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!