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. 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!