#094 The shadows of stormclyffe hall, Lauren Smith

#094- The shadows of stormclyffe hall, Lauren Smith

So this book is a very creepy gothic romance novel, it’s a bit of a ghost story based in a big gothic mansion. It is the history of the mansion and the man who lives there that makes the story creepy and the visiting the mansion for her studies that makes it romantic. It makes for a very interesting read although it is not a book I would usually pick up but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The main characters are Jane and Bastian; Jane is a visiting student hoping to learn something from the Bastian’s library at his mansion. Bastian is the handsome loner that is renovating his family home, he is scared of his local town due to his family’s past reputation. They are a slightly unlikely couple however when the two come together Jane discovers that she is more linked to Bastian and his mansions than she originally thought. They are a good couple that overcome an evil that tore a family apart.

There are very few secondary characters as the story is very much centred on the two however there are secondary characters that I found noteworthy. Richard, Isabelle and Cordelia these are the characters from the past who are causing problems in Bastian and Jane’s life. Richard is the ancestor of the Bastian who owned the mansion and Isabelle is the love of his life; as we find out more about these characters we find out what’s effecting Jane and Bastian. Cordelia is the bad guy that is trying to ruin Jane and Bastian relationship she was also the one responsible for the disaster between Richard and Isabelle.

The pacing of the book was good with a build up, a real story and then an epilogue; it was a brilliantly paced book that was perfectly timed in all aspects.

The storyline was very different to what I usually read so I have no frame of reference to whether or not it is original; for me I thought it was excellent. It was full of twists turns and unexpected events, I also liked the very different aspects of the story including the history, the ghost story and the romance.

I thought it was a very enjoyable read, 3.5 read