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Victoria Holt
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Mistress of Mellyn Paperback – December 23, 2008

by Victoria Holt (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,236 ratings
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Mount Mellyn stood as proud and magnificent as she had envisioned...But what bout its master--Connan TreMellyn? Was Martha Leigh's new employer as romantic as his name sounded? As she approached the sprawling mansion towering above the cliffs of Cornwall, an odd chill of apprehension overcame her.

TreMellyn's young daugher, Alvean, proved as spoiled and difficult as the three governesses before Martha had discovered. But it was the girl's father whose cool, arrogant demeanor unleashed unfimiliar sensations and turmoil--even as whispers of past tragedy and present danger begin to insinuate themselves into Martha's life.

Powerless against her growing desire for the enigmatic Connan, she is drawn deeper into family secrets--as passion overpowers reason, sending her head and heart spinning. But though evil lurks in the shadows, so does love--and the freedom to find a golden promise forever...

Previous page
  1. Print length
    330 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    December 23, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312384157
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312384159
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world's most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades and she was heralded as the "Queen of Romantic Suspense." She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt―up until the time of her death on January 18, 1993.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 2nd edition (December 23, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312384157
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312384159
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,236 ratings

About the author

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Victoria Holt

Victoria Holt

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Eleanor Hibbert (1 September 1906 – 19 January 1993) was an English author who combined imagination with facts to bring history alive through novels of fiction and romance. She was a prolific writer who published several books a year in different literary genres, each genre under a different pen name: Jean Plaidy for fictionalized history of European royalty; Victoria Holt for gothic romances, and Philippa Carr for a multi-generational family saga. A literary split personality, she also wrote light romances, crime novels, murder mysteries and thrillers under the names Eleanor Burford, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Anna Percival, and Ellalice Tate.

In 1989, the Romance Writers of America gave her the Golden Treasure award in recognition of her significant contributions to the romance genre. By the time of her death, she had written more than 200 books that worldwide sold more than 100 million copies in 20 languages. She continues to be a widely borrowed author among lending libraries. Her popular works of historical fiction are appreciated by readers and critics alike for their accuracy, quality of writing, and attention to detail.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,236 global ratings
Incredible Quality
5 Stars
Incredible Quality
The book was listed as “used—good” (or maybe even “used—acceptable”) and it’s pristine. Incredibly fair price. Could not be happier!
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Top reviews from the United States

J. Sexton
5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Gothic!
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2022
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What a Gothic! All the elements are here: the isolated location, an orphaned governess, an unruly child needing love, the brooding master, the mystery from his past, and the danger to our heroine. Shades of Jane Eyre, anyone? Still, Holt manages to make the story her own and perhaps makes the story even creepier than Jane Eyre.

The mystery from the past was well done! It surprised me, although the clues were all there. And the danger was terrifying for me. But as any experienced reader of Gothics knows, all will come round in the end. It is the story itself getting the heroine from the start to the finish that is the joy to read. And this book was a joy.

The book is recommended for casual fans of Gothics. If you've read lots of them, this book may seem derivative. However, since I loved it, I'm giving it five stars.
6 people found this helpful
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Mrs. 'G'
4.0 out of 5 stars VICTORIA&GLEASON
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2011
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I must admit that I have never been a huge fan of books. Whenever I read one is because I'm either strongly attracted by the cover of the book or it has already become a very famous movie. As an international student living in a boarding high school right in the middle of nowhere I barely have access to what the literary world offers nowadays. Sometimes, the Internet is also unavailable. And although I could complain and say many things, the school has a place that at least keeps a little bit of knowledge. A place where knowledge is not sold but shared. That place is the library. I must confess that one of the biggest reasons of why I have spent a lot of time in there is one person, whose name is Diane Garcia. The librarian of the school and my English teacher, Mrs. "G" is the type of person that somebody could never get bored with. And among all the qualities she may have, as a good librarian, she's always recommending books to read. That's how I met Victoria Holt. It was one of those days when I had nothing to do and I visited the library. Mrs. G was there, with tons of new books waiting to be opened by those who are still struggling to pass the ITP TOEFL. She told me she loved Victoria Holt. Mystery, love, and suspense are some of the words I remember her saying about Holt's work. So, I decided to give it a chance and let Victoria take me to that enchanted world she created everytime she wrote. From the first moment I started reading "The Mistress of Mellyn", there was something that kept my eyes attached to every single page of the book. I just wanted to know more. What would happen to Miss Leigh? Was Connan really in love with her? Was Alice still alive? What if she had never escaped with another man? The thing I loved about the book was that everytime I opened it, things wouldn't be as I thought they would. They always changed. Whenever I thought I could foretell and predict what was about to happen, I found out that I was wrong.
Holt writes so carefully. She tells every single detail. You are taken by the book, somehow you become part of the story.
I first thought that love and horror could never be combined, but after reading "The Mistress of Mellyn", I realized that the heart is a very powerful weapon when it's either full of joy or full of hate.
I really encourage those who are thinking about purchasing the book. It's the perfect story to read on a rainy day, listening to some classic music and drinking a hot cup of green tea.
10 people found this helpful
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Cynthia Sally Haggard
5.0 out of 5 stars MISTRESS OF MELLYN really creeped me out
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2015
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Mistress of Mellyn really creeped me out. There I was sitting up in bed at midnight, the dark only relieved by the light from my iPad screen. And I really felt uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough to turn on my bedside light.

That is how good Victoria Holt’s writing is. She had me swept up in this Gothic romance set in Cornwall. Even though there were obvious references to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Wilkie Collin’s The Woman in White, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw,” nevertheless this story of the governess’s love for her employer and her attempts to solve the mystery surrounding his wife’s death kept me up. Until 4 am!

What is it about Victoria Holt that is so compelling? She immediately creates sympathy for her heroine by writing in first-person in such a way that we are in Martha’s head, and privy to Martha’s thoughts. And what does Martha think of herself?

“…my brown velvet bonnet, tied with brown velvet ribbons under my chin, was of the sort which was so becoming to feminine people like my sister Phillida but, I always felt, sat a little incongruously on head like mine. My hair was thick with a coppery finger, parted in the center, brought down at the sides of my too-long face…My eyes were large, in some lights the color of amber, and were my best feature; but they were too bold…”

Re-reading this passage in the light of the events that happen to Martha it is possible to see that she is a beautiful young woman. However, she doesn’t think she is, and that is what makes her so endearing to the reader. So we are invested in Martha from the start, and as we follow her on that train down to Cornwall, meeting an impertinent young man who pretends to read her hand:

“I see a child there and a man…perhaps it is the child’s father. They are wrapped in shadows. There is someone else there…but perhaps she is already dead.”

"It was the deep sepulchral note in his voice rather than the words he said which momentarily unnerved me.

"I snatched my hand away. “What nonsense!” I said.

He ignored me and half closed his eyes. Then he went on: “You will need to watch little Alice, and your duties will extend beyond the care of her. You must most certainly beware of Alice.”

"I felt a faint tingling which began at the base of my spine and seemed to creep up my neck. This, I supposed, was what is known as making one’s flesh creep."

Here, Victoria Holt deftly drops in hints that all is not well at Mellyn House where Martha is to take up the post of governess. Is this young man just toying with Martha? Or should she heed his warning? And who is Alice? The little girl she is to take care of is called “Alvean.” The reader is intrigued and hooked, and turns the page wanting to find out more. If you have never read Victoria Holt before, you are in for a treat. Five Stars.
23 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Izzy
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!
Reviewed in Canada on June 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book. I love Historical Romance because of how clean it is. I just loved reading about the characters and their lives and the description of the houses, towns and cities they lived in. I'm not a kid person, but Holt does such a good job of describing the way children behave I grew very fond of them. This was one of the ones from Holt I could not put down. I also really liked The India Fan. I've read others of her books, but these would have to be two of my favourites <3. I will be buying more. I ordered Shivering Sands, I can't wait until it gets here!
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on March 25, 2019
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Very good
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Maurizio
5.0 out of 5 stars Un magnifico romanzo gotico
Reviewed in Italy on September 4, 2018
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Recensione ad opera di mia moglie
Di questo libro esiste una versione italiana condensata pubblicata negli anni '70 da "Selezione". Avevo letto il romanzo da ragazzina e una volta adulta, l'ho letto in versione cartacea integrale in Inglese. Il formato Kindle che ho acquistato ora permette di leggere anche la traduzione di parole un po' desuete come "philanderer", o "luncheon". Come mai tanta attezione a questo romanzo? È l'opera migliore di Victoria Holt, una scrittrice che ha operato con numerosi pseudonimi, ed è un perfetto romanzo gotico inglese, anzi per la precisione è ambientato in Cornovaglia. L'inizio potrebbe ricordare "Jane Eyre", pur non avendo la profondità di questo grande romanzo: Martha Leigh, giovane gentildonna decaduta, accetta un posto di governante nella sontuosa residenza di Monte Mellyn. La sua piccola allieva, Alvean, è rimasta orfana di sua madre Alice, morta in circostanza ammantate di scandalo e mistero, in un incidente ferroviario, in fuga con l'amante. Il padre della ragazzina non si cura della figlia, che cresce ribelle e scontrosa. Sarà un difficile compito per Martha placare Alvean, fronteggiarne il padre arrogante, Connan TreMellyn, e ricoprire il suo ruolo con tutta la dignità possibile. Un altro compito della giovane donna sarà scoprire la verità sulla morte di Alice, il cui fantasma sembra aggirarsi nella grande casa a picco sul mare. Questo romanzo, riletto molte volte, mantiene intatta nel tempo la capacità di avvincere il lettore, come un meccanismo perfetto. La trama è incalzante, il mistero "giallo" si infittisce sempre di più man mano che si procede nella lettura, poiché una morte misteriosa avrà luogo in circostanze poco chiare tra le mura di Monte Mellyn. Parallelamente si seguono con partecipazione le vicende personali di Martha, a volte umiliata nella sua condizione di governante, ma indomabile, in grado di suscitare interesse per la sua viva intelligenza e il suo spirito. L'ambientazione in Cornovaglia è veramente suggestiva, specialmente nelle descrizioni riguardanti le tradizioni natalizie o i cibi e i luoghi tipici, il finale con il colpo di scena è perfetto. Che altro aggiungere? La Paramount molti anni fa comprò i diritti di questo romanzo per realizzare un film, ma poi non ne fece più nulla ed è un vero peccato, poiché anche al giorno d'oggi questa storia gotica funzionerebbe benissimo sul grande schermo. L' unica nota dolente della versione in ebook è la traduzione, a volte pedante, di termini anche molto semplici. Nonostante questo, lettura vivamente consigliata.
3 people found this helpful
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Mrs. A. M. Raymond
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Author
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2016
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Have Read before excellent book.
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Artemisia
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Holt gothic romance
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2020
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A fairly predictable novel. Enlivened by a set of stock characters that turn out to be both attractive and interesting, and a series of obvious situations with some unusual sidelines, the story nontheless entertains with its mysteries and light gothic atmosphere and its vague shades of "Jane Eyre". Not nearly as formulaic and lacklustre as Holt's later novels, "Mistress oF Mellyn" intrigues and is sufficiently pleasing to want to keep a copy - even a second hand one- on my shelves. Indeed I read the kindle version bought through Amazon.it and now I have ordered a paperback for my library. Other, later, novels by Victoria Holt may have captivating titles but are stilted in description and dialogue, do not possess even faintly rounded characters, and are completely lacking in atmosphere. I can't imagine how that nonsense ever got itself published and I certainly can't see them cluttering up my book shelves. "Mistress of Mellyn" is instead an enjoyable read especially after a stressing day. Equivalent to a dish of chocolate goodies and a cup of hot tea.
One person found this helpful
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