The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Independently Published
September 4, 2021
281
Sela is assigned to be a private gardener for Theodore "Teddy" Woven's ancestral home. The young gardener soon finds her presence unwelcome as she slowly uncovers the truth about his family’s past. The greatest mystery of all lies not in the house, but with its owner.
Reviewed By Sherry Perkins
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
“I do have some darkness in me…but it is nothing to worry about.”—The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven
Hmm. Famous last words because as soon as the words it’s nothing to worry about are out of your mouth, you know that things are about to take a dramatic—if not decidedly tragic—turn of events. But I like that in a book.
However, you may not like the formal register of this story told in contemporary times—the cover is evidence of the formality in encases. “The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven” is a tale described in first-person point of view. The tone and dialog are stiff, emblematic of what is a tidy gothic tale replete with a brooding and mysterious heir, a relatively naive (but determined) heroine, and a dark, ancestral manse with lush estate gardens.
The gardens, of course, are in need of tending. Sela, the main character is more than up to the task as the new gardener, a temporary replacement for the regular one. What’s a bit more tenuous is her relationship with the brooding heir to the estate, Theodore Woven, or Teddy as he has invited Sela to call him. There’s a cat too, who you might think of as Teddy’s familiar although not in the traditional sense. Then, there’s the mansion. It’s also a character—more than you might expect.
Gray spins a tale of foreboding fellow with secrets somehow tied to the house, but also attracted to Sela while always paying exquisite attention to her safety. Sela is kind and gentle with Teddy, willing to give him enough time to open up to her and for them to grow closer, that is, until something truly tragic happens on the estate grounds. Will Sela and Teddy be able to overcome it? You’ll have to read the book to find out more.
A four-star read about a brooding character and the woman with the key to his heart.