I typically love Susanna Kearsley novels, but I am almost ashamed to admit that I just could not get into this and had to dnf it. There was something about the unreliable female character that ensured I could not bond with her, and though Kearsley shouldn't be tied to dual timelines (historical and contemporary) I really felt that this narrative could have benefited from the style.

Title: "The Vanished Days" by Susanna Kearsley - A Journey Through Time

Rating: ★★★½☆

"The Vanished Days" by Susanna Kearsley takes readers on an intriguing journey through time and history, offering a unique blend of historical fiction and mystery.

Kearsley's storytelling is engaging, and her descriptive prose beautifully evokes the settings and eras she explores. The characters are well-crafted and relatable, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their stories. The novel's intricate plot, combining elements of family drama, romance, and historical intrigue, offers a multi-layered reading experience.

While "The Vanished Days" is an enjoyable and well-researched book, it didn't quite reach the heights of a full four-star rating for me. Some portions of the story felt a bit drawn out, and I occasionally found myself longing for a more streamlined narrative. However, if you appreciate a well-executed blend of historical fiction and mystery with a touch of romance, this book is definitely worth your time, earning a solid 3.5-star rating.

Kearsley has penned a compelling and complex novel in THE VANISHED DAYS. It's like she takes you by the hand and leads you through this story bit by bit, but you're never quite sure what's coming next or what the next plot twist is going to be. Set in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the story focuses on Lily Graeme. Lily is strong and independent, but she becomes a pawn of the politics at the time (Jacobean rebellion) and is at the mercy of men who treat her badly - both as a child and as an adult. She does have allies, though, and I never saw the plot twist at the end coming!

Engrossing, beautifully written, and utterly satisfying, fans of Kearsley will not be disappointed. Perfect for Outlander fans.

Susanna Kearsley is an automatic must-buy author for me. The Vanished Days was excellent, a well done story in her typical historical fiction style. Her research is evident, but the book doesn't get bogged down in the details.

The story line is 18th Century Scotland, and intersects with many beloved characters from the previous two novels in the series. It was a lovely read for me. The ending was surprising and I really enjoyed it!

Hello Outlander fans! This book is for you to tide you over during any Droughtlander moments. Kearlsey is one of my favourite historical romances and this book did not disappoint.

This says it is book 3 of a series. I didn't read the prior books but I'm not sure that mattered. I didn't feel like I missed anything. Not sure if it's the same characters or not.

Overall this was just OK. It's set in the late 1600's/early 1700's in Scotland. During the time of various uprisings/conflicts between Scottish/English/French over who would rule Scotland. Similar time period to the beginning of the Outlander series which did interest me.

I just didn't find this book really engrossing. It's a long book and I felt it dragged at times. In some parts I was interested to know what would happen next, but other times I just wanted to get thru it. There's a twist at the end but it's not a really a mystery story. Just mainly a story of one woman and her history and how it got her to the point at the end of the book where she's trying to prove she married a soldier and should get his inheritance from the government.

Overall it was ok but not great.

The Vanished Days is technically third in this Kearsley series, the first two being The Winter Sea and The Firebird. However, you don't have to have read the first two before reading this one, as it's a prequel. The Vanished Days, takes place at the turn of the 18th century in Scotland. A young widow, Lily, comes forward to collect her husband's wages after he passes away overseas during an expedition. Her case is handed over to Adam Williamson, whose job it becomes to ask questions and find out if Lily's marriage to Jamie Graeme is in fact legitimate.

This novel included some very interesting characters and surprising twists for a Historical Fiction novel. There were times when it lost my interest, with it being such a long, detailed novel. As my first Kearsley read, it did not completely sell me. I feel that if I had previously read some of her other novels, I may have been more invested in this one. If you enjoyed Outlander (the novels or TV series), you would probably enjoy this novel and understand a lot of the historical events taking place.

What a terrific novel! I fell completely into the world of 1680s Scotland, where Sergeant Adam Williamson is assigned to investigate the validity of a marriage claim on behalf of his superior, Lieutenant Turnbull. Lily Aitcheson has claimed that she is the widow of Jamie Graeme, the son of an aristocratic Scottish family, who had died while in service related to the Darien Settlement. As he investigates, Adam tries to stay objective. Still, he gets drawn into the complexities of Lily's life and the intrigue around the Jacobite uprising, the dissolution of the Scottish parliament and the misuse of the Equivalent Fund.

I enjoy dual time period books and the transitions between the two periods (the 1680s and 1707) were smooth and precise. I also appreciated the historical descriptions of religious, political and social tensions and the illustration of social classes and life in Edinburgh during that period. Not just for women like Lily but also for the military life experienced by Adam. Kearsley masterfully builds the picture of Lily's life. The descriptions are rich yet not overboard. I felt like I was in the room with them on their investigations as the tale completely transports you. The characters are well constructed and believable, and the plot twists! Wow.

One of my favourite books is Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield, and this novel had a lot of similarities in the gothic mood. I highly recommend it - and I have already told my family and friends to read it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy!

The Vanished Days is a skillfully written and well-researched novel of historical fiction, taking place in Scotland during the Jacobean era. Kearsley has written a novel where the plot all comes together, the characters are fully developed, and the touch of romance brings it all together.

A well-written, entertaining read. Would recommend to fans of Scottish history, stories like Outlander, and atmospheric historical fiction. I have not read any of Kearsley’s previous work, but will be sure to look into them.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley.

I am a long-time lover of Susanna Kearsley's works but unfortunately I just didn't connect to this one. Perhaps it was the time period that lost my interest or the fact that I prefer female narrators. I'm not sure. However, I still found it an excellently crafted piece of work and will eagerly look forward to her next books.

I was really excited to read this one as I love Scottish history! Unfortunately, this one didn't quite work out for me. There were many parts of the story that the reader was given historical background information through news that a character receives and I just wish it was done in a different way. Those sections I found a bit slow and wished we were getting that information through the point of view of a character's experience. I did like getting a glimpse of what it was like to live in a city in that time period and the day to day struggles they had to endure. Overall I'd say this was ok read with a ton of great information on Scottish history.

The Vanished Days is said to be a great prequel book, but you don't need to know The Winter Sea to understand the characters. This is a fabulous historical fiction novel of the late 17th century
covering the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland. This is not usually my favourite period. Susanna Kearsley does an excellent job weaving an interesting tale. If you are a fan of the TV series Outlander you will love this.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'The Vanished Days' by Susanna Kearsley (Slains #3)

I love the way this Canadian author brings the history of Scotland to life in her stories. With the unexpected twist at the end of this book, I look forward to re-reading this with a different perspective. It's obvious how much research she put into this book which was based on authentic characters and circumstances. You could really feel like you were a witness to her tales with the political tensions and descriptions so vivid. I look forward to her next book, hopefully with some of the connected characters. I absolutely loved this story!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a digital ARC for my honest review.

The Vanished Days is a great prequel book, but you don't need to know The Winter Sea to understand the characters. If you do know the first book, you'll certainly appreciate some of the smaller character elements woven within.

Something that I really appreciated was Lily's story not just being told to us. We got to see the story play out through flashbacks, which certainly made it all much easier to follow and far more interesting. I also loved the way real history was woven into the tale. It's clear that there was a lot of research into Scottish politics and history, and the details were told in ways that were relatively easy to follow. The book didn't feel bogged down for it.

Outlander fans are sure to love it.

The only reason the book lost a star is the slow start.

My full review is at Amazon Adviser.

I have not read The Winter Sea but after reading this prequel will have to put it on my TBR list. I enjoyed this book and the journey we follow with Lily and one other who is trying to find validity in her claim, Adam. I would have given the story 5 stars but I had to reread certain parts to grasp what and who were involved in the history and politics of the era and I still don’t know if I have it all right. It’s a beautifully written book with amazing character development. Loved the twist at the end .

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I would recommend this book to friends and my book club

This is an intriguing tale of a steadfast young girl, who grows into a steadfast woman. Her tale is not one of great joy, but of a life lived as well as it could be honorably. The stor encompasses a number of people and the times of much Trigun in Scotland. It is an engrossing story that I did not wish to put down.

This work of historical fiction is well researched by the author. It’s so well researched, that she may have believed we readers have the same skill at knowing the history. As a result, I had some trouble keeping up with the story as it did require additional understanding of Scotland prior to the Jacobite rebellion. The shifting alliances and understanding of kings and queens would have helped my comprehension. That aside, it was a book that delivered an ending I did not see coming. The main character Lily recounts her life as a child through to adulthood. It’s not an easy or kind life, but she is aided along the way by benevolent caretakers who show her caring so that she can grow up to care for her younger (adopted) sibling, Maggie. The twist in this book makes the reader want to re-read a few chapters.
Stay tuned for the author’s note where she does offer a history lesson and she shows just how much work she put in while researching her characters. It was interesting to see some are based on real people.
I love this author’s books because she usually adds a supernatural or mystical touch. Though this was absent in this novel, she makes up for it in giving us a mystery that unfolds delightfully in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

The Vanished Days is a well researched and well written epic of the late 1600's and early 1700's in Scotland.

It is the Jacobean era and the story is told in two time lines that switches from Lily's childhood to being an adult.

Lily in the 1700's comes to claim her late husband's wages and she must prove that they were indeed married.

Sounds easy but it is not.

Adam Williamson is leading the enquiry and narrates the story very well.

There is so much detail and history between these pages that you easily feel like you there.

I have not read any of the series but I now have bought them. You can certainly read this as a stand alone.

The ending was a surprise.

Loved this book, pick up a copy and be prepared to read through the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster for a great historical fiction read.

This prequel and companion to Susanna Kearsley”s novel The Winter Sea, takes place in timelines alternating between the 1680s and the early 1700s in Scotland. Given that the historical timeline and events are similar to the first couple books in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, I have seen comparisons between the books. If you are interested in Scottish history – in particular, the Jacobite uprising – you will likely enjoy Kearsley’s series. But if you are looking for the epic romance and steam in Gabaldon’s books you will be disappointed by these books. That’s not to say that there isn’t a love story but it’s not the driving plot of this book.

The plot has a mystery element and I will admit that I was surprised when the truth was revealed at the end.

Although the book is narrated by a man, what I loved most about the book was the look into how hard the lives of girls and women were in this time period with limited to no options available to them.

Thank you to @simonscusterca and @netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

Recently returned to Edinburgh, Sgt Adam Williamson is asked to step in for his friend to investigate the claim of a mysterious young widow asking for compensation for her late husband's death during the failed Darien Expedition. Set in a turbulent Scotland of 1707, rife with rumors of an invasion from the Jacobites in France, Williamson must navigate a political tightrope to find the truth of Lily Graeme's story.

A slow burn of a book, and populated with a cast mostly drawn from the real history of the times, Kearsley's impeccable research brings the city of Edinburgh to life vividly. It is almost a much a character as any of the people I was lost in the author's always beautiful and lyrical prose. Her command of the history and language is nothing less than brilliant. The twists at the end left me breathless and euphoric. Kearsley's fans will not be disappointed, and I'm sure this will bring her many new ones.