Freda Michel: Quest for Lord Quayle

Quest for Lord Quayle by Freda Michel was published by Fawcett in October 1979. Marianne Holroyd's fiance was murdered as they approached the church door to be wed and she swore vengeance on the man who committed the deed.

Allan Kass depicts the actual moment of the murder and it's interesting to see his view of the masked man approaching the groom and the heroine's look of fear. There is nothing prettier than a bride and ours is elegant in her full gown of white satin and lace. The groom is suitably bridal and the masked stranger menacing. I like that we can see inside the church to its stained glass windows. Note the gargoyle above the doorway!

Freda Michel: The Price of Vengeance

The Price of Vengeance was published by Fawcett in 1976 and is the story of Rosalind, who dressed as a highwayman holds up the duke's carriage. He sees a resemblance to his former mistress and decides to use Rosalind as a means of vengeance.

This cover by Allan Kass is interesting because it shows a heroine in slacks, which was a definite no-no back in Georgian days. Kass gives us the scene of the holdup and we see the hero taking the pistol away from the heroine. It's interesting that Fawcett posts another photo of this cover on the back of the book with a blurb and the name of the artist, spelled wrongly (Alan Kass). In a time where the cover illustrators got little to no acknowledgment, it's great for those of us hunting book covers to find.

Freda Michel: A Curious Proposal

Next in our list of Allan Kass illustrations are 3 books by Freda Michel. A Curious Proposal was published in July 1980 and is the story of Francesca Northwood who is trapped into a dangerous marriage after being jilted by her fiance. This story has a gothic feel to it which is not too surprising since they were very popular books in the 1970's.

Allan Kass's cover also has a gothic feel with a dark castle lurking menacingly in the background. Our couple seem to be fleeing and our hero has a sword at the ready. Both wear Georgian dress and while the hero's coat is ornate, we see little of the heroine's plain dress, excepting the lacy sleeve.