Vexed: The haunting of Castle Keyvnor is a one in a series of 4 collections of novellas – all taking place at Castle Keyvnor and its neighboring area when a collection of relatives come to the Castle for the reading of the will of the deceased Earl of Banfield. Vexed contains stories by Erica Ridley, Ava Stone, and Elizabeth Essex.
The first story in the book is written by Erica Ridley. In it Rebecca Bond the Earl’s great-niece seems to float through the castle unnoticed by anyone. At first I thought she might be a ghost that didn’t realize she was dead. With the death of the Earl, Rebecca is left with no money and soon no place to live. The new Earl has given her an ultimatum, get married or he will choose a husband for her himself. One of the people invited to the reading of the will is Daniel Goodenham, Viscount North Barrows. Daniel and Rebecca had been childhood friends but once he became a viscount at the age of 17 he had ignored her. He came to the Castle early to see her again and to apologize for the way he treated her. Once they are together old feelings come back but he lives in London and she loves the country. There is no way she would make a suitable Viscountess. Erica Ridley uses the Castle as a backdrop for finding lost love. The story is a sweet tale of how women have little choice in their future but how a man in love recognizes her independence and gives her the options to choose her life – whether she would choose him or not.
Ava Stone’s contribution is more ghostly. Lady Cassandra Priske has come to the reading of the will with her family. From the moment she arrives, she keeps seeing a dark man who seems to get more and more threatening. Jack Hazelwood, Lord St Giles isn’t there for the will but for the girl. He accompanies his friend Michael (who is a family member). He’s had his eye on Cassy for 2 seasons and is hoping to take advantage of this time at Castle Keyvnor to get closer to her. She has been avoiding him because of his rakish reputation. While Jack loves Cassy, he begins to wonder about her sanity. She keeps seeing the man in black and Jack has been present at a few occasions when she has screamed and collapsed after a sighting. Will Jack be able to put aside his worry of her sanity in order to be with the woman he loves. Additionally, will Cassy’s parents overlook Jack’s reputation – is the prospect of a dukedom enough to overlook bad behavior? Ava Stone writes amazing well-rounded characters – one of the best in this story is a secondary character, Toby, Cassy’s younger brother who does a remarkable job as a troublesome baby brother. This is another fun story.
The third story in this book doesn’t take place at the castle at all. Elizabeth Exxex had provided a charming tale about young love and finding each other after years apart – will they still have feelings for each other. Captain Harry Beck is at the Castle for the reading of the will but he once was tutored by the Vicar in Bocka Morrow. The vicar’s daughter Nessa would help him with his lessons. Now, she decides to try to spell Harry into loving her. Bocka Morrow is a haven of smugglers and Harry inadvertently gets involved in trying to uncover a treasonous plan among the smugglers/villagers. He uses Nessa as a cover to visit the shore but he also enjoys her company. Will he fall in love with her? Will they be able to thwart the treasonous plans and find the spy? Elizabeth keeps us hanging until the last minute but the ending is worth the wait.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )