To start, I obtained this as a audiobook. And I loved Laura Kirman as the narrator. She did a brilliant job. This was a historical, clean romance mystery and nothing about it was predictable. I was simply sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I loved how each part of the story in the beginning, played a role in the mystery later on. I thought that was clever and creative. The author is creative with describing scenes that emit the feelings. A lot of the story took place at night, making the house and the surrounding estate seem spooky and mysterious. It definitely set the scene for what was to happen later on in the story.

I also liked that this story was much more than just a love story between Piers and Charity. There was family drama, mystery of Selene’s disappearance, and tension between our main characters. Speaking of family drama - I liked that there were so many different things going on in the story. I really liked being surprised at the end as well!

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is Abigail Wilson's 4th book. I don't remember the characters having a connection with any of the previous ones, but it's an excellent standalone read.

Wilson has written a solid Gothic Regency Romance novel with a cast of compelling characters, and some elements that hark back to the Classics, including a ruined Medieval Abbey. Local tradition speaks of a "ghost" which haunts the Abbey and strange lights are seen at night, adding an element of danger and intrigue.

Meanwhile who young people who are both social outcasts, Charity Halliwell, and the Peirs Cavanaugh, the younger son of a the local Baronial family, strike up a friendship whilst charity stays at Loxby Manor. When people start disappearing, they have to unravel dark and increasingly dangerous mystery and unearth terrible secrets.

The mystery and intrigue are quite central to the story (moreso than the Romance really) and I appreciated that. It makes it more than just a romance, and kind of harks back to how Gothic romances actually originated in the 19th century.
The novel also reminds me of the works of some of my favourite Regency authors, Julie Klassen and Sarah Ladd.

I don't think I've listened to an audiobook narrated by Laura Kirman before, but she also did a very good good. I do firmly believe novels set in Britain with British protagonists should have a British narrator, they just don't sound right otherwise. If Ms Kirman isn't British, she certainly had me fooled.
She handled the male and female characters well, and even the slight differences in intonation between the characters.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson through Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this title. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook. It is 9 hours long and I finished in a day! THAT"s how AWESOME this book is! It grabs you. I took it into the shower! I have only read one other of Abigail Wilson's books before this and now I'm excited to pick up more of them.

This had the perfect balance between sweet regency romance and heart-pounding Gothic mystery. Charity Halliwell arrives to stay with her old neighbors/family friends the Cavanaugh's at Loxby Manor in England after a five year absence. When their daughter Seline disappears, she teams up with her childhood love, Seline's brother Piers, to investigate. I kept changing my guess who the villain was up until the very end. The mark of a good mystery. I shall say no more.

The romance gives you the Pride & Prejudice butterflies and I would have kept reading even if that was the ONLY plot. Will Charity & Piers be able to work through all the lies that tore them apart and the trauma of the years since? This is the perfect book to escape with on your window seat on a misty rainy day. Highly recommend to fans of Gothic regency romance.

This audiobook was a great mixture of romance, adventure, and thrill. It started off with a shocking disappearance and then followed the main character after as she had to wade through the aftermath. She also took up the mystery of finding the missing piece from loxby manor. Working with her ex-lover she worked through some trauma from her past and her feelings for him. The twists and turns through this was thrilling. And then the shocking discovery of what happened just stricken the plot even more. The ending was very fitting and wrapped the story up nicely. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good romantic mystery.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Publishing for providing me with a free digital audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Looking at all the rave reviews on this book, I appear to be in the minority. This book just was middle-of-the-road for me. I read the synopsis immediately upon finishing the book (I like to go into a book with as little information as possible) and was shocked to see that it was billed as a regency romance. While there is a hint of second-chance romance in this book, it is certainly not the focal point. This is much more of a historical mystery than anything else. I believe I would have enjoyed this book much more if the romance had been even marginally more involved in the story.

The narration was also middle-of-the-road. I was not able to distinguish one character from another based on her narration. All older characters sounded old, and all the younger characters sounded alike in their respective genders. The only person truly given a distinct voice was Mrs. Cavanagh.

As for the mystery aspect, I felt no spark of intrigue as clues were revealed. When the final twist emerged, what should have been a shocking realization just fell flat.

I read most books on audio, so I do not believe that the format had anything to do with my average rating. This book unfortunately just did not work for me.

I listened to the audio version. This traditional historical regency mystery, with a touch of romance, was beautifully written in a very descriptive, lyrical style. (eg - "A tingling surge of terror"). It's very gothic and creepy'ish' in flavour. The English narrator is excellent and she acts out the various male and female character's parts exceptionally well. If I had been reading a print version, I probably would have been picking it up and putting it down, as I'm not usually fond of this style of embellished writing. However, listening to the story was vastly different than reading it, as the words painted a picture, set up the atmosphere and kept me interested. The mystery of her friend Seline's strange midnight disappearance is told in Charity's POV. My thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audiobook in return for my opinion. 3.5 stars.

I love an English Manor House Mystery and this one was an awesome read! First I must say thanks to Netgalley for an early review copy. The book follows Charity, a young woman who is haunted by an assault that happened while she was abroad and now she has returned to her hometown to spend a year with her friend, Seline. The first night she is back, her friend goes missing and Charity sets out to find her along with her brother, Piers, the lost love of her life. No spoilers! I highly recommend this beautiful close circle mystery.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a great historical mystery. Charity returns to her childhood best friend's house of Loxby Manor after being gone for five years. The night of her return, her friend Seline sneaks out of the house and does not return home in the morning. Seline's brother and Charity's lost love Piers comes back home to help search for her. The novel follows the story of the family and their social group as Charity and Piers try to find Seline.
Historical novels are not my usual first choice of genre, but the mystery of this one intrigued me! The answer to Seline's disappearance was a big surprise to me. I enjoyed the mystery and the romance between Piers and Charity in this book.
I listened to the audiobook of the novel and enjoyed the narrator.
I received a copy of this book complimentary from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I don't think I've ever read or listened to a book by Abigail Wilson before, so this book was my introduction to this author and her work. May I say that it was masterfully done! Talk about intriguing!

I don't like including plot points in a review, but suffice it to say that if you're looking for a clean book with a Christian slant that's present but not "in-your-face", that also has an intriguing mystery component and just enough romantic angst to add interest, this book would be a great choice.

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent. The narrator really did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. I missed the characters and the story any time I had to set the audiobook aside and focus on my real-life responsibilities, which, in my opinion, is the hallmark of a great book.

I'd never read this author before, and I admit I was mostly captived by the stunning cover, so I went into <i>The Vanishing at Loxby Manor</i> without expecting much, but it turned out to be a delightful read. It started out a little slow for me: the first half was all right, but after that I became really invested in the story and in the characters.

The heroine, Charity, was very likeable. I liked how strong, brave and sensible she was. She had a tragic secret which affected her, and seeing how she gradually came to overcome her trauma was immensely satisfying.
Her second-chance romance with Piers was really sweet and well done. I liked how they were not only lovers but also very good friends.They managed to put their complicated past behind them to rekindle their friendship and work together to find out what happened to Piers' sister. And of course, when they finally cleared their misunderstandings, it was great. Piers' declaration was absolutely romantic.

The mystery was quite interesting. Although it wasn't very difficult to guess the culprit, there were still many different suspects and motives, and I liked how the investigation unfolded.

The author of the audiobook also did a pretty good job. I appreciated the fact that she used different voices to differentiate the characters.

I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson
Narrated by: Laura Kirman
Publication Date: January 26, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“Her friend is missing.
After five years abroad, Charity Halliwell finally returns to Loxby Manor, the home of dear friends—and her lost love. No longer a young girl, she is now haunted by a painful secret and the demise of her dreams. Instead of the healing and happiness she hopes to find, she encounters a darkness lurking in the shadows of the once-familiar house. When her friend, Seline, disappears the very night of her arrival, Charity is determined to uncover the truth. Her only hope is the man who broke her heart.

Branded a coward, Piers Cavanaugh has lived the last five years as an outcast far from his family home. When his sister presumably elopes with a stable hand, Piers joins forces with an unlikely partner—the one woman he thought he’d never see again.

Together they launch an investigation that leads to strange nightly meetings in the ruins of an old abbey and disturbing whispers of a secret organization. The more they learn, the more desperate the situation becomes. The house seems determined to keep its secrets. As they struggle to piece together the clues, Charity and Piers also endeavor to rebuild their friendship. One cryptic letter changed everything between them. To find happiness they will have to overcome the grief and shame keeping them apart. But first they must discover why Seline vanished and confront the growing fear that she may never return.”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @thomasnelson @zondervan for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
The story was based in Kent, England during the 1800s. What we have here was a story of gothic romance, mystery and thriller. I enjoyed this audiobook because the narrator was really good who brought the story to life. Some may prefer the book version though. This is my first book from the author, I liked her writing style and I enjoyed the storyline. Her story-telling was quite descriptive that made for a very atmospheric book. I appreciated Charity’s strength and her no-drama attitude. And maybe it was my frame of mind at the time, but I did not see that ending!

I obtained this as a audiobook. And I loved Laura Kirman as the narrator. She did a brilliant job with the accent. This was a historical, clean romance mystery and nothing about it was predictable. I was simply sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time.
So many things happened. A family that altogether had strange going ons. There was a disappearance of the daughter of the manor, a kidnapping or run away? The mother with emotional problems, bordering on insanity at times. A father who is a blind invalid and a recluse. A favored son who is hiding something. An older son who is not living at home because of embarrassment from a scandal. A scandal, duels, lies, secrets and suspense. It was a thrilling “who done it” type of story. With a surprise at the ending.....Thank you Thomas Nelson and Zondervan via NetGalley for gifting me this audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my honest opinion.

Takes place in Kent ,England 1846.
Very intriguing,interesting story with drama,mystery suspense and a little romance.
Great characters that have their own drama and mystery.
Just a great story. that kept my interest throughout the book.
Voluntarily reviewed.

The story takes place in Kent, England in 1816. After a five-year absenceCharity Halliwell returns to the village where she grew up, plans to spend time with the family of a childhood friend, Seline Cavanagh.
But Charity does not arrive at a good time, there is tension in the air, Seline had a new scandal, the family is mortified and everything gets worse when Seline disappears.

Charity is a great character, she's smart, has her own mysterious past, and wants to be an independent woman.
To resolve the mistery of Seline's disappearance, she wills count with the help of Pier, Seline's brother and an outcast of society.

They soon discover that there is something more, something more darker than they could have imagined.

The book is a turn of the page, very entertaining and the plot twists 🤯
Its a great mistery, a complex story with interesting characters and family drama.

Our heroine, Charity Halliwell, comes home after five years away and finds her dear friend missing. As we follow her investigation in the disappearance, Charity is reunited with Piers Cavanaugh, a childhood friend.

Piers and Charity had a romance and it begins blooming full force now, even though a tragedy makes Charity feel unworthy of marriage and love.

I liked the mystery, that part was very good and actually quite shocking. Personally, I was not a fan of the romance/thriller combo. I liked the entire book, however, I would have liked the stories separated.

Simply splendid! The plot was well done. Loved the gothic feel of the story. Charity is a great heroine. She had her own challenges, but she fights through them. The family at Loxby is so interesting. The Cavender's are frantic looking for theircdaughter who has disappeared. This is just the beginning of so much going on! Great mystery, engaging characters, wonderful tale!

Before I start with the proper review, I must say that I don't really understand the advertisement that claims this book to be "mysterious Regency romance". There is some romance, but not nearly enough to put this book in romance genre.

After 5 years of living in Ceylon, Charity is back in her childhood home for a 1 year visit with her old friend Seline. But, on the first night of Charity's stay at Loxby Manor, Seline disappears after a line of scandals surrounding her family,

Charity doesn't believe that her friend Seline would really run off and teams up with her old love and Seline's brother Pierce to discover what really happened,

And a lot did!

Truth be told, I had no idea who the bad bad person was until the very end. But I am not so sure that I was all that clueless. I actually felt like there was nothing pointing to the real villain and that when the truth was finally revealed, it was more like "well, SOMEONE had to be a bad guy, so why not them" than the real building up to the point where we all gasp and say "oh my, it was them all along, how was I stupid not to see this".

Also, Seline's whole family kinda knows something that could help in solving the mystery of her disappearance, but no one wants to say anything. Like they don't really wish to find out the truth.

I like it that Charity was so determined to think and discover what happened to her friend, but she was way too preoccupied with her own tragedy that it became too much at times. Not only that it was too much, but at times I felt like my trail of thoughts was broken by her getting back to that moment at the most improper moments in the book.
Like "Oh, my poor Seline, I must discov....oh yes, that time, the tea plantation all that time ago, that groom, he was British, I am so broken, Seline who?"
So basically, she was kinda childish at times, but I respect her.

As for the other characters, they were all too weak and some were also pretty quickly shifting from good to bad and back that I couldn't really catch them and their personalities.

I must admit that I though for quite some time that something really bad will be revealed about Charity's sweetheart because he was kinda too good to be true. But.... Almost everything turned out to be the way it should, so...

I did like the narration, tho there were some moments that snapped me out of it when I was ready to doze off. And not in a good way. But narrating a book is a difficult job and I liked Laura Kirman's reading more that I like most of other narrators.

To start, I obtained this as a audiobook. And I loved Laura Kirman as the narrator. She did a brilliant job. This was a historical, clean romance mystery and nothing about it was predictable. I was simply sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time.
So many things happened. There was childish decisions, scandal, duels, lies, secrets and suspense. It was a thrilling “who done it” type of story.
The only reason this didn’t getting a 5 star review is because of the H and h. They “danced and danced” around there relationship so much, with lots of doubting sprinkled with terrible communication. All of that wore me out. The author finally put me out of my misery at 85%, whew!!!
Overall a great read that I highly recommend.
Thank you Thomas Nelson and Zondervan via Netgalley for gifting me this audiobook. I’ve voluntarily given my honest opinion.

This reminded me a lot of the gothic romances from the 1970s - back when sexism wasn't really an issue and the women did not have to screech or do stupid things in order to seem independent. I will always appreciate a heroine who uses her head and thinks things through rather than rushing out and doing things that should get her killed. That said, however, our heroine spend a LOT of repetitive and boring time ruminating on a past assault as well as not really clueing-in to the obvious. It meant a lot of eye rolls and unintentionally funny scenes.

Story: When Charity's love broke off their secret romance, she fled with her family to Ceylon. But an assault there in a secluded garden has left her mentally scarred. Now 5 years later, returning to her home and her best friend, Celine, Charity will have to face the man who abandoned her: Piers, Celine's brother. When the impulsive Celine suddenly disappears, Charity will have to team up with the one man she has always trusted - the one man she has never stopped loving but who ultimately broke her heart.

In many ways, I was reminded of Bram Stoker's Dracula (minus the vampires, of course) since the relationship of Charity and Celine was very reminiscent of Lucy and Mina Harker. One is very practical and down-to-Earth while the other is flighty and impulsive. Part of the mystery of this book is whether Celine actually did elope with a stable hand or if her disappearance has more serious implications.

Charity as a character was fine - yes, we did get far too much inner monologue about the assault. E.g., in the middle of a discussion about her beloved friend's disappearance and trying to find clues, we get a whole tangent where Charity completely forgets her friend and ruminates on the night of the assault. But she doesn't rush into things and takes the time to think things through.

Problematic for me is that Charity felt both intuitive and really really dense at the same time. E.g., we have dialogue from her like this: "After all, Miles' murder was not an accident!" (yes, Charity, that's why you call it a murder). Similarly, (and not to give too many spoilers) throughout the book, the word 'treason' is used over and over by several characters. Then at the end, Charity is absolutely shocked and cries out, "Treason?!?" as if she just figured out the word might apply to the situation. There were many moments where she came off as an absolute blockhead.

Side characters felt rather cardboard, though, and love-interest Piers was a bit too overidealized to feel real. The rest of the characters were hard to really get behind since they seemed to change personalities quite a bit. None felt very organic but they were all likeable enough.

The mystery itself built nicely and it really wasn't easy to figure out who the main big-bad was - the clues were there but nicely obfuscated. But at the same time, one question kept being asked that would have solved the whole mystery - yet Charity never pressed when she was not given a straight answer by several people. It felt very annoying and very much a deus ex machina by the writer rather than a part of the story that made sense. Especially considering the answer, you'd think they'd be comfortable telling her.

I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a decent job. I can't say I loved her male voices and several lines felt like they were inappropriately emoted for the scene in which they took place (e.g., perhaps too cheery for a somber mood). She also made these young characters sound like they were in their 40s. But the pacing was fine and I appreciated the British accent. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.