Genre: Gothic Romance
POV: 1st Person (heroine’s perspective)
Sensuality: Kisses
Violence: Mild
My Grade: B
When I posted the first of my two posts on Mary Stewart’s Gothic Romances, a couple of people suggested I try the author, Phyllis Whitney. She seems to be the American counterpart to Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart. Unfortunately, very few of Phyllis Whitney’s books are currently in print, but I did find Hunter’s Green at The Book Depository.
When the American, Eve North, receives a letter informing her of her estranged husband’s intention to remarry, she impulsively decides to travel to England to see him one last time. She arrives at his stately home, Athmore, as part of a guided bus tour. While viewing the famous topiary garden which is designed to represent a chess board, she has a disturbing encounter with Old Daniel, Athmore’s head gardener. He warns her that the king must beware of the rook. Before Eve has a chance to question Old Daniel further, he is killed in a mysterious accident.
Justin North, Eve’s estranged husband, does not welcome her back with open arms. They parted three years ago on very bad terms. Justin caught Eve kissing his younger brother, Marc, and refused to give Eve the opportunity to explain the situation. In the meantime, Justin has reunited with the devious Alicia Daven, his longtime neighbour and the girlfriend he jilted to marry Eve. Alicia has made a tidy fortune, and Justin desperately needs her money to save Athmore and settle Marc’s gambling debts.
Meanwhile, someone has been sabotaging Justin’s efforts to create a new type of fuel with which he hopes to revolutionise the auto industry. Eve is distrustful of both Marc and Alicia and decides to stay at Athmore until she can discover who is behind the malicious pranks. She’s joined in her efforts by an unlikely helper, Marc’s outspoken girlfriend, Dacia Keane.
Between mysterious night prowlers and near-fatal accidents, Eve and Dacia have much to contend with. Eve is also determined to win back her husband. Will she succeed in her pursuit of a Happily Ever After with Justin? And can she really trust Dacia?
Hunter’s Green is a fun read. In similarity to Mary Stewart’s books, it’s very much of its time and Justin is the typical old-fashioned, chauvinistic hero. Nonetheless, I liked the story and the characterization is superb. There is a relatively small cast of characters and each one is convincingly depicted – including the villain. The conclusion to the suspense plot was somewhat weak but this didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment of the book.
I sincerely hope that more of Phyllis Whitney’s books will be brought back into print. If Hunter’s Green is any indication of their quality, I’d love to read them.
{ 6 comments }
Oh, I think I’ll have to try this one! Most of the Phyllis Whitney books I’ve enjoyed have been her historical gothics (Window on the Square is probably my favorite) and I loved her children/young adult books!
@Lynn Spencer: I have one other Phyllis Whitney book on my TBR shelf. It’s called The Trembling Hills and is set in San Francisco at the time of the 1906 earthquake. I might be cheeky and write to the Chicago Review Press again to ask them if they might buy the rights to some of Whitney’s OOP titles. I wrote to them concerning Mary Stewart’s The Moonspinners and they are now planning to release it as part of their Spring 2011 programme.
I’ve read a few Phillis A. Whitneys, but I don’t remember anything about them. She just didn’t grab me as much as Mary Stewart and Barbara Michaels.
So glad you reviewed this, Sarah! Phyllis Whitney was another of my favorite authors, along with Mary Stewart.
Over the last year, I’ve re-read some of the gothic romances that I so enjoyed as a teen. Some, like MS’s Touch Not the Cat, fared better upon re-reading than others, like Madeleine Brent’s Tregaron’s Daughter. Your post makes me want to dust off (actually, request) an old PW from the library. IIRC, I really liked The Trembling Hills!
I have never read Phyllis Whitney: and now it seems I must. Thanks so much for this review!
@heidenkind: I have a couple of books by Barbara Michaels. She’ll be my next Gothic Romance author!
@Renee: I really like the premise of The Trembling Hills. It’s nice to know it’s a good one.
@Janet W: Hopefully you’ll be able to find her books in your local library. Needless to say, mine doesn’t stock any of her books!