Sarah Ladd never fails to create a lovely story. This era of the 1800s and the location of Cornwall and the mining industry all work together to provide the perfect backdrop to this story. Julia travels from Penwythe to Lanwyn Manor to care for her cousin who is expecting a baby and confined to her bed. As Julia gets off the stagecoach at the tavern, she is accosted by thugs who steal her money and frighten her badly. Rescued by Isaac, she discovers later he is the younger brother of the local mine owner. At a time when women were encouraged to marry well to ensure their financial security, Isaac's twin, Matthew, is the logical choice. Julia's heart does not agree. Thus starts the strange goings-on at the Manor. The mystery was an interesting element.
The mining element of the story was reminiscent of Poldark, and how closely the community's well-being was tied to the mines.

I really enjoyed how there was action right from the beginning! It was a great start to this Regency novel. Set in Cornwall, in 1818, there are definite parallels to the Poldark family saga. The backdrop is copper mining with a great deal of emphasis on the differences between the richer and the poorer highlighting those who care and give back and those who focus mainly on themselves and theirs with scant regard for others.

The author's characters are well-formed and are relatable, so it wasn't long before I was invested in the direction their stories took as the mystery built. I did find that certain characters became a little tedious as they repeated themselves so many times that it became somewhat of a distraction to the thread of the story.

While there's a definite beginning and end to the story of the goings-on at Lanwyn Manor, the author has also ended it in a way that piques curiosity and one does wonder the direction her next book will take.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. My thanks to #Netgalley, the author and Thomas Nelson.

Another masterpiece by Sarah E Ladd...I eagerly await her next novel and savor each and every page. Five Stars!

This was like a mix of Poldark and a Jane Austen novel. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the bit of mystery surrounding Lanwyn Manor and it’s rumored treasure. I liked the references to characters from the last book and reading about Julia. I really liked Isaac’s character a lot. I would love to see these characters again. I definitely recommend this book and this series. This can be read as a stand-alone, but is even better read after the first book.


I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.

The Thief of Lanwyn Manor is a historical romance book with a touch of mystery intertwined. Once I got settled into the book, I could not put it down. It seemed like something happened with every new chapter. Every page left you with questions that are all tied together in the end.

As this is my first read by Sarah Ladd, I haven't read the first book but didn't have any issues following along with this one. Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. It flowed well and makes me want to check out the other books by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book has it all, clean romance, mystery, betrayal, forgiveness and love. Julia is running from a broken heart and comes to be a companion for her cousin. She is robbed as soon as she arrives. Isaac Blake comes to her rescue. Isaac is a twin with Matthew. However Matthew is older by a few minutes and therefore owns the mine and the manor, while Isaac owns a cottage and a mine that isn't open. Who will she choose? This is a great book. I really enjoyed it.

3.5/5⭐️

I enjoyed this sweet, clean romance set in 1818 Cornwall.

Julia, a young woman who was recently duped by a man she loved, arrives to keep her bedridden cousin company, only to discover a “haunted” house reputed to contain hidden treasure, irate miners who are upset to be out of work when her uncle closes his mine and possible danger from an unknown source. She meets Isaac and Matthew, twin brothers who own a mine nearby and begins to heal her ❤️.

While not particularly outstanding, I enjoyed getting to know these characters and found the writing well done.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson for providing the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a recency era romance set in a min if community. The main characters, Isaac and Julia, are delightful and fight their attraction as Julia is supposedly better matched with Isaas twin matthew. I appreciated the author not shying from having the bad guy as part of the family. The novel has plenty of threads that could lead to another novel and I for one am cheering Isaac in in his ventures to open Wheal Gwenna. Great clean read!

The Thief of Lanwyn Manor is a historical romance set in Cornwall. In the story, Julia has come to stay with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in their new home after she suffers a romantic disappointment back home. Isaac Blake is a mine owner, along with his twin brother, and on Julia’s first day in town he saves her from a man holding her at gunpoint.

The love story was sweet, and the mystery (who is the thief of Lanwyn Manor) was well plotted. However, there were some strange discrepancies in the details throughout the book that made it difficult for me to stay immersed in the story. For example, Julia’s cousin Caroline repeatedly tells her that because Lanwyn Manor is so historic, Caroline’s father will not allow any changes to be made to the decor in the house. Later in the story though, Isaac Blake is visiting the Manor and thinks to himself how different the house looks now that Julia’s family is living there instead of the previous owner.

There are several small discrepancies like that one, and every time I would happen upon one, it would throw me right out of the story. At first, I thought maybe those small details would be addressed at the end of the book when the mystery was solved, but none of them ever were. Also, in the book, Julia’s Uncle did a number of very strange things that were commented on by characters in the book, but were never really addressed in the end.

Overall, I thought the story was sweet, and I would probably recommend it to my gentle romance and cozy mystery readers, but probably not to other folks.

The Thief of Lanwyn Manor is a delightful Regency romance set in Cornwall. This book is filled with mystery, family drama and love. This book is the second in the series and I look forward to the next installment.
*I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson and this is my honest opinion

Sarah Ladd has a knack for writing Regency Romance. She combines the time period, roman, and a little bit of mystery. In The Thief of Lanwyn Manor, Julia has moved to Lanwyn Manor to keep her cousin company during her difficult pregnancy and to get away from a broken heart. She is staying with her aunt and uncle in the mining district of Cornwall. Her aunt is determined to find Julia a "suitable" match. Julia is pushed toward Matthew but she develops feelings for Isaac, Matthew's twin brother. After a series of disturbing events that has everyone at Lanwyn Manor upset, Julia is doubting her judgment in men. Who is the perpetrator behind the threats to Julia and her family? Can Isaac prove his love for her before it's too late.
In addition to the mystery and romance, the reader will learn about copper mining in 19th Century England.

Cornwall 1807 – Tregarthan Hall Isaac Blake and his brother Matthew start out in the prologue as boys, at the age of 14. Their father, Joseph, doles out a consequence to the boys, and bids them again to get along and not throw punches. Matthew will one day get Wheal Tamsen and the Hall, while Isaac will get Wheal Gwenna, an old closed copper mine. We then jump to 1818, where we meet Julia Twethewey, who’s facing a man with a gun, when Isaac enters the taproom and brings enough distraction for the barkeep. We are introduced to both Blake brothers, Julia’s relatives and some townspeople, as the story builds. Julia is faced with figuring out who she can trust, who’s telling the truth and what to do with what she’s being told to do and whether to trust her heart. On top of that we have a mystery and a curse she’s been told about. The story keeps you guessing throughout, with tensions abounding between Julia’s Uncle’s family and the townspeople. Another page turning, beautiful story by this author. Looking forward to finding out who is featured in the 3rd installment of this series!
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson through Net Galley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is easily my favorite of Sarah Ladd's books to date. The Thief of Lanwyn Manor is a must read for fans of Poldark with its setting in a mining village of Cornwall, a beautiful manor full of secrets, a heroine full of grit and a light dose of romance.

I loved how Ladd portrayed Isaac and his heart for the plight of the workers in the mining community. As in her other books, Ms. Ladd's research brings to light the hardships suffered by the working poor in England during this time.

While the faith thread is not as apparent as in some of her other books, I appreciate the clean read. Ms. Ladd is one of my favorite authors of Regency fiction. I look forward to reading more in this series.

One of my favorite quotes:
" Life often calls us to step out of what is familiar and comfortable to help those around us, does it not? But the rewards far outweigh the pains along the way."

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Like the first book in the Cornwall series, The Thief of Lanwyn Manor contains an element of mystery and suspense. I also enjoy that the main character, Julia, has a bit more spunk than typical. Readers will find themselves frustrated with her aunt and uncle, but will enjoy that everything works out in the end. Astute readers will pick up on the numerous clues and have figured out much of the story before the end arrives. All in all a nice enjoyable story for a winter weekend.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series by Sarah Ladd. The covers are always stunning! You definitely need to read the first book in this series before diving into this one. These books CAN be read as stand alones, but I always recommend reading the first one. It is easy to get sucked into these because Sarah Ladd’s writing is just simply divine.

The story does move a little slow, and the plot is very character driven. This is a good thing for these stories. This book is a good suspenseful read and I really enjoyed it a lot! One thing I love about Ladd’s writing is even though it takes a few chapters to get invested, once you do you just HAVE to finish them to see what happens. She has this way of hooking you in and making you care about her characters that you do not see in a lot of authors.

I really cannot wait until the next book in this series comes out. I cannot wait to see whose story we get to dive into next! I want to thank the author Sarah Ladd, the Publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

This is the second book I have read by Sarah Ladd. When I received a copy of The Thief of Lanwyn Manor to read and review, I first wanted to read the first book in the series, The Governess of Penwythe Hall. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything and getting thrown into a set of characters and circumstances that I didn't understand. One thing that is really good about this series, at least so far, is that these books can be read as stand alones with feeling at all confused or lost. I found myself wanting to yell at Julia to ignore Matthew, that he's just using you! But of course, I couldn't because it's a book and she couldn't hear me.

The story did move a little bit slow in some parts. However, in the author's defense, I had been reading a lot of more modern day stories, so the language and the settings required and adjustment period. Plus the Thanksgiving holiday slowed me down a bit. Overall, mystery or suspense type books aren't usually my favorite, which also impacted my speed of reading on this one. But that's not to say it wasn't a bad book. Just like the first book in this series, there was a lot of suspense at the end that really kept me reading because I had to know how it ended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Julia Twethewey was too obvious with her interest in a certain dashing young gentleman, and when he becomes engaged to another, she shamefacedly leaves the neighborhood to avoid embarrassment. Her cousin Jane, wife to a deployed military man, is on bedrest at Lanwyn Manor in Cornwall, and Julia goes to attend her as a companion until the birth of her child. Although Cornwall isn't far from home, it's far enough to be a different country entirely. Julia discovers unrest between the unemployed miners and the mine owners, one of whom is her uncle.

The target of a disgruntled villager, Julia is rescued by Isaac Blake, the overseer at one of the mines. Isaac's prestigious brother Matthew begins paying her court, but Julia is unsure whether he is more attracted to her person or to her uncle's mining property. And although Matthew is certainly charming, she feels a definite flutter of the heart when she crosses Isaac's path several times on her morning rides. 

When valuable trinkets begin to disappear from Lanwyn Manor, Julia must decide whether to believe the old legends of a ghost or whether something more sinister is afoot. Is it prudent for her to confide in a certain gentleman, or will her feelings only make a fool of her one more time?

This novel took a few chapters to engage my interest, but the action picked up after the first third of the book. Isaac is a well-drawn hero, torn between following his own ambition and catering to his brother's wishes. The inferiority he feels to Matthew is painful, as is his stoic acceptance of the fact that any woman would prefer his brother in matters of the heart. Julia (who was introduced in Ms. Ladd's first Cornwall book as Jac's eldest niece) is an unexceptional heroine with flawless manners, a beautiful singing voice, and a kind heart. Her one foible seems to be a fear of trusting her heart (in view of the embarrassing episode that provoked her visit to Cornwall in the first place). 

The book is marketed to "fans of Poldark," but the similarities mostly involve the setting. The Thief of Lanwyn Manor has little of the grittiness one might expect in a Poldark drama. A few elements of suspense give the book a Daphne Du Maurier feel, but overall, this is more of a sweet romance than a dark tale. This book is a satisfying addition to the Ladd canon of Regencies. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I think this one of my favorites from the author.

Julia and Isaac are great characters and the setting reminded me of Poldark with all the mining references. Even though Isaac Blake doesn't have dark hair, I kept seeing Ross Poldark in my mind.

Julia goes to Lanwyn Manor to help her cousin who's expecting and not feeling well. Julia also wants to get away from all the rumors after the man she thought would propose to her married another.

She meets Isaac Blake when she's held at gunpoint at the village inn and he steps in front of the gun to protect her. As they meet, a friendship forms between them. They are genuinely good people and they recognize that in the other.

I won't give any spoilers but there are several things happening at the manor and the danger keeps mounting.

I enjoyed the cast of secondary characters and how they added to the story.

I wonder whose story will be next.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Another winner from Sarah Ladd! I love how her books transfer the reader back to the time period they are set in. I enjoyed the characters and the bit of mystery that this one has in it!

A bit predictable and slow:
I found this book a bit sluggish and whilst it was well written descriptive prose, it didn't grip me. There was some mystery and intrigue but the overall mood seemed a bit melancholic and depressing to me. In fact happiness was not to be found until the last couple of pages.
If you enjoy regency romance and Poldark then this is sure to please. One thing that was a little misleading is that the genre listed was Christian romance but this particular novel does not have any Christian or Inspirational themes.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.