Beguiled

by Catherine Lloyd

Clara Hamilton’s daring rescue from Gateshead Asylum leads to a shocking revelation that shatters her hope for their love. With nowhere to turn, Clara accepts Mrs. Brockville’s offer to join a shooting party at Petherham Manor that includes Strachan and his bitter fiancée, Trudy Delisle. But Windemere Hall is only a short distance away and Clara cannot stop thinking about its master, her enigmatic, haunted cousin Branson.
----------------------
Beguiled is the third episode in the Windemere Hall Trilogy and launches Catherine Lloyd’s Victorian Villains Gothic Romance Serials. Steamy gothic romance in the tradition of Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt, they are set in 1867 Victorian England. The novellas will be released in installments like the “penny dreadful” of the Age. Each episode ends in a cliff-hanger. These are steamy romances containing scenes, language and themes written for a mature audience.

Genres: Gothic

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2016

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Catherine Lloyd is a pseudonym for mystery author, Nadine Doolittle, who wrote three romance novels before switching genres to psychological suspense. She was born in 1960 in Comox, British Columbia, the third daughter of an RCF mechanic and his Scottish wife. A graduate of Vancouver's prestigious Studio 58 Theatre Program, her career path has taken her from acting to casting film and television with Toronto's Alliance Films, to writing for a weekly newspaper and a city daily.

Nadine has two grown children, two stepdaughters, a cat, a dog and a grandson. She lives with her partner Tim in a beautiful house on 22 forested acres nestled in the Gatineau Hills where she writes full time. She is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada.

Reviews

[Mermarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of mental hopping and telling, but there were kept secrets to the big mystery too. Her writing, as far as stringing sentences and being technically correct, were fine. The H/h came to affectionate states far too soon, for my liking as well. Within a DAY of her arriving at his house. There were also points where I wanted to say: Go home book, you're drunk; because the H/h kept repeating the same lines, or forgot their lines, or the plotline was changed all together in their dialogue. It felt a little too whimsical and overdone in places.

My biggest pet peeve were the we are so modern now, look at us using four letter words! I'm not certain that in Historicals, I can ever find this acceptable, especially if the author demonstrates the newfangled terms with a back-to-back switching of euphemisms then back to cunts, cocks, fucking and pussy words. I can let it slide in Erotica or even Contemporary Romance, but call me out if I'm clinging to my old school Historical expectations; why is it necessary?

The most redeeming quality of the book itself, or series, for that matter - was that the revenge plot maintained throughout its entirety, for the most part.

2.5 stars

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why three

I didn’t understand why this story was in three books. I think putting it all together in one book would suffice. I’m giving it a 4 bc a good gothic romantic suspense is hard to find.

[Squeaky · Rating 4 out of 5]

In support of gothic historical novels. Entertaining, quick read.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather intense ending. A rescue from a madhouse, from a depraved mad woman, and from angry, vengeance filled characters. A happy ending of sorts.

[Angel Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read

I read the trilogy and it was such a quick read. I just wish they were longer because I want to read about the couple more.