this book is a definite have to read. I enjoyed every page and I never wanted to put it down. I have always enjoyed Catherine Coulters books. Just to say if you can find this book I suggest that you get it and read it. IT IS GREAT!!!!!!

A great gothic romance where three women in different generations become mistresses of a great house on "land stolen from the sea." As is typical in gothic romances, murder attacks the shadowy figures of the family, leaving the strong heroines to solve it. You don't find a weak femme fatale in Moorhaven -- although the historic period suggests the helpless female type. I love gothic romances, and this one is a hit.

Teena Halliday is sent to stay with her only other relatives (at Rentlow Retreat) for six months. The whole family is odd and seem to resent Teena being there. Jeremy Rentlow is a noted sculptor and insists Teena pose for him. However, all of his past creations are all that remain of the people and animals he had worked on before. All died mysteriously on the same night Jeremy finished their likeness. Teena does not wish to pose for him, and says so, but ends up relenting and letting him work her likeness into marble.

Soon after the sittings get underway, Teena begins to feel weak and tired, but Jeremy refuses to let her miss a session. Suddenly Jeremy tells his family of their engagement! It shocks Teena as well as the family, since she had never been proposed to by Jeremy, nor has the idea ever been brought up!

Then Teena notices strange marks on her neck, put there by Jeremy, though she can only vaguely recall his lips at her neck while posing. She dares not ask if they are the marks of a vampire. Teena has become a prisoner at Rentlow Retreat and cannot escape.

**** The cover is typical gothic. Dark background with a huge, gloomy mansion in the back and a lovely lady in the foreground that seems to be trying to flee some sort of evil. The great thing about old gothics is that you never know what the ending will be. Many old gothics DO NOT have the "happily-ever-after" endings. This always seems to add spice to the stories though.

This book was written in the late 1970's and can no longer be found in the local bookstores as new. However, I enjoyed it so much I wanted to post a review and tell everyone to haunt their local used book stores for this title! Amazon often has one or two copies available as USED. If you can find it, you will LOVE it. ****

While tempted to call this a typical obsessive romance with some violence thrown in, i feel that i might be alittle harsh saying that. Although not a wonderful, original plotline, it was at least entertaining. A bored, married housewife with kids meets the mysterious drifter of her dreams and developes a deep bond with him while her kids get in trouble and her husband cheats on her on his "business" trips. The bond is so deep he gets her to do whatever little thing he finds exciting and that's where the thrill begins. This book is only good if you're not looking for a masterpiece.