Jane Aiken Hodge: The Master of Penrose

I have run into another novel billed as "A Novel of Gothic Romance" and published in 1967 that is far from gothic romance. It has a nice, creepy cover in blues with an open, lighted window in the castle. The opening pages of the book sucked me in, and I read for about forty pages. Ultimately, though, this novel reads like a historical romance novel, maybe. There are some secrets, but they never get interesting or menacing, and I had figured some of them out quickly.

I put this novel down after fifty pages, figuring life is too short for non-gothic novels. ;)

I'll rate this an unfinished book. Pick it up if you like history of Canada and the U.S. during the early 19th century. Otherwise, I'm not sure it will be your bag with the dearth of suspense and slow developing romance.