About the Book
A hidden past. A house with secrets. And one chance for two wounded hearts to find love together.
Northern England, Late Fall, 1820
Katherine Lockwood is hiding for her life in the most unlikely of places: the forgotten priest holes in the abandoned Winterset Grange manor house. When Kate learns that Winterset’s long-absent owner, Mr. Oliver Jennings, is about to return, she is desperate to find a way to make him leave, even if it means “haunting” him from behind her protective walls.
After a grand tour of the Continent, Oliver returns home to England determined to make the most of his inheritance. But from the moment he arrives, nothing is as he expected. His manor is in disrepair, the steward hired to care for his estate is a thief, and to top it all off, Winterset is haunted. Undeterred, Oliver resolves to reclaim his life, piece by piece.
When Oliver discovers the hidden rooms, he’s shocked and pleased that his “ghost” is actually a beautiful young woman. Captivated by Kate and her story, he invites her to stay at Winterset under his protection.
Yet, danger persists as the man who threatens Kate’s safety learns of her ruse and attempts to exact his revenge. Kate and Oliver find themselves ensnared in a perilous game of cat and mouse against a powerful opponent while also trying to untangle their blossoming feelings in this enthralling gothic Regency romance. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts
Having read Summerhaven, I was really excited to pick up this book. To my complete delight I realized that Oliver is the brother from the book Summerhaven! There are so many tie ins and that aspect of this story is a excellent. The concept of the priest holes is fascinating. The history surrounding the hidden places within the house makes me want to do more research. I had heard of them before but this book definitely makes it more intriguing. The first few chapters in and I was eager to see how Kate hiding would play out. This makes it tricky as the main characters don't actually meet each other for awhile. So with that being said, the character development and romance in this story fell a little flat for me. The second half of the book seems a bit thrown together and the instant love really didn't work for me. There are some funny moments but I struggled with the added drama and the dialogue between Oliver and Kate. The ending has a nice conclusion and of course the setting is lovely. Overall, I enjoyed it for the history and getting to see our friends from the previous book.
Three and a half stars.
"I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."
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