Once I got passed the diction that the characters speak in, I really liked the book. The characters are flawed, much like us, and I found myself agreeing with some decisions that they made. (Of course, much like the characters of any book, we do not see the impact that those decisions have until the it is too late.)

There was a legend that six novices and a nun living in a convent in Cornwall had strayed from their vows, and one night, in a field nearby, six were turned to stone as they danced in the moonlight in defiance of their sins, while the seventh Sister was walled up in the building.

The famous convent later bacame the home of the St. Larnstons, the county's leading family, whose lives soon rivalled their predecessors in hauting mystery.

Kerensa Carlee dreamed of becoming a part of that famous house, but she was a cottage girl, and the road from her humbel dwelling to St. Larnston Abbas was a long one. but fate seemed to lead her to the big house, even if she had to enter it as a servant.

mailed to harmaja as a suprise!

I've just received a total of three surprise books from karen-r. Wow, I really am surprised! Thanks, karen-r, that was kind of you!

I got this book from Harmaja. Victoria Holt isn't an author whose books I normally read (actually, I've never read anything by her) but I was intrigued by this novel. Just mention "gothic romance" and I'm all over it. ;)

I finished this book a week ago, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. I had an image in my mind of Victoria Holt being someone who writes bodice-ripper type romances, but this book didn't seem like one, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm really glad I did, because I liked The Legend of the Seventh Virgin very much. The book (as well as the rest of Victoria Holt's books) are classified as gothic romance. Several elements of gothic fiction are present in this book too, e.g. mystery, haunted houses and Gothic architecture, castles, darkness, death, madness and secrets. The term gothic romance might be a bit misleading to someone who hasn't heard of it before, as this book is no more a romance (in the modern sense of the word) than for example Gone With the Wind.

The Legend of the Seventh Virgin is the story of Kerensa Carlee, her growth from a young girl to a woman, and of the decisions she makes and how they affect her life. I could identify easily with Kerensa, and she and her best friend Mellyora actually reminded me a little bit about Scarlett and Melanie from Gone With the Wind. I loved the setting of Cornwall in South West England. There was a magical feeling to the whole book, which made me want to visit Cornwall and read everything else by Victoria Holt. ;)

Victoria Holt's real name was Eleanor Hibbert, and she wrote books under many pen names. Her three most famous pen names are Jean Plaidy (historical fiction), Philippa Carr (family sagas) and Victoria Holt (gothic romance).

Eleanor Hibbert at Wikipedia

Thank you karen-r for sending this book to Finland! I will try to find a new home for it!

I left the book at the bookshelf at The Free City of Kalasatama – Living room, located on the 2nd floor of Redi shopping centre.

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I think an oldie like this needs a lift (from Redi)...

On offer at the Bookcrossing Book Buffet. I'm pretty sure this will be the oldest book there. Somebody is bound to take it, fingers crossed!

No takers in Porvoo. I guess this means the book will travel with me to Iceland next month.

Virgins will be set free in front of a sex shop in a release bag, it is a bit rainy today.

Edit: Came back six hours later and the book was gone. Actually it wasn’t that rainy, but the wind was howling, so perhaps the book was gone with the wind…