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The Lost Lilacs of Latimer House
Resigned to waiting out the War Between the States under the protection of elderly relatives in the Bahamas, Charleston belle Faith Richards was lonely and restless. So when handsome, brooding Hunter Latimer offered her a post as governess on Dark Thunder Island, Faith didn't listen to his warnings that the place was not for the fainthearted -- and that for long stretches of time she would be alone on the dismal, fogbound island with only a frail and timid woman and her high-strung, sleepwalking child.
Emboldened by Hunter's confidence in her, and strangely drawn by the glint of adventure in his dark eyes, Faith approached her new position with a high heart -- only to find herself shunned by the hostile islanders and the darkly taciturn housekeeper of Latimer House. She fell prey to a series of small accidents too contrived to be coincidences, and she realized, finally, that someone was trying to keep her from learning the secrets of Dark Thunder Island. Even the enigmatic Hunter Latimer could not be trusted. For he was at the very heart of the evil that swirled around her...
Emboldened by Hunter's confidence in her, and strangely drawn by the glint of adventure in his dark eyes, Faith approached her new position with a high heart -- only to find herself shunned by the hostile islanders and the darkly taciturn housekeeper of Latimer House. She fell prey to a series of small accidents too contrived to be coincidences, and she realized, finally, that someone was trying to keep her from learning the secrets of Dark Thunder Island. Even the enigmatic Hunter Latimer could not be trusted. For he was at the very heart of the evil that swirled around her...
- GenresGothic
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1990
About the author
Sharon Wagner
61 books12 followersSharon Blythe Wagner is an American author known for her prolific output of over 60 mystery, Gothic romance, and young adult fiction titles. She is best recognized for her contributions to the beloved Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, writing five titles under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, including The Kachina Doll Mystery, The Elusive Heiress, and The Broken Anchor.
Originally from Wallace, Idaho, and raised in Cut Bank, Montana, Wagner began her writing career in the mid-1960s, first publishing short stories in magazines. Her first full-length book, Prairie Wind, illustrated by her friend Rita Warner, was released in 1968. She went on to create the Gypsy series, a set of mystery novels set on a Western ranch that gained a following among horse lovers; Gypsy from Nowhere was later named one of the 30 best horse books by Horse Illustrated.
Wagner has also published under various pseudonyms, including Casey Stephens, M.E. Cooper, Ann Sheldon, Blythe Stephens, and Blythe Bradley. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.
Originally from Wallace, Idaho, and raised in Cut Bank, Montana, Wagner began her writing career in the mid-1960s, first publishing short stories in magazines. Her first full-length book, Prairie Wind, illustrated by her friend Rita Warner, was released in 1968. She went on to create the Gypsy series, a set of mystery novels set on a Western ranch that gained a following among horse lovers; Gypsy from Nowhere was later named one of the 30 best horse books by Horse Illustrated.
Wagner has also published under various pseudonyms, including Casey Stephens, M.E. Cooper, Ann Sheldon, Blythe Stephens, and Blythe Bradley. She lives in Mesa, Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 18, 2012
This is my second Gothic read of the year, and fortunately much better than the first I tried out. This is a new author to me, and her writing style was easy to fall into. Not melodramatic, easy to follow, fits well with the tone of the Gothic genre, and written through one POV.
It's a serious story but there were delightful small bits of humor, such as this one:
"Even as I repeated my reason, I had a strong suspicion neither man was going to believe me. Again I wished for a maidenly swoon to escape their burning glares; unfortunately, the fresh morning breeze was making me physically better, not worse."
The heroine was easy to enjoy - realistic, independent for the times, rebellious, sweet, curious. The romance was overdone sometimes and made the story as its backdrop, but the mystery itself was clever. There weren't many clues or much suspense until the end, but the story had a war happening at the same time which introduced multiple levels of human drama and experiences. Her already being betrothed and her fiance missing isn't something tried everyday for romance type tales. There was enough of a variety of main players to keep it interesting, and when the story announced the island had a pirate curse, of course I was interested. A pirate curse? How awesome.
Overall a worthy read if you're itching for a gothic. It carries the traits most of them do but doesn't have as many of the downsides (too much melodrama, for example, is lacking for a change - yay.)
It's a serious story but there were delightful small bits of humor, such as this one:
"Even as I repeated my reason, I had a strong suspicion neither man was going to believe me. Again I wished for a maidenly swoon to escape their burning glares; unfortunately, the fresh morning breeze was making me physically better, not worse."
The heroine was easy to enjoy - realistic, independent for the times, rebellious, sweet, curious. The romance was overdone sometimes and made the story as its backdrop, but the mystery itself was clever. There weren't many clues or much suspense until the end, but the story had a war happening at the same time which introduced multiple levels of human drama and experiences. Her already being betrothed and her fiance missing isn't something tried everyday for romance type tales. There was enough of a variety of main players to keep it interesting, and when the story announced the island had a pirate curse, of course I was interested. A pirate curse? How awesome.
Overall a worthy read if you're itching for a gothic. It carries the traits most of them do but doesn't have as many of the downsides (too much melodrama, for example, is lacking for a change - yay.)
September 20, 2012
I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Sharon Wagner is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.
June 20, 2025
This was decent but my God was it annoying, the heroine was the most flip flopping woman I have ever seen in my life, "I should honour my betrothal" then 5 seconds later "I need to call off my betrothal" and then "he loves me" and then 5 seconds later "he doesn't really love me" and this went on repeat for the whole book like omg I don't know how many times, I lost count, and then she's constantly doubting Hunter even though it's clear he loves her, there isn't even the usual doubts that are in gothic stories that make the hero seem suspicious, there was nothing in this, she was just paranoid and had no trust at all in him. Literally every few pages is "I see the love in his eyes" to "the love is gone from his eyes" after hearing this for the 10th time it took it's toll.
I also had to lol when the heroine's feelings were hurt when Hunter or Sarah doubt her in any way when all she does is doubt them, and she hurts Hunter's feelings a lot, she even thinks they're both having an affair without any actual proof and is constantly jealous of them being close. Also I don't know how many times she pushes Hunter away or doubts him just for her to dream about how much she wants to be in his arms, the word's "in Hunter's arms" were mentioned at least 10+ times lol the heroine is the ultimate flip flopper.
There also is no lilacs in this which is the case with so many of the gothic titles, only about 20% of them actually have a title relevant to the story.
I also had to lol when the heroine's feelings were hurt when Hunter or Sarah doubt her in any way when all she does is doubt them, and she hurts Hunter's feelings a lot, she even thinks they're both having an affair without any actual proof and is constantly jealous of them being close. Also I don't know how many times she pushes Hunter away or doubts him just for her to dream about how much she wants to be in his arms, the word's "in Hunter's arms" were mentioned at least 10+ times lol the heroine is the ultimate flip flopper.
There also is no lilacs in this which is the case with so many of the gothic titles, only about 20% of them actually have a title relevant to the story.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews