Do you love a good light story with a hint of romance and intrigue? Are you a fan of regency romance or Jane Austen novels? If you haven’t already, you should pick up A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd.

Annabelle’s family has fallen on hard times. Her mother died when she was young and her father died a couple of years previous to the start of the story. Shortly before her father’s death, he lost most of his fortune in an embezzling scandal. Now Annabelle finds herself alone and unwelcome staying with her brother and his wife. Her brother tries to keep the family estate afloat with an idea to marry Annabelle off to a wealthy, but reprehensible suitor. Annabelle is wary of the blackness that seems to be overtaking her brother and home and leaves to go and stay with her estranged Uncle along with her maid. She is helped on the journey by gamekeeper Owen, who is from a nearby estate.

Her Uncle runs the Fellsworth School and lives a much simpler life than Annabelle is used to. She starts working for the first time in her life as a teacher’s assistant while her maid finds a new life in the kitchens. Annabelle finds herself attracted to tragic widower Owen, who has a young daughter, Hannah at the school. Owen finds himself involved in a mystery as he tries to track down a poaching ring on the estate he works on as well as a neighboring estate. He has a dream to purchase the property he was raised on, but he can only purchase the property with the capture of the poaching ring. Will the poachers be caught – who are they? Will Annabelle find happiness and meaning in her life? Will Annabelle’s brother find her?

I greatly enjoyed A Stranger at Fellsworth. It was an engaging story, with wonderful characters, and a great setting. I love Regency era stories. I loved the mystery, but I really loved how the characters evolved. More so then previous also great novels, The Curiosity Keeper and Dawn at Emberwilde, this story is a story of faith and how one should navigate life and their faith journey. I loved how that was woven throughout the tale. This is the third novel in the series, but it is easily a stand-alone novel, the only connection being the Fellsworth setting.

My favorite quotes:

“We are not just placed on this earth, haphazardly. Each of us has a path. Each of us has a purpose. It is part of life to find that path and follow it.”

“But most importantly, he wanted her to know that her value lay not in making a successful match as an adult, but in developing her character now”

“Peace is an interesting word. My mama always said that peace was not dependent upon your circumstances. It was dependent upon where you placed your faith.”

Overall, A Stranger at Fellsworth is a wonderful Regency Christian Romance with a great mystery storyline and fantastic characters that grow in their faith and sense of self as the novel progresses. I highly recommend it! I found it a perfect novel to help me relax at the end of a day.

Book Source: Review E-Book Copy as part of the TLC Book Tour. Thanks!

A Stranger at Fellsworth is the third book in Sarah E. Ladd's Treasures of Surrey Series. The historical setting was well described and the story itself full of action, mystery, second chances and of course, a budding romance!

This story was a fairly quick read, very and the perfect start to start my Summer romance reading. I enjoyed this wonderful book and highly recommend it for those who love faith based historical romance novels!

4 Stars!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing, Ms. Ladd and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed reading this one. I thought the story was interesting but a bit predictable. The characters were enjoyable but I wish there could have been a little more interaction between Owen and Annabelle. I enjoyed the backstories of each but felt like they could have used a bit more time together to establish and develop the relationship fully. Much of their interactions were not described or very minimal which left me wanting more. This was a lovely read but not something I think I would pick up to read again. I didn´t become attached enough to the characters to feel compelled to revisit.

Romance, clean, period, Christian
This was more of a 3.5 for me as a reader. I enjoyed the story, how Annabelle found the courage to leave her brother, and find safety as a teacher. Owen was a great character, particularly when contrasted with the other romantic interest. The feelings and hope that develop between them, Owen's daughter that brings them together as they meet at the school made for a sweet setting. The suspicions that lead to the final climax and the 'fall' of one of the other characters (don't want to say who). This was a good read, not necessarily great, but still a nice escape. Annabelle's determination, even though she was in another somewhat precarious situation, helped her find her HEA. For many readers, and the faith elements. this would be a good read.

Sarah Ladd has done it again. Such a unique and intriguing story. I loved Owen from his entry into the story as well as his daughter Hannah. But Annabelle gradually grew on me as she slowly warmed and let her walls down. She became "human" in a way that seemed impossible in her limited and straight laced world of London. Her Uncle Edmund was a great surprise to me as he turned out to be a man of great depth and warmth.

There is a lot of intrigue and suspense threaded throughout this book as well as some pretty sordid characters.

The audiobook was also extremely well narrated. I highly recommend this one.

An enjoyable read with romance and mysteries. Annabelle was a believable heroine who had a great change in circumstances and seemed to hold up well with it all. I thought that the relationship with her former maid was a bit awkward and could have been better. Owen was a very likable character. It was a good read but not wow, wow, wonderful.

Sarah E Ladd is a wonderful author. I've read two of her Whispers on the Moors novels and fell in love with the beautiful lyrical writing, vivid and real characters, landscape and politics of England in early 1800s, and the gentle and loving pull of God in the characters' lives. Though I haven't read any books previously from the Treasures of Surrey novels, I dug into this third book from the series with high expectations. She did not disappoint.

From the Whispers on the Moors novels, I realized that her books are really stand-alones and not books in a "series" that are best read one after the other in order. I got that feeling with this book as well. I'm sure there were some cameo appearances from the first two books that were undetected by me but I didn't feel left out from the storyline because I didn't read the other books first.

I appreciated reading about the more "common" people with actual jobs and professions during this time in England's history. Reading about titled lords/ladies and titled gentlemen/gentlewomen can be fun but learning about the ins and outs of what a gamekeeper did in early 1800s was quite fascinating. Learning about a boys' and girls' boarding school for the "middle class" children back in those days was quite interesting as well.

Owen is a beautiful man with a tender heart and a faithful, loyal, thoughtful soul. Annabelle embodies gentleness, kindness, and grace expected from a lady of her breeding but also possesses a backbone, though does get tripped up in her fear at times. Their romance is slow, intentional, and ever so sweet.

Annabelle's faith journey is also slow but intentional and is spurred by her deceased mother's faith and prayer journal.

There is also a bit of mystery and suspense as Owen tries to capture the poachers plaguing the forest. What a great combination - a historical fiction with a dash of romance and a dose of suspense! Who can resist?

I received ARC of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. I was not required to give a favorable review. All thoughts and comments are solely my own.

In A Stranger at Fellsworth, Annabelle finds herself in a horrible situation of being forced to marry an evil and despicable man. She fears for her life and decides to create her own destiny. Hoping to find sanctuary, she flees to her aunt and uncle's school with the help of Owen, a gamekeeper on the estate near the school.

I ended up enjoying this sweet and clean romance. I admired Annabelle in her decision to take a chance on her own future. Despite living a sheltered and pampered life of a lady, she was willing to learn how to do without and become someone new. She didn't shy away from honest work. I also loved Owen and his devotion to his daughter, despite rumors of her paternity. His push to provide something better for her was admirable. The romance in this one is subtle, but I ended up really buying into it.

I definitely recommend this one. There is also a bit of a mystery and some tense action moments toward the end. It's the third in a series, but works completely as a stand alone. I look forward to reading more out of the series.

The third and final instalment in Sarah Ladd’s Treasures of Surrey series was a fun and enjoyable read. It some ways, it reminded me of some of her previous books, particularly The Headmistress of Rosemere (because it involves a girl’s boarding school) and A Lady at Willowgrove Hall (which also involved the protagonist running away).

The characters were interesting, I especially liked the hero Owen Locke, who I think cropped up in the last book somewhere. A gamekeeper and single father afraid of loving again after a tragedy, who is nonetheless a man of honour, and Annabelle’s Aunt and Uncle. The caring if slightly eccentric headmaster and his wife. The love story was well written without being too mushy, as were the faith elements. They came across as natural to the story, conveyed in the lives and experiences of the characters, and not too preachy but appropriate for the time.
The synopsis however, I think exaggerates the element of danger, mystery and intrigue. Something does happen, there is mention of a gang of poachers in the local forest, but it’s not as central to the story as Annabel and Owen’s relationship except at the end, where it serves as a foil. I think another reviewer mentioned that whilst this is a good story, it’s not especially memorable. I also agree that the antagonists weren’t as well written as other characters. They were rather predictable, and their actions rather far-fetched.

A few Americanisms in the story were also a source of some annoyance. I’m not sure school attendees were called students in 19th century Britain. Wouldn’t it have been pupils? A girl being bullied saying the other children were being ‘mean’ to her for not being ‘smart’ just doesn’t sound right. It’s not in the same league as Jane Eyre- can modern fiction ever be? This novel is however a great choice for those seeking a light, clean read that isn’t too taxing and was a good conclusion to the series.

I requested an ebook version of this title from the Publisher for review, and purchased the audiobook of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive one an all opinions expressed are my own.

This was the first book of Sarah Ladd's that I've read and I enjoyed it and may read more of hers in the future. This is the third book in the series but it can be read as a stand-alone. I don't think the characters from the other books even appear in this one. I would have liked the suspense to be more consistent throughout the book, but I still enjoyed trying to reason through who the murderer was and why it happened. The romance between Owen and Annabelle was sweet and I really liked Owen's daughter. I really enjoyed the scenes his daughter was in. They were probably my favorite.

I enjoyed the characters and the buildup. I did feel that the ending was rushed and came too quickly. I understand that some authors are trying to keep their stories shorter but I felt that this one, ending so quickly, made the book worse, no better. Loved everything else about it.

I have been wanting to read a book by Christian author Sarah E. Ladd for awhile, and I finally had the chance. This story did not disappoint. I loved the settings-a school and a country house. When Annabelle is abused by her brother, she escapes to her uncle's country house. She becomes a junior teacher and also meets Owen Locke, who becomes her romantic interest.. The plot was interesting, and kept my attention throughout-lots of adventure along the way. Highly recommend!

This Regency romance had a little of everything. I thought Annabelle a bit naïve, but likeable as a character. The transformation of her maid, Crosley, seemed a bit dramatic to me, as did the characterization of some of the other people in the story. Not a lot of balls, teas, and society life—the drama centered more on everyday life in the country. All in all, I would recommend the book to anyone wanting a clean romance with a bit of suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

This is the third book in the series but it can be read as a stand alone novel. Sarah Ladd knows how to write historical fiction that grips you until the last page. Annabelle lives with her brother and sister in law, but one night when she knows it will only get worse, she decides to leave. Being a junior teacher at her uncle's school is not how she pictured here life, but what choice does she have? When her life seems to be falling apart and she was left with only one place to go.

Sarah E. Ladd is a go to author for me. I read her first series and absolutely loved it. Now I have only read this book in this series but it does well as a stand alone. I had no problem understanding what was going on. This book captured my attention right from the start. I really had a hard time putting it down to do other things. This is not your run of the mill regency where they sit around all day and sip tea, very little of that was done. I was intrigued all the way through this book and the ending, oh my, what an awesome finale. I'd say to Anabelle, watch your back. Who you think is your friend just may not be. Not everyone is who they seem to be! I really enjoyed this and now I need to read the first two books in the series.
Pub Date 16 May 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd is the third book in A Treasures of Surrey series. It is 1819 at Wilhurst House in London, England. Annabelle Thorley lives with her brother, Thomas Thorley and his wife, Eleanor since the death of their parents. Annabelle was engaged to Samuel Goodacre until rumors about her father and embezzlement started circulating. Annabelle is out with her maid, Margaret Crosley when her reticule is stolen. Owen Locke, a gamekeeper visiting London from Fellsworth, quickly catches the thief and reclaims it. It turns out that Owen and his employer at staying at Wilhurst House during their stay. Annabelle is told by her brother that she is to marry Cecil Bartrell. Bartrell is offensive, and she has no intention of becoming of his wife. To avoid this loveless marriage and her brother’s wrath, Annabelle plots her escape. Annabelle enlists Owen’s help, and Owen, Annabelle and Crosley are soon on their wall to Fellsworth. Annabelle’s uncle runs the Fellsworth School and both ladies are taken in and given jobs. For the first time in her life, Annabelle must earn her own way. There has been a problem with poachers, and Owen is responsible for finding the culprits. Kirtley Meadow, the land he wishes to purchase, is on the line. Owen and Annabelle see each other on occasion and their friendship deepens into love. But Thomas Thorley is not about to let Annabelle go that easily. What will Owen do to protect Annabelle from harm? Who is behind the poachers and can Owen put a stop to their plundering? Owen and Annabelle’s future hangs in the balance. Will they get their happily ever after?

A Stranger at Fellsworth is well-written and engaging. The characters are relatable and appealing. I appreciated the author’s descriptions of the clothes (especially the gowns) worn by the characters. The setting sounded beautiful (who wouldn’t love to visit England). It was interesting to read about a boarding school for underprivileged children. I have not encountered that previously in Regency books. The mystery was pleasing (slightly complex), and I liked how all the elements came together in the end. I am glad that the author included it in the book so it was more than a romance novel. The Christian element is light and blends in beautifully with the story. The romance between Annabelle and Owen is sweet and gentle (subdued). The ending will make you smile. I give A Stranger at Fellsworth 4 out of 5 stars. While this is the third book in the series, it is a stand-alone novel. You do not need to read the previous two books, but, after reading A Stranger at Fellsworth, you will want to read them.

I love when a historical romance can also include mystery and intrigue. That’s why I started reading Sarah Ladd’s series Treasures of Surrey. She has a way of incorporating all the action and adventure and yet still leaving you feeling lighthearted but craving more. This story is no different. It’s the 3rd book in the series and yet can be read as a stand alone, just as the other two before it.

We find Annabelle in a predicament. She is a single woman who’s parents have died and because of a brother who is cruel and a control freak she has to make a distraction decision. In so doing she gets somewhat thrown together with Owen who is a gamekeeper near the Fellsworth school. When Annabelle comes to him for help he carefully decides to help her because he feels bad for her when he saw how she was being treated by her brother.

As the story unfolds you see more into Annabelle’s past and why her brother has mistreated her all this time. Be that as it may it is not an excuse to do what he had done to her and unfortunately Annabelle’s sister-in-law will have to live with the disgrace of her husband.

I love books that have happy endings and as such there is a happy ending here but there is also a struggle to overcome. I love the little twists that are thrown in. I will admit there were a couple I could see coming but, there were ones I didn’t see. I do recommend this book. It’s a great read. This will be a great book for travel, although you may not want to put it down when you start.

Wilhurst House - London 1819

Annabelle Thorley, is shocked to find her late mother’s furnishings are being removed from her home to be sold at auction. Her brother, Thomas Thorley, has inherited the home but is having financial problems due to embezzling accusations against his late father. Angry at Thomas for selling these items, he reminds Annabelle that she owns nothing and it is up to him to make the decisions.

Thomas wants her to attend a ball that night and hopefully attract Cecil Bartrell, an old and irritating widower with three daughters. He also informs her that he is expecting two men as guests for a few days. At one time, Annabelle was to marry Mr. Samuel Goodacre, but when the scandal erupted about her father, he broke their engagement.

As Annabelle and her maid, Crosley, are shopping for some items to update Annabelle’s old gown, her reticle is grabbed by a woman. Annabelle recognizes her as Miss Henrietta Stillworth whose parents died leaving her penniless. The woman is stopped by a gentleman, but Annabelle doesn’t want to see the woman prosecuted. Instead, she gives her some money to help her. Thanking the man who rescued her, she learns he is Owen Locke from Fellsworth in Surrey. Owen is the gamekeeper for Mr. Stephen Treadwell and the two men have been friends since they were boys. As it turns out, Owen and Stephen are the men who are to be the guests of Thomas.

At the ball, Mr. Bartrell is drunk and treats Annabelle disrespectfully. He grabs her wrist and tells her she will be his wife. When Annabelle rebuffs the man, her brother becomes angry and ends up slapping her. She now knows that she has no other recourse but to flee to her Uncle Edmund Langsby, the superintendent at Fellsworth School. With the help of Owen, Annabelle and Crosley travel to Fellsworth. Her uncle welcomes her but says she will be employed as a junior teacher at the school and Crosley will work in the kitchen. Never having taught before, this is new to Annabelle but she is determined to do a good job.

As Owen and Annabelle occasionally see one another, they form a friendship. But when some poaching problems arise, Owen discovers there are more sinister things at work here.

I have always enjoyed this author’s books but this one became confusing at times so it’s not my favorite of her books. It is not necessary to read the other two books in this trilogy as they are each stand-along novels.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reading historical romance presents history fans with a conundrum. I’ve heard it said that much of the history presented in these novels is “Heyer” history or “Austen” history, meaning that the facts placed in historical romances are influenced more by what these fiction authors wrote than by actual historical events. It’s hard to know then what is anachronistic. Do I find something odd simply because the event/factoid is actually untrue to the period or because it is untrue to how Heyer or Austen would have presented it? Either way, A Stranger at Fellsworth presented me with some historical hiccups which kept a good book from being stellar.

Miss Annabelle Thorley has fallen on hard times. Or more specifically, her family is in dire financial straits, a fact which has affected Miss Thorley’s fortunes. Her engagement has ended. Her mother’s beloved belongings have been sold off to pay creditors. And now an attempt to rob her has been made by a young woman who was the belle of the ball in their circle not two years earlier. If not for the timely intervention of Mr. Owen Locke, Annabelle would have lost her reticule along with the few precious coins she had left within.

This is an important moment in the book, the scene where the hero and heroine first meet – but I’ll admit to being completely distracted by what was happening with what the text described as the young “beggar woman.” I couldn’t understand how a young woman of quality could fall to thieving in the streets. I would have presumed some position would have been open to her – whether it was shop girl, governess, lady’s maid, companion for an elderly relative or even the mistress of one of her many admirers. The social circle Annabelle moves in is comprised of a rather hedonistic group of young men, so if this girl had indeed been the beautiful diamond of their group, offers such as that should have been forthcoming. I filed this away in my mind for later and tried to get back to the story.

Later that evening at a party Annabelle attends, we see her erstwhile fiancé. Once more, I got mired in confusion as it seems he was the one to end their betrothal. My understanding, from numerous romances and a bit of internet digging, was that this was not the done thing. A lady could cry off but not a gentleman. While I pondered that bit of information, Annabelle’s brother got drunk, and then created a scene when he advised her to marry one of his friends – an older man who is portly, bad-tempered, ill-mannered and a slovenly dresser besides.

Annabelle, of course, has no intention of doing that. She is forced to share the carriage home with the man along with other of her brother’s drunken friends, but when it’s time to disembark she ignores her suitor’s proffered hand and exits the carriage on her own. Her plan is to lock herself in her room but before she can escape, the rejected Romeo demands an answer to her rudeness. They have a minor altercation which Annabelle hopes is private but when she manages to disengage from the scene she realizes they have a witness; the same man who came to her rescue earlier that day is standing in the shadows, watching her.

Naturally, she demands to know why he is there and is surprised when her gentlemanly rescuer explains he is the servant of one of her brother’s guests. The reader already knows that he is actually a close friend of that gentleman as well as a servant. We also know he has accrued some savings and soon hopes to be a land owner. Annabelle, however, will only learn of this later. For the moment, the two have a barely civil exchange in which he offers to come to her aid should she ever need it again, after which she finally retires to her room and its locking door.

There is no comfort there, since her maid essentially tells her she needs to think through rejecting her only chance at marriage and the two wrestle with the possibility of Annabelle finding herself on the street begging. Again, really? Just when all hope seems lost Annabelle remembers something; she has an uncle at Fellsworth who once told her she would always have a place of refuge as long as he lived. She contacts Owen to ask for help arranging a carriage ride there and makes her escape, her maid in tow.

Once at Fellsworth, Annabelle discovers that her safe haven is not a place in her uncle’s home but as a teacher at his school. Feeling she has no real recourse, she accepts his offer and moves into a small attic room to begin her career as a teacher. As chance would have it, Owen Locke is the gamekeeper at a neighboring estate and the two develop a steady friendship. But their quiet country life soon contains some surprises, for trouble has followed Annabelle from London and it’s about to land on Owen’s doorstep.

One of the many things I liked about this tale was the pacing, which has a life-like cadence of fast and slow which gives both Annabelle and the reader time to reflect on all that is happening. I also really appreciated the way the author captures some of the struggles Annabelle faces as she moves from one style of life to another. Learning to dress and undress herself is a challenge that I think a lady of that time would have faced as she moved down in the world. I liked that Annabelle’s faith journey was a personal and private one, and I loved the moment she had towards the end of the novel where she shared her discovery of faith with someone of significance to her. I also enjoyed the development of Annabelle’s relationship with Owen’s daughter. Normally, those types of encounters in romance novels feel forced to me, with the child loving her future new mother on sight. In this case it feels like a much more natural progression.

I also enjoyed getting to know about Owen’s job as game keeper and I appreciated his kindly, steady personality. And I just loved having a working class, blue collar hero in a Regency romance!

While the romance between our leads didn’t shine, I thought the author did a good job of presenting us with two amiable characters who admired each other and would likely make a very solid marriage. That whole endeavor felt very true to the time, place and social station of the people involved.

A Stranger at Fellsworth is a story that I really wanted to love. In the end, I found it one that was very readable and enjoyable but not without difficulties. Historical errors/inconsistencies seemed to plague the text and bog down the tale the author was trying to tell us. I would recommend it to fans of the author and those who enjoy Inspirationals but readers new to the author or genre might prefer to start elsewhere.

Suspense, danger, painting, family, servants, friends, heartache, woods, horses, loneliness, intrigue, prayers, rumors, peace, love, pistols, hunting, carriage rides, dresses, boarding school, jewelry, scandal, dashing hero, teaching, gardens, arranged marriages, murder, Autumn, property, inheritance and a little bit of kissing.

I love this author's books and I really enjoy her writing style, her characters, the suspense(some books have more suspense than others), the mystery, and how she wraps it all up and gives the reader closure. A Stranger at Fellsworth was a great read that had me turning pages to find out what all the mystery was. I would just think I had it figured out and then something would happen and it was different than what I was thinking. I did have my eye on one character in particular but there were several characters who helped put a shadow over the one I was watching. Which then had me trying to decide if I was going to be correct in my guess or not. I love when an author can stump me in my guessing.

Annabelle was a sweet and courageous heroine. I ached for her when she came up against so many struggles. She was trying to find her place and feel loved but her life was full of deceit and being told what to do(yes it's a regency novel so that is what life was like for women, so probably not a big surprise saying she didn't have a lot of say in her choices). Her compassion was a great addition to her character. Several instances in the story showed her true nature and helped endear her character to me more.

Owen has some mystery surrounding him from the very beginning and as you read further into the novel all the bits and pieces are revealed. I really enjoyed the stories about his youth and I liked watching how those stories and life lessons shaped him and affected his decisions as a man.

The chemistry and romance in the book was so well written. I loved all the moments between Annabelle and Owen. You know the video montages on YouTube, yeah I want one showcasing each moment of these two characters with some rain falling down and the right music playing in the background. I'd even vote for a period drama to be made of this novel. I enjoyed the whole of this book but I will say that my favorite part of the book was anytime these two shared page time together. Talk about some sweet and tender moments. Not every moment between them had a romantic feel to it. I loved watching their friendship and relationship grow. Sometimes a little look, sometimes just a conversation. The scene in the study, oh I loved it! There are a couple scenes in the study so you'll have to read to figure it out, but I'm sure you'll know which one I'm talking about!

The pacing of the book had moments where it was a little slower and some where the intensity picks up the pace but I really enjoyed the reflective and slower moments. I think it's a job well done when an author can write a book with balance between the intensity and the slower moments. This has me wanting to go back and reread her other books. I have been a huge fan of her writing since my first book by her. If you haven't read any and like regency novels I highly recommend picking one up and getting lost in the pages.

Content: Clean. Some fight scenes but nothing graphic, and a few sweet kisses. Some talk about finding peace through prayer but nothing preachy. I would recommend this book for YA and up, I'd let my teenage daughters read it.

I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!