I have enjoyed Abigail Wilson's other stories, and was thrilled to have the chance to read this one. I like that they are told in a Victorian gothic style, adding some mystery to the romance.

Mystery, suspense, romance, and all things gothic - um sign me up! Wilson delivers (and then some) with The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. It is sure to make readers smile, gasp, and feel all the emotions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson is a haunting regency romance filled with abbey ruins, dark halls, and old friends. Charity Halliwell simply wants to return to the happier times of her youth, but her visit to Loxby Manor launches her into a mystery that could cost her life.

Chairty is a brave, caring woman. Five years – and some awful circumstances – changed her, but did they not make her bitter, only careful. But the disappearance of her friend, seeing the man she once loved, and being unwelcome in the house where she thought she’d find healing, leaves Charity unsettled. Nevertheless, she faces them straight on, no matter the heartache involved.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a gripping story with a mystery as haunting and winding as the dark paths around the old abbey that lay within sight of Loxby Manor. Some of the circumstances are difficult to read about, but the author keeps the hardest parts off screen (though there could be a trigger warning here). I admired how Charity faces her future and how she changes as she seeks to unravel the mystery of her missing friend.

I tend to be picky about my regency romance and The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is just the type I enjoy. A twisting mystery, wonderful characters, with a haunting tone. It’ll grip a reader until the end.

Due to a personal difference in beliefs (WITH THE PUBLISHER) I will not be reviewing this book outside of Netgalley nor do I plan to support Thomas Nelson in the future due to their decisions of late and the lack of fiction with good Biblical values.

This does not mean I do or do not like the book, it just means I will not be reviewing books for this publisher anymore as I do not care to support them.

A disappearance, a haunted monastery, and secret societies make for an unexpected and delightfully Gothic Regency Mystery with romance in Abigail Wilson’s The Vanishing at Loxby Manor.

Upon her return to England, Charity Halliwell takes up residence with the Cavanaugh family at Loxby Manor only for Seline Cavanaugh to disappear. The unexpected return of Piers Cavanaugh, the heir to Loxby who was all but banished after being a coward, sees her teaming up to find Piers’ missing sister.

While feelings resurface from before their parting five years ago, Charity denies them, not wanting a second chance at love after her experiences in Ceylon. Uncovering secrets, the pair courts danger and find that all is not as it seems at Loxby Manor - and perhaps it never was.

Once again, Abigail Wilson delivers an atmospheric and suspenseful Regency Mystery. With a charming narrator who brings you into her interior world, The Vanishing at Loxby Manor lives up to the promise that “you won’t be able to put it down.” Recommended.

This review refers to a temporary digital galley I voluntarily read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank to NetGalley I was able to read and listen to this one.

My review will be the same for both and I will add in I enjoyed the narrator on the audiobook.

This is no light Regency Romance Read. which I what I usually read. I really like the added suspense element to this book and the darker feel this book had to me.

I thought the characters both main and secondary were excellent and they drew me into the story.

This was my first read by this author and I will absolutely read more of her books.

Whoa! Talk about some great mystery and suspense. This is a fabulous gothicesque novel that pulled me in from the beginning and had me hanging on the edge of my seat. I couldn't read fast enough to discover who dunnit and how and why.

The author did a fabulous job in giving plenty of reasonable doubt on several characters in such a way that kept me guessing. I had my opinions and thought I'd have it all worked out only to be tricked and then I'd have to recalculate my guess. I love when an author can do that and I'm unsure of who the real culprit is until closer to the end.

I kept holding out hope for Charity and Piers and the other characters. I had my opinions and loved when some of them proved to be wrong. Nothing is as it seems at Loxby Manor or at the ruins nearby. Beware and don't go out wandering at night!!! Like, just don't do it. Don't these characters know that?

I've read a couple books by this author and I am excited to read her next book soon! Enjoy!!!

Content: Clean. The book has elements of suspense and mystery. There is a secret society in the book that adds to the suspense and mystery. All aspects are written in a clean way and not in a graphic way.

I received a copy from the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, via NetGalley. All opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

This is a pretty intense suspense novel. It had a very gothic feel to it. There is a manor with secrets, secret societies, and the disappearance of one of the characters. The overall feel was a little dark. It is a great book to read during this Halloween season!

The mystery feels like it is slow to come to a conclusion, but there are a lot of sleuthing and situations that occur. The progression felt very natural to me. I enjoyed the characters as I tried to sort out who was good and who was bad. Honestly, nothing is as it appears to be.

While I've established that this author is not for me. I can say Wilson does regency suspense and mystery to a t. If Jane Austen had wrote suspense and mystery this would be how it was written.

Abigail Wilson stunned me again! With a mysterious atmosphere that will give you shivers and hidden motives behind every new face, The Vanishing at Loxby Manor will thrill you till the last page. Once I started this mystery I didn't want to put it down till I'd flipped the final page.

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

Full of dark hiding places, family secrets, and betrayal, this book will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Gave me jane eyre vibes with the noises throughout the house at all hours. Great for historical fiction and/or mystery lovers.

The story started out intriguing. However, it started to drag especially in the middle. Still, the mystery was very good! I recommend this for fans of Victoria Hamilton!

A fascinating Regency mystery.
This story starts out rather dark, and that mood really lingers throughout the entire book.
Charity, after having been away for some long years, returns to the home of her childhood best friend, hoping to reunite with her supposed boyfriend.
When said friend, Seline, disappears on the very night she arrives, things just feel rather off. Seline leaves behind a note, which gives the supposition that she ran away. But there are just enough things that don't add up that leave Charity questioning what really happened.
And then there's Piers, Seline's brother, and Charity's first love. What really happened between them? Can they move on?
This darkly Gothic Regency novel is fascinating and intriguing, with lots of mystery thrown in.

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

First sentence from the prologue: "Impetuous. Risky. You needn't hold back now, Piers. I know precisely what's ticking in that mind of yours."

Premise/plot: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a gothic suspense novel set during the Regency in England. Charity Halliwell, our heroine, has made plans to stay with old family friends while her parents visit her brother in America. The Cavanaghs are old, old family friends. Piers, the oldest son, at one time held her whole heart with no reservations. But his heart wasn't technically free to give in return. Circumstances out of his control interfered with what might have been an offer of marriage. Now that she's returned from a five year stay in Ceylon, she's hoping to slowly but surely find a place for herself in England once again. Perhaps one day--in the far distances--she could find herself a position as a governess. Meanwhile, she wants to RELAX with her friends for a little while.

But soon after her arrival at Loxby Manor, well, all chances of rest and relaxation vanish....along with the literal vanishing of Selene Cavanagh. The two have a brief conversation. Charity loans out a black cloak and a brooch. Selene sneaks out of the house for a clandestine meeting...and never returns.

Charity and Piers work together to try to find out what happened....where did Selene go??? Did she elope with someone? Was she kidnapped? Is she being held hostage? Or is she....dead????

My thoughts: Though this is published by a Christian publisher, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to ANY reader who enjoys gothic mysteries OR Regency romances. It is ALL suspense/mystery/horror/thriller. No preaching, I promise.

I think my favorite part was that it kept me guessing. I did NOT see the twists and turns in this one. Perhaps other readers might? Certainly every reader is different when it comes to piecing together clues. But I thought it was well done. The gothic atmosphere was perfect. All the little details click into place by the end and it was quite satisfying. You don't recognize as you're reading all the little things that will come together to create quite a big picture.

A well crafted, beautifully written historical fiction novel. Romantic. Gothic. Intriguing. Well rounded characters. Five stars.

I love Abigail Wilson’s gothic regency romances. This one did disappoint. It had everything you would want in a clean Romance and a regency novel! I really enjoy her style of writing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson, for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This was a really gripping historical mystery. The pacing I felt was just right as extra layers to the mystery were gradually revealed and it kept you guessing until the end of the story. I also really enjoyed the setting and characters. I was fully engaged through out the book and read it in two sittings only.
I would definitely be interested in checking out more work from this author. Definitely recommend.

Regency Romance and Mystery

I'm a voracious reader of Regency romance, and when I can find them, I enjoy your Regency mysteries as well. This charmingly combines historical mystery and romance. The novel has several storylines going on at the same time, perfect for a book of this length. The central mystery has to do with the disappearance of the heroine's good friend, who happens to be the hero's sister. After we're told about this, mention of the “vanishing” fades into the background for much of the book as we learn more of the hero’s and heroine’s pasts and the secondary characters, including the hero's other family members and friends. I thought the mystery should have been more front and center, though I certainly enjoyed the second-chance-at-romance aspect of the book as well. Both the hero and heroine have difficulties in their pasts that appear to prevent them coming together in the present. Both are sympathetic characters. The hero is sweet and swoon-worthy, committed as he is to both his family and the heroine. While the author hinted at some sort of sexual misconduct/assault of the heroine while she was in Ceylon, at no point does she state what precisely happened in the tea garden with not too gentlemanly gentleman; I wish she had done so, as I was curious about what was such a crucial event that held her back from marriage. I will admit to being genuinely surprised at the ultimate villain of the piece, though I had some inkling that all was not as it seemed with him. The pacing of the book was uneven, slow at first, but then things really ratcheted up quickly at the end of the book. I don't feel like the author foreshadowed enough, though, especially about the secret society, which turned out to be very important but was sprung on us late in the game. While some might see this as a Regency Gothic, I thought it lacked several elements key to a Gothic mystery or story. Perhaps because of the romance, it didn’t seem moody or “spooky” enough to be a real Gothic novel. All in all, though, I found this to be a very enjoyable audiobook and ebook.

This was an enjoyable historical fiction book that had mystery, intrigue, and romance. I felt that the pace picked up as the book went on and I did not want to put it down!

Five years earlier, Charity Halliwell left the village she called home. Now she's returned and wants only to see her friend Seline Cavanagh and find a position as a governess. She plans to stay with old friends, the Cavanaghs, while she finds such a position, but her arrival at Loxby Manor isn't what she expected it to be. "I knew something was terribly wrong the moment I stepped foot back in Loxby Manor. . . " Seline goes missing that very night and the one man she must stay away from, Piers Cavanagh comes home to help find his missing sister. Add in the mysterious goings on at the ruins of the old abbey and Seline and Piers have more than one mystery on their hands.

I had so many questions while reading this book: what happened to Charity 5 years earlier that made her leave the village? What had Piers done to be branded a coward and an outcast? What happened to Seline? What are the Cavanaghs hiding?

This regency has a real gothic feel to it. So many mysteries to unravel--the missing young woman, strange goings on in the abbey ruins, finding out everyone's secrets. I kept turning pages late into the night to find the answers to all my questions. Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes and I got that with Charity and Piers. They found their way back to each while working together to solve all the mysterious happenings at and around Loxby Manor.

This is my first book by Abigail Wilson. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher Thomas Nelson--FICTION via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own.