Charity Halliwell returns to Loxby Manor having been in Ceylon for more than five years ago. Piers Cavanagh broke her heart but soon found himself branded a coward after her departure. Soon after she returns, Pier’s sister goes missing and. She must then join forces with Piers to help uncover the mysterious disappearance of his sister and the strange nightly occurrences in the ruins of an old abbey. Questions arise about the secret organization that might involve their friends. Piers also finds himself needing to overcome his aversion to society whilst seeking to not break Charity’s heart.
I loved both characters of Charity and Piers. Whilst Piers is a serious character, his kindness and warmth exudes from the pages. His love for Charity is so evident to the reader whilst not to Piers. I so longed for this to have a happy ending and to give Charity the happiness she so deserved. The romance between the two was so delicate, that in thinking about it, brings a smile to my face.
Plenty of mystery and interesting characters, this is a book to savour.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a Regency story with a complicated mystery to unravel along with renewing old friendships, estranged family relationship with undercurrents of secrets. Charity Halliwell grew up near the Cavanaugh family at their home, Loxby Manor, in the English countryside but has been in Ceylon with her family for five years. Her parents are now in Boston visiting her brother and she is going to be staying with the Cavanaugh family. Something happened to Charity in Ceylon that was traumatic and she didn't want to travel to America. She can tell right away that something is strange at the manor upon her arrival when no one is around. She has a brief visit with Seline, her friend, but then she disappeared. Soon, the family is turned upside down trying to find out what has happened to Seline. There are lot of strange things going on with all of the family members. Mrs. Cavanaugh has emotional issues, Avery, the middle son, is hiding something, Mr. Cavanaugh is bedridden and blind from an accident with his horse, Piers, the oldest son, is living near Liverpool because of a scandal although he did return after Seline's disappearance. Piers and Charity were close at one time but things are strained between them now. The two do decide to put their heads together to figure out what is going on with the others and Seline's disappearance.
The atmosphere, setting, time period, and characters all make this story so rich and the mystery of everything going on is complicated and makes for a story that kept me engaged. I was quite surprised with how things turned out. Things are not always how they seem. Definitely recommend this story for a historical mystery with complicated relationships, light faith thread, and some romance.
I received a complimentary ARC from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

** “ ‘How does one find their way back when you’ve lost so much of themselves along the way? It’s like the whole world is blurry and no matter how hard I squint, I can’t seem to see clearly.’ …

‘I’m not certain anyone can go back, not really. It’s more about finding a way to go on, to move forward, to trust God will take something bad that has happened and work it for good.’ ” **

Abigail Wilson offers a delightful Regency romantic thriller with “The Vanishing at Loxby Manor.”

When Charity Halliwell returns from Ceylon for a yearlong stay with her childhood friends, the Cavanaghs, her best friend Seline disappears after the two young women see a mysterious light at the nearby abbey.

Charity must join forces with Piers Cavanagh, the man whom she once loved but was mysteriously rejected by, to search for Seline — and possibly reclaim their former romance.

Wilson does a great job of developing relatable and flawed characters — as both Charity and Piers must overcome past hardships and shames and learn to forgive themselves and to trust again.

A story filled with secret societies, disappearances and murders, “The Vanishing at Loxby Manor” is an incredible story where things are never as they seem. Filled with plenty of both mystery and romance, it’s also filled with great themes, like wounds filled with grief are hard to heal; we can’t erase time or our pasts; shame will only weaken and destroy; and allowing God to help us move past the bad circumstances in our lives and find the good.

This book, due out Jan. 26, is a standalone novel. Fans of authors like Joanna Davidson Politano and Sarah E. Ladd will enjoy “The Vanishing at Loxby Manor.”

Five stars out of five.

Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Abigail Wilson has yet to disappoint me with one of her books, and I absolutely loved her newest; The Vanishing at Loxby Manor, a gothic and atmospheric mystery that had me glued to the story right from the opening pages. With a love once lost, past scandals, a mysterious manor that overlooks an abandoned ruin, and a strong female heroine who will stop at nothing to get the answers she desperately seeks, this one truly had everything I was looking for, and I could barely put it down once I started it.

Charity Hallwell returns home to the village she grew up in after five years away and harboring a horrible secret. Given the opportunity to spend a year at the beloved Loxby Manor, a childhood favorite, she jumps at the chance. However, she didn't expect her best friend Selene to disappear on her first night here, or for Selene's older brother Piers, the once love of her life, to have come back home.

As Piers and Charity start to work as a team to put the pieces of Selene's disappearance together, they start to realize that they've stumbled upon something much more sinister than a simple disappearance, and that the old feelings between them have begun to rekindle. Something dark is simmering beneath the surface at their beloved Loxby Manor, and no one is truly safe from the evil lurking within.

Abigail Wilson's newest release is a delight to read from start to finish, and she has become my new go to for gothic regency mysteries. I loved that this one kept me guessing right until the end, features a past love rekindled, and is completely clean from start to finish. I highly recommend picking this one up, and I will be anxiously awaiting whatever treat she has in store for her readers in her next novel.

Final Rating: 5/5.



Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC.
This is my first book by Abigail Wilson and will not be my last. Love a good mystery. The story and the author kept me reading wanting (and waiting) to see what happens.

This is only my second book I have read by Abigail Wilson but I think this one was my favorite. I loved how well written it was and I loved the mystery. I loved how we didn’t know who the villain was until close to the end of the book. It kept me engaged the whole time. I also liked that there was a little romance so we could hope for a somewhat happy ending. I really enjoyed this book.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

This book had a great plot, surrounded by mystery, but it took a long time for me to really get into the story and place who was who.
From a bygone English era, titles, marrying more for money than love, and many social rules, made lives harder. The author does a good job of filling in these details as she develops her characters.
Once I got into the story, I was eager to discover the secrets and villain. There is a lot gong on, but it is a good read and I would recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Arriving to visit her best friend Seline and her family, Charity doesn't find Loxby Manor the refuge that she was hoping for. In the five years that Charity was gone, she has changed and Seline's family has changed as well. The same night that Charity arrives, Seline disappears. Charity doesn't believe that Seline eloped. While searching for her, the family keeps Seline's disappearance a secret to avoid scandal. Piers's arrival adds to the stress due to being Charity's former secret beau and to his old scandal. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love this book with its gothic tone as well as the main characters. The suspense in this book builds as Charity and Piers search for answers. I love how this book kept me guessing until the very end. I also love that both Charity and Piers were well developed characters that had to learn to deal with their pasts. I also like seeing how an incident in Ceylon continued to affect Charity, which is often shown in regency books. With this book, I have become a fan of the author. I look forward to her next book.

This was a fun read. I loved the mystery aspect to it- it kept me guessing the whole time. Every time I thought I knew who the “bad guy” was something would make me change my mind. Definitely an entertaining book. I did feel like a lot of the characters showed little to no emotion when bad things happened. I’m not sure how I would act if I stumbled across a murder scene but I doubt I would want to go play cards and gossip with my friends.
That aside- it was still a book worth reading.

I have read my fair share of Regency romance, at times Regency’s do tend to grind for me a little as they can be very similar in prose – I mean why is that? I will be honest and say that with except of a handful of favourite authors who write regency – I do tend to via away from the era these days, there is only so much bowing, curtseying and ‘yes mi’ lord, no mi’ lord three bag’s full mi’ lord‘ that this little reviewer can take, but yet I am inexplicably drawn to the era and one of the reason’s I chose to review this book.

I was all ready for the stereotypical fluffy fun and charming Regency love affair, and what I got was something very different, it’s not your usual Regency it’s dramatic, mysterious and beautifully gothic – I would even say this had a more Victorian edged feel to it then a glittering Regency and I thoroughly enjoyed it, its a breath of fresh air.

I was intrigued by this as soon as I saw it, the first line of the back blurb caught my attention straight away; ‘Disappearances, strange activities in the night, and secret organizations abound in this mysterious Regency romance.’ it reads like a trailer of a film, doesn’t it? Plus add into the mix that beautiful, eye-catching cover – which if you ask me it looks a little like Whitby Abbey.

I’ve not read any of Wilson’s books before, I will defiantly be reading more of her work. I really like her swirling way with words and her compelling and richly textured historical detail.

After an incident years before, which she has kept a deep secret she has the opportunity to return home, she has spent fives deeply unhappy and ashamed she desperately wants happiness and she hopes by returning home she can get that much wanted happiness and peace back again. To come face to face with the brute who broke her heart!

I really liked Charity, there is a fragility about her which makes you want to keep her safe, she’s almost child-like but there is kindness, caring and passionate nature beneath that vulnerable, shy and slightly naive that exterior. My heart broke for her, you can instantly see that she and Piers are made for each other and yet there is that shared history which does tend to get in the way, plus the happenings at the manor.

There is so much to love about this story, and way too much going on to really go into too much detail as that would give away far too many spoilers (no spoilers will ever be found here) but with a long lost romance, a mystery, scandal, secret societies, strange happening, charismatic and cheeky character’s, villains you love to hate all of which is entwined with a gorgeous gothic, tense and brooding atmosphere which hangs over the reader like a heavy mist, which I love!

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a dark-edged, mysterious, atmospheric, imaginative, immersive and dramatic historical with a tantalising second chance romance which will pull at the heart-strings.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor combines Regency era England with some Gothic darkness to bring a mystery wrapped up in a second chance love story.

Charity Halliwell returns to her friends at Loxby Manor after five years abroad, while her parents travel to America to visit her brother. She arrives with a secret that has fundamentally changed her. All that she hopes for is to find a governess position, and to reconnect with her friend, Saline. On her first night there, Saline borrows her cloak and disappears into the night with promises to return within the hour. When she fails to return, Charity's concern morphs into fear for her friend. How can she tell Saline's family that she's run away? Or did she?

Pierce Cavanaugh was branded a coward when assisting an injured friend made him miss a duel that he'd been called out for. While society and his mother had turned their backs on him, he continued to run the estate for his disabled father. He did his best to live honorably, but hearing that Charity had returned was enough to bring him home. His first - and only - love, Charity had been his best friend growing up. Can he keep his love for her under wraps as they work together to solve his sister's disappearance?

This book was a slow starter, but its gradual build to the climax really works for the Gothic flavor of the story. Readers who enjoy Gothic mystery with a side of romance, will enjoy The Vanishing at Loxby Manor.

What an exciting book! It begins with the disappearance of Seline, who runs off and is presumed to elope with a stable hand, but this is discovered to be untrue when the stable hand is found mysteriously murdered soon after. Charity helps Piers try to unravel the mystery of her disappearance and this murder, though they both have to work through feelings they have always had for one another. It's been five years since the two were sweethearts, but they still feel a lot for each other. As the mystery unravels, we find the guilty person is not who you originally think it will be. Excellent story, clean and well written, I definitely recommend it!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Abigail Wilson once again crafts an excellent blend of mystery and romance with The Vanishing at Loxby Manor. It has her signature Gothic flair, feeling both atmospheric and deeply emotional.

I truly identified with Charity due to her past sexual assault. It was dealt with sensitively, with her attempts to cope in the aftermath and reluctance to trust again feeling realistic.

Piers is also vulnerable due to his own past, but he’s also a very sweet person, providing a sense of balance that Charity needed.

Ultimately, both of them being guarded of their pasts lends to the secretive nature of the characters throughout the book, which also extends to the secondary characters and the mystery itself. There is definitely a question of the issue of trust, and ultimately, betrayal.

This is another solid book by Abigail Wilson, and one I think will delight fans of Regency and/or Gothic romance.

A secret society outlawed decades ago. A woman gone missing. A family who isn’t all they appear to be. The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a chilling read – make sure your lights are on for this one.
Charity Halliwell has returned to England after being whisked away by her parents five years prior. Instead of heading to America with her family to visit her older brother, Charity begs to return to the home she left. Her wish is granted. If only she’d gone with her family…
I won’t spoil the story and give more detail than that.
The easy narrative pulls the reader in to a time and place where legends were created and brought to life. Loxby Manor and the people who reside in it are hiding secrets. Is no one to be trusted? Charity is pulled into intrigue and has a personal stake with the woman who disappears the very night Charity arrives. The novel is spent searching for the woman, questioning those who last saw her and chasing leads that brings her nowhere.
There are twists and turns that the reader may not easily predict, which makes this a delightful experience. There are enough clues sprinkled throughout the pages to help readers draw their own conclusions and then quickly squashed as Charity uncovers the truth.
If you enjoy regency romance with a whole lot of intrigue, you’ll enjoy this read.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I believe this is my first book of Abigail Wilson’s and it won’t be my last. The way she weaved this mystery with suspense held my attention to the end. I kept guessing at what I thought happened and who did what. She did a great job of making it hard to guess and yet still believable in the end. I also love the way she writes the relationship between Charity and Piers. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

A deliciously captivating novel that I found impossible to put down. I think The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is Abigail Wilson's best story to date! Five stars are not enough!

Suspence, mystery, romance, and scandal aplenty kept me glued to the pages of this new stand alone novel. The characters were well thought out and very likeable. I was constantly kept guessing as to whom was responsible for 'the vanishing" and I can admit that my assumptions were never correct! I really hope that this novel turns into the beginning of a series because I really enjoyed the characters and would enjoy another adventure with them. What sets Abigail Wilson apart from other authors is her tremendous talent for incorporating the vocabulary of the time period into the story in a way that feels natural and right. This adds an extra layer of dimension and realism to the the time period and I always appreciate it.

"I don't believe God made us to be looking back all the time, calculating every mistake we've made, measuring our worth by actions we can no longer change, particularly when such a practice comes at the the expense of our future." I found this a particularly thought provoking passage. I know I am often guilty of dwelling on past mistakes, to the point of finding myself "stuck in them" instead of accepting the freedom God has given me to accept forgiveness and move ahead.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but I would declare it a must read of 2021!

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor will be available for purchase from your local or online book retailer, January 26, 2021.

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the free copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a standalone historical mystery/gothic story. Charity Halliwell has returned to visit England and Loxby Manor while her parents visit her brother in Boston. Her parents had moved them away rather suddenly five years prior and this is the first chance she has had to return. She is staying with the Cavanagh family but is shocked to see everyone so changed. Piers who she was in love with five years ago is in Liverpool and disgraced for not having shown up to a duel and his brother Avery is down from University for some issue. Seline her childhood friend arrives in her room and is telling her about a scandal with her and a stable hand and how she is planning on fixing everything. As they are sitting in Charity’s room Seline sees a light in the Abbey and begs to borrow Charity’s black cloak but promises to return. Charity anxiously awaits her return but it is very late so Charity decides to raise the alarm with her family as Charity has nightmares of an attack on herself when she was in Ceylon. Thus begins the vanishing of Seline and the mystery of if she eloped with the stable hand or if something more disastrous happens. Piers returns and her feelings are in an upheaval as she feels based on her past she can never marry and is convinced to become a governess but vows to stay until new of Seline is found. This was a mystery of a secret society and family secrets. You are kept engaged the entire story and is a fast read. I have read some other stories by this also and have also enjoyed. Will look for others from her.

This was everything I’d come to expect from Abigail Wilson - perfection! The mystery was so well crafted and had a resolution I didn’t see coming. And a second chance romance is my favorite kind - these two leads had so much baggage to work through, and almost all of it was thrust upon them without their control. But Wilson truly excels at creating a creepy, misty Gothic atmosphere. I’m so glad I didn’t read this one late into the night... spooky!

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

When Charity returns to Loxby Manor after five years away, things are not as they seem. But then, she's changed too. When Seline, her best friend and daughter of the family she was staying with disappears on her first night back, she's plunged into a mystery. Added to that, she has to work with the man who broke her heart years earlier,  Seline's older brother Piers, for answers.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is written in the first person and took some getting used to as I can't recall ever reading a book of this type written from the first-person POV. The reader is limited to Charity's viewpoint and things unfolded slowly because we have to contend with all of her memories, emotions, and uncertainty.

Charity is not the bold heroine I've gotten used to in historical fiction, but there's something about her that draws you in. You want to learn more about her and you want her to keep asking questions so you can unravel the mystery and there was a lot of it.

It seemed as if everyone in the novel had something to hide which made it all the more difficult to unravel the mystery. I have to admit that things didn't quite turn out as I had imagined them, though looking back the clues were there.

The romance between Piers and Charity was overshadowed by Seline's disappearance and  the characters past but they did get their happy ending.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a reminder that you don't always know people as well as you think you do. There was also the reminder that people can do strange things in the right circumstances.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor had a  subtle theme that shame stops you from living your best life. It locks you away from the people and pursuits you enjoy and never really go away until you face it.

There wasn't much of a faith element except for this quote which stuck out for me,

“I’m not certain anyone can go back, not really. It’s more about finding a way to go on, to move forward, to trust God will take something bad that has happened and work it for good.” He stared down at our hands. “It doesn’t mean the path will be easy. I just know now that I don’t want to take it alone.”

The reader is reminded that God is able to use every bad thing for good.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers through NetGalley and Just Read Tours; a positive review was not required.

A great story, it is a gothic mystery and romance. The tale starts with most of the children playing together at one of the manors. All six of them become very close. Her family was leaving for Ceylon in the morning.
After five long years, she had returned to Luxby Manor while her parents traveled to Boston to see her brother. There was some kind of crisis going on in the house when she got there. She was taken straight away up to her room and was told she would have a tray there. But a few minutes later, her dearest friend charged into her room and gave her a huge hug while talking a mile a minute. She has been caught kissing a groomsman. Charity has trouble hearing and listening in a crowd. Avery, brother #2 was in as much trouble as Seline. He was sent home from school. Five years ago Piers had missed a duel and denounced a coward. So he moved close to Liverpool. Seline borrowed Charity's cloak, told her, she would be back soon, and left. She disappears. The mystery has begun.
The characters were marvelous and realistic. The book is interesting and engaging. So many things are happening in this novel, it keeps your attention and it keeps you reading. I have never read this author before but I can't wait to read more.