Showing posts with label Abigail Wilson. Show all posts

Friday, April 10, 2020

For All the Lovers of Gothic Romance! --"Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey" by Abigail Wilson—Review

My Review

Do you love curling up with a book on a stormy night? If so, "Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey" by Abigail Wilson is the perfect book for you! Ms. Wilson’s book can be described as a Gothic Romance where everything is not as it seems.

Ms. Wilson excels in describing her settings and giving them the perfect Gothic touch. Her descriptions are so beautiful, that sometimes I just stopped reading to soak it in. My favorite part of the book is how atmospheric it is. It reminds me a bit of Daphne du Maurier and her novel “Rebecca” (especially a certain character and scene). It’s a perfect mix of Bronte and Austen.

The story itself is wonderful. I love the mystery and not knowing who you can trust. Our heroine, Elizabeth, is smart, independent and brave (move over Sherlock!). She is no simpering miss, even though she’s possibly living under the same roof as a murderer. Besides sleuthing, Elizabeth also learns about forgiveness and the power of the truth.

I love "Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey" and would recommend it to fans of the Regency period, historical fiction, clean romances and Gothic Literature. We need more books like this!

Content: I give this book a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: talk of mistresses and ravishing someone; a child is born out of wedlock; a woman is called wanton and a trollop; men are drunk and utter curses, which are not written.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars.

I want to thank Abigail Wilson, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A Registered Nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the National Parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children. Connect with Abigail at www.acwilsonbooks.com

To purchase the book click here

Thursday, December 20, 2018

"In the Shadow of Croft Towers" by Abigail Wilson—Blog Tour (Review) and GIVEAWAY!

In the shadow of croft tower FB banner_edited-1

About the Book

Book: In the Shadow of Croft Towers
Author: Abigail Wilson
Genre: Historical fiction, romantic suspense

Release Date: January 15, 2019

From debut author Abigail Wilson comes a mysterious Regency tale of secrets and spies, love and treachery.

Orphaned Sybil Delafield jumps at the opportunity for a position at the mysterious Croft Towers. She believes she was hired to act as companion to a dying woman, but a highway robbery and a hostile welcome from the Chalcroft family cause her to wonder if she was actually hired to help someone spy for France.

An unsolved murder adds intrigue to this already secretive family, and Sybil recognizes Mrs. Chalcroft’s handsome grandson as one of the infamous highwaymen who robbed her. Sybil must determine if this man’s charming smile and earnest eyes speak the truth or if he is simply using her like others in the house. Everyone seems to have something to hide, and Sybil must decide who to trust while also coming to terms with the truth about her own past.

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

“In the Shadow of Croft Towers,” from debut author Abigail Wilson, has easily become one of my favorite books of 2018! I love a good Gothic romance and this book is certainly just that. Ms. Wilson is very good at setting the Gothic tone.

The story starts off with danger and a highway robbery during a storm. I was hooked! Our hesitant heroine, Sybil, arrives at house shrouded in mystery and secrets. There are all the elements for a perfect Gothic read in this story: mysterious rooms, hidden motives and identities, secrets and resident ghosts.

Not only that, but Ms. Wilson is a fabulous writer. The story and writing style can be described as a mix of Dickens and Daphne du Maurier. I loved this book and looked forward to reading it every night! I highly recommend it!

Content: I give this book a PG rating for some content. Some examples of the content are: the word devil is used; mention of a woman’s bosom; people drink alcohol; mention of illegitimate children; mention of “ravishing” a woman; a man is drunk and tries to apprehend a woman.

Rating: I obviously give this book 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Historical; Gothic; Regency; Mystery; Romance

I want to thank Abigail Wilson, Celebrate Lit and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author

Excerpt from the Book

1813

THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE

I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had never learned the truth. I wouldn’t have set off as I did for Croft Towers. I never would have met him.

It’s strange what I remember about the day I left London. The mail coach was late; the weather wretched. The clock had struck midnight long before two strangers and I ducked beneath the postmaster’s outstretched umbrella to board the Royal Mail and rumble across the North Downs.

That difficult journey east marked the beginning of an unseasonably cold autumn. Frigid rain pelted the coach windows. The undercarriage squealed beneath the seats as a metallic scent wound its way between the drafty boards. I gripped the windowsill, wondering if the coachman intended to hit every bump in the road.

“Far to go, miss?”

The woman’s voice startled me. Dressed head to toe in red
satin, she’d endured the last few darkened hours with a handful of smelling salts and a tongue hot for complaints, but she hadn’t spoken to me until now. Not until the first hint of rain-soaked daylight peeked over the horizon.

I lowered my gaze and fiddled with my bonnet ribbons. “Yes, ma’am . . . well, not too much farther, I hope.”

Taken from “In the Shadow of Croft Towers” by Abigail Wilson. Copyright © 2018 by Abigail Wilson. Used by permission of http://www.thomasnelson.com/.