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Harlequin Mystique #65
Deadly Inheritance
The ruins were a blazing inferno
The fire spread alarmingly fast. Suddenly, Marianne realized that she and Geoffrey, the two heirs to the enormous Darringford estate, had been lured inside the old monastery. Then someone had deliberately set it afire...someone who wated them out of the way.
Geoffrey strained to open the massive door of the old bell tower, but it wouldn't budge. They were trapped!
They could expect only a slow, agonizing death!
The fire spread alarmingly fast. Suddenly, Marianne realized that she and Geoffrey, the two heirs to the enormous Darringford estate, had been lured inside the old monastery. Then someone had deliberately set it afire...someone who wated them out of the way.
Geoffrey strained to open the massive door of the old bell tower, but it wouldn't budge. They were trapped!
They could expect only a slow, agonizing death!
- GenresGothic
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
6 people want to read
About the author
Alix Andre
29 books1 followerAlix André (née Caseneuve) was a French novelist who wrote dozens of books between 1942 and 1980.
She was married to Antoine André, and they had three children: Philippe, Serge and Jacques.
She was married to Antoine André, and they had three children: Philippe, Serge and Jacques.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 31, 2012
An enjoyable light read & one of the better Harlequins I've sampled (granted, my experience is limited).
This is a gothicky romantic suspense that centers around a woman named Marianne. She marries in a hurry ("Married in a hurry! Married in a hurry!" [/Mel Brooks voice]), but has no time for repentance as her husband is killed in a train accident on their honeymoon. Still somewhat in shock, she visits Michael's uber-rich family in England. From there she's introduced to the usual selection of clashing personalities with murky motives. Why is the haughty elder Duchess so anxious to see her married to Michael's cousin Geoffrey? And does Geoffrey actually love her, or is he after money to boost his own estate? There's also something strange about those monastery ruins at the back of the property...hmmm.
Marianne narrates the story & she's a likeable character. She does have a bit of prerequisite denseness regarding Geoffrey (newsflash, darlin'...the dude thinks you're hot), but she isn't stupid & doesn't do anything too outrageous in her search for the truth. From what I've read about Harlequin heroes, Geoffrey is one of the mild ones. He gets a bit jealous on occasion, but he's not violent or nasty. Mostly he tries to hide his feelings with sarcasm & broody cigarette smoking. (And he loves his dogs, so there you go. ;))
Any rate, here's a short review for a short book. I was pleasantly surprised with one of the twists -- definitely didn't see that one coming. The villain was somewhat obvious if you're familiar with formula, but the other suspect turned out to be a positive character. Hurrah for bending the tropes. It also had a fairly tangled backstory; in this case, there was enough crapola in the past to breed overreactive WTFery in the present.
Not quite enough for 4 stars, but I would read other HQNs by this author.
This is a gothicky romantic suspense that centers around a woman named Marianne. She marries in a hurry ("Married in a hurry! Married in a hurry!" [/Mel Brooks voice]), but has no time for repentance as her husband is killed in a train accident on their honeymoon. Still somewhat in shock, she visits Michael's uber-rich family in England. From there she's introduced to the usual selection of clashing personalities with murky motives. Why is the haughty elder Duchess so anxious to see her married to Michael's cousin Geoffrey? And does Geoffrey actually love her, or is he after money to boost his own estate? There's also something strange about those monastery ruins at the back of the property...hmmm.
Marianne narrates the story & she's a likeable character. She does have a bit of prerequisite denseness regarding Geoffrey (newsflash, darlin'...the dude thinks you're hot), but she isn't stupid & doesn't do anything too outrageous in her search for the truth. From what I've read about Harlequin heroes, Geoffrey is one of the mild ones. He gets a bit jealous on occasion, but he's not violent or nasty. Mostly he tries to hide his feelings with sarcasm & broody cigarette smoking. (And he loves his dogs, so there you go. ;))
Any rate, here's a short review for a short book. I was pleasantly surprised with one of the twists -- definitely didn't see that one coming. The villain was somewhat obvious if you're familiar with formula, but the other suspect turned out to be a positive character. Hurrah for bending the tropes. It also had a fairly tangled backstory; in this case, there was enough crapola in the past to breed overreactive WTFery in the present.
Not quite enough for 4 stars, but I would read other HQNs by this author.
Displaying 1 of 1 review