)

 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the books in this Harlequin Gothic Romance series just keep getting better and better.  Despite the number of various authors who have contributed to this series, the stories all have been strong, they all have featured great protagonists, and they all have mixed the elements of Gothic and mystery perfectly, sprinkling the stories with just a touch of romance.  This book is Carolyn G. Hart's one and only entry in the series, and it is a superb one!  Hart is the author's actual name, a mystery and suspense writer who has had more than 63 books published under the name of Carolyn Hart and Carolyn G. Hart.  After this book was published, Hart began her own series of mystery novels (the Death on Demand series, which lasted 26 books), alongside another series about a required newswoman turned sleuth (the Henrie O series, which lasted 7 books).  Her most recent series actually featured a ghost as the protagonist (the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, which lasted 9 books). It's rather a shame she did not write more Gothics.

 

When I first saw the title to The Devereaux Legacy, my mind automatically went to The Golden Girls.  After all, Blanche Devereaux was a true Southern belle, and since this book is set in South Carolina, she would certainly fit in!  But, alas, our resident seductress is not at all related to the family in this book; rather, the title character, Leah Devereaux Shaw, is the granddaughter of an aging matriarch - a granddaughter everyone thought had been dead for the past 19 years!  It's actually a pretty great premise to start the story, much in the vein of a soap opera.  A long-thought dead character suddenly shows up decades later, and everyone is scrambling to determine (a) whether this person is who she says she is and (b) what impact her re-appearance will have on the family dynamic.  In this instance, it comes down to the fact that Leah is a direct descendant of Carrie Deveraux, while the other three members of the family residing on the Devereaux Plantation are merely adopted and not actual blood relations.  The story develops from there, as the ghost of the Whispering Lady is seen - a forewarning of death to come to the Devereaux family!

 

Hart integrates a number of great Gothic and mystery elements into the story.  There is the family history, where the Devereaux women have been thought to be mad.  One woman killed her husband and herself, and it is said that Leah's parents followed that same pattern two decades before.  There is the Whispering Lady, a ghost that has appeared off and on through the years, each appearance heralding doom for someone in the Devereaux family.  Recent appearances have coincided with mysterious accidents on the property, leading everyone to take the warning seriously.   There is also the mystery surrounding the locked tower on the property.  Her cousins and grandmother tell her the tower is dangerous and not stable, which is why it is padlocked; but Leah suspects there is more to the story and wonders if the tower holds the clues to what really happened to her mother and father that fateful night.  Then there is the enigmatic Kent Ellis, an archaeologist who is digging and researching the history of the land surrounding the Devereaux Plantation.  Just what danger does he pose to the family and their secrets?

 

The story manages to build the suspense slowly and effectively.  Leah, of course, does not believe in ghosts, so she discounts the story of the Whispering Lady. But then she sees it for herself.  And then she hears the howling dog that turns out to belong to Kent Ellis and is found brutally murdered.  Then she witnesses an accident that nearly leaves Ellis as dead as his dog.  Then a heavy planter falls from the second story veranda, crashing down where Leah had stood only a moment before.  Then she overhears a conversation that reveals how one of her cousins has been using her - a cousin she had grown to trust and care for - in fact, she was falling in love with him.  Betrayal and danger surround her at every turn, and Leah finally realizes that one of her own family is out to remove her - permanently!

 

As can be expected with any good Gothic, there are two men who could be potential suitors for our lovely heroine, and Leah struggles to know who she can trust and who she can't.  Even I have to admit, I wavered back and forth as to who the culprit could be that was so desperate to rid Devereaux Plantation of Leah's presence - and the climactic reveal and crazed attack on Leah Devereaux Shaw is a fantastically written payoff for readers.

 

The gorgeous cover art is provided by Len Goldberg, who has provided art for several other books in this line (Castle at Jade Cove, The Blue House, and Shadows Over Briarcliff).  Goldberg perfectly captures the fear and shock on Leah's face as she sees what could be a ghost of the Whispering Lady on the back side of the bridge in the Plantation's massive gardens.  It is funny, this cover has a certain resemblance to the third cover art by Rudy Nappi for Nancy Drew's 15th mystery, The Haunted Bridge, which was introduced to readers in 1972.  Both cover feature the protagonist in the foreground, turning to look back across a bridge what appears to be a ghost in the background at the end of the bridge.  This is the second time Goldberg's cover art mimics a Nancy Drew mystery, the first being the cover to Castle at Jade Cove.   It almost makes you wonder if Goldberg was intentionally honoring the Nancy Drew series, paying homage to the Gothic elements of that series.

 

This book is a definite winner and a must-read.  

 

RATING:  10 gigantic curtain of cobwebs out of 10 for thriller readers with a suspenseful mystery and glorious Gothic tale of ghosts and secrets! 

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32013 - Lord of High Cliff Manor

"She vowed to conquer the malevolent forces surrounding her - and found death lurking in the shadows" (cover blurb)  

 

Lucky number thirteen!  This is the thirteenth Harlequin Gothic Romance, published in September 1986 - and this marks thirteen great Gothic reads out of thirteen for the series!  I am amazed that I have yet to find a book in this series that I have not really enjoyed (but I probably should not say that, or I'll end up jinxing it!).  This is author Irene M. Pascoe's first of two books in this series, and based on this one, I cannot wait to read her second one.  I was not able to find out anything about the author, but it appears the name may be her own and not a pseudonym, as the copyright is in her name, and the dedication at the front of the book is given to her mother and father, Mary and Arthur Kasa (which is confirmed in an obituary I found online for Irene's sister, Nancy).  This book actually marks Pascoe's first of five Gothic novels she has published between 1986 and 2004.

 

Lord of High Cliff Manor is a period story, set in 1882, and follows young Jennifer Shanley as she travels to the cliffs of Puget Sound in the Washington territory, where she has been hired by Mark Kennecott as his young nephew's tutor.  But, as with any good Gothic, when Jennifer arrives, she is met with resentment and distrust.  Mark's stepmother tells Jennifer she is not right for the position and tells her to leave; however, Jennifer has no place to go (having used up all her savings to pay for the trip to High Cliff Manor), and to her relief, Mark Kennecott is determined that she will stay on to tutor young Kirk, as well as Melinda, the daughter of the manor's housekeeper.  Thus, the story is set for poor Jennifer to face the terror and danger that comes with living in High Cliff Manor...

 

The manor comes with a tragic history.  It seems not that long ago, one of the Kennecott's tug boats exploded, leaving only one man alive - Daniel Hennessey.  In that explosion, Caroline's husband, as well as the husband of the housekeeper, were killed, leaving both women widows with small children (Caroline with her son, Kirk; and the housekeeper with her daughter, Melinda).  A series of tutors have come and gone, mostly because of Kirk's horrific nightmares and his troublesome nature.  But Jennifer begins to build a friendship with the young boy in a way no one else has been able, and Mark knows he made the right choice in hiring her.  But Mrs. Kennecott and her daughter, Caroline Ramsay, are making life difficult for Jennifer so she will leave the house - or, so it seems.  First, it's a dead rat found on her pillow.  Then, a strange man appears in her room in the middle of the night.  But from there, the danger escalates.  A metal iron is dropped from an attic window, missing Jennifer by mere inches.  Then Jennifer is locked in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods, left to rot within its rat-infested walls.  It is clear someone in the house wants to get rid of Jennifer, but the question is: who?

 

Rumors in town speculate that Mark Kennecott blew up his own boat for the insurance money, as his business was floundering.  Jennifer wonders if perhaps Caroline's obvious desire to have Mark all to herself is not motive for the mysterious and deadly events.  There's always Mrs. Kennecott, who has made it clear from the first day that she does not like Jennifer and does not want her there - especially when Mark begins to show amorous intentions towards her.  And what about Daniel Hennessey?  He claims to have amnesia and wanders aimlessly through the estate - but does he have a more deadly side that no one has seen?  There plenty of suspects and more than enough motives.  Jennifer considers leaving, but she knows she cannot leave the children behind to face whatever terror haunts the great house.

 

One thing I am left wondering - the name of the character, Daniel Hennessey. In the television show, Dark Shadows, there is a character by the name of Daniel Collins when the show traveled back in time, and that character is portrayed by the actor, David Henesy.  Was this name a play on the Dark Shadows' character and its actor, or is it merely a coincidence?  I'd like to think it was a small homage to Dark Shadows, since the show epitomized Gothic tales in the late '60s and early '70s, which is the heyday period of these Gothic paperbacks.

 

Pascoe writes an excellent mystery, with a bit more romance that I've seen in most of these Harlequin Gothic tales, but not so much that it overpowers the story.  She gradually builds the suspense, dropping small hints here and there as to the identity of the one terrorizing Jennifer, and provides a tense and exciting climax that will leave the reader breathless.  This is definitely a top-notch example of what a Gothic mystery should be, and I cannot wait to read Pascoe's next book in this series!

 

RATING:   10 balls bouncing down the stairs out of 10 for the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, and romance to tell a Gothic story worthy of some of the greats!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32012 - Castle Malice

"The bizarre incidents kept mounting until she had no choice but to unmask the source of evil" (cover blurb)

 

This 12th novel in the Harlequin Gothic Romance series is the second and final volume written by Marilyn Ross (W.E.D. Ross).  While his last novel was set in the 19th Century, this book is set in the present.  Further, both the story and the cover art are a strong reminder just how much these Gothic tales are like reading grown-up Nancy Drew mysteries - dark, foreboding mansions, hidden passages, repeated attacks on the protagonist, and long-kept secrets that must be uncovered before the heroine can find her happily-ever-after.  Thankfully, Ross knows how to write a strong protagonist that does not easily fall under the spell of the men around her and who can think for herself (although, let's face it, she ultimately winds up in a desperate and dangerous situation by the end that reveals the true villain of the story!), which makes for great stories.

 

Castle Malice is the tale of another young heiress who inherits a fortune from a distant relative and must travel to Europe to claim her bequest.   As with so many Gothic tales that have come before, that distant relative died under mysterious circumstances, the house our protagonist is to inherit comes with dark secrets, and someone is determined to get the heroine out of the way in order to take the property for themselves!  In this case, Trudy Stone, a young woman from New York, travels all the way to a small village on the Italian Riveria after receiving a letter from her aunt's attorney informing her that her Aunt Julia passed away, and Trudy is her only heir.  But she arrives by train to the lonely station (gee, sounds very much like poor Victoria Winters from Ross' other series of novels) to be met not by the attorney as she expected, but by Dr. Carl Redman, who whisks her away to the home of his employer, Benson Steiburn, and his lovely daughter, Sylvia - whose grand castle (known as "Castle Malice" by the townspeople because of its horrid past) is located right next to the villa Trudy is to inherit.  She soon meets their other neighbor, aging actress Lena Morel and the young reporter who is penning her biography, Tom Clarendon, as well as Adrian Romitelli, a con man who everyone says was taking advantage of Trudy's aunt.  With all of these characters, the stage is set for a deadly mystery to be played out...

 

As always, Ross manages to build up the suspense as Trudy finds some very strange things are happening at Castle Malice.  First, she awakens to find the likeness of her dead aunt's face on the pillow next to her; then, she comes face to face with ghostly masked swordsman that supposedly haunts the castle; next, she is locked in an underground tunnel that connects the castle to her aunt's villa; later, she is nearly killed as she chased down the stairs of the villa and chocked by the swordsman; and at a town festival, she finds herself trapped in an alley, facing certain death at the hands of a cloaked madman.  All of these "foibles," so to speak, could easily be seen in a Nancy Drew mystery novel, just perhaps with the threat-level lessened a bit.  But, like Nancy, Trudy fights back and refuses to be intimidated by the masked man.  She does not believe in ghosts, and she knows that a living, breathing human is behind all of her attacks.  In fact, she realizes whoever is after her is likely the same person that killed her aunt, anxious to get their hands on her inheritance - you see, her aunt did not outright bequeath Trudy her great fortune; rather, she merely gave it to her while she lives, and upon Trudy's death, it passes to another.  The only problem is, that "other" heir is unknown, as it is sealed in a second Will that cannot be opened until Trudy's death.  Which leaves everyone wondering - who inherits after Trudy?

 

It's a great mystery, and readers will likely go back and forth (like Trudy does in the story) trying to figure out who is the one with enough reason to get rid of our poor protagonist.  Is it Mr. Steiburn, who wants to tear down the villa and build a museum to house all of his art treasures?  Is it Adrian, who willingly admits he was Julia's friend and confidante solely for the money she gave him?  Is it Carl, who shows Trudy attention, while at the same time seems to have a love affair going on with the very married Sylvia?  Is it Lena, who claims to have been Julia's best friend, yet was completely left out of the deceased woman's Will?  Or is it Tom, who has no money of his own and who everyone believes has latched onto the aging actress solely to get the money from writing her story?  All of them have motives, all of them have means, and all of them seem to have opportunity with each incident - until Trudy learns that one of them did NOT have opportunity, and perhaps she has been trusting the wrong people.  And when that one person turns up dead of a supposed suicide, Trudy realizes she is next!

 

Unfortunately, like his last book, Ross builds up the story, gets you completely involved in the characters and plot, and then, instead of a very dramatic revelation at the end and a page-turning final battle, Ross wraps up the story in just four short pages, with very little climax at all.  It is somewhat disappointing that the endings to his stories feel so rushed, when the rest of his work is so engaging.

 

I would be remiss if I did not point out Ross' obvious Easter Egg to his most popular series.  I think in pretty much every book he wrote, Ross manages to weave in the phrase "dark shadows" (which fans easily identify as his most recognizable works, based on the 1960s television show), and he does not fail with this one.  In this case, it is in Trudy's dreams, as she has a sleep "filled with gliding phantoms and abrupt appearances of the masked swordsman from out of dark shadows" (p.166). 

 

The cover artist is not identified, but the scene is taken from pages 54-55, where Trudy is exploring the underground tunnel and gets trapped within the dark maze after someone locks her in there.  The artist manages to capture Trudy's fear nicely, and even accurately depicts her wearing the "light blue cotton-knit dress that was flattering to her blond good looks" (p. 54).  The scene could also easily be translated over to a Nancy Drew book (The Hidden Staircase, perhaps, or Old Attic, or even Blackwood Hall).  In fact, comparing this with Rudy Nappi's art on The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (published in 1962), Trudy here seems to be a mirror version of Nancy from that cover!

 

This is the first Harlequin Gothic to list the author's other works in the series in the front, just opposite the title page (identifying book 11, Shadows Over Briarcliff as other "Books by Marilyn Ross" in the line of Harlequin Gothic Romance titles.  The book also has a dedication by Ross to his "good friends Dot and Bill Swangren."  Research reveals a rather unexpected Nancy Drew connection, as Dorothy "Dot" Swangren was, at one point, a secretary at Wellesley College - which, coincidentally enough, is the very same college from which Harriet Stratemeyer Adams graduated back in 1914!  And fans of Nancy Drew are well aware of the Stratemeyer connection to that series, which reminds us that this truly is a very small world, after all!

 

RATING:  8 battered red clown hats out of 10 for a great mystery filled with plenty of twists, proving Ross is a master at Gothic suspense.

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32011 - Shadows Over Briarcliff

"Her visit vividly brought back the unhappy past - and with it an unknown evil presence..." (cover blurb)

 

I finally reached the first entry into this series by Marilyn Ross (a/k/a W.E.D. Ross, best known for his series of Dark Shadows novels based on the successful television show of the '60s and '70s, as well as his countless other Gothic novels written under various pseudonyms).  Ross wrote a number of series (the Dark Shadows tie-in novels, the Fog Island series, the Dark Harbor series, and others), but he also wrote a few books in various other Gothic series, such as the Birthstone Gothics for Beagle Books, as well as the Gothic Romance line for Harlequin.  This is the first of only two books that Ross wrote for the Harlequin line, and while he captures the Gothic feel of the story perfectly, the ending was somewhat of a disappointment.

 

Shadows Over Briarcliff (I suppose he had to sneak the work "Shadows" in there somehow, eh?) is set in 1884 and features a rather dark mystery surrounding the death of the main character's sister. Jessica Rice's sister, Ann, married well when she wed Stephen Briar.  But something was amiss, and when Jessica leaves London to visit her sister at the somewhat isolated Briarcliff manor, she can sense her sister is worried about something.  Before she can uncover the truth, there is a horrific carriage accident, and Jessica awaks to learn that her sister plunged into the ocean, her body never recovered and presumed to have been washed out with the tide.  Jessica returns home, ultimately leaving her unscrupulous guardians and moving in with a friend's family who help her regain the wealth her guardians had been stealing.  A note soon arrives from her brother-in-law, asking her to come back to Briarcliff, as he was still grieving Ann's death.  Jessica decides to make the trip, but she soon discovers there is evil awaiting her at Briarcliff!

 

In true Gothic fashion, Ross weaves a tale of intrigue, secrets, and possible ghosts that will leave you guessing at the truth.  Is Stephen's stepmother conspiring to regain control of Briarcliff taken from her when Stephen's father died?  Is the neighbor's daughter plotting to marry the grieving widower in the hopes of becoming the new mistress of Briarcliff?  Is Stephen, himself, looking to remove anything and anyone that might reveal the truth about his indiscretions?  Is Adrian Swift, the son of Stephen's stepmother and a flippant gambler, causing problems as a way of getting even with Stephen?  Or is it something far more sinister and far more supernatural - has Ann's spirit returned to the world of the living to stop Jessica from becoming involved with her former husband?   Plenty of questions, plenty of motives, and plenty of suspects ... but so few answers ...

 

The story follows poor Jessica as she must not only cope with her sister's death and Stephen's grief, as well as her own growing attraction to her sister's husband - but she must also face the various attempts to scare, injure, and even kill her.  Plus, there are the mysterious appearances of a ghostly woman in a shawl, wearing the same perfume that Ann wore.  Is her sister's spirit really come back from the grave, or is someone simply trying to make Jessica think that so she will leave Briarcliff and never look back.  

 

There can be no doubt that Ross knows how to build suspense and tension (he certainly had plenty of practice!).  Unfortunately, he spends so long building up the mystery that when the resolution comes, it is a bit of a let down.  For 200 pages of great Gothic storytelling, Ross resolves the mystery, has Jessica face off against her adversary, and gives her a happily-ever-after all within the last four pages of the book!  I don't recall ever seeing a story wrapped up in such a short amount of pages before - I would have preferred to see a more dramatic confrontation, with lots of dramatic fighting and scares before the truth is revealed and the villain ultimately vanquished.  I think this is the first Harlequin Gothic that did not give me full satisfaction with the read, which is surprising, since Ross is one of my favorite authors.

 

The cover art, depicting the scene where Jessica awaits to not only smell the scent of her dead sister's perfume, but also finds one of her sister's handkerchiefs on the floor (p. 99), was pained by Len Goldberg (a/k/a Leonard M. Goldberg), who also provided the cover art for two prior Harlequin Gothics:  Castle at Jade Cove and The Blue House. A superb artist, Goldberg is an expert at capturing terrified expressions on the faces of his women, and it's almost a shame he did not provide the covers for all the books in this series!

 

The next book in the series is also by Ross, so we will see what that holds in store...

 

RATING:  8 large carriages careening off the side of a cliff out of 10 for a psychologically thrilling tale of ghosts, mystery, suspense, and moments of terror!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32010 - The Blue House

"She had no control over the evil forces that were driving her to the brink of madness..." (cover blurb)

 

Now I'm definitely beyond the half-way point in this Harlequin Gothic Romance series, as this marks the 10th book in the series, published in April 1986.  This is the first, and only, book authored by Dolores Holliday.  I can only assume Ms. Holliday is the author's actual name and not pseudonym since (a) the book is copyrighted in her name and (b) she has a dedication on the copyright page to her husband, Judd, thanking him for making the book possible.  Some online research reveals Ms. Holliday just passed away this year (back in February).   She published her first novel, a gothic tale called Greystone Shadows, after which she had her second novel (The Seventh Gate) published first in 1981 as a part of the Harlequin Mystique line, and later re-published and re-packaged as the first book in the Harlequin Romantic Suspense line that debuted with this Gothic Romance line.  (The Romantic Suspense line only published two books, before that got re-started and re-branded as the Harlequin Intrigue line.)  This book was Ms. Holliday's final gothic romance novel; after this, she went on to write mystery novels (which, oddly enough, were never published, according to her obituary!).

 

The Blue House is the first book in this series to actually touch upon the supernatural and psychic abilities.  It is also the first book in this series to have the house be an integral character to the story, having its own personality, so to speak.  The main character is McKala Aiden, whose first name is derived from her mother's maiden name, McKay.  She and her fiance, Peter Caterson, are in Oregon to oversee his latest real estate development - the construction of a new condominium complex on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  There's only one hold-up - the old blue house that currently stands on the property.  Peter is having to deal with various issues preventing his immediate destruction of the property, and while he fights city hall, McKala (or "Kala" as she allows people to call her) becomes more and more fascinated with the house.  A history buff (more than that, actually, since she just received her Ph.D. in history!), her curiosity builds the more she learns about the house.

 

A local artist, Matthew Donegal, starts her on that journey by telling her about the previous owner.  Sadie Andrews grew up in that house with her mother, who claimed to be clairvoyant and told people's fortunes.  After her mother died, Sadie seemed to follow in her mother's footsteps.  There is even a room in the house painted completely black, where Sadie and her mother would exhibit their "talents."  Matthew tells Kala that Sadie promised him the house so he could establish an art studio for fellow artists to hone their craft - but no will was ever located, and the house was eventually sold to the development company for which Kala's fiance works.  Kala decides to explore the inside of the house - but once inside, she finds more history than she bargained for!  When she goes upstairs and opens the door to the third floor bedroom, she sees a dead body lying on the floor!  She runs out of the house, only to find that when others go up to the room, it is empty, like the rest of the house.  Kala cannot decide if she really saw something, or if she hallucinated the whole thing.  One this is for sure - there is something sinister about the house and what happened there - Matthew, the police, even Peter's housekeeper, Fiona, and others in the village all seem to clam up when she starts talking about what she saw and questions the events surrounding Sadie's death.  A suicide, it was ruled - but Kala now believes that was not the case.

 

There is definitely the romantic side to the story, as Kala finds herself falling in love with Matthew and breaking off her engagement to Peter; but the focus is definitely on the mystery of what really happened to Sadie Andrews, did she have a will and, if so, where is it, and what kind of supernatural power still resides within the house?  A dark presence that attacks her, strange whistling sounds in the night, and visions of Sadie Andrews with dire warnings all press in on Kala, making her question her own sanity.  But like Nancy Drew herself, Kala puts aside her fears and sets about to uncover the truth about the house, Sadie Andrews, and her missing will - but the ultimate truth puts her in way more danger than she ever expected and from a very unlikely source!

 

The story is filled with suspense and mystery that definitely kept my attention, and the cover art certainly captures those same feelings.  At least with this book, we are able to identify the cover artist, since his signature appears on the art, just below the cover blurb.  Len Goldberg (a/k/a Leonard M. Goldberg), who also did the cover art for Castle at Jade Cove, the third book in the Harlequin Gothic Romance series.  He superbly captures the expression of fear on Kala's face on this cover, although, admittedly, the details of the house do not exactly match those in the book.  I can forgive him that, however, because the art is still gorgeous!

 

I do have to mention, before I finish up this post, that I did like the name of the cove, over which the blue house loomed - Seven Devils Cove.  I wonder if the author pulled the name from the Seven Devils Wayside, which is located in Oregon and is the home to three beaches.  According to local history, the road's name came from the deep ravines that run down the hills to the beach.  There is also the Seven Devils Mountains on the Idaho-Oregon border, which boasts some very "dramatic" cliffs, one travel site says.  These mountains overlook the deepest gorge in North America, known as "Hells Canyon." With names like this, they definitely make the perfect setting for a gothic mystery!

 

Another fantastic addition to the Harlequin Gothic Romance line - so far, it's been a successful 10 for 10 with these books!

 

RATING:  10 empty bottles of syrup out of 10 for an intriguing story of a house, a woman, a murder, and a hidden past - all nicely weaved together into a true tale of suspense! 

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32009 - Return to Shadow Creek

"She returned to the place of her birth - only to discover a sinister web lurking in wait for her..." (cover blurb)

 

Helen B. Hicks returns to this series for her third and final entry in the Harlequin Gothic Romance line, and she is the first author in this series to have two books in a row (Hicks having also authored the previous book in this line, Legacy of Raven's Rise).  As with her other books, this book is set in California, although unlike the previous two, this book is set in the present time (well, present for when it was published back in 1986).  Hicks also strays from a number of the standard gothic tropes - there is no dark mansion, there are no hidden rooms, no "bumps in the night" ... but there is plenty of mystery and some great soap opera type moments to keep the story exciting!

 

Return to Shadow Creek is the story of Cindi Moore's return to Fairhaven, California, and more specifically, Shadow Creek - the place where she was born and spent her early childhood, until her father died and her mother moved them to Wyoming.  Now, nearly 20 years later, Cindi has come home.  Her mother, step-father, and fiance died in a tragic car accident, and unable to cope with the loss,Cindi has nowhere else to turn.  Royce Christopher, the man who manages Cindi's trust.  Kim Christopher, Royce's young sister who used to be Cindi's best friend when she lived there as a child. Laura Christopher, Royce and Kim's stepmother who continues to live on the ranch.  And Gabriel Dussault, Royce's cousin who is carefree and living live to its fullest.  They make Cindi feel welcome to their California ranch, but there is something a bit off.  Something Cindi cannot quite per her finger on...

 

Hicks provides readers with one heck of a great mystery.  What was so horrible in Cindi's past, that her mind has repressed it for so many years? And why did the tragic car accident that killed her mother, fiance, and step-father have such an affect on her?  And how could she not know that Royce and Kim's father left Cindi half of his estate when he died, giving only a fourth each to his son and daughter?  And what is going on in the avocado orchards that makes Royce keep everyone out of there?  And just what kind of evil does the old, abandoned stagecoach stop on the Christopher property contain?  Just being near the place sends Cindi screaming in the other direction!

 

I truly love the mystery aspect to this story.  Hicks builds the story nice and slow.  From the beginning, the reader knows that Cindi has no real memory of her childhood at Shadow Creek, and it is fairly obvious that something horrific happened to make her block it away.  The longer she stays, the more she begins to realize that whatever happened all those years ago is something so sinister that someone is desperate to make sure it stays in the past!  She catches someone watching her as she is out horseback riding.  Then she sees a mysterious man watching her as she enjoys an afternoon outing.  But when she is nearly run off the road by a speeding vehicle, Royce and the others realize that something is definitely wrong.  Cindi begins to suspect that someone at the ranch does not want her remembering the past - but which one is it?

 

The climatic moments in this story are so worth the read!  The cover art depicts those final moments, when Cindi is being chased by the madman across an old wooden bridge (pp. 207-11), and Hicks does a superb job of keeping that man's identity a secret until the final chapter - while Cindi recognizes him, Hicks merely refers to the man as "he" for those pages, not revealing his identity until the final chapter!  It makes for some great suspense, particularly when another character shows up to rescue Cindi, resulting in a deadly battle on the rickety bridge.  And, as one can see from the cover, the art is not the typical gothic scene - there is no dark house in the background, with a light in the upper window; rather, we get the open California countryside at night, the moon obscured by the shadowy tree limbs, and poor Cindy running fearfully from the shadowy man in the background.  While not necessarily gothic, it definitely sets the tone for the mystery within!

 

Overall, yet another winning story for this line of gothic romances, and a nice send off for Helen B. Hicks (this being her last book in the series).  One thing I do find odd, however, is that these books do not advertise the gothic line - instead, the final pages in the book tell readers about 'Six exciting series for you every month ... from Harlequin," and list the Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, Harlequin Temptation, and Harlequin Intrigue lines.  At this point, the Gothic Romance line was still going, so I find it odd this series was omitted from the list.  Perhaps Harlequin was already aware the series would not be lasting much longer; or perhaps they felt the "Gothic" line would conflict with their new "Intrigue" line.  I would be curious to know if any of those six lines had an advertisement for the gothic books in them.

 

RATING:  10 shiny sky-blue convertibles out of 10 for a dark mystery involving illegal border crossings, get-rich-quick schemes, secret marijuana plants, and suppressed memories of even more illicit and evil crimes!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32008 - Legacy of Raven's Rise

"She set out to unravel one mystery, then found herself caught in the grip of another, more deadly..." (cover blurb)

 

This eighth Harlequin Gothic Romance is the second of author Helen B. Hicks' three gothic tales for this series. Hicks seems to have an affinity for stories set in California during the 19th century, as both her first book (Castle at Jade Cove) and this book find the young heroine of the story making her to a small town in California where she must face the secrets of the past.  There are definitely some similarities between the two books, but there are sufficient differences to keep the story fresh and engaging.

 

Legacy of Raven's Rise tells the story of Selina Ames, an orphan who was raised by foster parents, and who has come to Bittercreek, California in response to a mysterious letters she received, indicating the secrets of her past might be unlocked in this small town.  In a way, Selina reminds me of Victoria Winters from the Dark Shadows saga - a young girl who knows nothing of her true parentage who travels to a somewhat remote location where there is a dark mansion overlooking the town, from which she hopes to unlock the secret of her past.  I suppose that trope is a somewhat tried and true scenario for gothic tales, as it is steeped with so many of the proper elements - veiled secrets, dark houses, mysterious pasts, and young women desperate to find their identity.  Hicks does not make Selina's identity the main focus of the story, although the reader does not realize it until about half-way through the book.

 

From the get-go, the only clues Selina has to her past is the strange note beckoning her to Bittercreek and the enormous emerald ring, surrounded by diamonds that her foster father gave her before he died, indicating it was from her mother.  While the note does not lead her to to any answers, the ring definitely does!  As soon as Selina arrives in Bittercreek, she is met with hostility from the townsfolk - the only ones who are nice to her is the gentleman who road with her in the stagecoach, the owner of the local newspaper, and the town's doctor.  The hotel clerk is downright rude to her, and the rest of the townspeople merely stare and whisper behind her back. She soon learns it is all tied into that dark house overlooking the town - the house called Raven's Rise.  It seems the owner has died, and if no heir appears to claim the fortune left behind by Raven Winfield, then the house and all of the other Winfield assets will revert to the town.  Well, you can pretty much guess what "secret" is going to come out about Selina...

 

As indicated, Selina's past is not really the big mystery of this novel; rather, the mystery involves her grandmother's strange hold over the town and the people in it - especially the banker and the mayor.  There is also the rumor that Raven's Rise hides somewhere within its walls a great treasure, and someone is determined to find it.  Then there are the stories about Raven's ghost haunting the halls of the great house.  And when Selina sees a small light in the windows when the house is dark ... when she hears her name being whispered ... and when she is sure there is someone in the house with her, watching her ... it is all she can do to keep it all together.  Marcus Hannaford, the charming man from the stagecoach, urges her to sell the house and leave town.  The town doctor encourages her to abandon her hopes of staying in the great house and move back to San Francisco.  Even Jared Newcomb, the newspaper editor, questions her decision to keep the house, when the townspeople clearly do not want her there. But the more she is told to leave, the more determined she is to stay.  e

 

Interestingly enough, Hiram and Dulcie, the handyman and housekeeper at Raven's Rise who stayed on after Raven died, do not have any animosity towards Selina at all.  In most gothic tales, the household staff are either extremely antagonistic, not wanting the interloper to be in the house, or they are actually the villain(s) of the story.  In this case, Hicks does not play up to the reader's expectations, and instead, Hiram and Dulcie welcome their former employer's granddaughter into the house and do what they can to protect her - not only from the town's feelings about her, but also from whomever it is that is "haunting" the house.  I rather like this twist, as it is nice to read a tale where the heroine has someone who will support her and have her back when there is so much doubt about those around her.

 

The mystery slowly begins to unravel for Selina, as she learns that Raven Winstead was not exactly the woman she believed her to be.  Blackmail, revenge, murder, unrequited love, and a runaway daughter are all tangled into an intricate web of betrayal and deceit, and Selina must ultimately decide whether she will pick up where her grandmother left off, or whether she will put an end to the legacy that has haunted Raven's Rise for decades and walk a different path.  Can she allow the murderer of her grandmother's love get away with it?  Can she forget why her mother ran away and never looked back?  Can she escape the one who is intent on frightening her from the house so he can lay his hands on that elusive treasure?  It all makes for a rather dramatic conclusion (with a couple of surprising twists) that leaves the reader well satisfied with the outcome.

 

Once again, Harlequin offers up another gorgeous painted cover for this title, but fails to identify the artist.  The scene, with Selina running out of the front gates of Raven's Rise in the dead of night, casts the right amount of gloom and shadow to set the right atmosphere for the story.  I truly love the cover design and art for this series, and I would love to one day find some of the original paintings used for the cover art.

 

RATING:  10 overtrimmed silk lamp shades out of 10 for a gothic tale of mystery upon mystery, with some great soap opera-style themes of blackmail and betrayal thrown in for good measure!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32007 - The Fourth Letter

"She thought the past was laid to rest - only to discover that it threatened to destroy her future" (cover blurb).

 

I can't believe I am already seven books into the Harlequin Gothic Romance series.  Even more shocking, I can't believe how much I am thoroughly enjoying each and every one of the books in this series!  But here I am, and I have no intention of slowing down - although, I will admit, I'm beginning to already feel a bit of sadness at the idea that the series only had eighteen books in it.  That means I only have eleven left to go.  Oh, well, there are plenty of other gothic books from the '60s, '70s, and '80s out there waiting for me to read them, so I suppose I should not be too disheartened.  But, honestly, I don't know that any of them have as beautiful art and as creative titles as this series does, and the uniformity of the covers is a huge plus to someone who loves uniformity and consistency, particularly in series books.  And this one has its series books moments, believe me!

 

The Fourth Letter is written by Alison Quinn and is her second (and final) book in the series.  As previously indicated in my review of her first book (The Satyr Ring), which also happens to be the first book in the series, Quinn is likely the real name of the author and not a pseudonym, since the copyright page on both books indicate the copyright is owned by "Alison Quinn."  Other than that, and the fact that she wrote the first and seventh book in this series, I am not able to find anything else about the author.  I can saw, however, that she is a very talented writer and definitely knows how to write a great gothic mystery.  In this instance, the mystery involves a young woman named Nicole Lord, whose father has died and she has left her home in Paris, France to fulfill her father's dying wish - see her grandmother and resolve the issues that caused him to leave home so many years ago.  The only thing is, Nicole is not prepared for the various secrets and machinations that exist within the walls of the Lord mansion in the hills of Vermont!

 

While Quinn integrates a number of standard gothic tropes - the isolated mansion, the secrets held by pretty much every member of the household, the dangerous cliffs, and the mysterious sounds in the dead of night - she also manages to sneak in some twists into the story and challenge what the reader thinks they know or have figured out.  Quinn throws a couple of very unexpected curve balls that have great impact on the story and the relationships among the characters. Nicole arrives to find a grandmother that is at first resistant and distrusting; a housekeeper and confidant that makes it clear Nicole is not wanted there; a housekeeper's son who is hot and cold - distant at times, friendly at others; and a doctor who is a renowned ladies' man and has set his eyes on Nicole.  The poor girl does not know who to trust, and all she wants is to pass along her father's message and move on to New York.  And therein lies the problem...

 

Nicole's father had previously written his mother three times before, but never received a response.  Nicole has in her possession a fourth and final letter her father wrote just before he died, telling Nicole to give it to her grandmother when she feels the time is right.  But Nicole cannot determine when, or even if, there will be a right time.  And why does her grandmother have this irrational hatred of art of any kind?  Why is the house filled with mirrors on the walls rather than works of art?  And what is that constant tapping she hears at night, coming from the small patroon house at the edge of the woods?  The answer to that final question ultimately leads to a deadly encounter which results in Nicole being locked in the burning building, left to die!  And I suppose there is one more question that must be answered - why in the world does everyone get so distraught when Nicole and Mark announce their engagement?  What secret could their families possibly be hiding that would prevent them from consummating their love?  Well, let's just say that Flowers in the Attic could take a queue from this story!

 

I love the fact that Quinn does not even try to hide who the villain of this story is; nor does she give readers a clear line of good and bad when it comes to Nicole's two suitors - instead, we get plenty of gray areas with both of them.  And the contents of that mysterious, sealed fourth letter, the burning of the patroon house, the threats to Nicole's life, and the secrets that everyone in the house is hiding - well, they all add up to a great gothic mystery that, in some ways, reminds me of a good Nancy Drew mystery.  In fact, the cover art (by yet another unidentified artist) is similar to the original cover art of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Clue in the Diary, by Russell H. Tandy.  Both covers feature the burning buildings in the background, both covers feature a young woman in the foreground - one reaching down for a book, the other clutching a sealed envelope. 

 

Then again, the cover also resembles a much later Nancy Drew mystery, Race Against Time, which cover art was provided by the very talented Ruth Sanderson.  In this particular cover, we see the burning building in the background (as with this book), and the young woman is now facing the fire, her hand raised up to her mouth, similar to how the young woman on the cover of this book has her hand raised up to her chest as she looks back at the burning building.  Perhaps it is mere coincidence that all of these covers feature similar aspects; I mean, after all, the Nancy Drew mysteries have always incorporated a lot of gothic elements into the stories, so why should it be any surprise the covers should not also mirror certain gothic themes?  

One thing I did find odd about the book has nothing to do with the story or cover art; rather, it is the two-page spread in the back of the book advertising the various Harlequin series.  The advertisement urges readers to "Indulge in the pleasure of superb romance reading by choosing the most popular love stories in the world."  Below this tag are six different Harlequin series:  Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Temptation, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, and Harlequin Intrigue.  Surprisingly, the very series in which the ad is placed is not mentioned at all. One would think they would want to advertise the Harlequin Gothic Romance series as well, but apparently it did not make the cut for this particular advertising campaign.  Perhaps that might be part of the reason the series did not last beyond 18 books - without advertising, one cannot expect a series to succeed!

 

This was yet another fantastic addition to the world of gothic romance/mystery novels, leaving me excited and anxious to read the next one in this series!

 

RATING:  10 seven-eights leopardskin fur coats out of 10 for a superbly-written gothic tale of secrets, suspense, and soap-opera style surprises!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32006 - Double Masquerade

"She was unaware of the bizarre web of deceit being spun around he - until it made her its target..." (cover blurb)

 

This is the second of the two Harlequin Gothic Romance novels written by Dulcie Hollyoak, the other being published just two books prior to this one (An Innocent Madness).  Hollyoak is the first author in this series to have two books published in it (although there are other authors who have more than one book in the series - Hollyoak is simply the first).  As with the first book, this one is set in Ireland during the 19th Century, during the great potato famine that occurred between 1845 and 1852, which resulted in mass starvation, disease and emigration in the country.  As with Hollyock's prior entry into this series, the story is dark, and the young lady in distress faces some what appears to be inescapable circumstances!

 

Double Masquerade (the title made me think of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Twin Dilemma) is the story of Hannah McCabe, an adopted peasant on the Irish countryside during the harsh conditions of the potato famine in the year of of our Lord, 1848.  Hannah's adoptive father has died, and her mother is being evicted from their home.  Hannah assumes she will go with her mother, Anna, and her two adopted sisters; however, fate has other plans.  It seems Anna has willingly given Hannah to be returned to the Big House, Balaleigh, where she was born to a lady's maid to the countess who resided therein.  The house is run by Mr. Scott-Ryan and his wife, Mrs. Scott-Ryan, with the overly stern housekeeper, Mrs. Rundle, and her nosy maid, Katie.  The countess, who will 103 this particular year, only returns to Balaleigh on special occasions.   Hannah is uncertain why she was brought back to the great house, and no one will tell her - but one thing is crystal clear - no one wants her there, and everyone things she is up to some devious trickery.

 

Poor Hannah is a lot like Victoria Winters was during her tenure on Dark Shadows - completely clueless as to what is going on around her, and sadly naive enough to believe the things she is told. Hannah even has the same dark hair as Victoria, and the disclosure of her ultimate true identity bears a striking similarity to the revelation that would have occurred with Victoria had she remained on the show.  But in the early part of the book, Hannah is filled with questions that remain unanswered and succumbs to the fact that she has no other choice but to do as she is told in a household of people who appear to resent her.  Well, not everyone does.  There is Richard Ralston, a man whose position in the house is unclear, but to whom, Hannah finds herself becoming attracted, even if only because he treats her with some small level of respect.  It does not take long, however, for the terror to begin.

 

Hannah gets tricked into being locked in a dungeon, only to escape with the help of a wild-haired old man that she thinks may be a ghost! She is nearly crushed by a rock that comes crashing down from the high wall of one of the turrets (p. 39).  This seems to be a common trope in these gothic novels, as I can recall several books other than this one where someone pushes a rock, a gargoyle, or some other heavy object from a high wall in an effort to do away with the young ingenue.  She is sexually assaulted (but thankfully not raped!), and she is tricked several times into wearing clothes that belonged to the master's dead wife or going into places where she has been warned never to go.  Ultimately, she learns the truth behind the countess' longevity and Mr. Scott-Ryan's plans for her, which all lead to her being locked up like Rapunzel in the high tower room with no hope for rescue.  And even after all this, Hollyock is not content to give her a reprieve, for when she does find a way of escape, Hannah is tricked a final time, where she finds herself trapped in a workhouse with other orphan girls, all of whom will be shipped off to Australia to become servants to the upper class living there!  Does the poor girl have any chance at a future?  Well, this is a typical gothic, so what do you think?

 

Hollyock keeps the story set entirely in Ireland, and in particular, the slowly dying area around Balaleigh. While no such house exists (that I was able to find), there is a townland in Ireland called Balally in County Dublin.  There is also the Thoor Ballylee Castle near the town of Gort in County Galway, Ireland.  Thus, Hollyock may have taken her name from either of these Irish settings.  However, Hollyock does make several mentions of Australia in the story, as Richard Ralston is establishing a life for himself there and intends to take his new bride (will it be Lady Caroline or Hannah?) to live there as well.  Yet, Hannah seems to have no knowledge of Australia, and Richard must tell her about the koalas and kangaroos and the fight for survival there.  Some research reveals that Hollyock based her workhouse girls on historical facts, as it seems more than 4,000 young female orphans from Irish workhouses were deported to the Australian colonies during the years of the potato famine to be sold as household servants for the wealthy.  As for Hannah's lack of knowledge of Australia, that is somewhat odd to me, since the research shows that Irish were going to Australia as early as the late 18th Century; however, in the early years, a large portion of those transported were convicted criminals - free settlers did not really start emigrating there until the 1840s when the famine began.

 

Another factual reference in her story is Hannah's reading of the serial, "Vanity Fair," in Punch (p. 60). As it turns out, Punch was a weekly British magazine which began publication in 1841, just seven years prior to the setting of this story.  The story, "Vanity Fair," written by William Makepeace Thackeray, was a 19-episode serial published from 1847 to 1848 in Punch, and therefore, when Hannah is said to be reading the issue (Spring of 1848), she would have been near the end of the story, since it concluded in the July 1848 issue.  Thus, once again, Hollyoack is accurate in her use of factual instances, whether it be historical events or published works.

 

I do like the fact that the author uses a locket as a key focal point of the story.  From the moment Anna McCabe thrusts the locket into Hannah's hand just before she is whisked off to Balaleigh, to the time when it is taken from her and she is accused of stealing it from the Scott-Ryan family, the reader knows that the locket holds something vital that could change everything.  The gold locket seems to go from hand to hand and person to person (sort of like that pesky bleeder valve in Dark Shadows), and when the contents are finally revealed and Hannah learns the truth, it comes as a huge relief to the reader - a sign that, in the end, everything is going to work out and Hannah will finally get the happiness she deserves.  There always seems to be some inanimate object that is the focal point of these gothic stories - whether it be lockets, broaches, letters, albums, or other items - and they manage to become the clue that provides a solution to whatever mystery is lurking behind the ancient walls of the dark, brooding homestead where the young, innocent woman finds herself.  It is part of what makes the gothic mystery so enjoyable, and it is something that carried over into the early children's mysteries of the first half of the 20th Century, such as in Nancy Drew (The Clue of the Broken Locket, anyone?), the Dana Girls, and their contemporaries.

 

Another great win for both the Harlequin Gothic Romance line and for Dulcie Hollyock, librarian and author!

 

RATING:  10  plates of stale bread and cheese out of 10 for spinning a gothic tale of terror, mystery, and suspense that keeps the reader fully engaged from the first page to the last!