I read my first gothic romance when I was 12. It was Wuthering Heights and I hated it, yet I couldn't put it down either. I also read Jane Eyre around then which was a much better experience. I've since read several fine examples of the genre and too my mind a gothic romance is something written at least a hundred years ago.
My TBR recommender, however, keeps handing me new books that new takes on the genre. They feature strong heroines and spooky ghosts which may or may not be real. While they don't have the depth of language that I love, they do tend to be a lot of fun.
The most recent example is A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong. On the surface, the premise is absolutely ridiculous. Bronwyn inherits the place of her girlhood summer home, Thorne Manor, after her aunt dies. Up until she was 15, the house was her favorite place and where she played with William, a boy who lived in the house 200 years in the past. Is she travelling in time? or is he just an imaginary friend? Who could say, but a tragedy in the summer of her 15th year ends the summer trips to Thorne Manor.
Bronwyn is an adult now and too old for imaginary friends but she does intend to fix up Thorne Manor now that it's hers. However, her plans are cut short when - surprise - William is real. Surprise again - she can slip between his time and the present. And surprise one more time - Bronwyn remembers that she's in love with William.
Oh and there are ghosts. Actual, spooky ghosts that want Bronwyn to do something.
It's all preposterous. It really seems like there is too much going on there but somehow it all hangs together. The ghosts and the time slip are connected of course. The love story between Bronwyn and William helps, but what really saves it is Bronwyn's character arc. She's an interesting protagonist who is mature and highly relatable.
This isn't high literature and it probably doesn't really compete with the classics, but it is a lot of fun.
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