I was hoping for another "Edenbrooke", but I didn't get it. It was an enjoyable read, and I read it in an evening, but it wasn't special. I think it was missing the discovery of love - it is obvious from the very beginning that Henry was in love with Kate, and that she loved him. The mystery of why they weren't together was well done and revealed slowly, but the magic just wasn't there for me. ( )

I had to read everything by Julianne Donaldson after devouring EDENBROOKE. BLACKMOORE was just as delightful. More mutual pining! More sweet romance! Plus devious mothers and a heroine who wants to break outside of the cage of her life. Loved it ( )

Beetje grote emoties en sterke tegenstellingen (die moeder is wel erg slecht en karakaturaal) maar Henry, al is hij wel wat plat, is een schatje ( )

Not a single likeable character in this book. If I saw the words "bird" or "cage", or read some variation of Kate versus Kitty again, I am convinced I would have tossed the book across the room. (And that's a cardinal sin. UGH - a cardinal is also a BIRD.) I only give this book 2 stars because I enjoyed the setting and gothic feel. I'm disappointed - so many others seem to love this book. ( )

One of the most heart tugging books I have read in a long time. What I loved particularly about the writing, was how the romantic tidbits were peppered throughout the book, starting from chapter one. This was a refreshing change when you have to wait for the two characters to start feeling something towards one another...50 pages in. Ms. Donaldson subtly worked it in from the beginning providing the reader something to grasp and look forward to with each page turn.

I couldn't give the book the last star, because I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Particularly when compared with the tempo of the rest of the book. Some of the decisions made just didn't seem perfectly in character, in my opinion.

All in all I loved this book. Julianne Donaldson's writing is exactly what I look for in a romance novel.

***Possible Spoiler Alert***
While I loved the character development, I did not particularly like the heroine. Not because of any fault of the writer, but rather of the character herself. Why she made the decisions she made in the last few chapters, baffled me. I felt that of the two, Henry seemed more devoted than anything she had ever demonstrated.

( )