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Chandlers of Highclyffe Hall #1
Upon a Moon-Dark Moor
Hardcover.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Rebecca Brandewyne
61 books175 followersBorn in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rebecca lived in Knoxville and then, later, Chattanooga for the first few years of her life. After that, she and her family moved to Kansas, where she grew up, spending her summers in Alabama, visiting both sets of her grandparents. She says she's just a country girl with a dash of big city sprinkled in for spice. But having traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean, she moves easily between the publishing world of New York and her hometown.
Rebecca graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Wichita State University, earning a B.A. in journalism, minors in history and music (theory and composition), and an M.A. in communications [mass (broadcasting) and interpersonal (dyadic relationships):]. During the course of her education, she was fortunate enough to study at various times under, among several other distinguished instructors, three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and one of the foremost authorities in the field of interpersonal communication. Twice a recipient of the Victor Murdock Scholarship, Rebecca taught interpersonal communication at the university level before becoming a published writer.
She was twenty-one when she started work on her first novel, No Gentle Love. She finished the book a year later and sold it to Warner Books some months after her twenty-third birthday, making her, at that time, the youngest romance author in America, a record that stood for ten years before finally being broken. To date, Rebecca has written over thirty consecutive bestselling titles, including novels and novellas on the following lists: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Magazine & Bookseller, Ingram, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks, among many others.
Her books have been translated into a number of foreign languages, including Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; and they have been published in over sixty countries worldwide. Many have been selections of the Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild. Hardback editions of several titles have been published by Severn House, and large-print editions of some books are also available from Macmillan Library Reference and Thorndike Press. Rebecca currently has millions of books in print in the United States alone.
From Affaire de Coeur magazine, she has won: the Classic Award for Classic Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Golden Quill Award for Best of the '80s Historical Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Bronze Pen (Wholesalers' Choice) Award, 1989; the Silver Pen (Readers' Choice) Award, 1988, 1987, and 1986; and a Gold Certificate for The Outlaw Hearts, 1987.
From Romantic Times magazine, she has won: the Reviewer's Choice Nominee for Best Historical Romantic Mystery, for The Ninefold Key, 2004; the Reviewer's Choice Certificate of Excellence for Victorian Historical Romance, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995; the KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) of the Month for Best Hero, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995, and for Swan Road, 1994; the Career Achievement Award for Futuristic Romance, 1991, for Passion Moon Rising and Beyond the Starlit Frost; the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Gothic, for Across a Starlit Sea, 1989, and for Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, 1988; the Historical Romance Novelist of the Year Award, 1987; and the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Western Romance, for The Outlaw Hearts, 1986. Rebecca has also been named one of Love's Leading Ladies and inducted into Romantic Times magazine's Hall of Fame.
http://www.brandewyne.com/castle/gall...
Rebecca graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Wichita State University, earning a B.A. in journalism, minors in history and music (theory and composition), and an M.A. in communications [mass (broadcasting) and interpersonal (dyadic relationships):]. During the course of her education, she was fortunate enough to study at various times under, among several other distinguished instructors, three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and one of the foremost authorities in the field of interpersonal communication. Twice a recipient of the Victor Murdock Scholarship, Rebecca taught interpersonal communication at the university level before becoming a published writer.
She was twenty-one when she started work on her first novel, No Gentle Love. She finished the book a year later and sold it to Warner Books some months after her twenty-third birthday, making her, at that time, the youngest romance author in America, a record that stood for ten years before finally being broken. To date, Rebecca has written over thirty consecutive bestselling titles, including novels and novellas on the following lists: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Magazine & Bookseller, Ingram, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks, among many others.
Her books have been translated into a number of foreign languages, including Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; and they have been published in over sixty countries worldwide. Many have been selections of the Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild. Hardback editions of several titles have been published by Severn House, and large-print editions of some books are also available from Macmillan Library Reference and Thorndike Press. Rebecca currently has millions of books in print in the United States alone.
From Affaire de Coeur magazine, she has won: the Classic Award for Classic Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Golden Quill Award for Best of the '80s Historical Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Bronze Pen (Wholesalers' Choice) Award, 1989; the Silver Pen (Readers' Choice) Award, 1988, 1987, and 1986; and a Gold Certificate for The Outlaw Hearts, 1987.
From Romantic Times magazine, she has won: the Reviewer's Choice Nominee for Best Historical Romantic Mystery, for The Ninefold Key, 2004; the Reviewer's Choice Certificate of Excellence for Victorian Historical Romance, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995; the KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) of the Month for Best Hero, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995, and for Swan Road, 1994; the Career Achievement Award for Futuristic Romance, 1991, for Passion Moon Rising and Beyond the Starlit Frost; the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Gothic, for Across a Starlit Sea, 1989, and for Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, 1988; the Historical Romance Novelist of the Year Award, 1987; and the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Western Romance, for The Outlaw Hearts, 1986. Rebecca has also been named one of Love's Leading Ladies and inducted into Romantic Times magazine's Hall of Fame.
http://www.brandewyne.com/castle/gall...
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February 14, 2017
UPON A MOON-DARK MOOR, by Rebecca Brandewyne:
3 “Goth Good, But Noth Great” Stars
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I know I’m a shitty punster! I just couldn’t help myself. Put away your pitchforks & I’ll get on with my review.
Upon the wild, savage moors of Cornwall, high atop the crumbling, sea-drenched cliffs, lies a forbidding looking manor house called Highclyffe Hall; home of a lonely, motherless girl named Maggie. The only child of Sir Nigel Chandler – a cold, harsh man, prone to violent mood swings and scathing, midnight rants – Maggie is solitary and awkward; a disappointment to her intolerant, overly critical father.
The only kindness she’s ever known comes from her Aunt Tibby and cousins Sarah and Esmond. Engaged since babyhood to Esmond, her father’s heir, Maggie consoles herself with fantasies of a brighter future, when she and Esmond are married and live happily ever after in Highclyffe Hall.
In true gothic fashion, however, her romanticized future never comes to pass. In the summer of her 10th year, three new people enter Maggie’s life: a mercenary stepmother; a manipulative stepsister; and, a bastard born, half gypsy cousin named Draco.
As Esmond’s affections shift to her stepsister, and Maggie and Draco’s affinity grows, her childish dreams of the future are shattered. And, Maggie embarks on a different path to maturity and the unforeseen destiny that awaits her at the end.
While, Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, By Rebecca Brandewyne, has all of the makings of a good gothic romance, it isn’t a great one. Long-winded, purple prose such as the following, bog down Maggie’s first person narrative:
"The Hall itself was old and fashioned in the shape of an E, for it had been built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was constructed of Pentewan rock hewn from the cliffs near Mevagissey at Chapel Point and brought by wagons to the site where the house stood. Over the ages, the rough…"[blah, blah, blah for 2 more pages].
~Maggie, Re: Highclyffe Hall
Granted, such meticulous attention to detail does, indeed, paint a vivid mental picture, but countless pages are dedicated to minutia; whereas, dialogue is scarce, and interactions between Maggie and Draco short and infrequent.
THERE ARE 2 THINGS THAT SAVE THIS BOOK FROM A BELOW AVERAGE RATING:
#1: Draco is a nearly perfect romantic hero. Discounting the two times he forced himself on Maggie (Hey, cut the guy some slack, NonCon was big in the 80s), he’s everything a woman wants in a man: loyal, accepting, fair, liberated, smart, attentive, protective, caring, and passionate.
" 'How I have loved you [Maggie], wanted you, and thought never to make you mine, thought to lose you to Esmond when it is we who belong together! I have waited so long for you to see it' Draco whispered in my ear. 'You are so beautiful, Maggie. Even when you were a child, I could see the promise of the woman you would become, and I knew then that there would be no other for me, that I would wait for you to grow up. When I first saw you again, I wanted you so badly that it was all I could do not to seize you then and there and claim you as mine.' "
~Draco
Yep! Draco's “Hotter Than Hell”! But be warned, you’ll have to wade through 400 pages of purple prose to get there. Which leads me to…
#2: Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, may not be a great love story, but it is a good coming of age story.
10 year old Maggie may think she’s “older than her years”, but she's actually very naive. While she’s endured cruelty, unfairness, deceit, and betrayal; she’s too inexperienced to understand the motivations behind such actions and often draws the wrong conclusions. As time passes, and Maggie matures, she not only gains a more realistic view of people, but also the world. With understanding, comes forgiveness and acceptance, for those who’ve transgressed against her, as well as herself.
The Victorian Gothic setting underscores Maggie’s turbulent maturation as she eventually sheds the rose tinted glasses of youth and gazes upon the real world horrors:
"I could no longer deny what we had both known: my father had no love for me, but cared only for his pride and name. It was in that moment that I was made fully and bitterly aware of what it meant to be a woman in a man's world and that I came as close to understanding my stepmother and Julianne as I ever would. Now I saw with cruel clarity that because I had had the great misfortune to be born a female, I was a prisoner as surely as though I were shackled by chains, legally bound first to my father and now to my husband. I had no rights of my own.”
~Maggie
And it’s wonders:
“With each new experience, I learned my strengths and weaknesses. I was a woman of deep and lasting passions, wild and impetuous, more often than not ruled by my heart instead of my head. I was not made to live life tamely, but to seize it with a vengeance and bend it to my will. My emotional heights were rapturous, my depths all too filled with despair. Yet now that I saw all that life had to offer, I was glad I was not other than what I was.”
~Maggie
In the end, Maggie’s difficult evolution mimics that of the Victorian era at the turn of the century.
If you like Victorian Gothic coming-of-age stories, where adolescent girls use an abundance of purple prose to recount their angst filled journey to womanhood; you’ll enjoy Rebecca Brandewyne’s, Upon a Moon-Dark Moor. Go-th forth to Amazon and “One-Click-th” it now.
OH, STOP YOUR GROANING! I SWEAR IT'S MY LAST PUN!
Thanks to Fre06 for another good recommendation.
February 20, 2022
I have read this several times over the years which I usually do with my favorite romances. Here are my key takeaways.
*some spoilers*
1. This historical romance set in early nineteenth-century England (1800-1819) is clearly inspired by Emily Brontë's tragedy Wuthering Heights and, therefore, contains similar elements:
a. It's told in first-person POV.
b. The first 100 pages, give or take, focuses on the intertwined childhoods of Maggie and Draco so it takes a while before the romance kicks in.
c. It contains gothic undertones.
d. The love triangle didn't bother me because I never felt the other man posed a real threat. Maggie obviously had feelings for Draco but was in denial.
2. Draco had it BAD for Maggie, but adopted the cold-alpha-but-hot-in-bed motto because pride.
3. Maggie took a long time in recognizing her love for Draco, so I felt bad for him and wanted to hug him . . . and kiss him and squeeze him.
4. The chemistry between Draco and Maggie may melt your panties, but one scene might freeze dry them. Or make your head explode with rage as it involves a forced seduction and drugs.
5. Draco is smokin'! And it's not pipes.
I would have given this 5-stars if Maggie hadn't been so clueless for so long and if the romance had started sooner than it did.
*some spoilers*
1. This historical romance set in early nineteenth-century England (1800-1819) is clearly inspired by Emily Brontë's tragedy Wuthering Heights and, therefore, contains similar elements:
a. It's told in first-person POV.
b. The first 100 pages, give or take, focuses on the intertwined childhoods of Maggie and Draco so it takes a while before the romance kicks in.
c. It contains gothic undertones.
d. The love triangle didn't bother me because I never felt the other man posed a real threat. Maggie obviously had feelings for Draco but was in denial.
2. Draco had it BAD for Maggie, but adopted the cold-alpha-but-hot-in-bed motto because pride.
3. Maggie took a long time in recognizing her love for Draco, so I felt bad for him and wanted to hug him . . . and kiss him and squeeze him.
4. The chemistry between Draco and Maggie may melt your panties, but one scene might freeze dry them. Or make your head explode with rage as it involves a forced seduction and drugs.
5. Draco is smokin'! And it's not pipes.
I would have given this 5-stars if Maggie hadn't been so clueless for so long and if the romance had started sooner than it did.
May 8, 2016
In Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, the author rewrites Wuthering Heights to suit her. Eh. I never particularly liked that over-the-top gothic classic to begin with and this version left me similarly unmoved.
The first person narrative of the heroine is annoying, what with all her foreboding "as you shall soon see, dear reader" and "if I had only known then, it would have made such a difference later." All these warnings and dire allusions set me up for some epic plot twists and turns but in the end, the big "reveal" was lukewarm.
The gothic mood is adequately set, though strangely interrupted from time to time by history lessons from the author about international news of the 19th century, which has little relevance to the mood or plot of the story.
The best part of this book is not the romance, but the several chapters in the beginning that deal with the heroine's childhood and early teens. Starting with meeting the hero, her mysterious and terrifying "Gypsy cousin", the illegitimate son of her late uncle, their budding relationship and their involvement with a magnificent stallion named Black Magic, I thought this was the most emotionally poignant, well-written, and riveting part of the book. I had thought it would set me up for a volcanic reunion between the two characters after the hero's inevitable banishment and triumphant return to the heroine's dwelling, just like it was after Heathcliff's return to Cathy after his self-exile. But unfortunately, this was the point where the story fizzled out.
The heroine was so frustrating, wishy-washy, and dull, she made me miss the ever so insufferable Catherine Earnshaw's spirit. She is also one of the most TSTL heroines I have encountered in a genre that is saturated with them, so this is really telling something.
How many times does her father have to berate her, tell her he hates her and wishes she was dead or never been born, strike her and actually try to kill her, before she stops every other paragraph with "I still couldn't really believe my father hated me..."
What more treachery, scorn, dishonesty, humiliation, cowardice and rejection does the man she supposedly loves have to unleash upon her before she realizes he never cared for her?
How much more kindness, loyalty, love, protectiveness, tenderness, and passion can the man who has loved her since he can remember heap upon her before she admits that she is in love with him?
The hero stood up quite well to Heathcliff's daunting figure, though the author softened him enough to make him a romantic hero. He has so many qualities and he is so kick-ass in some ways but then, the author inserts a couple of bodice-ripping moments that seem completely out of place and out of character for him. It's like she could not make up her mind whether to write a dark romance starring a cruel but potentially redeemable anti-hero, or a straightforward romance with a broody but upstanding hero. The result is muddled.
Overall, it was interesting and well-written enough to keep my attention to the end but this will definitely not be something that I will re-read or think about much after its conclusion.
The first person narrative of the heroine is annoying, what with all her foreboding "as you shall soon see, dear reader" and "if I had only known then, it would have made such a difference later." All these warnings and dire allusions set me up for some epic plot twists and turns but in the end, the big "reveal" was lukewarm.
The gothic mood is adequately set, though strangely interrupted from time to time by history lessons from the author about international news of the 19th century, which has little relevance to the mood or plot of the story.
The best part of this book is not the romance, but the several chapters in the beginning that deal with the heroine's childhood and early teens. Starting with meeting the hero, her mysterious and terrifying "Gypsy cousin", the illegitimate son of her late uncle, their budding relationship and their involvement with a magnificent stallion named Black Magic, I thought this was the most emotionally poignant, well-written, and riveting part of the book. I had thought it would set me up for a volcanic reunion between the two characters after the hero's inevitable banishment and triumphant return to the heroine's dwelling, just like it was after Heathcliff's return to Cathy after his self-exile. But unfortunately, this was the point where the story fizzled out.
The heroine was so frustrating, wishy-washy, and dull, she made me miss the ever so insufferable Catherine Earnshaw's spirit. She is also one of the most TSTL heroines I have encountered in a genre that is saturated with them, so this is really telling something.
How many times does her father have to berate her, tell her he hates her and wishes she was dead or never been born, strike her and actually try to kill her, before she stops every other paragraph with "I still couldn't really believe my father hated me..."
What more treachery, scorn, dishonesty, humiliation, cowardice and rejection does the man she supposedly loves have to unleash upon her before she realizes he never cared for her?
How much more kindness, loyalty, love, protectiveness, tenderness, and passion can the man who has loved her since he can remember heap upon her before she admits that she is in love with him?
The hero stood up quite well to Heathcliff's daunting figure, though the author softened him enough to make him a romantic hero. He has so many qualities and he is so kick-ass in some ways but then, the author inserts a couple of bodice-ripping moments that seem completely out of place and out of character for him. It's like she could not make up her mind whether to write a dark romance starring a cruel but potentially redeemable anti-hero, or a straightforward romance with a broody but upstanding hero. The result is muddled.
Overall, it was interesting and well-written enough to keep my attention to the end but this will definitely not be something that I will re-read or think about much after its conclusion.
October 11, 2025
REVIEW
Rating: 5/5
POV: 1st; Single (FMC)
Tropes: Class Difference; Forced Marriage; Love Triangle; Gothic HR; Obsessed MMC; He falls first; Surprise Pregnancy; Unrequited Love;
Heat Level: 3/5 (flowery, sort of)
Kinks: N/A
Conclusion:
I've decided to skip my typical likes and dislikes part of my review just so I can get to the point. I have found a new top 5 book!
I absolutely love Ms. B's writing style. I'm pulling this from the blog sweetsavageflame but she just puts it so perfectly to describe her writing style -
"...Rebecca Brandewyne’s older works was her unwavering dedication to maintaining a distinct baroque style. As a result, her books were undeniably grandiose."
"At the beginning of her novels, there would be a poem and a list with the cast of characters. Then, broken up into several “books” or parts, her epic stories would start with a prologue. Sometimes, the couple was already together, and the story would flash back to the past. Her earlier works usually ended with a happy epilogue."
This is exactly how she wrote this novel. The prologue starts with the FMC, Maggie, being like 90 years old thinking back of her life and telling her story. Each chapter starts with a poem that fits to the theme of the chapter. I think what makes her writing style work so well is that she's writing in 1st person pov. Also this story gives very feminism vibes which is so unique since it's written in '88.
Each character introduced in the story is completely fleshed out so each character comes of importance to the story. There's so much character growth for Maggie. We also get to see character growth of the MMC, Draco, just through Maggie's eyes.
As Millie mentioned to me the story does give a slight Wuthering Heights vibe because of the gypsy MMC, Draco, and the cousin whose deemed the "better man". However Maggie is really not like Cathy and of course this story has a HEA. Also thank God that Draco is not very much like Heathcliff. Draco actually has a heart haha. It does make sense though that I would love this story because I love Wuthering Heights lol.
In typical Bodice Ripper fashion there are some TW's I'll list out:
Animal Abuse
Abusive Father
Contemplation of Suicide
Dubious Consent (I personally did not see any rape in this story BUT it's also slightly alluded to? So in my opinion dubious consent)
MMC drugs FMC (once lol)
So i'll be the first to admit I'm not the strongest review writer so I do highly recommend if you think you're interested in this story go read some of the other 5 star readers reviews on this book. Some of them wrote some really perfect ones!
Now off to hunt down a copy of the stepback, it's stunning of course!
5/5
Rating: 5/5
POV: 1st; Single (FMC)
Tropes: Class Difference; Forced Marriage; Love Triangle; Gothic HR; Obsessed MMC; He falls first; Surprise Pregnancy; Unrequited Love;
Heat Level: 3/5 (flowery, sort of)
Kinks: N/A
Conclusion:
I've decided to skip my typical likes and dislikes part of my review just so I can get to the point. I have found a new top 5 book!
I absolutely love Ms. B's writing style. I'm pulling this from the blog sweetsavageflame but she just puts it so perfectly to describe her writing style -
"...Rebecca Brandewyne’s older works was her unwavering dedication to maintaining a distinct baroque style. As a result, her books were undeniably grandiose."
"At the beginning of her novels, there would be a poem and a list with the cast of characters. Then, broken up into several “books” or parts, her epic stories would start with a prologue. Sometimes, the couple was already together, and the story would flash back to the past. Her earlier works usually ended with a happy epilogue."
This is exactly how she wrote this novel. The prologue starts with the FMC, Maggie, being like 90 years old thinking back of her life and telling her story. Each chapter starts with a poem that fits to the theme of the chapter. I think what makes her writing style work so well is that she's writing in 1st person pov. Also this story gives very feminism vibes which is so unique since it's written in '88.
Each character introduced in the story is completely fleshed out so each character comes of importance to the story. There's so much character growth for Maggie. We also get to see character growth of the MMC, Draco, just through Maggie's eyes.
As Millie mentioned to me the story does give a slight Wuthering Heights vibe because of the gypsy MMC, Draco, and the cousin whose deemed the "better man". However Maggie is really not like Cathy and of course this story has a HEA. Also thank God that Draco is not very much like Heathcliff. Draco actually has a heart haha. It does make sense though that I would love this story because I love Wuthering Heights lol.
In typical Bodice Ripper fashion there are some TW's I'll list out:
Animal Abuse
Abusive Father
Contemplation of Suicide
Dubious Consent (I personally did not see any rape in this story BUT it's also slightly alluded to? So in my opinion dubious consent)
MMC drugs FMC (once lol)
So i'll be the first to admit I'm not the strongest review writer so I do highly recommend if you think you're interested in this story go read some of the other 5 star readers reviews on this book. Some of them wrote some really perfect ones!
Now off to hunt down a copy of the stepback, it's stunning of course!
5/5
November 27, 2020
dnf @ pg. 155
This is a disappointing dnf :/ This book initially intrigued me because of the mixed reviews from my Goodreads friends. There's a mix of 4/5 star reviews & 1/2 star reviews. So I thought I'd either love or hate this book (hoping for love) and this is just a big ol' meh. I feel meh about this book.
What I like: This is definitely inspired from Wuthering Heights. Taking in the bastard ruffian who lives as an outcast amongst the family. I was so *ready* for the bodice ripper version of Wuthering Heights...except this doesn't live up to it at all and makes me just want to reread Wuthering Heights.
The FMC is okay. She's okay. Just okay. Boring.
The 'Papa doesn't care for me, and I have an evil stepmother, and my stepsister is a brat' just felt hollow.
I like the formula being set up here. How the story starts out with the heroine as an old lady, then she goes back to her childhood...I like this kind of wide scope to my romances. Except this rang hollow and dull.
I'm moving on.
This is a disappointing dnf :/ This book initially intrigued me because of the mixed reviews from my Goodreads friends. There's a mix of 4/5 star reviews & 1/2 star reviews. So I thought I'd either love or hate this book (hoping for love) and this is just a big ol' meh. I feel meh about this book.
What I like: This is definitely inspired from Wuthering Heights. Taking in the bastard ruffian who lives as an outcast amongst the family. I was so *ready* for the bodice ripper version of Wuthering Heights...except this doesn't live up to it at all and makes me just want to reread Wuthering Heights.
The FMC is okay. She's okay. Just okay. Boring.
The 'Papa doesn't care for me, and I have an evil stepmother, and my stepsister is a brat' just felt hollow.
I like the formula being set up here. How the story starts out with the heroine as an old lady, then she goes back to her childhood...I like this kind of wide scope to my romances. Except this rang hollow and dull.
I'm moving on.
October 28, 2013
Bland heroine, and not too likeable hero (if that's the right word for Draco). If I wanted a first-person narrative gothic with a Cornwall setting, I could have done better picking up Victoria Holt. The rape/forced seduction with the traitorous body trope is freely used, I know there are some readers that draw the line in the sand at this, so consider yourself warned. I believe there is a sequel, Across A Starlit Sea.
January 31, 2012
This book was a great and compelling read. It is not life changing, but it it memorable and enjoyable. What sets this book above many other romances is how complex and multifaceted each character was, and how much the heroine matures and transforms throughout the novel.
Upon a Moon-Dark Moor does appear to be partially inspired by Wurthering Heights. There is an illegitimate gypsy cousin, Draco, another cousin, Edumnd, who is represents a more refined and idealized romance, and a wild-ish heroine, Maggie, torn between her passion for one, and her "love" for the other. Beyond that, there is little similarity. While the heroine is no Cathy, she is flawed enough to make her interesting. Certainly, Draco is no Heathcliff, and thank God for that, because even I, who like my romance spiced with bitterness, cruelty, and woe, would have to say that one Heathcliff is enough for me. Beyond that there is the HEA, so never fear.
It is interesting how these 80's romances are so much meatier than current those currently on the shelves. In this novel there are actual relationships that are developed over time. This book spans ten years! It begins when Maggie is ten years old, and the reader follows her as she grows up and comes to understand herself, her relationship with her father, the world and being a woman in world.
So in a nutshell:
-Great complex characters (if you are bored of the same'ol, same'ol)
-Dark brooding Byronic hero (yummy!)
-Love triangle (keeps you into it)
-Tempestuous passionate romance (can't live without it)
-Tinges of social commentary (just to make you feel smarter)
I LOVED how Maggie was written because she was both compassionate and cruel, wise and foolish. and a bitch, and really I think she treats Draco pretty bad.
She says, "I was what I was, what we all were, and perhaps it was not within us to be other than that."
And no it's not PC. But he only drugs are once and rapes her a couple of times! Other than that I would say he is actually nicer than most.
Upon a Moon-Dark Moor does appear to be partially inspired by Wurthering Heights. There is an illegitimate gypsy cousin, Draco, another cousin, Edumnd, who is represents a more refined and idealized romance, and a wild-ish heroine, Maggie, torn between her passion for one, and her "love" for the other. Beyond that, there is little similarity. While the heroine is no Cathy, she is flawed enough to make her interesting. Certainly, Draco is no Heathcliff, and thank God for that, because even I, who like my romance spiced with bitterness, cruelty, and woe, would have to say that one Heathcliff is enough for me. Beyond that there is the HEA, so never fear.
It is interesting how these 80's romances are so much meatier than current those currently on the shelves. In this novel there are actual relationships that are developed over time. This book spans ten years! It begins when Maggie is ten years old, and the reader follows her as she grows up and comes to understand herself, her relationship with her father, the world and being a woman in world.
So in a nutshell:
-Great complex characters (if you are bored of the same'ol, same'ol)
-Dark brooding Byronic hero (yummy!)
-Love triangle (keeps you into it)
-Tempestuous passionate romance (can't live without it)
-Tinges of social commentary (just to make you feel smarter)
I LOVED how Maggie was written because she was both compassionate and cruel, wise and foolish. and a bitch, and really I think she treats Draco pretty bad.
She says, "I was what I was, what we all were, and perhaps it was not within us to be other than that."
And no it's not PC. But he only drugs are once and rapes her a couple of times! Other than that I would say he is actually nicer than most.
November 7, 2017
One of my old time favorites. I love the atmosphere and tone of this novel. I loved the characters.
June 22, 2011
Place: Cornish coast
Time: Story begins in 1810 when the (h) is 10 spanning 10 years
Lead Characters: Maggie Chandler (h) Draco (H) illegitimate Romany cousin
Well developed secondary characters
Abusive father
Love triangle
1st Person POV
Historical data
Violence
Rape
heroine drugged
murder
animal cruelty
revenge
smugglers
Corn Law igniting workers unrest
5+ star rating
The story begins with a very brief prelude as the (h), now 98 years old explains her need to tell her story.
She is 10 years old when the tale begins...1810.
Maggie Chandler is a smart little sweetheart. She spends her young years playing the sleuth, gathering information from the servants revolving around her father...what mood is he in, what part of Highclyffe Hall is in (so she can avoid him), when is he leaving, where is he going, how long will he be gone... Once a week Sir Nigel calls his small motherless daughter into his study to pay her an allowance and then makes her sign his ledger confirming she has been paid.
1810 is the year her cold, arrogant, hateful, abusive father, Lord Nigel Chandler, springs one unexpected change after another into her lonely, fearful life which changes her path forever.
Although this is written from Maggie's POV, each character within the story is defined so I had no trouble clearly understanding each individuals character, thought, feeling, motive...excellent writing.
Draco (H), the half gypsy bastard son of Sir Nigel's dis-owned brother enters Maggie's life one hell bent wildly storming night. She has never met him, but has heard of him due to her diligent detective eaves dropping behind closed doors. He is 5 years her senior, arrogant, reclusive, resentful and wild. Because she is such a sweetheart, a tentative friendship is sprouted, so she thinks.
Other major characters have entered her life as well, courtesy of her hateful father, without forewarning.
This is a meaty story that was hard for me to put down. There is so much depth to the characters as well as drama and action.
Rebecca Brandewyne is a new favorite author whose books I'm gonna be hunting down.
October 2, 2020
In her eighth novel, Rebecca Brandewyne tries something new: a first-person narrative and a gothic tone. Both succeed marvelously in this book, a story of a wealthy Cornish family and the love affair between Margaret Chandler and her illegitimate, half-Gypsy cousin Draco. Of course the novel owes more than a little to "Wuthering Heights": it is, in fact, a love letter of sorts to that story, but one that Brandewyne pulls off nicely. The secondary characters are all well-developed and interesting in themselves and Brandewyne spends more time fleshing them out than customarily, making this more of a family saga with a central romance than a traditional romance. Besides the influence of Emily Bronte, there is also something reminiscent of the great Victoria Holt (or possibly her Philippa Carr incarnation) in her prime that echoes through the first-person voice of Margaret. All in all, "Upon a Moon-Dark Moor" shows a writer who, nearly a decade into her publishing career, had steadily improved and come into her own with confidence in language and characterization. It's truly an enjoyable read and deserves to be back in print.
December 23, 2015
I loved this book when I read it years ago and I still love it now! Def one of my old time faves!
January 12, 2020
This is going to be a long, memory-hopping review, but if you loved this book as much as I did, you're probably used to that style of narration by now.
I first want to disclose that I write this in a fit of emotion. I think part of the reason I'm so sensitive in this review is because of the context. I found out over the holidays that Johanna Lindsey passed, and I'm not taking it well. Another incredible romance pioneer, gone at just 67. My eleven-year-old self is clutching a copy of "The Magic of You" somewhere, stroking my thumbnail over Fabio's long, storm-swept locks, and weeping like a banshee. When books become precious to you, their authors become family. I feel as though I lost a grandmother, albeit a grandmother who wrote about reformed pirate rakes, dialogue riddled with curse-words, and steamy sex scenes. Some grandmas write cookie recipes down. My fictional grandmother wrote New York Times bestselling novels and shaped the way I think about relationships. I hope she's in a big cloudy library in the sky, typing more Malory adventures sure to thrill half of heaven and scandalize the other, and boxing someone's ears.
But I digress.
The other cause of the emotional distress is...well, this book just got to me. We spend so much time hunting down the right book that appeals to our mood and interests and time-frame and the effort we're willing to put into it, and we never realize that it runs both ways, and books can hunt us, too.
I fancy myself a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to my beloved and oft-maligned romancelandia - there are few authors I haven't heard of and fewer yet books I haven't read or put on my TBR shelf. I've been reading romance since I was eleven, so I've got sixteen years of experience and furtively sneaking Judith McNaught's off of my mother's bookshelf to back up this boast. In college, I was "The Romance Lady", and many of the girls in my dorm who were too shy to buy books at Barnes & Noble would knock on my door and ask to borrow an old Lisa Kleypas or a Loretta Chase, and I rarely got them back without dog-eared pages and heated conversations accompanying the trade-off. To this day, I'm the person who tells my friends what's for sale on Kindle, what's available on OverDrive, what's being adapted into a Netflix series (can someone say "Bridgerton"?!?!?!?) and what debut is worth picking up (Evie Dunmore's, if you must know). I'm immeasurably grateful for those books, the lessons they instilled, the dialogues they inspired. I intend to read my own stock of favorites to my future daughter, to pass on their legacy of wonder and delight. I was a lonely teen, and romance novels gave me the opportunity to slink onto frigates and into Parisian salons and warm myself by the fire in cozy, Tudor-style cottages. Romance novels taught me repartee and self-worth. They taught me to straighten my spine and be myself, because that's the way any man worth having would want me. They taught me the resilience of the human spirit and the stubbornness of the heart that guides it. They taught me that the most attractive thing a woman can do is to genuinely be a light in all types of darkness.
Romance reading is very much like gem mining - where others strike gold, you often get imitation, and where you are happy with rose quartz, others were hoping for emeralds or rubies. So, anytime I hear a book has a sort of cult following, attracting the kind of mania that a gold mine would, a cluster of groupies who champion it long after it has gone out of print and guard their copies like Smaug the dragon guards his riches, I make it a point to read that book, and to see if there's some treasure in it that speaks to me, too. Sometimes, it's sentiment and memory that has caused the luster and fondness. But sometimes, seldom yet unmistakably, the hype is real, and I find myself holding a tattered, mass-market paperback that has become inexplicably dear in just a few days.
So, when it comes to picking one out, I often get very indecisive. I've got mountains of unread books, and each one is a commitment.
So, hubby to the rescue. He'll shamelessly pick up the books, examine their covers, quirk an insolent eyebrow, and read the blurb on the back. Whichever one sounds the most ridiculous to him is his recommendation. Though I'll probably never see the day where he condescends to read a romance novel (his loss!), at least he indulges my passion for them, right?
He picked Rebecca Brandewyne's out of a veritable sea of Mary Balogh's, Eloisa James', and Elizabeth Boyle's. It was the inside flap that sealed the deal - he laughed when he saw the heroine with her breasts nearly popping out of her red velvet gown, partially obscured by pink wildflowers, with a dark, brooding hero clasping her against him and the cliffs of Cornwall being lashed by waves. After skimming the word "Gypsy" and the name "Draco", he couldn't shake the feeling that this book was right for the job. I'd read Brandewyne's "The Outlaw Hearts" as a teen, so I knew she wasn't prone to melodrama. And yet, after reading this, I feel like a dramatic change has taken place.
*LITE SPOILERS*
Unlike traditional bodice-rippers, Brandewyne flips a lot of the normal tropes on their head here. There isn't a Big Misunderstanding that ruins a relationship - instead, people are impulsive, reluctant, and/or immature, which is much more believable. There isn't the evil stepmother, but rather a much more multi-faceted woman whose situation explains a lot of her actions. There isn't the revenge plot, but rather a prove-oneself-good-enough tone. Not every plotline is perfectly solved and patted down, and I like the mystery of that, of not knowing what happens to every character. Even the typical marriage-of-convenience ploy fit and worked well here, and pregnancy for the characters wasn't just used to fill pages and pass time, but to give the reader a glimpse of what we so rarely see - life following the HEA. It was a pleasure to see that neglected side of romance writing.
Normally, I abhor first-person narratives, but it worked here. Maggie's telling of the story, in bleak chronology, gave the tale atmosphere and depth. I loved her, through and through. She was intelligent but not brilliant; pretty but not beautiful; practical but not too meek; passionate but not annoyingly headstrong; it was her heart that made me love her. She was guileless and yet incredibly fierce, and I enjoyed when she became tempestuous and lost her temper - we all do that sometimes. I truly saw her grow and she forgave and understood a lot that other heroines would've held grudges about. There was a sadness to her that only added to her mystique. She was like the lighthouse - the windows would keep breaking, but Draco would keep trying to fix her, because she was worth it. She wasn't a martyr, though she had every reason to be, with her upbringing, neglect, and cruel patriarch. Misbegotten, but never broken.
As for Draco, well. Okay, yeah, the cousin part is a bit of an ick, but such were the times, and if you can get past it, it's truly a heartwarming story. Part Rom and 100% black sheep, he nevertheless feels kinship with the fiery stallions of the moors and the ghost-ridden manor he purchases and repairs by the ruins of Tintagel Castle. I loved how Draco was solid and reliable the entire book - he never wavered in devotion or motive, and was transparent and kind even when he was hurting by Maggie's thoughtlessness. You really get to see the transformation into manhood, as we meet Draco when he's fifteen and see him well into his twenties, and he and Maggie are companions through much of her teenage years. That scene when she and Draco free Black Magic to save him from Sir Nigel, and then he kisses her in the moonlight - be still my heart.
There is a scene that implies rape in this book, that will no doubt bother many. I respect that, and usually am the first to cry foul when an author goes there. But, I truly believed it was necessary to the plot and I can forgive it for not being tertiary. Violence is often used as a vehicle here, and I don't begrudge it, though I'm not the biggest fan of it.
Draco isn't perfect. At times, he acts savagely, and is reminiscent of Clayton Westmoreland from Judith McNaught's "Whitney, My Love". Yet, like Clayton, his autocracy is tempered by the heroine, and he really does try to please her. During several different incidents, he saves her life, and doesn't gloat or ask for anything in return except her loyalty. Their relationship was so complex and labyrinthine, I couldn't see where it would end up, and I held my breath during the epilogue, lest Draco fall off a cliff or get hanged in the gallows.
Nothing, save a certain marriage of one of Maggie's cousin, was predictable, and the pacing was adroit. I flew through this book, and I almost wished I had savored it. It was like drinking hot tea before the steeping's done. Yet I wouldn't trade my first taste of it for anything. Where some readers might have yawned at historical infodumps, I drank them up, from Plantaganet myths to the explanation of the Corn Laws. Where some readers would roll their eyes at naming a kitten Grimalkin, I laughed aloud, and understand too well what a gift a loving feline is. Brandewyne implemented karma, but in ways that were honest - sometimes karma hurts the wisher, too. This isn't just a romance novel - it's a story of freedom from resentment and expectation, of friendship that endures, of kindness and compassion, and most importantly, of redemption. Through the Gothic "Rebecca" feels and the occasional "Gone With the Wind" vibes, there's something terribly unique here, and what it says about family and blood will stay with me forever.
A pure, unadulterated joy to read. It felt like reading my first Lindsey, all over again.
I first want to disclose that I write this in a fit of emotion. I think part of the reason I'm so sensitive in this review is because of the context. I found out over the holidays that Johanna Lindsey passed, and I'm not taking it well. Another incredible romance pioneer, gone at just 67. My eleven-year-old self is clutching a copy of "The Magic of You" somewhere, stroking my thumbnail over Fabio's long, storm-swept locks, and weeping like a banshee. When books become precious to you, their authors become family. I feel as though I lost a grandmother, albeit a grandmother who wrote about reformed pirate rakes, dialogue riddled with curse-words, and steamy sex scenes. Some grandmas write cookie recipes down. My fictional grandmother wrote New York Times bestselling novels and shaped the way I think about relationships. I hope she's in a big cloudy library in the sky, typing more Malory adventures sure to thrill half of heaven and scandalize the other, and boxing someone's ears.
But I digress.
The other cause of the emotional distress is...well, this book just got to me. We spend so much time hunting down the right book that appeals to our mood and interests and time-frame and the effort we're willing to put into it, and we never realize that it runs both ways, and books can hunt us, too.
I fancy myself a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to my beloved and oft-maligned romancelandia - there are few authors I haven't heard of and fewer yet books I haven't read or put on my TBR shelf. I've been reading romance since I was eleven, so I've got sixteen years of experience and furtively sneaking Judith McNaught's off of my mother's bookshelf to back up this boast. In college, I was "The Romance Lady", and many of the girls in my dorm who were too shy to buy books at Barnes & Noble would knock on my door and ask to borrow an old Lisa Kleypas or a Loretta Chase, and I rarely got them back without dog-eared pages and heated conversations accompanying the trade-off. To this day, I'm the person who tells my friends what's for sale on Kindle, what's available on OverDrive, what's being adapted into a Netflix series (can someone say "Bridgerton"?!?!?!?) and what debut is worth picking up (Evie Dunmore's, if you must know). I'm immeasurably grateful for those books, the lessons they instilled, the dialogues they inspired. I intend to read my own stock of favorites to my future daughter, to pass on their legacy of wonder and delight. I was a lonely teen, and romance novels gave me the opportunity to slink onto frigates and into Parisian salons and warm myself by the fire in cozy, Tudor-style cottages. Romance novels taught me repartee and self-worth. They taught me to straighten my spine and be myself, because that's the way any man worth having would want me. They taught me the resilience of the human spirit and the stubbornness of the heart that guides it. They taught me that the most attractive thing a woman can do is to genuinely be a light in all types of darkness.
Romance reading is very much like gem mining - where others strike gold, you often get imitation, and where you are happy with rose quartz, others were hoping for emeralds or rubies. So, anytime I hear a book has a sort of cult following, attracting the kind of mania that a gold mine would, a cluster of groupies who champion it long after it has gone out of print and guard their copies like Smaug the dragon guards his riches, I make it a point to read that book, and to see if there's some treasure in it that speaks to me, too. Sometimes, it's sentiment and memory that has caused the luster and fondness. But sometimes, seldom yet unmistakably, the hype is real, and I find myself holding a tattered, mass-market paperback that has become inexplicably dear in just a few days.
So, when it comes to picking one out, I often get very indecisive. I've got mountains of unread books, and each one is a commitment.
So, hubby to the rescue. He'll shamelessly pick up the books, examine their covers, quirk an insolent eyebrow, and read the blurb on the back. Whichever one sounds the most ridiculous to him is his recommendation. Though I'll probably never see the day where he condescends to read a romance novel (his loss!), at least he indulges my passion for them, right?
He picked Rebecca Brandewyne's out of a veritable sea of Mary Balogh's, Eloisa James', and Elizabeth Boyle's. It was the inside flap that sealed the deal - he laughed when he saw the heroine with her breasts nearly popping out of her red velvet gown, partially obscured by pink wildflowers, with a dark, brooding hero clasping her against him and the cliffs of Cornwall being lashed by waves. After skimming the word "Gypsy" and the name "Draco", he couldn't shake the feeling that this book was right for the job. I'd read Brandewyne's "The Outlaw Hearts" as a teen, so I knew she wasn't prone to melodrama. And yet, after reading this, I feel like a dramatic change has taken place.
*LITE SPOILERS*
Unlike traditional bodice-rippers, Brandewyne flips a lot of the normal tropes on their head here. There isn't a Big Misunderstanding that ruins a relationship - instead, people are impulsive, reluctant, and/or immature, which is much more believable. There isn't the evil stepmother, but rather a much more multi-faceted woman whose situation explains a lot of her actions. There isn't the revenge plot, but rather a prove-oneself-good-enough tone. Not every plotline is perfectly solved and patted down, and I like the mystery of that, of not knowing what happens to every character. Even the typical marriage-of-convenience ploy fit and worked well here, and pregnancy for the characters wasn't just used to fill pages and pass time, but to give the reader a glimpse of what we so rarely see - life following the HEA. It was a pleasure to see that neglected side of romance writing.
Normally, I abhor first-person narratives, but it worked here. Maggie's telling of the story, in bleak chronology, gave the tale atmosphere and depth. I loved her, through and through. She was intelligent but not brilliant; pretty but not beautiful; practical but not too meek; passionate but not annoyingly headstrong; it was her heart that made me love her. She was guileless and yet incredibly fierce, and I enjoyed when she became tempestuous and lost her temper - we all do that sometimes. I truly saw her grow and she forgave and understood a lot that other heroines would've held grudges about. There was a sadness to her that only added to her mystique. She was like the lighthouse - the windows would keep breaking, but Draco would keep trying to fix her, because she was worth it. She wasn't a martyr, though she had every reason to be, with her upbringing, neglect, and cruel patriarch. Misbegotten, but never broken.
As for Draco, well. Okay, yeah, the cousin part is a bit of an ick, but such were the times, and if you can get past it, it's truly a heartwarming story. Part Rom and 100% black sheep, he nevertheless feels kinship with the fiery stallions of the moors and the ghost-ridden manor he purchases and repairs by the ruins of Tintagel Castle. I loved how Draco was solid and reliable the entire book - he never wavered in devotion or motive, and was transparent and kind even when he was hurting by Maggie's thoughtlessness. You really get to see the transformation into manhood, as we meet Draco when he's fifteen and see him well into his twenties, and he and Maggie are companions through much of her teenage years. That scene when she and Draco free Black Magic to save him from Sir Nigel, and then he kisses her in the moonlight - be still my heart.
There is a scene that implies rape in this book, that will no doubt bother many. I respect that, and usually am the first to cry foul when an author goes there. But, I truly believed it was necessary to the plot and I can forgive it for not being tertiary. Violence is often used as a vehicle here, and I don't begrudge it, though I'm not the biggest fan of it.
Draco isn't perfect. At times, he acts savagely, and is reminiscent of Clayton Westmoreland from Judith McNaught's "Whitney, My Love". Yet, like Clayton, his autocracy is tempered by the heroine, and he really does try to please her. During several different incidents, he saves her life, and doesn't gloat or ask for anything in return except her loyalty. Their relationship was so complex and labyrinthine, I couldn't see where it would end up, and I held my breath during the epilogue, lest Draco fall off a cliff or get hanged in the gallows.
Nothing, save a certain marriage of one of Maggie's cousin, was predictable, and the pacing was adroit. I flew through this book, and I almost wished I had savored it. It was like drinking hot tea before the steeping's done. Yet I wouldn't trade my first taste of it for anything. Where some readers might have yawned at historical infodumps, I drank them up, from Plantaganet myths to the explanation of the Corn Laws. Where some readers would roll their eyes at naming a kitten Grimalkin, I laughed aloud, and understand too well what a gift a loving feline is. Brandewyne implemented karma, but in ways that were honest - sometimes karma hurts the wisher, too. This isn't just a romance novel - it's a story of freedom from resentment and expectation, of friendship that endures, of kindness and compassion, and most importantly, of redemption. Through the Gothic "Rebecca" feels and the occasional "Gone With the Wind" vibes, there's something terribly unique here, and what it says about family and blood will stay with me forever.
A pure, unadulterated joy to read. It felt like reading my first Lindsey, all over again.
avoid
August 6, 2019NTS: Wuthering Heights "inspired." First pers POV---Ewww!
July 31, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was expecting a drama filled Mary Sue TSTL heroine and not an ounce of depth to the story but what I got was a well thought out, well researched story set in Cornwall with a heroine I actually liked and a hero that didn't get on my nerves that bad.
I mean it was still a bodice ripper (he literally rips her bodice off)
but it was well written (the author did a lot on the time period and the Corn Laws and such) and the characters were actual people, not cardboard cut outs of the same people over and over.
I enjoyed the secondary characters quite a bit because they weren't just background noise, but had unique voices of their own. Even the evil ones were interesting, because the heroine either understood them or sympathized with them at one point or another.
I can always tell if a book is halfway decent, or if the idea of the story is, just because I'll start subconsciously writing stuff in that setting in my head.
The moors came to life with Brandewyne's talent, and I'm impressed because this book was written years ago, and the style of writing has changed in so many ways. But I still found her story better than some of the modern stuff I've picked up recently. Garbage.
My one complaint, of course, was the giant miscommunication at the end. I just hate when two reasonable people suddenly don't notice when one either goes off the deep end or is acting a certain way that is not true to their character, and never questions that.
I know that in real life Draco would have forced Maggie to explain her sudden hatred, or coldness toward him and it would have all been resolved without the dramatic ending.
But other than that I really enjoyed it. I even learned a little something, a tiny history lesson. :)
I mean it was still a bodice ripper (he literally rips her bodice off)
but it was well written (the author did a lot on the time period and the Corn Laws and such) and the characters were actual people, not cardboard cut outs of the same people over and over.
I enjoyed the secondary characters quite a bit because they weren't just background noise, but had unique voices of their own. Even the evil ones were interesting, because the heroine either understood them or sympathized with them at one point or another.
I can always tell if a book is halfway decent, or if the idea of the story is, just because I'll start subconsciously writing stuff in that setting in my head.
The moors came to life with Brandewyne's talent, and I'm impressed because this book was written years ago, and the style of writing has changed in so many ways. But I still found her story better than some of the modern stuff I've picked up recently. Garbage.
My one complaint, of course, was the giant miscommunication at the end. I just hate when two reasonable people suddenly don't notice when one either goes off the deep end or is acting a certain way that is not true to their character, and never questions that.
I know that in real life Draco would have forced Maggie to explain her sudden hatred, or coldness toward him and it would have all been resolved without the dramatic ending.
But other than that I really enjoyed it. I even learned a little something, a tiny history lesson. :)
March 31, 2019
*** 5 Star ***
It's a fantastic novel, only such that Rebecca Brandewyne could write. Margaret and Draco's love was very emotional, poignant and eternal. Margaret's stepmom and stepsister were such characters that it was hard to hate them for they certainly added more drama and interest to the story. Although how much of England did married their cousins in the 19th century? The only shortcoming in this novel was that not enough parts were given to the hero, Draco. He seemed to be somewhat absent from the storyline overall and only appeared a few times.
It's a fantastic novel, only such that Rebecca Brandewyne could write. Margaret and Draco's love was very emotional, poignant and eternal. Margaret's stepmom and stepsister were such characters that it was hard to hate them for they certainly added more drama and interest to the story. Although how much of England did married their cousins in the 19th century? The only shortcoming in this novel was that not enough parts were given to the hero, Draco. He seemed to be somewhat absent from the storyline overall and only appeared a few times.
October 5, 2012
Très bonne surprise pour ce Aventure et Passion qui se démarque des autres par son côté plus sombre et moins cul-cul la praline. Les personnages ont tous leur défauts ce qui les rends encore plus crédibles.
Alors oui le livre met du temps à démarrer mais c'est à cause du résumé (qui en fait n'est pas un excellent résumé puisqu'il nous parle du milieu du bouquin!) et du fait qu'on s'attend à une histoire d'amour traditionnelle. Au début je me demandais si j'allais accrocher à ce récit d'enfance surtout que le récit est sous forme d'autobiographie. Mais finalement le passage enfance n'est pas en trop et est vraiment nécessaire pour la suite. L'héroïne n'est pas trop pénible et est assez forte tête. Il est clair que parfois la ressemblance aux Hauts de Hurlevant et flagrante mais je l'ai plus ressenti comme un hommage que du plagiat.
Bref, je recommande chaudement ce livre.
Alors oui le livre met du temps à démarrer mais c'est à cause du résumé (qui en fait n'est pas un excellent résumé puisqu'il nous parle du milieu du bouquin!) et du fait qu'on s'attend à une histoire d'amour traditionnelle. Au début je me demandais si j'allais accrocher à ce récit d'enfance surtout que le récit est sous forme d'autobiographie. Mais finalement le passage enfance n'est pas en trop et est vraiment nécessaire pour la suite. L'héroïne n'est pas trop pénible et est assez forte tête. Il est clair que parfois la ressemblance aux Hauts de Hurlevant et flagrante mais je l'ai plus ressenti comme un hommage que du plagiat.
Bref, je recommande chaudement ce livre.
April 18, 2012
Definitely one of the better romance novels I've read in a while. It's loosely based on Wuthering Heights, so that was a plus going in since that is my favorite book. It seemed tome where in W.H. each character was so involved in their own personality issues, this book had a few extra characters so that each could embody someone from the original work and each could be their own person as well. The writing is really what kept me in the story though, because it could have easily become very cheesy very fast.
April 6, 2016
Ottimo romanzo storico, una narrazione in prima persona che però nn penalizza i personaggi che emergono vividi dal racconto della protagonista. Belle descrizioni di una Cornovaglia selvaggia e mutevole che accompagna le vicissitudini dei personaggi principali. Forse un po' lenta la prima parte della fanciullezza di Maggie. Ricco di avvenimenti, anche storici, che la Brandewyne riporta, dando ancor più carattere al romanzo che ho letto davvero con grande piacere...
March 8, 2010
These Cornwall Gothics are old books (don't let the September 1999 re-release date on Amazon fool you), very un-PC, and written in first person, but the heroes are just yummy. If you like your heroes gentle and you're looking for humor, these books are not for you, but whenever I want a bit of sturm and drang, I reread both, since one follows the other.
March 5, 2009
My first novel ever read. Unforgettable. will read again
December 18, 2020
By and1515
Maggie's relationship with her father was one of fear and anxiety and the fact that it was her fault her poor mother died.
She lived in virtual isolation with only her Aunt and her two children whom lived near by.
My father went to London and returned home with a new wife and her two children turning my life upside down.
And to be honest it was quite and ajustment to having a stepsister whom tried my patience most of the time.
Draco was my father's nephew whom turned out to be some wild half gypsy and dark as the night he appeared.
To say the next few years were good ones would be highly over rated there were moments of quiet and calm between the storms.
My father became even meaner, nastier, and no one was safe from his posion tongue.
However life dealt me several blows that were hard to swallow especially since I would have to see them frequently But what else could I do but let him go where he wanted to be.
And yes my father nearly lost his mind when he realized what I'd done but there was nothing he could do to stop it either.
Maybe if I'd truly understood my attraction to Draco and what It would bring me in the end maybe I wouldn't have faught it so hard but no I had to be stubborn.
Maggie's relationship with her father was one of fear and anxiety and the fact that it was her fault her poor mother died.
She lived in virtual isolation with only her Aunt and her two children whom lived near by.
My father went to London and returned home with a new wife and her two children turning my life upside down.
And to be honest it was quite and ajustment to having a stepsister whom tried my patience most of the time.
Draco was my father's nephew whom turned out to be some wild half gypsy and dark as the night he appeared.
To say the next few years were good ones would be highly over rated there were moments of quiet and calm between the storms.
My father became even meaner, nastier, and no one was safe from his posion tongue.
However life dealt me several blows that were hard to swallow especially since I would have to see them frequently But what else could I do but let him go where he wanted to be.
And yes my father nearly lost his mind when he realized what I'd done but there was nothing he could do to stop it either.
Maybe if I'd truly understood my attraction to Draco and what It would bring me in the end maybe I wouldn't have faught it so hard but no I had to be stubborn.
September 22, 2020
Please fix this page so it doesn’t disappear if you accidentally bump it. I’ve written reviews multiple times and lost them due to this malfunction.
I felt that too much time was spent on their childhood before it got to the romance.
The romance was fraught with angst because Maggie couldn’t admit to herself that she loved Draco.
I had to keep reminding myself that she was only 19 when the romance started and 20 by the book’s ending, so a lot of her thinking processes were immature.
The historical account was educational. I had never read about china clay mines before.
The Cornwall location was very descriptive.
I felt that too much time was spent on their childhood before it got to the romance.
The romance was fraught with angst because Maggie couldn’t admit to herself that she loved Draco.
I had to keep reminding myself that she was only 19 when the romance started and 20 by the book’s ending, so a lot of her thinking processes were immature.
The historical account was educational. I had never read about china clay mines before.
The Cornwall location was very descriptive.
November 19, 2021
They are cousins but he is illegitimate. Born out of wedlock, his mother of gypsy blood, a bastard. When his father died he is taken to the family estate where he is place in the stables to work. If he had been born from a wedded couple he would have been the heir. She is his younger cousin. The two become close friends. She is betrothed to another male cousin and heir but things go wrong. Her father's cruelty towards her and the bastard turns both against him and she eventually runs away. To cover up a pregnancy she marries him.
January 30, 2021
Es la única obra de esta autora q he leído y no me gustó en absoluto. A pesar de tener todos los ingredientes correctos, pasión, intriga, celos, malos entendidos, un gitano de protagonista, sencillamente no logra hacer creíble la historia. Como q no transmite las grandes pasiones q llevan y traen a los personajes.
Con la decepción que significó este libro, nunca más me tentó leer nada de esta autora.
Con la decepción que significó este libro, nunca más me tentó leer nada de esta autora.
January 21, 2021
I don’t think I can articulate how much I disliked this book. It had all the brooding and revenge and betrayal of Wuthering Heights with some rape and emotional abuse thrown in for good measure. The first half was just slow and mildly boring; the second half was irredeemable.
October 8, 2023
I was in the mood for a moody October read and this really hit the spot: 1st person narrative, a bit of mystery, a disturbed hero, a strangely unfolding romance, a bit of mystery, and cold eerie settings. Time span was over years ranging from childhood to early adulthood. I really enjoyed this!
August 10, 2025
I loved this book so much it was such a journey reminds me of Bertrice Small books. I did at times space out during heavy world building parts because it went into such detail but other than I had a good time.
April 27, 2021
Maggie goes against tradition in this historical romance and discovers true love with a classic hero. A good escapist book.
January 10, 2022
Peccato non poter mettere 0 stelle. Pessimi, pessimi insegnamenti e messaggi.
July 8, 2024
Love RB books. Read for first time. Great storytelling with a dark sexy twist as in all of her books. The “lover” is never a good guy or bad guy but a mix of both.
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