Is that cover not beautiful?
It captured me and drew me in, and just looking at it made me want to find out what A Lady at Willowgrove Hall by Sarah E. Ladd was about. However, because this is the third novel in the Whispers on the Moors series, and I’ve read the first two, I already knew this was a story I wanted to dive into. It’s a classic story- boy meets girl, and because of their pasts they don’t think they can be together. But this historic Christian romance, set in regency England, crafts a beautiful tale with twists and turns along the way, making it unique and lovable.
Her secret cloaks her in isolation and loneliness. His secret traps him in a life that is not his own.
Cecily Faire carries the shame of her past wherever she treads, knowing one slip of the tongue could expose her disgrace. But soon after becoming a lady’s companion at Willowgrove Hall, Cecily finds herself face-to-face with a man well-acquainted with the past she’s desperately hidden for years.
Nathaniel Stanton has a secret of his own—one that has haunted him for years and tied him to his father’s position as steward of Willowgrove Hall. To protect his family, Nathaniel dares not breath a word of the truth. But as long as the shadow looms over him, he’ll never be free to find his own way in the world. He’ll never be free to fall in love.
When the secrets swirling within Willowgrove Hall come to light, Cecily and Nathaniel must confront a painful choice: Will they continue running from the past . . . or will they stand together and fight for a future without the suffocating weight of secrets long suffered?
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A Lady at Willowgrove Hall picks up a few years after the second story in this series- Headmistress of Rosemere. Readers of that novel will enjoy seeing a few of their favorite characters from that story make a brief appearance, but otherwise this book is stand-alone.
You quickly learn that Cecily Faire is a sweet young lady thrown into very sad circumstances. Some of her own doing, but not all. She is patient and kind, and takes full responsibility for her actions. When Cecily comes to work at Willowgrove Hall, she runs full force into Nathaniel Stanton, a man of honor with a past he can never escape.
The reader is introduced to several other fun and exciting characters along the way, especially the grouchy and bitter old widow of Willowgrove Hall, with enough painful secrets to effect everyone around her.
When the characters let God take over their lives, they learn that nothing is impossible with Him.
While this is not the most fast paced novel I’ve read, the characters were likable. I know as an author it’s hard to find a balance between too many details and not quite enough. I felt like parts this book had not quite enough. I wanted more examples of how the characters treated each other, not just the why. Overall, it was a lovely read that I do highly recommend to fans of clean, historical romance.
