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Moriah's Landing #4
Behind the Veil
STEALTHY SEDUCTION
Rumor had it that the secretive owner of the castle on the cliffs, Dr. David Bryson, had been hideously scarred in the accident that killed his fiancee. Now designer Becca Smith had been summoned to work in his home. Though she received mysterious warnings to stay away, nothing could keep Becca from meeting the man whose seductive voice made her burn for his touch.
She was too young, too beautiful, too familiar. She awakened memories in David long buried…emotions that teetered on the edge of insanity. But he vowed to see Becca only from the shadows. Except when a killer attacked, David stepped from behind the veil of darkness to save the woman who was his only hope of salvation.
MORIAH'S LANDING
A curse had settled over the small New England coastal town…an unknown force that was about to irrevocably change the lives of four young women—and the men captivated by their spell.
Rumor had it that the secretive owner of the castle on the cliffs, Dr. David Bryson, had been hideously scarred in the accident that killed his fiancee. Now designer Becca Smith had been summoned to work in his home. Though she received mysterious warnings to stay away, nothing could keep Becca from meeting the man whose seductive voice made her burn for his touch.
She was too young, too beautiful, too familiar. She awakened memories in David long buried…emotions that teetered on the edge of insanity. But he vowed to see Becca only from the shadows. Except when a killer attacked, David stepped from behind the veil of darkness to save the woman who was his only hope of salvation.
MORIAH'S LANDING
A curse had settled over the small New England coastal town…an unknown force that was about to irrevocably change the lives of four young women—and the men captivated by their spell.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Wayne
187 books59 followersReal name: Jo Ann Vest
Pseudonyms: Joanna Wayne.
Joanna Wayne began her professional writing career with the release of her first novel, DEEP IN THE BAYOU, in 1994, but Joanna will be the first to tell you that the wheels were set in motion years before. She started reading at four years of age, the same age that she began making weekly trips to the library to check out as many books as they’d let her have, only to finish reading them all before bedtime. That love of books never waned.
Joanna was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana and was the middle child of a large family. She moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984 when she married her current husband. New Orleans opened up a whole new realm of activities and she found the mix of cultures, music, history, food and sultry southern classics along with her love of reading a natural impetus for beginning her writing career. It was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. From that point on, there was no looking back.
Now, forty published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and mainstream novels. She is known for the suspense and emotion she brings to the page, as she takes ordinary people and thrusts them into life-and-death situations. She has been on the Walden Bestselling List for romance and won many industry awards. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.
She currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star state.
Pseudonyms: Joanna Wayne.
Joanna Wayne began her professional writing career with the release of her first novel, DEEP IN THE BAYOU, in 1994, but Joanna will be the first to tell you that the wheels were set in motion years before. She started reading at four years of age, the same age that she began making weekly trips to the library to check out as many books as they’d let her have, only to finish reading them all before bedtime. That love of books never waned.
Joanna was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana and was the middle child of a large family. She moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984 when she married her current husband. New Orleans opened up a whole new realm of activities and she found the mix of cultures, music, history, food and sultry southern classics along with her love of reading a natural impetus for beginning her writing career. It was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. From that point on, there was no looking back.
Now, forty published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and mainstream novels. She is known for the suspense and emotion she brings to the page, as she takes ordinary people and thrusts them into life-and-death situations. She has been on the Walden Bestselling List for romance and won many industry awards. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.
She currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star state.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 18, 2018
Behind the Veil
May 31, 2002
Joanna Wayne, who wrote the weakest of the Texas Confidential books, delivers the best of the Moriah's Landing books in "Behind the Veil," the finale of Intrigue's modern gothic series. Newcomer Becca Smith has been fascinated by David Bryson since she first came to town. The reclusive doctor lives in an isolated castle on the edge of town. He was scarred in the accident that killed his fiancée and some of the townspeople say it wasn't an accident. Becca knows she shouldn't get involved with the mysterious man, especially when a serial killer begins to murder young women in town. Can she resist the powerful allure he has on her? Does she want to?
Of the four Moriah's Landing authors, Wayne does the best job of mimicking the gothic tone her story calls for. The tone is dark and mysterious. It may be too melodramatic and over the top for some readers, but that's how gothics are. Becca is a good heroine. She is strong and courageous. Like most gothic heroes, David remains somewhat mysterious and we don't get to know him too well. Anyone looking for the moody hero who lurks in the shadows and the young, too-trusting heroine who is drawn to him will find what they are looking for here.
At the same time, the story does move slowly and I felt the author could have cut some of it without losing much. It seems to go on and on without getting anywhere for too long. After a while I grew so weary of Claire's whining, David's moodiness, and the townspeople's over-the-top screeching about how evil David was, my patience ran out. If I was Becca, I would have left town and gotten away from all these nutcases. I also could have done without the constant Beauty and the Beast references that seemed to push the theme too hard. I think most readers would have gotten the point without the characters comparing themselves to Beauty and the Beast. It took me out of the story for those moments.
Gothic fans should enjoy "Behind the Veil," though readers who've read enough of them may have read this particular story many times before. There's not much new here, just a revival of the old gothic clichés without anything fresh thrown in. However, the strength of the writing and the good atmosphere makes sure this is one nod toward the gothic romances of old that is very well done.
May 31, 2002
Joanna Wayne, who wrote the weakest of the Texas Confidential books, delivers the best of the Moriah's Landing books in "Behind the Veil," the finale of Intrigue's modern gothic series. Newcomer Becca Smith has been fascinated by David Bryson since she first came to town. The reclusive doctor lives in an isolated castle on the edge of town. He was scarred in the accident that killed his fiancée and some of the townspeople say it wasn't an accident. Becca knows she shouldn't get involved with the mysterious man, especially when a serial killer begins to murder young women in town. Can she resist the powerful allure he has on her? Does she want to?
Of the four Moriah's Landing authors, Wayne does the best job of mimicking the gothic tone her story calls for. The tone is dark and mysterious. It may be too melodramatic and over the top for some readers, but that's how gothics are. Becca is a good heroine. She is strong and courageous. Like most gothic heroes, David remains somewhat mysterious and we don't get to know him too well. Anyone looking for the moody hero who lurks in the shadows and the young, too-trusting heroine who is drawn to him will find what they are looking for here.
At the same time, the story does move slowly and I felt the author could have cut some of it without losing much. It seems to go on and on without getting anywhere for too long. After a while I grew so weary of Claire's whining, David's moodiness, and the townspeople's over-the-top screeching about how evil David was, my patience ran out. If I was Becca, I would have left town and gotten away from all these nutcases. I also could have done without the constant Beauty and the Beast references that seemed to push the theme too hard. I think most readers would have gotten the point without the characters comparing themselves to Beauty and the Beast. It took me out of the story for those moments.
Gothic fans should enjoy "Behind the Veil," though readers who've read enough of them may have read this particular story many times before. There's not much new here, just a revival of the old gothic clichés without anything fresh thrown in. However, the strength of the writing and the good atmosphere makes sure this is one nod toward the gothic romances of old that is very well done.
July 7, 2008
I didn't know this was a Harlequin Romance book at first! I saw it in a charity shop and once I left the shop it was still on my mind so I went back. What can I say? I think I'm drawn to stories with mysterious men in them.
The crackling sexual tension in this book combined with the somewhat simple - on reflection - mystery is what made this a page turner. Every character in this remained a secret, and although the ending was quite far-fetched and a slight let-down, the romantic in me overlooks it because I just love a happy ending.
The crackling sexual tension in this book combined with the somewhat simple - on reflection - mystery is what made this a page turner. Every character in this remained a secret, and although the ending was quite far-fetched and a slight let-down, the romantic in me overlooks it because I just love a happy ending.
October 2, 2022
This wrapped up the series nicely. Happy endings all around. There were a few more 'beauty and the beast' references than I cared for, however apropos. I really enjoyed the twist but won't spoil it :).
June 24, 2015
This started out very promisingly (is that a word?) with the readers being introduced to a small east-coast town - Moriah's Landing - that has a reputation for evil. Legends of witches and pacts with the devil date back hundreds of years, but in recent years the town has been plagued with murders, insane medical experiments and other sinister happenings, much of it detailed in the three previous books in the series. I have unfortunately not read the other three books (although I've been meaning to buy them, as I like the authors) so it took me a little while to pick up some of the characters and relationships, as well as the evil deeds that form the background for the whole series.
Becca is a simple seamstress, living in a rented room in Moriah's Landing. She has no family, but made friends when she moved to town a couple years back. Becca is both intimidated by, and attracted to, Dr David Bryson, a reclusive scientist who lives in a gothic mansion on the cliffs. David is considered the town's monster, and is shunned by most of the townspeople, due to a tragic accident in his past. Five years ago he was set to marry Tasha Pierce, the young daughter of the town's most prominent family, but she was killed in an explosion the day before their marriage, and the town seems to hold David responsible. The same accident left him with a badly scarred face and body, and now he lives alone in his mansion with only his manservant for company - until he hires Becca to help redecorate his home. But evil still runs through Moriah's Landing - someone is killing young women, and Becca is on his list...
There were things I liked about this, and things I didn't. The setting of the scene was excellent - I really felt like I was there. And the first hundred pages or so were very exciting. But after that, it started to flag a bit. I've noticed recently that with Joanna Wayne books I often fall in love with the settings, and really enjoy the crime and suspense elements, but the romance doesn't really do it for me. I particularly noticed this in Behind the Mask, and again here.
I'm not sure that I like David's character. Normally I'm really into the scarred, tortured, brooding hero type, but David was a little too brooding even for me. The tragedy he went through - losing a fiancée and having terrible burns - was truly awful, but five years later he's still not coping with it. It seems to me like he makes a lot of his own troubles. He's all depressed and mopey because the town sees him as the crazy deformed recluse - but in five years he hasn't made the effort to get to know anyone, preferring to shut himself away. For at least half the book, he's pining after Becca, but he won't allow her to see his face and gets angry when she tries. He doesn't know whether he wants to pursue a relationship with her, and will neither commit nor let her go. Everything between the two of them is on his terms. I don't know if it's the scars or the age difference - she's 23, he's 40 - but he seems to treat her like a child much of the time, telling her what to do (in a benevolent way, but still) and withholding information from her in order to protect her.
Becca, for her part, does push against these controlling tendencies of David's. And usually she wins the battle.
Half way through we find out that Becca has no past - she was found five years ago, beaten and buried alive, with no memory of the past. I find it interesting that Joanna Wayne chose to reveal this piece of information so late in the game, instead of upfront, and I think it helped set the scene for the reveal at the end very nicely. As for the reveal itself - I'm not overly keen on how it ended, but that's a personal thing with me. I'm not fond of the back-from-the -dead-but-with-amnesia plot device, and it appears in several books I have.
I'm undecided how I feel about the element of supernatural that comes in towards the end, with the cat and Gene W. It was interesting, but I think it was introduced too late, and that made it feel a bit arbitrary. Stuff like that probably needs to be included from the beginning or not included at all.
I was quite impressed with the double-whammy of evil at the end. Just when you think you're safe...aargh, look behind you!
All in all, Behind the Veil was a reasonable book. It started out as a 4-star, and the setting and crime / suspense gets 4 stars from me, but the romance...well, it didn't leave me cold, but didn't arouse my emotions either. 3.5 stars in total, I think. It was pretty scary, though, and I might score it higher if I read it at Halloween. :)
Becca is a simple seamstress, living in a rented room in Moriah's Landing. She has no family, but made friends when she moved to town a couple years back. Becca is both intimidated by, and attracted to, Dr David Bryson, a reclusive scientist who lives in a gothic mansion on the cliffs. David is considered the town's monster, and is shunned by most of the townspeople, due to a tragic accident in his past. Five years ago he was set to marry Tasha Pierce, the young daughter of the town's most prominent family, but she was killed in an explosion the day before their marriage, and the town seems to hold David responsible. The same accident left him with a badly scarred face and body, and now he lives alone in his mansion with only his manservant for company - until he hires Becca to help redecorate his home. But evil still runs through Moriah's Landing - someone is killing young women, and Becca is on his list...
There were things I liked about this, and things I didn't. The setting of the scene was excellent - I really felt like I was there. And the first hundred pages or so were very exciting. But after that, it started to flag a bit. I've noticed recently that with Joanna Wayne books I often fall in love with the settings, and really enjoy the crime and suspense elements, but the romance doesn't really do it for me. I particularly noticed this in Behind the Mask, and again here.
I'm not sure that I like David's character. Normally I'm really into the scarred, tortured, brooding hero type, but David was a little too brooding even for me. The tragedy he went through - losing a fiancée and having terrible burns - was truly awful, but five years later he's still not coping with it. It seems to me like he makes a lot of his own troubles. He's all depressed and mopey because the town sees him as the crazy deformed recluse - but in five years he hasn't made the effort to get to know anyone, preferring to shut himself away. For at least half the book, he's pining after Becca, but he won't allow her to see his face and gets angry when she tries. He doesn't know whether he wants to pursue a relationship with her, and will neither commit nor let her go. Everything between the two of them is on his terms. I don't know if it's the scars or the age difference - she's 23, he's 40 - but he seems to treat her like a child much of the time, telling her what to do (in a benevolent way, but still) and withholding information from her in order to protect her.
Becca, for her part, does push against these controlling tendencies of David's. And usually she wins the battle.
Half way through we find out that Becca has no past - she was found five years ago, beaten and buried alive, with no memory of the past. I find it interesting that Joanna Wayne chose to reveal this piece of information so late in the game, instead of upfront, and I think it helped set the scene for the reveal at the end very nicely. As for the reveal itself - I'm not overly keen on how it ended, but that's a personal thing with me. I'm not fond of the back-from-the -dead-but-with-amnesia plot device, and it appears in several books I have.
I'm undecided how I feel about the element of supernatural that comes in towards the end, with the cat and Gene W. It was interesting, but I think it was introduced too late, and that made it feel a bit arbitrary. Stuff like that probably needs to be included from the beginning or not included at all.
I was quite impressed with the double-whammy of evil at the end. Just when you think you're safe...aargh, look behind you!
All in all, Behind the Veil was a reasonable book. It started out as a 4-star, and the setting and crime / suspense gets 4 stars from me, but the romance...well, it didn't leave me cold, but didn't arouse my emotions either. 3.5 stars in total, I think. It was pretty scary, though, and I might score it higher if I read it at Halloween. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2011
for some reason i kinda knew that Becca was Tasha. but i was still surprised when they told you. other then that it was a really good book :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2014
the writing was good, but the "twists" ? waaaaay to obvious for me. waaaaaaaaay. still a good read, but i kept hoping i was wrong simply because i liked the writing and wanted more from it.
November 6, 2016
Entertaining read, somewhat predictable. Didn't realize until the end that this was the last book in the Moriah's Landing world.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews