If you're looking for a detailed historical read set in the late 1700s surrounding the war between the British and the French on American, and Canadian soil, you'll love this. I have never read anything from this particular conflict, though I think maybe I've read something after the fact?, and I particularly wasn't familiar with this idea of billeted war prisoners staying in peoples' homes, as a mark of their honour and rank, instead of jails but I found the concept totally fascinating.

Kearsley weaves a family-driven story surrounding this very situation and the conflict the Wilde's face when they themselves have had very personal losses in the war and are forced to play host to two very different but very French soldiers.

At the same time we're in present day Long Island and the Wilde house is being renovated and curated as a museum. Charley is recent to the area and in piecing together the story surrounding the more famous brother, Captain Wilde who commanded the Bellewether, and who is to be the focus of the project, she is told of a legend surrounding the love affair between the youngest Wilde child, a daughter, and a French officer. But it seems to be just a story, not based in fact, until Charley starts finding pieces of the puzzle to prove it to be true, all the while helped along by a very unlikely ally.

The story set in the past had two POVs and I liked them the most, I think, because it was a slowburn build of trust and understanding and, eventually, love. Whereas the present day events were filled with not so nice people and an even slower damn burn romance.. if you can believe it. Both timelines were enjoyable, though at times it was slow going or didn't always keep my interest, and yet there was something about this story. Not just the unexpected bits, or the emotional resonance, the emphasis on family, but the idea that so much of legend can become history and in some cases we might never know the truth of it. So much of this story was like that, and in more ways than one.

Part of me hesitates to round this one up because, yes, there were those not so engaging bits, the romance is really mild, and hey did I mention the slowness, and yet I feel like I can't do anything less. BELLEWETHER might not have been particular original in the sense of how the story, especially the present day one, unfolded but there is a remarkable bit of magic to the telling of it nonetheless. I don't know. It's hard to describe why this captivated me and all I can say is.. it did.

3.5 *

Susanna Kearsley is an excellent story teller. I like how she blends the past and present together. This was a fascinating story. The present day story involves Charley (Charlotte) who comes back to her father's birthplace (on Long Island) to be a curator of an old historic museum home. The past story involves the historical home and its family. It mainly focuses on Lydia who lives in the home with her father and brothers. It is the time of the French war and a Canadian-French Lieutenant is captured and brought to live in Lydia's home. They subsequently fall in love. The time period is engaging and I enjoyed reading about the American and Canadian connections. However the story is slow paced especially the romance in both time periods. Nevertheless beautifully written.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley is a stand alone novel.I’m not quite sure I can express how much I loved this book. I can tell you I read all 369 pages of the story in less than 24 hours, that I stayed up 3 hours past my bedtime reading even though I knew I had to get up extra early the next day. That I read it on the bus to work and all my breaks at work because I did not want to put it down. The stories take place in both in present day Long Island and in the past in the same location just at the end of the Seven Years War. The chapters in the present are from the point of view of Charlotte Van Hoek (Charley) who has taken on the responsibility of caring for her grieving niece who’s father Charlotte’s brother recently passed away. She has been hired to curate a small museum at Wilde house the home of revolutionary war hero Benjamin Wilde, captain of the ship Bellewether. The historical portion of the book takes place in the same house and is told from the points of view of Lydia Wilde Benjamin’s sister and Lieutenant Jean-phillipe de Sabran de La Noye a French Canadian Prisoner of war who is billeted at Wilde house. Susanna Kearsley weaves a tale of love and loss, a mystery and a ghost story that leaves you enchanted. I highly recommend this book. Publishing Date April 24, 2018 #Bellewether #NetGalley

Bellewether is a blend of historical details, a fantastical element and romance. It was a quietly compelling read that unearthed new-to-me historical information surrounding the Seven Years War.

What I love the most about Kearsley's books are the historical elements. I can trust that this author, a former museum curator and passionate historian, has done her due diligence about the history behind the story. In Bellewether, she weaves part of her own family's history into this fictional tale that includes real historical figures and important issues, past and present. These issues include slavery, illegal trading, draft dodging, the horrors of Canadian residential schools and the misperceptions different cultures had about each other.

The story is based in two different eras (modern day and late 18th century) and is told by three different characters - Charley, Jean-Phillipe and Lydia. Truth be told, I was more drawn to the modern-day story involving Charley, a museum curator. I had more of a connection with her and enjoyed seeing her piece together the historical mystery surrounding Lydia and Jean-Phillippe, one of the French lieutenants who were captured during the Seven Years War and housed within Lydia's family's home.

Where this book loses some marks for me is with the simplicity of its plot. This is a quiet story that focuses on the relationships of the characters more than an intricate plot. And, while there were some intriguing revelations between the two eras, I wanted a bit more action and opportunity to see the connection between Lydia and Jean-Phillippe.

I enjoyed this book and I'm grateful that Kearsley has brought to light many historical elements that may have been glossed over (or forgotten) from school history classes. Susanna Kearsley is one of my favourite storytellers and her latest book is a sweet romance with a dash of mystery and engaging history that will hopefully leave readers eager to learn more about the era and the issues raised.

Note: I highly recommend reading the author's notes at the end of the book for a better understanding of the characters and historical elements.

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Such a fantastic book. This is one i just couldn't put down. I do highly recommend

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley in exchange for an honest review.

First off I need to say that Historical Fiction is not my first choice in reading material, in fact it probably isn't my second or even third choice of what I normally like to pick up. In saying that, I am happy that I had the chance to read this book. I did find it a little hard to initially get engaged and almost put it down. If I had given up I would have missed out on a well written story that tied together the lives of the past with the lives of the present.
This is my first encounter with the writing of Susanna Kearsley and I found her storytelling to be very melodic. The words seem to flow around you and settle down like a beautiful warm breeze. Her characters are alive and distinctive. A great read for anyone interested in history with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.

Susannah Kearsley has once once again written an engaging historical fiction. This one is told in two time periods, present day and end days of the Seven Year War (~1759) and is set in the USA. With the addition of a bit of romance and a stubborn ghost, I was both entertained and educated.

I remember learning about the Seven Years War for years in elementary school and I remember hating it. When I realised this was set partially in that era, I was wary. I shouldn't have been though. It's an amazingly well-written book and it tells a compelling, beautiful story. I gave me a new sense of appreciation and wonder for that era, and actually makes me want to go and learn about it now, and that to me is always the mark of good historical fiction. Kearsley clearly knows her subject matter well, it's thoroughly researched - which because less surprising, but no less awesome when you read her explanation of her research and inspiration in the post-text. I love the way she seamlessly wove in both strands, the contemporary story of Charley, the curator at the Wilde house Musem, and the historical strands of Lydia Wilde and the French Prisoner her family took in. The book was like an onion in a very good way, exposing its layers as you got deeper into it. It also ended in a magnificently satisfying way. I will be seeking out more of this authors work to read in the future.

Susanna Kearsley does it again! No wonder she is one of my top favourite authors. This story has a Contemporary and Historical timeline which I love. Susanna has that gift to transport the reader whether it is back in time or to a contemporary place, where the reader feels at home. This book starts off slow, building the characters and story line. Once the reader has been drawn into the story, it feels as if you know the characters personally. They feel real and familiar as if a family member or a close friend. I found this a well-written book, interesting and enjoyable. This is a hauntingly wonderful story about the effects of the 7 Year War fought in the mid 1700's. This story takes place in Long Island, New York but concerns the fight over Quebec between Great Britain and France. It tells the story of French Canadian officers who during capture, came to resided with an Officer and his family who would be considered their enemy at war. It concerns mostly to relationship of one of the French officers and the daughter of his captor. As someone who came to Canada from England quite young (10 years of age), I had always had a keen interest in Canadian History. However, I knew very little about the 7 year War with France over Quebec or New France as it was known back then. Susanna's story has peaked my interest to find out more. One of my favourite things about Susanna's books is there is always a romance, however, it is not in the readers face, but gently hinted, but enough to feel the sparks and the chemistry between the Protagonists without resorting to bedroom scenes. There is always some excitement and suspense and surprises along the way, so when you finish reading the book, you have a smile of deep satisfaction and a hint of sadness that the book. Has finished! Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me access to the ARC, to Sourcebooks for giving me permission to read the ARC and to Susanna Kearsley for writing Bellewether it was a wonderful adventure. I will be the first in line to buy the book when it published for re-reading and to put on my Susanna Kearsley book shelf at home.

Susanna Kearsley writes wonderful stories with elements of mystery, romance, time travel, ghosts, crime, thriller, history and I am not sure what else. My first Kearsley read was The Winter Sea (2008), aka Sophia’s Secret, which I stumbled upon years after it was published. I was so delighted with it I quickly found and read Mariana (1995), The Shadowy Horses (1999), and The Rose Garden (2011). I loved them all, unable to choose a favourite until The Firebird (2013). Since then I have caught up with all of Kearsley’s books except her first, and have added The Desperate Fortune (2015) to those tied for my third-place favourite. And though I’ve read and reread all of them, I still can’t pick a runner-up. And now I have Bellewether to add to the list of almost favourites.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Bellewether for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bellewether does not disappoint. Like The Winter Sea, there are two distinct story lines and two sets of characters. But unlike Mariana and The Rose Garden, Bellwether’s present-day Charley does not see the past through the eyes of Lydia who lived in the 1700s. Each of the two stories runs on its own course. Charley is a museum curator with family responsibilities and complications. Lydia is torn between her brothers’ frailties and other loyalties.

Some Bellwether characters we love and others we don’t; all are well developed. We would know them if they turned up at our door. The leads are strong with qualities that we appreciate; we care about them and grow to love them. The female leads are intelligent and kind with common sense; the male lead characters in Bellwether and other Kearsley books share a quiet strength and gentleness that is so appealing.
In Bellwether, the Wilde House is almost like a main character with detailed descriptions of its layout, both in the past and before and during its present-day renovation. The house fills an important function, shared with the other Kearsley book locations, by connecting two stories in different times. It is an “aha moment” when the Wilde House ghost is finally identified, a caretaker role that reminded me most of the ghost in The Shadowy Horses.

Bellewether’s setting on Long Island, New York allows the story to subtly consider North America’s historical and current multicultural relationships, the permutations and blurred lines between them and the characters’ sense about what really matters. These historical and present-day details are skillfully embedded within in the story and its characters’ development. They do not distract the reader from the main story line, the developing relationship between the main characters, or their conflicts within the family and with the larger community.
One of the most appealing things about Susanna Kearsley’s books is her ability to weave historical facts through her stories to teach about an historical period in a way that enhances the work without being distracting. The research time she invests in her writing helps make her work so successful.

This is a delightful book. I envy any historical fiction/time travel readers who have not yet read Susanna Kearsley, as you have a wonderful treat ahead. For those of us who have been keeping up with her, I can hardly think of any other author that even comes close. Perhaps Elaine Fox with her more light-hearted work - 1) The Imposter, 3) The Traveler, 3) Pray, Love, Remember, 3) Untamed Angel.

note - will add to amazon when permitted

Bellewether, is a romantic historical novel by Susanna Kearsley. Similar to so many of today's novels this is two stories in one – the story of entrepreneurial family in colonial New England in the mid-1700s as well as the story of a present day curator at the museum that their house has become. In both stories there is a love story lurking in the background of everyday life and drama.

In 1759, when the Wilde family billet two captured French officers from Lower Canada on their parole of honour the door is opened for multiple story lines including a son suffering from PTSD forced to live with the enemy in his family home, another son who is a New York merchant who may be trading with the enemy, piracy, ship wrecks, the acknowledgement that the family has a slave and a possible illicit love affair.

Meanwhile in the present we have a newly appointed museum curator who is hired from outside of a small town community, a depressed, young woman who has recently lost her father to an untimely heart attack, a grandmother who neither knows nor acknowledges her own granddaughter or great-granddaughter, a love story and, oh yeah! A ghost!

Kearsley clearly knows the history of colonial North America. She has a clear understanding of the conflict between the French and the British in settling these new countries and the important role the aboriginals played in the survival of these early settlers. Her writing is both descriptive and emotional leaving the reader feeling like they are actually seeing the blue skies or feeling the raindrops. Her ability to weave an intriguing tale that ties both of these complex stories together so satisfactorily is a tribute to her craft.

Highly recommended.

I was absolutely fascinated with this story! The 2 couples's roads were so believable.,I didn't want to put the book down! I love the way the story went from modern day to the 1700s. I found myself rooting for both couples to have their happy ever afters. The writing was superb and jumped seemlessly from one period to the other. It's been a long time since I have enjoyed a book so much! Thank you for the privilege of reviewing it.

I really appreciated that this book digs into a pocket of history that I didn't no much about. Kearsley always does a good job of jumping artfully between past and present, and this book is no exception. I particularly liked that this book doesn't shy away from the parts of history that are painful and honest. It is important to see writer's and readers respond to the challenge and the challenging material of the Truth and Reconciliation Document.

Four 1/2 stars.

Don’t let the cover put you off. This book is a master class in effective plotting. There are so many things to laud about Bellewether I’m not sure where to begin.

I tend to eschew romance novels for their many clichés but there is none of that in Bellewether. No eyes-lock-across-a-crowded-room or love-at-first-sight. No bodice ripping. Nor were there any of the achingly predictable obstacles hurled in young love’s way. Kearsley allows her characters the time and scope to develop a love you root for and believe in.

And the plotting… Wow. In Bellewether Kearsley offers a master class in elegant plotting and perfect pacing. Not once did I ever feel things dragged too long. Best of all I was as delighted as a kid at Christmas to discover surprises in the plot that I hadn’t guessed were coming, yet fit so perfectly they made me grin and sometimes gasp when I read them.

Praises having been heaped, I will say that aside from the cover which I found off-putting, I struggled with the first chapter and am still unconvinced it was necessary. The only other titch of a complaint I have to add to the reasons this was not a 5 star review, were the links between the time shift chapters. They seemed fun and charming when I first noticed the transitions but as the book progressed I began to look for them, then review them, and it seemed that the device that was intended to create a connection between the two worlds functioned to pop me out of the story.

This is my first Susanna Kearsley novel but won't be my last. I really enjoyed the intricate storytelling she presented and how her past and present characters and stories wove together so beautifully.

This novel is one to be savored and enjoyed. I've been reading much easier books that I could whisk through but this one demanded my full attention and deserved each word to be read slowly and deliberately. As such I smiled as each connection was made and tiny details of the story, both past and present, were revealed. And I loved that the ending wasn't what I expected.

If you like mysteries entwined with historical stories embellished with fictional character you will love this book.

Many thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy of this new book. This was a very good read, with alternating chapters about historical characters. This story takes place in the New World, on Long Island, New York. Charly Van Hoek is the newly-hired curator of the Wilde Museum, a 16th century house which had been the home of a revolutionary hero, Benjamin Wilde. There is a lot of restoration work to be done to the house, and many items of furniture to be found and returned to the house. In the flashback chapters, we read about Lydia Wilde and Jean-Philippe de Sabran, a French Canadian lieutenant. In modern day, Charly hears stories of a ghost in the house, and working in her office, she sees and hears things move, and see a light bobbing in the woods. Charly is determined to include the story of a romance between Lydia and Lieutenant de Sabran in the displays in the house, to the displeasure of some of the Museum Board members.

The topics of residential schools and slavery are visited in this book. And of course there is romance in both the past and present stories.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author, Susanna Kearsley for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

From the early chapters you can tell this was a deeply personal story for Susanna Kearsley, even without knowing her history or reading the afterword. That is probably why I enjoyed it so much. It is possibly my favourite book from her.

The characters are very realistic and full of depth, imperfections and strengths. I love how the three points of views manage to provide such insights on all the other characters. It was a great balance between the historical and modern story. But let's not forget the details - the house, the city, the bay. Even as I was reading late into the night, long after I should have been asleep there was so much to spark my mind's eye.

Romance, Mystery, Conflict - a great addition to the Historical genre.

Some houses seem to want to hold their secrets.

Bellewether is my favourite kind of book and reading it gave me so much joy. I didn’t want it to end. The book is set Long Island, New York, in both present day and during the last year of the Seven Years War. It also had a Canadian connection, which I appreciated. The heroines of each time have both had their lives upended, both having suffered tragic personal loses.

As Charley Van Hoek settles into her new job as curator of the Wilde House Museum, she learns of the long ago doomed romance between a French Canadian lieutenant, Jean-Phillipe de Sabran and Lydia Wilde, and she is determined to include their history in the museum’s tribute to Benjamin Wilde, Lydia’s famous brother. Not everyone agrees with her, but luckily the Wilde house is happy to help her figure it out.

Romance, war, historical intrigue, Bellewether has it all. And I didn’t guess the twist until the end!

Susana Kearsley has written another simply perfect book - two stories equally strong and engaging- totally swept me up and away into another world - and so very well told. This is another book I could not put down. A great blend of romance, suspense, honor and family relationships with masterfully intertwined historical details. The author totally draws you into the story in the first few pages and keeps that level of involvement until the final words. The ending brought me to happy tears, and wishing the book wasn't over!

Susanna Kearsley has done a magnificent job of telling the story of the Wilde family from both past and present. Charley is the new curator of the soon to be Wilde Museum and she delves into the past to find out what secrets the house really holds. In the meantime its 1759 and there is war.

The story goes back and forth from present to past and goes deep into the history of both eras.

You feel like you are right there with all the characters.

Who is the ghost in the house ? What do they want.

This is my first Susanna Kearsley novel but it wont be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Make sure you take the time to read the authors notes at the end of the book; they are fascinating.