An interesting gothic historical read originally published in 1974

Rebel Heiress (Bloomsbury Reader)

By: Jane Aiken Hodge

Rating: 4 of 5

I’ve read all of Jane Aiken Hodge’s older books (there are several newer ones that I did not know that existed that I will have to read in the future.) I read “Rebel Heiress” last when I was eighteen. Re-reading it as an adult makes a world of difference in understanding some of the nuances of the story.

In this book, Henrietta Marchmont’s American aunt has just passed away – leaving her with precious little while giving the bulk of her estate to the church. Henrietta find information about her father (Lord Marchmont) in England and is able to get passage on an English boat just ahead of the War of 1812. The story is what happens to Henrietta once she makes her way to England and, eventually, to her father’s home.

Not everyone is what they seem to be. The good can turn out bad and the bad can turn out to be rather okay in the end. The story is true to Miss Aiken Hodge’s style with more of a Gothic twist than a Regency romance.

I’m enjoying re-reading my way through this author’s back list. While some of the books seem rather dated and out of touch (with regards to our social values in the year 2017), when they were written (1974 in this case), they were very well done.