The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a traditional Gothic novel that suffers from uneven pacing and a lack of tension. While I was intrigued by some of the themes, overall the book was a bit of a drag to get through. Margaret Lennox is a young widow who is facing poverty after the death of her husband. A former governess, Margaret takes a job at the remote Hartwood Hall teaching ten-year-old Louis Eversham. Right away … Continue reading The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden →
I never thought I’d recommend a book because the hero grudgingly performs eulogies at doll funerals, but here we are. My life is weird sometimes. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare is so absolutely delightful that this review will consist almost entirely of squee. It will be laden with GIFs. I am basically incapable of talking about this book without my voice getting really high and squeaky. It’s like when I talk about puppies. That’s … Continue reading The Governess Game by Tessa Dare →
The Unconventional Governess is a funny, touching Regency romance. Set in England in 1814, it involves a woman who wants to be a doctor and a man who finds himself with an estate to run, a niece to raise, and a case of epilepsy to manage. The book is short, the emotions feel true, and the characters are lovely. Our heroine, Henrietta, is an orphan. Her uncle, a doctor, raised her and he took her … Continue reading The Unconventional Governess by Jessica Nelson →
Before I ever read a romance novel, I devoured Gothics by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. When I was probably around twelve I found them on a bookshelf in our basement, and I think over the course of one summer I read everything both authors had written. Gothic romances were and are the perfect blend of the creepy and the sexy. Usually set on a crumbling estate, the innocent heroine shows up (sometimes as a … Continue reading His Dark Kiss by Eve Silver →
