Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Jane Eyre meets Elizabeth Peabody by way of Scotland. Fun but not as tightly constructed as some of her later plots and the ending is ridiculously abrupt.
Fun little story in the vein of the Brontes. I enjoyed it but thought it could have been edgier and the characters were too flat. No complexity here.
I've been in need of a historical romance to smooth out my brain wrinkles and escape for a little while. This Barbara Michaels jaunt was just the ticket -- zippy, well-written, and with a very Jane Eyre-Mr. Rochester romance in the middle (small gremlin yearns after lumpy demon -- *chef's kiss*). I'd recommend it if you have a spare afternoon and the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Kind of dumb fun. I liked the protag but the love interest was a jerk and the ending was too abrupt. But it kept my attention.
This story was like beauty and the beast set in Scotland. It stalled out in the middle and almost lost me. I was very glad when it picked up at the end but I would have liked more details in the ending.
Damaris is a young woman who's father just passed away leaving her with only a small amount of money to live on. The solicitor tells her that she must marry soon or go to live with a cranky aunt. Her options are limited for suitors and she definitely does not want to live with her aunt. She feels it is unfair that she can't support herself working as a secretary since she learned the profession helping her father. Against the wishes of the solicitor she advertises and finds that the solicitor was right when he said they would mistake her intentions. Then she got one more reply to her advertisement. This man was a distant cousin and she was surprised that he knew so much about her family. He had a scar across his face and always wore black gloves over his hands. He was very gruff but she held her own and in the end she decided to go to far off Scotland with him to put his library in order. She also meets his snarky little daughter that cannot walk. She takes pity on the girl when she realizes she has been cooped up in that room all by herself for so long. She can't help but wonder though, why there is no sign of the wife anywhere, not even tucked away in the unused wing. The people in the village told gossip about him killing his wife but she couldn't bring herself to believe that.
Damaris is a young woman who's father just passed away leaving her with only a small amount of money to live on. The solicitor tells her that she must marry soon or go to live with a cranky aunt. Her options are limited for suitors and she definitely does not want to live with her aunt. She feels it is unfair that she can't support herself working as a secretary since she learned the profession helping her father. Against the wishes of the solicitor she advertises and finds that the solicitor was right when he said they would mistake her intentions. Then she got one more reply to her advertisement. This man was a distant cousin and she was surprised that he knew so much about her family. He had a scar across his face and always wore black gloves over his hands. He was very gruff but she held her own and in the end she decided to go to far off Scotland with him to put his library in order. She also meets his snarky little daughter that cannot walk. She takes pity on the girl when she realizes she has been cooped up in that room all by herself for so long. She can't help but wonder though, why there is no sign of the wife anywhere, not even tucked away in the unused wing. The people in the village told gossip about him killing his wife but she couldn't bring herself to believe that.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
This gave me adult dark fairytale vibes. Barbara Michaels can really paint a scene. The descriptions were well detailed without feeling like they dragged on. I was definitely engrossed in that Scottish countryside and old manor. And while some would say it was a bit too dramatic and over the top gothic, I loved it. Yes, the plot may have been a bit predictable, but that's not why it lost a star in my opinion (It's all about the journey, not the ending for me. There can be something soothing in knowing where the story is ultimately going.)
I wanted to give it 5 stars.... but theless than modern aspects of the character's personalities-- the helpless heroine and a little too brutish leading male--just grated a little too much. I mean, it's often to be expected when a book is over 50 years old... and I may have overlooked this if the ending wasn't so abrupt. I felt like I needed a romantic epilogue where everyone talked about their feelings more. I love a good brood, but you gotta give me more of that emotional release. The whole tower scene was not enough for me. Oh and more kissing. Should have definitely ended with more kissing after sad death scene.
I wanted to give it 5 stars.... but the
This was a pretty good Gothic suspense novel, very Jane Eyre-ish. But the ending was too abrupt for me.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
One of the great classic gothics. Crackling with fabulous chilling atmospherics.
Yeah, I can't really rate this one. I picked the book up because I found it on a list of books with Beauty and the Beast themes. I think? Anyways, it has sat on my TBR for months, if not years. I finally decided to tackle it because it fit the parameters I needed for a challenge.
This book was originally published in the 1960s and it shows. There is definitely some content that I was not expecting, and that I think that would be out of place in more modern romances. I wasn't really a fan. I definitely prefer the newer novels in terms of style.
I did appreciate parts of the book. I liked the spooky gothic setting. If this was trying to be a mystery, rather than a romance, it didn't really do much of a job. It was pretty obvious what was happening most of the time. Damaris was also really over the top and her personality seemed to waver a lot. It was a bit messy for me, but I respect that this is likely a classic in the genre. It's just not for me.
This book was originally published in the 1960s and it shows. There is definitely some content that I was not expecting, and that I think that would be out of place in more modern romances. I wasn't really a fan. I definitely prefer the newer novels in terms of style.
I did appreciate parts of the book. I liked the spooky gothic setting. If this was trying to be a mystery, rather than a romance, it didn't really do much of a job. It was pretty obvious what was happening most of the time. Damaris was also really over the top and her personality seemed to waver a lot. It was a bit messy for me, but I respect that this is likely a classic in the genre. It's just not for me.