Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Oldies But Goodies: Dorothy Eden, where do I begin?

I love reading romance during the summer, so I'm happy to report that I'm finally back on the old romance reading horse. I've read a few these past few weeks, True to the Law by Jo Goodman, Kentucky Home by Sarah Title, The Notorious Rake and The Counterfeit Bride by Mary Balogh, Twice Loved and Years (a favorite and a reread) by Lavyrle Spencer, Beach House Beginnings (Beach House No.9) by Christie Ridgway, and Love Irresistibly by Julie James. Yes, I am on a romance reading tear and hope to continue!

As you can see there are four older romance titles in my list of books above. I love mixing older titles and classic authors with newer talent and/or the latest releases. I find that it keeps my romance reading fresh while I catch up with well... the "history" of romance, compare different writing styles and experience how tropes within romance have evolved throughout the years. And, I love discovering great books and/or authors whose works I missed along the way. This method of mixing older titles with new releases has been working for me for years.

Although I cut my romance reading teeth reading works by authors like Rosemary Rogers, Woodwiss and Kinsale, Nora Roberts, Krentz, McNaught, Deveraux, and Sandra Brown, I didn't read works by Lavyrle Spencer or Pamela Morsi until 2010! And I still haven't picked up anything by Maggie Osborne and many others. You see what I mean? I've missed so much goodness. This is one reason I love that so many of the older classics, no longer available or hard to find in print, are now available or being made available in digital format. So the following announcement immediately snagged my attention:

Open Road Media just released digital editions or ebooks of 14 novels by the author Dorothy Eden. I looked up the author's biography and wondered if this was another case of missing out on more of that goodness I mention above, but this time in the gothic romance, romance suspense, and historical fiction categories. Click on link to see complete list of titles.
Dorothy Eden (1912–1982) was the internationally acclaimed author of more than forty bestselling gothic, romantic suspense, and historical novels. Born in New Zealand, where she attended school and worked as a legal secretary, she moved to London in 1954 and continued to write prolifically. Eden’s novels are known for their suspenseful, spellbinding plots, finely drawn characters, authentic historical detail, and often a hint of spookiness. Her novel of pioneer life in Australia, The Vines of Yarrabee, spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list. Her gothic historical novels Ravenscroft, Darkwater, and Winterwood are considered by critics and readers alike to be classics of the genre.
I've never read a book by Dorothy Eden. Have you?

Where do I begin exploring? If you have read Dorothy Eden's works, which book do you recommend? If you haven't, where would you begin?

7 comments:

  1. I honestly don't know where to begin with Eden but I have a bunch of her books of hers on my TBR list. I've checked out Darkwater from the library before but just haven't read it yet. It sure sounds good! Have you read anything by Barbara Michaels? She's another good gothic romance author :)

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    1. Samantha, I'm torn between The Vines of Yarrabee and Ravenscroft at the moment. I don't know! I think I'm just going to take a leap and choose one from the pile.

      I need to take a look at my bookshelves to see if I have any gothic romance left. I haven't read any in a long, long time. Barbara Michaels was also published under different names, but there only two titles that I recognize? I can't remember! I'm checking, though.

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  2. I've not heard of her before, I'm tempted now! Open Road ebooks are pretty expensive though. I wonder if they're coupon-able at Kobo...

    I went on a Isabelle Holland glom last year, so it's probably time for another gothic splurge...

    Li

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    1. Li, I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't recognize this writer. But its understandable, her works were published a long time ago. They do look tempting though... Let me see if I can find out about Kobo coupons for you. I don't know about that. If I do find out, I'll come back here and let you know.

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    2. They were ;-)

      I've caved and gone for SINISTER WEDDINGS, which is a 3-in-1. Will report back, but I did like the sample I read online!

      Li

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  3. I haven't heard of her either. Read it quickly and let me know if i should get her books!

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  4. Nice to read this.Thank you so much for sharing this post.

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