It has all the elements of a
great Gothic romance: a castle on the moors near York, a “brooding, melancholy
and emotionally distant” British lord, and a mysterious ghost that may not be a
ghost at all.
Set in 1858, this is the
story of Alexandra Benjamin, whose Jewish father
left her with little in worldly goods but a love of science and an ability to
help the deaf hear. Under the ruse of being her dead father, she travels to
York to accept a position with John Damien Newell at Cairncross Castle.
Damien
has lived in darkness for a very long time, haunted by an evil governess who at
one point scared his younger brother, Samuel, speechless. He is not pleased to
discover “Alex Benjamin” is actually a woman.
But he keeps Alexandra on thinking she may be their last hope to restore
Samuel’s speech.
Alexandra spent five years loving a man
who didn’t love her and the fact her new employer looks a lot like that golden
man from her past makes her wary. She is undeniably attracted to Damien but
sees the darkness in his eyes. She has heard the talks of he evil governess who
tormented the brothers and perversely desired the older Damien. But she cannot
bring herself to believe the woman she has seen appearing at odd times is
actually a ghost.
This is a well-written, suspenseful
story that draws you in and won’t let you go. Damien is a dark hero albeit he
is a blond who wears spectacles. He is torn between wanting to seduce and
destroy Alexandra and wanting to claim her as his redemption. To add to her
great story, McKinney has used snippets from IVANHOE, the book Alexandra
treasures, to bring to mind the lovely Jewish woman Rebecca from that tale.
The mystery persists until nearly the
end…
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