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A Stranger at Fellsworth
“She’d grown comfortable in her bubble of isolation, and she felt unsure of how to handle the constant presence of other people. She had thought the lack of luxury would be the hardest part of the transition, but that assumption was far from the truth."

A Stranger at Fellsworth engaged my attention from the first page and kept it through the entire story. It was well written and the storyline moved at a decent pace. This was the first book I have read by Sarah Ladd. But it won’t be the last. A Stranger at Fellsworth caused me to anxiously seek out any other books written by this author. It was a very entertaining book. I had a hard time putting the book down.

Annabelle’s father put the family into financial ruin before he died. Her brother was unable to recover the family wealth and now wanted to force Annabelle into a beneficial marriage. But the fiancé to be gave appearances of being just as cruel as her brother. So Annabelle made the choice to run away , fleeing to the home of her long- estranged home uncle and aunt. But their lifestyle was much simpler and not one which Annabelle was accustomed.

A Stranger at Fellsworth is fascinating when following Annabelle’s transition out of a life of wealth to one where she has to earn a living. . Is she up to the challenge or will she seek a way to slip back to a lifestyle she was groomed for? Could she adapt to being independent with no one to serve her? And did she ever miss the leisurely life she had left behind? All of these questions are addressed in this story.

Another interesting storyline to follow is what happens when servant and master all of a sudden become equals. Annabelle considered her servant a loyal friend. But now both ladies share a bedroom and Annabelle for the first time in her life is forced to work. This is the first book I have read that really approached this topic of relationship between servant and master. It was fascinating to watch the dynamics of the relationship change.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I found it to be a great read and highly recommend this book to all who enjoy intrigue with romance.

I really enjoyed this book. It has good clean romance with a little mystery too. I would recommend it!

This is another unique Regency from Sarah Ladd. At times I think every possible plot has already been written out. However, SL comes up with some new twists that keeps things new. Fleshing out the relationship between a mistress and her lady's maid, the responsibilities of a gamekeeper, and the ramifications of poaching are not usual Regency faire. But, with those details and some endearing characters this book easily captures your attention.

Fantastic story! I enjoyed the mystery and romance and the way Ladd took the characters into realizing who they were and what they needed to do to be happy.

I liked this book, but I wasn't wowed by it. There was the traditional regency setting, boarding school, lady/servent relationship, mysterious woods, etc. Parts of it I really liked, but it was really easy for me to put down.

{3.75 stars}

While the first few chapters took me a bit to get into the storyline and characters, I found overall this book enjoable to read. The setting reminded me of a Jane Austen book or movie, especially the social aspects, the scandals, and descriptions of England.

The storyline ended up being more intense than I expected, especially at the end, but it was a pleasant surprise. I didn't quite see how everything would tie together until close to the end, and I found that bit interesting. Crosley's character probably shocked me the most, considering how she seemed toward the beginning.

A Stranger At Fellsworth was a fantastic book. It keeps you completely engaged in the story. The characters are easy to love (and to despise).

Annabelle Thorley lives with her brother and his wife after the death of their parents. Due to unwise financial decisions that their father made and that her brother, Thomas, continue to make, they are in financial want. Thomas is pushing Annabelle to marry a man named, Mr. Barton so that they can have financial security. But Annabelle finds Mr. Barton to be cruel and she has no desire to marry him. When she refuses, her brother is mean to her and she feel physically threatened. As that threat to her safety increases, she decides her only option is to run away. She approaches a game keeper that is there when his employer is visiting Thomas. The game keeper, Owen Locke, agrees to help her escape. She travels to Owen's home in Fellsworth where she goes to visit an uncle she has not seen in ten years. She is wearing a large bruise at the hands of her brother. Annabelle's uncle takes Annabelle and her Lady's Maid in. He runs a private school and gets both Annabelle and her Lady's Maid a job there. Annabelle finally feels she has peace for the first time.

Owen Locke is dealing with his own set of issues. He is caring for his daughter after the violent death of his wife. He feels drawn to Annabelle and has a need to protect her. He also finds the property he works at has become the victim of poachers. He works to uncover that scheme.

As Annabelle works at the school, she becomes a friend to Owen's daughter. As Owen and Annabelle begin to realize they have feeling for each other things get complicated at the school and Annabelle's peace is in jeopardy when her location is discovered.

The book is incredibly well written. It features a beautiful combination of action, suspense and romance. I cannot say enough good things about A Stranger at Fellsworth.

Although the characters were engaging it had a very contrived and unsubstantiated ending.

This book cover was very attractive and lured me into selecting it to read. It’s like an art piece with the story about the art within its pages. However, alot of times the story of adventure is not quite what you expect to find within the pages.

Annabelle Thorley is in the care of her brother and he is determined to marry her off to a rich, much older man. Afraid that she is going to be stuck in a marriage not of her choosing, she runs off with her maid Crosley, hoping for a new beginning in the home of her mother’s brother.

At her uncle’s home, she finds that her uncle has allowed her to stay, but with the understanding that she must work for her uncle at the school in Fellsworth. In turn, her maid takes a position with the took and together they share a room with two others.

There is drama when poachers are using young boys from the school and they are caught up in a situation out of their control. There is also the story of Owen Locke, who’s wife was murdered many years ago and his daughter attends the school, to whom Annabelle teaches painting. And of course, there is the developing love story.

I have read another story of Sarah E. Ladd called “Dawn at Emberwilde” and had absolutely loved it, yet on the same token, her book the “Heiress at Winterwood” I came away from it disappointed. In which category was this book? Sadly for me it was not a positive experience. I found myself struggling to read it and never really enjoying any of the characters.

There was definitely a lot of adventure in the pages, but not a lot of development. It had so much potential, and yet in so many areas just fell flat. I completely understand the weaving of the situations in and out and how they came about, but I felt that they could have been woven together more tightly and maybe some story lines left out and focused on the main story line. Instead, I found myself wanting to know more, to really get to know Annabelle, to like her a little more than I did.

Despite my not really enjoying this particular book, I do look forward to reading other books by her and hoping that it was merely a fluke my disconnect with the story.

I did receive this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson via Netgalley. The review is my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.

A Stranger at Fellsworth might be classified as a Regency suspense book, but what it really does is explore the emotions that accompany betrayal. Betrayal by a spouse, a friend, or a family member. Once again, Sarah E. Ladd has crafted a book filled with rich locations, intriguing situations, and characters who struggle to understand their relationship with God in the midst of life's storms.

When Annabelle's brother pressures her brother to marry a man that she cannot abide, Annabelle is trapped in her London society life. With the assistance of the widowed gamekeeper Owen Locke, Annabelle runs to her uncle's house where she becomes a teacher. Annabelle and Owen grown in affection for each other as they discover a deep-rooted poaching plot.

Annabelle and Owen have had a lot of difficulties in their lives. They work hard to make the best choices that they possibly can. Annabelle's physical, spiritual, and emotional journeys were entirely believable. She wasn't looking for love, but she found it anyway. I especially enjoyed this story.