This was a great book! I love historical fiction and suspense. This story was a great mix of both!
I really enjoyed the plot twist and storyline. The character backgrounds are well developed. This is a must read if you enjoy history mysteries!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3831755688?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Wilson has set the locale for her Victorian mystery/ romance in 1816, Kent, England. The heroine, Charity Halliwell, has returned to her small village of East Whitlock after an absence of five years, to stay with her old friends the Cavanaughs at Loxby Manor. Her dear childhood friend Seline, welcomes Charity’s arrival, but disappears that very evening. Charity’s romance with Seline’s dashing older brother Piers heats up once again, as they join together to solve the mystery of her disappearance.
Recommended for cozy mystery fans

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. By Abigail Wilson, Narrator: Laura Kirman. 2021. Thomas Nelson and Zondervan (ARC audiobook).

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a haunting mystery with wonderful lead characters and a very well done narration.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to. I found the narrator did a great job and I was immediately engulfed in the mystery. The story was quite suspenseful but I would have liked a bit more action.

Lovely, lovely audiobook with a great narrator. I loved the settings, the perfectly rounded characters, the mystery. This is not usually my favourite read, but completely enjoyed this one!

Charity Halliwell returns to Loxby Manor after five years from an awful.event that happened to her in Ceylon. She hopes for a nice visit with her friend, Celine, and to see her lost love, Pierce. Instead, Celine is missing, and a groom is murdered. Whodunit?

I enjoyed this audio very much being a fan of Bridgerton and similar period pieces. Great narration , abd intelligent story structure

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to listen and review this period piece.

⬆️Bon magnifique! ⬆️

Thank you, Netgalley, for a free audiobook copy of The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. In exchange, I provide an honest review for this book which falls in to two main genres: Murder Mystery and Historical Romance.

I have a book hangover folks. This story is beautifully layered. The author's work is polished, pristine, and consistent. Most importantly, she added the perfect amount of contextual information to keep us in the historical timeframe of events….ah, J’adore!Now, time for my regular reviewing topics. I love these topics, they help me see a variety of angles on each book:

Overarching question: Does the past set the future in stone?

Type of love story: Redemption, Second Chance, and one more element I can’t give away without spoilers.

Favorite Character: Charity! Sometimes, I find that POV characters are watered down to reach a wider audience. Was Charity? If she was, I didn’t notice. Charity’s voice was strong, not intrusive for where my thoughts headed during the book, but also unique. She was well balanced in my opinion. Fun fact: she struggled with an auditory processing disorder. Throughout the book, I got to see Charity double-up on my POV and figure out how to handle herself in crowded spaces and under pressure.

☘️ Environments: Purposeful. What a sigh of relief! Not all authors are purposeful with their settings. Sometimes, an author just wants the romantic feel of a sunset on the mountains, or a countryside murder. Murder mysteries will depend more on their environments for clues, interviews, secret meet-ups, etc. I was thankful that the author put thought into how the story could be maximized in the countryside beyond the murder mystery aspect.Also, when author @acwilsonbooks (instagram handle) described her environments, they were more than a scene. For example, the gardens. They were not only beautiful, but Charity and Peirs had ties to the gardens for both joint and individual reasons. This added an extra layer of specialness for me. There's a scene with a statue in it (no spoilers) where the square footage of that scene mattered. That's a well-served platter to me; I eat books like that right-up! ☘️

Main Love Interest: Piers Cavanaugh. In the beginning, I thought the author would take this book in the direction of a love triangle between Avery, Charity, and Piers. Thankfully, she did not. Piers is an enchanting academic. He is humble, lost in his thoughts, but certainly not a coward. Give me that rather than a gym broot any day. ️

Did I figure out "Who Did It?"I was 50% of the way there! This is a deep and complicated story, so I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing seemed implausible or felt like a *gasp,* "no way," solution.

This book is one of my favorite reads so far in 2021. Please read this book, it was a great refresher back in to the murder mystery genre with a historical fiction setting. The romance adds a lot to the story. Looking forward to more work by this author.

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Secret societies, a mysterious disappearance, an impending curricle race...and secrets everywhere you turn. Charity Halliwell and Piers Cavanagh have been swept up in - and divided by - secrets of their own. Brought together once more by a family scandal, they soon find themselves partnering up to solve a mystery with so many twists and turns that they need to rely on one another to unravel them all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Laura Kirman does an amazing job with the audiobook, perfectly capturing the emotion and mystery Abigail Wilson so cleverly constructed. There are hints sprinkled throughout the novel and I was able to identify the villain early on, but it had me reading on to see if I was correct, rather than keeping me from being absorbed in the mystery.

The only criticism I have is that the secondary characters tended to be all-to-willing to reveal their secrets when questioned by Charity and/or Piers. I found it a bit unrealistic for a secret society, especially since Charity is a woman of the period and Piers an outcast, even if they had been friends at one time.

The novel's ending was really well done, in my opinion. While Charity's actions were not exactly advisable with all that was going on, the writing had me captivated. There was a depth there that really held my attention and I absolutely had to hear what was going to happen next. The last few pages were especially thought-provoking, leaving the reader with some things to contemplate in their own relationships.

That being said, this was my first Abigail Wilson novel and absolute won't be my last.

I was able to listen to this one via audio and loved the Narrator. She was fantastic but it helps to have a good story to tell. This was a very suspenseful yet romantic tale full of characters that all seemed a little suspicious. Each chapter unfolded new clues, untold secrets, and mysteries as Charity Halliwell tried to figure out what happened the night her friend Seline disappeared. I thought it was a very well crafted gothic like story. The characters were believable and the ending was a bit of a surprise. All things that make for a lovely read or in my case a good listen.

An intriguing tale in the vein of romantic gothic novels from the past. Delicate issues are covered in a sensitive manner. The love story progresses at a wonderful pace while maintaining the questions and intrigue of the overarching story. It is hard to put this one down!

3.9/5 : If you liked Death Comes to Pemberley you will love this! The story follows a young woman who returns to England to stay with long-time family friends only to stumble into a mystery. I loved the characters and the plot keeps it fast paced. Add in a dash of romance and a pinch of secret societies and you get a wonderful and quick read. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was absolutely perfect. The characters get you through the first half and the plot will grip you for the last half. The only thing that stops me from rating this higher is the lack of atmosphere. There is some, but I found myself almost wanting more descriptions of the creepy and haunting surroundings (although that might make the book more scary - the intrigue alone is enough to sustain it). Overall, this was an excellent audiobook and a great read!

This was my first audiobook and although it´s a different platform, the story was SO good that it took me no time to get adjusted to it. If you are looking for a Regency romance full of mystery, intrigue, and long-lost love, this book is for you! The story is set in Kent, England, 1816, when the main character Charity returns to Loxby Manor moments before her friend Seline disappears. Charity finds herself in a middle of a missing case, where she tries everything to find her friend. Along the way, her long-lost love Piers, Seline´s brother, enters her life again, and Charity starts looking for more than just her friend, but also a way to amend the past and be finally happy with the man she always loved.

The story captivated me, and the mystery is solved almost in the end of the book, which makes Abigail Wilson a great suspense writer. This was my first time reading (or in this case, listening) to a story by Abigail and I loved it. I totally recommend it!

This review is for the audiobook. This is a nice regency romance with a bit of mystery. Charity returns to her home village and that same night her friend goes out and never returns.

The pacing was nice to let you know all the players and to also let the suspense build. The narrator was pleasant to listen to. I would recommend for fans of Bridgerton.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was quite an interesting audiobook, it was full of themes I just love to read, gothic, mystery, historical fiction, it’s even set in the Regency period. This is a time period I love but never see much in literature.
I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life, I just did not want to finish it. I loved the characters, they were well rounded. The storyline was amazing.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor flew by for me. In it, you will meet Charity and Piers. After five years of being away, these two are finally reunited. Unfortunately, her friend Seline disappears the same night that Charity arrives home. It made seem a bit suspicious but Charity was definitely determined to find out what happened to her friend. Oh, and to actually find the girl alive as well.

This book had so many freaking secrets. At one point I wasn't expecting to get so many revealed but it was also sort of refreshing to finally know the truth. Each and every character kept me on my toes with their secrets and mysteries. So it's fair to assume that I was entertained from start to finish because I definitely was.

Besides all the twists and turns, I will admit that I didn't see the big reveal coming at the end. Which is why I devoured and fell in love with this book. Definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this beautiful book and I look forward to the next one that Abigail writes!

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is the first book that I have read by Abigail Wilson and I am very excited to read more by this author now. I thoroughly enjoyed this mysterious story from start to finish.

I listened to the audio book version and overall I enjoyed the narration. The author changed voices for the different characters and occasionally I wasn’t fond of a couple of the voices, but the main characters were voiced very nicely and I was definitely drawn into the story right from the beginning.

The mystery of Seline’s disappearance and the feeling that things were not quite right at Loxby Manor truly drove the story. I loved that Charity and Piers came together with a second chance at friendship and perhaps something more as they worked to uncover the strange happenings going on in the area. The overall mystery kept me guessing for most of the book and I found the second chance romance delightful.

I received a complimentary of this book. All opinions are my own.

Charity Halliwell has come to stay with the family of her childhood friend, Seline, while her parents are in America.  When Seline rushes off into the night to meet an unknown man and doesn't return, her older brother, Piers, is forced to return to the estate to join in the search.  Piers once held Charity's heart, but broke it with a single letter.  How will she face him again?

This is historical gothic mystery at its finest.  It is well written and superbly narrated.  Yes, the book is a bit of a romance, but the mystery takes center stage.  The book includes well-developed characters and a mature storyline.  I enjoyed it and will be looking for more books by this author and narrator.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor was quite an enjoyable audiobook. I thought the narration was well done and captured the main character well. Her struggles were quite relatable to me making it very easy to connect with her and understand her motivations and fears. The mystery unfolds at a nice pace and is layered well. While I was able to figure out the ending before I finished the book it was still an enjoyable conclusion.

Every once in a while I like to read something different and this was perfect. It is one of those regency romance gothic mysteries and I really enjoyed. Great characters and a good storyline.

This was my first Abigail Wilson book and I already have plans to read more from her! Laura Kirman did an excellent job of bringing this story to life. I was a little worried some of the story lines wouldn't get wrapped up by the end but I was very pleased with how the story ended