This first book in a new paranormal series by Donna Lea Simpson is a national bestseller!

"By mixing a classic gothic with paranormal overtones Simpson has a winner. This impossible-to-put-down romance belongs alongside Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney and Daphne du Maurier. Here is a pure classic plotline with just the right touch of the ominous, the perfect amount of suspense and plenty of sexual tension to keep you reading late into the night and finish satiated." SENSUAL -- Romantic Times - 4½ Stars!!

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Product Description

The wait for a new take on werewolf romances is over.

It is said that werewolves roam the woods around Wolfram Castle--but Elizabeth Stanwycke, newly arrived tutor to the Count's niece, is not a child to be frightened by bedtime stories. Of more pressing concern is her attraction to the mysterious Count.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #945762 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Set in 1795, the atmospheric first book in Simpson's new paranormal romance series serves up gothic suspense and explicit sex among denizens of a German castle. One moonlit evening, as Englishwoman Elizabeth Stanwycke approaches Wolfram Castle, home of the sullen girl whom she's been hired to tutor, Elizabeth sees a nude blond woman run across the highway, pursued into the snowy woods by a hooded horseman. Her efforts to help are stymied by her companion and mentor, Frau Katrina Liebner, who warns against questioning the many secrets at the castle, which include insanity, mysterious deaths and rumor of werewolves. Desperate for work because of a scandal in her background, Elizabeth assumes her duties without complaint but is unable to restrain her curiosity. Soon she's entangled with the intimidating master of the house, Nikolas von Wolfram. Simpson (Absentee Heart) peoples the castle with distinctive characters, though at times they act carelessly or foolishly (e.g., the hero fails to tie up a murderer before leaving him alone) in order to keep tension high. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Leaving a blemished reputation behind in England, Elizabeth travels to Germany to take a post as governess in Wolfram Castle. Her bold nature and insatiable curiosity have led to her downfall, and she's determined not to repeat her mistakes. However, it's soon evident that disturbing emotional torrents run deep in the Wolfram family, and whispers of magic and werewolves make her vow to temper her curiosity difficult, while the way the enigmatic lord of the castle challenges her spirit and quickens her pulse makes controlling her audacious streak impossible. Simpson's latest is a treat for lovers of gothic romance and a welcome offering for readers looking for European adventures beyond the British Isles. There's a natural progression here from the traditional gothic of eerie occurrences with rational explanations to a true paranormal twist, and Simpson keeps the sultry sensuality at a strong simmer. Nina Davis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Romance Reader
Simpson...keeps the reader turning pages.

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Customer Reviews

surprisingly good
The cover and title is a bit misleading. I was expecting a paranormal romance and there is little paranormal in this series. The book was predominately a mystery romance with a werewolf thrown in in the last couple of chapters. Overall, dispite the above mention fact, I thought the characters were very well drawn out and endearing. I loved reading the by-play between the two main characters and even laughed out loud at some of the more snide comments. I started the second book in this series but so far it has not drawn me into the story as well as or as much as this one.

Surprisingly Good
I had this book for more than six months, and had just read it. Now I can't fathom why I hadn't read it sooner, as it is good.

The setting is 1795, at a remote castle in Germany. The tension and suspense start from page 5, while Elizabeth is on her way to Wolfram Castle - she sees a naked woman running into the forbidding forest, being pursued by a horseman - and this is just one of the four major mysteries that swirl in and around the castle. The author handled the secrecies well - plenty of the hints and red herrings - which put me right at the edge of my seat and keep me turning the pages, until the mysteries are unravelled in the end.

The castle's residents are a mysterious and unusual bunch. The head of the family is Count Nikolas - sexy, remote, burdened and tormented - he comes and goes often in the dead of night. Living with him are his immediate and extended family, friends and servants. Some of them, at one time or another, appear to be galvanized by some sinister motives and one is not quite sure who is to be believed.

There are wolves in the forest surrounding the castle. But what about werewolves? Nikolas' villagers sure believe in their existence and are set on killing some. Nikolas' adamant refusal to let them into his forest when the moon is full only adds to their fevered agitation. And this frenzied mob may be the catalyst to expose Nikolas' most closely-guarded secret.

Nikolas and Elizabeth's chemistry is clearly sensuous. From the first meeting, one can feel the magnetism that pulls them together. Even when Nikolas is at his most forbidding and aloof, one still feels his yearning for Elizabeth.

Nikolas is a classic gothic hero. Apart from his complimentary physical attributes (you know...tall, dark and handsome), what makes me care for him is his absolute honour in carrying all the burdens, and his care, for his family. His is a weary and tormented, but resolute, soul. He yearns for what he thinks he cannot have, a sacrifice for his commitment to his family. He wrenches my heart.

Elizabeth...beautiful, poor and orphaned, she gladly accepts the offer to tutor Nikolas' niece. She is a woman ahead of her time - too bold, too inquisitive and not afraid to speak her mind, and to contradict her employer. I have some problems with Elizabeth's character. Considering that she desperately needs this job to start a new life, she is wilful in her disregard of explicit warnings. I am torn between admiring her fierce bravery and wanting to smack some sense and circumspection into her.

As for the werewolves, there are merely hints in the first three-quarters of the book. The whole truth as to whether they actually exist or are just a folklore is only known toward the end.

This paranormal gothic tale is told using the third-person narration, with the point-of-view switching between the hero and heroine. It relies on the mysteries and human relationship tension to drive it forward. The gothic mood and atmosphere, while not strongly evocative, are adequate.

I've enjoyed this tale a lot, and think the author has done a marvellous job.

Very promising
This was great!

Certainly takes a chance by exploring dark themes along the lines of Edgar Allen Poe, and it feels nice not to be mollycoddled and spared from such disturbing ideas as it just intensifies the eroticism.

I find it good that the author uses cold language occasionally, it serves to keep you slightly distant from the action so you get drawn in even more to the scorching encounters between Nik and Elizabeth.

The undercurrents that lie between the family and friends are captivating. Surely, this book works so well because it is shaped by it's characters, not what happens to them. Far above many other paranormal romances, you shouldn't regret spending your well-earned bucks.