Author: Victoria Holt

Known as one of the queens of Gothic Romance, I discovered Victoria Holt in the bargain section at Chapters. I hate to admit that what attracted me at first glance was the cover. Most Holt covers, I have learned now, are a flashback to 1970s paperbacks with trashy covers of Fabio-looking men and melodramatic heroines (please don't let this deter you from reading). This cover, however, was a more modern edition. It was a copy of "The Time of the Hunter's Moon" (1983). It had a mysterious girl and house on the front. I was curious so I picked it up for only $5.00.



Holt was born in 1906 and grew up in England. Her real name was Eleanor Hibbert and Victoria Holt was one of many pen names that she wrote under. Some other names include: Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, Eleanor Burford, and Elbur Ford. She wrote mainly historical and Gothic Romance novels.

Many of Holt novels revolve around young English girls who are working in boarding schools or as a governess for a wealthy manor. Many of the story lines are similar. A young 19th century English woman falls for an older man with money and influence. It sounds like we have heard this one before. Jane Austen? Charlotte Bronte? But why mess with something that works? The different element Holt adds is that she reins in the reader with an element of mystery that isn't found in typical classic novels.

My current Victoria Holt novel? "The House of a Thousand Lanterns" (1974). Set in England, as the novel progresses, the reader is drifted to China. A young woman, who is deceived by her husband and left with nothing, finds refuge in her mother's wealthy employer. His love of Chinese artifacts intrigues her to study his work as a merchant. After learning his work, she travels with him to his Eastern home named The House of a Thousand Lanterns located in China. Just the name alone intrigues the main character, Jane. As mysterious as its name, the house holds its own secrets...

Top Five Victoria Holt Novels
1. The Time of the Hunter's Moon (1983)
2. Mistress of Mellyn (1960)
3. The Black Opal (1993)
4. The Shivering Sands (1969)
5. The Secret Woman (1970)