MurderByDeath
Bryony Ashley knows that her family's grand estate is both hell and paradise -- once elegant and beautiful, yet mired in debt and shrouded in shadow. Devastated by her father's sudden death abroad, she is nonetheless relieved to learn the responsibility of running Ashley Court has fallen to a cousin. Still, her father's final, dire warning about a terrible danger haunts her days and her dreams.
This book would have been so much better had Byrony not constantly referred to the man she has had a telepathic connection to all her life - but has never met - as lover. Blech! My lover this, My lover that, Where is my lover? Even if the phrase itself was still 'hip' (and thank god it's not) it would still have been really over done. Throw in that she's a virgin and she thinks her lover is one of her cousins (again, I say blech!), and the book ends up with an air of dated, cheesy, melodrama, which is a shame, because it's a cracking good story.
I'm not going to say much beyond that because I think anything else I'd talk about could dim the fun of the story somewhat. It's gothic and oozes mystery and there's a castle and a library and a garden maze. There's even a dark and stormy night where everything comes to a climax (pun may or may not be intended). If only Stewart's editor had nixed the lover crap it would have been an easy 4/4.5 star read.