Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt

 

I think this might have been Victoria Holt's first gothic romance novel, and you can kind of see it. She hasn't nailed down her formula yet, and the meandering storyline comes to a head all at once at the end, most of the closure happening in the epilogue, presented after the fact.

Despite that, MISTRESS OF MELLYN is such a fun, atmospheric read. I have nostalgic memories of checking out Victoria Holt hardcovers from the public library and devouring them, one after the other, along with some of Mary Stewart's books. If you're into the cozy mystery aesthetic and like closed-door historical romance novels, Victoria Holt is going to be your jam. Especially if you're into the spooky or horrorcore atmosphere but can't actually stomach gore.

I loved the Cornish setting and the brooding womanizer hero and dour and grumpy heroine were great. I'm a sucker for a good governess romance and I thought BOTH child characters in this book felt quite realistically bratty and amusing. I actually liked all of the characters in this book, including the bad ones. She absolutely nailed the claustrophobic gothic forced-proximity.

3.5 out of 5 stars