Vintage

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Vintage Gothic Suspense: THE SHADOW GUEST by Hillary Waugh

The Shadow Guest
The Shadow Guest by Hillary Waugh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE SHADOW GUEST is a fantastic mystery/suspense novel from the vintage Gothic fiction genre. An American couple, Howard and Angela, move to a cottage on the coast of England after her breakdown.

Howard is hesitant to be so secluded with their medical issues, but some strange force compels Angela to stay at Heather Cottage. Even with unexplained happenings at night – frightening noises, shadowy figures, and bizarre dreams – Angela refuses to leave. Is there something supernatural afoot? Or does someone want them gone?

I enjoyed this creepy book very much. The author created the perfect atmosphere of sinister suspense. Best of all I had absolutely no clue what the ending would bring. So twisted! ♥ My copy of THE SHADOW GUEST was published by Dell in July 1972.

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Vintage Gothic Romance: THE MISTS OF MOURNING by Suzanne Somers

Mists of Mourning
THE MISTS OF MOURNING by Suzanne Somers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in New York City and New Orleans, 1878. Young bride Anita travels from New York to New Orleans to join her husband, Thad, at his plantation home called Moline. Unfortunately, when she gets there, he’s dead. Was it an accident? Foul play?

No one in Thad’s family or social circle is happy with his new Yankee wife inheriting everything, so much so that someone clearly wants her dead. Anita must decide if it’s worth risking her life to take over Moline, or should she hightail it back north before it’s too late.

I enjoyed this book. Anita was a strong heroine with a good head on her shoulders. Moline was a creepy place filled with several possible culprits. I especially loved that Moline was in the bayous of New Orleans, a perfect Gothic setting. Suspenseful, well-constructed mystery.

Note: According to Fantastic Fiction, Suzanne Somers is a pseudonym used by Dorothy Daniels.

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Reading Wrap-Up {2}

Hey! It’s time once again for Reading Wrap-Up, my “book thoughts” post for non-review books. This time around, it’s also a belated wrap-up post for the R.I.P. Reading Challenge.

JaneEyreJane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
★★★★★

One of my favorite classics. I’m always amazed at how modern Jane’s (or Charlotte’s) thinking was. She was no bird, or angel…

“I am not an angel,” I asserted; “and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself. Mr. Rochester, you must neither expect nor exact anything celestial of me — for you will not get it, any more than I shall get it of you: which I do not at all anticipate.”

DarkRendezvousDark Rendezvous at Dungariff
by by Lois Stewart
★★

A Zebra Gothic published in the late 1980s. A young American librarian inherits a fortune from her long lost Scottish uncle. The catch: First she has to live a year in Scotland. Soon, bad things start happening at the ancestral castle of her kin. Unfortunately the plot and characters never grabbed me on this one. Struggled to finish.

NightSisterThe Night Sister
by Jennifer McMahon
★★★★½

I enjoyed this one very much. The creepy atmosphere and puzzling mystery kept me turning the pages! I especially loved how the story spans three time periods, the 1950s, 1980s, and present day. It was fun trying to figure out how the different parts fit together. Overall, very suspenseful, and a very unique ending. Loved it!

RebeccaRebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
★★★★★

REBECCA is just so darn good. The presence of her husband’s deceased first wife haunts the young narrator. We never learn the narrator’s name, because it didn’t matter! It was all about Rebecca. The perfect blend of mystery and suspense, and a cast of memorable characters. Daphne du Maurier was an amazing storyteller.

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Reading Wrap-Up {1}

Hey, there! So, some changes are coming to my blog. Book of Secrets is at a crossroads, should I quit or do something different? I love reading and books more than ever, but writing reviews – not so much.

I’ve decided that most of the books I read will just get a super-quick mention in a “Reading Wrap-Up” post every few weeks, monthly, or longer. Books I’ve received for review will probably get a separate post, though there will probably be fewer of those in the future. I’ve been utilizing the library more and more for new releases, as opposed to requesting them from NetGalley, etc. (Though I still have plenty of NetGalley & Edelweiss books to get through!) Anyway, I hope this new system works. I’d hate to give up 5½ years of blog work!!

Without further ado, here is my reading wrap-up (for non-review books) for the past several weeks (click on the title to find on Goodreads):

WutheringHeightsNovel

Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
★★★★★

“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Now that’s my kind of love story. A tad melodramatic, sure, but dang. Haunting, haunting.

 

MagicAndMacaroonsMagic and Macaroons
by Bailey Cates
★★★★½

This is book five in the Magical Bakery series, and it was just as wonderful as the previous ones. I loved meeting the infamous voodoo queens of Savannah. A strong mystery with a dash of witchy woo-woo.

 

WhereTheyFoundHerWhere They Found Her
by Kimberly McCreight
★★★★★

One of my favorites this year. It’s told from the point of view of three women, Molly, Barbara, and Sandy, who become entangled in the mysterious death of an infant. Strong characters, intriguing psychological suspense, and a fantastic ending. Loved it!

 

BonesOfYouThe Bones of You
by Debbie Howells
★★★★

This was a dark and chilling tale, partially narrated by the murder victim postmortem. Fast paced and multi-layered mystery. I enjoyed the small English village setting too.

 

JaneEmilyJane-Emily
by Patricia Clapp
★★★½

The malevolent ghost of a hateful girl haunts young Jane and her Aunt Louisa. This is a Gothic classic first published in 1969. The story is set in Massachusetts around the turn of the last century. Spooky in parts, but nothing too scary. Lots of drama, and some romance too.

 

RuinFallsRuin Falls
by Jenny Milchman
★★★★½

I swear I had a knot in my stomach the whole time I was reading this book. So suspenseful!! While on a family vacation, Liz Daniels wakes up to find her children are missing. Many layers to this mystery, and Liz is reluctant to trust anyone. Milchman’s first book was okay, while this one was great.

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Vintage Gothic Romance: AUGUSTA, THE FIRST by Katheryn Kimbrough

Augusta
Publisher: Popular Library
Released: 1975
Source: Purchased book
Rating: ★★★

Augusta, The First is the opening novel in the greatest series of gothic romances ever conceived. You won’t want to miss the others all exclusively in Popular Library editions.

Young and beautiful Augusta Merrihew fled England and the strange evil that seemed to haunt her. In the new world of America she hoped to find the happiness and safety that so long had eluded her.

When she met handsome and dashing Joshua Phenwick, it seemed her dreams had come true. She gave her hand in marriage to this man who was as mysterious as he was irresistible and on the lonely New England coast the great manor of Phenwick House was erected as a towering monument to their love.

Little did Augusta know that she was entering a hellish nightmare. For the curse of the past has followed Augusta across the seas, in the form of a man who held her helpless by his iron will…

AUGUSTA, THE FIRST, book #1 in the 40-book series, Saga of the Phenwick Women, by Katheryn Kimbrough (a.k.a. John Kimbro).

I’ve never read a book with a story so different from its back cover description! *scratches head* A strange evil haunting her in England? Curse of the past? The whole Joshua Phenwick thing? And, I’m still not sure who the man was who “held her helpless by his iron will.” Hmm…

Despite the misleading blurb, I liked the book. Augusta was one tough, determined young woman. There was something in the New World that she was after, so she figured out a way to escape her family in England and start a life in Colonial America. She was a savvy businesswoman with powerful connections, and when life knocked her down, she got right back up.

I was a bit disappointed that the story wasn’t more “Gothic.” It wasn’t spooky or suspenseful in the least, except perhaps right at the very beginning and very end. I’m guessing this book was meant to set the foundation for the rest of the series and let readers know how the Phenwick Women came about.