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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but His Dark Desires was better (3 1/2 stars)..., April 1, 2006
This review is from: The Mistress of Trevelyan (Mass Market Paperback)
There are certain things you should expect from a gothic novel -- a dark and taciturn main character, a mysterious death(s) of some sort, a city that is known for its eccentricity, the almost prerequisite Victorian setting, a house with stone carvings/sculptures of gargoyles or some other equally creepy creature, an insane character or two, and a paranormal subplot centered usually on ghosts. The Mistress of Trevelyan has them all! This novel screams gothic from the moment you read the first page. I like gothic stories, and having read His Dark Desires, which is the second part of this quasi-series, I had looked forward to reading Benedict Trevelyan's story. However, this one isn't as engaging as His Dark Desires and the gothic elements, while well written, is a little overdone in that every aspect of the story seems to set the prerequisite tones of a gothic. The year is 1873 in San Francisco. Former laundress and intellectual Ann Lovell lands a job as governess to two young boys at the Trevelyan Manor. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding the house centering on the strange death of the mistress of Trevelyan. Did she commit suicide or did her husband, Benedict Trevelyan, kill her? There is a great deal of tension between Ann and Benedict from the moment they meet, and while she falls in love with her master and tries to bring happiness into his haunted children's lives, she also becomes involved in a great deal of intrigue and threats. There are various twists throughout the novel.
I like the first-person narrative and historical tone of the novel. I also like the almost palpable sexual tension between the main characters. The aftermath of Mrs. Trevelyan's mysterious death and how the children behave set the perfect haunting tone to the novel. Those things are by far the best parts of the novel and my heart went out to the young characters. As mentioned earlier, the gothic atmosphere is definitely in full swing here, and there's no mistaking the genre of this novel. I could have done without the constant reminder of the same though. The gothic aspects are definitely better done in His Dark Desires. Anyway, Ann is a good heroine in that she tries to improve her station in life by getting a respectable job and really caring for the children. I like how she tells the arrogant butler off. Those are the funniest parts in the novel. Benedict is dark and mysterious and his sex appeal comes to life in the pages. I liked him almost as much as I liked Stephen Trevelyan... almost. They mystery aspect of the novel is well written and it complemented the overall eerie tone of the novel. All in all, The Mistress of Trevelyan is romantic gothic through and through and I enjoyed it very much in spite of the fact that the story lags a bit toward the middle. His Dark Desires is a better effort though, which could only attest to Jennifer St. Giles's growth as an author. I look forward to reading her future efforts.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a chilling Gothic, October 10, 2004
This review is from: The Mistress of Trevelyan (Mass Market Paperback)
When I saw the title of this book, Mistress of Trevelyan, I immediately thought of Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt, likely the first Romance I read as a child - though they were not called Romances back then. As I read it, the familiarity continued because St. Giles evokes that sinister Gothic air. It's glad to see Gothics making a slow comeback. St. Giles pens a tale that keeps the reader spellbound, and to an older reader who cut her teeth on Gothics, it's so enjoyable.
In a typical Gothic beginning, evocative of Daphne du Maurier, "Last night I dream of Manderlay...", when Ann Lovell walks through the gates of the old San Francisco mansion on Trevelyan Hill, she reflects how she was always mysteriously drawn to the house, almost a portent that her fate and the house was somehow intertwined. Set in the 19th century, foggy San Francisco, it's pure Gothic spooky, the big house full of sinister secrets, dark corners where evil resides. Ann, whose real name is Tatiana, is a lowly laundry worker. Her mother was a sweet lass lied to by a man of higher birth. A tall woman, who has to look down on most men, she has come to apply for a position of governess (as I said, pure blissful Gothic!) for Justin age 7, and Robert, age 5. No one seems to be able to keep the job, and now no one is applying, so Ann believes she stands a good chance of landing the position.
Benedict Trevelyan was rumored to have killed his wife, but naturally, that does not daunt Ann. Immediately, upon settling into her new role in the house, duckbumps
prickle up her spine as she becomes certain someone is watching her. With no surprise, Ann and Benedict's relationship spiral from first kiss into full blown affair - those cads never can resist the governess! Being loyal to her new lover, Ann knows Benedict did not kill his wife, thus someone else in the sinister house is the evil-doer. Occasionally, Giles lapses into deep purple prose, especially in love scenes, but she is able to maintain a sinister, passionate tension through out the story.
There is a bitter rivalry between Benedict and his brother Stephan. Toss in a secretive sister Katherine, and mother Roselind, secret passage ways you have a true Gothic in the best fashion.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Entertaining Gothic!!!, May 18, 2005
This review is from: The Mistress of Trevelyan (Mass Market Paperback)
My first "gothic" romance was Wurthering Heights. I loved that story and fell in love with the concept of "gothic romance." Sadly this seems to be a sub-genre that has been largely neglected as of late. I'm glad to see that there are still some author's out there that want to pen a fine gothic romance. Ms. St. Giles has done so and as a result my need for a finely written gothic has been fed. This is a true gothic read right from the get-go. Dark and brooding hero, young and idealistic heroine that just so happens to be a...yep you guessed it a governess and you have the backdrop for this read.
Ann Lovell is a well-educated woman for the times and her station in life. She is a laundress and longs to do something else with her time. She loves to read and thanks to her mother had a well-rounded education. As a result when she sees a notice for the post of governess at Trevelyan Manor, she snatches it without thought. Her goal...to get the position. She will totally overlook the gossip and whispered things that surround the mansion on the hill. She has always been drawn to the house, and now she will work there. The gossip about the death of the young mistress of Trevelyan is just a bunch of rot.
Benedict Trevelyan is your protypical Alpha dark hero for this sub-genre. He has buried his pain deep inside but at the same time has managed to turn his back on the needs of his family. A tragedy took place a year earlier and it has shaped the members of this family in ways unthinkable. But the light that Ann (Tatiana) brings to their dark existance can't be ignored. Knowing that he shouldn't feel things for his sons governess doesn't stop him. From one kiss to a full blown affair Ann and Benedict try to come to terms with the past while looking forward to the future. But will they get that future or will a dark presence take it away from them?
This was a finally written romance. Ms. St. Giles did a very fine job drawing out the sensual tension between Benedict and Ann. Secondary characters were important to the plot and Ann's interaction with them all helped move the story forward. The setting was perfect as 1873 San Francisco (or any time period for that matter) easily transformed into a location that was mysterious and dark. This is one read that I highly recommend and I look forward to her next effort.
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