Laura Morgan was orphaned at a young
age, when her parents were killed in a mining accident. She was sent to live with
her Aunt and Uncle at a Rectory where her Uncle ruled the home strictly, believing that
children should be seen not heard. When Laura’s
cousin Madeline comes to live with them at age 15, Laura is stunned by her cousin’s
beauty and also resentful of Madeline’s games of using her beauty to get whatever she
wants.
Years later, Madeline and Laura travel to London where Madeline
is presented to society and Laura is to continue with her education. Laura enjoys being in London and marvels at the
number of men that come to court Madeline. But
when Madeline finds herself in trouble and must marry the first Lord to ask for her hand,
she becomes the Lady Braithfield of Silverthorn. Laura can’t believe the great
lengths Madeline will go to cover up her endless lies.
After Madeline’s marriage, she and Laura stay in touch periodically
through letters and life moves on for both of them.
But when Laura receives a desperate
and upsetting letter from Madeline years later, she decides to travel to Silverthorn
knowing that her cousin needs her. Laura
doesn’t know what to expect when she reaches her destination, but she never expected
to learn that Madeline....is dead!
I couldn’t stop reading this
Gothic romance by Joanna Challis once I began! Meeting
Laura Morgan, watching her grow from a young age to womanhood, going through the trials
and tribulations of growing up, kept me captivated and anticipating what would happen next
in her life. Laura is an intelligent, caring
and inspirational young woman who was always considered by others as an “ugly
duckling.” Even though Laura would
sometimes wish for beauty like her cousin Madeline, she liked being appreciated for her
kind heart and her intelligence.
When Laura travels to Silverthorn to
see what has happened to Madeline, the danger and suspense throughout the pages of this
story leaves the reader breathless and intrigued by the evil aura’s lurking inside
Silverthorn. Readers will be left guessing as
to what happened to the past Ladies and Lords of Silverthorn and questioning the fates of
the current occupants.
In SILVERTHORN we also meet Lord
Justin Braithfield who is a mystery and very intriguing.
His dislike for Madeline is obvious and Laura suspects that he may have had
something to do with her death. But this
doesn’t stop Laura from being drawn to Justin and wishing that things could be
different for them. Readers see cold,
detached emotions from Justin but beneath the facade he is a warm, caring, hardworking man
who isn’t a traditional hero.
Joanna Challis definitely weaves some
magic, captivating readers with her words and a young woman who has had many struggles in
life and never turns her back on those in need. This
tale captures readers with murder, suspense, love and deceptions, readers won’t know what to expect next! Joanna Challis is a new author for me and one
that I will be on the lookout for, I don’t want to miss any of her future work. SILVERTHORN is a definite keeper!
Reviewed by Tracey West for The Road to
Romance
April 29, 2003 |
