In this book, Marianne wakes up after a carriage accident with no memory of who she is or where she is going. There is a child traveling with her, and they disembark in the middle of nowhere--a place Marianne herself requested but now cannot remember why.

She ends up staying at a place called Maulever Hall with an eccentric but kind older lady. Efforts to restore Marianne's memory are minimal. Instead, she becomes entrenched in the routine of the house, acting as companion to Mrs. Mauleverer.

The old lady has a son she rarely sees, but, of course, he soon appears on the scene, a perfect example of the brooding, Rochester-like hero for a besotted Marianne. (I did find him a little too much of a jerk for a while, though.)
And! Check all the boxes! He has a mysteriously scarred face! Handsome but dangerous!

I enjoyed this Regency romance very much, although I think it could have been a little shorter. It is well told and does not suffer from any annoying anachronisms or misplaced modern sentiments. However, it does feature a pair of characters who are in love but ready to believe the worst about each other, and their gullibility toward the end does stretch one's patience. Especially when the heroine quickly chooses on very flimsy proof to believe a man who she knows has lied to her before.

Also, when it was revealed who Marianne is, who the child is, and why they were on the run, I felt I should have figured it out much earlier. Many readers probably do. It's not a particularly surprising twist.

This book, Maulever Hall, is what I used to think Georgette Heyer novels would be like. True confession: For some reason I have not really liked the Georgette Heyer novels I've read. This, on the other hand, was easy to get into, charming and funny at times, and romantic in a brooding sort of way. Toward the end it had me speeding to find out what would happen next. I hope to read more by this author.

I received a digital copy of a new edition of this via NetGalley in exchange for a review. It did have a few distracting typos, but other than that I thought it was a great read. ( )

Maulever Hall by Joan Aiken Hodge is a 2018 Agora Books publication. (Originally published in 1963)

Marianne, traveling with a young boy, suffers amnesia before she reaches her destination. Thankfully, she and the boy are taken in by a widow whose son, Mark, is away trying to establish his political career. But, when Mark turns up with his intended, Marianne finds him less than warm, and he refuses to believe her story. But, time passes, and Marianne’s memories still stay elusive, but certainly, someone out there knows who she is, which could put her in danger…

This is one of those old ‘Gothic’ novels penned back in the early sixties. Today, they would most likely be categorized as romantic suspense- but without the slightest hint of sexual content.

Reading these older titles can be hit or miss- as they are often hopelessly dated, but this one was pretty good. The plot gets a little far-fetched and nearly derails a few times, but the twist was surprising, and the conclusion was tense and exciting.

The romantic elements are very chaste- as many of these books appealed to teens and young adults at the time. This keeps the mystery at the forefront and keeps the reader in the dark so that one is never sure who they can or can’t trust- a common plot device in these books- but still very effective.
While I do have one or two of Aiken’s paperbacks in my collection, I found this one in the Kindle Unlimited program- which was good to see, especially considering how hard it is to find these old books these days without paying a fortune for them.

Overall, this book, though written over five decades ago, still holds up, and was a nice, clean historical mystery and romance with a bit of nostalgia included.

3.5 stars ( )

I don't know if I would categorize this as a "gothic mystery" - this seems to be more of a "gothic adjacent historical romance" ( )

First published in 1964 and now available again, this is surprisingly undated.

After an accident in a public coach, Marianne has lost her memory; she only knows her name because of a brooch she was wearing. Set down in a remote area along with the small boy she was accompanying, she hides from pursuit and finds refuge at the local manor. Mrs. Mauleverer, an elderly widow left alone by her son, welcomes her company. When Mr. Mauleverer returns home accompanied by a newly widowed cousin whom he may--or may not--be romantically involved with, the quiet life at Maulever Hall is upended. Several times.

Although it is superficially an old-fashioned romantic suspense novel, it is difficult to assign this to a genre other than historical fiction. There is a romance, but this does not have the shape of a romance novel. And a suspense plot underlies the events, but it is in abeyance for much of the book. It's not quite a Gothic romance, either. Regardless of genre, however, it is an enjoyable read. ( )

Marianne, travelling on a stagecoach with a young boy, seems to have lost her memory. She is taken in by an elderly lady, and finds herself in the midst of intrigue. A suspenseful and fast-paced book, very well-written. ( )