The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart

First Line: She knelt on the window-sill, looking out over the sea.

Lanzarote, the strangest and wildest of the Canary Islands. In 1879, a wealthy young woman eloped with a poor fisherman from this windswept volcanic island. In 1968, Perdita West, personal assistant to famous author Cora Gresham, arrives there with her employer on an extended research trip. Both women fall under the island's spell, and Perdita is quite impressed when meeting Cora's son, Mike.

When Cora goes off to do research, Perdita takes the opportunity to go snorkling, but a landslide traps her in an underwater cave. No one knows where she is, so she has to rely upon herself for rescue. Her efforts to escape will solve a century-old mystery.

This little novella is a gem. Stewart brings Lanzarote to life effortlessly. The 1879 story is extremely brief but memorable while the adventures of Perdita and Cora are picture perfect and often humorous. As a person who will not step foot underground, I can attest to the fact that the scenes in which Perdita is trapped in an underwater cave can raise your blood pressure. (I also think I had a death grip on the book.)

So much goodness in so few pages. No wonder Mary Stewart was a bestselling author back in the day. Other than the lack of today's electronic accoutrements, The Wind Off the Small Isles holds up every bit as well as it did when first published.
 

The Wind Off the Small Isles by Mary Stewart

ISBN: 9781473641242

Hodder & Stoughton © 2016

Originally published in 1968.

Hardcover, 75 pages

Novella, Romantic Suspense

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Book Depository.

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine

First Line: The woman stood a moment on the old drive and stared up at the boarded windows, a dark silhouette against the grey walls, then she turned her back on the house and went down to the blaze on the foreshore.

In a strained relationship and in need of a change, Hetty Deveraux leaves London and heads for her ancestral home in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. She fully intends to restore the sadly neglected house and turn it into a hotel, but her plans come to a screeching halt when human remains are found. There's little left to identify the body, but one thing is certain: the person did not die a natural death. 

Hetty wants answers and soon discovers that Muirlan was once the home of her distant relative, Theo Blake, an acclaimed artist and naturalist, who brought his bride Beatrice there in 1910. Ancient gossip still lives about the couple: Beatrice eventually vanished and Theo became a recluse. As Hetty works to find the identity of the body interred in Muirlan, she also uncovers many secrets with which will affect her future plans.

The House Between Tides is a true Gothic novel, complete with a remote location, a creepy old house, and two heroines to root for. Hetty Deveraux in the present day and Beatrice Blake in 1910 are both a bit down-trodden by men who know what's best for them and keep to their own agendas. Both are women most readers will feel a great deal of empathy for, and both start to come to life in that remote area. 

Sarah Maine brings the Outer Hebrides to breathtaking, lyrical life; her descriptions were among my favorite parts of the book. Although the plot of The House Between Tides was a bit too predictable for my taste, I did enjoy the psychological aspects of it, and the author certainly has a strong talent for characterization and setting. I look forward to her next book. I recommend it if you are fans of Kate Morton or Daphne du Maurier.
  

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine

eISBN: 9781501126932

Atria Books © 2016

eBook, 400 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley 


 

The American Heiress by Dorothy Eden

First Line: The morning Mrs. Jervis, her daughter Clemency, and Harriet Brown (known as Hetty to her friends) were to leave, New York was beautiful.

Spoiled heiress Clemency Jervis is to marry Lord Hugo Hazzard of Loburn in England, so in the spring of 1915, Clemency, her mother, her maid Hetty Brown, and trunks of fine gowns and jewels are taken aboard the Lusitania. When the ship is torpedoed by the Germans off the coast of Ireland, one of the few survivors is young Hetty, who greatly resembles Clemency.

Hetty is quite surprised to be taken for her mistress, but decides to carry out a daring deception that makes her a nobleman's wife and the mistress of a large country estate-- although there is a doubt or two among certain members of her new family.

When I was barely into my teens, I read a lot of Gothic novels by writers like Victoria Holt, Anya Seton, and Mary Stewart to name a few. I think my favorite author was New Zealander Dorothy Eden, and when I saw a Kindle version of her book The American Heiress, I was reminded of all her books that I had read. Upon further inspection, I found this book to have been published well past the time I'd been reading that type of book. Would I still enjoy Dorothy Eden? I had to find out. 

I'm happy to report that the experiment was a complete success. The plot may be a bit predictable, but it's what Eden does with the ordinary to turn it into the extraordinary that counts. There is a wonderful World War I period flavor in The American Heiress. Eden did her homework well, and of course there is a magnificent old house (which is a must for Gothic novels) with dozens of rooms I wanted to explore.

But it is the characterization that brings the entire story to life. Clemency and her mother are not nice people, but Eden shows them to be the spoiled, entitled people of their time, not as evil beings, which would certainly be easy to do. Hetty is a young woman readers can care about and worry about. Yes, Hetty is dishonest, but Eden gives her some interesting reasons for her behavior as well as a guilty conscience that makes readers wonder if she's going to be able to go through with her deception. Add to that the cat-and-mouse game played by Hetty's mother-in-law and her companion, and you've got a story whose pages almost turn themselves in your hurry to find out what happens next.

Good writing is good writing, and I'm so happy to see that Dorothy Eden and the Gothic novel genre itself stand the test of time well.
  

The American Heiress by Dorothy Eden

eISBN: 9781480430099

Open Road Media © 2013

Originally published in 1980.

eBook, 251 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 


  

The Lake House by Kate Morton

First Line: Cornwall, August 1933. The rain was heavy now and the hem of her dress was splattered with mud.

On a visit to her grandfather in Cornwall, Sadie Sparrow goes on a walk, discovers the long-neglected estate of Loeanneth, and falls under its spell. She simply has to know more about the place, and when she learns that it's owned by well-known author A.C. Edevane, she asks for permission to go inside the old house, which hasn't been lived in for decades.

The meeting of the two women will begin a series of events that will uncover long-buried secrets. After all these years, Alice Edevane may finally learn what happened to her baby brother back in 1933.

I have enjoyed every single one of Kate Morton's books, and The Lake House is no exception. Extremely few writers have Morton's knack for interweaving multiple storylines, time periods, and characters.

Throughout the entire book the Cornish estate of Loeanneth kept me spellbound, no matter the time period. From beloved home to neglected shell, Morton's descriptions held me in the palm of her hand because no matter the state of the place, Morton described a home that was loved, not hated. All that needed to be done was to have the secrets brought out into the light.

Young police detective Sadie Sparrow is the perfect character to bring those secrets to light. She is an absolute terrier at digging them up... although she has a secret or two of her own that she doesn't want to share.

Pitted against young Sadie is the much older and wiser Alice (A.C.) Edevane-- a strong character no matter the age at which Morton portrays her. We see Alice's parents falling in love, and we see Alice, her parents and siblings happily ensconced in Loeanneth. At the age of sixteen Alice is already writing novels. She's such a bright, inquisitive child, and so eager to become an adult. But her world comes crashing down around her after a party at Loeanneth. Hundreds of people attended, but only one cannot be accounted for: Alice's eleven-month-old brother Theo. The infant is never seen again, and the tragedy shatters the Edevane family. 

The Lake House has so many interlocking secrets and so many possible solutions to what happened to Theo-- more than enough to keep all our little grey cells hopping. We learn about all these secrets as the time period swings to and fro naturally from present day to 1911, 1933, and 1941. Kate Morton has done it again: created a world, characters, and a story that kept me fascinated from first page to last.

The Lake House by Kate Morton

eISBN: 9781451649376

Atria Books © 2015

eBook, 512 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley 

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

First Line: My cousin didn't try to catch the bride's bouquet.

Historian Alistair Scott is writing a new book, and he's positive that an almost three hundred-year-old journal contains information that will make his book a bestseller. Problem is, the journal is written in code. Fortunately for Scott, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas is available to go to Paris to crack the cypher.

After much frustration and even more persistence, Sara does break the code, and the story of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas comes to light. Young Mary, longing for adventure and for the family she lost. Young Mary, who steps onto a surprising path that is much more dangerous than she ever expected.

The more Mary's story unfolds, the more Sara has to face events in her own life that will make her question everything she believes to be true. Although separated by centuries, the similarities between these two young women are uncanny.

I have enjoyed every book by Susanna Kearsley that I've read. I slipped into the story of A Desperate Fortune and really didn't come up for air until I'd read the last page. If there are any Diana Gabaldon or Mary Stewart fans out there who haven't read Susanna Kearsley, I urge them to do so.


I found both storylines absorbing. Sara's Asperger's is dealt with objectively, and her work in breaking Mary's code is a treat to watch. Mary's storyline really gives readers a feel for what exiled Jacobites had to endure. I also appreciated the similarities between the two women. As far as the secondary characters go, I like Sara's love interest, Luc, but found his history with his ex almost too good to be true. Sara and Luc's son Noah are definitely my favorite present-day characters. But what about Mary's time? Mary's traveling companions Madame Roy and MacPherson are wonderful, and so is Mary's dog, Frisque. And as far as competing love interests go, Mary's wins, hands down.

Although A Desperate Fortune is a standalone novel, recurring characters from previous books do make brief appearances, which will please Kearsley's fans. While being immersed in Paris and secret codes and exciting escapes and handsome men, I also learned some fascinating details about the fairy tales of Madame d'Aulnoy and the role she and other women writers of that time played in literature. (The things you don't learn in school....)

Yes, I love this book, and if I can leave you with any advice, it's this: please don't skip reading "About the Characters" at the very end. Kearsley's telling us about the real Mary Dundas brought a smile and a tear to my eye.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

ISBN: 9781492602026

Sourcebooks Landmark © 2015

Paperback, 528 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen


 

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

First Line: He sent his mind in search of me that morning.

Margaret Ross brings a family heirloom into the London art gallery where Nicola Marter works. Ross has been told that the small wooden bird was given to a member of her family by the Empress Catherine of Russia. It doesn't take much imagination to realize that the woman hopes the heirloom is worth a lot of money, but with no proof there's really nothing the gallery can do but send the disappointed woman on her way. 

However, the problem really lies with Nicola. She has master's degrees in Russian studies and art history. She speaks fluent Russian. And she has another ability that she doesn't speak of: she can hold an object and see past events. Nicola has held the little bird, and she knows Margaret Ross was telling the truth. She's also glimpsed into the woman's life, and since she's traveling to St. Petersburg in a few days, she feels she must do what she can to authenticate the object. But first she has to travel to Scotland to enlist the aid of Rob McMorran, the young man she met in a psychic study whose powers are even stronger than hers.

I have enjoyed every novel of Susanna Kearsley's that I've read. She has a talent for writing romantic suspense set in two different timelines. In The Firebird, we have Nicola and Rob traveling first to Belgium and then to Russia in the present day in an attempt to authenticate Margaret Ross's heirloom. The second timeline involves the little girl that the wooden bird was given to-- a time shortly after the death of Peter the Great, a time when a Stuart was trying to retake the throne of England, a time when the English were doing everything in their power to prevent that from happening.

The present day timeline is a good one. Nicola and Rob are two strong, fascinating characters whom you want to see getting together. Nicola has always been afraid of her gift and hasn't really explored how far she can go with it. Rob on the other hand is the "old hand" (and the old soul) whose patience and steadiness are exactly what Nicola needs. But as strong as their story is, it's not the heart of this book.

No, the heart of the book belongs to young Anna Logan, who spent the first years of her life unaware that she was living with a foster family. When the political situation takes a deadly turn, Anna is told a portion of the truth of her heritage, and she's spirited away to a convent in Belgium before finding herself in St. Petersburg. This girl will steal your heart. She's smart, she's observant, and she's incredibly brave. She may be old beyond her years, but she's still a little girl whose naivete has dire consequences.  After all she's been through, you just want things to go right for Anna.

Kearsley put me right smack in the middle of that Belgian convent and before I knew it, I found myself in Russia. Anna Logan's story is compelling, and Kearsley does an excellent job of showing what happened to so many of the Jacobites who fought on the losing side. If I have any quibble about The Firebird it's that this historical storyline is so strong that the one in the present day pales by comparison. I really liked the characters of Nicola and Rob, so I do wish their story had been beefed up a bit. But that is a very small quibble indeed because each time I picked up this book, I lost myself in Kearsley's marvelous story.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

eISBN: 9781402276644 

Sourcebooks, Inc. © 2013

eBook, 544 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

That Summer by Lauren Willig

First Lines: "Someone's left me a house," said Julia. "In England."

When Julia Conley first learns that she's inherited a house from an unknown great aunt in London, she thinks it's a joke. After learning that it's not-- and being between jobs-- she decides to leave New York City and head to Herne Hill outside London to sort through the house's contents and get it ready for sale. Julia hasn't been back to England since the car crash that killed her mother when Julia was six, but as she begins clearing rooms in the old house with the help of her cousin Natalie and antiques dealer Nicholas, fragments of memory begin flooding back.

A window into the shadowy history of Herne Hill begins to open when Julia finds a glorious Pre-Raphaelite painting hidden at the back of an old wardrobe. From 2009, the painting takes Julia back to 1849 and the loveless marriage of Imogen Grantham. After ten years of marriage to a much older man, the only bright spot in Imogen's life is her step-daughter-- until three young artists come to see her husband's collection of medieval artifacts. When Arthur Grantham hires one of the three to paint his wife's portrait, destiny takes over.

I've been a fan of Gothic novels since I was barely into my teens. For me, it wasn't the romance of the story, but the (often) spooky mansion and the treasures it almost always had tucked away. I must've been in the perfect mood for a return to the Gothic because I fell into That Summer and sank with scarcely a trace.

The old house, Herne Hill, comes up trumps in Willig's story. It's chock-a-block with all sorts of treasures, and when Julia attempts to discover what that big old piece of furniture is hiding, her channeling Nancy Drew and muttering about "the mystery of the old wardrobe" made me laugh. The alternating timelines are also well done. Usually one timeline will be much stronger than the other, but not here. There's too much that needs explanation in Julia's past for it to take a backseat, although I will admit that the 1849 story concerning the always fascinating Pre-Raphaelites does have a tiny bit of an edge.

There are a few stock characters in That Summer; it's hard not to have them in a Gothic novel, but they are limited to a couple of minor characters. The pairs of lovers (or wannabes)-- Imogen and Gavin, Julia and Nicholas-- come close to being perfect. It's fun to read and attempt to deduce the motivations for their behavior. The romance aspect is also very well done: there's enough for romance readers to sigh happily and wish for a little more while not antagonizing those who prefer little-to-no throbbing hearts in their fiction.

Humor, romance, a good brush with creepy characters and situations now and again, secret hiding places, art treasures, and an old house with a story to tell.... If you're in the mood, then I know the book to recommend: Lauren Willig's That Summer.

That Summer by Lauren Willig

ISBN: 9781250014504

St. Martin's Press © 2014

Hardcover, 352 pages

Romantic Suspense, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Amazon Vine 

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

Title: A Place of Secrets
Author: Rachel Hore
ISBN: 9780805094497
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 2012
Paperback, 400 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: B+
Source: LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program

First Line: The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again.

Auction house appraiser Jude Gower answers the telephone one afternoon at Beecham's Auctioneers in Mayfair and finds herself embarking on a dream job. At Starbrough Hall in Norfolk, England, she is to examine and price the manuscripts and instruments of an eighteenth-century astronomer. She is welcomed by Chantal Wickham, and since both have lost their husbands, Jude feels close to the older woman almost immediately. Hard times are forcing the Wickhams to sell the astronomer's works; they've already sold most of their land and the old tower that was built as an observatory by Anthony Wickham, the astronomer. It was in the tower that Anthony Wickham and his daughter, Esther, made their most amazing discoveries.

Although Jude has spent most of her life in London, her family once lived in the neighborhood of Starbrough Hall, and she feels at home there. She meets Euan, a well-known writer and naturalist, and spends as much time as she can with her sister and six-year-old niece-- who's having disturbing dreams... the same dreams that Jude had as a child. The further Jude delves into the life of Esther Wickham, the more she begins to wonder if these dreams are passed down from generation to generation. Can she possibly find the answers she needs to make the dreams stop before someone is hurt?

A Place of Secrets fleshes out the standard romantic suspense skeleton very well. Jude is a widow who's spent the past few years putting her dead husband on a pedestal. No man she's met can measure up to her memories. Euan is the perfect hero: handsome, articulate, talented... and jealously guarded by Jude's sister. Since the sisters haven't gotten along for most of their lives, Jude tries to steer clear of Euan to keep the peace. It's rather easy because the fascinating part of this book is all about Esther Wickham, a foundling who became a willing apprentice to a gifted amateur astronomer. Jude is every bit as mesmerized by Esther as the reader.

There is much said about dreams repeating themselves through the generations, but there's very little, if any, real paranormal activity going on at Starbrough Hall. The story has everything to do with how secrets fester the longer they remain hidden, with how the facts can be distorted and misinterpreted throughout the centuries. Jude proves to be an excellent detective as she catalogs the treasures that are soon to be sold. The more she learns about Esther, the more she is compelled to search for every single detail that exists. Esther is the stand-out character in this book, and she doesn't speak in dreams. She speaks the only way she can: through the documents and objects that were left behind.

Unraveling the pieces of the story and laying bare all the hidden details became my focus as I read A Place of Secrets. It was a difficult book to put down, and I find that the character of Esther haunts me still.

A Place of Secrets at Amazon.

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The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Title: The Rose Garden
Author: Susanna Kearsley
ISBN: 9781402258589
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 2011
Paperback, 448 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: A
Source: Publicist

First Line: I lost my only sister in the last days of November.

A devastated Eva Ward is given her sister's ashes by Katrina's husband, Bill, with the proviso that Eva take them to the place where his wife was happiest. Momentarily confused, Eva suddenly remembers Trelowarth House, a centuries-old manor house high on a hill overlooking the sea in Cornwall. She and her sister had been happy visiting there as children, and Katrina's first love lived there still.

Welcomed to Trelowarth, Eva decides to spend the summer there, intending to find a local cottage to rent in the autumn, but almost immediately she finds herself seeing paths where none had existed and hearing voices in the adjacent room when no one is there. When she actually finds herself in Trelowarth House in 1715 and meeting its owner, Daniel Butler, Eva has to admit that these aren't simple hallucinations. Daniel, a successful smuggler, is secretly planning to join in a rebellion against the newly crowned King George. As he and Eva try to come to terms with Eva's time traveling, they fall in love. Eva has a decision to make: in which time does she truly belong?

For me, Susanna Kearsley is the queen of romantic suspense. Her Cornish setting is wonderful and the perfect backdrop to both time periods. Twenty-first-century and eighteenth-century secondary characters add richness to the story, and have the added bonus of helping to tug the reader in both directions. When I was reading a modern segment, I wondered what was happening to the characters in the eighteenth century, and when I was back in their time, I wondered about the modern characters. Every chapter was engrossing.

In some books featuring time travel, one period always seems to be stronger and more interesting than the other, but not in Kearsley's books. She knows how to keep a reader's interest throughout her story. I'm not known to read many novels in which a strong element of romance is present because too many writers think they have to include steamy sex scenes to convey how strongly the characters are in love. Kearsley knows how to convey strong emotions and physicality without having anything throb or glisten or heave.

If you're in the mood for a story with a strong sense of place, a cast of wonderful characters, a plot with surprises, time travel and romance, I have just one piece of advice: Seek out The Rose Garden, and when you're done reading it, seek out the rest of Susanna Kearsley's novels.

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The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

Title: The House on Tradd Street
Author: Karen White
ISBN: 9780451225092, New American Library, 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: C+

First Line: Pewter reflections of scarlet hibiscus colored the dirt-smudged windows of the old house, like happy memories of youth trapped inside the shell of an old man.

Realtor Melanie Middleton hates old houses. She also specializes in them in her business, which may make you raise an eyebrow. In an ironic twist of fate, Melanie meets an old man who dies days later and leaves her his historic Tradd Street home in Charleston. Melanie does everything in her power to avoid accepting the house, but she fails. Now she faces renovating and living in a wreck for several months, so it's a good thing that two men named Jack and Marc enter her life to take her mind off sawdust and electricians.

I absolutely loved the Charleston, South Carolina, setting of this book as well as the description and renovation of the old house Melanie inherited. Where the book fell flat for me was in the romantic leading men, Jack and Marc. It was all too easy to spot which was the charming rogue Melanie should fall for and which was The Bad Guy. It pains me to say that Melanie reacted to both in very predictable ways as well.

In the sense of place, having a fascinating house with a few resident ghosts, and an interesting central character, The House on Tradd Street was a winner for me. When it came to matters of the heart, it just didn't cut the mustard. However, if romantic suspense is your genre, this may be your perfect cup of tea.

[Source: Book Depository.]

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

Title: Mariana
Author: Susanna Kearsley
ISBN: 978-0-7490-0706-5, Allison and Busby, 2009
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: B

First Line: I first saw the house in the summer of my fifth birthday.

I've discovered over the years that some houses have the power of speech. When I first moved to Phoenix, I walked to work every morning and passed a slightly down-at-heels 1950s ranch house. Nothing about it would draw anyone's attention, but for some reason each time I walked by, I got gooseflesh-- and the feeling that the house was sad. A year later I happened to be watching the evening news and found out that police had shut down a house of prostitution specializing in S&M... in that same sad little ranch house.

At the age of five Julia Beckett had a house speak to her, and twenty-five years later she finds the house once again. Flush with an inheritance from an aunt, Julia buys Greywethers, a sixteenth-century farmhouse in Wiltshire. She moves in and finds the villagers very friendly and helpful-- so much so that she finds it difficult to get to work illustrating a book of fairy tales. Bit by bit, Julia learns the rudimentary history of Greywethers and the young woman, Mariana, who lived there three hundred years ago. It seems that Mariana has been waiting for her.

I've read two books recently that I would label romantic suspense. It's a genre that I seldom touch because the romance usually takes precedence over everything else in the story. That's definitely not the case here. Mariana is a fun read. Julia is an engaging character living in a fascinating house. Both time lines-- Julia's modern day time and Mariana's-- grabbed my attention equally. Normally one time line tends to be stronger than the other, but Kearsley avoids that completely, and the plot is not formulaic; it had more than one surprise for me.

If you're in the mood for a fast, entertaining read that has a fascinating old house, a mystery that spans the centuries, and a light touch of romance, Mariana could be just the book for you.

[Source: purchased at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.]