Can Phoebe and Duncan bring peace to a tortured soul…?
Having never been in love, twenty-four-year-old Phoebe Marcham has no interest in marriage. Fiercely independent, she spends her days helping to manage Glendale, her ancestral home — a centuries-old estate full of long-buried secrets.
While out riding, Phoebe crosses paths with Duncan Armstrong, a charming wanderer who has just returned from the Continent. Finding that they share a penchant for mystery, Phoebe shares the biggest enigma that haunts Glendale: the tortured ghost of her ancestor, Simon Marcham, who took a secret sadness to his grave.
Convinced that Simon’s soul will never be at rest until they uncover his secret, Phoebe and Duncan set about unravelling the riddles that he left behind. As they delve deeper, a story of heartbreak and intrigue soon starts to emerge.
Faced with the darkness of the past, Phoebe is determined to make the most of the future. And as she and Duncan grow closer, she soon begins to wonder whether she has at last met her fate…
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LyaR0
Review
What a delightful read! I've read a couple of books by this author and am always entertained by her stories and characters. I especially enjoyed the cast of this book - with a particular affection for Phoebe's aunt Sophia, whose thawing provides a most satisfying backdrop to the love stories in the foreground. It's the little details that land best, like Sophia's relationship with Phoebe's housekeeper Wiggins, who was Sophia's nursemaid back in the day. I also enjoyed the theme of reconciliation, though I will add no details to avoid spoilers.
Of course, I cannot neglect Phoebe and Duncan, who are well-matched and yet kept apart by their uncertainty of the other's feelings in a mismatch of misplaced courtesy. It was good to watch them grow closer though I am surprised their many friends and family did not lock them in a closet.
The titular ghost of Glendale Hall, Simon Marcham, is less of feature than you would think but no less a character because of that. He was woven into the story in an interestingly understated way and yet is pivotal to so many moments and relationships. I do feel the climax of his own story was a little bit drawn out over several revelations.
With my apologies to the northern hemisphere, this is the perfect book to read during the long hot days of summer (or those long cold nights of winter, while dreaming of summer). It's a sweet Regency romance with just a gentle touch of the paranormal and a hint of intrigue.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author; all opinions are my own
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie’s passion for reading became a compulsion to write when she attended a ten-week course in creative writing some sixteen or so years ago. She takes delight in creating short stories of which more than forty have been published, but it was her lifelong love of Regency romance that led her to turn from contemporary romantic fiction to try her hand at her favourite genre. Raised on a diet of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, she is never happier than when immersed in an age of etiquette and manners, fashion and intrigue, all combined into a romping good tale. She lives on the London/Kent border, close to the capital’s plethora of museums and galleries which she uses for research as well as pleasure. A perfect day though is when she heads out of town to enjoy lunch by a pub on the river, any river, in company with her husband and friends.
Natalie is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.
You can find out more about Natalie on Twitter @NatKleinman, Facebook /NatalieKleinmanAuthor or on her Website nataliekleinman.com
