Books › Goblin Hill
Goblin Hill
First published 1992 · 336 pages
A sweeping, scenic journey to the rugged hills of New Zealand, where old family scandals give way to a hard-won, slow-burn romance.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping into a time capsule of rugged landscapes and simmering, old-fashioned family drama. The narrative unfolds at a steady, comforting pace, wrapping the reader in the atmospheric beauty of New Zealand's Otago region while delivering the delicious tension of an enemies-to-lovers dynamic. The prose is earnest and richly descriptive, painting a vivid picture of pastoral life that serves as the perfect backdrop for emotional healing. It is a story steeped in nostalgia, where stern, brooding heroes and determined heroines clash over inherited scandals before inevitably finding their way to forgiveness. Fans of classic, wholesome romance with a touch of melodrama will find themselves completely charmed by its warm, sweeping embrace.
- Mood
- pastoral
- nostalgic
- tense
- atmospheric
- Tone
- earnest
- romantic
- dramatic
- warm
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- family secrets · search for identity · enemies to lovers · forgiveness · finding home
- The writing
- Descriptive and slightly formal, rich with vivid, affectionate portraits of the rugged New Zealand landscape.
- The arc
- Moves from a place of displacement and defensive hostility toward a warm, rooted sense of belonging and passionate reconciliation.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the cozy, dramatic charm of vintage category romance, complete with stern heroes and sweeping pastoral settings.
Content notes
- adoption discovery
- family estrangement
- grief
About the book
It was only after Lucy and Stephen Charteris had died that their daughter Faith learned that she was not their real daughter at all, but adopted - more, that both her real parents were still living, although they had long ago parted and each had remarried. Her father, it seemed, was in New Zealand, and Faith could not rest until she had gone there in search of him. But the real problem, she soon realised, was her father's grim stepson Gareth Morgan, who could not forget the old family scandal that had almost ruined his own parents life - and who could not forgive Faith for it either!
Description from Open Library.
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