Is it wrong to admit the thing that made me choose to read this book was neither the enticing description, nor the gorgeous cover, but rather the quote from Herself (aka Diana Gabaldon) describing it as "spellbinding"? (Hey, whatever works, right?)

Right or wrong, I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed reading this book! I may read it again, in fact, because I don't remember how it ended anymore.

I will most definitely be reading more of Kearsley's novels in the future!

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley.

#netgalley #bookstagram
Historical fiction and current story!
Charley goes back to the area where her estranged ancestors lived, great story mixing history and present day.
Author did a nice mix with this one. #bookbooksbooks #booklover #readersofinstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #belleweather #susannakearsley #reader #readersofinstagram
Enjoyed this story! #americanhistory History of northeast US

I’d first like to say how much I loved this cover! It is what made me pick up this book from the store. Perfect 5 stars on the cover!

The story, while thoroughly researched and beautifully written, was rather slow moving. I fought hard to keep my attention on the pages but would often find my mind wandering. Never a good sign for me.

I enjoyed the characters, but from afar. Not one character stood out as my favorite and they all felt a little gray. I enjoyed the little bit of mystery but again, it was very minor and the story just took way too long to unfold. The little bit of supernatural that was included was also enjoyable but just not enough to wow me.

And why, oh why, is the name of the book Bellewether? It was named after such a small part of the story, having so many other parts being way more important. It just didn’t make any sense to me.

So basically, this was a well cooked, beautiful dinner without any flavor. Just my personal opinion.

Susanna Kearsley is such a beloved novelist. Her stories transport you to another time and place. "Bellewether" does this as well. Such a great novel and the cover is amazingly beautiful.

For a spellbinding story, Susanna Kearsley is always the author to turn to for a great read. BELLEWETHER is no exception, featuring two life star-crossed lovers during the French and Indian War and a present-day storyline involving a museum curator trying to discover the truth behind this breathtaking love story...

(Full review on FreshFiction.com)

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

One reason that it took me so long to review this book is that it is very slow, which I've come to expect with Kearsley's books, but this one was slower than usual. The story weaves back and forth from a love story set during the French & Indian War and the story of a modern day curator of the historic house where everything takes place. There's lot of good historical information, but the main characters and love story lacked chemistry that made me want to keep reading.

I love Susanna’s writing and enjoyed the back and forth between past and present as the story unfolded. I found it fascinating to learn about a curator’s role, and to also learn about a time in our country's history that I knew little about - the seven year war. The story meandered along and I began jumping to my own conclusions as to how it would end, and in the end I was surprised.

Peak Kearsley. Stories of a modern woman and colonial woman coincide when both encounter the Wilde House on Long Island. I loved the investigation into the "ghost story" and finding out what was based in fact and fable. I was very happy with the ending and would recommend this to anyone looking for a slightly spooky, atmospheric and altogether fun page-turner.

The author offers an extremely well-researched novel with prose that flows beautifully. She weaves the two storylines well and keeps the plot moving steadily. This was a lovely character-driven novel – both primary and secondary characters are well developed.

The pace of this story is slow (at times, there is a great amount of detail on the curating process). While on reflection this plot was not packed with action, it still managed to keep me turning pages.

This is a story about relationships, grief, and what we do for those we love.

I appreciate it when an author to introduce me to a piece of history of which I little knowledge beyond the basic facts taught in school. Bellewether was an engaging read with the right blend of history and drama.

This book wasn't my favourite by this author but it wasn't bad. I have to admit that it took me quite awhile to get through it and I'm struggling to recommend it. The characters just fell a bit flat for me and the back and forth was a bit hard to follow at times.

Kearsley's books never disappoint. They are always so beautifully written and obviously researched - getting lost in her world is always a joy.

I love Susanna Kearsley but this book was not as engaging as some of her other books. The Winter Sea was her best book.

It all begins with a house: the Wilde House, which dates back to 1682, when Jacob Wilde came across from England and picked a spot above a small cove in Messaquamik Bay, Long Island to build his family a home. In the present day, it is a museum to Jacob’s famous descendent: the dashing, adventurer Benjamin Wilde, who captained the fair Bellewether. Sadly the house has been neglected over recent years, so the board decide to appoint a new curator: Charley Van Hoek, who has recently moved to the area after the sudden death of her brother to take care of her teenage niece.

I instantly liked Charley because she is a smart, practical and down-to-earth woman, with her head well and truly screwed on. Not the type for flights of fancy, and yet, one night, in the woods behind the house, Charley would swear she saw a ghostly, swinging lamp; which is linked to the legend of Benjamin Wilde’s sister, Lydia and her doomed romance with a French officer. As Charley starts to delve deeper into the history of the Wilde House, she discovers it holds many secrets and that Lydia’s legend may be based on some truth… but not quite the whole truth.

The second narrative of the novel follows Lydia Wilde in 1759, where the North American colonies are being torn apart by the continuing war between Britain and France. Whilst Lydia is already struggling to keep her fractured family together – following her mother’s death – she little needs the added trouble of two captured French officers, brought to them for their parole of honour. Neither does the French-Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran have any desire to be there, but by the war’s end they’ll both learn love, honour, and duty can form tangled bonds that are not broken easily.

Again Kearsley has weaved together two immersive, believable narratives, with two strong, compelling heroines. All delivered in her comforting and familiar writing style, which I have come to love so much; like a favourite jumper. I must admit I wasn’t initially thrilled when I learnt that this was set in America – I do have a biased preference for her previous settings of the British Isles and Italy – however I was proven very wrong. This was a really interesting setting and time period, that Kearsley brought to life beautifully, which made for a refreshing change and taught me quite a bit too. Although it does all wrap up a little abruptly at the end.

All in all, I thought Bellewether was a wonderful escapist read, with a lovely blend of history, war, romance and mystery. It isn’t about to topple my old favourites The Rose Garden and Mariana, but it is a nice edition to Kearsley’s burgeoning canon of work.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018! Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite authors because she blends history, romance, and mystery so well that the reader becomes enthralled in her story. In Bellwether, I did not feel any of Mrs. Kearsley’s magic. She still writes beautiful and her settings are exquisite. However, there was not much romance or plot in this book. She is still my favorite author, but this was just not her best. I still look forward to more of her work.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous isn’t it?! Between that and the book’s synopsis I was hooked! I love reading stories that alternate between the present and the past and I am an avid fan of historical fiction so Bellewether was right up my alley. It’s an engaging story with great characters, well written and it truly did “grab me and didn’t let me go”. I’m eager to read another book by Ms. Kearsley!

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

Again, another book I loved by this author. The writing surrounds me like a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea on a cold day. The book is neither fast nor slow paced, but just right. Again Kearsley presents a dual timeline that flows evenly throughout the book. Looking forward to more by this author.

I am a huge fan of Susanna Kearsley and this well-researched ghostly tale was every bit as enjoyable as I expected. I loved the setting and thought the past and present stories were very well entwined and every character felt vital and fully-realised.

I enjoyed Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley it was a fairly good historical fiction romance novel. It was my first by this author and am definitely interested in more now.

Charley's life is turned upside down when her brother dies and now must take care of her teenage niece. She leaves her former life behind and moves to Millbank, New York. It's a cute town near the water and filled with history. Being a bit of a historian herself, she takes a job at the Wilde House Museum and the more she learns about the history of this house, the more things become interesting. Switch to the historical narratives and readers meet Lydia Wilde, who lives at the Wilde House along with her father and her brothers. Two captured French soldiers billet at the house, which Lydia thought would be a horrible situation as they are unwanted. One of the soldiers, Jean-Philippe, is a true gentleman and shows an interest in Lydia. Before we know it, sparks fly between them. Meanwhile, Charley learns more about the Wilde House and realizes that there are many clues as to what exactly happened to Jean-Philippe and Lydia many years ago. Susanna Kearsley's latest novel novel, Bellewether, will be appreciated by fans of various narratives that are woven together along with a side of historical fiction.

Both Charley and Lydia, although from different time periods, were interesting characters in Bellewether. Both had complex relationships with their families and both are well-developed. I never found myself drawn to one particular narrative over the other. The third narrative in Bellewether comes from Jean-Philippe and I liked his perspective as it really painted the full picture. Readers can tell that Kearsley truly researched the time period and what life was like during the 18th century and the French and Indian War as I felt that Jean-Philippe was also well-developed as a French Canadian soldier.

My main issue with Bellewether was the slow, slow build. There were various points where I put the novel down and I wasn't quite sure if I'd pick it back up. It took quite sometime to get the story moving and for Charley to start to uncover some secrets surrounding Lydia and Jean-Philippe. During the 18th century portion of the story, it was also slow moving and filled with a lot of mundane everyday activities until things picked up between Lydia and Jean-Philippe.

Fans of Kearsley know that she always ties in a sort of paranormal presence in her stories and that is true in Bellewether as well. The mysterious atmosphere of the house is really brought to life, especially when Charley notices a ghostly presence at Wilde House as well as curious objects from the past. On the same note, I found this aspect of the novel to be a bit predictable in that Kearsley seems to be following somewhat of the same formula time and time again.

Nonetheless, fans of Kearsley will enjoy this tale filled with ghosts, historical homes, romance, and stories woven together through the years. This isn't my favorite of Kearsley's novels that I have read, but I enjoyed it overall.