Customer Reviews

The Mask

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Donna Lee Poff’s THE MASK is a wonderful example of a beautifully constructed Beauty and the Beast tale. From page one the reader will be totally mesmerized by the magically created cast of characters.

Galen Tarrant, Lord of Rosethorn, returns from the Crusades after an eleven-year absence to reclaim his land. Having been captured and savagely tortured by an archenemy, he now hides half of his face behind a mask. On a late night outing he happens upon Anne of Thornberry, the carpenter’s daughter. He is enchanted by this dainty "wood elf" who sits in the forest, with not a care in the world. Her innocence gives him the strength to once again trust in mankind. Her zest for life will shed light on his dark, tortured soul.

Anne of Thornberry, a fresh-faced village girl, is naive to the evils in which the world contains. On a fateful moonlit night she meets with Galen Tarrant, a dark, mysterious stranger. In her eyes she sees Galen as being perfect in every way possible. Her greatest challenge will be to convince Galen he is not the Beast he is convinced he has become. Little does she know danger looms in the shadows. A madman is determined to reek havoc once again, and finish the vengeance he once started.

THE MASK is a much treasured book. Its value is priceless in my library. It is one of those books, which can be read a thousand times over, and each time find something new and exciting. A word of caution - have plenty of Kleenex on hand when you experience it for the first time. Being so close to the characters, you will feel their pain and suffering as it enfolds before your eyes.

I don't think I can adequately describe how I feel about this book.
I do not normally care much for a plot that has kids as some of
the central charaters, however, in this case, Derek & Lyssa add
much to an already stellar read.

I loved everything about this book. This author has such promise,
and I hope I can find she is still writing books under another name, because it would be a shame if this is the only book she has
ever wrote.

This book touched me in a way similar to how Cordia Byer's
"Lady of the Night" did. It was beautiful, sensitive, and
well written. All of the characters came to life; I felt like I
was in the book with them. They felt so real.

It was a mostly serious book, however, the few funny moments it
had were hysterical! When Derek peeks under Galen's covers &
declares "he doesn't have a stitch on under there!", I laughed
so hard, I thought I'd break a rib. Another funny moment, earlier in the book, was when Lyssa took Bryan's hand in an
attempt to comfort him, and the guards snickered. It was cute,
tender, & funny.

It did take much of the book for Anne to see Galen with just
his mask, let alone the scene where he finally whips it off &
shows her his scarred face. But it was timed perfectly. I am
telling you, Donna Lee Poff knows how to write!

The only thing that I might have found annoying (and in a remote
way at that), was the constant reference from Galen to Anne as
his 'wood elf'. This was similar to Connor constantly calling Rebecca 'wee Becca' in "The Runaway Duke" by Julie Anne Long
(another excellent book, by the way). I did not let this term
of endearment get to me. I just took it for what it was & let
it go at that.

The end is full of shockers, if you have never read a romance, but if you have read romance, and follow the clues carefully, it won't be a shock to your system. Donna Lee Poff's writing style
in regards to mystery reminds me very much of Lynsay Sands writing style.

I could go on & on (I already have, really), but I can't say
enough about this book.

Donna Lee Poff, if you are out there & reading this, please,
please, PLEASE pen at least one more book! PLEASE!!! You are
such a talent.

I purchase almost any romance that follows the Beauty/Beast or Phantom/Christine archetype. I just love wounded, scarred, disfigured heroes and the women with enough depth and sensitivity to love them.

That said, this was a pretty good romance for readers who enjoy that kind of storyline.

The hero was ambushed, imprisoned and tortured while on Crusade. He had been estranged from his domineering father. He stays away from home, but ultimately returns and has his heart captured when he spies a lovely village woman combing her hair in front of her cottage. But he fears to expose his disfigurement to her and stays in the shadows, yearning. Meanwhile, the villain is out to destroy them both.

The story has a nice fairy tale feel to it. The author even opens up using a formalized syntax that says to the reader "These are ye olde days." Never mind that the syntax isn't consistent and throughout the book there are a few anachronistic bits of dialogue that make one stop and go,"huh"?

Fortunately, this is a fast-paced tale with a truly repulsive villain (one-dimensional, fully evil, no redeeming qualities--which is not that odd in the romance genre, hence, forgivable for its two-dimensionality), a madwoman out for revenge and a hero with a tortured soul.

The above quibbles aside, this IS a page-turner, and if you enjoy medieval romances with "beast" heroes and can immerse yourself sufficiently in a love story so that small annoyances can be overlooked, then you will definitely enjoy the romance of Galen and Anne.

Why this novel does not get a higher overall grade from me is that the heroine's aggressiveness is just not believable. Middle ages, folks. Lord with the power of life and death. Growing up poor, a PEASANT, used to taking orders, AND A WOMAN, used to being commanded by father and those in charge. Yet Anne doesn't hesitate to talk back to nobility and to physically engage in scuffles with a warrior Lord. While we do see her engage physically and ably with would-be rapists--hurrah, for her!--those are lowlives and commoners, not the Lord of the Manor.

Also, the hero doesn't act very cunningly and cautiously when there is grave danger to the heroine towards the latter half of the book. He really does not come across as someone in control of his keep or his men...or terribly bright.

All that doesn't make me detract overly much from my final grade of B- because the writing is attractive, the story has a nice fairy-tale feel, the hero is brave and soulfully wounded, the heroine is loving and energetic, and the bad guy is really slimy and gets his comeuppance. I also liked the cranky housekeeper/cook. :)

I look forward to seeing what Ms. Poff does with her next romance. She's definitely got talent. If this is a debut, it's a promising one.

*Mir*

This was one of the best books i have ever read! Miss Poff really hit the mark! It is hard to find but it is worth every cent and more..!I couldn't put it down and was up half the night finishing it. It is very true to reality and you can easily picture what is being described. I love it and am very glad i decided to buy a copy for myself. A must read!

Like with most Beauty and the Beast romances, the Mask has a delivers a great tortured hero archetype. The heroine was sweet, wholesome and expectantly good. Overall this book was enjoyable but predictable.

Galen Tarrant is the mysterious Lord of Rosethorn, returning to his lands after a long absence. While in the Holy Land during the Crusades he made an enemy of a sadistic fellow Englishman and was subsequently captured, tortured and disfigured, so he wears a mask and generally keeps himself hidden. Superstitions say that a hideous face is the sign of a hideous soul, and often he buys into that idea. But there is a sweet, but gutsy village girl he can't seem to stay away from during his wanderings in the night.

Anne is the daughter of the village carpenter and helps care for her young brother and sister. She knows that the mysterious stranger she has met is the newly returned lord, whose reclusiveness has the village folk speaking of sorcery and the devil. She's drawn to him, but knows a simple village girl has no place in the world of a lord. The return of Galen's enemy, seeking to continue tormenting him, brings Anne and Galen together, even as it poses a risk to their lives, as well as those dear to them.

Galen makes a lovely tortured hero. Anne looks like a sweet little nothing, but she's got a backbone and can give as good as she can take. Fortunately, she knows she needs to be strong in order to help her tortured love, so naturally she makes a perfect partner for him. The nasty enemy is uni-dimensional, but luckily we care more about the romance, and he serves his purpose in giving the story some suspense and danger. It was enjoyable to read about their romance and about Galen gradually leaving behind the darkness in his past. The secondary characters were interesting and sympathetic as well. Although there are dark themes, the tone of this book was very positive, giving a sweet fairy-tale quality to the tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a well-written historical romance with a Beauty and the Beast theme. This book also has a slight Phantom of the Opera connection; a mysterious man with facial deformities, who wears a mask to hide his ugliness. Wrestling with the demons he perceives are a result of his scarring, he falls in love with a simple honest, but beautiful woman. In this tale, we are shown how her love ultimately provides redemption for him, and a normal life. This is not "high" literature. It is a lusty "bodice ripper", although it is not graphic or over-blown. The characters are interesting and we want to see them succeed in their search for happiness. I would recommend "The Mask" as a good way to spend a hot, lazy day. Ms. Poff has done an excellent job!

I also enjoy the "Beauty and the Beast" premise and I was not disappointed. This story made me laugh and cry. What more can a reader ask? Ms. Poff makes a wonderful debut and I eagerly await additional books by this author.

The story got me from the 1st page. I loved how Anne and Galen played off of one another. It made me laugh and cry and thats what makes me love a story. Donna Lee Puff's writing is exceptional!!

An excellent book. I couldn't put it down. I am eagerly awaiting Ms Poff's next book.