Heart of Glass

Dark Enchantment #3

by Louise Cooper

Aline's arrival at the home of disabled Orielle and her brother Orlando promises to bring her friendship and love. But Aline begins to suffer terrible nightmares. Who is tormenting her and how can she fight back when the nightmare threatens to snatch her happiness away?

Paperback

First published August 29, 1996

About the author

Louise Cooper was born in Hertfordshire in 1952. She began writing stories when she was at school to entertain her friends. She hated school so much, in fact—spending most lessons clandestinely writing stories—that she persuaded her parents to let her abandon her education at the age of fifteen and has never regretted it.

She continued to write and her first full-length novel was published when she was only twenty years old. She moved to London in 1975 and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer in 1977. Since then she has become a prolific writer of fantasy, renowned for her bestselling Time Master trilogy. She has published more than eighty fantasy and supernatural novels, both for adults and children. She also wrote occasional short stories for anthologies, and has co-written a comedy play that was produced for her local school.

Louise Cooper lived in Cornwall with her husband, Cas Sandall, and their black cat, Simba. She gained a great deal of writing inspiration from the coast and scenery, and her other interests included music, folklore, cooking, gardening and "messing about on the beach." Just to make sure she keeps busy, she was also treasurer of her local Lifeboat station.

Louise passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. She was a wonderful and talented lady and will be greatly missed.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aline was raised in a small village, where she worked as an assistant at the schoolhouse and had few prospects for the future. Then everything changed. A woman named Mrs. Rosell, who worked as a housekeeper at an elegant mansion, came to the village, seeking a companion for her employer's sister, Orielle. Aline accepts the job, hoping to move up in the world. Orielle turns out to be a kind girl who soon becomes Aline's friend, despite their class differences. Orielle has been unable to walk since the fire that killed her parents, and her older brother, Orlando, hopes Aline can motivate his sister to walk again. When Aline begins to fall in love with Orlando, she knows it is a love that can never be. Orlando is rich, and Aline is poor. What could he ever see in her? But when Aline's dream comes true, and Orlando says he loves her, she never imagined that they would awaken a bitter ghost who is determined to end their happiness. I highly recommend this book to teens who enjoy a love story combined with a supernatural tale. It has a nice, spooky atmosphere reminiscent of gothic tales, and is full of suspense and mystery.