The heroine undergoes more than her share of hardship throughout this bk. The hero treats her like dirt more than once, too, but I still love the story. Full of intense emotion and sensuality.
I liked this book. Although it did not take me in the way Ms. Gaffney's Wyckerley series did, it was an enjoyable read.
The hero was a bit of a cad, but redeemed himself in the end with a nice grovel. That said, some of the things he did to the heroine may make some readers uncomfortable. I don't believe I could have forgiven him. But in romantic fiction, we do like to have our Happy Ending, therefore it was a satisfying read.
The hero was a bit of a cad, but redeemed himself in the end with a nice grovel. That said, some of the things he did to the heroine may make some readers uncomfortable. I don't believe I could have forgiven him. But in romantic fiction, we do like to have our Happy Ending, therefore it was a satisfying read.
When Lily Trehearne--a beautiful woman who was once wealthy but is now destitute--arrives at Darkstone, she finds herself attracted to dangerous and cold Devon Darkwell--the lord of the manor, and as they surrender to desire, dark secrets from his past threaten to tear them apart.
I loved this book, although I have to admit it is not for everyone - it is not always an easy book to read. There are some beautiful scenes in it, parts I had to re-read. I would recommend - it is not light reading, but very worth it if you enjoy that genre in romance.
Reviewer: Lizzie Darcy -
When Lily escapes the plans of her lunatic family to marry her off to an emotionally stunted theology student, she grabs the first chance she can think of and hires herself out as a housemaid, ending up in the lonely, brooding Cornish end of the world, with a dashing, mourning Lord drinking too much and a house manager straight out of "Rebecca" to break her spirit. This is a different sort of romance novel. The writer is comfortable with dark themes, and the supporting characters are more than mere caricatures. It put me in mind of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, although, of course, it didn't come close to those masterpieces. Still. An awfully good read. I lent this to a friend of mine, and I've not gotten it back because she keeps re-reading it.
When Lily escapes the plans of her lunatic family to marry her off to an emotionally stunted theology student, she grabs the first chance she can think of and hires herself out as a housemaid, ending up in the lonely, brooding Cornish end of the world, with a dashing, mourning Lord drinking too much and a house manager straight out of "Rebecca" to break her spirit. This is a different sort of romance novel. The writer is comfortable with dark themes, and the supporting characters are more than mere caricatures. It put me in mind of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, although, of course, it didn't come close to those masterpieces. Still. An awfully good read. I lent this to a friend of mine, and I've not gotten it back because she keeps re-reading it.
Historical romance.
Very interesting story.Loved it.
