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Bella
Bella McBride and her timid sister Lally had been innocently caught in a notorious scandal that shook all of Victorian England. Orphaned and poor they were forced to seek their fortunes in London, but instead had sadly fallen into the clutches of an infamous pair …who turned out to be criminals engaged in the exploitation of young women! ... more »
Guy Raven, a dynamic politician saved them from that fate, and took the two girls in. To retrieve his own reputation, he proposed marriage to Bella.
Even though Bella and Lally were now ladies of fashion living in a spacious country home called Ravenscroft and Bella was expecting her first child, things were still not “right.” Every room of the manor … and indeed Guy himself … was haunted by the memory of Guy’s first wife … but worst of all, the criminals who had tormented Bella and had been exposed by Guy … now lay diabolical plans for revenge…
Guy Raven, a dynamic politician saved them from that fate, and took the two girls in. To retrieve his own reputation, he proposed marriage to Bella.
Even though Bella and Lally were now ladies of fashion living in a spacious country home called Ravenscroft and Bella was expecting her first child, things were still not “right.” Every room of the manor … and indeed Guy himself … was haunted by the memory of Guy’s first wife … but worst of all, the criminals who had tormented Bella and had been exposed by Guy … now lay diabolical plans for revenge…
253 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1964
92 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Eden
93 books164 followersAka Mary Paradise.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 23, 2015
This might have been a good read if it was written by someone else -- or if the heroine hadn't been such a scalding moo, the hero hadn't been dragging such obnoxious Dead Spouse Baggage, & the plot had proceeded on a more even keel. At least this particular Eden had something of a story arc. But the main characters all made my teeth grind -- some being shrill twats, others being dumb as stumps, & still others standing around grinning or wringing their hands to show how unreasonably awful and/or idiotic the MCs could be.
As I said, it could've been a decent rom suspense in the hands of a better author. But Eden prefers to harp on chaperones & pound readers over the head with Social Commentary rather than create steady tension or rounded personages.
2.5 stars. Readable, & not the worst Eden I've tried. But not very good.
As I said, it could've been a decent rom suspense in the hands of a better author. But Eden prefers to harp on chaperones & pound readers over the head with Social Commentary rather than create steady tension or rounded personages.
2.5 stars. Readable, & not the worst Eden I've tried. But not very good.
February 3, 2016
When I was in junior high school I started reading gothic romance novels by Victoria Holt, Dorothy Eden, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis A. Whitney. I don't remember how far into high school I continued reading them, other than "The Moon-spinners" (which I still own!). But I loved this genre. It satisfied a romantic longing in me even though I knew the relationships depicted were not realistic. That wasn't the point. The point was to be swept along in the predictable romance and danger of the brooding sensual hero and the plucky heroine.
This popsugar-dot-com challenge was to read "a book you haven't read since high school." I downloaded "Ravenscroft" onto my Nook and immediately fell into the familiar story. I remembered the plot vividly. I remembered the mystery and passion. (One wedding night encounter, and Bella is pregnant! Beware, girls, this too could happen to you!)
But what really pleased and touched me was the sub-plot of Guy's political crusade against the Dickensian squalor and despair of lower class living conditions, a stark contrast to the rich glamour of London high society of the 1850s. As a young teenager I read "Ravenscroft" many times, and now I see why: It captured both my desire for fantasy romance *and* my budding passion for social issues and political justice.
This popsugar-dot-com challenge was to read "a book you haven't read since high school." I downloaded "Ravenscroft" onto my Nook and immediately fell into the familiar story. I remembered the plot vividly. I remembered the mystery and passion. (One wedding night encounter, and Bella is pregnant! Beware, girls, this too could happen to you!)
But what really pleased and touched me was the sub-plot of Guy's political crusade against the Dickensian squalor and despair of lower class living conditions, a stark contrast to the rich glamour of London high society of the 1850s. As a young teenager I read "Ravenscroft" many times, and now I see why: It captured both my desire for fantasy romance *and* my budding passion for social issues and political justice.
July 28, 2024
4 and 1/2 Stars! Mystery, Suspense and a bit of Romance
I am a huge fan of Dorothy Eden. One of the things she does really well is the emotion between the characters. Set in Victorian England, this is the story of Bella McBride and her sister Lally, who find themselves without family or funds. In London on their own, a seemingly kind older woman, they have no idea they are about to be sold into slavery or worse. However, they are rescued offers them shelter. Soon they discover the woman and her son are horrible and holding them captive for some nefarious purpose. Bella shouts for help out an open window and the handsome Guy Raven, a wealthy politician, comes to their aid.
Guy is still in love with his dead wife but he decides to marry Bella anyway to save the girls’ reputations. Their delayed wedding night is nothing to write home about and he soon tells Bella he will never love and leaves Bella and her sister in his country home as he returns to London.
Expecting his child, Bella and Lally experience a foreboding as concerns the criminals who had tormented them and were exposed by Guy. They are soon to be released from prison and Bella fears they will take revenge. The way it happened kept me guessing.
Several engaging secondary characters add depth to the story which kept me turning pages. I recommend it for intrigue and suspense. You will have to judge yourself as to whether Guy comes around at the end.
I am a huge fan of Dorothy Eden. One of the things she does really well is the emotion between the characters. Set in Victorian England, this is the story of Bella McBride and her sister Lally, who find themselves without family or funds. In London on their own, a seemingly kind older woman, they have no idea they are about to be sold into slavery or worse. However, they are rescued offers them shelter. Soon they discover the woman and her son are horrible and holding them captive for some nefarious purpose. Bella shouts for help out an open window and the handsome Guy Raven, a wealthy politician, comes to their aid.
Guy is still in love with his dead wife but he decides to marry Bella anyway to save the girls’ reputations. Their delayed wedding night is nothing to write home about and he soon tells Bella he will never love and leaves Bella and her sister in his country home as he returns to London.
Expecting his child, Bella and Lally experience a foreboding as concerns the criminals who had tormented them and were exposed by Guy. They are soon to be released from prison and Bella fears they will take revenge. The way it happened kept me guessing.
Several engaging secondary characters add depth to the story which kept me turning pages. I recommend it for intrigue and suspense. You will have to judge yourself as to whether Guy comes around at the end.
Want to read
June 28, 2021Our Facebook Gothic reads book club is reading and discussing this late July. Join us! I have decided to step up and co-lead. Nervous? But really excited too!
October 23, 2017
After reading three of her books, Dorothy Eden is now a favorite. She doesn't shy away from the dark side of life, but does it without being graphic. Lots of creeping dread.
One thing I enjoy about Gothics is that you don't have to love/like the main characters but you still worry over them. And Guy Raven has to be a close to perfect name for a man in a book like this.
One thing I enjoy about Gothics is that you don't have to love/like the main characters but you still worry over them. And Guy Raven has to be a close to perfect name for a man in a book like this.
June 26, 2025
I love it! I thought the plight of the heroin and the way she interacted with the hero was fascinating.
I thought about all that all of the hardships these women had to go through simply to exist.
I thought it was fascinating.
I thought about all that all of the hardships these women had to go through simply to exist.
I thought it was fascinating.
August 17, 2011
This book is a worthwhile read for gothic suspense lovers...although you will probably have problems with it throughout, as i did, (not wanting to give any spoilers away, I will not go into detail) I found myself thinking "if only she had done this here" or "it would have been better if"...and especially the ending...If those things had been improved upon I would have loved this book...it had so many things going for it that I look for in a great read, but in the end, i was left unsatisfied, so I had to lower the score considerably. I will read more of Dorothy Eden's books, though, hoping to find the perfect gothic for my growing collection!
February 18, 2018
After about 100 pages in I started getting a nauseated feeling in my stomach and was unable to continue reading without skipping ahead. The book was so much better before Guy Raven entered the picture.
I wasn't a fan of Bella to begin with, but after she finagled her way into getting Guy to propose to her instead of Lally, my dislike became even stronger. I can't say I cared for Lally either, all she did was cry, faint, and burst into hysterics.
You already knew where the story was headed as soon as Guy announced he would have to marry one of the sisters, but it would be a loveless marriage, as he would never love another woman other than his former wife.
I wasn't a fan of Bella to begin with, but after she finagled her way into getting Guy to propose to her instead of Lally, my dislike became even stronger. I can't say I cared for Lally either, all she did was cry, faint, and burst into hysterics.
You already knew where the story was headed as soon as Guy announced he would have to marry one of the sisters, but it would be a loveless marriage, as he would never love another woman other than his former wife.
July 18, 2021
This is not a serious review and will definitely have spoilers, because a reveal comes several chapters in and a lot of the rest of the plot is based on the reveal.
I read Ravenscroft in a few hours and initially rated it 4 stars, but I’m coming back less than a day later and changing it to 3. It’s very rare that I feel divided on a rating, but if I could, I’d rate this 3.5. On one hand, it’s propulsively readable: there aren’t a lot of books I want to finish in a single sitting, but this was one. It’s a smooth snack. On the other, well… I wish that Eden had spent a little more time developing a few things outside of the plot. The characters and situations are very clearly drawn, but the relentless forward motion of the plot means that the characterization isn’t as subtle or as detailed as it might be. With a few tweaks, this easily could have been a four-star suspense novel.
And it is a suspense novel, more than a gothic, IMO. There is a country house in the book, but it turns out to be light and beautiful. It hasn’t been in the family more than a few generations, and there’s no Raven Family Curse.
This is a book about two destitute sisters in their late teens who come to London for work in 1855 and are almost immediately set upon by sex traffickers. The protagonist, Bella, is the younger of the two, but she has a stronger personality and more mental stability than her sister, Lally. They meet a “helpful” and “motherly” woman on their journey, who offers them a temporary place to stay and assistance finding work, all out of the goodness of her heart! But what seems too good to be true is: the woman (Mrs Proudfoot) and her son (Noah) lure in young women, drug them, and traffic them to Asia. This encounter, and the sisters’ escape from it, is the inciting incident of the story, and the majority of its “gothic” aspect.
Bella is observant, and her gut feeling that something is wrong is what enables her escape. She’s able to scream for help at a pivotal and convenient moment, and she and Lally are saved by Guy Raven, a recent widower who has become interested in politics after a couple of years of trying to drown his sorrows in wine and women. Guy is depicted as a decent, emotionally unavailable man who has no wish to remarry. His pet political issue is improving the lives of England’s urban poor. He offers a home to the two women while the case of the people who preyed on them goes to trial; he somewhat naively expects that this will not negatively affect his political career or the sisters’ reputations.
It temporarily ruins both, particularly when the tabloid press becomes involved, and he quickly realizes that marrying one of the sisters is the only way to salvage the situation. He prefers Lally, claiming that it’s because she’s older, but more likely because she reminds him of his late wife; however, Lally’s anxious personality makes her a poor candidate, and feisty, determined Bella offers herself instead.
You’ve read the romance plot before in almost any historical romance of the last 35 years. It’s not totally dissimilar to, say, *The Duke and I* (the basis for the first season of *Bridgerton*) — except that *The Duke and I* has much darker and more drawn-out relationship drama. Guy intends for the marriage to be in name only and to merely financially support the sisters for the rest of their lives. Bella refuses to leave it at that, is soon pregnant from a single unromantic consensual encounter, then spends months thinking that her husband hates her and wishing she could turn the marriage around. But there’s no deep-seeded psychological reason for Guy’s behavior other than that he’s not finished grieving his late wife and their child and unsure of his feelings for Bella.
Meanwhile, because so little can be proved, Mrs Proudfoot and Noah are to be released from prison a few months after the baby’s expected arrival… and in the courtroom, Noah has loudly vowed revenge on Guy and Bella.
So the suspense plot of the book, and its gothic angle, really comes from the sisters fearing the Proudfoot crew. Lally becomes gently insane; Bella remains pragmatic, but fears for her child’s safety and wants her husband’s love. There is cause for alarm: the criminal gang slowly infiltrates the Raven household. Bella suspects that something is up, but can’t put it all together. The only point where there’s a more traditional gothic plot is when one of the plants in the household tries to seduce Guy, and there’s a fairly brief amount of time when Bella fears that he returns the woman’s interest and wants her to die so he’s free to marry. The idea that the home is “haunted” by his dead wife’s memory is probably intended only to sell the book as more of a gothic than it really is: the marriage had been short, there is one reference to Caroline’s tomb in the chapel, and there is a room that Bella doesn’t like and which Guy is resistant to changing. Bella redecorates it after a few months, both because she dislikes it and because she thinks the makeover will get his attention, and he gets over it quickly. The whole idea that Caroline’s memory is omnipresent at Ravenscroft is dispensed with so quickly and with such a minimum of drama that it is plausible that Eden was poking fun at that conventions of the genre.
Here’s where we get to my issue with the book, and what caused me to come back and drop my review down a star. “Bella” is an alternate title of this book, and I think it offers a clear, sharp picture of each of its characters… but sometimes it recedes too much from Bella. Her fears about Guy and Clara, one of the Proudfoot plants, don’t really last long enough and aren’t drawn out suspensefully at all, and beyond that, Bella has already been established as so headstrong and pragmatic that it might not be believable if they were. She refuses to be the typical heroine of this kind of book, who is usually consumed with emotional doubts, no matter how smart and perceptive she is about other matters. Bella is more prone to being confrontational than afraid.
Bella always has accurate gut feelings, and they kind of spoil the plot. Is there an addition to the household that she doesn’t quite like or trust? Maybe some kind of domestic worker whose references aren’t perfect? Surprise, they’re a Proudfoot plant. On one hand, people did repeatedly start new lives in this era simply by lying about their identities and circumstances (for example, lots and lots of married couples weren’t married at all), but it was less common at this level of society. On the other, it kind of beggars belief that, under the circumstances, Guy isn’t insistently scrupulous about looking into the backgrounds and references of these characters. They wind up with a housekeeper and a nurse/companion for Lally who are both closely tied to the Proudfoots. Other new servants are engaged around the same time who Bella likes and trusts… and surprise! They’re not Proudfoot plants.
So, to me, this was SO CLOSE to being a four-star book of its kind (an important distinction), and what kept it from that was the pace of events during Bella’s pregnancy (a time when it would have been easy to delve into her thoughts and fears and truly build suspense around her doubts about her relationship with Guy), and Bella’s gut feelings essentially being spoilers. In terms of its tone and how it’s written, I’d compare it more to Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth (a 1930s mystery novel) than to, say, pretty much anything by Victoria Holt, a novelist Eden is compared to a lot because they were both popular writers in the same post-Rebecca publishing boom.
It’s a lot of fun, but it’s pretty easy to see how it could have been slightly improved. Recommended on the basis of how readable and addictive it is, but only if you like this kind of thing already.
I read Ravenscroft in a few hours and initially rated it 4 stars, but I’m coming back less than a day later and changing it to 3. It’s very rare that I feel divided on a rating, but if I could, I’d rate this 3.5. On one hand, it’s propulsively readable: there aren’t a lot of books I want to finish in a single sitting, but this was one. It’s a smooth snack. On the other, well… I wish that Eden had spent a little more time developing a few things outside of the plot. The characters and situations are very clearly drawn, but the relentless forward motion of the plot means that the characterization isn’t as subtle or as detailed as it might be. With a few tweaks, this easily could have been a four-star suspense novel.
And it is a suspense novel, more than a gothic, IMO. There is a country house in the book, but it turns out to be light and beautiful. It hasn’t been in the family more than a few generations, and there’s no Raven Family Curse.
This is a book about two destitute sisters in their late teens who come to London for work in 1855 and are almost immediately set upon by sex traffickers. The protagonist, Bella, is the younger of the two, but she has a stronger personality and more mental stability than her sister, Lally. They meet a “helpful” and “motherly” woman on their journey, who offers them a temporary place to stay and assistance finding work, all out of the goodness of her heart! But what seems too good to be true is: the woman (Mrs Proudfoot) and her son (Noah) lure in young women, drug them, and traffic them to Asia. This encounter, and the sisters’ escape from it, is the inciting incident of the story, and the majority of its “gothic” aspect.
Bella is observant, and her gut feeling that something is wrong is what enables her escape. She’s able to scream for help at a pivotal and convenient moment, and she and Lally are saved by Guy Raven, a recent widower who has become interested in politics after a couple of years of trying to drown his sorrows in wine and women. Guy is depicted as a decent, emotionally unavailable man who has no wish to remarry. His pet political issue is improving the lives of England’s urban poor. He offers a home to the two women while the case of the people who preyed on them goes to trial; he somewhat naively expects that this will not negatively affect his political career or the sisters’ reputations.
It temporarily ruins both, particularly when the tabloid press becomes involved, and he quickly realizes that marrying one of the sisters is the only way to salvage the situation. He prefers Lally, claiming that it’s because she’s older, but more likely because she reminds him of his late wife; however, Lally’s anxious personality makes her a poor candidate, and feisty, determined Bella offers herself instead.
You’ve read the romance plot before in almost any historical romance of the last 35 years. It’s not totally dissimilar to, say, *The Duke and I* (the basis for the first season of *Bridgerton*) — except that *The Duke and I* has much darker and more drawn-out relationship drama. Guy intends for the marriage to be in name only and to merely financially support the sisters for the rest of their lives. Bella refuses to leave it at that, is soon pregnant from a single unromantic consensual encounter, then spends months thinking that her husband hates her and wishing she could turn the marriage around. But there’s no deep-seeded psychological reason for Guy’s behavior other than that he’s not finished grieving his late wife and their child and unsure of his feelings for Bella.
Meanwhile, because so little can be proved, Mrs Proudfoot and Noah are to be released from prison a few months after the baby’s expected arrival… and in the courtroom, Noah has loudly vowed revenge on Guy and Bella.
So the suspense plot of the book, and its gothic angle, really comes from the sisters fearing the Proudfoot crew. Lally becomes gently insane; Bella remains pragmatic, but fears for her child’s safety and wants her husband’s love. There is cause for alarm: the criminal gang slowly infiltrates the Raven household. Bella suspects that something is up, but can’t put it all together. The only point where there’s a more traditional gothic plot is when one of the plants in the household tries to seduce Guy, and there’s a fairly brief amount of time when Bella fears that he returns the woman’s interest and wants her to die so he’s free to marry. The idea that the home is “haunted” by his dead wife’s memory is probably intended only to sell the book as more of a gothic than it really is: the marriage had been short, there is one reference to Caroline’s tomb in the chapel, and there is a room that Bella doesn’t like and which Guy is resistant to changing. Bella redecorates it after a few months, both because she dislikes it and because she thinks the makeover will get his attention, and he gets over it quickly. The whole idea that Caroline’s memory is omnipresent at Ravenscroft is dispensed with so quickly and with such a minimum of drama that it is plausible that Eden was poking fun at that conventions of the genre.
Here’s where we get to my issue with the book, and what caused me to come back and drop my review down a star. “Bella” is an alternate title of this book, and I think it offers a clear, sharp picture of each of its characters… but sometimes it recedes too much from Bella. Her fears about Guy and Clara, one of the Proudfoot plants, don’t really last long enough and aren’t drawn out suspensefully at all, and beyond that, Bella has already been established as so headstrong and pragmatic that it might not be believable if they were. She refuses to be the typical heroine of this kind of book, who is usually consumed with emotional doubts, no matter how smart and perceptive she is about other matters. Bella is more prone to being confrontational than afraid.
Bella always has accurate gut feelings, and they kind of spoil the plot. Is there an addition to the household that she doesn’t quite like or trust? Maybe some kind of domestic worker whose references aren’t perfect? Surprise, they’re a Proudfoot plant. On one hand, people did repeatedly start new lives in this era simply by lying about their identities and circumstances (for example, lots and lots of married couples weren’t married at all), but it was less common at this level of society. On the other, it kind of beggars belief that, under the circumstances, Guy isn’t insistently scrupulous about looking into the backgrounds and references of these characters. They wind up with a housekeeper and a nurse/companion for Lally who are both closely tied to the Proudfoots. Other new servants are engaged around the same time who Bella likes and trusts… and surprise! They’re not Proudfoot plants.
So, to me, this was SO CLOSE to being a four-star book of its kind (an important distinction), and what kept it from that was the pace of events during Bella’s pregnancy (a time when it would have been easy to delve into her thoughts and fears and truly build suspense around her doubts about her relationship with Guy), and Bella’s gut feelings essentially being spoilers. In terms of its tone and how it’s written, I’d compare it more to Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth (a 1930s mystery novel) than to, say, pretty much anything by Victoria Holt, a novelist Eden is compared to a lot because they were both popular writers in the same post-Rebecca publishing boom.
It’s a lot of fun, but it’s pretty easy to see how it could have been slightly improved. Recommended on the basis of how readable and addictive it is, but only if you like this kind of thing already.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 18, 2016The beginning of this book was very good. However, I stopped reading when the story started to get bogged down. From what I remember, this is not the first book of hers I've put aside for the same reason. I'm beginning to think that this author is not for me. Unfortunately, I think I have quite a few more left in my TBR pile!
May 3, 2010
I got to the bit where the heroine is raped by her husband and went "okay, enough of this" since they end up a happy loving couple by the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2013
Dislikeable characters and the marriage starts with rape. I won't even bother to finish reading this.
August 10, 2017
Kindle Unlimited.
Entertaining gothic romance in the tradition of Victoria Holt & Phyllis Whitney.
Entertaining gothic romance in the tradition of Victoria Holt & Phyllis Whitney.
November 26, 2025
💀 Gothic thriller
👭 Sibling bond
🔥 Slow burn romance
❤️🔥 Enemies to Lovers
📖 Vintage
I picked this up at Half Price for 5 bucks because of the very cool cover and slightly deceptive marketing of an "evil" stalking the main character- but Ravenscroft isnt a supernatural horror- its more of a character and family story with some low burn enemies to lovers and a weird duo of villains.
Ravenscroft follows Bella and Lally, a pair of sisters left with nothing after their father passes. The two end up in the London slums taken in by what appears to be a kindly woman and her son. They soon find these two have a nefarious fate for them, and are saved by Guy- a politician and local rich dude.
Theres two acts to the story of equal relevance. The first half being the mystery of the boarding situation the girls find themselves in. The second is the aftermath, and the surprisingly controversy and drama created when Guy saves these women and the terrible things that happen even after they are "safe".
I was genuinely surprised about some of the dark themes touched on in this. Gothic horror was known for this of course, but this wasn't an iconic piece of horror, Ravenscroft is the kind of novel a 1950's housewife would be reading after the housework is done- but boy is it dark at times.
The little novel also touches on a lot of issues relevant to the day despite actually being a period piece at the time of writing. The girls end up in more danger due to scandal. Bella, the more outspoken of the two, is constantly challenging gender norms of how a woman "should" behave, and Lally is her traumatized sister who is basically thrown to the wolves socially for being "crazy". Themes of marriage to avoid scandal, loss of identity in marriage, and the weak position a woman ends up in when the men in her life dies are all extremely relevant here.
The primary relationship is between the two sisters, who are intelligent and deeply protective of each other. Its was a great relationship and I was instantly bought in by their loyalty and ferocity in the face of evil and the patriarchy. Neither were "girlbossing" their way though the story, but both were brilliantly written women acting in a way that made sense for their time.
There is some romance in the book and I actually quite liked it. The main male character Guy is a miserable widower who refuses to love after the death of his wife. He has honorable intentions, but hes also selfish, arrogant, and closed off from making connections with people. Contrasting that with Bella, who is loud, outspoken, and no nonsense who refuses to be ignored. The dynamic here is undoubtably messy but fun and interesting and a true slow burn.
Ravenscroft is also a relatively easy read- the prose is pretty without being terribly flowery and the dialogue was "modern" IE more 50s focused vs the author trying to mimic Victorian England where the book is set.
If you are looking for a vintage gothic that is accessible and fun, I highly recommending hunting a copy of this down.
👭 Sibling bond
🔥 Slow burn romance
❤️🔥 Enemies to Lovers
📖 Vintage
I picked this up at Half Price for 5 bucks because of the very cool cover and slightly deceptive marketing of an "evil" stalking the main character- but Ravenscroft isnt a supernatural horror- its more of a character and family story with some low burn enemies to lovers and a weird duo of villains.
Ravenscroft follows Bella and Lally, a pair of sisters left with nothing after their father passes. The two end up in the London slums taken in by what appears to be a kindly woman and her son. They soon find these two have a nefarious fate for them, and are saved by Guy- a politician and local rich dude.
Theres two acts to the story of equal relevance. The first half being the mystery of the boarding situation the girls find themselves in. The second is the aftermath, and the surprisingly controversy and drama created when Guy saves these women and the terrible things that happen even after they are "safe".
I was genuinely surprised about some of the dark themes touched on in this. Gothic horror was known for this of course, but this wasn't an iconic piece of horror, Ravenscroft is the kind of novel a 1950's housewife would be reading after the housework is done- but boy is it dark at times.
The little novel also touches on a lot of issues relevant to the day despite actually being a period piece at the time of writing. The girls end up in more danger due to scandal. Bella, the more outspoken of the two, is constantly challenging gender norms of how a woman "should" behave, and Lally is her traumatized sister who is basically thrown to the wolves socially for being "crazy". Themes of marriage to avoid scandal, loss of identity in marriage, and the weak position a woman ends up in when the men in her life dies are all extremely relevant here.
The primary relationship is between the two sisters, who are intelligent and deeply protective of each other. Its was a great relationship and I was instantly bought in by their loyalty and ferocity in the face of evil and the patriarchy. Neither were "girlbossing" their way though the story, but both were brilliantly written women acting in a way that made sense for their time.
There is some romance in the book and I actually quite liked it. The main male character Guy is a miserable widower who refuses to love after the death of his wife. He has honorable intentions, but hes also selfish, arrogant, and closed off from making connections with people. Contrasting that with Bella, who is loud, outspoken, and no nonsense who refuses to be ignored. The dynamic here is undoubtably messy but fun and interesting and a true slow burn.
Ravenscroft is also a relatively easy read- the prose is pretty without being terribly flowery and the dialogue was "modern" IE more 50s focused vs the author trying to mimic Victorian England where the book is set.
If you are looking for a vintage gothic that is accessible and fun, I highly recommending hunting a copy of this down.
December 31, 2017
Just re-read this book which I had enjoyed in my teen Gothic phase. It didn't hold up. The suspense plot is OK, actually rather well done. Villains are well-drawn and sufficiently menacing. Social context is better than you get from most Gothics. What lets the book down is the romance part. It just isn't romantic. Heroine is brash, tactless, conceited and silly in her expectations. Hero would get a pass from me except for . Unfortunately, such scenes were a frequent feature of this type of fiction back in the day - maybe they still are, for all I know. Anyway, there's nothing in the characterization to make a romance between them believable. Partly because there's so little character development, and what there is, isn't very pleasant.
I used to devour books like these as an adolescent, and thought I'd revisit as light reading over the holidays. It wasn't unreadable, but it also wasn't very satisfying.
I used to devour books like these as an adolescent, and thought I'd revisit as light reading over the holidays. It wasn't unreadable, but it also wasn't very satisfying.
October 23, 2022
I loved this book as a teenager, and reread it several times whenever I was in a certain mood. After many, many years without turning back to it, reread the book again yesterday. Although this time around there were more things that I noticed that bothered me (yes, her ungentle intro 'married relationships' but also the lack of what led her to feelings of love), however, I've also noticed that it's pretty typical of these types of novels, and didn't really impinge on my enjoyment. There was a nice collection of interesting characters who provided nice contrasts, I liked the focus on how the other half lived during this time period, so that I still enjoyed the read.
This makes for a very quick read too. Finished it in one sitting...
This makes for a very quick read too. Finished it in one sitting...
March 13, 2024
Despite the gothic elements within this story it failed to spark up my satisfaction and became an unbearable drudge largely owing to the character of the heroine- Never have I disliked a heroine so much!- A pushy, high handed, grabbing (of the Hero), and greedy character who lacks self respect and is infact totally obsessed with the Hero... I could just go on but she seriously wrecked my enjoyment of this book (and i just can't forgive that). The story also entails marriage of convenience that has no romance at all and again I will blame it on the pushy heroine . I am so glad I got through it.
March 13, 2018
A delightful mix of mystery, suspense, manners, and crime. Reads like a simpler cousin of Dickens, Austen, and Wilkie Collins. Despite the lack of ghosts or any other supernatural threats, I enjoyed this a lot more than expected. The acerbic heroine was anything but a shrinking violet, and her cracking banter with the brooding Byronic hero was very funny at times. This made the romantic (small ‘r’) aspects of their fraught relationship all the more intriguing. Looking forward to reading more Dorothy Eden books in the future.
February 17, 2020
Dorothy Eden niminen kauhuromantikko julkaisin vuonna 1964 teoksen Bella, jossa niin ikään kaksi sisarusta, tumma ja vaalea, tuliluontoinen ja ujo seikkailevat viktoriaanisessa Lontoossa häväistysjuttujen ja mm. Ravenscroftin linnanherran kanssa… Teos julkaistiin impivaarassa metkassa Otavan Salamanteri sarjassa ainakin vuonna 1981 ( kolmas painos, pokkari ).
September 3, 2017
Fabulous book. I have always been a fan of Dorothy Eden and it gave me great pleasure to re-reade of my favorites. I highly recommend reading her books if you h
favorite books. You can't go wrong reading a book by Dorothy Eden. My other favorite is Sleep in the Woods.
favorite books. You can't go wrong reading a book by Dorothy Eden. My other favorite is Sleep in the Woods.
June 16, 2023
Suspenseful gothic romance that kept me entertained throughout. I was disappointed at the end of the book that you had to assume that Raven and Bella would enter into a traditional marriage after all. Couldn’t the author have made the ending a little romantic?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2017
I enjoyed the read, but the story was predictable--a rather typical gothic romance. Perfect when you're in the mood for something light.
July 28, 2019
This was fun ❤️ lots of drama but the way I like it. Strong heroine
June 29, 2020
Gothic at its finest.
January 18, 2021
having a gothic moment
September 28, 2021
What a great read with tension right up to the end.
April 5, 2022
I can't finish, I went up to 20 chapters and I found this story to be underwritten, ugly and so so boring.
June 12, 2022
Read yrs ago!!
July 22, 2022
This was a fun, light read. It had some good suspense, but not a lot with the romance piece. It definitely held my attention, but I felt like the conclusion was rushed.
Read
August 12, 2022I enjoy Dorothy Eden's books and this one doesn't dissappoint
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