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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Another great read from Julie Klassen! I loved the unlikely romance, the who done it mystery, and the gothic vibes of the creepy abbey. I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and mystery.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for the purpose of review.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for the purpose of review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, NetGalley, Julie Klassen, and Bethany House Publishers for the opportunity to read this book! It releases TODAY!! (December 7th, 2021)
I will never say no to a Julie Klassen book and Shadows of Swanford Abbey is one of her best! Rebecca Lane has come home after an urgent letter from her brother’s housemaid. Her brother has been struggling with mental illness for some time. He is a writer who has been denied and plagiarized. He has not been the same since the betrayal. He asks her to take his new manuscript to the author and his publisher who happened to be staying at the newly renovated Swanford Abbey. It is now a hotel, but it used to be an Abbey and there are rumors that the ghost of the first Abbess still roams the halls. While staying at the Abbey, she runs into a childhood friend and the man who happened to break her heart—Sir Frederick. He is reeling from the death of his wife, so instead of staying at home, he and his brother visit the Abbey. Emotions are already running high—but then there is a murder and the suspect could be anyone.
I am in love with all the gothic vibes!! Julie Klassen always has channeled Jane Austen and Jane Eyre in her stories but this one definitely drifted to the darker side of those classics. AND I AM HERE FOR IT! A lot of Christian/Romantic Historical Fiction stick to the same plot devices and same characters. Julie Klassen really stepped out of the box here. I love a good murder mystery and I did not predict the ending! Huge plus.
The characters are amazing as well. I love how Rebecca isn’t this stereotypical historical romance woman. Lately, the common theme in historical fiction is “women ahead of their time.” —which irks me a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I want to read about these women who defied the limitations of their society but sometimes liberties are taken and these women seem more like a character from a fantasy novel than a character from a historical fiction novel. Sometimes (especially in ancient or medieval historical fiction) I think to myself that this woman would have definitely been burned as a witch. She is incredible but also would have never survived in that time period. So it doesn’t feel believable. Not in this case. Rebecca is strong, a little quirky, she shines, but she also has flaws. THANK YOU for giving us a main character with flaws. I was rooting for her and freaked out when she made mistakes.
And last but not least, we have themes that revolve around mental health. This time period was not accepting of mental illness. It was treated as a crime, not as an illness. I love how the author incorporated the concepts of accepting those with mental illness but the importance of seeking treatment. It is really powerful. Overall, a stunning 5 out of 5 stars!!!!
I will never say no to a Julie Klassen book and Shadows of Swanford Abbey is one of her best! Rebecca Lane has come home after an urgent letter from her brother’s housemaid. Her brother has been struggling with mental illness for some time. He is a writer who has been denied and plagiarized. He has not been the same since the betrayal. He asks her to take his new manuscript to the author and his publisher who happened to be staying at the newly renovated Swanford Abbey. It is now a hotel, but it used to be an Abbey and there are rumors that the ghost of the first Abbess still roams the halls. While staying at the Abbey, she runs into a childhood friend and the man who happened to break her heart—Sir Frederick. He is reeling from the death of his wife, so instead of staying at home, he and his brother visit the Abbey. Emotions are already running high—but then there is a murder and the suspect could be anyone.
I am in love with all the gothic vibes!! Julie Klassen always has channeled Jane Austen and Jane Eyre in her stories but this one definitely drifted to the darker side of those classics. AND I AM HERE FOR IT! A lot of Christian/Romantic Historical Fiction stick to the same plot devices and same characters. Julie Klassen really stepped out of the box here. I love a good murder mystery and I did not predict the ending! Huge plus.
The characters are amazing as well. I love how Rebecca isn’t this stereotypical historical romance woman. Lately, the common theme in historical fiction is “women ahead of their time.” —which irks me a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I want to read about these women who defied the limitations of their society but sometimes liberties are taken and these women seem more like a character from a fantasy novel than a character from a historical fiction novel. Sometimes (especially in ancient or medieval historical fiction) I think to myself that this woman would have definitely been burned as a witch. She is incredible but also would have never survived in that time period. So it doesn’t feel believable. Not in this case. Rebecca is strong, a little quirky, she shines, but she also has flaws. THANK YOU for giving us a main character with flaws. I was rooting for her and freaked out when she made mistakes.
And last but not least, we have themes that revolve around mental health. This time period was not accepting of mental illness. It was treated as a crime, not as an illness. I love how the author incorporated the concepts of accepting those with mental illness but the importance of seeking treatment. It is really powerful. Overall, a stunning 5 out of 5 stars!!!!
Goodness this was such a fun story! It was absolutely classic Julie Klassen, but the mystery added in was absolutely delightful!
I just loved getting to know Miss Rebecca Lane! What a wonderful young lady who has been through so much with her family. Coming back to her home to find her brother still struggling with life, you could see how much it affected her. I just loved Rose, the caretaker of the siblings and lodge. Well, as much as she could with Rebecca traveling as a companion and her brother, John, dealing with mental instability.
Sir Frederick along with his brother, Thomas, end up at Swanford Abbey at the same time as Miss Rebecca, who once as a young girl, was smitten with him. He was also still recovering from the loss of his wife, but not in a way most suspect.
The story absolutely had Agatha Christie vibes to it. I have to giggle, whenever there was a suspected person running around in a nun's outfit I had flashbacks to Scooby Do! Trust me, you'll spend the entire book trying to figure out who might be dressed as a nun!
With the death of the famous author staying at the Abbey, Sir Frederick has to figure out "who done it". I can tell you, I couldn't figure it out and the end was such a surprise! I have to admit, with Rebecca being a companion to Lady Fitzhoward, I was super curious why she was so familiar to people from the town. She was such a fun character! There were lots of twists and turns in the story, which completely kept me guessing about the outcome the whole time! Gotta love a mystery that doesn't give anything away.
I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this one held my attention to the very last page.
*I received this book for review. This is my personal opinion.
I just loved getting to know Miss Rebecca Lane! What a wonderful young lady who has been through so much with her family. Coming back to her home to find her brother still struggling with life, you could see how much it affected her. I just loved Rose, the caretaker of the siblings and lodge. Well, as much as she could with Rebecca traveling as a companion and her brother, John, dealing with mental instability.
Sir Frederick along with his brother, Thomas, end up at Swanford Abbey at the same time as Miss Rebecca, who once as a young girl, was smitten with him. He was also still recovering from the loss of his wife, but not in a way most suspect.
The story absolutely had Agatha Christie vibes to it. I have to giggle, whenever there was a suspected person running around in a nun's outfit I had flashbacks to Scooby Do! Trust me, you'll spend the entire book trying to figure out who might be dressed as a nun!
With the death of the famous author staying at the Abbey, Sir Frederick has to figure out "who done it". I can tell you, I couldn't figure it out and the end was such a surprise! I have to admit, with Rebecca being a companion to Lady Fitzhoward, I was super curious why she was so familiar to people from the town. She was such a fun character! There were lots of twists and turns in the story, which completely kept me guessing about the outcome the whole time! Gotta love a mystery that doesn't give anything away.
I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this one held my attention to the very last page.
*I received this book for review. This is my personal opinion.