Mistress of Mellyn

Gothic romance and suspense were a hot, hot thing in the 18th and 19th centuries, but not a huge number of people were still writing it in the twentieth century. But Victoria Holt proved that it could still sell with her first gothic romance/suspense novel, "Mistress of Mellyn" -- it's a misty, dark-hued story with plenty of eerie clues and sensual touches, but it's a bit too redolent of "Rebecca" and "Jane Eyre." Having failed to attract a husband, Martha "Marty" Leigh arrives at the Cornish estate of Mount Mellyn to be a governess to Alvean TreMellyn. Cue a sinister fortune-telling, predicting trouble with "Alice" and a house of shadows. In true governess fashion, Marty's common sense and kindess soon wins over the servants and the neighboring family, flirty Peter and plain but kindly Celestine. But she has a little more trouble with her new charge, Alvean, who is neglected by her distant, chilly father Connan and spoiled by everyone else; there's also a strange, fey child named Gilly who wins Marty's compassion. As she tries to help Alvean get some paternal affection, Marty starts to hear strange rumors about the demise of Connan's wife Alice, a beautiful and kind woman who apparently died while eloping with a lover. But an old diary points at possible murder. And though Connan seems to be smitten with a local sexpot, Marty has begun to fall in love with him -- and he with her. But now she's beginning to have questions about just how Alice died.... and she might be next. "Mistress of Mellyn" is a book that absolutely drips with Daphne DuMaurier and Charlotte Bronte -- the plain young woman, the brooding Byronic hero, sexy rivals, dark family secrets and half-hidden scandals, sinister suspicions, dark corridors, and a house overshadowed by the presence of a dead woman. In fact, the biggest weakness of this book is that Victoria Holt seems to have plucked whole ideas from the most famed works of gothic romance/suspense. That said, Holt still manages to take the cribbed material and sculpt it into a unique, genuinely suspenseful thriller, where you're not quite sure who is really sinister, and what happened to Alice. She peels away secrets and clues one at a time right up to the end, when the darkly suspenseful story blossoms into pure horror for a brief time. And her romance -- while not explicitly sexual -- is pretty powerful stuff, with the Eyresque Marty suspended between a local flirt and the brooding Connan. Her prose is mostly solid and formal in the style of the late 19th century, but it's speckled with lush descriptions of Cornwall ("The sea mist would come drifting in, wrapping itself about the grey stone of the house") and the occasional moments of pure beauty (the ball dancing in the moonlight). Holt also shows a sure hand with characterization, although the true love between Connan and Marty seems too fraught with distrust in the last quarter. Marty is a likably strong heroine who has slight flaws that keep her human (m

Martha Leigh is the central female character of this delightful story. The tale is told, mainly in the first person, with added dialogue. After the death of their father, 20 year old Martha and her 18 year old sister Phillida, are taken to London by their aunt Adelaide, for 'a season'. At the end of that season Phillida had married, but after four years of living with her aunt, Martha still had not found a husband. "There are two courses open to a gentlewoman when she finds herself in penurious circumstances ...." aunt Adelaide had said. "One is to marry, and the other to find a post in keeping with her gentility." Thus, one of aunt Adelaide's friends suggests that Martha should become governess to Connan TreMellyn's daughter, Alvean. Martha arrives at the house, Mount Mellyn, to find her employer is a cold imposing man, and his daughter is resentful towards her. The house itself is a 'cold brooding house on the Cornish cliffs'. It was only Martha's growing love for Alvean and an unwilling attraction to Alvean's father that made her stay on and try to solve the mysteries which shrouded their lives. What eventuates between Martha and Connan TreMellyn is a little predictable, however the journey towards the outcome is a delightful read; and, there is a wickedly surprising 'twist' at the end of the book (which I'm not going to spoil for you). The book is very well written, and I found the characters very interesting. The author of my copy of this title was Victoria Holt. This was one of the pseudonyms of Eleanor Alice Burford. After marrying she became Eleanor Alice Hibbert. Others she wrote under included Jean Plaidy, Ellalice Tate, Kathleen Kellow, Elbur Ford, Philippa Carr. She wrote almost 200 books under these names! Her books are VERY addictive! Sadly, most of her books are out of print at the date of this review. Some can be purchased on the Internet or from second-hand bookshops.

This is really dating me because this is the first romance novel I ever read. I read it when it was published about 35 years ago--but then I was rather young at the time--so to speak. I thought it was one of the most wonderful books I had ever read, but then I was a young teenager. The world of romance was opened to me by this book, and I shall never forget it even though I have moved on to other types of books and away from romances per se. Besides being a romance, it is a mystery with a surprise ending, which lends itself to being compared to Jane Eyre and Rebecca. This novel, though not a classic, is refreshing still in the 21st century. Martha Leigh has come to Mellyn to care for Connan Tremellyn's difficult daughter, Alvean. In the process of caring for her, Martha falls under the spell of the home, Mellyn and its many secrets--the main secret being was the former Mrs. Tremellyn murdered, and if so by whom. As she searches for answers, she falls under Connan's spell while still frightened he may have murdered his wife. This books is still as delightful today as it was many years ago.

Set during the 1800s in Cornwall, England, "Mistress of Mellyn" follows a 24-year-old woman's (Martha Leigh) adventure as a governess in a haunted mansion owned by the widowered Connan TreMellyn and his young daughter, Alvean. While struggling with her emotions over Connan and his just-as-difficult daughter, Martha must also try and uncover the mysterious death of his wife before she, too, faces the same fate Alice did."Mistress of Mellyn" was the first book I ever read by Victoria Holt, and it also happens to be the first book Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert wrote under this pseudonym over 40 years ago. It was given to me by one of my aunts when I was about 11 and is still one of my favorites, even though I'm not necessarily a romance fan. But if you are--or even if you're just a reluctant gothic romance reader like I am--, then you'll more than likely enjoy this one. There's nothing offensive or racy in it, so it's appropriate for all ages, yet it's still very suspenseful. Highly recommended.

Although this romance novel was written well over 30 years ago, it still stands the test of time. It has all the essential elements of a true romance suspense novel: Sprited heroine, dark/handsome/mysterious hero and a good mystery to follow and to decipher throughout the book. For those seeking a "romance" novel, don't let the "suspense" part hold you back. The sexual tension between the 2 main character sizzles! I think this is still Victoria Holt's best novel. Very absorbing book with great atmosphere. The 1st person voice (not much used these days)adds that extra dimension that you are right there with Martha as she ponders the mysteries surrounding her and her feelings for Connan TreMellyn. You will be totally satisfied with the ending!