Dodd is rare and different here as well by showing an attempt at industrial revolution that was made solely to keep the peasants on their land; and as in Castles in the Air, this isn't an easy endeavour, in Dodd's books monuments aren't finished at the end to general applaus - she doesn't write Luddite history, but neatly and convincingly balances social history in a genre about nobles.I cried at the end of this, too, but not because it was bad or depressing, just sad, because Garth's death (which I would like to spoil anybody for) is genuinely saddening. Not even the tiny touch of supernatural/spiritual influence could spoil the quality of this. Bracketed a bit like "Once A Knight" and thus ending just with talk instead of other intimacy, it is also very well written. The cover is an abomination and the blurb is a lie; something about the hero revealed is a rare genuine surprise, and Dodd's stance of "No woman with any kind of intelligence believes a man is devoted to her because he likes to tumble her" (p. 319) will never become stale, esp. in this genre, esp. if it brings such likable heroes together with such individual heroines.
This review was originally posted on Once Upon a ChapterSylvan Miles is not your average woman. She has never met her father's expectations. Ogden Miles is a merchant who bought himself a barony. He has worked relentlessly so that his family could hold their heads up in society. Sir Miles reminds Sylvan of this constantly. That and the fact that Sylvan hasn't become the woman that her mother is. Sylvan's mother is a whisper of a woman who depends on her husband to make every decision and never o
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I usually love Christina Dodd's writing but I was disappointed in this book. Sylvan Miles was a wishy-washy female. Oh she started out all strong and proud and determined to save Rand Malkin from himself but she turned into a milksap...bemoaning her fate. On the other hand, Rand started out as an absolute brute and morphed into a loving person. I did like the mystery of the ghosts and the culprit who sabotaged the mill. I could definitely have done without the extras like Rand's mother and his mother's sister-in-law and even his cousin...they were all nasty people. I kept cringing every time one of them was center stage and that was way too often for my liking. I'm glad this is not a series book as I wouldn't be able to read another one featuring these detestable characters.
—Barbara ★
