Recently, as I was browsing my book reviews, I realized that I’d be reading a lot of books by my favourite authors. Which is great, because all my favourite authors have been publishing a lot of books lately—but I like to try new authors too. So as I browsed a list of books available for review, Sarah E. Ladd’s Regency-era novel A Lady at Willowgrove Hall caught my eye.
As the novel opens, Cecily Faire is preparing to run away with her lover to Scotland to get married. I’ve read Pride & Prejudice enough to know this wasn’t a good idea—I wanted to shout at her, “Don’t do it!” Luckily, her father intervens, but in his anger, he banishes her to a girl’s school and disappears with her twin sister Leah. Cecily spends the next five years learning to be a lady and then teaching other girls, but she longs for Leah. Then a letter comes, offering her a chance at a new life as companion to the elderly Mrs. Trent.
Nathaniel Trent is the steward at Willowgrove Hall, a position he inherited from his father. Yet as he tends the grounds at Willowgrove (currently under water because of a bad flood), he bears the burden of a deep secret about his parentage. When Cecily shows up in the middle of the storm, Nathaniel is drawn to her and senses that, like him, she hides a secret.
A Lady at Willowgrove Hall was a delightful novel from the opening chapter to the last. I found myself thoroughly drawn into Cecily’s world, reminded of everything that I like about novels such as Agnes Grey, Persuasion and Jane Eyre. Sarah E. Ladd has clearly done her research and brought the customs of the time alive in the way that Cecily and Nathaniel interact with each other and with those around them.
This is the third book in the Whispers on the Moor series. I haven’t read the other two books, but I found this book stands on its own. However, since Cecily is sent to school at Rosemere and one of the previous books is about The Headmistress of Rosemere, I found myself curious… I may have to read the rest of the series!
Sarah E. Ladd is a wife and mom who has been writing and reading fiction for a lifetime. She also has more than a decade of marketing experience and offers some marketing resources for authors on her website. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, she’s also received numerous writing awards. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
“Every word has a melody. Every sentence has a rhythm.” ~ Sarah E. Ladd
I received this book for review courtesy of the publicist; all opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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