Happy Friday, y'all!
I don't know about you, but this week has been so. Very. LONG. My whole little family came down with the flu in the snap of one horribly long night, and we're just slowly recovering still. My poor hubby is the worst off right now, but I thank my God the kiddos had only minor cases of illness so far. Prayers are certainly coveted if you happen to think of us!
But today I bring you a new review of a new [December] release!
Read on!
Hoping for a lovely weekend, friends!
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Julie Klassen
Bethany House Publishers | December 7th, 2021
Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance
In pursuit of an author who could help get her brother published, Rebecca Lane stays at Swanford Abbey, a grand hotel rumored to be haunted. It is there she encounters Sir Frederick---the man who broke her heart. When a mysterious death occurs, Rebecca is one of the suspects, and Frederick is torn between his feelings for her and his search for the truth.
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I was provided with a complimentary copy thanks to Bethany House, for my honest review.
WARNING: Possible Spoilers!
THE BASICS
MASHUP: Think Jane Austen period drama meets Agatha Christie's murder mystery and BLAM! you've got this book. Because such aforementioned things are my favorites, I was entirely taken in from the beginning & found it so very difficult to put it down. It felt like a Jane Austen novel, in a sense, but also read like Ms Christie's mysteries, and I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH. The mystery itself certainly had me guessing---but let's be real: that is so not hard to do when it comes to me (and probably why I love mysteries so much... xDDD)
Anyway, I loved Rebecca's sweet character and felt I could relate to her as the older sister with some family burdens---much like Lizzie in regards to her "silly" younger sisters (and let's not forget her mother...). As does everyone, she had some regrets in life, but somehow manages to press onward & do what she needed to do, no matter how difficult. It was clear she loved her younger brother dearly, would do quite anything for him, but was also ready to set things right, regardless how she might come through. And in the process, her relationships began to thrive as well as those of others around her.
Frederick was your typical, handsome, chivalrous gentleman, but certainly more reserved than his extroverted brother. As the lord & magistrate of the surrounding area, he took his duties seriously, and regardless any gossip about his late wife, he was highly respected & a man of his word. And also, he & Rebecca shared years of previous friendship. :] You don't read too often of that in such novels, methinks. Their relationship had turned a bit awkward, but the friendship still remained.
VIOLENCE
Memories play out of a girl & her younger brother climbing a tree with the boy falling & laying "deadly still".
A couple characters hear a scream followed by a crash and rush to the scene to find two bodies---one merely fainted & the other injured by a bloody wound to the head. A girl injures her ankle after a daring climb on a balcony---blood trickles from the wound onto some carpet.
Flashbacks of a noble lady falling down stairs & breaking her neck---instantly dead.
A man was murdered in his sleep---he's found with a deep wound to the head.
SPIRITUAL CONTENT
Rebecca prays desperately before setting out to meet someone discreetly. She later speaks of how God doesn't promise that life would be fair.
Someone says, "thank the Lord" and another time "thank God" is mentioned in relief.
Once an abbey, the hotel is said to be haunted by the old abbess. And on several different occasions, we see a figure dressed in flowing black robes & the head garments of a nun roaming the floors.
A woman sees another in the chapel who appears to be crying, she leaves the lady quietly without disturbing her. Riddled with guilt & shame for lying to protect a loved one, a woman goes to Sunday chapel---knowing full well she had sinned against God & her own conscience.
A passage in Hebrews is referenced, as well as some of the Psalms. At one point, we see a painting of Christ on the cross with the "good thief" beside Him, arm uplifted in praise.
LANGUAGE // ALCOHOL & DRUGS
Phrases like "devilish angry," "what the devil?", and "the devil!" are uttered by a couple characters in exclamation.
A rather depressed character turns to opiates & alcohol when his life doesn't go the way he hoped it should (albeit he was wronged by other parties in regards to his career), but it led to his consumption of drugs, followed by late nights & later mornings, rumpled dress state, and mental issues.
A doctor is rudely referred to as being "mad" because he runs a respectable asylum for people with long-term mental problems. (SIDE NOTE: While this story doesn't deal deeply with such mental issues as depression & addiction, it does so tactfully & handles the topic extremely well.)
ROMANTIC CONTENT
A gentleman's club in the basement of a hotel is looked on disapprovingly, but no explanation as to why.
A chambermaid enters a man's room to deliver his breakfast tray & a manuscript. The man is busy in his writings but eventually looks up at her & makes a lewd remarks that she could certainly do something for him in return for reading the package. She hastens out of the room as quickly as possible.
In a separate instance, a young lady is awakened in the night by a man at her door, apparently drunk & asking her to let him in so he could see who she was. Thankfully, another more respectable man interferes & sends the drunken man on his way.
There's a NEAR kiss between two characters who are undoubtedly attracted to one another, but is timely interrupted.
{SPOILER} It's discovered that a woman's younger sister was brutally raped by a horrid man, and later died in childbirth.
CONCLUSION
All in all, this was a totally enjoyable read for me. It kept me on my toes, I loved the story & the characters; and despite some more mature themes, it was an lovely, clean, slow-burn romance. (I'm a sucker for the friendship-to-lovers trope ;D)
So. If you enjoy period dramas with a mashup of murder mysteries & a healthy dose of clean romance, I would highly recommend this book!
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5 OUT OF 5 STARS
5 OUT OF 5 STARS
Ages: 16+
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To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, and a book of rules,
And each must make, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
-Anonymous-