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Spellbound
BOSTON, 1887
Emily had long cherished the hope of meeting her mother's friend Amanda and of residing with the Parkers of Beacon Hill as "one of the family." But Emily's first impression of the balconied mansion with its fancy grillwork and leaded panes was fear. What secret lay beneath those dank stones? Then Emily learned that the Parkers had much to hide. A baby of uncertain parentage. A woman who always wore purple. A brooding son who insisted Emily wear the gowns and jewels of his dead wife. As Emily grew closer to the dread secret of Beacon Hill, the fabric of evil enclosed her like a shroud.
Emily had long cherished the hope of meeting her mother's friend Amanda and of residing with the Parkers of Beacon Hill as "one of the family." But Emily's first impression of the balconied mansion with its fancy grillwork and leaded panes was fear. What secret lay beneath those dank stones? Then Emily learned that the Parkers had much to hide. A baby of uncertain parentage. A woman who always wore purple. A brooding son who insisted Emily wear the gowns and jewels of his dead wife. As Emily grew closer to the dread secret of Beacon Hill, the fabric of evil enclosed her like a shroud.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
49 people want to read
About the author
Claire Vincent
12 books1 followerClaire Vincent is a pseudonym for Miriam Lynch - she wrote several Gothic novels and some nurse/doctor romances and some hybrids which have all of the above in them.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 24, 2015
The perfect book to read on a chilly late October day, listening to the wind rustle the leaves on the trees, and sipping hot chocolate (white chocolate flavored.) Unfortunately, I had to read this in late May, but it made me feel like Halloween was just around the corner.
Right away, the story starts off strong. It is set in 1800's Boston. Emily arrives from the country to live with her mother's childhood friend. Much is not really as it seems, but some things are exactly as they seem, too bad Emily suffers from Dumb character syndrome.
I was hoping Emily would not do anything TOO stupid, but in the last 25 pages or so, she let me down.
The one annoyance in the book was Baby May, not the baby herself, but the way Emily referred to her, which was constantly. It was Baby May this, that, and the other. Baby May was little, Baby May was Small, Baby May was tiny, and Baby May had a pretty little face.
I don't know what the author was thinking, but the Baby May stuff just about made me want to toss the book out the window, without opening the window first. Yikes.
Right away, the story starts off strong. It is set in 1800's Boston. Emily arrives from the country to live with her mother's childhood friend. Much is not really as it seems, but some things are exactly as they seem, too bad Emily suffers from Dumb character syndrome.
I was hoping Emily would not do anything TOO stupid, but in the last 25 pages or so, she let me down.
The one annoyance in the book was Baby May, not the baby herself, but the way Emily referred to her, which was constantly. It was Baby May this, that, and the other. Baby May was little, Baby May was Small, Baby May was tiny, and Baby May had a pretty little face.
I don't know what the author was thinking, but the Baby May stuff just about made me want to toss the book out the window, without opening the window first. Yikes.
July 5, 2018
Despite the array of mediocre covers on multiple editions of this particular pulp (Belmont & their soft-focus photo fetish being the worst offender), this is still a good read -- one of Lynch's best, IMO. I esp liked the Civil War tie-ins & how they relate to this goffick conflict.
Solid 4 stars, a keeper for yours truly. :)
Solid 4 stars, a keeper for yours truly. :)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews