This last weekend I finished reading Susanna Kearsley's latest book, The Vanished Days. Kearsley is one of those authors who I always, always recommend to other readers, particularly books like The Winter Sea or The Rose Garden. I love the history and the way that she connects the past with the present.





The Vanished Days also represents the tenth book I have read by her, so today I bring you a Top Ten Tuesday featuring the books of Susanna Kearsley. There are a couple of books that I do still have to read. I am kind of holding off on them so that I know I always will have some that I can turn to, at some point.

But first, a few words about The Vanished Days.


This book is different from Kearsley's other books. Normally there she has a dual timeline, one in the present and one in the past, which are somehow interconnected. In this book, there are still two timelines, but one is predominantly in the 1690s and the other in 1707, and we get to hear the history both looking back and as it is happening. It is a fascinating time with the Jacobites, the ill fated Darien exhibition, religious tension and so much more.





The narrator is Adam Williamson. He is a Scot who has just returned from America and he is hoping to reconnect with his friend, who was a survivor from Darien. Instead, he is coerced into leading an investigation into a woman named Lilly Aitcheson, who is claiming entitlements as a widow of a man who died on the exhibition. He has to determine if Lilly was really married to James Graeme, as she claimed.





I couldn't help but feel like Adam was something of an unreliable narrator. He was looking back to tell us Lilly's history, but also about the investigation, which really was about much more than just whether the marriage was legitimate or not.





I really enjoyed parts of this book, but there were other parts which got bogged down in the politics and history of the day. Lilly was also a complicated character, and I was never really sure about her, so you had an unreliable narrator talking about an unreliable character. There's no doubt though, that Lilly is not a cookie cutter historical heroine. Her story is one of survival against the odds, of which there were many.





I did recently start rereading The Winter Sea on audiobook. I had to stop because there was an overlap in characters, but I will be going back to it now. I don't often reread, but this Kearsley is one of those authors where I make an exception.





Goodreads has The Winter Sea, The Firebird and this book are all connected together as a series called Scottish on Goodreads, but then The Winter Sea and The Firebird are connected together under the series label Slains. In reality, the way that Kearsley's books are connected is more complicated than that. Characters cross paths through a lot of these books. In The Vanished Days we here about the early days of the main characters from The Winter Sea, plus different characters from The Firebird, and connecting to Bellewether which I haven't read yet. Some of these characters also appear in the short story in The Deadly Hours, and then one of the characters from The Shadowy Horses also turns up in The Firebird. Mariana is in there somewhere too. All very interconnected. What there isn't though, is an actual order to read in, so you can start anywhere.

I received an advanced reading copy via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own. I was so excited to be approved for an early copy as it's one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn't disappoint!

Though this is considered to be a part of the Slains series, it can be read by itself but I would recommend having a bit of knowledge about early 1700s Scotland including some information about the Jacobites to get some context of the book.

This was told in multiple points of view, jumping between the late 1600s to the early 1700s as stories are told about some of the characters and you get more insight into why some of the characters are reluctant to speak about their past.

I really felt for Lilly who was one of my favorite characters and was just trying her best to live a good life but often found herself between a rock and a hard place. She was able to overcome so much, including coming to terms with being abused as a little girl by someone she trusted, the death of her parents, losing friends and loved ones while also keeping a candle for a man who she fell in love with.

I also really enjoyed learning about Adam's story who has also had his fair share of hurdles to overcome, is full of surprises and did not see the ending that reveals things about his past. I had to go back and reread some parts for it to click but that's probably because I was so wrapped up in the story.

Highly recommend checking out this book especially if you are interested in the early 1700s Scotland and the Jacobites. Looking forward to reading more of Susanna's books and can't wait to see what next she has up her sleeve!

Trigger warnings: death, prison, hanging, forced into service, pedophile, child abuse, black mail, some violence, death due to child birth

Most of the time I get irritated with two or more viewpoints in a novel. If I get invested in one storyline or timeframe, why do I want to push through another? Well with The Vanished Days, Susanna Kearsley intertwines them so well I barely noticed. This novel is a snapshot of Scottish living, politics and social standing in the 1700’s. Kearsley starts with a small mystery and weaves it into a romance which makes that same mystery so large it encompasses the whole story. The mention of the Jacobite movement drew me into this historical fiction offering. Although I know little about this time in Scotland, Kearsley made sure to describe the political situations when the scenes required it. These brief descriptions made me understand locations and attitudes so much better than the author assuming I knew that historical period. She also carefully wove in verbal sketches of the clothes and scenes, making me feel the atmosphere. With this immersion into this exciting place and time, the author pulled the wool over my eyes and fooled me throughout the majority of the novel. I so loved the ending, it is worth the time spent to learn all these characters and their stories. I appreciate the ecopy of this book, given freely for an honest review.

Title: The Vanished Days
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
@bookmarked
Genre: Historical Fiction

The Vanished Days is Historical Fiction at it’s finest. An immersive Scottish tale, with vivid characters, rich history, a touch of romance and even a little mystery too!

“It’s no small thing, hope. Without it, darkness wins. We’re it not for hope, the heart would break.”

Queen Anne, has sent money from London for Scots who took part eight years earlier in the ill-fated Darien expedition that left Scotland all but bankrupt. A young widow, Lily, comes forward to collect her husband’s portion of this money, resulting in an inquiry. The man assigned to this investigation, Adam, must determine if Lily is telling the truth. Somewhere along the way he wonders if his own troublesome feelings are blinding and misleading him.

“It’s a shame that we cannot reclaim those vanished days, and try to live them better.” “I’d not be the man I am if I had not lived every hour of them.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved that this was a dual narrative with both timelines historic. You don’t often see that. One time period was in the 1680s and the other was 1707. I don’t naturally gravitate towards these time periods, but I’m not sure why!? I loved it. I particularly loved learning about the Jacobite movement and a little bit about the division amongst Catholics and Protestants. I look forward to reading more from this author and time period! Yes, I believe you can learn about history reading historical fiction!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy!

Thank you to @netgalley @sourcebooks @bookmarked for the ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Tranquil. I was looking forward to reading this because it is the prequel to “The Winter Sea” and I really enjoyed that book. Checkout my review in January. - I really like Kearsley style when it comes to the historical details and environment. This book was quite detailed showcasing the amount of research she did. Know that this book was tranquil in its telling; taking your hand through the politics and history of Scotland. This was unhurriedly told and transported me to the Highlands.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is the prequel to The Winter Sea so I was greatly looking forward to reading it. I was greatly disappointed. I found the story to be long, tedious and boring. I struggled through this one, as I did not with The Winter Sea. I actually read three other novels in the course of finishing this one because it just didn't hold my attention.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Review will be posted on 10/27/2021
Lily Aitcheson's husband has died while serving his country during the disastrous Darien expedition. She is making claim to him, so she can receive the death benefits, but it's proving to be quite the investigation as she cannot completely prove she was married to him. While investigating her claim, Kearsley takes us back to Lily's childhood and young adulthood to helps us understand her better. The story is also told through Sergeant Adam Williamson, who is investigating Lily's case. The more he learns about Lily, the more complicated it all gets. Also, things are anything but peaceful in Scotland now. There's people who want the Jacobite King back on the throne and the state of Edinburgh is tumultuous. While investigating Lily's case, loyalties will be tested, truths will float to the surface, and many mysteries will be uncovered. The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is the third book in her Scottish series, but it can be read as a stand alone; fans of historical fiction shouldn't miss this immersive gem!

Lily is a really complex character in The Vanished Days. The more we learn about her childhood, the more I felt for her. Her parents both died when she was young and a family takes her in when she is but a child. There were some happy times in her childhood, especially when she befriends Jamie Graeme, who has promised to always be there for her. However, as she grows older she is faced with difficult events in her life dealing with men in positions of power. These events force her to leave her old life behind.

As I mentioned, Kearsley has Adam, the investigator, narrate some chapters and it was definitely an interesting technique as readers don't really know who he is. He is trying to figure out if Lily was indeed ever married, but she is having a hard time even proving that simple fact as the people who witnessed her marriage are now all dead. Slowly, as Adam questions Lily, we learn more about her childhood, and things start to become clearer. However, Gilroy, the other investigator, isn't buying it one bit.

Kearsley, as always, brings to life the time period very well in The Vanished Days. I was familiar with the Jacobite Rebellion, thanks to Outlander, but Kearsley takes us on a deep dive into Scottish history. She brings the unsettled times to life very well and expertly depicts how this time period could specifically be difficult for women as they have little to no power. Don't count Lily out though! She has many secrets and plans up her sleeve!

My only issue with The Vanished Days is the fact that it took awhile to get going. The first half of the book was very dense with its historical and political details. Thankfully once you get through a lot of the heavy details, things start to pick up and it becomes very suspenseful. I was questioning so much!

Speaking of suspense, there's a lot of twists and turns in The Vanished Days. There's betrayal, mixed up identities, romance, politics, war...it's got it all! I found myself going back to re-read certain portions that were clues, which I initially missed. Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the plot twists in this one! I recommend The Vanished Days to fans of Kearsley as well as fans of Outlander and historically rich fiction.

So, are you a fan of Susanna Kearsley? If so, what's your favorite of her novels? Did you read The Vanished Days yet? Let me know in the comments below.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and when I saw that she not only had a new book coming out but that it was a companion novel/prequel to The Winter Sea, I knew I had to read it. And I was so glad that my fellow co-hosts of the #mommaleighellensbookclub were equally excited about this book and decided to pick it for one of our October book club selections. This book definitely delivered in every way I expected it to and then some!

I will say you absolutely do not need to have read The Winter Sea to enjoy this one. If you did read that one, great, and if not, it just might encourage you to pick it up. She did write that one in 2008, so it’s been a while, and I read it in 2010 and even though it’s one of my favorite books, after reading this one, I’ve got such a longing to pick it up again! Don’t you love when that happens?

This newest book is masterfully plotted and as usual, I found myself completely immersed in all that is going on right from the beginning. While there is a dual narrative, what I found interesting is that both are in the past – one in 1707 and the other in the 1680s. It’s not really a time period I tend to read about, but there is just something so compelling about this author’s writing that pulls me in.

I loved how just as you were getting comfortable in one time time period, it would be time to jump either forward or back. But what usually precipitated the jump was some type of revelation in the later time period that would then be explained in the earlier one. It really kept you hooked and, if you are anything like me, trying to work out all the pieces in your head, to see how things fit together. Not only do we have the story of Lily trying to seek her deceased husband’s pension, but we also learn quite a bit about the Jacobite movement in Scotland – and this was something I had hoped to read more about after finishing up with The Winter Sea.

There is much to appeal to just about everyone in the book – Scottish history, some romance, intrigue and a twist of all twists that managed to take me by surprise! There are a slew of characters in this book, but I found that I really had no issues keeping them straight as everyone is so dynamic on the page and serves a purpose. And, due to her meticulous research, all but a select few are real people from history – a fact that just makes for such a richer reading experience and the reason why I always read the author’s note because you never know what you will learn about the book.

While this book appears to be a chunkster, it is one that I read in two days because I just could not put it down. Once I got into the rhythm of the story, I was completely absorbed in it and didn’t want to do anything but read and be part of this world that Susanna created. Now, I’m looking forward to chatting with Susanna about the book with our bookclub…I can’t wait to hear her discuss why she decided to write this and what is next for her. If you are a fan of historical fiction, definitely pick this one up!

Susanna Kearsley writes wonderful historical fiction. Well-researched and well -written, her books take you back in time and place and you feel like you are right there with the characters. In this story, we are transported to 1707 Scotland and she weaves many actual events and people into her historical fiction.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for my review.

What a story! Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1707, with the story also drawing from prior years’ events, the author has weaved a terrific tale of mystery, history and family with an ending to beat all endings. You’ll never see it coming.

Forgers, foundlings and thieves? They’re all here. Enchanting Lily steals the story piecing together her life to try to prove her marriage to James. Is she telling the truth or lying to get money from the Scottish government?

Hard to put down and easy to read, this book should be number one on your “to read” list.

How cleverly written is this prequel to the book The Winter Sea! A Scottish historical fiction is weaved in with the other book and even overlaps in the chapters. I've not read one that does this, so I was even more intrigued than the fantastic research put into the writing. I'm not sure I understood it all since I try to stay away from the political aspects of books, but the time period swept me away.
Considering the Jacobite rebellions and the Darien Scheme diminishes the exile of King James with suspicion and protesting in the Scottish Highlands. As the New Union crept into England, Queen Anne tried to bring new life into the people with a payout to the families who lost a loved one during the attempt to bring back the former king.

The story is built around Lily who is one of the widow's who attempts to collect her husband's wages. When she is met with disregard and disapproval, the story is told through interviews with her and flashbacks of her struggles and resilience.

The story closes in on a nation betrayed, a love story that will leave you breathless and the loss during a period of deception and greed. I can't imagine the hours of research that went into making this book, but after giving a small taste of the next book within this one, I'm hooked with what happens to these people you get to know and their struggles. What is even more fascinating is at the end of the book it gives a look at the changes made about the characters and the real ones depicted. Excellent writing skills!

Thanks NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for this title in exchange for my honest review!

Ms. Kearsley books never disappoint. Very well written and engrossing. I do think it would be helpful to read the previous books in this series. But very, very enjoyable. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

This is book 3 of the Slains Series. In the Autumn 1707 old enemies are finding common ground to protest the Union with England. Money starts to come in from England to repay the families for their part in the disastrous Darien expedition. When a woman comes forward to collect her husband's share, an investigator stands in her way. Can he solve the question of his heart, or the truth?

I was somewhat confused by the politics of 18th century Scotland, but I loved Kearsley's tale of family, loss, betrayal, and love. And I certainly did not see the amazing plot twist coming! An engrossing tale with a delightful ending.

This book is utterly engrossing, I loved it.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read one of Susanna Kearsley’s books and I am truly so glad to have seen this new book of hers and to have been given the opportunity to read it.

I find historical fiction is rather “hit or miss” for me and so I tend to pick up other genres instead.  I sometimes forget how engaging different time periods can be, as long as the author is a good story teller.

This book has reminded me that Susanna Kearsley is worth reading because she really is one such good, or actually I should say, a fantastic storyteller.  This book seemed very well researched as far as the historical parts go and each scene felt alive with its sense of time and place. The characters drew me in and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. This was truly a book I savoured reading and yet found I had devoured too quickly! This will be a definite recommendation for anyone I know who loves a rich, well done historical fiction story.

My thanks to Net Galley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the copy of The Vanished Days that I read.

I have loved Susanna Kearsley for years after falling in love with THE WINTER SEA so it’s no surprise that this prequel had me excited beyond words to see what she did with this story.

Per usual Kearsley style, this book is rich in its historical detail, setting, and character development. The pacing is sedate and I love this because she just walks you through this story like a slow afternoon stroll in the Highlands. Nothing is rushed, nothing is left out, no political or historical point is left unearthed. She doesn’t skimp on detail and what makes her so brilliant is she not only builds a visceral world around you but what you believe are throwaway detail sentences end up playing a larger role and are hints you didn’t even realize you were getting.

She weaves small threads you don’t even see into a beautifully developed (and full circle) tapestry. I always know she is going to have a few hidden cards up her sleeve to play that shocks me with how it all fits together but I did not expect the epic level this book hit at the end. Not only did this book’s plot surprise me but I got a huge revelation with a character I didn’t know I needed to meet.

I will always be high-key obsessed with Susanna Kearsley and THE VANISHED DAYS transported me to 1600-1700s Scotland and I loved every minute of it. The political intrigue and high stakes had me tearing through the pages, I truly thought I was transported to Scotland every time I picked up this book. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you @sourcebookscasa for the review copy!

The Vanished Days is told through the narrator, Sergeant Adam Williamson, as he investigates the claim of Lily Aitcheson. The first person viewpoint tells the reader that Williamson is telling his personal tale. The third person perspective means that Williamson is telling someone else’s tale with details provided by the many witness he questioned. The effect is to create a dual storyline, a method often used by Susanna Kearsley, as her readers will be aware.

The book centers on Lily’s story: from her childhood with its happy, memorable moments to the days when it appears the world is against her. Lily perseveres through many trials using her own grit and sometimes getting help from friends and family. Ultimately, there are terrible men using their power over women. But there are also good men who will do what is right. The Vanished Days has a few characters to boo and curse at, but even more to hope for, weep for and cheer for.

There is a great deal of withholding of information by the narrator (or by the author). One of the characters, Robert Moray, said “All men do leave pieces out when they tell tales.” This is evident in the way the characters lives intersect in ways the reader does not imagine they will intersect. When the facts are revealed, the revelations are pleasantly surprising and may even bring tears of joy. If you have read Ms. Kearsley’s books, you are familiar with the path she likes to take.

Slains and Scottish are the two series names that now appear to be attached to this book. Whatever you call it, The Vanished Days is pure Kearsley storytelling magic. If you enjoyed The Winter Sea and/or The Firebird, I recommend you check out The Vanished Days.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so I could bring you my honest review.

Another beautifully written dual-time line historical romance from Susanna Kearsley. She is one of my all-time favorite authors and again she does not disappoint. I loved this story with all of its twists and turns. And it is very twisty-turny! If you are a fan of Kearsley, especially if you enjoyed The Winter Sea, then this one is definitely for you. If this is your first of her books that you've read, you'll have so many more to dive into next!

This is a companion novel/prequel to The Winter Sea, which is one of the first historical fiction books I ever read. I love her books, and The Vanished Days is a new favorite.

The story takes place in the midst of the Jacobite Rebellion in the early 18th century. The narrative is heavy on historical background, as are all of Kearsley's books, but the mystery that runs through the plot is completely riveting, and the ending was remarkable!

This is a must-read for anyone who has read The Winter Sea and The Firebird.

This is a great story. It's well written & researched. I do wish I had read the previous story that this is linked to as I didn't get the connections. It was still a great story & worth the read, especially if you're a fan of Susanna Kearsley.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for honest review