The Ghostly Screams of Stormhaven - You had me at Ghostly Screams.

The Ghostly Screams of Stormhaven
by Clarawimberly
published by Zebra Gothic
Copyright 1992

"Don't go up there alone!"

Elizabeth Stevens knew she had been lucky to obtain a position with the wealthy Earl of Chesham at Stormhaven. She was awed by the magnificence of the manor house, and even more so by the master himself - the dark and brooking Derek Vanderworth.

But it was his golden haired daughter, Amy, who attracted Elizabeth's attention with her sad, sorrowful eyes. The little girl had not spoken since he mother's death a year ago, and Elizabeth was determined to befriend her and discover more about the tragic past ... even if it meant braving the fierce resistance of the arrogant Earl.

Yet, it was not until she saved Amy's life that Derek began to provide answers and admit to his love for Elizabeth. But by then it was too late. Mysterious crying in the night and strange noises from the fourth floor had aroused Elizabeth's suspicions... and her fear. There was a madness lurking in the shadows of Stormhaven, and Elizabeth wondered if the ghostly screams she heard might soon be her own.

Wow! This books sounds pretty damn good!

Firstly, it looks like we probably have a whole lot of Jane Eyre going on.

Secondly, we have the brooding and arrogant Earl. For brooding and arrogant I'm more than willing to throw aside by love of blondes. For some assuredly unhealthy reason I've always been drawn to men who are arrogant assholes. (That must be why I get along so well with my husband!)

And lastly, and most importantly, we have GHOSTLY SCREAMS! Awesome. I currently sleep with an alarm clock that makes it sound like a thunder storm is in progress all the time and I can't help but wonder if there is a ghostly screams version. And, if there is, would it help me sleep. I'd like to think it would.

Now it's true that I don't actually believe in ghosts (though I really, really want to) but I also don't believe that a human female's neck could hold up that much hair, but I'm certainly not going to let that ruin the story for me.

As so often is the case, I have tried to find an artist credit for this cover but have had no luck. I really find it strange that even as late as 1992 there are rarely ever artist credits inside the book and that signatures are rarely seen whether they are cropped or didn't exist on the piece to begin with. If I had enough artistic talent to have my art of the cover of a Gothic romance (and we all know that sometimes is just doesn't take that much talent to find yourself in that position) I'd freakin' have my heroine sporting a t- shirt with my picture on it.

Running From Prison? & Nurses Need Love Too

Okay, so I am willing to admit that this cover has absolutely nothing what-so-ever to do with Gothic romance. But, the way I see it, there is no better way to say "Sorry for missing Valentine's Day." than with a shirtless cop in a compromising position with young a child.

Yep, "A Place To Call Home" is quite honestly the most wonderfully frightening cover I have seen in a good while, and at the same time it is also the best argument for garage sales EVER.

What makes this piece of garage sale GOLD even better that it is apparently just one book in a "Men In Blue" series. (Makes you want to go out and find the rest doesn't it?!)

Now, I personally have no issue with our men in blue, not even the shirtless variety, but this cover makes we want to call, well, the cops, or at the very least Chris Hansen. I'm not exactly certain who this cover was supposed to appeal to. Perhaps my grandmother as it seems to have taken place in her house circa 1988.

It makes me think of a Curves gym I had been a member of few years back. The manager was in her mid-twenties and had an obsession with firemen. She started taping up pictures from some kind of shirtless firemen calendar all over the gym. It was like a middle school girl's locker room.

The taped up pictures eventually devolved to include magazine images of any man she found remotely attractive. I assure you, there is nothing that makes you want to hurry through your workout more than having to stare at a picture of Will Ferrell taped to the ceiling. Of course I WAS working out 4 and 5 days a week so perhaps I was subconsciously drawn to Will Ferrell and just didn't know it.

Okay, so I want to clue you into a great blog. I have recently spoken Susannah who runs a blog called Vintage Nurse Romance Novels. The site is awesome and features some great cover art. (And hey, what man doesn't like a nurse's uniform?) She is actually dedicated enough to read the book and post her reviews which are great.

Susannah has been kind enough to share a fabulous Nurse Running from a Castle cover, here. And what I like to think is a Nurse Running from a Trailer Park, here.

Make sure to check her out!