piepieb's review
4.0
Gothic novels are my thing, and I'm a big fan of Victoria Holt. Bride of Pendorric was a nice surprise -- family secrets, paintings of unfortunate brides, twins (twins run in the Pendorric family) - including the identical pair nicknamed Hy and Lo, nieces of Favel's new husband. This book kept me guessing, with plots and twists throughout. Very long chapters (only 7 chapters!), but I was engrossed by this story, and by the Pendorrics, who live in an incredible castle, that is almost like a character itself...
jackelynvb's review
5.0
So good. I just finished and I *can't* even with how good this book was. I didn't see the ending coming, and was kept in suspense the whole time. It takes a skilled hand to combine romance and gothic thrills the way Victoria Holt has in this book.
triciaschneider's review
5.0
I think this might be one of my favorite Victoria Holt novels. Bride of Pendorric is a gripping romantic suspense. Favel Farrington falls hopelessly in love with Roc Pendorric when he arrives for a visit on her Mediterranean island home. It is a compulsive and quick courtship, but Favel knows he is the one for her and they marry. Shortly after, tragedy strikes, but Roc whisks Favel away to his home in Cornwall where he introduces his new Bride of Pendorric to his family.
Meeting the family, the neighbors and the villagers would be overwhelming enough, but Favel is still coming to understand her new life as a married woman to a man who is still mostly a stranger to her. As she learns about her husband and the legends surrounding her new home, she begins to wonder if she made a mistake. Is Roc the man she fell in love with or did he have ulterior motives to marrying her?
With each page, the danger escalates as it becomes increasingly evident that Favel's life is in danger. Is it the ghost that is said to haunt the house or is it someone much more closer to her?
There is so much in this story that I don't want to give away any spoilers. The author wove the elements of this gothic mystery superbly. It had everything necessary to instill a sense of foreboding and fear within the reader. I had to turn the pages faster to find out what happened next. And by the climax, I had a list of suspects, each with a clear motive, but I was completely surprised by the ending. The book was a pleasure to read! I can see why other readers have referred to this as a timeless classic.
If you like books like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, then you'll be sure to enjoy Bride of Pendorric.
Meeting the family, the neighbors and the villagers would be overwhelming enough, but Favel is still coming to understand her new life as a married woman to a man who is still mostly a stranger to her. As she learns about her husband and the legends surrounding her new home, she begins to wonder if she made a mistake. Is Roc the man she fell in love with or did he have ulterior motives to marrying her?
With each page, the danger escalates as it becomes increasingly evident that Favel's life is in danger. Is it the ghost that is said to haunt the house or is it someone much more closer to her?
There is so much in this story that I don't want to give away any spoilers. The author wove the elements of this gothic mystery superbly. It had everything necessary to instill a sense of foreboding and fear within the reader. I had to turn the pages faster to find out what happened next. And by the climax, I had a list of suspects, each with a clear motive, but I was completely surprised by the ending. The book was a pleasure to read! I can see why other readers have referred to this as a timeless classic.
If you like books like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, then you'll be sure to enjoy Bride of Pendorric.
teastastestubsandtales's review
5.0
Reminiscent of one of my all-time favs "Rebecca", I enjoyed this book greatly!
avhollow's review
3.0
Surprising gothic romance. Favel finds herself married after a short period to a man she barely knows and plunged into the middle of a ghost story where she may be the next ghost bride of Pendorric if she doesn't get to the bottom of what is going on.
annebronte's review
2.0
I love when the *actual* murderer is revealed in the final fifteen pages and it makes little to no sense-love that for me.
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