SO fun to revisit books you might have read years ago (this was originally published in 1966) or to read one from an author whose work stands up no matter when you read it. This is gothic in tone, with Christina trying to deal with a big ramshackle family home that might be haunted as well as smugglers. And love. It's a good read that will keep you entertained- perfect for a rainy day, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC,

I started but couldn't finish this book. I just personally didn't enjoy it. There was nothing particularly wrong with the book. Sometimes it just comes down to personal taste.

This story is so much like the stories that Brönte sisters and Jane Austen wrote – in this romance story collide old customs, old inheritance, fixed marriages and blind lovers. Old family in England and new namely from America, old family feuds and new war from France. Misunderstandings and unexpected love.

Good read.

An historical romantic suspense with an eye catching title. A lot to enjoy about this novel, a dark, gloomy and isolated manor, smugglers, a heroine who is a strong and determined character and a dark and brooding hero.

Found the story did lag in places and didn't really feel any spark between the main characters Chris and Ross. Felt the chemistry between them to be lacklustre at times. Remember reading the novel as a teenager and thoroughly enjoying it but found this novel to be a bit weaker over time with a second reading.

This book's writing felt dated for today's market. I enjoyed the historical settings and the well developed characters but would hesitate to recommend it to many of my historical romance readers advisory requests.

I am sorry, but I did not like this book. The writing style was not for me.

Watch The Wall My Darling is an enthralling gothic romance. The female lead is strong and written well.

I love a good gothic romance. Rebecca, Jane Eyre...things of that ilk. Watch the Wall, My Darling was a book that I read in my teens, and reading this reissues reminded me how delightful these types of books are to me.

Our heroine, Christina Tretton, is from the backwoods of America, but now currently lives at Dark House in Cornwall. She's wonderful. Independent, capable, and handy with a pistol (a Napoleonic Annie Oakley, if you will. The hero/leading man is Ross Tretteign. He's exactly what you expect, born on the right side of the blanket, but everyone knows that he's the 'black sheep" aka - the crazy one.

This is more a story of a woman rescuing herself. Like Jane Eyre. Like Rebecca. It was a nice revisit with Christina.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book! A gothic romance with a strong female lead. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys historical novels.

First of all, the cover of this edition is GORGEOUS!
It is so beautiful and gothic, and it totally matches the dark, gothic feel of the book.
Plus it's so much more modern than the original cover (obviously), so it's a nice update. <3

The characters, I thought, were very well-developed and realistic. Some of them made me laugh (the crotchety grandfather and the worrisome aunt), and others frustrated me beyond belief (Ross and Richard), but this made for an entertaining read.
Although as I write this review, I'm thinking about the physical aspect of the characters, and I realize that Hodge didn't give very detailed physical descriptions of the cast, which is highly unusual for a historical fiction novel, especially one with a decidedly romantic bent.
For the life of me, I can't even remember what color Christina's hair is!
(On the cover she's blonde, but I've learned you cannot trust a cover to get things accurate.)

The plot itself was a little hard to follow, what with the political intrigue stuff surrounding Napoleon Bonaparte, and the attempted French takeover of England, and the smuggling and spies and double agents. Whew! I must admit that I do not know much about that aspect of history--only because I have not actively sought it out in the books I have read, but will likely do so in the future--so it was difficult for me to grasp what was going on at certain points of the story.

The tone/feel of the book was amazing! Very gothic and formidable and creepy, with a little ghost action thrown in there for an added dimension. The Dark House sounds very cool, and it would be awesome to tour a place like that in real life!
(I don't believe in ghosts, so it makes it much easier for me to say something like that, I know.) And I loved that the story was set on the beach, with the marshes and scruffy grasses and doom-and-gloom weather.

My only complaint, and it's what's keeping me from giving this book 5 stars, is the fact that I wish Christina would have stood up for herself more when dealing with Ross.
He was such an ass throughout most of the book that it quickly got on my nerves. Yet this type of boorish behavior from him would have been entirely normal and acceptable during those times, I know. But reading it with an 'enlightened', 21st century attitude made it super frustrating to put up with his remarks and attitudes. In the end, though, Ross proved himself to be not so much of an ass, so I guess that's all I can ask of a man in the early 1800s.

Overall, this was a very cool book, and I'm glad that I read it. I learned a little bit more about European history, and I can add this to my growing collection of historical fiction favorites.


*A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Christina Tretton goes to her family's estate, Tretteign Grange. Her grandfather tries to arrange a marriage between Christina and one of two male cousins, as a stipulation to inherit when he dies. She becomes housekeeper and manages the estate, but which cousin should she chose to spend her life with when there are smugglers surrounding the estate, and France is threatening to invade?

The story has a strong female character, from America, who is not afraid to speak her mind. That part I really enjoyed because it wasn't a simpering female trying to use her femininity to get her own way. The book overall felt very dark to me, in a sense there wasn't much sunshine. I think of it being very dreary.

I did enjoy the book for the most part.

Nice description of the landscape but it was a slow read and not interesting.

This was a splendid copy that swept me away! I loved the drama, romance, and intrigue throughout. The only complaint that I had was the odd English phrases here and there, but aside from that, this book easily cracked my top ten favorites of this year!

If you want some reasons to read it: spies, French smugglers, strong female characters, old mansions, ghost stories, heroic characters...

There are so many reasons to love this book, and I am a fast fan of the author.

Thank you NetGalley for finding this book for me!

A classic Gothic Romance from 1966, now available as an ebook.

It's a bit flat, with the historical aspect more interesting that either the characters or the romance. It is 1804, and the southern coast of England is expecting Napoleon to invade at any time. When Christina Tretton travels to her estranged family's remote home, she runs afoul of smugglers in the marsh before she even reaches the house. Her welcome at Tretteign Grange is no warmer. When her grandfather decides that she must marry one of her cousins, tensions come to a head.

Not bad, but not great either.

The strong writing sucked me right in, opening with a carriage rushing up the dark coastal road in the driving rain, toward the house where Christina is not sure of a welcome. It’s been a very long time since I picked up either a vintage or contemporary Gothic Romance, and even if the genre isn’t my first choice for random reading, I was happy this came my way.

Our heroine, Christina, is an American come back to England, after her father’s violent death, to the family pile. Her father had left the stifling life under his father’s brutal thumb, with his French wife before the war with Napoleon, and she in turn left him with their eldest daughter, Christina. She has no one else to turn to, no other family, and so she sends a letter to her grandfather telling them that she is on her way back to them, her only flesh and blood.

The locals in Rye, of course, warn her about the “Dark House” and traveling there by night because “they” don’t like it (see the poem below). They could be anyone, as far as she knows, from bandits, smugglers, or the soldiers guarding the coast.
The story plays out beautifully against an interesting period in history when invasion of England by Napoleon appeared imminent. Hodge reverses some of the die-hard Gothic Romance tropes—the old butler is nothing but kind to Christina and the domineering-type mother is pretty ineffectual, though even that appears to leave a mark on her son, Ross. There’s an inheritance involved, and a competition for it, while meanwhile a French privateer hovers just off the coast, upsetting everyone. There’s a very harrowing and haunting scene towards the end when Christina finds out what happens if one doesn’t watch the wall as advised, and sees more than they should.

I loved Christina, again not a usual heroine one expects from the genre that typically had women in negligees running from dark houses in bad weather on their covers. She’s an American, tall, speaks her mind, and spends much of her time mediating. When a wounded man needs her help, she doesn’t hesitate to help out, though this puts her in danger. She gets afraid, angry, but keeps it contained. Plus, she’s got a secret, too.

Ross, the broody hero/antihero, is a typical, on the outside, Regency rake. He’s keeping a lot of secrets bottled up, and the family doesn’t want to trust him, so every time he disappears they backstab him and make plans around him. No wonder his uncle left for the states, it was saner!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story— the writing, the setting and characters, the twists in the plot.

American Christina Tretton arrives at her father's family home, intent on keeping the promise she made to her now dead parent. She is thrust into the middle of the secrets of "The Dark House". Can she navigate the danger without forfeiting her life in the process?

Christina was an interesting enough character. It almost seemed as though being American -practical, forthright, opinionated- was her entire character. She made no effort to understand the traditions of her family. It was all 'I am American and I am going to do things my way." Her acceptance of everything that came her way was a little unbelievable.

Those who filled "The Dark house" were appropriate for a Gothic style tale. Annoying, suspicious, and integral to the plot in turns, no one really stood out at all. Not even the hero of the tale.

The plot was a bit confusing from the start and it took some effort to continue reading.

Overall, I'm not sorry to have read a Gothic Regency, but I'm not so sure I will be in a hurry to reread it or anything like it again. For those who enjoy a story with a dark atmosphere and too many twists and turns to keep track of, this may be a book for you.

A clean Historical, action packed, suspenseful, until the last page! Must Read! I highly recommend! Thanks! Enjoy!
carolintallahassee 👒

What a delight. I understand this is a reissue - I can't wait to track down more of Hodge's work. Impeccably written, with great nuance of emotion and perfect scene setting. The Sussex smugglers and French spies - the marshes and unseen forces. This is a keeper for years to come. Plus, the love story keeps you waiting, in honest terms.

Buena historia, un poco predecible en ocasiones, pero fácil y rápida de leer, muy entretenida.
Se trata de la historia de una joven americana que llega a Inglaterra obligada por la promesa hecha a su padre en su lecho de muerte: debe pasar 6 meses en la casona familiar, donde es recibida por su abuelo y tía política, no sin antes haber vivido una aventura en un encuentro nocturno con bandoleros.
Esta es una novela romántica, donde no falta la acción... Contrabandistas, patriotas, una tía histérica, un abuelo dominante, primos con sus propias agendas... En fin, les dejo que lean el libro, creo que no se arrepentirán.