[421]⇒ PDF Free The Master of Blacktower Barbara Michaels Books

The Master of Blacktower Barbara Michaels Books

Download As PDF : The Master of Blacktower Barbara Michaels Books

The Master of Blacktower Barbara Michaels Books

This is one of my favorite books written by Barbara Michaels. The heroine, Damaris, is likable but does have a few moments that seem not to fit her supposed strong willed character. The only big issue with this story is the ending. It leaves a few side story lines unanswered and is very rushed. It really needed a short epilogue in order to bring a conclusion to the entirety of events that were occurring. Such as the daughter, the hired assassins, Damaris' cousin, and was there going to be another inquest due to the events at the end of the story. That is why I give it four stars instead of five. Beyond that, I loved the dark gothic atmosphere, the 'Master', and the almost Wuthering Heights feel. I have read it twice and will more than likely read it several more times. Overall, it is a very good read and most Michaels fans will not be disappointed.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Master of Blacktower (9780060878146): Barbara Michaels: Books,Barbara Michaels,The Master of Blacktower,HarperTorch,0060878142,Romance - General,Highlands (Scotland),Romantic suspense novels,Scotland - Social life and customs - 19th century,FICTION General,FICTION Psychological,FICTION Romance General,Fiction,Fiction - Psychological Suspense,Fiction-Romance,General Adult,MASS MARKET,MICHAELS, BARBARA - PROSE & CRITICISM,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Psychological,RomanceModern,Romance: Modern,United States

The Master of Blacktower Barbara Michaels Books Reviews

I found this book disappointing I never really got into it and I'm not sure how I got through it. I guess I was hoping it would get better. The characters were uninspiring and I never really felt a connection to them or their connection to each other. Then at the end of the story things came to a head but I found it confusing. I have trouble recommending this novel to others.
3.5 Stars. Clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Jane Eyre, which was fun since I love that novel, and even took a class in college on books inspired by it. The thing that took this book from 4 stars down to 3.5 was the ending - it was very rushed and abrupt, and I felt like there should have been an epilogue at the very least. From reading this book, I think I like her books as Elizabeth Peters more, but I will continue with the books written as Barbara Michaels.
This was my first Barbara Michaels book,and won't be the last. She is a great author, spinning an exciting mystery/romance that had me buried in my kindle, ignoring the rest of the world until I could get to the end. I love her writing style - she is very articulate and descriptive. The story is told in the first person, and the heroine is both brave and funny, lending her perspective on the other very colorful characters, and I could be frequently found chuckling away as the story unfolds. Ironically, it is frightening at the same time, but not nightmare material.

All in all, an excellent read. I only wish the story had continued- it ends a little abruptly, and I was left imagining what happened to the characters, as there were a few loose ends. But I would still strongly recommend this book.
The novel is Barbara Michaels first published work of fiction, and while it is not her best work, it is an engaging read.
The tale is one of romantic suspense, the "gothic" type that was so popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The heroine, Damaris Gordon, who found herself in financial difficulty when her scholarly father passed away, has a studious mind coupled with an independent spirit. To avoid an undesirable but financially secure marriage, she accepts a position cataloguing and arranging the extensive library at Blacktower House. The mysterious brooding master of Blacktower is tall, dark and scarred.(As so many heroes of this type of literature tend to be.)

As the months pass in the remote Scottish Highlands, Damaris deals with surly servants, the master's indulged and peevish disabled daughter, and (of course) her changing feelings towards her moody employer.The arrival of some new neighbors, and the slow revelation of disturbing secrets from the past, sets in motion a series of events that puts Damaris in great peril.
The building suspense made it difficult for me to put the book down.
I have read this twice because it's just a serious vacation for the mind. It's definitely my favorite of hers (I've read most of the Barbara Michaels books). Some of her books are either have a weak plot, weak characters, or weak execution, but this one is strong all the way through and I highly recommend it if you like slightly creepy gothic novels.
Though this novel has all the charms, chills, romance, and mystery of Michaels' other wonderful Gothic pieces, it has a strangely rushed, abrupt feel that left me cold compared to her other novels. Though similar in length to her other works, the pace is choppy, and the reader is not as deeply drawn into the story. The two leads, Damaris and the eponymous Gavin, do fascinate and smolder with slow burning romance and character. Even the two of the servants, Betty and Ian, are intriguing, and provide a pleasant, if very minor, supporting influence. The real supporting players, however, left me scratching my head. Their presence, and the reactions to their presence, seem wholly untrue and poorly painted.

In fact, many characters, like the spoiled daughter, Annabelle, are implausible sketches, not used to their potential best in the plot. (She is the duller, female version of The Secret Garden's Colin, in a random, ill-used plot line.) They are set up only to fall by the wayside as the narrative manages to both barrel and creep to a "resolution" of the slackest kind. Huge events occur without much impact. When action does occur, it seems forced and ill-fitting with the story.

Shocking revelations are tumbled out at the last minute, and the end is the final jerk of a disintegrating rope. Not the kind of tug that startles the enchanted reader out of reverie, but the kind that leaves the reader holding a frayed end of a loosely woven story, wondering where the rest went.

I am otherwise a huge fan of Michaels' historical Gothic novels. But The Master of Blacktower trails far behind, in desolate mist, the truly shining, exciting, yet similar, Greygallows, Black Rainbow, Wings of the Falcon, and the Wizard's Daughter. Of them all, I find Black Rainbow to be the best of the form, though I also sometimes reread Greygallows and the Wizard's Daughter. I wish she wrote more in the vein, but fortunately there’s Victoria Holt, another brilliant author of historical Gothic revival fiction. From Holt, I highly recommend Night of the Seventh Moon, which I am thrilled is available on .

Better yet, order yourself a shelfful (dusty old box full) of the original Holt/Carr paperbacks and hardbacks. You won't be sorry. Michaels' fans will enjoy.
This is one of my favorite books written by Barbara Michaels. The heroine, Damaris, is likable but does have a few moments that seem not to fit her supposed strong willed character. The only big issue with this story is the ending. It leaves a few side story lines unanswered and is very rushed. It really needed a short epilogue in order to bring a conclusion to the entirety of events that were occurring. Such as the daughter, the hired assassins, Damaris' cousin, and was there going to be another inquest due to the events at the end of the story. That is why I give it four stars instead of five. Beyond that, I loved the dark gothic atmosphere, the 'Master', and the almost Wuthering Heights feel. I have read it twice and will more than likely read it several more times. Overall, it is a very good read and most Michaels fans will not be disappointed.