The Mistress of Trevelyan

Titania, an illegitimate laundress, has been fascinating with the gloomy Trevelyan manor since she was a child. Although tragedy in recent years has lent it an ominous air, she is still drawn to the ominous mansion. Benedict Trevelyan, a widowed father of two young boys, is puzzled when Titania shows up on his door step to answer an advertisement for a tutor for his boys. Even though he was looking for a male tutor, she convinces him she is capable, and he hires her on a trial basis.

When Titania moves into the Trevelyan home, however, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery as she tries to solve the murder/suicide of Benedict's late wife while she learns to care for two lost little boys and eventually, their handsome and brooding show more father. The passion between Benedict and Titania sizzles, and their romance is tempered with a murder mystery, death threats, and the love growing between her and his sons. This is a well-written Gothic romance, filled with the mystery and dark, strong, brooding hero one would expect from this genre. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and relished the ending.

What detracted a bit from me, however, was the lack of plot originality. Anyone familiar with Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca" will find many similarities. I will not spoil the plot by listing them here, but there are several commonalities. Despite this, both the resolution and the love story between Benedict and Titania is different enough to render it an enjoyable read. show less

Well done in the gothic style, our impoverished heroine enters the house she has always admired from afar as a governess with a backbone, only to uncover a family harboring secrets. I found the story to be well done, although the hero did seem to conveniently disappear from the page "away on business." That was the only thing that jarred me. I liked the brooding hero, the heroine's plucky outlook on life and the banter with the butler. I grew up reading Victoria Holt, and this book immediately recalls those novels to mind while upping the sensuality level.

The formatting of this ebook was a little on the rough side (missing scenes, improper spacing, inconsistent spelling of characters' names...) but I enjoyed the read quite a lot!

A nice romance/mystery