The Whispering Rocks

by Sandra Heath

Fate has just granted once-poor Sarah Jane many riches. But soon a scandal sends her to a far-off land, where evil seems to lurk in every corner. And perhaps scariest of all are the unfamiliar pangs of love she feels for a handsome local.

Genres: Regency, Historical Romance, Romance, Historical

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 2005

About the author

Sandra Heath is the ever-popular author of numerous Regencies, historical romances, novellas, and short stories. Among other honors, she has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Best Regency Author and for Best Regency Romance. She lives in Gloucester, England, and can be contacted at sandraheath@bluey onder.co.uk.

Reviews

[BonnieL · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was apparently a very early title by Sandra Heath - re-written from a regency to a gothic. Not her best effort - had I read this first instead of her later books, I would have bypassed any future titles. It's not as good as Victoria Holt's gothics, her hero and heroine simply didn't "click" for me and there was too much "woo-hoo" stuff with witches, pins in dolls (literally), eerie surroundings and attempts at scary drama that didn't succeed. I also question whether even the "tulips of the ton" wore patches and rouge in 1815. Georgian mannerisms were not in vogue in Regency times.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a gem of a book! This story was so good it had me completely engrossed in the telling. Our heroine, staying in town with her unscrupulous father, gets sent down to Dartmoor. Now really, what kind of adventures do you think await in this desolate part of the countryside?

This was an old-fashioned regency with a touch of the gothic. High body count, too, which I found surprising.

I completely enjoyed myself reading this book and will look for more by this new-to-me author.

[Ines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sarah is engaged to Edward, who is the son of Hermione, who is Sarah's aunt, who spreads lies about her and gets her sent away from home, where Sarah meets Melissa, who is the sister of James, who employs Martin, who is in love with Janie, who is Sarah's maid... Oh my goodness. In this book everybody is interconnected in the most obscure ways. Normally, I love interconnectedness of characters (especially when it goes beyond just the one book--I haven't read Sandra Heath's other books, so I don't know), but in this one it is -almost- too much. Everybody seems to have an ulterior motive behind their actions, and none of this is known to the protagonist, Sarah, as she, essentially, spends the entire book bumbling about the country side.

There's no real, palpable love in this book. It's mostly lust, witchcraft, hatred, and deceipt, not necessarily in that order. If you like those things, this may be the book for you. I don't know how to express my feelings for this book, but it felt like the plot was thin, predictable, and a bit superficial at times. I didn't get into it, and I didn't like the predictable twists and turns of the novel. Maybe the next Sandra Heath book I read will be better.

In short, it's not a bad book, but it's also not a great book. Give it a try and post a better review than mine! :P

[Linda C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an expanded version of Mannerby's Lady, apparently to make it into a Gothic romance. I don't think it succeeded. There are too many plot lines and people falling into and out of love quickly. The dark and evil tone does not come across. We are told about atmosphere but do not feel it. Similarly, we are told that the heroine led a miserable poverty-ridden life before the story began, but there is no feeling of that, simply we are told. And I just could not warm up to the character. I gave it 1 star because I liked a few of the minor characters, mostly the servants.