I am a fan of Victoria Holt, one of my grandmother's favorite authors. This story is about Frederica (Freddie) who comes to live with her aunt after her mother dies. Aunt Sophie lives in a small village in England near the St. Aubyn estate. Freddie attends classes with Tamarisk St. Aubyn and another gilr, Rachel. From the beginning, Freddie is intrigued by Crispin St. Aubyn, Tamarisk's older brother and the owner of the estate, even though he barely seems to notice the 13 year-old girl. As time passes, mysteries surface about Crispin's former nanny, Flora, and about who killed Tamarisk's husband. Always a good plot, and a pretty easy mystery, Victoria Holt writes a good Gothic romance/mystery.
What do You think about Seven For A Secret (1993)?
I'll be the first to admit that Victoria Holt doesn't write great literature. Her stories are fluff - meant for entertainment and not much else. But so what? Once in awhile a bit of entertainment is all I really ask for in a book, and as such Seven for a Secret did a great job. The writing was tighter than I've seen in some of her other books and while somewhat contrived the plot wasn't altogether improbable and the ending very satisfactory.It's not a book that'll leave a lasting impression on a reader, but if you need a bit of light literature to read by the pool or on a long plane ride, you could definitely do much worse than picking this one.
—Maria M. Elmvang
