Excellent historical mystery filled with romance and intrigue. This story definitely had the Gothic feel similar to authors Victoria Holt and Phylis Whitney. I loved Charity and Piers and watching the growth in their characters was certainly enjoyable. Enough twists and turns that it kept my attention from start to finish.

I particularly liked this quote:
"I don't believe God made us to be looking back all the time, calculating every mistake we've made, measuring our worth by actions we can no longer change, particularly when such a practice comes at the expense of our future."

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

It was a good read. I did get the Gothic undertones and enjoyed the love story. It was a charming story if you are looking for a book to suck you into the plot lines.

A gripping story of heartache, betrayal and intrigue, set against the backdrop of Regency Era England.

Charity Halliwell returns to Loxby Manor to spend time with family friends, but the sudden disappearance of her friend Seline tosses everything into question as rumors fly and reputations are threatened. Charity must join forces with the man who broke her heart, the brother of Seline, Piers Cavanagh to find out who and what they are dealing with.

An engaging tale of adventure and intrigue right from the start, a full cast of characters and motives leave no one safe from suspicion. Charity is more mature and not as carefree as she once was, and I admired her determination to help her friend and not let her past keep her passive. The rich backstory adds to the plot, and I liked how the twists and turns kept me guessing.

Honor and loyalty are tested, while some are left to suffer the fallout, this is a hard to put down read that had me up later than is practical to find out what would happen. I liked that it had me wondering right up to almost the end. And I think the social obstacles were realistic, and understandable, making the tentative alliance between Piers and Charity all the more tension fraught and uncertain.

Overall, a riveting read of intrigue, betrayal and enduring love, that I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a lot going on between the social intrigue, as well as the dark secrets that threaten their very futures. Well executed plot, good pacing, and a fantastic cast of characters make this an excellent read for fans of historical suspense romance!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an interesting story! I love the characters and the intriguing storyline, as well as this author’s writing style. This was a page turner for me to see how everything would pull together. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book because I'm a huge fan of gothic stories, but this just didn't deliver. A large cast of characters remained undeveloped. The plot had major holes and the story meandered throughout. The main character's back story seemed contrived and I'm not sure it furthered the story in any meaningful way. Disappointing read.

Though not a favourite for 2021, I did find the digital ebook slightly easier than the audio version which I was also granted by Netgalley. I found the pace a bit slow so the advantage of the ebook was that I could skim-read parts to get the guist and still get to the end which isn’t really possible with an audio version.

I highly recommend the intriguing read, The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. I loved every single page of this story and will be placed as one of my top favorite reads of the year. Five stars

When I pick up a book by Abigail Wilson, I know I'm in for an absolute treat. She knows how to perfectly blend beautiful romances with mystery and intrigue into one fascinating must read. While stories in this era are not always on my must read list, she has a way of bringing something fantastic to the genre that I cannot get enough of. The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is no exception! It is beautiful written with just the right blend of all of these elements to keep me at the edge of my seat. If you enjoy regency romance, you certainly don't want to miss this one... but I think even those who may not typically prefer the genre can find themselves falling in love with this story too. It is certainly one to check out!

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Apologies for the late review, I over-committed myself!

I usually find Abigail Wilson's books quite engrossing from the very start but I didn't really get into the story until I was about a third through the book. While I didn't really connect with the main characters this time, I still enjoyed their stories and their romance was very sweet. I have to say that mystery was so well written that I didn't figure it out until the MCs did! A nice story, can't wait until her next one comes out!

I think I might have requested this book on NetGalley because I liked the cover. Now if I saw another book by this author, I would definitely pick it up. She definitely captured my attention.

I have not read a lot of regency novels, so I did not pick the book based on the theme. While there were some English elements and customs that were unfamiliar to me, the author did a fairly good job of explaining terms. While there were romantic elements, as implied by the title, the mystery/suspense (borderline thriller even) was really the main part of the story. Trying to find the person that vanished was definitely one of the main parts of the plot.

But this book also tackles the challenging topic of shame. How do we let go of mistakes that happened in the past? Is the search to find healing approached differently if we made the blunders ourselves or if someone else took from us? While I would not say that faith is completely addressed, I would say that there was not any negative talk against the sovereignty of God either. I was okay with how the topic was handled.

(Note: An assault incident happened that could be problematic if a reader has serious triggers. The actual event was hardly mentioned and even in the retelling very few details are provided other than to acknowledge that it was traumatic.)

This story includes many parts that make a story worth reading: complicated relationships, past pain, uncertain circumstances and an intriguing setting. All of the pieces are woven together beautifully. Although this plot could have been heavy, the author added sections to relieve the tension, such as a cat. I enjoyed her writing style.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for letting me read this book through NetGalley. I was not expected to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a slow romance, only a chaste kissing scene and romantic thoughts, and a mystery. Overall it is a good read but very slow to get there, it took me a long while to get into this book. I found most of the text a bit on the boring and mundane side. I really liked Abigail Wilson's last book Masquerade..., so I was excited to get into this one but I must say I was disappointed. There is a very well thought out and intriguing mystery surrounding the main character Charity's friend and just what happened to her. But all the rest of it fell flat for me. I hate to give a mostly negative review but I know Abigail Wilson novels are better than this.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for a review

This was an exciting mystery! There were plenty of surprises and the main couple was easy to root for as they each overcame their personal traumas. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Finally finished! Slow paced and not as intriguing as the cover picture, this book is not as expected. The personnages seem to keep their distance and hiding things that make the story unrevealed slowly.

This is the story of Charity, who was back from her ordeal in India. Instead of going back to her own house, she was sent to her neighbor's house, whose kids were her childhood friends. Meeting her friend Seline once, then the friend was gone, leaving Charity facing her first love instead. And now she has to teamed up with Piers, the past love, to uncover the mystery of Seline's whereabouts.

Charity Halliwell is determined to find her missing friend Seline who disappears right before her arrival at Loxby Manor. She joins forces with Seline's brother Piers to investigate the disappearance and discover the members of the house have many secrets. They also learn of a secret organization that is slowly destroying the lives of its members. Can they solve the mystery before it is too late? Will they admit their feelings for each other? Wilson has created another plot-twisting stand-alone Gothic novel.

Whew...quite the thrilling ride here! Charity goes to visit a friends—only to have that friend up and disappear that very night, leaving no trace. Charity is left in a country home with people whose motives are doubtful and a first love who is firmly in the past. She hopes to find out what happened to her friend, but that’s complicated by Seline’s mother’s attempts to shield her reputation. And can any of the neighbors be trusted?

You might not want to read the secret society parts in the dark. It was just detailed enough to give a sense of reality and danger but didn’t get overly grisly.

The romance is very well done and mostly chaste. Christian parts are almost nonexistent.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #ThomasNelson books for an eARC of #TheVanishingatLoxbyManor.

SPOILERS AHEAD! While classified as historical romance/ mystery, this book does not feel overwrought with romantic cliches, and we have a complex cast of characters. Our heroine is dealing with PTSD, and Wilson handles this well, although I think the trope of romance making her overcome the the incident is a bit over-simplified. Our heroine is also hard of hearing, which was a nice touch of diversity, however it seemed to be employed inconsistently throughout the book. I would have liked to see how this impacted her in some of the key points of the story- how gunshots would affect her, etc. The slow-burn romance was effective and believable, if not entirely swoon-worthy. I loved the setting and the secret society aspect, and found that even though there were things I felt were lacking in the book, I was eager to pick it back up and keep reading! I found a couple of inconsistencies, especially with how fixated the characters were at times with not 'ruining' Charity's innocence, when at other times, she was repeatedly alone with men to advance the plot. I would have liked to know Piers more as his interest in botany was a lovely plot point but not explored as much as I'd like. Overall, a worthwhile read and a nice escape! I love a good historical mystery.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson is my second book by this author and I find that I quite enjoyed it. The two stories that I have read take place in earlier times, when life was different, but so very much the same. Even though they traveled by horseback and carriages, and lived in stone homes and castles, they still loved and fought and dreamed and worried and hoped. Loxby Manor holds many secrets. When Charity returns to Loxby to visit her friend Seline after five years away, she is troubled to find the house up in arms over a scandal involving Seline and a stable boy. When Seline and that same young man go missing, there is much speculation, but Charity is convinced that Seline did not run off with him, as others in her home think. When Seline's brother, and the man who once held Charity's heart, Piers, comes to town at the same time, the two of them must set aside the past to find Seline and discover the secrets held tightly in the Manor. It was very well written and I had the wrong person in mind as the "bad guy" the entire time. I was rather surprised by the ending, in a delightfully good way. I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and having an ebook copy, so when I wasn't in the car listening, I could also read. I found myself reading in the narrator's voice; she did a very good job.
Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to and read this story. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own. #TheVanishingatLoxbyManor #bookstagram #all_the_pages

A disappearance, a murder, a spooky abbey ruin, and a secret society all components of a good gothic story. This one also has a young romance, stopped before it started, and now five years later reblossoming. Like most gothics, this book is written in the first person. Piers and Charity, along with his siblings and others from the area have been lifelong friends. For Charity and Piers, it is a bit more. However, her family's sudden and quick move to Ceylon ends their budding romance. Five years later Charity returns to stay the Cavanaghs while her parents travel to America. She finds that only has she changed but so has everyone else. The mystery starts her very first night at Loxby Manor when Seline Cavanagh disappears. Her vanishing brings Piers back into her life. Can they rekindle what they once felt or will what happened to her in Ceylon prevent it? Just what do the lights at Kinwich Abbey mean? And just where is Seline? This was a decent read, lots of mystery, who really did its, and action.

While her family travels to America, Charity Halliwell remains behind. She goes to family friends, eager to reconnect and to search out a position as governess. The evening she arrives, she quickly learns that things are not as they appear when her friend vanishes. While she tries to forget a traumatic event in her past, can Charity learn the truth about her friend or will the danger lurking in Loxby Manor catch her?

Well. I am caught between giving this one four stars or three. it's not awful. The gothic tension and mystery is written very well. From the start, it is clear that there is a secret hidden in the manor and everyone is hiding something. Even Charity herself. So it was good in that sense.

But it is not the romance it was marketed to be. While there is some attraction and Piers, it felt superficial. They both proclaim no interest in marriage and in the end they come together because there is no one else there. At least, that was how it felt to me. As characters, neither was truly memorable, and I didn't love either one. I didn't really care if they fell in love.

The plot took a much darker turn than I was expecting. Especially when the reader learns what happens to Charity's friend. (A friend, I might add, who didn't act like a real friend, and I never understood why Charity kept saying they were close.)

Overall, while they wrote it well, it was just an ok read for me. I doubt I would reread this one, and it doesn't make me eager to search out anything else written by this author.

I'd recommend it to a reader looking for a gothic, historical mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I've been on a real period kick lately and this book was perfect for that. Even better that it contained a murder mystery! The pacing was perfect and the romance elements were well done. The author writes really well and I look forward to reading more from them in the future.