"Tension-filled Gothic romance with brooding atmosphere, tragedies and secrets..."
Reviewed by Suan Wilson
Posted April 5, 2006
Romance Historical
Cassie Andrews dreams of her cousin Mary's sudden death.
Dreams that foretell trouble and death have plagued Cassie
since she was a small child. Confirmation arrives via a
telegram of Mary's accidental drowning at her employer's
estate, Killdaren Castle on the Cornwell coast. Within her
heart, Cassie knows the authorities are wrong. After a near-
drowning accident years ago, Mary would never go near the
sea. The unwillingness of the constable to investigate
forces Cassie to undertake the investigation herself.
Posing as a servant, she gains employment as a maid at
Killdaren Castle where she finds secrets and sorrow fill
the occupants, especially owner Sean Killdaren. Rumors of vampire and murder swirl around Sean, the twin
brother of Viscount Blackmoor. He's only seen at night in
the shadows and never in daylight. The dramatic change
occurred in his life with the mysterious death of Lady
Helen -- the beautiful woman that both Killdaren brothers
were courting. Sean vows the Killdaren curse bestowed on
the family generations ago has taken its last victim. He
will thwart the curse by isolating himself and refusing to
love. The truth of Lady Helen's death doesn't really matter
for destiny can't be changed. Now the tragic death of
another young woman haunts the family. When Sean bumps into Cassie one night, her outspokenness
intrigues him. She pokes and prods, upsetting and
challenging the norm. Cassie ignores the dangers and
pursues the truth, no matter the cost to her safety or her
heart. MIDNIGHT SECRETS incorporates classic gothic themes with
its brooding atmosphere and mix of characters filled with
tragedies and secrets. Ms. St. Giles expertly builds the
suspense and tension, keeping readers glued to the page.
Resolving only a few of the mysteries in this book, she
leaves readers guessing the fate of certain characters and
the identity of a killer until December 2006 when DARKEST
DREAMS is published.
SUMMARY
Is he her darkest dream…or most terrifying nightmare?
Cassiopeia’s dreams have never been her own. They are harbingers of
death. Yet when she learns her gentle cousin, Mary, has disappeared
from a remote castle on the Cornish Coast, the official story doesn’t
fit with Cassie’s prophetic dream.
The mystery compels her to leave the safety and middle-class comfort
of Oxford to take a job as a maid in the house of Killdaren. There
she discovers more than the daily indignities the working class must
endure. There’s a darkness surrounding Sean Killdaren, a man born
with his hands at his twin’s throat. Whispers of the murderous Dragon
Curse…and an aversion to daylight that adds vampire to spine-chilling
rumors.
When Cassie encounters him in the shadowy corridors, his touch should
make her tremble in fear. But that’s not what makes her knees
shockingly weak. It’s the spell of desire he casts with his wicked
green eyes…and the small acts of kindness that soften her heart.
The closer she comes to the truth, the greater the danger. Mary isn’t
the only woman lost to the Killdaren brothers’ curse. And as a killer
lurks ever closer, Cassie wonders whom she can trust…and if she will
be the next victim.
This book has been previously published.
Warning: Contains a prim and proper advice columnist who finds
herself in situations not covered by the rules of etiquette, and a
deliciously dark hero who sees more than a maid in itchy wool…he sees
the only star that lights his tortured life. Lace hankies strongly
recommended.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy