Echoes in the Mist

Kingsley Family #1

by Andrea Kane

Trenton Kingsley, the embittered Duke of Broddington, has dreamt of the day that he would avenge his beloved father's death. Returning suddenly from self-imposed exile on the Isle of Wight, he takes aim at the man he holds responsible...the unscrupulous Baxter Caldwell, Viscount Winsham. In a masterstroke of irony, he forces the viscount's hand and walks away with his most precious possession...his innocent sister, Ariana. Ariana Caldwell has grown up in the shadow of a secret family tragedy, at the heart of which lay Trenton Kingsley. Forced to marry a man she had been led to hate -- and fear -- Ariana is helplessly caught in the renewed fury of an ancient feud. But despite the danger, her husband's unaccountable torment only draws Ariana closer, and her instincts will not allow her to retreat. Caught between Trenton's brooding desire and her brother's imperious demands, Ariana is on an odyssey for the truth...consumed by the promise of a passionate, overwhelming love.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Victorian

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Coming in March 2019 from Andrea Kane: DEAD IN A WEEK.

Andrea Kane is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including fifteen psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romantic suspense titles. With her signature style, Kane creates unforgettable characters and confronts them with life-threatening danger. As a master of suspense, she weaves them into exciting, carefully-researched stories, pushing them to the edge—and keeping her readers up all night.

Kane’s first contemporary suspense thriller, Run for Your Life, became an instant New York Times bestseller. She followed with a string of bestselling psychological thrillers including No Way Out, Twisted, and Drawn in Blood.

Her latest in the highly successful Forensic Instincts series, Dead in a Week, adds the Zermatt Group into the mix—a covert team of former military and spy agency operatives. With a week to save a young woman from ruthless kidnappers, this globe-spanning chase, from the beerhalls of Germany, to the tech gardens of California, to the skyscrapers of China, and finally the farmlands of Croatia will keep readers guessing until the very end. The first showcase of Forensic Instincts’ talents came with the New York Times bestseller, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, followed by The Line Between Here and Gone, The Stranger You Know, The Silence that Speaks, The Murder That Never Was, and A Face to Die For.

Kane’s beloved historical romantic suspense novels include My Heart’s Desire, Samantha, Echoes in the Mist, and Wishes in the Wind.

With a worldwide following of passionate readers, her books have been published in more than twenty languages.

Kane lives in New Jersey with her husband and family. She’s an avid crossword puzzle solver and a diehard Yankees fan. Otherwise, she’s either writing or playing with her Pomeranian, Mischief, who does his best to keep her from writing.

Reviews

[Ivy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, if you're the H in this novel, you bide your time and plan your revenge, while relaxing in your mansion on the Isle of Wight. And, for Trenton, it's been 8 long years that's been away from his ancestral family estate on the mainland. This was a fantastic novel! I've read it twice and I still can't get over how evil the heroine's slutty sister had behaved towards the hero. The H and h made a perfect couple, after a rather uncomfortable beginning. I adored how he grew to love her and called her his 'misty angel'.

The H is Trenton, The Duke of Broddington:




He has experienced great personal tragedy because of the heroine's selfish late sister Vanessa. About 8 yrs or so before the story begins, the H who was not yet a duke since his dad was alive, had become acquainted with Vanessa. She was beautiful but totally amoral and immoral; she was the Victorian era's equivalent to "The Happy Hooker." Vanessa was the sister of a viscount but she was unlike the conventional young aristocratic misses. Vanessa loved two things: money and sex. She used her looks to get money and sex from many rich men. She was also rather shameless in the sense that she, despite her "ruined" status, aspired to one day be a duchess. This novel was set in the late Victorian era and everybody knows that women were expected to adhere to a very rigid and conservative moral code. But Vanessa didn't care about such things and she latched her grasping claws onto the H. At first he was charmed by her beauty but he wasn't as stupid as her other victims. He never had sex with her and when he realized she was a promiscuous skank, he starting avoiding her. This caused the happy hooker to get vindictive, so she brainwashed her dumb brother into believing that Trenton was abusing her, had "ruined" her and then refused to marry her.

Trenton still refused to let them force him into an unwanted wedding with a slutty gold digger. That's when Vanessa and her brother faked her death and used a "suicide" letter to blackmail Trenton into paying them a lot of money. Trenton only paid the money because he didn't want his father to believe he was capable of being such a cad. Vanessa's brother took the money but still created a huge scandal by revealing the contents of the "suicide letter" to other members of the Ton. This caused great embarrassment for Trenton's dad and Trenton left his home to live on one of the nearby islands ( Isle of Wight I think ). Trenton's father died soon after and Trenton vowed to seek revenge for what had been done to his family's reputation.

His chance for revenge occurs at the start of the novel, when Baxter the heroine's villainous brother is getting engaged to a banker's daughter. Baxter is almost bankrupt and the banker really wants his daughter to become a viscountess. Trenton attends the engagement party but before he can put his plan into action he hears a woman calling for help in the garden's maze. The woman is Ariana the heroine and her ankle is spained. He doesn't know who she is and vice versa so he picks her up to take her inside. Of course Baxter soon sees him with her and starts acting like an ass. Trenton then gives the banker an ultimatum: either he calls off the engagement or Trenton will remove every one of his millions upon millions of pounds fortune and put in into a competing bank. The banker is stricken. A title for his daughter isn't worth the loss of the Kingsley millions. Baxter almost cried when he realized that he'd lost his fiancee's huge dowry.

The next part of the novel focuses on Trenton's second revenge against Baxter. Trenton ends up saving Queen Victoria's daughter from drowning and the queen, who is a friend of the family, asks him for any favor. He tells her he wants her to command Baxter to let him marry Ariana. The queen is a bit concerned but she grants him the boon. Baxter is very angry but can't do anything so the wedding happens.


This is the heroine, Ariana:



The subsequent relationship between Trenton and Ariana is quite bittersweet. Ariana enjoys the wedding night and finds herself drawn to the magnetic hunky good looks of her new husband but Trenton is still too bitter and resentful of the entire Caldwell family. He tells himself he will only use her in the bedroom but will otherwise relegate her to the back of his mind. That's easier said than done, however and Ariana is lucky to have a charming, friendly ally in the H's gorgeous younger brother Dustin ( he'll be the hero in the next novel, Wishes in the Wind, in the series ).

In spite of himself, Trenton grows to gradually see that Ariana is the polar opposite of her evil siblings, Vanessa and Baxter. She is the only good thing to come out of the Caldwell family. There's a slight element of the paranormal too because Ariana's maid seems to have the "sight". She warns Ariana that Vanessa was not entirely truthful about the things that she wrote in the vile letter before she died. Ariana soon finds herself falling in love with Trenton and is willing to give him her loyalty so she is reluctant to partake in the evil schemes Baxter has planned for revenge. When Baxter realizes that he won't be able to use Ariana in any vengeance scheme, he writes a letter to the "dead" Vanessa, who has been living in France. Apparently after she faked her death and took her share of the blackmail money, Vanessa married a Frenchman and fled to the continent. But life's a bitch and sometimes evil people really do get what they deserve. That happened to Vanessa whose new hubby stole all her money, pimped her out on other men and beat her. Life's not so good for the happy hooker anymore. Her hubby has even scarred her upper chest area badly so now the happy hooker will be unable to prostitute herself for lots of money because rich noblemen and merchants won't want to fork out the funds for anything that's physically imperfect. I wish I could say I felt a tinge of pity for Vanessa but I don't. That woman was too evil for pity. She returned to England, mad as hell because her younger, beautiful baby sister now has everything she had always salivated over: money, a hot handsome husband and she's a duchess too ! Vanessa schemes to make Trenton think she's a ghost in order to make him doubt his sanity.




Her vile schemes seem to work, especially after she and Baxter lock poor Ariana in their house. The H annoyed me a little during this time because he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and wallowed in self pity not knowing that his beloved was in danger ! Then, he dragged his ass and took his time getting around to realizing that something was wrong:



Eventually, after a lot of nail biting moments, Ariana and Trenton are reunited, Baxter is forced to see Vanessa for the true evil hooker witch that she is and Vanessa is banished to the United States. She is warned by Trenton that if she ever shows her face in England again she will be jailed. I was mad at that. I wanted him to put her ass in jail then and there. Instead, she's even given some money to help her settle in the U.S.A. But then I suppose she's already a bitter and scarred old wreckage so that's vengeance enough for a woman who was known for her vanity.

Trenton and Ariana get their HEA and all is well with their world. In the sequel novel, Wishes in the Wind, the MC's have a precocious and mischievous little toddler called Alexander. Their baby's antics made Wishes in the Wind even more enjoyable to read. Alexander's not mentioned in this novel but I thought I'd refer to him since there wasn't any epilogue. Wishes in the Wind works as an epilogue for this couple and readers will get an opportunity to see how happy they are with Alexander.

This is Alexander ( not yet born in this novel, but a significant minor character in Wishes in the Wind )




Safety: There's no cheating, no OM or OW. The H had never been intimate with the heroine's evil sister.

[BG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted slow burn, angst. Wanted the hero and heroine to truly dislike each other because of their past. Wanted some explosive hate sex.. yum😋😏. Got none of that here. It was merely nice.

"What is love, misty angel? Perhaps you can tell me.” He pressed his loins to hers, his flesh still fully imbedded in hers. “Is this love? This explosion of pleasure you bring me, this insatiable need to make you mine … is that love? Or is love something more? … A fierce commitment that renders you vulnerable, that only results in pain? I don’t know, Ariana. What is love?”

Ariana responded to the anguish in his eyes. “Love is wanting to be with someone, to share his life. It’s wanting to heal his suffering, to understand his past, to join herself to him … and not only with her body."

[[Aengell] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isle of Wight

A surprisingly enticing Historical with a well done balance between old-school aspects and more modern entities.

The plot: exiled duke/rake Trenton Kingsley comes home to avenge his enemy, decides to force said enemy's younger sister. Nothing new here, but this often used story line is here, cliches non withstanding, quite exciting.

Trenton is your typical tortured hero, with a shady past, and after being exiled for six years, he's come back and wants to shake things up a bit.
But with this novel the heroine, Ariana, was a true heroine. She is the main reason why this read turned into a 4-star one for me. You know what to expect with an old-school romance heroine: naivete, innocence, and a feeling of annoyance growing in me. Ariana is innocent and naive in some aspects, but she is also very, very strong. And I don't mean strong only in the sense of having an opinion and being stubborn, but being strong by trusting when it's realistic to be so, being self-assured and sensible and relying on instincts.
She surprised me with these character traits and the relationship between her and Trenton was beautiful to watch because although she was so young, she was the one who gave him strength and spoke reassuringly to him.

All in all this is a story with enough drama and emotions to make one invested in it; a rather predictable, but not boring storyline with authentic, 3D characters and a lovely, sweet and angsty romance.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as first impressions with a new author goes...I'm not really impressed. The characterization was a little weak - can you honestly make me believe that a rich as Croseus duke is going to be intimidated by a poor af earl???? And also why does his brother have a title as well??? Something doesn't add up.

Also that the H was so cheesy in a weird way...the misty angel shit...what a mouthful to say every time hahaaha. The only saving grace was the heroine who was actually written very level headed. I love an assertive and trusting heroine. Makes for a refreshing change - Amanda Quick writes them like that as well.

[Love love · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one =/

Trenton (H) is a very angry and bitter man and the only thing he can think of is revenge, revenge on Baxter Caldwell. All he wants is to take everything that Baxter holds dear and the only thing left that Baxter has is his little sister Ariana.

Ariana (h) has grown up knowing that Trenton Kingsley was the cause of her older sister's death. She was very young when her parents died and then her sister Vanessa not long after, and she was brought up to fear Trenton Kingsley.

As Trenton will stop at nothing to get what he wants, it didn't take long to get an edict from the Queen stating that Ariana must marry him. He can't wait to finally have the revenge he's been planning all of these years.

Ariana can't believe that she is being ordered by the Queen to marry the man responsible for her sister's death. But her brother said that their hands were tied and there was no other way, she had to marry him.

The writing in this book really isn't bad, both Trenton and Ariana are very likable characters. There was two things that lost my interest and had me putting the book down. First, there was Teresa, Ariana's maid, she had the "gift of sight" wich is a troupe that I just cant stand. Second, there was this white Owl that seemed (or at least Ariana thought it was the same owl every time she saw it) to follow Ariana around, she would only see the owl when her spirits were low, as if it was there as a sign of some kind....I hate that too. lol

[Mermarie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Speeding through the story for instant-love / organ-transplant like affection just leaves me no kindness for this sort of sloppy, low-handed writing. I'm mortal, sorry!

[Lassarina Aoibhell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't quite decide how I want to rate this book. I am of many minds about most of it. The writing is, in general, quite excellent (though in the edition I read, which was the Kindle version, there was at least one significant copyediting error that had me hissing at the screen, namely when it specified that our heroine Ariana "peaked" around a door.) I liked the lead characters well enough, and the plot was well-constructed.

However, in a lot of ways the book felt uneven to me. I realize romance is the genre of better-than-life lead characters, but Ariana felt too forgiving and too trusting for me, especially given that she had been raised by her brother, who vehemently hated the hero, Trenton. I would have expected at least a little more distrust, even with the inexplicably psychic lady's maid pushing Ariana in the direction of trust. (The inexplicably psychic lady's maid combined with the magically appearing white owl for symbolism were two of the things that really rather put me off about the book.) Also, while I understood Trenton's bitterness and his need for revenge, it made it hard for me to sympathize with him as the hero, rather than simply as a character; I much preferred his brother.

The sex scenes, too, were rather uneven; some of them were fantastically hot, and then others sent my suspension of disbelief in an unanticipated swan-dive off a cliff. It became very strange to realize they were headed to bed again and to be unsure whether I should read it in hopes of well-written sex or skip ahead because I might start making too many faces of disbelief.

I realize that some of what I find off-putting about this book is in fact a function of romance convention, but I think I'm frustrated because I see where it could have been significantly better and didn't quite get there.

[Mojca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six years ago, supposedly for causing a woman to commit suicide, Trenton Kingsley, Duke of Broddington, has moved to his estate in the Isle of Wight, into self-imposed exile. Now, he's back, determined to forever ruin the man he deemed responsible for the ruination of his life, Baxter Caldwell, the brother of the dead woman. Trenton is willing to do anything to accomplish his revenge, even using Caldwell's younger sister, Ariana, as a pawn.

Ariana Caldwell has grown up on stories about Trenton Kingsley's ugly character, but even though she's supposed to fear him, she doesn't. There's something in him that draws her in, convincing her all he needs redemption for whatever happened six years ago, and she's willing to provide it.

But someone doesn't want Trenton to be happy and that someone is determined to accomplish what the incident in the past has obviously failed to do. Utterly ruin Trenton Kingsley, no matter what.


Oh, wow.

It might sound presumptuous, but hey, it's my review. This story was a psychological drama disguised as a romance. And it worked. All of it.

The characters were engaging and realistic, deeply-layered and nicely drawn and developed. The story progressed at a perfect pace for the relationship and romance to grow slowly and organically; as Trent and Ariana slowly grew to know each other so did the reader and it is from that knowledge (mostly through observation, since words can sometimes be deceiving) that the romance, no, love, blossomed.

What worked most was the ambiguity. Ariana was the guide in the story, and the reader knew as much as Ariana did. The reader shared her apprehension, her doubts, her reasoning, and her thinking process. Who is Trenton Kingsley? What drives him? Did he really have a hand in her sister's death? What is the truth? What is a lie? What is an illusion? Who to trust?
The truth is hidden for most of the story, so the apprehension, the doubts as to the hero's true nature and/or intentions are real. The wondering, whether he's capable of what he's accused of, is incessant, even though instinct dictates there's more to it that meets the eye.
And in the end, it takes both observation, instinct and truth from his lips (as trust is finally established) to put the fears and doubts to rest, and for a man to finally find redemption and love.

But of course, that's not the end of the story. There's also an evil villain, their unwitting accomplice, and a nefarious plot to ruin Trenton (and Ariana in the process) out of pure spite, might I add.
The psychological torture was exquisitely done, finding both intended targets with chilling precision.

Intense, intriguing, chilling and alluring, this story is definitely a keeper.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not even gonna lie, this was a fun read.

Trent is just the right amount of tortured hero to be enjoyable rather than incorrigible. It’s a thin line to walk and he walks it well. You understand his fear and frustration, as well as the angry bitterness and the loathing embedded deep within himself. You see all his wounds and his countless years of hurting early on and so it makes those rare glimpses of a genuine smile or the bursts of uncontained laughter and all his gentle moments mean that much more as the story progresses.

And Ariana, well quite honestly she’s magnificent. She’s smart and loyal, kind and strong. More than being able to speak her mind, she stands her ground. Makes her own choices, takes responsibility where it’s due, just completely unwilling to play puppet to anyone including her family. Too much of the time, the Heroine annoys me, simply for the weak-willed and frankly dumbass decisions she makes over the course of novel. But not this time. Ariana was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her.

I also loved Dustin and Theresa. They both have limited featured time but they make the most out of every word. Plus, it’s my understanding that Dustin has a book as well? Trust me when I say, I'm getting that immediately.

I also very much enjoyed Trent and Ariana's union. Yes, it was kind of insta-love but the rest took time. Learning how to trust each other, how to communicate, learning what the other wanted, liked, needed. It was a beautiful thing. Love, romance, that’s easy. Being able to give yourself so fully to another, treasuring what they offer back? Working through the messy rollercoaster, the stormy days until you find that clear sky? That’s the hard part. It also makes for THE BEST stories :)

As far as the rest of the story, the suspense and or mystery, yeah that was low key lacking. It was very much Historical Romance, not much anything else. Which, let's be honest, is fine with me. I do wish there was a little more suspense, but I wasn’t reading a thriller and so that’s to be expected.

In any case, I liked it very much and cannot wait to get my hands on its sequel!

[Live2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapter one has all the potential but the rest of them was a huge letdown. There was a lack of transition and consistency in the revenge and in the characters. The story was short of prominent angst and chemistry between the hero and heroine. I expected and anticipated high angst to make the revenge line possible and memorable but I was only left high and dried. I was disappointed.

Hero first came off as someone who has a dark aura and full of purpose; a disgraced man with the air of a pompous duke carrying a touch of mystery. As for the heroine undeniably young but enchantingly innocent and most charming...BUT, but, almost instantly we lost them. What we got of them in that first chapter soon dissolved and dissipated into the mist. Hero then became too simple, losing his total aura and intensity as he is now pretty much agenda-less. No longer mysterious as we got in his head too deep, and now we can see that he is really just a lost and hopeless dude. He’s so lost of what to do, so randomly he cooked up a new plan, one getting himself tied to one particular innocent lady. Which I don’t get it at all. How does that benefit him? Him or his enemy? For someone who has been plotting revenge for many years he was extremely tactless and unresouceful in his means. In fact, he was kind of nice and maybe too decent towards his enemies at times! He said that he has no plans to make the heroine suffer because she is an innocent party and as his duchess she can have anything she wants. Oh, what is the revenge here? Is it even for revenge? Heroine, on the other hand, then started to sound too innocent and naive, extremely biddable and boring! She puts up no resistance that wedding night.

Clearly, the major drawback and lack of any real angst was due to the swift changes in both characters and as we consume each of their individual POV, with everything written out in plain sight, it didn’t leave the reader with much doubts or suspense to his and her actions making the story rather boring. It is one of the less intriguing executions. Dnf.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I was compelled to finish this book after it languished in my "currently reading" pile a really long time, but the plot is rather obvious, and I doubt it would really grab anyone who wasn't trying to avoid work. The heroine of this book is interesting and sweet, but the hero is pretty cookie-cutter. I just don't like enemies-to-lovers stories much anymore. The romance was lovely and the bedroom scenes were steaming, but I just wouldn't read another of this author's books. I don't think she can surprise me.

[Kettyco · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Hubo cosas que no me gustaron. Por ejemplo, la edad de la chica 18 años, lo puedo aceptar en un libro adolescente, joven adulto, pero para un protagonista de 32, de temática adulta y romántico, mmm, paso;, ella con esa edad apenas sale de la adolescencia. Además, si a él lo enamoró su dulzura, inocencia, belleza y bondad, bien podría tener estas cualidades teniendo 20 o 22 años. Como entretenimiento estuvo bien, los diálogos los sentí algo ambiguos, pudo ser por la traducción quizá, pues tuve que leer unos párrafos para entender de qué iban.

[Alyssa Thomas]

This is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen for a romance novel! Just bought this on Amazon from a used book retailer and I really hope this is the edition that arrives! It was $6 after shipping and tax so I really couldn't say no....

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well-written, even if a little too flowery at times. I loved the main characters, especially Ariana and her loyalty and clearheadedness, and the dramatic story.

[Melyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully well crafted story. Karma with a happy ending. I love it! The hot factor was high but definitely added to the story. Loved the mystery, even though I guessed it from the beginning.

[Tin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. Many thanks to Caroline of Open Road Media for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.

The enmity between the Kingsleys and the Caldwells started six years ago when Trenton Kingsley made the mistake of falling in love with Vanessa Caldwell. When Vanessa died mysteriously, all fingers pointed to Trenton -- and his family's reputation suffered a terrible blow, despite Trenton's insistence of his innocence. The ruination of their good name led to his father's decline and eventual death -- and Trenton's exile.

He has returned to Sussex to confront the man who was responsible for the Kingsley's ruin: Baxter Caldwell. Trenton's plan of revenge is simple but he does not count on fate intervening in the form of Ariana Caldwell, the youngest and the only innocent in that family.

Ariana was too young to understand the anger and confusion that happened all those years ago. She never met the man who caused her sister's death. When she finally meets Trenton Kingsley, she doesn't meet her as an enemy but as a man who saves her in her family's maze on a foggy, starless night -- and she feels a searing interest in this stranger. When Trenton reveals his identity, Ariana is confused: how could this man who showed her such gentleness be responsible for such sadness in her family?

Trenton cannot figure out his own attraction to Ariana. Her resemblance to Vanessa is uncanny -- but it is Ariana's purity that draws him to her. But what of revenge? A chance encounter with Queen Victoria gives Trenton the opportunity to deliver a killing blow: ruin the sister, ruin the family.

When a royal edict arrives, commanding Ariana to marry Trenton Kingsley, a gamut of emotions run through her: trepidation, fear ... but also excitement. Blood and loyalty compels her to take her brother's side -- but there is a small part of Ariana that doubts the story of Vanessa's death.

Marriage to his sister's enemy isn't what Trenton expected. He tries to maintain a distance from his wife but he cannot help but be undone by her passionate response to him.

I had difficulty thinking of where to start while I write my thoughts on Echoes in the Mist. When I found out that Andrea Kane's historical backlist was being re-published by Open Road Media, I immediately took a look at the titles. I didn't read Kane in the 90s because I was limited to a student's book allowance but I had heard of her even then. When the publisher gave me the opportunity to review one of Kane's books, I asked for a recommendation and they suggested Echoes in the Mist.

I read it and enjoyed it. And slept very late finishing the book. It's amazing that this book was originally published in 1994 and is almost twenty years old and has stood the test of time. This is testament to Andrea Kane's skill as a writer and storyteller.

The plot is a bit complicated:
The story begins with a revenge plan.
Then it gets complicated a little bit when the hero falls in lust (?) with his enemy's younger sister.
Then they get married and discover a wonderful physical compatibility.
But the hero is still intent on pursuing his revenge. What about his lovely wife who is caught in the middle?
Our hero's nemesis also has plans against the hero.
Then Kane introduces a very curious twist. And our hero thinks he is mad.
The heroine tries to help the hero and discovers very awful things about her own family and is held captive by them.
Then the hero rescues the heroine and all is resolved.

It all seems like a tangle but the book reads very well and everything is presented clearly and settled nicely in the end.

What I thought was odd was the white owl, Ariana's maid, Theresa (who loved to quote Sir Francis Bacon) and Dustin Kingsley -- not quite deus ex machina -- but these three characters functioned as support for the hero and heroine. Always ready with advice and a shoulder to cry on: Theresa's near omniscience about the Caldwells didn't settle well with me. I understand that the owl is supposed to foreshadow the role Trenton would play in Ariana's life and Dustin was supposed to be "the voice of reason" but it all felt too convenient. Would Ariana and Trenton's relationship have worked out without their interference? I think, yes, though it might have taken them longer to realize it. I realize that the author needed to use some plot device to move the story forward and it all works out in the end.

This is not a perfect story but, as a whole, it was very good and very enjoyable.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this has every romance cliche in the book. Bitter and angry with the Caldwell family (particularly older brother Baxter and the six-years deceased sister Vanessa) and seeking vengeance, Trenton Kingsley finds the perfect revenge when he stumbles upon the youngest sister of his nemesis and forces her to marry him. Baxter and youngest sister Ariana are none too happy, as this is the man who they believe killed their sister Vanessa. But marry she must...and so she joins his household with her psychic maid.

Ariana is pretty "Marysue" - she radiates innocence and sunshine and melts away Trenton's bitterness. She even cuddles up and cares for small, fluffy animals. She isn't really all that bothered that Trenton hates her family (and thus her) and she is determined to heal him. And of course she is guided by her trusty psychic maid...who just hints at things. And we're constantly reminded of how she's psychic. Since we might forget or miss out on the significance of what she's just said. Trenton is intense. He's so angry that everyone believes he murdered Vanessa, but apparently doesn't see the value in telling his side of the story. Even when Ariana begs him to tell her what happened, he simply won't. And then he gets all upset that she's terrified of him - like really, cowering and shaking and pale. And understandably...he apparently goes into rages of jealousy at the beginning gets quite irrational. Yet all the while Ariana is just quaking with lust. She thinks he murdered her sister and is petrified he's going to kill her when he takes her to his other, isolated home, yet she just can't wait to get his clothes off.

And yet for all of its cliches and completely unrealistic behavior, I actually liked it. It was paced really well and entertaining, plenty of angst to keep me going. It's not quality literature by any means, but I could see myself reading it again.

[Amy Young-Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a website based upon other books I’ve read. While it contained romance and a mystery, two things I do indeed enjoy, it was really far from my normal read.

The book begins with a bitter man, Trenton, who is determined to ruin a family and do whatever it takes to have vengeance. Ariana is a part of that family, although she was too young for him to know it once he started hating them. I don’t consider this a spoiler because it happens in the very beginning, but Trenton finds out Ariana is part of the Caldwell family he despises so much and convinces the queen to write a royal edict demanding that Ariana marry Trenton, his way of taking everything from her brother who he hates.

So, that’s kind of where I began disliking the book. It is highly unlikely that this would occur. Not only that, but Ariana grew up under her brothers care, and her brother hates Trenton. Within the first day of their marriage, Ariana is trusting to him and kind and falls in love with him less than a month in. I really think that if you were raised hearing that this man caused your sister’s death, you wouldn’t trust and fall in love with him right away.

She’s too naive and too trusting in my opinion, almost to a fault. The author made these characters have extremely one sided personalities except for Trenton; he changes dramatically throughout the book, a little too quickly really.

Also, in the beginning of the book there are quite erotic scenes, starting at the wedding night and happening quite often. The last half doesn’t have nearly as many.

But, once you accept that it is far-fetched and written kind of as a guilty pleasure, it really isn’t that bad. The storyline is actually quite good and there is a twist at the end that you wouldn’t have seen coming.

I’m giving this book a 2/5. I believe it was a pretty good book but only as a “guilty pleasure” read.

[Crista · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Andrea Kane novel was My Heart's Desire which was absolutely perfect in every way. I read it in a day and then reread it immediately. If you haven't read it.....you must! Then I read Samantha which is the sequel, and disliked it so much that I didn't even finish it (a real rarity for me)! Who was this author, and how could she have penned such perfection with My Heart's Desire and such a dud with Samantha? I didn't know if I should even chance Echoes in the Mist. I'm glad I took the chance!

This book, although not quite as good as My Heart's Desire, was very special. The thing I appreciate about the heroines of Ms. Kane's books is their honesty and lack of game playing. Arianna is no exception to this rule.

Arianna and Trenton are married by edict of the queen at Trenton's request. He is not marrying her for love, but instead for revenge. Arianna at first resists the union, but when it is inevitable, she puts her whole heart and soul into the marriage. HOW REFRESHING! She falls in love with her husband very quickly and never tries to hide this from him. HOW REFRESHING! Trenton is very jaded and out for revenge against Arianna's family, but Arianna slowly softens his heart towards revenge as he learns that the promise of love is so much sweeter that the price of hate. HOW REFRESHING!

The use of the owl in this book is absolutely beautiful (read to find out the significance!) and a host of secondary characters (Dustin, Trenton's younger brother and Theresa, Arianna's mentor) both provide heart and depth to the story.

The mystery is present but doesn't outshine the romance. This is one that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend highly.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esse livro foi uma releitura muito aguardada por mim, visto que na primeira vz que li eu simplesmente amei, e na releitura continuo gostando porÉm com algumas ressalvas.

O romance é bom, o casal têm química, os mocinhos se acertam rápido e o melhor, o mocinho Trenton não fica naquela paranóia de humilhar a Ariana o livro inteiro por erros que não são dela. O mocinho mesmo com uma aurea forte de 'macho alpha', mostra certos momentos de fragilidade que me deixavam muito soft, e seu amor (recíproco) pela mocinha era muito terno.
A mocinha É uma graça, doce, bondosa, amorosa e compreensível, na verdade compreensível até demais, me irritou em vários momentos sua confiança na família mesmo tudo apontando que eles eram o errado da história.
O livro têm algumas partes um pouco mornas, mas na reta final dá uma reavivada com o ressurgimento de uma personagem, e confesso que foi a melhor parte do livro, aquela tensão e mistério no ar, porém não fiquei 100% satisfeita com o desfecho dessa situação em si, esperava mais.
Enfim, É um romance muito bom, peca em poucas cenas, têm uma aurea de mistério ótima, vilões muito bons, e o desfecho poderia ser melhor.
O próximo livro da série É do Dustin, irmão do protagonista. Apesar de ter achado ele fofo, pela sinopse e pelas resenhas do seu livro, não pretendo ler...

[Christina, but with tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this when I was younger and loved it. Now I'm older I find it doesn't have the same appeal. It's still a very decent story but some things bothered me this time round. The eye colors, for one. Cobalt? Fiery cobalt no less? Why not say blue now and again instead of cobalt every few paragraphs? The owl was a bit silly. Was that really a necessary addition? I know these are small, nit-picky things, but they really did detract from my overall enjoyment because I kept getting pushed out of the story to think "Really?" One not so small thing was Ariana's character. I know she was supposed to be conflicted about her feelings and the past, but she seemed too much like a yo-yo. She was afraid and confused one moment, then jumping into bed the next, forgetting that she'd very recently been trembling in fear of her husband during an argument. The resolution there seemed forced to me, as if things were skipped over for the sake of getting the hero and heroine into bed again. The characterization, I guess you could say, stumbled a bit there. Still, it was nice to revisit these characters after so long. I wish I could have loved them and their story as well as I did when I first read it years ago.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I finished it - which for me and a Kane book is quite an accomplishment. It’s been a while since I’ve had an author that rubbed me the wrong way quite so much as Ms. Kane (and I’m not even sure I can explain why) but I made it through and wasn’t even tempted to DNF>

Ariana’s a beautiful young woman with her head in the clouds. Attending what should have been her brother’s engagement announcement, she sees an owl and follows him into the woods, ending up lost in a maze. A beautiful dark stranger rescues her. She mysteriously feel drawn to him.

Turns out it, the man is her family’s sworn enemy Lord Kingsley who’d been attempting to slip into the party to force the engagement to an abrupt end in vengeance for Lord Covington (Ariana’s brother) causing family tragedy years ago. Of course, Lord Kinglsey had caused their sister’s death by murder or suicide, so it’s all samesies, right?

Over the top! Yikes

I could go on, but I won't. There's suspense and I did enjoy the writing style generally. If you like Andrea Kane you'll probably love it, but if not it may not make you a fan.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unbelievable, silly. *Minor Spoilers*

It seems to me that when you have fictional characters interact with historical characters, especially those that are well known like Queen Victoria, they should do so in reasonably believable and realistic ways. Unfortunately, I find it highly unlikely that Queen Victoria would issue a royal edict requiring one of her subjects to marry another of her subjects. Such was the device used to bring the Hero, Trenton and heroine, Arianna together and that caused me to read the remainder of the novel with a raised eyebrow of skepticism.

Beyond the silly marriage edict, the remainder of the novel is a plodding, repetitive and overwrought mess. The author treats us to a prescient ladies maid, a convenient white owl, a not-terribly-bright hero and a unbelievably accepting heroine. You'll likely figure out the BIG PLOT TWIST well in advance of its reveal and, if you're like me find the final resolution overwrought and saccharin.

Bottom line: I finished, but am not sure why.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book half a dozen times over the years and it's one that I always enjoy. Kane crafted well-developed characters and an intriguing story. Ariana is young but mature, and struggles with her feelings for her new husband as well as her love and duty to family. Trenton is older and disillusioned, but at the same time can't help being entranced by Ariana's innocence and naivete. And we can't forget Ariana's servent, Therese--whose vision and wisdom help Ariana find her way--and Dustin, Trenton's brother who offers support to both Ariana and Trenton (and gets his own well-deserved story in the sequel!). Even knowing the ending doesn't take away from the journey in this one as Ariana pushes to find the truth about the past and about the present, while Trenton fights his own demons and fears he is sliding into insanity.

[Judi Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very well written with characters that seemed quite real. At first I thought Ariana might be a bit of a "goody two shoes", but after her sunrise discussion with her brother, I thought much more highly of her. I was very happy to see she had a backbone once she realized the truth of the situation. Though I expected more of a fight from her adversaries than she got. After all their cloak and dagger charades, they seemed to give up too easily. But it's a love story, not a thriller. Now, I'm going on to read the next book in the series about Trent's brother, Dustin. I want to find out if this is an author to follow.

[Shefa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book, everything develops nicely, if not perfectly. But there's one thing that bothers me a bit. The heroin repeat this too many times;
"..Don't shut me out, I love you.."
I mean, that's sweet and all, but really, is it necessary to repeat it every time she wants the hero to cooperate? It does sound like she's blackmailing him. I love you, so now you owe me everything. Did he asked to be loved? LOL. I'm raving.
But don't make this stop you from reading. It really is a nice book! Bordering awesome, even~

[Shasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of drama and extreme emotions. It kept me reading to the end and I cared what happened to the main characters. I liked that they kept their intimacy within their marriage.

I like my genres clearly defined and this crossed a line for me. The side character with the sight threw me--her advice ends up being trust your instincts--how is that a vision? Is this a paranormal historical romance? Also, there is an animal that appears as a sign throughout the book which I thought was silly and damaging to the believability of the story.

Mature content including oral sex

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read most of Andrea Kane's recent novels, I can see how she's become such a great suspense writer. Even when she was writing historical romance novels in the early 90s, her books had bite and suspense. I was blown away by this book. I thought I knew what was going on, but the last 100 pages took the book in a completely different direction. If you've enjoyed her books like "The Scent of Danger" and "No Way Out", I'd recommend that you pick this one up as well.

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been a four start if there had been less sensual scenes. Do you really have to describe the wedding night in detail? The writing was good, the plot was good, the editing was not good.

[meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't as bad as it could be--perhaps a little cheesy, but in a good way. The characters were not as unbelievable as some I've read, and the plot was an important enough part that it did seem somewhat developed well.