Member Reviews
The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall is a dual timeline story with part of it set in the present day, where Megan is trying to restore the overgrown maze behind the hall, and the other part set in WW2 where Eleanor is trying to take picture of the Green Lady (the ghost at the heart of the maze). The maze is dark and magical and one day Megan and Eleanor meet. When Megan later discovers that Eleanor went missing, just days after the time when she'd seen her, Megan has to unravel the mystery of what happened so that she can have a hope of stopping it from harming Eleanor. But she's messing with forces that are far, far older and far, far more dangerous than she realises.
The mystery was gripping. Megan is a great character and her preoccupation with her own brothers disappearance (he's MIA from a more modern war) feed into her need to save Eleanor from disappearing. There is a gentle romance between Megan and Nora, but the main thrust of the book is about saving Eleanor.
I found the book tense and a little bit frightening in places (in a good fantasy scary kind of way). But then, I find corn dollies very creepy at the best of times. It reminded me a little of books like The Children of Green Knowe and The Dark is Rising, which I loved reading as a child. I'd almost forgotten how much I loved that kind of real world/ magic blend.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I'd love to read more of this sort of thing.
I got beta read an early version of this book and then re-read a review copy from Netgalley.
It is 2019 and Megan has been commissioned to restore the gardens at Foxfield Hall. Megan is drawn to the maze which holds magical secrets and lures her in. She encounters Eleanor, the daughter of Foxhill, it’s 1939 and Ellie has disappeared. This read is a time traveller’s paradise as the two timelines collide. A mixture of myths and folklore, magical and strong. This is a busy read which I struggled to follow at times and had to occasionally check back as to whose timeline I was in. As the story reaches a climax I found it confusing. Not a straightforward historical read.
'The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall' is such an unbelievably beautiful and powerful book which will transport you as you travel through the English Countryside with a vast range of emotions!
Megan is hired to restore a historic garden of Foxfield Hall, which is full of ancient myths and folklore. One night she finds herself in a year 1939 and meets lady Eleanor, famous resident of Foxfield Hall.
Story starts to entwine and the maze is in a center of the plot. Time collapses into itself, legends arise.
Enchanting novel, full of magic, love, women power and ancient offences.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
This story was not what I was expecting, but it was a good story. There is a lot of fantasy and science fiction in this story, as well as some historical fiction. I think the author did a good job tying the two genres together as well as just telling a good story. I recommend to all readers who liked both genres.
The synopsis promises a magical and additive tale that spans time and it certainly delivered. I loved reading the beginning chapters with Eleanor and the descriptions of Foxfield Hall and the maze were brilliantly done. The green lights, Megan getting transported back in time, it was so well written. The world really came to life.
Megan, a landscape architect, is a strong character and I loved all the paranormal elements of this story. I did however find myself skimming whenever there were scenes with Megan and Nora as these felt off and didn't add anything to the story for me. I also felt this romantic element was only included in the story to fit with the need to be diverse. It wasn't mentioned in the blurb either and had it been I wouldn't have requested the book.
The fantasy elements were complimented perfectly with the historical setting and this was where the story shone for me. Filled with ghosts and curses, and family secrets, this really did make for an exceptional read and I loved how it all tied together.
Wanted to read this book just for the gorgeous cover and English countryside setting.
Megan has been commissioned to renovate the gardens and maze of manor house Foxfield Hall. This history of this house goes back to pre-Norman times. This story is told in two-time lines, one present in Megan’s POV and the second one goes back to the timeline where the second world war is about to start and Ellie’s POV, who is the Lady of Manor.
I felt that this book has too much crammed into it. You name it, it has that such as time travel to past and future, witches, countless legends, mystery started in Arthurian times, local lore, magic, alternate future, alternate history, harvest festivals, steeped in history, fantasy, curses, phantoms, and finally sapphic romance I guess just to be modern. I wish this diversity was mentioned in the blurb, I wouldn’t have requested it since I just finished another book involving MM romance where I was blindsided by it, though the thrilling aspects mesmerized me.
Fascinated by few aspects mentioned in this book but as lost interest as this went all over the place. On top of it, it was my first book involving time travel. Took me a little time to get a grip on what’s happening. Perplexed when Megan thinks that she had to warn Ellie about impending danger awaiting her. I was like it already happened; how could it be changed.
Admired Ellie as she is a strong, independent woman. It was fun reading about her astonishment when she meets Megan in the maze and subsequently finds how the world has been in the present day and how it was different from her day. On the other hand, the romance between Megan and Nora felt forced.
Overall, mesmerized by some aspects of it but I am the wrong audience for this book as sci/fi and fantasy isn’t my go-to genre. If you are a fan of historical fiction with time travel then I highly recommend it.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Jessica Thorne for this ARC in return for my honest review. Part fantasy, part LGBT+ romance, part historical fiction, I enjoyed this book. Strong engaging characters and a mystery surrounding the disappearance of an heiress at the start of WW2. I was a little put off by the classification of this book as Sci-Fi as that's not something that I would normally read but I'm glad I gave it a go as I and would definitely recommend.
In "The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall," Jessica Thorne has created a time-travel, alternate history/alternate future, Arthurian-inspired mystery and LGBTQTIA+ romance. What might have been, and what is, are unsettled, and garden restoration expert Megan Taylor must work her way through a literal maze to find the truth about the past.
Megan takes a job restoring the gardens at a luxury hotel and spa run by her friend from university. Her soldier brother has been declared MIA, and she wants a place to get away from her present. She literally finds that as she wanders through a garden maze and ends up in 1939, meeting Ellie Fairfax, the daughter of Foxfield Hall, which is the site of the present-day hotel. Megan makes it back to the present, and begins to research the estate. Ellie disappeared not long after their meeting, and Megan is determined to discover why. She discovers a curse, a witch, and how the past is not always immutable.
Megan and Ellie are strong and compelling characters, and readers will be heavily invested in their stories.
Recommended.
I received an advance copy from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book wasn't at all what I was expecting it to be and I was hooked on the storyline very quickly.
It was very well written and the author takes you on a magical mystery ride where you're never sure quite where you're headed.
It is a dual time novel that merges the two timelines with elements of magic, myth and folklore . I've never read anything quite like this and it was cleverly constructed.
The modern romance was also unusual in that the protagonists are both female ,
It was an engrossing read and the ending brought the two stories together in a way that feels right and ties up all the loose ends neatly.
I would definitely recommend it and will be looking for more of the authors books.
I was really intrigued by this one and it didn’t disappoint! A great novel using magical realism and a dual storyline that you wonder where it’s going. A really good read with strong characters.
Imagine stepping through time, at first unexpectedly, and then again and again in hopes of preventing a horrible tragedy? That’s what happens to Megan Taylor. Called to assist in the restoration of the grounds and maze at Foxfield Hall, an estate steeped in mystery and home to a ghost everyone calls the Green Lady, she soon finds that ancient magic is alive and well, even in the year 2019.
With characters that are easy to connect to, and an interesting twist of Arthurian legend and time travel, this book has hints of Outlander and The Clockmaker’s Daughter. The plot is supported by well-defined characters, strong historical details, and though the genre is listed as paranormal romance, the romance doesn’t overpower the strong paranormal storyline. There are also themes of acceptance, love, friendship, and sacrifice.
As a Army wife and a lover of all things magical, this book hit the spot for me. There were a few places I felt the storyline slowed a bit, but it all works out in a tension-filled, emotional climax that had me flipping pages as quickly as I could read them.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little history with their magic.
This book is available for pre-order on Amazon and is due to be released on March 26, 2021.
Not quite the historical read i was expecting but a little magic and fantasy time travel never hurt anyone. I do think this should be made clear on the blurb/marketing though. the cover is also far too ' cosy' and doesn't reflect the true nature of the story.
Megan, Megan, Megan - our lead character had quite the challenge! I was only reading her story but it was she who had to delve into the mystery of the manor. Lost legends and rituals, witches and all kinds of ancient magic.
The writing at times let it down as it felt contrived and very much like a debut novel. However, that's just a niggle as the story shone through and it did make me want to read more. This was an unexpected story given the cover and blurb of the book, but a welcome one! LOTS going on, but threads and storylines neatly tied up. Poor Megan though - she didn't even get a fair crack at the romance side of things.
I did enjoy this but it was a surprise to what was advertised.
Not for me I'm afraid. From the description I was expecting something like the Lucinda Riley seven sisters series where it was 2 stories told simultaneously and then you realise towards the end how they're related, whereas this is from more of a sci-fi/magic etc kind of angle (I wouldn't have picked it had the publisher put it under this category but they'd stuck it under historical and romantic instead)
This was terrific! I couldn't put it down from the first to the last. I loved the dual timelines and the weaving of Arthurian legend into the modern take on Celtic lore. I loved the characters, and the action had me on the edge of my seat. Fantastic!
This is a great book for fans of historical fiction, dual time lines, fantasy, legendary tales, it has it all.
Megan, a landscape gardener, arrives at Foxfield Hall, the ancestral home of Lady Eleanor Fairfield who disappeared in 1939. Strange things happen while Megan takes a look at the maze, green lights mysteriously appear.
A lovely book that had me enthralled
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
'The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall' is a spine chilling tale about a mysterious manor and its haunted grounds in the English countryside. The story follows Megan, a landscape architect who finds herself caught up in a beguiling mystery at Foxfield Hall while a young woman named Eleanor whose own implications in the mystery during pre-WWII crosses their timelines, provoking an interdimensional battle between the forces of good and evil.
This book was a great historical thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. It featured lost legends, pagan rites, Arthurian legends, witches, ghosts, time-travel, and ancient magic. The rustic fantasy elements complimented the historical storyline, producing an eerie tale about the temporal and metaphysical entanglements of time.
The haunting prose and raw emotions of the characters were a bit heavy at times, but absolutely necessary for a story about the archaic and supernatural. The story got more complex as it went on and the intricacy of the plot revealed little details that were scattered throughout the story, leading to plot twists and a surprise ending. My only critiques are that the romance between Megan and her love interest didn’t really contribute anything to the story and the book cover needs to have creepy imagery to better reflect its contents.
'The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall' is a spellbinding historical fiction book that you should definitely read if you are a fan of earthy supernatural tales.
Wow,
The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall was so much better than I thought it was going to be, and I had pretty high expectations in the first place.
With a narrative that switches between the beginning of WWII in 1939 and the present day, The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall tells a story of mystery, intrigue, and love. Megan Taylor, looking to get away from her family after her brother is declared MIA she takes a job restoring the gardens at Foxfield Hall. Ellie, the daughter of the lord of Foxfield, trying to get a photo of the ghost from the stories of her childhood. Brought together by mysterious supernatural forces, the two must work together to find out the truth about the strange things happening at Foxfield Hall.
This story literally has it all, ghosts, curses, an ancient family feud, and a sapphic love story. What more could you need in a book?
This story was so intense, It kept me on the edge of my seat through out the entire story, unable to put it down and stop reading. This tale was beautifully written, woven together with twists and turns.
The characters? Dynamic. The storytelling? Beautiful.
*This eARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book - it so reminded me of the tv programmes and books I read as a child - Tom’s Midnight Garden, Carrie’s War and The Amazing Mr Blunden - full of magic, mystery and time lines merging! I loved Megan and Ellie’s stories and was totally enthralled by the maze, the floating green lights and the well at the centre of the maze. The book is tense and thrilling and so absorbing - I read it in a day, Just wonderful and pure escapism. I would advise turning your phone off, grabbing a comfy chair and sitting back to be whisked far away to a land of magic and mystery........