“Um, I forgot”- isn’t this a
response that mom’s constantly hear from their darling cherubs who perhaps didn’t
complete their list of chores? Well I
have to say, after reading Sandra Byrd’s captivating Gothic Romance novel Mist of Midnight, that was my response-
“Um, I forgot how much I love a great Gothic Romance novel!, especially when
penned by the hugely talented Sandra Byrd who weaves the historical parts of
the novel into the story seamlessly . It
just adds to the enjoyment for the reader and lends some authenticity to the time
period of the story. (Read the author’s notes in the back of the book- so
fascinating!)
Mist
of Midnight hits that perfect balance in the story between , that sort of dark Gothic mystery where things “go bump in the night” and a
delightful romance that springs up between the two characters. We have the lovely Rebecca Ravenshaw, a child
of missionaries who lost her whole family overseas in India to both illness as
well as the Rebellion that took place there.
She is now tired and heartbroken and is coming home to England to take
up residence in her family’s estate Headbourne House in Hampshire England. One
slight problem is that she discovers that there was an impostor who had come to
Headbourne House just previous to her, posing as “Rebecca Ravenshaw” and
claiming her inheritance as well as her home. She then died under suspicious
circumstances. So when she, the real Rebecca Ravenshaw, shows up, the town is
skeptical ,as many haven’t seen her since she was a little girl. In residence in
Headbourne House, is the very handsome Captain Luke Whitfield who is a distant
relative next in line to inherit Headbourne House with the supposed death of
Rebecca Ravenshaw. Luke is everything that the perfect gothic hero needs to be,
as he is completely swoonworthy, but has that edge to him where you wonder exactly
what his secrets might be- (think Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre)- is he a good romantic
hero or is he going to murder you in your sleep? This keeps Rebecca, and the reader, off balance
throughout the story right till the end as the mystery of what happened at
Headbourne House with the impostor comes to light.
Also in all good gothic tales the residence,
or House, is almost always like a
character unto itself within the story as
there is usually some mystery within the house and Mist of Midnight does not disappoint in that respect either with
mysterious messages showing up on the walls and rooms that are locked up where
Rebecca cannot enter, letters hidden in
the attic, etc. Sandra Byrd knows her
stuff and I was completely engaged in this story from the beginning until the
end (which was delightful by the way.) I
would never give away an ending, but I will say that there was an especially
endearing little twist that I was not expecting at the end that I thought was
very charming and fun to read.
All in all, a really
wonderful read and I was delighted to see that the author just mentioned via
social media that she had finished the second book in this series and all I can
say is – “sign me up, I’m in “ and this time, there will be no forgetting how
much I loved this book and how I am thoroughly anticipating the next one!
5 stars
I received a complimentary
copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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