Rating: Summary: Original and Page Turning Regency Review: Setting - Pennhyll Castle, Cumbria, 1812 --- Captain Sebastian Alexander, of His Majesty's Royal navy was home, recuperating from wounds received in battle, and from the summons that had finally reached him notifying him of his father's death and his bother's murder. Sebastian, 'the spare' was now the heir and as such, the Earl of Tiern-Cope. It was his duty to marry, yes marry and set up his nursery - and to his mind get back to the sea, the only thing in his life he loved.His very good friend James had assembled a house party along with a bevy of prospective brides for him to choose from, including James' sister Diana, whom he assumed Sebastian would marry. Included with this group and to even out the numbers, was another 'spare' Olivia Willow who is the only witness and sole survivor at the scene of the murder that claimed his brother and sister-in-law's lives. The only problem being, Olivia had been so traumatized that she'd lost all memories of the day before and the two days following the murders. Sebastian was determined to 'break' her, to probe within the mind that held the secrets and bring the killer to justice. What he was not ready for was Olivia, with her red hair, and her irreverence towards his arrogance and animosity towards her. While staying in the castle both Sebastian and Olivia were being assailed with visions of the ghostly Black Earl and themselves in sensual occupations, neither was ever sure what was real and what was not, except for the intense physical attraction that both felt and were trying to ignore. This was quite an unusual love story with two very original lead protagonists. Sebastian was determined to uncover the murderer, always thinking that Olivia was involved yet fighting his escalating feelings every day for a woman whom he clearly felt had probably had an affair with his brother. Sebastian is clearly one of the more arrogant male leads I've encountered with very little finesse in courting the female sex, particularly after having led a sailors life for the past twelve years. Olivia on the other hand, was a delightful heroine, who on top of all the injustices she'd endured in life still had a positive outlook. The secondary characters were all well drawn out as to their parts in the story, and the ghostly apparitions were a fun touch adding a lot of depth and interest to the plot. I admit to reading this in one sitting, it certainly was an exciting page-turner and the 'imagined and dreamed' sexual encounters were extremely hot. The only reason I have for not giving it a higher rating though, is that I believe it would have been nice to have seen a bit more reaction of James and Diana to Sebastian's abrupt marriage to Olivia, especially since James was his best friend and had himself offered marriage to Olivia. Bottom line, the story is terrific with an original plot that fans of this sub-genre should truly enjoy. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer at www.historicalromancewriters.com
Rating: Summary: Unusual and Atmospheric Romance Review: This is a wonderfully atmospheric historical romance set in Cumbria in 1812. The hero of the story is the gothically handsome and forbidding Captain Sebastian Alexander, naval hero of the Napoleonic wars and younger son of the Earl of Tiern-Cope. Sebastian was born a third son or "spare" but finds himself inheriting following the deaths of his older brothers. At home recuperating from a war wound, he intends to "do his duty" to the earldom -- marry and set up his nursery prior to returning to the sea. His friend, James, arranges a houseparty at Pennhyll Castle to introduce Sebastian to likely young ladies--including James's half-sister, the beautiful and spoiled Diana.
Also included among the guests is the heroine, Miss Olivia Willow, an impoverished former governess who was present on the fateful night one year previously when Sebastian's brother and sister-in-law were murdered and Olivia herself gravely injured. Olivia claims to have no memory of the night, but Sebastian has his doubts about that and wants to question her himself.
Olivia is an excellent heroine--intelligent, honorable, hard-working and unaffected. Her poverty is dealt with in a very touching manner and her choices are brave and appropriate. I am not quite sure why she went to such pains to appear to be a silly flibbertigibbet at the beginning of the book (weren't most of the other houseguests local people and wouldn't they have known her already?), but once she set that act aside she proved to be a very appealing heroine.
Sebastian was an interesting and compelling hero. A naval officer who has been largely at sea for the past 12 years, he lacks social graces and makes no apologies to anyone. (The fact that he is handsome, titled and wealthy help everyone overlook his rough edges.) After coldly deciding that Diana would make a perfect countess, he finds himself perversely attracted to the flame-haired Olivia and drawn into the mystery of her past and her relationship with his older brother. Further complicating the picture is the castle ghost (the Black Earl)--visible only to Sebastian and Olivia--who seems to be pushing them together.
I *loved* the gothic and paranormal elements in this book--particularly the sequences where it was hard to know what was real and what was fantasy. The sexual tension was wonderfully done and the characters of the hero and heroine well developed. My major quibble with the story is that the murder mystery wrap-up was rather anti-climactic and the ending seemed to be a bit mundane compared to the very unusual and original middle section of the book.
In summary, this is a very well-written, unusual historical romance with lovely gothic touches and an appealing hero and heroine.
Highly recommended for historical romance lovers looking for something a little bit different!
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