I’ve been a big fan of Susanna Kearsley’s books for years. For a long time (until Outlander), everything I knew about the Jacobites, I learned from her books. She has a true knack for bringing various time periods and people to life on the page.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Vanished Days. The beginning has a somewhat slower pace that eases the reader in and shines a light on the setting. Kearsley spends time setting the scene before diving into the heart and action of the story. Throughout the course of the book, we get a sense of what life must have been like for people in the late 1600s and early 1700s, and the different ways of life between the poor, the well-off, and those in between. This book was obviously incredibly well researched, and I learned so much without it ever feeling like a ‘history lesson’, probably at least partly because the characters were so well fleshed out and felt so real. I was completely invested in both Lily’s and Adam’s stories, as well as all the other important players. It’s all so intricately woven, and I was completely spellbound.

The Vanished Days is a beautiful, bittersweet story about family, belonging, secrets, lies, sacrifice, and love. I appreciated the balance between a slower pace and then so much happening I was white-knuckling the book. There’s a mystery throughout that unravels slowly, bit by bit, with a twist that shocked me so much, it prompted me to stay up until after 2am on a Sunday night to finish the book. This book is heartbreaking and romantic, and these characters will stick with me for a long time, just like many of Susanna’s other characters.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchanged for an honest review.
Expected publication date: April 26, 2022
Bestselling historical fiction author, Susanna Kearsley, brings forth a new novel of allegiances, betrayal, love and forgery in “The Vanishing Days”. Set in Scotland, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Kearsley’s novel has an “Outlander” feel, sprinkled with her own creativity and unique style. It is a prequel to Kearsley’s “The Winter Sea”, but it can be read as a standalone (having not read her other series, I can attest to this!).
It is 1707 and Scotland is in turmoil- France wants to reunite the exiled King to Scotland’s throne, and England is desperate to hold onto their claim to the Scottish lands, while Scotland continues to fight for their independence. In order to bring peace and order, the Royal Commissioners have offered compensation to those who have lost a loved one in the Darien battle, a dangerous expedition where many soldiers’ lives were lost. Adam is hired to investigate one such claim, as the powers that be believe Lily Graeme’s claim is false, and she never married lost soldier James Graeme. As Adam and his partner, Gilroy, investigate, Adam begins to believe Lily’s story, but Gilroy insists Adam’s personal feelings are clouding his judgment.
Told in two time periods, the end of the 17th century and 1707, we hear from both Lily and Adam, as Lily grows and meets James Graeme, and in 1707 when Adam begins to investigate her alleged marriage. There is also four distinct parts where we hear from a narrator (we assume to be Adam) as an old man, when he is reciting Lily’s tale.
There are a lot of characters in this novel, and (as is the case with most historical Scottish novels) there is a lot of infighting, allegiances, and politics that require a good deal of concentration to keep straight. It is difficult to determine who is on what side, and what side is the “right” side, and of course add to that various Dukes, Earls, Kings and Queens and you have such an assortment of characters, it is a challenge to sort through them all. Kearsley has based her novel on real events and characters (although it is still a fiction novel), so it makes sense that the story is told this way, with the tense backdrop of warring countries and political games. The story started out a bit slow for me, but once it picked up I was all-in and eager to see how it played out.
I enjoyed both Adam and Lily as characters, as they were both charming and likable. Kearsley has a large amount of despicable characters within this novel as well, and although they remained true to their detestable nature throughout, I thought they balanced out the novel nicely (while still rooting for their demise).
The end of the novel has an unexpected twist, which surprised me, but I was grateful for it as it brought an emotional and romantic end to the story. As a huge fan of Scottish fiction, Kearsley is still new to me as an author, and “The Vanished Days” was my first novel by her. Well-researched with romantic yet practical characters, I enjoyed her novel and I hope for more to come!

As usual, Kearsley has written an enjoyable historical fiction novel. The manner of writing makes one feel like they are back in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is almost poetic in its style.
The main themes that I loved are:
• The way religion is discussed in a nonjudgmental manner and acceptance of all characters regardless of religion.
• How not telling the whole truth doesn’t mean it is a lie, it’s just that some things are best left unsaid.
• The idea that family is not only who you are bound to but those you choose to be bound to.
The only reason this book is not a 5 star is that I have read all of Kearsley’s books and this isn’t my favourite. However, as with many of her books, this one left me wanting to reread it and discover how I did not guess the ending.

I've only read one other SK book many years ago so this was like reading a new author for me. This is definitely a book for lover's of detailed historical fiction. It is extremely well researched with characters that are totally believable and engaging. You fall in love with Lily and Matthew and their story. Perhaps I would have been a bit more engaged had I read the first two books of this trilogy. I did find some of the history too detailed for my taste and ended up skimming through those sections. All in all a good read.

This is a beautifully written book, that opened up a totally new period of history to me. Susanna Kearsley exercises her gifts as a storyteller to tell us the same story from different viewpoints and timelines, and brings us to a fuller understanding of the events, and the people involved.

Lily Aitcheson is a widow who wishes to claim what is due her as her husband's heir. Adam Williamson is the experienced soldier assigned to determine if her claim is true or not. But why is a fairly high level organization interested in one widow's claim, in early 18th century Scotland, as Scotland and England begin to navigate the terms of the Act of Union? And are either Adam or Lily who they claim to be? As their narratives begin to unspool for the reader, it becomes obvious that there is a great deal more going on than meets the eye.

As often happens in Kearsley books, characters from her previous novels find their way into this one. Readers of The Winter Sea, Bellewether, The Firebird, and, of course, Mariana, will find familiar faces here, but even if you've never read another of her books, this story will captivate you. It is a slow burn. Susanna Kearsley is a master of dropping just enough crumbs to encourage you to keep following her into the labyrinth of a story, and it isn't until the final chapters that the multiple threads come together into a stunning conclusion.

Despite the fact that it will be categorized as historical romance, this is not a light read. There are themes of abandonment and abuse and the story also brings in the story of the Scottish attempt at colonization in South America. I regularly learn a great deal while reading a Susanna Kearsley novel, and this one is no exception.

Although it is the third in a series and I haven't read the other ones it stands alone quite well. It starts off a bit slowly but stick with it and you will not regret it. It is a beautiful story of love and the ties that bind us to our past and the people within our past. Also you will not see the end coming.

Vanished Days is another story written by Canada's own, Suzanna Kearsley. Her books are always well researched and rich with the time period she chooses write to about. Winter Sea was one of my favourites. With that being said Vanished Days is within the same time period, 1700's.
I loved learning about Lily, through her back story. Those were the best parts of the book, getting to know Lily. But I have to admit that it took quite awhile for me to get into the story. This disappointed me.
It might have been there was just too much history to plod through, in order to get to the story. I just didn't enjoy it as much as Winter Sea.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book. I give it a 3 out of 5.

The Vanished Days is the sweeping saga of a woman named Lily Aitcheson and her coming of age during the turbulent time in Scotland's history, the Jacobite rebellions. The story is told by Adam Williamson, a soldier who is assigned to verify if her claim to collect her lost husband’s wages is real or false.

The story begins in 1707 and goes back and forth between that time and late 1600 when Lily was a child. For the most part, I found the story compelling but sad. As is Kearsley's trademark, there is lots of history here, sometimes it bogged down the story, but there is also mystery, intrigue, and great storytelling.

There is a great twist at the end that I did not see coming, which delighted me and made the whole story worthwhile because it gave the otherwise sad story a happy ending. It's a memorable tale but I did feel that it could have been a little shorter. The comparison of it to Outlander is misleading, as the only similarity is the time in Scottish history.

I've read many of Kearsley's books and enjoyed them all, including this one, however, it's not my favorite by her. This is the 3rd book in the Slain series, (The Winter Sea being #1 and Firebird #2) however all three books are standalone with different storylines. The Firebird was my favorite. If you've read any of Kearsley's other books you may want to look into this one too.

I read about 50% of this book and put it down to maybe continue later. It was very slow going, and I found myself avoiding reading so as not to read this book. This is very unusual for me and the books of this author, which I usually love and gobble up.

Anyone who knows me knows I rarely give five stars to a book. Not necessarily because of the book, but because usually there is one thing (or more) that didn't work for me.

I'd give this book more than five stars if I could.

From the subject matter (early Jacobite history), to the things I learned about that history, like the war not just between the Scottish and the English, but between the Episcopalians (AKA Anglicans) and the Presbyterians, to great characterization, this book ticked so many boxes for me.

But this goes so much beyond subject matter and enjoyment from learning something. This is about a plot so deftly told that my head was spinning at the end. It is rare that I close the cover on a book and want to start over again from the begininng right away. For reasons you'll understand when you read the book, I just might do that...

5.5 stars out of five. Yep, there I said it.

⭐️ Review ⭐️

Vanishing Days by

Kesrlsy weaves a story of love and loss, mystery and hope through the backdrop of Scotland in the early 18th century, the history of the time playing as big a role as the characters she created.

The historical work is really Kearslry’s strength. The political conflicts of the time and even some of the characters are represented so well. I felt like I was learning history even as i became more and more invested in the characters and their story.

This is a big book and a few times it felt slow and repetitive BUT the plot picks up the pace at the end with some surprising
Revelations and a beautifully satisfying ending.

Of course it didn’t hurt that Scotland had my heart.

Side note: goodreads lists this as the third in series (Slains 3) but this is my first of Kearslry’s books and I didn’t feel like I was missing out. It stands on its own as a beautiful story in its own right.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my sec copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this novel as an ARC.
Kearsley's latest book is set in Edinburgh during the Jacobite rebellions in 1707 with multiple flashbacks. It is a masterly twisted tale of love, lies, and loyalty that has a huge twist at the end that I didn't expect.
The characters were complex and well defined and engaged me from the beginning.
The plot was intricate and the era was well crafted.
Overall, I highly recommend The Vanished Days.

Since I was unfamiliar with the historical and religious aspects of this period in Scottish history ( 17th. century) the book became more of a history lesson than an enjoyable read. The author however was very knowledgeable in her account of this historical time. The story of Lily was interesting and I wanted to see how her story unfolded. The book was quite long .

I tried multiple times to read the book, The Vanished Days but it could not hold my attention. I would not recommend this book.

I enjoyed this story, which took the reader back to the late 1600 early 1700's in Scotland. It's an historical period that i really enjoy reading about. The author really captured the essence of the time.

Susanna Kearsley is a master storyteller. Her writing style is at once soothing yet keeps you engaged and wanting more. Even for those who aren't history buffs, she makes it easy to follow along and understand what's going on with true bits of history added in. Fans of historical fiction will love this one, and even if it's not your favourite genre, I urge you to pick it up! I really enjoyed this story and will be looking for more from Susanna in the future.