Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Legacy of Darkness by Jane Godman


Title: Legacy of Darkness
Author: Jane Godman
ISBN: 9781460330692
Publisher: Harlequin E
Release Date: Single Title April 1, 2014
Shivers box set: January 6, 2014
Format: E-book $3.99
How I read it: Purchased Shivers Box set via Amazon
Rating: 4 Cups
 
1837 Cornwall, England

Orphaned, penniless and reduced to the role of lady's companion, Lucy Alleyne is relieved when a distant relation spirits her away to Castle Athal. But gratitude soon gives way to fear—and unlooked-for pleasure.
 
The ancient Cornish castle is a dark monument to family, fortune and blood. Within its walls, the Jago family keeps its wards close…and its secrets closer. Lucy is drawn to Tynan, Earl of Athal. The young heir is handsome and caring, yet tortured in his mind like his father before him. Tynan is utterly different from his uncle Uther—a commanding, seductive presence whose leonine power radiates from his every word and gesture.
These two Jago men have innocent Lucy enthralled—mind, soul and body. But if she remains within the poisonous castle keep, with its history of ill-starred passion and madness, a mere broken heart will seem a mercy. (from publishers website)
 
 
After the traumatic death of her father, Lucia Alleyne was forced to become a companion to an elderly woman. When Demelza Jago, a distant relation on Lucia’s mother’s side, arrives and sweeps her off to the gothic gloomy castle called Tenebris, in Cornwall, Demelza’s brother Uther soon catches her eye.
 
Pulled into a sensual, and if I’m being honest kind of creepy relationship, with Uther, Lucy soon finds herself under the spell of this mysterious man. Although she soon discovers that there is more going on at Tenebris than meets the eye.
 
When she discovers that Tynan, the present Earl of Athal, isn’t as insane as Demelza and Uther would have others to believe, she begins to question just what Demelza’s intentions were in bringing her to Tenebris.
 
Legacy of Darkness is more along the lines of Gothic horror with a hint of romance. Although lacking in the spine-tingling thrill, Godman delivers a thriller of family dysfunction that will have you riveted to your seat as you fly through page after page filled with the horrific goings-on of the Jago family.
 
Highly atmospheric, Godman brings to life the gloom, deceit, and danger of Tenebris and the Jago family. If ever there was family with skeletons in their closets it’s the Jago’s, who I might add can rival the Addams family in their creepiness and kookiness.
 
Overall, I truly enjoyed this gothic romance and loved the way that Godman showed Lucy growing throughout the book. While some of it was a little predictable, the twists and turns in the plot made reading Legacy of Darkness rather intriguing. And with the way it ended, I would love to see a sequel.
  
 

3 comments:

Becca said...

Looks good!

Jane Godman said...

Hi Angela. Thank you for reading and reviewing 'Legacy of Darkness', my first Shivers novel for Harlequin. I'm glad you enjoyed it (if 'enjoyed' is the right word to describe the emotions provoked by the antics of those dastardly Jagos!). I like the way you compare them to the Adams family! There IS a sequel, coming out very soon in the April 2014 Shivers box set. It's called 'Echoes in the Darkness' and it's set about 30 years after Legacy so it features the next generation of the Jago family.

Angela @ Simply Angela said...

Thanks for stopping by Becca!

Hi Jane. Thanks for stopping by! I cannot wait to read the sequel, "Echoes in the Darkness'. I imagine the next generation of Jagos will be just as interesting as the one before.

-Cheers,
Angela