Wow. Just Wow. This is an outstanding book! It is perfect for readers of Gothic-style, clean novels. It has a grand manor on a cliff, overlooking the sea. There is a mysterious death, a brooding widower, a motherless child, and a questioning young lady with secrets of her own. There is faith that makes a difference. There are 2 people not looking for love, and who actually resist it. There is faith that makes a difference. What's not to love? I look forward to reading more from of this masterful author!
I read this book, compliments of Barbour Publishing. My thoughts are my own.

I assumed I’d start Beneath His Silence before bed and get maybe 1/3 done before going to sleep. Wrong! I could not put it down. A few hours later and into the early morning, I’ve finished. I have a new author to add to my favorites list. ❤️

Fans of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and regency fiction will find a must read here…but there so much more here for a believer as well. Hope. Redemption. Healing. *sigh*

Hannah spins incredible word pictures and brings readers on an experience that crosses all kinds of human experience: love, fear, betrayal, joy, and most importantly, love.

Must. Must. Must. Read. ❤️❤️❤️

Now, how am I supposed to be alert for work tomorrow after staying up so late? ;)

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this book before it drops.

I love clean romances and gothic ones are hard to find! Seeing the summary for this I quickly hit up the publisher for a copy. Since the spooky season is fast approaching, decided to jump into this book to get me ready for it.

I think this book is a solid debut, but it's not amazing by any means. There is a lot of misses that a first time author has and while not everyone has those this author did.

- I think the religious aspect doesn't match with the book all that much. I know the book is by a Christian author, but I have read books by other Christian authors. Their addition of 'faith' or having certain characters quote faith bits or reference it in the text is a distraction.

- The pacing is a bit wordy, long, and sometimes off tangent. The 'creepy factor could be embellished on but at times you forget the creepy factor is in the book.

= The romance could have been done better, I felt like not much was written to establish their pull.

I think with some more time and maybe some more re-reads/beta readers/editing this author could have some good books in the future.

I love interesting works of mystery and intrigue. Set them with a regency background and I eagerly grab them for a cozy read on a cold day. Beneath His Silence started with the promise of a good story but quickly unraveled and fell short of the mark.

In most novels, you see the main hero or heroine grow as a person to be better than he or she was at the beginning of the book. Not so with this one. Between her constant combative nature and purposely vague, misleading, or argumentative dialogue there was little to no change from page 1 until the end except for the fact that she eventually loved the leading male protagonist. Maybe. It's unclear because she insists in talking in riddles or rude statements for the bulk of the novel.

The freedoms the main character is allowed as a governess, while convenient for advancing the courtship in this toxic relationship, don't make sense for anyone who reads or knows about the regency era as a whole.

The plot advances well--sort of--but the lack of character development about the main villain or sufficient background again is confusing and muddled and the late introduction of another villain leading to a second and final climax left me with more questions than answers when the book finally ended.

This may be due to the fact that this is a new writer that I saw these issues or perhaps the editor was not proficient at reining in the story as a whole. Either way, this regency won't be one I have on my 'must buy' list.

Gothic Regency Romance is a wonderful escapist read with a sinister plot, a dark, handsome Duke and a wonderful heroine who falls in love with the dark, dastardly stranger. You know the plot lines if you are a fan, but like all good indulgences, you have to open the book to the first page and jump right in to a world that is sinister, full of mystery and intrigue to see what will eventually a happen.
Will they fall in love or will she meet her doom? This is all unknown at Chapter One but as the pages turn it is really hard to know who is really the villain. Hannah Linden has captured this darkly enjoyable, almost addictive spirit in Beneath His Silence with a very strong story line that keeps you guessing until the very last chapter.
Ella Pemberton is the second daughter of a Duke. After the death of her sister, she becomes embroiled in her father’s obsessive desire to find out what really happened, as her death was sudden and not of natural causes. She decides to become the governess to Lord Sedgewick’s son Peter, not that she is a governess at all, but thinks it is the only way she will be able to discover the truth about her sister’s death.
As the days pass she realises Peter is a beautiful little boy missing his mother and Lord Sedgwick, Harry, is not at all what he has been portrayed. What is really going on in this house of dark secrets will keep the reader involved as the pages turn.
Beneath His Silence is an excellent read as it contains all the elements required for a good Regency read. Linder has added an additional element of villainy to the plot line which keeps it strong, as well as helping to create the strong character that is Ella; determined, purposeful and almost undaunted, well almost.
Yet another element which could be considered as a bit risky, is that of religion, with Harry as a Christian and Ella as an unbeliever. Perhaps in parts this is portrayed a little a little too heavily as a lighter touch would have been far more beneficial to the storyline in general.
Beneath His Silence is a debut novel and as such certainly lets the genre of Gothic Romance readers know there is a promising new author to look out for on the bookshelves.

Thank you for sending me this for review this story was so good I didnt think I had time to finish but I couldn't stop reading it. I liked the characters Ella and Henry and their feelings towards eachother. The cover of the book was so beautiful its what made me want to read the book.
I was given a free copy in exchange for my review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise was good and I liked the story. I would have liked more interaction between Ella and Henry to see the development of their feelings, and the back and forth with their love/hate became a bit tedious. For me, and this is just a personal preference, it was too depressing. Some light hearted moments between the MCs would have been helpful. I loved Peter! Even with my critiques, I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Beneath His Silence, by Hannah Linder, tells the tale of Ella Pemberton. This young woman is determined to find the man who murdered her sister, Lucy and make him pay. She is following up where he father left the search when he died. Ella fears it was Lucy’s husband. She will move forward with her own search under an assumed name, Miss Woodhart. Ella does not want Lord Henry Sedgewick to know his sister-in-law is investigating Lucy’s death!

Henry has just returned home to find his son’s governess ready to leave her post. Now he must find a replacement. Little does Henry know that the woman he hires, Miss Woodhart, is actually Lucy’s sister, Ella. When Ella meets young Peter Sedgwick, she immediately falls in love with little boy, who looks so much like her sister!

This tale gets rather dark as both Henry and Ella seek peace concerning Lucy’s death. Hold tight until you finally learn the truth about what happened to Ella’s sister!

4.5 ⭐️

Beneath His Silence is a story of mystery and intrigue, coupled with Jane Austin book vibes. I loved the author’s writing style and the pacing of the story, which left me engaged and excited to come back and read more chapters. I loved the characters, the plot, and how the author weaved her faith into the story in an authentic and beautiful way.

My only qualm with this book was some of the emotional angst between Henry and Ella and their constant teeter-tottering between wanting each other and then not. 😅🙈 But my complaint is small, hence why I’m only docking .5 stars.

This is a stunning debut novel with a beautiful cover to match! I look forward to reading anything else the author writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of Beneath His Silence. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

A thrilling mystery that will leave you turning each page. This plot does not disappoint!

As a young woman, Ella sets off to find the truth behind her sister’s death. She embeds herself into the town and eventually gets a job as a governess to stay and work in the same house her sister died in. As she finds her sister’s diary and uncovers the truth, she also faces danger and an adventure to save a little boy.

Themes of self-pity and unforgiveness are woven throughout this book. The main character realizes he’s hiding behind anger and hate and it’s a powerful moment.

This book is appropriate for teenage readers. I was given a free copy in exchange for my review.

This is my first book by Hannah Linder and it won't be my last! It has a gothic feel like Jane Eyre. A mysterious manor, a severe but handsome master, and a possible madman all lend a hand in creating a very interesting plot line.

After the death of her father, Ella Pemberton decides to continue his desperate search for proof of her sister's murder. She travels to her brother-in-law's estate and enters his household under the guise of being a governess to his little boy. As she adjusts to her temporary life, she comes to realize that Lord Sedgewick is not the kind of man to kill his wife. So if he didn't, who did? They say ignorance is bliss; is Ella ready to learn the truth? Lord Sedgewick is very good at keeping secrets and hides behind a gruff manner to keep the world at bay. As the weeks go by, he finds himself falling in love with Ella. The feeling is new for him because he only married his first wife out of obligation. Their journey together will take him and Ella to dark places they never thought possible.

I enjoyed reading Beneath His Silence. It has likable characters, and good plot line, and an ending not easily guessed. I think fans of suspense Christian fiction will enjoy reading this book.

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder combines a Jane Eyre type story with a mystery. When readers start the story, they will notice a number of similarities to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. An old house with a Lord who has rumors spread throughout the countryside about him. Even though the story is not a mirror image of the Jane Eyre plot, it does have some similarities, so the story does ring as not original. The plot does feature a mystery, and the story does move through the daily lives of each characters. While the plot does ring familiar, I wanted more explanation near the end of the mystery. What actually happened to Ella’s sister? Was the reasoning behind the person upstairs realistic? It was truly never explained either. I wanted more backstory on his story. As for the romance, it was awkward and weird at times. When Ella and Lord Sedgewick started to feel emotions toward each other, I, personally, did not buy it. The snide remarks that they have been sharing the whole story kind of kept their emotions at a distance. Overall, Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder was a nice try for a debut author, but I needed more backstory and information to make the story realistic and believable.

I received a complimentary copy of Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Hannah Linder delivers a decidedly gothic tale with her debut novel, "Beneath His Silence". Set in Regency England, the author deploys a variety of gothic tropes. The obligatory brooding, tortured and misunderstood hero (many have one), a determined if misguided heroine and a few genuinely unpleasant characters factor large in the book. The atmospheric location is a definite plus. There's death and destruction. This makes for a very busy read, but it works.

What is more unusual for a work of this nature are the Christianity threads woven throughout. While the religious references are heavy-handed at times, these are nevertheless important as Ella Pemberton is not a Christian and Henry, Lord Sedgewick is. Whether they be bad, good, or somewhere in between, the various characters are interesting. A more detailed backstory would have greatly enhanced this tale.

Linder's prose is lovely with minimal grammatical errors. Another reviewer mentioned this and I concur: During the time in which the actions here take place, marriage between an individual and the corresponding in-law was prohibited. I look forward to reading more of this promising author's works. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an ARC of this enjoyable book.

This is the first book I've read by Hannah Linder. It was an enjoyable story that kept me interested from beginning to end. The book jumps quickly between the two point of views and occasionally another person. While I appreciated we didn't spend pages stuck in characters head with internal dialogues, I didn't love how much it jumped back and forth so quickly.

This was quite a mystery that takes some time to get the full lay of it. Lord Sedgewick kept leaving little nuggets to frustrate me enough to keep reading so I could find out more. Hannah keeps you wondering where exactly the story is going to go, and I finished the book quickly to find out. I don't want to say more lest I give anything away. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It fits well within the parameters of a classic gothic novel. Content was clean, no overly gory scenes etc. Based on the relationship of her sister, there are some more adult themes, so I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers.

Couple of things I was bugged about the story, were the fact that the hero had been married to her sister. I could be mistaken but I thought it was against church law to marry a close female relative at the time. And other than a little quip at the end, there was no mention of that. but it seemed like there should have been some conflicting feelings over that especially on Ella's side of things. The other thing and *spoiler alert* was that she didn't tell him the big 'secret'. I mean come on after everything they went through, she is going to live with that for the rest of her life? Not likely.

I received a copy from the publisher for my honest review and opionions.

Beneath His Silence

by Hannah Linder

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Series: None

Rated: 3

Obtain: Borrow



Back of the Book: “Will Seeking Justice Lead to Her Own Demise?
A Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author
Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.
Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son—and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.
Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?”



Impressions: Although this was an enticing and easy read there were holes that kept me from fully enjoying this story. I enjoyed the gothic style however that is where my enjoyment ended. The mystery person was a mystery to me for the wrong reasons. I believe their identity would have been well known and therefore much of the mystery would have been void. Ella was to be a governess but was a poor example of this role. As the story reads her focus transfers from detective to being seen as a loving mother figure. It did not really add up as there was no context for her attachment to the child beyond her growing interest in Lord Sedgewick. I also took issue with the injuries that occurred toward the end of the book. They were poorly dealt with making the rapid events following completely unlikely. I was also not a fan of how the author tried to weave faith into this story. I love novels that have biblical encouragement in the characters' lives but the religious bits in this book felt out of place. Despite my opinions shared here, I did read this book quickly and with much anticipation of the ending.

Quotes: “Our bodies, Miss Pemberton, are the temples of the Holy Ghost. Thus, we must do our best to remain always restored and in good health.” - I sometimes forget that when I asked Christ to forgive my sins and be in me that my body became His temple. Christ is within me, and I am responsible for maintaining this temple. This quote made me stop and reflect on what kind of caretaker I am.

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

This is the first book I have read from Hannah Linder and I am so thankful I found a new author to follow and delve into her stories. This is a fantastic regency inspirational romance. The story had me intrigued from the beginning and kept me engaged until the very end. There are some predictable scenes but many unpredictable ones. The plot and the character development are well written. The conflicts throughout this novel were exciting and moved the story along at a great pace.

Read it for the:
-mystery elements
-suspense
-plot twists
-gothic tones
-romance and angst
-hidden identity
-memorable characters

TW: themes of insanity, death, grief, attempted murder, adultery, and abduction

Gripping. Fast-paced. Emotional. I am in awe this is a debut novel!

A gothic-style regency romance with echos of classics like Jane Eyre, I could not stop turning the pages! It had been a while since I had read a suspense novel that kept me at the edge of my seat and enthralled in the plot. Something new happened in every chapter to keep the momentum of the story (and me from sleeping).

The romance between Ella and Henry was one that bloomed gradually and under difficult circumstances. Their road was one paved with pain, guilt, a need for truth, and redemption. It was heartbreaking but so satisfying to watch each character grow in accepting a love they thought was not due.

There are many faith elements clever place throughout the novel. Though comments on faith were there, I was amazed at the fact that the light-hearted message of hope did not distract from the overall tone of the book. I felt it brought a balance to the darker themes and add to the character arcs.

This is a story that will stay with you well after you reach the conclusion. I highly recommend, and will be adding this author as one to watch!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book but the opinions expressed are my own. My gratitude to the publisher and NetGallery for allowing me the chance to read and review!

This story captured my attention from the beginning. Really enjoyed the characters nd the build up to end.

(Thank you Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review)

“Beneath His Silence” is a standalone christion, historical fiction romance with a gothic atmosphere. The plot follows Ella Pemberton, as she journeys to discover what really caused her sister’s death.

Ella Pemberton has lived the most recent years suffocating under the shadow the death of her sister caused. Her father has gone near mad, journeying every year to Lucy’s matrimonial home, determined to prove she was murdered by her husband. At his death, Ella decides to finish up his mission. For her father, for her family, for herself and more importantly, for Lucy.

Ella’s journey was that of discovering faith all the while planning revenge. She had never considered her faith an important thing but with her father’s recent conversion and Lord Sedgewick’s unshakeable faith, she is drawn to building a relationship with God.

Lord Henry Sedgewick is living in guilt. He prays every night to God, asking for relief to his pain. His only joy is his son Peter. When Peter’s governess leaves, he is in search of another who will not leave. He hires a Miss Woodwart, who is unknowingly to him, Ella Pemberton. When he starts developing feelings for his son’s governess, his heart is torn.

Henry was an interesting character. He is loving and kind to those under him yet he does nothing to dissuade the rumours that taint his name. All he cares about is that his son is happy and cared for. Henry and Peter have a beautiful relationship.

Henry also provided the humorous moments of the book. The man has a filter but the times he decides not to use it were hilarious.

The mystery aspect of this novel was mesmerising. With the little snippets shared as you continue reading, it builds anticipation to the reveal of what exactly happened to Lucy Pemberton. The mystery kept me reading but the relationships were what made me stay. Peter and Henry. Peter and Ella. Henry and Ella. This was a beautiful read that everyone needs to get their hands on.

The story delivered passion and steam in spades. Hot, thrilling, hot, gritty, hot, emotional, hot, hilarious and did I mention hot?!.