Another beautifully written historical tale by Susanna Kearsley, The Vanished Days is a prequel to The Winter Sea, which enticed me from its first chapter. Kearsley is a master of historical research, enhanced by her ability to write exciting adventure, heartwarming romance, and inspiring, provocative characters who grab the reader’s interest and won’t let go! The Vanished Days reminded me of the power of a book to make a reader wish, hope, then believe in the courage of a character to find his or her way despite the most challenging odds. I highly recommend this most rewarding read!

This is a clever historical fiction/romance set in Scotland during the reign of the Stuarts. A young widow comes forward to claim her deceased husband's wages but there are questions about the legitimacy of the marriage. One of the investigators must decide but his judgement may be clouded by personal feelings. What is the young widows story?

Excellent historical fiction taking place in 1707 Scotland. Very well researched, character development is flawless. Kearsley paints a vivid picture of life during a time of great political unrest in Scotland. Hoping to smooth things over, Queen Anne's commissioners are sent out from London to pay out money to those who were involved in an ill-fated expedition eight years earlier. A young widow comes forward to collect her late husbands wages but has no real proof of their marriage. One of the British soldiers assigned to investigate her situation finds himself inexplicably attracted to her. He has to decide if he believes her, or if his attraction is coloring his review. The Vanished Days is a prequel to the Winter Sea, with overlapping characters and events. Fans of Diana Gabaldon will love this book.

Ok, I’ll admit that watching the tv series Outlander made me pick this novel. It’s an earlier time period, taking place in 1707 with flashbacks to the late 17th century, but it still covers the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland. This time, it’s James III (the Old Pretender) seeking to recover the joint throne of England and Scotland from which his father was deposed (or abdicated depending on who's telling the tale).
There’s an interesting mystery behind the story. In a bid to calm down the Scottish, the English had provided funds to compensate Scots involved in the Darien scheme, including those that had lost family members. The funds are to be disbursed by the Commissioners of the Equivalent. A young widow comes forward , but her claim is disputed. Two men are tasked with establishing the truth of her claim. We learn her story through interviews with her and others. The mystery is why her claim is deemed important enough to even investigate.
Lily didn’t have an easy life, losing both her mother and father at an early age. I enjoyed the story of her life, bringing into play a variety of lifestyles - tradesmen, criminals, army and the Scottish nobility. The story is narrated by one of the men investigating her claim, Adam Williamson and we also learn his entire backstory. Both characters are fully developed and I was totally invested in both of them.
Kudos to Kearsley for giving us an in depth picture of the time and place. She also did a great job coming up with a very satisfying ending.
I’ll warn potential readers, I kept finding myself searching Wikipedia to make sure I really understood the political background as Kearsley tends to assume the reader knows it.
My thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this book.

This is the first Susanna Kearsley novel that I have read. The Vanished Days is full of history and at some times, a bit too much detail, but overall, this is a good book. The Vanished Days is engaging, with a complex, multi-layered plot, and nicely developed characters. This is the first Kearsley novel that I have read and so I did not know what to expect, but it sounded interesting, since I am interested in Scotland's history. In many ways, The Vanished Days is a bit like an onion, which many layers that are slowing unpeeled to reveal the whole of the novel. The ending was a lovely surprise. I do appreciate that I was given the opportunity to read this ARC and want to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for this opportunity. My review is solely my own product and reflects a close careful read.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a long book and I sometimes got very lost in the many details of the history of 1600 and 1700 Scotland, England and America. It is firmly wrapped in Scottish history and I did not know much of the background of the rebellions during those time frames. It is a love story full of hear-break, loss and friendships. You love Lily as the main character and understand her choices. The book asks the question if you had the chance to relive your past would you want to do so. You can read for yourself and make your decisions. All of the characters are fully developed and you feel that you know and share all their secrets until the end of the book when the story is upended suddenly and things change in ways that surprise the reader. Susanna is a brilliant writer that tells a fiction story and makes her character come alive on the pages. Thank you for an enjoyable story.

I have to say, this was not my favorite from Ms. Kearsley. I just found it to be a bit wordy. It had a little twist at the end, but I didn't quite buy into it - too many loopholes for it to be as convincing as it was supposed to be. She's still one of my favorite authors though. :)

I appreciate #NetGalley giving me an opportunity to read and review The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley. I love all things having to do with Scotland. This book didn't disappoint. The first few chapters started out somewhat slowly, but once I got into the story, I realized why they were needed. Adam, an ex-soldier, was charged with investigating Lily Aitcheson's claim that she was a widow of a dead soldier and was trying to get his wages. The story jumps back and forth between the early 1700's and the 1680's during a time of intrigue between the Jacobites and the English. As his investigation continues he learns more about Lily and we realize that everything is not as it seems. The ending of the story was certainly a surprise that I never saw coming.

I have loved all of Susanna Kearsley's books but this is my very favorite. The characters were well developed and frighteningly real. I know so much more history of Scotland. Can’t wait to share with others!

I adored, The Vanished Days. It almost surpassed my experience the first time reading, The Winter Days.
Susanna Kearsley fans will not be disappointed! Its historical Scotland, all the danger and intrigue you would expect and so much more!

I was spellbound by this sweeping novel of history, betrayal, and family. Set during a tumultuous time in Scotland, I felt transported to the streets and shores of Edinburgh, a beautiful but often dangerous place during the late 17th and early 18th century. While politics was a huge part of this story, it is truly the tale of Lily, a young woman whose own story is filled with loss and peril, but also great love and kindness. I felt an emotional connection to Lily, as well as other characters in the book, causing my heart to swell with emotion. There is an incredible amount of detail in this book, with all that was going on with Scotland at the time. The book was written in a way that really added to my enjoyment with the heart of the novel told by a narrator who felt like a friend—someone who was taking me into their confidence as the many twists and turns were revealed. The Vanished Days is a companion novel to the equally stirring novel, The Winter Sea.

I really loved this. My first Susannah Kearsley. It’s unusual to find a book that’s dealingwjthS ottish history unless it goes into the realms of fantasy or is very dry so this was a welcome change. Historically accurate but so sympathetically written. Loved this.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Susanna Kearsley and was so excited to be given the opportunity to read her newest novel. The story started a little slow as you adjust to the language and become familiar with the characters. However, it does pick up and I got more and more invested in the characters and their story. She is such a good writer and making history and the various locations come to life in your mind. I feel like I'm in a different time and place and enjoy the experience of progressing through the story. I loved feeling like I was discovering and unfolding the mystery along with the investigators and kept being surprised. Fun historical read. Love this author!

Susanna Kearsley is such a beloved novelist. Her stories transport you to another time and place. "The Vanished Days" does this as well. Such a great novel.

A well-researched historical novel set in Scotland between 1683 and 1707, with fictional characters crossing paths with real people. I have not read The Winter Sea, to which this is described as a prequel. I didn't feel lost, but it did seem like this story was happening on the periphery of larger events.

Sergeant Adam Williamson is asked to investigate a claim by Lily Graeme for compensation as the widow of a sailor who died on the ill-fated Darien expedition. Much of the story is made up of flashbacks to Lily's childhood and young womanhood as she experiences a series of hardships and losses but manages to land on her feet with the help of various benefactors. Meanwhile in the main timeline, complex political forces seem to have an interest in the outcome of her case.

The Darien expedition to establish a Scottish colony in Central America is relegated to a footnote near the end. I was completely unfamiliar with this event and would have liked to read more about it.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable tale of romance and intrigue with a clever twist at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

‘I think often of the vanished days that Captain Gordon spoke about—the ones that are behind us that we cannot live again—and how he wished it might be possible to make the clock run backward so that we could live those days a second time, and live them better. But he had it wrong, I think, because I would not wish to change the way I lived them. I’d not be the man I am if I had not lived every hour of them, for all the pain they brought me and for all the pain I caused. In the end, they led me back to the woman who has always made me whole.’ Susanna Kearsley- The Vanished Days

I was thrilled to see this prequel/companion to Kearsley’s The Winter Sea! The story started slow, but I developed a quick attachment to Lilly & her story is what kept me plowing through the slower parts. I did struggle a bit trying to follow the laws & political workings of this time period. A lot going on in Scotland with the Jacobites and religious tensions. I had no idea that Scotland tried to establish a colony in Caledonia…. I found this part very interesting/educational.

This was probably going to be a 3/3.5 star novel… until the twist that turned the story on its head. I did not see it coming. As much as I loved The Winter Sea, I wish I’d read this first because I think I would’ve enjoyed it even more. 3/3.5 stars but the absolutely brilliant ending bummed it up to 4/4.5 stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Vanished Days is an epic tale of Adam Williamson in the early 1700s investigating the claim of Lily Aitcheson and her marriage to Jamie Graeme. The story is told alternating between Adam investigating the claim, and the life Lily has lived up until that point. As Adam learns Lily's story, it brings him and his fellow investigator Gilroy into contact with people from her past and it quickly becomes clear that Lily has had a difficult life through no fault of her own, and that the politics, leadership and religion of Scotland are deeply intertwined with her reasons for presenting a claim. So too, is the fact that Adam knows from the start that he's in love with her, putting him in a thorny position of proving her love for another. Kearsley does a great job storytelling, though at times the alternating time periods, from two points of view, and the sheer number of characters can make it difficult to keep track of things. It's definitely worth it though, as a twist comes at the end that the reader may not be expecting (I wasn't) that seems to make the puzzle pieces of Lily's life fall into place and end the story in a way the leaves the reader satisfied. While a work of fiction, and Lily and Adam being fictional characters, there are many real historical figures in the work, which Kearsley provides notes for at the conclusion of the book. This is part of a series, and while those books may provide additional background for supporting characters in this book, I did not find it necessary to have read those books to follow the story in this one.

I have mixed feelings about this book, perhaps because I have not read The Winter Sea, and perhaps because I am too ignorant of Scottish history. The author is talented, and I was compelled to finish the book because I wanted to know the truth of the inquiry, but I was more often returning to this book out of a desire to finish it than a desire to really read it. It's a deeply layered tale, where the narrator knows more than the reader and the reader can sometimes get lost. I wonder if the book's true brilliance would reveal itself on the third reading, but I'm not likely to read it again.

Excellent! I strongly recommend this book. The story is well written and the characters are strong and well developed. I give it 5 stars and a strong recommendation.

4.5 stars rounded up. The Vanished Days may be Susanna Kearsley's most complex and fascinating story to date. I immediately re-read the story after finishing, as there are puzzle pieces laid out for the reader throughout that I completely missed or misinterpreted -- and recognizing them the second time around made me really appreciate the story on another level. Any fans of Kearsley's other stories must read this one, as this book seamlessly ties together characters from many of those other stories, either on page or by reference. However, it can also be enjoyed entirely on its own if you are new to the author (or even if it has been a while since you read the other books and can't remember all the other characters).

Unlike most of her other books, which alternate between narrators in the present day and the past, here the story takes place entirely in the past and is told through the perspectives of two individuals through a mosaic of shifting and interrelated timelines in the late 1600's into mid 1700's in Scotland and New York. The story is framed by the main narrator looking back on the events of his life, and piecing together the full life story of the woman he loves, Lily Aitcheson. As a younger man in his early 30's, the narrator became swept up as a pawn in a larger political game concerning the Jacobites and the internal power struggles in Scotland in the early 1700's. Though tasked with the apparently simple request of verifying the accuracy of a widow's claim to her inheritance from a Scottish soldier who died during the failed Darien expedition, the narrator quickly learns that there is much more at stake than first appears. The narrator's own personal motivations regarding Lily -- the widow at issue -- and his desire to keep her safe further complicates matters. Lily's life story is revealed piece by piece through her own words and the people that the narrator interviews in his investigation, painting a picture of her resilience in the face of adversity and the twists of fate that led her to where she is.

Susanna Kearsley's writing style immediately transports the reader back in time, and creates such a vivid sense of place -- whether the narrow closes in Edinburgh or the bustling harbor at Leith. Her characters also seem fully formed and lifelike, adding to the sense of drama and tension as the story unfolds. As she acknowledged in the postscript, I appreciate that she trusts the reader to "hear" the Scottish accent based on the cadence of the dialogue, rather than writing it out phonetically (which I find distracting in other historical fiction).

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!