Thank you to @netgalley @sourcebooks @bookmarked for the ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Tranquil. I was looking forward to reading this because it is the prequel to “The Winter Sea” and I really enjoyed that book. Checkout my review in January. - I really like Kearsley style when it comes to the historical details and environment. This book was quite detailed showcasing the amount of research she did. Know that this book was tranquil in its telling; taking your hand through the politics and history of Scotland. This was unhurriedly told and transported me to the Highlands.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is the prequel to The Winter Sea so I was greatly looking forward to reading it. I was greatly disappointed. I found the story to be long, tedious and boring. I struggled through this one, as I did not with The Winter Sea. I actually read three other novels in the course of finishing this one because it just didn't hold my attention.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Review will be posted on 10/27/2021
Lily Aitcheson's husband has died while serving his country during the disastrous Darien expedition. She is making claim to him, so she can receive the death benefits, but it's proving to be quite the investigation as she cannot completely prove she was married to him. While investigating her claim, Kearsley takes us back to Lily's childhood and young adulthood to helps us understand her better. The story is also told through Sergeant Adam Williamson, who is investigating Lily's case. The more he learns about Lily, the more complicated it all gets. Also, things are anything but peaceful in Scotland now. There's people who want the Jacobite King back on the throne and the state of Edinburgh is tumultuous. While investigating Lily's case, loyalties will be tested, truths will float to the surface, and many mysteries will be uncovered. The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley is the third book in her Scottish series, but it can be read as a stand alone; fans of historical fiction shouldn't miss this immersive gem!

Lily is a really complex character in The Vanished Days. The more we learn about her childhood, the more I felt for her. Her parents both died when she was young and a family takes her in when she is but a child. There were some happy times in her childhood, especially when she befriends Jamie Graeme, who has promised to always be there for her. However, as she grows older she is faced with difficult events in her life dealing with men in positions of power. These events force her to leave her old life behind.

As I mentioned, Kearsley has Adam, the investigator, narrate some chapters and it was definitely an interesting technique as readers don't really know who he is. He is trying to figure out if Lily was indeed ever married, but she is having a hard time even proving that simple fact as the people who witnessed her marriage are now all dead. Slowly, as Adam questions Lily, we learn more about her childhood, and things start to become clearer. However, Gilroy, the other investigator, isn't buying it one bit.

Kearsley, as always, brings to life the time period very well in The Vanished Days. I was familiar with the Jacobite Rebellion, thanks to Outlander, but Kearsley takes us on a deep dive into Scottish history. She brings the unsettled times to life very well and expertly depicts how this time period could specifically be difficult for women as they have little to no power. Don't count Lily out though! She has many secrets and plans up her sleeve!

My only issue with The Vanished Days is the fact that it took awhile to get going. The first half of the book was very dense with its historical and political details. Thankfully once you get through a lot of the heavy details, things start to pick up and it becomes very suspenseful. I was questioning so much!

Speaking of suspense, there's a lot of twists and turns in The Vanished Days. There's betrayal, mixed up identities, romance, politics, war...it's got it all! I found myself going back to re-read certain portions that were clues, which I initially missed. Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the plot twists in this one! I recommend The Vanished Days to fans of Kearsley as well as fans of Outlander and historically rich fiction.

So, are you a fan of Susanna Kearsley? If so, what's your favorite of her novels? Did you read The Vanished Days yet? Let me know in the comments below.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and when I saw that she not only had a new book coming out but that it was a companion novel/prequel to The Winter Sea, I knew I had to read it. And I was so glad that my fellow co-hosts of the #mommaleighellensbookclub were equally excited about this book and decided to pick it for one of our October book club selections. This book definitely delivered in every way I expected it to and then some!

I will say you absolutely do not need to have read The Winter Sea to enjoy this one. If you did read that one, great, and if not, it just might encourage you to pick it up. She did write that one in 2008, so it’s been a while, and I read it in 2010 and even though it’s one of my favorite books, after reading this one, I’ve got such a longing to pick it up again! Don’t you love when that happens?

This newest book is masterfully plotted and as usual, I found myself completely immersed in all that is going on right from the beginning. While there is a dual narrative, what I found interesting is that both are in the past – one in 1707 and the other in the 1680s. It’s not really a time period I tend to read about, but there is just something so compelling about this author’s writing that pulls me in.

I loved how just as you were getting comfortable in one time time period, it would be time to jump either forward or back. But what usually precipitated the jump was some type of revelation in the later time period that would then be explained in the earlier one. It really kept you hooked and, if you are anything like me, trying to work out all the pieces in your head, to see how things fit together. Not only do we have the story of Lily trying to seek her deceased husband’s pension, but we also learn quite a bit about the Jacobite movement in Scotland – and this was something I had hoped to read more about after finishing up with The Winter Sea.

There is much to appeal to just about everyone in the book – Scottish history, some romance, intrigue and a twist of all twists that managed to take me by surprise! There are a slew of characters in this book, but I found that I really had no issues keeping them straight as everyone is so dynamic on the page and serves a purpose. And, due to her meticulous research, all but a select few are real people from history – a fact that just makes for such a richer reading experience and the reason why I always read the author’s note because you never know what you will learn about the book.

While this book appears to be a chunkster, it is one that I read in two days because I just could not put it down. Once I got into the rhythm of the story, I was completely absorbed in it and didn’t want to do anything but read and be part of this world that Susanna created. Now, I’m looking forward to chatting with Susanna about the book with our bookclub…I can’t wait to hear her discuss why she decided to write this and what is next for her. If you are a fan of historical fiction, definitely pick this one up!

Susanna Kearsley writes wonderful historical fiction. Well-researched and well -written, her books take you back in time and place and you feel like you are right there with the characters. In this story, we are transported to 1707 Scotland and she weaves many actual events and people into her historical fiction.

The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for my review.

What a story! Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1707, with the story also drawing from prior years’ events, the author has weaved a terrific tale of mystery, history and family with an ending to beat all endings. You’ll never see it coming.

Forgers, foundlings and thieves? They’re all here. Enchanting Lily steals the story piecing together her life to try to prove her marriage to James. Is she telling the truth or lying to get money from the Scottish government?

Hard to put down and easy to read, this book should be number one on your “to read” list.

How cleverly written is this prequel to the book The Winter Sea! A Scottish historical fiction is weaved in with the other book and even overlaps in the chapters. I've not read one that does this, so I was even more intrigued than the fantastic research put into the writing. I'm not sure I understood it all since I try to stay away from the political aspects of books, but the time period swept me away.
Considering the Jacobite rebellions and the Darien Scheme diminishes the exile of King James with suspicion and protesting in the Scottish Highlands. As the New Union crept into England, Queen Anne tried to bring new life into the people with a payout to the families who lost a loved one during the attempt to bring back the former king.

The story is built around Lily who is one of the widow's who attempts to collect her husband's wages. When she is met with disregard and disapproval, the story is told through interviews with her and flashbacks of her struggles and resilience.

The story closes in on a nation betrayed, a love story that will leave you breathless and the loss during a period of deception and greed. I can't imagine the hours of research that went into making this book, but after giving a small taste of the next book within this one, I'm hooked with what happens to these people you get to know and their struggles. What is even more fascinating is at the end of the book it gives a look at the changes made about the characters and the real ones depicted. Excellent writing skills!

Thanks NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for this title in exchange for my honest review!

Ms. Kearsley books never disappoint. Very well written and engrossing. I do think it would be helpful to read the previous books in this series. But very, very enjoyable. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

This is book 3 of the Slains Series. In the Autumn 1707 old enemies are finding common ground to protest the Union with England. Money starts to come in from England to repay the families for their part in the disastrous Darien expedition. When a woman comes forward to collect her husband's share, an investigator stands in her way. Can he solve the question of his heart, or the truth?

I was somewhat confused by the politics of 18th century Scotland, but I loved Kearsley's tale of family, loss, betrayal, and love. And I certainly did not see the amazing plot twist coming! An engrossing tale with a delightful ending.

This book is utterly engrossing, I loved it.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read one of Susanna Kearsley’s books and I am truly so glad to have seen this new book of hers and to have been given the opportunity to read it.

I find historical fiction is rather “hit or miss” for me and so I tend to pick up other genres instead.  I sometimes forget how engaging different time periods can be, as long as the author is a good story teller.

This book has reminded me that Susanna Kearsley is worth reading because she really is one such good, or actually I should say, a fantastic storyteller.  This book seemed very well researched as far as the historical parts go and each scene felt alive with its sense of time and place. The characters drew me in and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. This was truly a book I savoured reading and yet found I had devoured too quickly! This will be a definite recommendation for anyone I know who loves a rich, well done historical fiction story.

My thanks to Net Galley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the copy of The Vanished Days that I read.

I have loved Susanna Kearsley for years after falling in love with THE WINTER SEA so it’s no surprise that this prequel had me excited beyond words to see what she did with this story.

Per usual Kearsley style, this book is rich in its historical detail, setting, and character development. The pacing is sedate and I love this because she just walks you through this story like a slow afternoon stroll in the Highlands. Nothing is rushed, nothing is left out, no political or historical point is left unearthed. She doesn’t skimp on detail and what makes her so brilliant is she not only builds a visceral world around you but what you believe are throwaway detail sentences end up playing a larger role and are hints you didn’t even realize you were getting.

She weaves small threads you don’t even see into a beautifully developed (and full circle) tapestry. I always know she is going to have a few hidden cards up her sleeve to play that shocks me with how it all fits together but I did not expect the epic level this book hit at the end. Not only did this book’s plot surprise me but I got a huge revelation with a character I didn’t know I needed to meet.

I will always be high-key obsessed with Susanna Kearsley and THE VANISHED DAYS transported me to 1600-1700s Scotland and I loved every minute of it. The political intrigue and high stakes had me tearing through the pages, I truly thought I was transported to Scotland every time I picked up this book. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you @sourcebookscasa for the review copy!

The Vanished Days is told through the narrator, Sergeant Adam Williamson, as he investigates the claim of Lily Aitcheson. The first person viewpoint tells the reader that Williamson is telling his personal tale. The third person perspective means that Williamson is telling someone else’s tale with details provided by the many witness he questioned. The effect is to create a dual storyline, a method often used by Susanna Kearsley, as her readers will be aware.

The book centers on Lily’s story: from her childhood with its happy, memorable moments to the days when it appears the world is against her. Lily perseveres through many trials using her own grit and sometimes getting help from friends and family. Ultimately, there are terrible men using their power over women. But there are also good men who will do what is right. The Vanished Days has a few characters to boo and curse at, but even more to hope for, weep for and cheer for.

There is a great deal of withholding of information by the narrator (or by the author). One of the characters, Robert Moray, said “All men do leave pieces out when they tell tales.” This is evident in the way the characters lives intersect in ways the reader does not imagine they will intersect. When the facts are revealed, the revelations are pleasantly surprising and may even bring tears of joy. If you have read Ms. Kearsley’s books, you are familiar with the path she likes to take.

Slains and Scottish are the two series names that now appear to be attached to this book. Whatever you call it, The Vanished Days is pure Kearsley storytelling magic. If you enjoyed The Winter Sea and/or The Firebird, I recommend you check out The Vanished Days.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so I could bring you my honest review.

Another beautifully written dual-time line historical romance from Susanna Kearsley. She is one of my all-time favorite authors and again she does not disappoint. I loved this story with all of its twists and turns. And it is very twisty-turny! If you are a fan of Kearsley, especially if you enjoyed The Winter Sea, then this one is definitely for you. If this is your first of her books that you've read, you'll have so many more to dive into next!

This is a companion novel/prequel to The Winter Sea, which is one of the first historical fiction books I ever read. I love her books, and The Vanished Days is a new favorite.

The story takes place in the midst of the Jacobite Rebellion in the early 18th century. The narrative is heavy on historical background, as are all of Kearsley's books, but the mystery that runs through the plot is completely riveting, and the ending was remarkable!

This is a must-read for anyone who has read The Winter Sea and The Firebird.

This is a great story. It's well written & researched. I do wish I had read the previous story that this is linked to as I didn't get the connections. It was still a great story & worth the read, especially if you're a fan of Susanna Kearsley.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for honest review

I usually don't like historical fiction very much, but I am a SUCKER for Susanna Kearsley. ❤️

This one was unlike her other books in that it was all historical -- no modern storyline in alternating chapters. I still loved it though!

I might've gone 5 stars, because it had a TWIST I did not see coming... except that it was very politically dense. I've read a lot of English/Scottish history, and all of Kearsley's other books, so I had a pretty good grasp on who was whom; but parts would be hard to follow if you were new to the subject.

This was my first time reading one of Susanna Kearsley's novels and I thought it was wonderful. Well researched, beautiful writing, and unforgettable characters. The only downside for me, and it was completely my own fault, was that I didn't realize it was part of a series and I think it would have been an even more amazing read for me if I had read the books that came before it. Still a stellar read though and I will definitely be checking out more of Kearsley's books.

Reading my umpteenth Kearsley novel, I noticed something in her narrative I hadn’t beforehand: a common emotional trajectory that may be characterized as melancholy mood to joyful conclusion. Because they are the most historical of historical romances, their melancholy comes from Kearsley’s initial presentation of her characters as trapped by history. But she builds their strength, intelligence, and virtue and proves to us how these qualities can sometimes defeat history’s choke-hold. She writes about ordinary people (when considered through the lens of big-name, big-battle, big-power sweep) but extraordinary in how they wrest happiness out of what appear to be insurmountable obstacles determined by history and its cruel, expedient masters, men of power over honour. At their centre are women and child characters who are victimized but not victims, exercise agency within constricting circumstances and yet are often trapped by forces beyond their capacity to fight back. In the end, characters escape to a happy life by circumventing evil using wiles without losing their essential goodness. The Vanished Days‘ Lily Aitcheson and her helpers are such. Her story is told in a dual-timeline alternating between childhood/youth and the novel’s “present-day”, the early 1700’s. Her story is narrated by one Adam Williamson, who is tasked to investigate Lily’s claim for compensation as the widow of a man who perished in Scotland’s 1698-Darien-colony-bound fleet. The blurb fills in historical detail further:

There are many who believe they know what happened, but they do not know the whole of it. The rumours spread, and grow, and take their hold, and so to end them I have been persuaded now to take my pen in hand and tell the story as it should be told… Autumn, 1707. Old enemies from the Highlands to the Borders are finding common ground as they join to protest the new Union with England, the French are preparing to launch an invasion to carry the young exiled Jacobite king back to Scotland to reclaim his throne, and in Edinburgh the streets are filled with discontent and danger. When a young widow, Lily Aitcheson, comes forward to collect her lost husband’s wages, former soldier Adam Williamson is assigned to investigate her petition. As Lily tells her story, Adam has only days to discover if she’s being honest, or if his own feelings are making him blind to the truth. But sinister figures lurk in the background – is Adam being used as a pawn in an increasingly treacherous game?
Through Adam’s account, we learn Lily’s story as she recounts it to him, attempting to prove her marriage to Jamie Graham, her childhood friend at Inchbrakie, Perthshire. It was an idyllic time that yet is followed by another brief time of happiness for Lily when she lives with her father and his new wife. But the times they are fraught and the “Union” with England hasn’t stirred the hearts and swords of the Jacobites any less, au contraire. When circumstances tear Lily from her family, she finds herself alone and vulnerable until she is adopted by a kindly woman of ill repute, Barbara Malcolm, where Lily lives with her foundling “brothers,” also adopted and lovingly brought up by Barbara. Barbara’s husband, Archie Browne, on the other hand, is mean-spirited and exploitative. Lily’s life is beset by his abusive machinations. There is one foundling “brother”, however, who returns from his travels years after Lily is a grown, Matthew, the love of Lily’s life and she of his.

In every scene, political intrigue wars with characters trying to live their lives by building a family with a person they love. This is the narrative’s constant tension and it kept me glued, especially in the second half, to my Kindle, far into the wee hours. There are separations, losses, misjudgements, and the constant refrain of “vanished days” (from John Masefield’s “The Word”) as regret, but ultimately, the hope of better days to come. Captain Gordon (whom we met in The Winter Sea) says to Adam near the novel’s end ” ‘ … it’s a shame that we cannot reclaim those vanished days, and try to live them better.’ ” Adam’s response speaks more of future hope than regret when he retorts, ” ‘Who’s to say we would not live them worse?’ “

There is a quiet dogged dignity and strength to Adam and Lily, as their official business turns to love. They are careful, methodical, and ethical. What soon becomes evident to Adam is that Lily is ensnared in a scheme that sees her life at stake. Without spoiling the narrative, suffice to say Lily is, as with most of the female characters, trying to protect the innocent. Adam is a diffident man, but he is fully aware of right from wrong and sets out to free her. On the way, there are hinderers, but also helpers, one of whom comes as an utter, surprising delight.

Kearsley’s narrative is a maze of dead and open ends as we try to follow the players, historical and fictive, who enmesh the worthy Adam and Lily, and their found families and friends. I will indulge in one moment of whinginess: I did miss Kearsley’s contemporary timeline as she wielded it in Bellewether, for example. The Vanished Days‘ alternating but akin timelines were claustrophobic in a way that Bellewether‘s contemporary and historical timelines, and especially their romances, weren’t. My whinge, however, remains a minor note to Kearsley’s pièce de resistance, a narrative twist of breath-taking aptness and vindication. ’nuff said, though, lest I give the game away.

I’m sorry to say my Canadian and UK friends will have to wait till April 2022 to read The Vanished Days (what’s up with that?), while my American friends can enjoy it pronto. Miss Austen would approve of Kearsley’s lovers and their HEA and agree when I deem The Vanished Days “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Susanna Kearsley’s The Vanished Days is published by Sourcebooks Landmark and was released for the US on October 5th. I received an e-galley, from Sourcebooks Landmark, for the purpose of writing this review.

I don't know how Kearsley does it. Her stories are always the perfect blend of history and fiction. Her characters never fail to make an impression so vivid that they feel like friends ... like people you wish to have in your own life. People you want in your corner.
The Vanished Days is a bittersweet story about second chances and hope, of loyalty and sacrifice, of strength and honor. It's a story about taking control of your own life when time and again the control is wrenched from your hands.
It's a story that will stay with me for a long, long time.

Must read.