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.

I was pretty excited about this one. Unfortunately, I could not get into it. I think I was suspecting more of a thriller than a regency, romance mystery. This may be great for a lot of readers, but not for me.

I finally got a physical copy of this book and I can finally write a more complete review! This story is so heartwarming, about friendship, lost love, sisterhood, mystery, betrayal, trusting... ah! so much to cover! I totally recommend this story.

A beautiful and bittersweet love story, although the plot sometimes dragged on it was overall an enjoyable read.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson
A special thanks to Brillance Audio and NetGalley for the Advanced reader copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this book all thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Historical mystery/romance novel set in 1816 in Kent England, when Charity returns to her friend Seline and her love Piers at Loxby Manor after 5 years away.
The same evening of her arrival Seline disappears and Charity is determined to do anything she can to find. A romantic relationship with Piers came to a screeching halt when he was branded a coward and has been a living as an outcast for the past five years. It seems everyone around her has a secret but can she work out enough people secrets to figure what has happened to her friend?
I really enjoyed this one! I was still trying to figure out t the who, what, where and why at the 90% mark which is always a good sign!

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.

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 audiobook was very well done, but I felt the narrator may have leaned into the clueless side of the heroines voice a bit.

I listened to this book through Netgalley audiobook and I really like this narration. This story has some romance and a bit of suspense. It was interesting to find out what had happened at Loxby Manor over the years and currently. I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

A fabulous Regency-era mystery that will keep you on your toes until the very end!

Charity Halliwell has returned to Kent, England, after being away for the past five years. Plagued by the guilt and shame of a traumatic event that stole everything from her, Charity's deepest desire is to be reunited with her childhood acquaintances and find a governess position, leaving the pain in the past and beginning a new life for herself. However, her arrival at Loxby Manor isn't as welcoming as Charity expected after a scandal is unearthed and her friend, Seline Cavanaugh, disappears into the night.

Determined to find her friend, Charity will turn over every stone to uncover the truth; but, what will happen when her quest exposes sinister secrets that could destroy everything she previously believed to be true? And, what of Piers Cavanaugh, the man who broke her heart and who has unexpectedly returned home to help his family in their time of need? Will Piers and Charity be able to reconcile, or will their shames keep them apart? Everything is not what it seems, and with everyone keeping secrets, danger is always looming around the corner!

“Love can be a tricky thing, my dear. Sometimes it clouds our visions when other times it allows us to see.” ~ Abigail Wilson

Filled with action, suspense, romance, and plot twists, The Vanishing at Loxby Manor is a book you won't be able to put down! Listening to the audiobook through all hours of the day, I was captivated by the mystery surrounding the plot. Though set in 1816, the author did an incredible job of making the characters relatable and not the usual prim and proper we so often read in Regency-set novels. With each description and turn of the page, the story came alive, teleporting readers into the British countryside to take part in the search to find Seline Cavanaugh.

I highly recommend this book — a clean, enthralling, cloak-and-dagger story.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a pre-release copy of this novel. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!*

Positive content: 4.5⭐️
Language: 0.5⭐️
Sexual content: 2.5⭐️
Violence: 2.5⭐️
Age: 14+

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. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job with the female characters, but I thought most men sounded the same. All in all, though, I found this to be a very enjoyable audiobook and ebook.

I listened to this one via audio. I enjoyed the mystery and characters. This is my first book by this author and certainly won’t be my last. Set in England a young girl disappears and the search begins.

I am always down for romance no matter how it comes. Stepping back in time and seeing the results of getting a second chance at that first love. There comes a few complications along the way but Charity and Piers find a way to make things turn out different this time around. Come step back in time with the writings of Abigail Wilson and the narration from Laura Kirman. I enjoyed the story and the cadence of Laura's voice. There was a historic quality to her tones and pitches.

Unfortunately the storyline didn’t grasp me enough for me to push through to the end, though the narrator did a good job.

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.

The Vanishing at Loxby Manor

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the early listen.
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. The narrator did a decent job with the characters.

Litercurious Partial Review for The Vanishing at Loxby Manor

CONCLUSION

The Vanishing At Loxby Manor is filled with twits and turns worthy of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Wilson’s practiced writing skills provide a cast of fully formed characters who inhabit an all too real world. The plot twists compliment the gothic feel of the story and together create a perfect symphony. The narrative is so well formed as to conceal the details of the mystery until late into the book. It is a compelling love story wrapped in a seemingly elusive mystery. Wilson has managed to combine the multiple story threads so skillfully that it is difficult to see the surprising outcome. Filled with equal amounts of: dark, dread, political intrigue, secret society, and the potential for romance; The Vanishing At Loxby Manor exceeds all expectations. The culmination of the elaborate plot ends in a crescendo of action and some unforeseen revelations with a genuinely surprising outcome.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan for kindly providing me with a digital audio 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.
The audio book was well read and there were distinct voices for each of the characters. I was fully engaged and listened to it in two sittings only.
I would definitely be interested in checking out more work from this author and also the audiobook narrator as well. Definitely recommend.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really great book! was interested immediately and turned out to have a unexpected twist!

I was sucked into this mystery as soon as I began reading, the details triggering my curiosity to find out exactly what was going on. I'm amazed how the author was able to do that with her writing style and it really is noteworthy.

At some point, maybe about halfway, I began to wonder,

"Is this a series?" I just felt like something was missing, and then I shrugged it off because I figured it was probably because I didn't pay attention to one of the details. Thankfully, by the end, I had grasped most of the details and everything made sense. But as I finished the book, I still wondered about some things that had been mentioned in passing and I felt a bit of a disconnect with the characters themselves because of this. I did connect with aspects of Charity's character and liked how she conducted herself.

Now, the mystery is good and a bit shocking. The romance was sweet and made sense. There was a few sentences about God and praying was about all the spiritual content throughout. Which I didn't find to be a problem, just noting it.

I liked this story. Once upon a time, I would have considered three stars a bad rating, but now I know it isn't. Others will love this story. Some may note the things I did and like it. I'm sure I'll read another by this author in the future.

•Character development- 3☆
• Story Plot- 3☆
• Side characters- 3.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 3.5☆

Vanishing at Loxby Manner was a great book I pretty much enjoyed. It is something like a combination of Jane Austine (England in old times) and Agatha Christie (mystery, that you dare not to guess how it will end).
Each of the main protagonists of this book have their own secret, which they reveal only later in the story. Main character Charity Halliwell, returns to Loxby Manor, the home of friends and her only love, Piers Cavanagh. Her best friend Seline disappears the same night after telling Charity about her disgrace and promising, she’ll be back soon but she never returns.
We learn slowly about Charity’s love for Piers and why it “ended” so abruptly. Also why Piers had to leave for Liverpool, something about the secret society.
This author mixes romance with mystery in an amazing manner which will keep you interested from the first page till the last one. This combination can’t disappoint. Overall, this was an enjoyable and really good read when I think of this novel back. Was my first read from this author, but if I stumble across another book, I definitely won’t hesitate.