Silent on the Moor

Like the second book, SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY, this one picks up - and transforms - a Victorian cliche: the setting is a dark, ominous, half-ruined estate in the northern moors of Yorkshire, capped by a rotting manor house, where dark family secrets fester. It's full of bleak landscapes, profound isolation, and country superstition. Nicholas Brisbane has acquired the estate, and his letters back to London indicate that something is very wrong - although he won't say exactly what.

Julia makes the journey north to investigate her relationship with Brisbane, and provide what help she can. She's soon caught up in a proper mystery, featuring a family of aristocrats gifted with great beauty and ruined by pride. Like in SILENT IN THE show more SANCTUARY, Julia eventually uncovers a nest of crimes, all wound together like a pile of snakes. Perhaps most shocking of all, this desolate location is the site of a critical turning point in Brisbane's past.

I found the trilogy satisfying at the end, but I admit that through most of SILENT ON THE MOOR I had little patience for Brisbane. There were times when I really wished the Julia would just give up and go home - at one point, she starts packing her bags and I was relieved. I am usually a big fan of brusque, domineering heroes and kept turning pages through the whole series, anticipating the next time Brisbane would appear. Yet, at the end of the day, I wished he could have been a little warmer. show less

I cannot believe how MUCH I’ve missed Julia Grey.

Her little romantic entanglement with Brisbane has always been amusing as hell, and she is always so humorously witty. By the conclusion of this book I’m sort of happy, but disappointed as well, because no more of that awesome tension! The tension makes the romance for me, unless I’m the one going through it. When I read about any developing romance, I do need that tension, because it makes chemistry so much MORE. And not the bad kind, like fights and whatnot. I like to be kept wondering and teetering on the edge of my seat. Hopefully there will be ways to keep that in there, in the next volume.

The mystery itself wasn’t really much of a mystery. Well, it was, in that it was twisty show more and turny as usual, but not enough focus gets put on the mystery itself because we keep wondering about Julia and Brisbane. So, okay, that's not exactly a complaint. And the resolution of the mystery of the two corpses there left me thinking of Poe and his ‘House of Usher’ short, especially since that short initially made such an impression on me thanks to an awesome Lit professor I had, and the idea behind madness in a family is somewhat similar. I wonder if she drew any inspiration from classics outside of English origin?

I hear this isn't to be the last book, which somewhat surprises me, because this was ended on such a good note I might really rather it was; but I won't complain, because if I were not to get any more Julia Grey, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. It is a rare good author that can keep characters living in my head long after I’ve finished the last page, especially since I have such a tendency for criticism. I guess I don't need to elaborate any more on how much I love this series.

Oh, but to sum up the book itself. In short, it was really good, reminds me more of the first book in the way the mystery was fashioned, but the relationship with Brisbane has evolved, of course. I do wish Brisbane would take a more active approach at courting Julia, if even a little; he seems to act almost to the point of coldness sometimes, which can be somewhat irritating. I never thought Brisbane was that old either, but this book really hammers that home. I guess the covers are also officially romance now, which is... umm... pretty, I guess, but at the same time it will be taken less seriously also. But you know, I guess it doesn’t matter; if it'll sell better, it’s all good, right? I wonder what made her decide that this will be the breaking point between Brisbane and Julia, because in my humble opinion, that kind of good tension could easily have made to stretch a couple more books. Or maybe she has something else set in store for them as a married couple?

I guess we'll see in another year then. And in the meantime I should have plenty of new releases to keep me company for a bit anyway. show less

A lovely book, although my thoughts are the opposite of atimco's. The character relations have overtones of "I can fix him!" which is a popular trope but goodness is it exhausting. Though the story and book itself are lovingly and well-writ, I tire of Brinsbane's downsplaining, the way he keeps everything from Lady Grey while pretending to involve her, his "manful suffering" and so forth. His manful-suffering, his keeping things from her, results constantly for others, including Grey, being placed into mortal danger. In future books, he remarks how surprised he is that Grey has a brain or has facilities for reasoning at all.

At the quite end of the book, he somehow "justifies" his treatment of her; there would have been no mystery had show more he communicated.

Everything she does is criticized, and downplayed. I get it. I get it. It's Victorian England and suchlike. Women are useless children to be used as breeding hares and nothing more. She is addressed consistently as a child, spoken over, criticized, and everything about her attempted to be controlled by her male relatives.

Rated for the beautiful wordcraft and writing. I read these books in spite of Brisbane, and not because of him. I admit, I've begun skimming paragraphs where he speaks. I do suggest it. show less

Silent on the Moor is the third Lady Julia Grey novel, and unfortunately it does not live up to the quality of its predecessors. There are several reasons for this.

First, the plot just drags. And drags. And drags! Julia invites herself to Brisbane's new home in Yorkshire, and does nothing except catalogue an Egyptian collection and take walks on the moor. When things finally started happening, I was too bored to care. More of the same, more of the same. At least Brisbane didn't bruise Julia again merely by touching her as he has in the first two books. I did find it quite funny that his hands are always so burning hot that Julia can feel their warmth through layers and layers of wool clothing. Every time, without fail! We are veering show more very quickly into the realm of cheap romance paperbacks here...

Second, it seems this book became more of an excuse to preach a social agenda than a story in its own right. I think an author's worldview ought to influence — not dominate — a work, but the balance tipped in this book, making it very preachy indeed. The first two books had these undertones, which was fine because they were undertones. But no reader of fiction likes to be subjected to a social agenda in what is supposed to be, first and foremost, a good story. And nothing kills a story like the conviction that the author is merely using it to advance a cause. The reader feels slightly betrayed; this isn't what I signed up for. I thought you were going to tell me a good story, not take advantage of my interest to give yourself a soapbox!

Third, I think I've finally gotten fed-up with Julia's ridiculous modernity. There is such a fuss made about how she's so modern, so free-thinking, etc... and it's horribly misplaced in a Victorian setting. Julia is again making "mental notes" (which, apart from being a modern phrase anachronistic in Victorian England, is also unforgivably clichéd). The more modern these characters get, the more false they feel. And they got ridiculously modern in this one — so clichéd and blah. I think one of the biggest draws for me in the first book was the complexity of Julia learning to balance her own ideas with the desire to fit in with polite society. That actually felt realistic. But by the end of this book, the characters became so tritely predictable that I simply stopped caring what happened to them. The wedding was such an anticlimax.

Fourth, the cover art for this book is just awful. It looks like something ripped right off a Harlequin romance, and it doesn't match the first two covers (which were gorgeous!) at all. Honestly, I'd be rather embarrassed to have this on my shelf. It looks so decidedly low. It says something about where this series is going, that this is how the publishers decided to market it. Well, you can be sure I'm not going down that path along with these stories. If the publishers have decided that these books are for the cheap romance market, who am I to argue with them?

Fifth, Julia's pets are AGAIN pointless! They do absolutely nothing to advance the plot, and seem to be there just to make Julia "cool" for having unusual animals around. Is it just me, or is that sloppy?

The Shakespeare quotes artfully placed at the beginning of each chapter do not save the story. The discussion questions at the end amused me greatly, for all the wrong reasons. The characters that I enjoyed so much in the first two books fell very flat here. The mystery itself was nothing very original, and it was easy to see where it was going. It's nice to have Julia's and Brisbane's relationship finally resolved, but the book was such a disappointment, I almost wish Raybourn stopped after the second. Though I enjoyed and own the first two, this one I borrowed from the library, and I'm glad I did. I won't be purchasing it. Not recommended. show less

Marcia at The Printed Page passed along her ARC copy of Silent on the Moor to me. Thank You!

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Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family—the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes….

A mystery unfolds from the rotten heart of Grimsgrave, one Lady Julia may have to solve alone, as show more Brisbane appears inextricably tangled in its heinous twists and turns. But blood will out, and before spring touches the craggy northern landscape, Lady Julia will have uncovered a Gypsy witch, a dark rider and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil.
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I’ve been having a difficult time getting motivated to write this review…I think mostly because I’m sad to see an end to the vibrant, charismatic characters of Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane. Silent on the Moor is a compelling and very, very satisfying installment to the story of these two characters. Raybourn could have chosen to write a more straightforward story and I’m sure I would have been pleased but SOTM is so much more and I would venture to say the most complex out of the three novels. This novel has everything anyone would require for a great story…eccentric characters, multi-layered twisting plotlines, an evocative setting - mysterious and ancient mansion on the moor, historical detail, multiple secrets…and multiple deaths.

Accompanying Julia to Grimsgrave is her sister Portia, her brother Valerious and their pets Florence, Puggy and Grim. After a tedious journey, Lady Julia hopes to be welcomed but their arrival falls quite short of expectations: Brisbane is temperamental and reticent, there are three poverty-stricken ladies in residence and the mansion is decrepit and full of secrets, with room after room empty - all except for a study full of dubious Egyptian artifacts. Lady Julia is determined to investigate why Brisbane gave up the reward of a gentleman’s title for the purchase of Grimsgrave, and as she unravels the mystery more questions arise. Lady Julia is finally coming into her own, determined to go after what she wants, Nicholas Brisbane.

What I appreciate about Raybourn’s stories is that she creates relationships between characters and finds it unnecessary to go into explicit detail about their intimacy. Raybourn creates passion, tension, chemistry and yearning using dialogue, emotion and restrained expression not physical action. A true talent!

A little longer than the previous two novels, in SOTM Raybourn stays true to her writing style and although each book stands on its own they form a cohesive whole…not always easy for authors writing series. I strongly recommend reading the novels in order, as there are storylines following back to the first novel, resolved in SOTM. For each chapter in each book there is a quote by bard summarizing the chapter (that must have been a lot of research), my favourite being the quote for the last chapter in Silent on the Moor…but you will have to read it to find out! Deanna Raybourn will be writing a fourth installment to the series.

My Rating: 4.5

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Nicholas Brisbane has secluded himself in his newly acquired country estate – one that needs a lot of work, and when Lady Julia discovers that he doesn’t want her there she is, of course, determined to go. At this point it’s obvious what follows. Dead bodies, attempts at murder, general March craziness, fun with gypsies, and, of course, a Lady Julia book wouldn’t be a Lady Julia book if she and Brisbane weren’t butting heads.

The third Lady Julia novel, Silent on the Moor has proven to be yet another fantastic read from the pen (or keyboard) of Deanna Raybourn.

Silent on the Moor actually qualifies as my favorite of the first four Lady Julia novels for a few reasons, but the big one – all the answers that are FINALLY, show more GLORIOUSLY supplied regarding Brisbane. Up to virtually the end of Silent on the Moor, Brisbane has been built up as a half-breed, stubborn, talented man who has survived the unbelievable and made himself out of virtually nothing. As I’ve read, question after question about him has bounced through my mind and all those answers I mentioned make it possible to understand Brisbane on a whole new level. His motivations, why he is the way he is and why he makes the decisions he does – it was truly amazing to finally gain more insight than I was working with. It also endears me to his character all the more.

Another major plus, after 1,000-some-odd pages of tension, of dancing around each other like hormone-riddled teenagers who are fumbling to figure things out – well, let’s just say that part of Lady Julia and Brisbane’s relationship gets nipped in the bud and leave it at that.

If you asked me, I would say that each of these books are something more than just historical fiction, or just a mystery to be solved. Silent on the Moor holds true to that and then some. The history and the mystery do intrigue me. I was completely involved in this from the first to the last page and Raybourn certainly kept me guessing. It is more though, it’s a look at human nature, at how we see, feel, and do.

All that being said, there are two things that bummed me out while reading Silent on the Moor, and that would be the sudden disappearance of Monk and Aquinas who are two of my favorite characters and who are only mentioned in passing throughout the entirety of the book. There’s also the curve ball with Jane towards the end, but I’ll get into that whole situation during my review of book four. All in all, none of this took away from my overall enjoyment of the books, it was just sad to not see them in the same capacity as the first two books. While I’m on the subject of minor characters, can I also just say how much I loved Morag’s constantly increasing dedication to Brisbane?

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again: Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia novels are fantastic, and Silent on the Moor is no exception. Still highly recommended. show less

Lady Julia Grey has had enough. Despite Brisbane's best efforts to keep her safely out of his path, she has decided to follow her sister Portia to his remote Yorkshire estate, Grimsgrave, on the pretext of helping him to outfit the place. Despite his strong feelings for her (and she for him) Brisbane decidedly does not want Julia to come to his new home but Julia convinces her reluctant family to let her go and force Brisbane to decide once and for all what is to become of their relationship. Upon arriving at the mysterious Grimsgrave, Julia finds things are not as calm as they appeared and she slowly unravel mystery after mystery surrounding the the previous owners of Grimsgrave and their connection to Brisbane. All my favorite show more elements from previous books are once again out in force - gypsies, the quirky Grim, servants who will happily spill gossip for a chance to chat with the lovely Lady Julia, and of course, bodies that keep popping up. Not to mention Julia's frequent interactions with her hilarious family - Julia and Portia's exchanges frequently had me in stitches.This third installment of Raybourn's fantastic series is a real standout. I felt the mystery itself was much more unexpected yet entirely believable and for that reason all the more horrifying. Julia really comes into her own as well. Always outspoken, she finds herself for the first time on equal footing with Brisbane and adeptly holds her own. I loved it.Lady Julia Grey is my hero. Not only is she smart and an extremely good dresser but she just so happens to expertly solve the most puzzling mysteries that normal people would run screaming away from. Her curiosity is one of her most intriguing characteristics - she is logical, methodical and can give one cutting remark. I love her. I want to be her. And I also want Brisbane. And Ms. Raybourne, just so you know, I sleep much better at night just thinking that a Brisbane could possibly be wandering around this earth. Thank you. show less