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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I thought I had read every book Phillips has published. But I was wrong. This isn't her strongest, but it did what I wanted - total distraction.
As a teenager some of Annie Hewitt’s most precious possessions were her paperback gothic novels. The ones with covers depicting the heroine in a diaphanous nightgown fleeing from the ominous mansion on the hill and its brooding master, the scene illuminated in cold moonlight. Now, nearly two decades later, she feels like she’s living in one. Broke and recovering from pneumonia she’s retreated to a cottage off the coast of Maine in the dead of winter. The cabin, which she inherited from her mother, sits facing the Atlantic and looming on the hill above it, Harp House, the home of her mother’s ex-husband and his son Theo Harp, Annie’s former teen boyfriend and tormentor, now a successful author of grisly horror novels.
Phillips has concocted a delightful mix of romance and suspense, spiced with humor and steamy sex scenes, in homage to those paperback gothics, and their predecessors Jayne Eyre and Rebecca, compete with a plain but feisty heroine and her dark and brooding love interest.
Phillips has concocted a delightful mix of romance and suspense, spiced with humor and steamy sex scenes, in homage to those paperback gothics, and their predecessors Jayne Eyre and Rebecca, compete with a plain but feisty heroine and her dark and brooding love interest.
Liked it better the second time around than the first. There are always little things with SEP that you miss the first time around, that make subsequent reads even more fun.
I've seen a lot of negative reviews for this book, but I didn't think it was that bad. I really hate SEP books that rely on the heroine being totally humiliated, and while Annie was down, she wasn't out. The hero was more problematic - SEP's attempt to modernize a traditional Gothic hero didn't really work and he came across as too creepy at first and then too glib by the end. Lots of witty dialogue made up for some of the weaknesses. All in all, much better than the horrid hero of SEP's last novel, The Great Escape. I'll take troubled over A-hole any day.
SEP has long since passed her glory days but her books are still worth a library read.
SEP has long since passed her glory days but her books are still worth a library read.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a bit more 3.5 range, but I'm rounding it up because I've been sick all week and this book cheered me up.
I think I would have liked it more if the hero had had more from his POV. This is definitely Annie's book, and I quite like her, but it's also Theo's emotional journal and I don't think we even get anything from his view until more than fifty pages in. I never quite connected to him as well as I'd like, though I did end up really enjoying this.
I think I would have liked it more if the hero had had more from his POV. This is definitely Annie's book, and I quite like her, but it's also Theo's emotional journal and I don't think we even get anything from his view until more than fifty pages in. I never quite connected to him as well as I'd like, though I did end up really enjoying this.
Parts of it were pure SEP and other parts were a little too twisty turny unbelievable.
I've read three books now from this author. And I'm seeing a definite pattern in characters, relationships, and plot points. I think in general Phillip's is a "good" writer who knows how to pace things well and how to stir up some tension and drama between her characters. Her books are easy to read, and enjoyable while doing so. However, these elements also come off a bit stale from time to time.
I did enjoy the quirkiness of the puppets and the way the MC expressed her empathy and alternate viewpoints through them. That was a fun and different aspect.
While I enjoyed reading this, I dont think it would have me seeking out other books by this author. My library, however, for whatever reason has a good number of her audiobooks available. So, more than likely, I will consume more of her catalog.
I did enjoy the quirkiness of the puppets and the way the MC expressed her empathy and alternate viewpoints through them. That was a fun and different aspect.
While I enjoyed reading this, I dont think it would have me seeking out other books by this author. My library, however, for whatever reason has a good number of her audiobooks available. So, more than likely, I will consume more of her catalog.
I really liked this book because I love Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
The heroine was at times annoyingly twee but i liked that she was so unique. Her relationship with her mother was a great backstory, as was her sort of by-the-way search for her father.
I hated the hero a lot. There were some cute moments, but I prefer heroes that aren't so butt hurt from their past that they torture the heroine.
This is one of those books where I was like JUST TELL HER ALREADY.
The setting for the story sold it. I really felt like I knew the island. I loved hearing about the cave and the beach and the topography. The island was a character.
So, good! But odd.
The heroine was at times annoyingly twee but i liked that she was so unique. Her relationship with her mother was a great backstory, as was her sort of by-the-way search for her father.
I hated the hero a lot. There were some cute moments, but I prefer heroes that aren't so butt hurt from their past that they torture the heroine.
This is one of those books where I was like JUST TELL HER ALREADY.
The setting for the story sold it. I really felt like I knew the island. I loved hearing about the cave and the beach and the topography. The island was a character.
So, good! But odd.
At the beginning, I wasn't sure I would like it, but totally did. It reminded me of part Gothic romance, part suspense and modern love story. Characters were Likeable.