Gentle From the Night [Hardcover]

Meagan McKinney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1996

Journeying to York after the death of her father, a famous doctor who worked with the deaf, Alexandra becomes the governess to a boy who has not spoken since he was a child and begins to have suspicions about the house's darkly seductive master.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gentle from the Night isn't a blast from the past, it is an homage to the gothic style. Like most traditional gothics, the story is set in Victorian England, and tells the tale of a young woman. After her father's death, Alexandra is forced to work in a lonely, haunted castle far removed from the hustle and bustle of her life in London. The castle is haunted by the ghost of Ursula Pole, the former governess of the ominous and mysterious master of Cairncross Castle, Lord Newell. Miss Pole, an evil and abusive woman, disappeared one night almost 20 years prior to Alexandra's arrival, and no one knows what became of her. Meagan McKinney introduces several modern elements to this traditional tale of a young woman adrift in a haunted castle, including the heroine's own unusual identity as a young Jew; Alexandra faces estrangement whether she is in an old castle or in 19th-century London. Haunting, evocative, and beautifully written, Gentle from the Night is a tribute to the genre. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575661365
• ISBN-13: 978-1575661360
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for people who love dark, Gothic romances, May 17, 2000

By 

Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gentle from the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

If you miss the Gothics, this book has all the elements that you're missing. But be warned that it has a few elements that most Gothics didn't have. Sex; real spookiness; and a hero who is so jaded that he tries to corrupt the heroine.

Yet for all his dark deeds, Damien has good qualities. He takes care of his developmentally disabled brother, and unlike many so-called "heroes," he never rapes the heroine. In his own twisted way (boy is he twisted), he is honorable.

NOTE: That this book is definitely not for everyone. Some people loathe this book because of its hero. Some so-called dark heroes merely "flirt" with the dark side -- Damien pretty much has a full-fledged affair with the dark side.

Anne M. Marble Reviewer, All About Romance

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark dark dark..., April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gentle from the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

V-E-E-R-Y spooky and gothic-y. I haven't read one like this in years! (Shades of Victoria Holt but darker... and sexier). I always try to "picture" my characters and I envisioned Liam Neeson to be Damien and Jill Goodacre (Harry Connick's wife) to be Alexandra. The suspense was sustained throughout (in fact, I'm still not 100% sure I understood the ending). I jumped at every Bump in the Night. When Alex screamed, so did I. And Damien - what a tortured soul he was. They needed each other so desperately to heal. I really enjoyed this book. Try it- romantic, spooky but DARK. Read something frothy and funny after this(like Jennifer Crusie's Tell Me Lies). You'll need a perk up!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the best!, July 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gentle from the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

I would say that this book is one of my all time favourites. Why? It holds but suspense, horror (in a way) and love at the same time. Throughout the whole novel, all i wanted to do was to say, "No Damien! Don't go to the dark side!" It was scary to think about Ursula Pole... These two people needed each other, and this book captivated that feeling, making the reader feel the same things they did: the horror, the love, the pain and the happiness. A must read!