Review: Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.

About the book:

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents’ cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder.

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver’s death.

Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She’s mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family’s belongings left behind in the cottage. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history.

Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways.

Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

My rating:
4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor was a good read. I enjoyed the mystery of what had happened and following along as the characters put the "puzzle pieces" together. 

The story definitely wasn't a "happy" read and had several heartbreaking moments. I felt for the characters and all the things that happened to them. 

All in all, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor was a great read and one that I'm glad that I finally read. I recommend it.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Find the book on:
Amazon (aff link), Goodreads

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Weekend Wrap-Up (December 3)

Weekend Wrap-up is where I share what I read this past week, am currently reading, and my reading plans for the coming week. 

Feel free to join along and post your own Weekend Wrap-up on your blog/site (if you do, please leave the link in a comment so I can stop by) or, in a comment, share what you've read this past week. :)

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This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.

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Review: All Through the Night by Tara Johnson

This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.

About the book:

With her stammering tongue and quiet ways, Cadence Piper has always struggled to be accepted. After the death of her mother, Cadence sets her heart on becoming a nurse, both to erase the stain her brother has left on the family’s honor and to find long-sought approval in the eyes of her father. When Dorothea Dix turns her away due to her young age and pretty face, Cadence finds another way to serve . . . singing to the soldiers in Judiciary Square Hospital. Only one stubborn doctor stands in her way.

Joshua Ivy is an intense man with a compassionate heart for the hurting and downtrodden. The one thing he can’t have is an idealistic woman destroying the plans he’s so carefully laid. When the chaos of war thrusts Cadence into the middle of his clandestine activities, he must decide if the lives at stake, and his own heart, are worth the risk of letting Cadence inside.

Everything changes when Joshua and Cadence unearth the workings of a secret society so vile, the course of their lives, and the war, could be altered forever. If they fight an enemy they cannot see, will the One who sees all show them the way in the darkest night?

My rating:
5 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

All Through the Night is the first book I've read by Tara Johnson, but I'm looking forward to reading more of her stories. This was a book I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy, but once I started it I could hardly put it down. I was drawn into the story and felt like the characters were real. 

The romance was great and I really loved how that progressed. It was unique. The danger in this book was intense and something that made me read as quickly as I could - I needed to see what was going to happen next.

All in all, I loved this book. It was intense and just SO good. 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Find the book on:
Amazon (aff link), Goodreads

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Review: Desolate Escape by Sherri Wilson Johnson

This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.

About the book:

It was just a weekend reunion among old friends. How did it turn so deadly?

Dr. Lacey Elrod is the first-ever medical examiner for her hometown, a place that should be safe from serial killers. But when someone murders one of her high school best friends on the morning of the wedding of two other friends, Lacey must trust U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer Matthew Flick, the man she left fourteen years ago, to keep her safe and help her find the Dunes Killer before he strikes again. After more murders among their friend group, Lacey and Matt suspect one of their old friends of being the Dunes Killer. But when that friend turns up dead too, they must work together to rid their town of the killer.

Can Matt move past his hurt with Lacey for how she handled their unwanted teenaged pregnancy and how it ruined his plans to go into the ministry? Will Lacey be able to forgive herself? Both struggle with their faith and with each other as they track the Dunes Killer before he succeeds at killing them.

My rating:
4 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Desolate Escape was a thrilling read! I found myself drawn into the story pretty much right away and the book just kept getting better and better as I continued reading. I enjoyed the characters and how the romance was a second-chance story. 

The mystery was very good. I wasn't able to guess who the killer was - not even right before the reveal. I didn't know how the ending was going to all play out - it was insane and very suspenseful.

All in all, Desolate Escape was a great read and I definitely recommend it to fans of this genre.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Find the book on:
Amazon (aff link), Goodreads

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