Brief Thoughts: Mistress of Mellyn

Mistress of Mellyn

by Victoria Holt

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars

Mount Mellyn stood as proud and magnificent as she had envisioned...  But what bout its master--Connan TreMellyn?  Was Martha Leigh's new employer as romantic as his name sounded?  As she approached the sprawling mansion towering above the cliffs of Cornwall, an odd chill of apprehension overcame her.

TreMellyn's young daugher, Alvean, proved as spoiled and difficult as the three governesses before Martha had discovered.  But it was the girl's father whose cool, arrogant demeanor unleashed unfamiliar sensations and turmoil--even as whispers of past tragedy and present danger begin to insinuate themselves into Martha's life.

Powerless against her growing desire for the enigmatic Connan, she is drawn deeper into family secrets--as passion overpowers reason, sending her head and heart spinning.  But though evil lurks in the shadows, so does love--and the freedom to find a golden promise forever...

I'm wavering on my rating of this book, because I obviously ended up entirely engrossed in it after the first couple chapters, managing to finish the whole thing within hours of starting it.  The writing is beautiful, the setting is atmospheric, and I can absolutely see why this is a book that many Gothic romance readers would love.

There were elements that really bugged me, mainly the romance itself--I found it a bit too instant and was unable to pinpoint the moment that our main couple fall in love with each other.  It seemed almost too dictated; like the author had decided that these two would be lovers by the end, no matter that there was barely any time for them to have bonded or created any sparks.

But everything else about this book I really, really enjoyed and loved.  The heroine was fantastic--in fact I really liked all of the characters, even if I disliked the few male characters present.  The mystery was kind of predictable, and I had already had it figured out at some point, although a few red herrings DID get thrown in there that might have had me second guessing myself.

Nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable novel to pass the time with.