Blackmailed Bride (Harlequin Intrigue 575)

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better, but Was Nevertheless Enjoyable
Review: Cathlynn O'Connell, an antique dealer from Nashua, New Hampshire, drives herself to a converted monastery one stormy winter's night in the hopes of getting a piece of glass work that has obsessed her for years. When she arrives, however, she hears rumors about the monastery's owner and resident, Jonas Shades. Weeks ago, his wife mysteriously disappeared, and the word around town has it that he killed her. When Cathlynn spies him at the auction, she can well believe it. And when he out-bids her for the antique glass that she wants so desperately, she isn't adverse to a little murder, herself.

By an amazing stroke of coincidence, however, Cathlynn looks very much like Jonas' missing wife. Wifey managed to have the gall to get herself killed before Jones could lay his hands on her trust fund, so he bribes Cathlynn with her antique, convincing her to stay and play the part of Mrs. Shades until the trust fund reverts back to the inconveniently dead wife. Of course, Jonas doesn't tell her that he's MADLY attracted to her, but she figures it out eventually.

The book wasn't terribly suspenseful, but it had its moments. In many ways, BLACKMAILED BRIDE was very gothic -- the dark, forbidding mansion; the intimidating, powerful, and brooding master of the house; even a grizzled butler and a secret laboratory. It could have been better written, but it was still a nice book to read with a satisfying ending. If you like these kind of faux gothic romance books, or if you're just simply addicted to romance in general, I'd definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Blackmailed Bride
Review: Sylvie Kurtz takes a giant step forward with her second Intrigue, "Blackmailed Bride," a well-executed twist on the Gothic formula. Dr. Jonas Shades comes to Cathlynn O'Connell with a deal: if she pretends to be his wife for two weeks, he'll give her the antique heirloom she's been searching for for years. Cathlynn wants the heirloom to please her dying grandmother, but is the deal too costly? Jonas's wife has been missing for six weeks without a word. Some are saying she came to a bad end. Cathlynn reluctantly agrees to the deal, and finds herself alone in an isolated mansion in rural New Hampshire with a man who had every reason to kill his wife. Does she dare trust him with danger coming ever closer?

Dark, mysterious, suspenseful and passionate, "Blackmailed Bride" is the kind of story I was sure Intrigue had forgotten to tell. Set in an abandoned monastery in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter, it is the kind of page turner sure to send a shiver up your spine. In a way, it is reminiscent of Jenna Ryan's early books. There are no hooks, but several original elements, which makes it feel like a welcome breath of fresh air. Unlike many attempts at the modern gothic, the characters aren't stuck as stock characters. Cathlynn is a tough heroine who won't back down. Jonas is remote, but wasn't one of those hard-headed heroes frustrated me to the extreme. Their interplay sizzles, the suspense builds. While her first Intrigue, "One Texas Night," was very repetitive, Kurtz keeps the action moving and the thrills coming throughout. I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down.

"Blackmailed Bride" is not without flaws. Kurtz doesn't play fair with the mystery. It isn't too hard to figure out who the villain is, but it is impossible to figure out why, since Kurtz withholds quite a bit of information about characters until the climax. These are things the characters know about each other; only the reader is left in the dark. It is a bit of a cheap trick when it's not even teased at. There are also some moments that go over the top, and some overlooked points (if Jonas needs money so badly, how did he afford to pay such a high price for the antique?). But the story is so fresh, the setting so well done, the danger so wonderfully suspenseful, that those minor points were easy for me to overlook. I never lost interest for a moment and never stopped turning the pages. A very entertaining read I highly enjoyed.

Rating:
Summary: Blackmailed Bride
Review: Sylvie Kurtz takes a giant step forward with her second Intrigue, "Blackmailed Bride," a well-executed twist on the Gothic formula. Dr. Jonas Shades comes to Cathlynn O'Connell with a deal: if she pretends to be his wife for two weeks, he'll give her the antique heirloom she's been searching for for years. Cathlynn wants the heirloom to please her dying grandmother, but is the deal too costly? Jonas's wife has been missing for six weeks without a word. Some are saying she came to a bad end. Cathlynn reluctantly agrees to the deal, and finds herself alone in an isolated mansion in rural New Hampshire with a man who had every reason to kill his wife. Does she dare trust him with danger coming ever closer?

Dark, mysterious, suspenseful and passionate, "Blackmailed Bride" is the kind of story I was sure Intrigue had forgotten to tell. Set in an abandoned monastery in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter, it is the kind of page turner sure to send a shiver up your spine. In a way, it is reminiscent of Jenna Ryan's early books. There are no hooks, but several original elements, which makes it feel like a welcome breath of fresh air. Unlike many attempts at the modern gothic, the characters aren't stuck as stock characters. Cathlynn is a tough heroine who won't back down. Jonas is remote, but wasn't one of those hard-headed heroes frustrated me to the extreme. Their interplay sizzles, the suspense builds. While her first Intrigue, "One Texas Night," was very repetitive, Kurtz keeps the action moving and the thrills coming throughout. I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down.

"Blackmailed Bride" is not without flaws. Kurtz doesn't play fair with the mystery. It isn't too hard to figure out who the villain is, but it is impossible to figure out why, since Kurtz withholds quite a bit of information about characters until the climax. These are things the characters know about each other; only the reader is left in the dark. It is a bit of a cheap trick when it's not even teased at. There are also some moments that go over the top, and some overlooked points (if Jonas needs money so badly, how did he afford to pay such a high price for the antique?). But the story is so fresh, the setting so well done, the danger so wonderfully suspenseful, that those minor points were easy for me to overlook. I never lost interest for a moment and never stopped turning the pages. A very entertaining read I highly enjoyed.

Rating:
Summary: Blackmailed Bride
Review: Sylvie Kurtz takes a giant step forward with her second Intrigue, "Blackmailed Bride," a well-executed twist on the Gothic formula. Dr. Jonas Shades comes to Cathlynn O'Connell with a deal: if she pretends to be his wife for two weeks, he'll give her the antique heirloom she's been searching for for years. Cathlynn wants the heirloom to please her dying grandmother, but is the deal too costly? Jonas's wife has been missing for six weeks without a word. Rumor has it she might be dead. Cathlynn reluctantly agrees to the deal, and finds herself alone in an isolated mansion in rural New Hampshire, with a man who had every reason to kill his wife. Did she dare trust him with danger coming ever closer?

Dark, mysterious, suspenseful and passionate, "Blackmailed Bride" is the kind of story I was sure Intrigue had forgotten how to tell. Set in an abandoned monastery in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter, it is the kind of page turner sure to send a shiver up your spine. In a way it is reminiscent of Jenna Ryan's early books. There are no hooks, but several original elements, which makes it feel like a welcome breath of fresh air. Unlike many attempts at the modern gothic, the characters aren't stuck as stock characters. Cathlynn is a tough heroine who won't back down. Jonas is remote, but wasn't one of those hard-headed heroes who I frustrated me to the extreme. Their interplay sizzles, the suspense builds, the characters find themselves in danger repeatedly. While her first Intrigue, "One Texas Night" was very repetitive, Kurtz keeps the action moving and the thrills coming throughout. I read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down.

So I don't mislead anyone, I will admit "Blackmailed Bride" is not without flaws. Kurtz doesn't play fair with the mystery. It isn't too hard to figure out who the villain is. It is impossible to figure out why, since Kurtz withholds quite a bit of information about characters until the climax. These are things the characters know about each other. Only the reader is left in the dark. It is a bit of a cheap trick when it's not even teased at. There are also some melodramatic moments and some overlooked points (if Jonas needs money so bad, how could he afford to buy the Heart out from under Cathlynn?). But the story is so fresh, the setting so well done, the danger so wonderfully suspenseful, that those minor points were easy for me to overlook. (And the melodramatic and over the top passages are still pretty fun.) I never lost interest for a moment and never stopped turning the pages. A very entertaining read I highly enjoyed. Anyone tired of kids and cowboys, here's one for you. A fabulous change of pace. Don't miss it.