Lord of the Far Island

by Victoria Holt

Lovely Ellen Kellaway was rescued from a bleak future by her newly discovered guardian, Jago Kellaway, Lord of the Far Island, off the wild coast of Cornwall. There, Ellen was drawn deeper and deeper into the secrets of a past as alive and threatening as the present. There Jago offered her the fabled Island Necklace worn by the mistresses of Kellaway Castle. But was it a promise of happiness -- or a dark symbol of death . . .?

Genres: Romance, Gothic, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord of the Far Island is an older Gothic mystery/romance by the prolific Victoria Holt.

Ellen Kellaway is the poor orphaned relative taken in by wealthier relatives, who never let her forget her place. She's (reluctantly) on track to become a governess when she's swept off her feet by Phillip, the attractive son of a neighboring family. We're way too early in the book for a Happily Ever After, though, and sure enough, disaster strikes. Luckily for Ellen, a relative of her father suddenly and conveniently appears to whisk her away to Far Island, the Kellaway family island in Cornwall. Ellen begins to fall in love, both with Far Island and with its owner. But there is a dangerous mystery about the island and Ellen's past life that may interfere with her happiness once again.

LOTFI had its moments but was rather forgettable and a little . . . formulaic? I guessed the villain by the simple process of discounting the obvious suspects and then picking the next most likely suspect. Agatha Christie, she's not. I was also more irritated with the love interest and his high-handedness than charmed by him, which isn't the main emotion you want to be feeling when you're reading a gothic romance. And the whole thing with the heroine's lifelong nightmares of a vaguely ominous room was in the end, I thought, a little anticlimactic. Like The Shivering Sands, there's a Sybil fortune teller who Knows and Sees All.

Also, commas can be your friends!


On the plus side, I really enjoyed the scenes where Ellen was getting to know the island of her ancestors. I want my own island! And while the first third of the book and the rest were a little disjointed, in the end the two parts came together in a satisfying way. It's not a bad read if you enjoy the old-fashioned Gothic romances.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

***2017 Summer Lovin’ Reading List***

I think this may have been the very first romance novel that I ever read in my life, at around age 11 or 12. I remember how much I loved the book at that age and that is probably influencing my rating today.

Talk about Gothic! A heroine who is an orphan, living with distant family members as a Poor Relation? Check! Beautiful & spunky? Check! Mysterious goings-on? Check! Subtly threatening handsome man with secrets who arrives in the nick of time to save her from the horrid fate of governessing? Check! New family members who maybe aren’t as into her as she is into them? Check and double check! A second handsome and more straightforward man as a foil for the intense, dark one? Checkeroo!

I believe it was my mother who introduced me to Victoria Holt and she & I read our way through many of Holt’s novels. This was very much a nostalgia read—it reminded me of my teenage reading years and reading with Mom. I can definitely see where works like this one set my tastes in romantic fiction, leading to my current affection for paranormal romance.

[Tweety · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as I remember!

Ellen Kellaway is an orphan taken in by her Aunt's good will, and for no other reason. She grows up as the poor relation always knowing, and dreading the day when she will have to go out and become a governess. But one day changes everything and now Ellen is marrying into a wealthy family.

Ellen, is not sure but that she has made a mistake in excepting Philips proposal. Why they hardly know each other! Unfortunately,Ellen doesn't know how to back out gracefully.

Then Philip sets his heart on a large, creamy white Queen Anne house. Ellen feels that there is something about the house that she doesn't like, it has an oppressive air to it. But Philip will not be dissuaded, they must have a house and this one fits the bill. Ellen still can't help feeling as if things are not quite right. Especially when a strange man takes to following her about.

Then something terrible happens and all Ellen wants is to get away. Unexpectedly that escape comes in the form of a letter from The Far Island and from her guardian she didn't know she had, Jago Kellaway.

Once on the Island Ellen has a 'series of accidents', but whoever it is trying to kill her is hidden by the folds of mist around the Kellaway's Island.

Jago Kellaway is strangely passionate about the Far Island, and Ellen finds herself trying to trust him, against her better judgement.

I love this book!!! It wasn't till the end that all the pieces fit together. I didn't know who to trust till the end, the villein was completely different from what I expected, and it left me tremendously glad that Victoria Holt had seen fit to add an epilogue. There were dungeons, hidden passages, carrier pigeons and the Kellaway necklace all enveloped in the Mystery of Kellaway Island. Everyone who enjoys Gothic suspense and adventure should read this!

There is an old woman who tells fortunes,(the more you pay her the better your future will be), that is the only paranormal effects in this book, so I'd give it a G

Then there was the beautiful end:

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been a 4-star read, but the ending annoyed me. Still, I did enjoy it overall. An atmospheric Gothic romance, perfect to read in October.

3.5 stars

[Ana Lopes Miura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the setting and the almost fairytale vibe, but the abrupt and rushed denouement made this a decent, but not great read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book at a book sale and picked it up for a song. I haven't read Victoria Holt until now because quite frankly, it never occurred to me that I should buy one of her books. I remember seeing her paperbacks in the romance section in the local five and dime all through my adolescence but I was more interested in buying magazines. Of course, I was going to be a supermodel and would never need a romantic suspense novel unless I needed kindling. Was I ever in for a surprise!

Holt does atmosphere very well and I loved her descriptions of the island off the Cornish coast. I just felt like the conclusion was a bit rushed and that I would have enjoyed the spunky heroine helping herself just a little more than she was allowed to in the end. Overall, this was very entertaining and I recommend this to all who love romantic suspense, including supermodels. I bumped this up to four stars and plan to read some of Holt's other offerings.

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised by a wealthy distant cousin after the death of her mother, Ellen Kellaway is forever reminded that she is the Poor Relation. Resigned to her eventual fate as a governess, she is suddenly taken by surprise when childhood friend Phillip Carrington declares his love and proposes a whirlwind marriage, much to the chagrin of Cousin Agatha who was counting on wealthy Phillip marrying her daughter Esmeralda. Curiously, Phillip's family is thrilled with the match to a girl with nary a penny to her name. Fate takes a sudden turn before the marriage can happen, and out of the blue appears a distant relative from her father's side of the family offering her a home on Far Island off the coast of Cornwall. Ellen loves the island and the Castle the Kellaways built hundreds of years ago (dungeons and all), and she soon finds herself falling in love with the island's owner, Jag Kellaway.

In true Holt fashion, Ellen soon finds herself in the midst of a mystery and things begin to go bump in the night. What is it about her father that none of the villagers wish to talk about? Why did her mother pack up and leave him when Ellen was little more than a toddler? What about the drawings her mother left behind, including one of the room she's been seeing in her dreams for years? Who is the mysterious girl Silva raised on the Island and presumed dead? Is Ellen just accident prone or is someone trying to do her in? If so, why?

While I enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to Holt fans, it just doesn't quite come up to a four star read. Perhaps it's because she took too long setting up Ellen's background and romance with Phillip and then realized at the end she had to hurry up and wrap-things-up-before-the-book-gets-too-long. It is a good book and a perfect comfort book for cuddling up with on a rainy afternoon; it's just not a great one.

[MV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I loved this classic spooky gothic.
Pros: Enjoyable heroine with a lot of spunk. Story has a Cinderella-esque feel in the beginning. Great settings and mostly interesting characters. I loved the "Far Island." There are several danger scenes and an air of menace throughout the book, so I never had to wait too long for a suspenseful scene.
Cons: Not convinced she truly belongs with her "ultimate true love" or whatever you want to call him, but ok, I'll take her word for it. I admittedly am not crazy about the man myself, but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story. (I wanted to see her end up with someone else) Denouement wrapped up a little fast. Wanted a tad more drama between Ellen and another character than what I got.
I didn't figure out the mystery till ~3/4 to the end when I suddenly remembered a key clue and things clicked. Looking back, I'm surprised I didn't, but I started this book at the start of what turned out to be a busy & stressful week (in a year of them) and ended up dragging out the reading. So I just wasn't thinking about it much to be honest.
All in all, though, this is what I read Gothics & VH for.
4.5 stars. Tempted to round up to 5, but I kinda have a super strict policy about 5 stars. Maybe I'll revise it and add the 5th star later.
Cover notes: My cover looks like this one, only it is all-white and you can see the full cover painting, which is lovely. The title on mine is also in a golden script.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned at 50%. This author is very hit-or-miss for me and I just found this one too slow and uninteresting.

[Inga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bija ok romāns + detektīvs. Neuzminēju īsto vainīgo. Kaut arī uz beigām tika dota info pēc kuras varēja izspriest, ja pacenstos.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I began the book with hopes for a pleasant mix of romance and suspense. The first two thirds of the book were pleasant and engaging. I immediately liked the heroine, Ellen. I was attracted to her spirit and determination to look positively at life despite her bleak future. Then plot turned, as expected but not the way I expected, poor Philip.

Enter Jago. Now, I had every intention of liking the man. He was all that promised romance: attractive, wealthy, rescuer, mysterious, and much more. However, I quickly grew to dislike him. The arrogance quickly grew too thick. Everytime he opened his mouth, I found myself cringing. I looked hopefully for the change that would make him attractive and lovable again. Then, much to my horror, Ellen fell in love with the man before he was forced to change. *Grimace* I am sorry, but I cannot rejoice in a spirited heroine marrying a man who didn't listen to her, hid the truth from her, or wouldn't admit he was wrong. He might repeatedly profess to admire her spirit, but his actions say the opposite. he didn't trust her to see him, so he manipulated.

He does seem to have a passion for her. She feels a chemistry with him as well, but feelings alone are not going to sustain them for their life ahead. It is hard to have a relationship with a person who will not discuss things, isn't honest, and doesn't listen when someone speaks. I do not have high hopes for a happily ever after for Jago and Ellen.

Sorry if this review comes across a bit strong, but I had a surprisingly strong reaction to this book.

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mystery set on an Island off Cornwall

I love Victoria Holt’s romances and every now and then pick one up as a “pallet cleanser”. While more a mystery than romantic suspense, there is a lot of intrigue here.

As always, it’s written from the first person. And presumably it’s a Victorian. Ellen Kellaway, orphaned at age five, was a “poor relation” raised by wealthy cousins. Plagued by the same terrible dream, she lives in a family where she is never allowed to forget that her fortunate circumstances are owed to Cousin Agatha.

Ellen is beautiful and her cousin, Esmeralda, lives in Ellen’s shadow, afraid of her own. The two get along well together, however. When Philip Carrington, the younger son of a powerful family, asks for Ellen’s hand in marriage, she is delighted—her relatives are not. They wanted him for Esmeralda.

Then tragedy strikes, one Ellen cannot imagine happened as they say it did. Her fiancé is dead, suicide they claim. Amid the bleak prospect of her future, Ellen receives a letter from Jago Kelloway, a man who apparently knew her father and who lives on the “Far Island” off Cornwall.

Ellen goes to the island where more mystery awaits and she begins to have feelings for Jago, though I have to say when she believed she was in love with him, it came as a bit of a surprise.

To me this was a mystery that Ellen unraveled… her past, her fiancé’s death and who is trying to kill her when so many have a motive.

A good story that will draw you in.

[Elise Hedlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Victoria Holt book, and it was amazing! Ellen was an amazing character; so captivating. I felt like I was in the book with her. I think this book was more interesting near the end, where things started to speed up. It definitely didn't end the way I thought it was going to, but I was even more satisfied with the ending than I would have been otherwise. It also kept me interested all the way through. I would totally recommend this book!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellen Kellaway, was alone in the world when she was just five years-old. Her mother’s wealthy cousins took her in, and raised her alongside their own daughter, Esme. But they never let her forget that her every advantage was owed to the charity of others. And that while Esme was destined for a great marriage, she would have to go out into the world when she came of age, and earn her living as a governess.

Ellen didn’t like that at all. She appreciated what was being done for her, but she had no intention of being a governess. She knew that the world had far more to offer.

I loved Ellen from the start. She was bright, warm, caring and she had such a wonderful spirit. The perfect heroine to follow into a grand adventure.

I wasn’t quite sure what year we were in, but I’d hazard a guess at late Victorian or early Edwardian. Whenever it was, Victoria Holt painted her world – the escapades, the houses, the clothes, the parties – quite beautifully.

Ellen was saved from life as a governess when the son of a powerful London family asks for her hand in marriage. It cause consternation at home, because he had been seen as a likely prospect for Esme, but Esme dreamed of a simple, quieter life and she was happy for her cousin.

Only a third of the book was over though, and so I suspected this would not be Ellen’s happy ending. It wasn’t. A terrible tragedy, days before her wedding, left her alone in the world again.

This time her father’s family came to the rescue. Ellen discovered that her father wasn’t long dead, he had died just weeks ago, and he had appointed his cousin, Jago Kellaway.

Jago’s invitation to a family home she had never known, a castle on an island couldn’t have come at a better time. Ellen falls in love with the Far Island, and with its Lord.

But she is troubled, plagued by questions and doubts. Why will nobody tell her anything about her father? Why did her mother leave? Why does so much of her new world seem so familiar? Who was Silva, her half-sister who had been raised on the but was now missing, presumed dead? Is Ellen just accident prone or does somebody wish her harm?

It was a grand mystery, and Victoria Holt does Cornwall wonderfully well. The mediaeval castle, the island, the sea, the surrounding countryside all came to life, and I found it so easy to understand why Ellen fell head over heels in love with the place.

Sadly the plot and the structure were a little clunky. I knew that the main drama would happen in Cornwall, and the first act in London, even though I loved it, felt over-long and the second act in Cornwall felt a little rushed. And, though the logic of the plot worked it felt a little too improbable.

But that’s not to say I wasn’t swept away, by the story, by the mystery, and by the wonderful atmosphere.

I’m inclined to say that while Victoria Holt does a very nice line in engaging heroines, and in nice, thoughtful men, she has a less certain touch when it comes to brooding heroes and dastardly villains, who at times seem a little one dimensional.

If I sat down and thought about it I would have realised how the pieces of the puzzle must fit together. I didn’t, because I was engrossed. And, even if I had, I think there would have been enough surprises along the way.

Lord of The Far Island finished with high drama, and a romantic flourish.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was a fine entertainment for a cold, dark, winter night.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Much like Janet Evanovich, it was just a fun read. It was one of those books you like to curl up with for pure entertainment. I liked that you didn’t find out the whole story until the very end. It was done so well, you didn’t even know there would be surprises…and there were many.
Ellen Kellaway, the “poor relation” to cousin Agatha and her husband Josiah, was never allowed to forget how she got to live in the lap of luxury, even though she never got to touch it per se. Her cousin Esmeralda (Agatha and Josiah’s daughter) never saw her as the poor relation, only as her friend whom she adored.

It was hoped—mostly by Agatha—that Esmeralda marry Phillip Carrington, the rich bachelor she felt worthy of her daughter. Much to Agatha’s chigrin, Phillip picks Ellen to be his bride on the eve of Esmeralda’s coming out party and coincidently the night Agatha assumed he would be claiming Esmeralda as his choice of bride.

Ellen’s life as the poor relation changes overnight until Phillip is suddenly taken from her. With heavy sadness in her heart, she receives word that her cousin Jago—several times removed—has been looking for her. She is the heir to an island and a vast fortune left by the father whom she thinks never wanted anything to do with her.

She learns of an older sister named Silva. But what happened to her? Where is she? Dead? How did she die and why didn’t anyone see her leave the island? There are a lot of twists and turns to this story and it will keep you interested and turning the pages until the end.

www.suspensemagazine.com

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Holt's better romance mysteries, because it does not suffer from her usual annoying repetitions and ninny-headed heroines who unvaryingly get themselves locked into crypts or lured into underwater caves with the tide coming in.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The August 2025 #TBRChallenge is "Do the Hustle." My mind immediately went to the song, which is not exactly conducive to my personal Mount TBR, LOL. So I decided to pick a book from the mountain that was released the same year as the song. I actually had a couple of choices, and settled fairly quickly on this one. Victoria Holt + Cornwall = 1000% my jam!

Ellen Kellaway is a twenty-year-old Poor Relation, and she has never been allowed to forget this fact. Her mother left her father when she was 3 years old, returning to the home of her mother (Ellen's grandmother), and tragically died a few years later. Grandmother wasn't too long for this mortal coil, either, and when she passed away, Ellen passed into the hands of her mother's distant cousin, Agatha. Agatha enjoys doing good works, and being seen doing good works, hence taking the poor orphan child into her home.

Ellen was a companion for Esmerelda, Agatha's only child. Esmerelda, like everyone else in Agatha's vicinity, is cowed by her mother's overbearing dominance. Ellen is the only one who is not intimidated by Agatha, and she grows up to be pretty resilient, considering she is expected to perform gratitude 24/7 to Agatha for the roof over her head, the clothes on her back, and the education she's given by being allowed to share in Esmerelda's lessons.

Agatha has Great Plans for Esmerelda, which basically culminate in wanting her to marry one of the sons of the great Carrington family. The son that is the girls' age, Philip, is introduced to them when they are tweens. Philip takes an immediate dislike to the milquetoast Esmerelda, but Ellen's fiery personality won't let him get the best of her. The three of them grow up together, and Agatha is carefully maneuvering her plans so that at Esmerelda's coming-out ball, it is expected that her engagement to Philip will be announced, thus linking their two families.

Ellen is not given a coming-out ball; in fact, she is given a big push out of the house towards a governess post with Agatha's friend and the equally odious Mrs Oman Lemming. Agatha is desperate for Ellen not to outshine her daughter (though Esmerelda herself wouldn't mind in the least). But it is much to everyone's surprise when, on the night of the ball, Philip proposes to Ellen instead, insisting that he's loved her since they were children and no one would make him happier. Ellen is not in love with Philip, but she certainly can see that marriage to a dear friend would be a much better fate than being a governess for the notoriously awful Mrs Lemming.

So plans are made and are moving smoothly. Philip finds a house he'd like to rent so that when they are married, they have their own place. Ellen does not like the house - she gets a really awful gut feeling and can barely even step foot in the place. She's starting to second-guess her decision to marry so young, to someone equally young, especially knowing her mother's marriage was not happy.

Six days before the wedding, Philip is shot and killed. It is ruled a suicide, but Ellen fervently believes he was murdered.

Her life is now falling apart. Agatha crowing all the while that she knew the marriage would never actually happen; Philip's brother accuses Ellen of being the reason he killed himself; Ellen herself has a horrible fall over Dead Man's Leap (though she is caught on a bush instead of tumbling to her death); and it seems she has no choice but to go with Mrs Lemming after all. Only - she receives a mysterious note in the mail, claiming to be from her long-lost father's family, inviting her to "the far island" to meet her relatives. She immediately decides to do this, even though it means leaving poor Esmerelda and Philip's family behind, and walking into a great unknown.

Ellen has never been told anything about her family of origin, other than her father basically ran her mother off. She travels to Cornwall to await a boat ride to the island a few miles off the coast, and she immediately starts asking questions of the locals. She learns that Jago Kellaway, the head of her family and lord and master of the isle, is feared and respected. Nobody wants to talk about her late father OR her mother, but she is desperate for answers. She gets a nasty surprise when she meets Jago Kellaway for the first time - he is a man she met in London, who claimed to be a "connection" of the Carrington family, who followed her around and even cornered her in the creepy house. Jago explains their (distant) familial relationship and starts pressuring her to forget her past and move forward with her future, there on the island with him.

The island is lovely, and Ellen is able to settle there, but there are lots of mysteries poking at her from the gothic castle interior. What really happened to her mother? Did her father really not care for children? Why did he not seek her out until he was dying? Who is the mysterious "SK", whose journals Ellen finds in her room? And why are the only other female members of the family watching her so closely and jealously guarding their own relationships with people from the mainland?

This is a deliciously gothic story with a refreshingly bright heroine who knows what she's about. She is very resilient and has common sense, enough to know that Philip didn't really commit suicide, and that Jago is not all he appears to be. She knows that he is pressuring her to marry him and stay on the island, but she's not going to give in until she learns the truth about her family - even, and especially, him.

The plot moves at a fairly steady clip throughout. Ellen not only has a powerful gut feeling about places, but she's also had a recurring dream of a certain room since she was a child, and she is more curious than even to discover if its a real place once she lands on the island and starts exploring her mother's history. I pretty much figured out all the links in the chain from the moment "SK" surfaces in the story, but it was still fun to go along for the ride with Ellen as she doggedly pursues her goal.

I was not much of a fan of Jago, unfortunately. He is somehow "only thirty" but grew up with Ellen's father (???) and he has a habit of being melodramatic all the time. He really pushes Ellen to marry him fairly quickly, and when the reasons why surface (she is the actual heiress to her father's estate, not him, which would make her incredibly wealthy and give her control of the island, which he has made known far and wide he considers his own personal kingdom), I liked him even less. Ellen deserved better than him.

Still, this was a good read. If you enjoy Holt's gothics you will gobble this one up.

[BJ Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellen has had the same terrifying dream almost her entire life. She sees a room with red curtains, and the dreams progressively reveal a little more each time and give her the feeling of something terrible about to happen. The room exists nowhere in her life as a Poor Relation, the orphan of a mysterious marriage that no one will talk about. Then her life changes for the better with a marriage proposal, which unfortunately didn't end in marriage when Philip died of a gunshot wound which was ruled a suicide. When all seems lost, Ellen receives a letter from her previously unknown guardian, and gets a chance to learn about her parents by traveling to Far Island. When she arrives, she learns that the Lord of Far Island is the mysterious stranger she met twice in London. What does it all mean? What will she learn about her parents? And more importantly, will she finally learn the mystery about that room in her dreams?

Good gothic mystery that reminded me why I used to regularly read Victoria Holt.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed it a lot more than expected, ellen was a delightfully clever protagonist and the mystery surrounding her family was captivating. holt knows how to write an absorbing story, and the only thing i wish i was different was the ending, because the romantic lead was such a perfect villain that he should have remained as such. alas, it was not to be.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como todas las historias de Victoria Holt, me encantó de principio a fin.
Esa forma de narrar, ese suspenso que intriga...
Y una equivocada con los implicados jajaja
¡Lo único que me quedó a deber un poco fue el romance, pero por la trama está mas que bien!

[Rachel Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

love a little gothic mystery

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot works well and many scenes are vividly portrayed. Although certain outcomes were predictable, owing to the author “recycling” storylines from several of her previous works, certain revelations did surprise me.

The characters are all well-drawn, especially the heroine of the piece.

As usual with Ms Holt much of this novel revolves around a long suspenseful build-up to a climax that's over too soon. I often feel that this author doesn't squeeze the full potential out of dramatic/exciting/frightening scenarios. She's great at building suspense, creating mystery, but tends to resolve her heroine's most trying moments too quickly and too easily. She's certainly done so with this book’s finale.

Overall, a good read, though the ending had great potential to have been much better.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8

I thought I'd read this soon after it came out, but it's not at all familiar. (Of course, 40+ years would be a long time to remember a gothic romance.)

I read about 2/3 of the book, and then I grew impatient and skimmed the rest to see what would happen. There was no reason to spend time reading each page.

Of course, Ellen is perfect -- beautiful, kind, out-going, smart, always prepared, ...

Basically, a good plot that I would have enjoyed more when I was younger.

reminiscent of Jane Eyre

[Marcia Lynn McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book by "Vickie" is back in print! Hallelujah!

Ellen Kellaway, orphaned at age five, was raised by wealthy cousins, but was never allowed to forget that her every advantage was owed to the charity of others. However, when the son of a powerful London family asks for her hand in marriage, her world is opened up to untold wealth and social position. She never imagined that such an unlikely dream would come true.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all of Victoria Holt mystery/romance books in my 30s. Holt books are a higher caliber of romance fiction than something like Harlequins. Historically accurate. Good recreational reading with something to keep you turning pages.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books written by Victoria Holt are so cheesy, but sometimes that's exactly what you need. I've read a loooot of her books when I was 14/15 years old..that was the last time I've read them. I absolutely loved them at the time. I'm thinking of reading one of her books just for the old times sake! =)

[Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I didn't care for this book. The dialogue was unrealistic, the main character drove me crazy, and some of the other characters I just really didn't like. The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is I didn't guess the plot twist...so kudos for that.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book primarily because she was one of my Mother's favorite authors. I read her as a teenager, but not since. I really enjoyed it. It was romantic, suspenseful, and fun. Lots of interesting characters and some great images of an island off the coast of England.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like to read Victoria Holt, gothic/mystery/with a touch of romance (but not too much)!

[Conchita Matson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of her best!