The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is a stunning historical fiction novel that takes the reader straight into the middle of the political intrigues, actions, and lives of those within Scotland during the hotbed of change and unrest during the 1680-1710.

This is actually the first book that I have read by Ms. Kearsley, and I have to ask myself why I waited this long to read such an impressive and talented author. I know that this is associated with her previous works, The Winter Sea and The Firebird, this seems to be a prequel and can easily be a stand alone, or a first read in my case, and have no problems whatsoever in delving right in. However, I dare anyone to read this book and not be desperate to read onward!

This is just breathtaking in that the descriptions of the landscapes, society, people, and events involving Scotland and the political and religious unrest that occurred during the Jacobite rebellions and the turmoil associated in part with her relationship with England.

Kearsley takes these true events and weaves them into a narrative that alternates between “current day” 1707 between the male narrator that is part of the investigation into a widow’s claims, and the late 1600s as we learn of Lily and her life leading up to present day. This gives the reader a few of the foundation blocks of the subsequent books and the Graeme and Moray families.

There is intrigue, action, politics, history, mystery, suspense, twists, turns, romance, and surprises all wrapped up into one beautiful novel. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my order of The Winter Sea to see how these stories are expanded upon. I highly recommend.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this remarkable arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Gah, she's done it again! When you want a Susanna Kearsley novel, you want history and romance and adventure...this book gives you that with a heavy dose of intrigue told from a somewhat-reliable (lol) narrator! When I finished it, I sat and turned it over in my head for a long time and now I want to read it all over again!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Vanished Days.

Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to see that she had written a sequel to The Winter Sea, which I absolutely love and have read several times. Most of her books include time slips, and alternate between present and past. The Vanished Days was a bit different, alternating between the 1680s and the 1700s and focusing on Lily, who is being investigated for her claim as a widow. We learn about her happy childhood turned tragedy through a story told by the person investigating her, while gathering information from various people who knew her. There's the usual Scotland politics, with Jacobite's and invasions, but we also learn about a failed colony that costs hundreds their lives, which was new information to me.

This book gets off to a slow start and has a wide cast of characters, but once it picks up, you won't want to put it down. When the end comes together, you'll feel the need to go back and reread certain scenes to see how you possibly missed what could have only been obvious clues, Kearsley does a wonderful job of weaving an intricate story where everything is not as it seems. While not my favorite novel by her, I definitely enjoyed it and my time with Lily. It's a novel that will be sticking with me over time, and I'll definitely be rereading again to see what clues I can pick up the second time through.

I’m a huge fan of Susanna Kearsley, and I think fans of her work will enjoy The Vanished Days, but I wouldn’t consider it one of her stronger novels. I re-read The Winter Sea right before reading this, which isn’t necessary to understand the story but may help fill in part of the (factual, Scottish) history. Because of the way the story is set up, the romance isn’t as strong as some of Kearsley’s other recent works, and to be honest, the ending confused me so much that I had to reread parts of the book to understand it. That said, Kearsley’s writing is as lovely and evocative as ever.

I really like Susanna Kearsley's work. Her research is very thorough and I love that she writes about big events but focuses on the unknown people who are usually ignored by history. That said, I felt this book was a bit of a chore to get through.

I appreciate that she was basing the story on some real families, but I kept getting confused about who was related to whom and how. And I've read the Winter Sea. There were just too many similar names.

But my bigger issue with the book is that all her heroines are starting to feel like the same person. Young girl, somehow lost or abandoned by her family, taken in by caring strangers, often very serendipitously, makes her way bravely through life and meets a strong man who will care for her forever and provide her with a home. At least 3, even 4 of her books have that exact same character, and I found myself bored by Lily..

There is also an event - or an almost event, rather - that might be quite triggering to some readers..

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Susanna Kearsley is an amazing story teller. I have enjoyed every single book she has written and this one was no exception. This novel is set in Scotland and alternates from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 17th century. Adam Williamson is the narrator of the story. His friend , Lieutenant Turnbull is asked to look into the authenticity of a marriage certificate of a Lily Graeme. Her husband, a sailor, has passed away and if she is his wife she is entitled to his salary. Adam has been staying at the Lieutenants house while he waits for him to return so his wife asks Adam if he will begin the investigation for her husband until he returns. Adam is instantly taken with Lily and her story. He is determined to unravel the truth. The book alternates from Adam's present day to the past as Lily's story is unfolded.

I was absolutely drawn into Lily's life. The book was filled with twists and turns that sucked me in and did not want to let me go. The story telling was superb. I was absolutely blown away as I read. A phenomenal book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advanced copy.

Wow! Transport yourself back to Scotland in 1700. Set against the political turmoil of the time, follow Lily through her the turmoil of her childhood through adulthood as she finds love and looses it again. I always love Susanna Kearsley books for the beautiful writing, the historic detail and the superb stories. This book meets the mark on every level.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is a beautifully written historical story set in Scotland. The book covers two time periods covering approximately a 30 year period, and follows the turbulent life of a young woman set against the tempestuous times in Scotland during the late 1600's to the early 1700's. The book will keep you intrigued.

I just need to start any review of a book by Susanna Kearsley by saying, "I adore Susanna Kearsley." My most favorite book of all time, that I have read or listened to at least 7 times, is "Winter Sea." I am actually currently listening to it again, as it is set in the same time period as "The Vanished Days."

Now to this book. It is advertised as a prequel to "Winter Sea." This is set in two time periods, about thirty years apart- 1690's and 1707. We get to watch Scotland as they are fighting to get Young King James back on the throne. We learn more about the religious aspect of this conflict, which was really eye-opening for me. A young widow comes forward to claim her part of her husband's wages- a man that died on his way to help colonize the fated Darien. When this claim is challenged, the man who is given the assignment must decide if she is telling the truth, or trying to steal from the commission. There were so many twists and turns that my mind was absolutely swimming by the time I reached the end- but in a good way! I want to go back and read it again with the knowledge I have and see how much it changes the story. So incredibly well thought out and such a fun adventure to go on.

I will be honest and say it did take me a couple chapters to acquaint myself fully with the characters and keep everything and everyone straight. The pedigree at the beginning was very helpful and I wish I had written it down to look at more often (I read this on my kindle, and going back and forth to the beginning was a little more difficult.) But, once I was in the groove, it moved along at a great pace, as I usually feel with her books. I loved seeing young Sophia make an appearance in this book, as well as part of the Graeme and Moray families, who we get to know even better in "Winter Sea."

Love this author and loved this book. Clean and highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley. Slains Series #3. SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, 2021.

Susanna Kearsley’s work is simply a feast for readers who love true historical fiction, time travel, and romance. In some of her books - The Winter Sea, Mariana, The Rose Garden – present-day main characters also experience life lived in an earlier time. The Vanished Days is more like some of the others, where present-day characters dig into diaries or use ESP to gather an earlier character’s life experiences. In this story, Adam, the narrator, pieces together what he learns from interviews to tell Lily’s life story from her point of view. Like others from the SLAINS series, Jacobite history from the Jacobite perspective is a feature of the story.

This story begins in mid-September 1707, with Adam arriving at his friend Turnbull’s home with a fever, to find Turnbull away and the very pregnant Mrs. Turnbull at home. Several days later and mostly recovered, Adam steps in for Turnbull to investigate a compensation claim that Lily has submitted for her late husband Jamie’s wages. Adam, assisted by his assigned clerk Gilroy, spends the next four weeks interviewing Lily and anyone else who might support or disprove her claim. This book’s forty chapters sorted into seven sections alternate between Adam’s present day, the fall of 1707, and Lily’s life beginning on a Scottish estate in 1683, when she and Jamie were 7 1/2.

Kearsley’s approach to character development is both measured and rich, like meeting and getting to know people you hope will become very good friends forever. Her story development is similar, often with a twist. Intriguing but less well-developed cameo characters are apt to turn up in subsequent books. Most of the characters that Kearsley develops tend to be good and kind with villains often shadowy, lurking in the background. There are supporting character related twists in The Vanished Days; these run in both directions, and a big twist that I definitely did not see coming near the end.

Susanna Kearsley is one of only two authors whose books I deliberately keep. I get at least quadruple value from them because I read them over and over. I can only give five stars, but would give ten.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Vanished Days for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #VanishedDays #NetGalley

So I'm really conflicted about this book. I'm always excited for a new Kearsley title; I love her historical fiction and I think she's one of the best writers out there in that genre.
However, I feel like this book was weaker than previous ones. Her research remains strong - Kearsley clearly researches her topics extensively, and her language and other details always feel readable while also honoring the time period in which the book is set. But in this case, I feel that Kearsley got too bogged down in the historical details. I found myself skimming a lot of the parts about Darien and the rebellion. Had they been more central to the plot, I would have paid more attention - I feel like perhaps the book should have been set in Darien, or focused more on that conflict that just describing it. (Maybe that's a separate book, and it didn't really belong here?)
I didn't guess the twist until the end, which was disappointing. I didn't feel like I could invest emotionally in any of the romance when it was unclear where any of the relationships were heading. I went back and read some of the earlier parts of the book, which made much more sense once I knew the ending, but I didn't enjoy them the first time around.
Ultimately I don't feel that this was particularly strong, and it really was a slog to get through.

This installment is a prequel or companion to the Winter Sea. It offers the history and connections of the Moray and Graeme families. Kearsley illustrates how Scottish history was effected by the changing religious affiliations and monarchy of England. The story begins in 1707 as a widow comes forward to request her husband's wages as he was a sailor from the failed Darien expedition. Her claim is doubted and questioned while the story goes back in time to to find out the true story of this widow. All while telling the tale of this young widow, the author weaves in the complex history of Scotland.

If you love history and a good atory at the same time Ms. Kearsley is the author for you.
The Vanishing days set in Scotland during its revolutionary days is filled with intrigue and rish historical detail. Intertwining the tale of Lily a girl with a kind heart who everyone loved but was always on the outskirts of having a family of her own. And of Adam who is the narrator of Lily’s story who has his own tale to tell as well.
Beautifully written as always by Ms. Kearsley.