Recent Reads - Garden of the Midnights

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Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder - As the story opens, William Kensley is realizing that the so-called accidents that have befallen him recently are not just random. He is being targeted, but why? And by whom? A servant he trusts agrees to tell him the truth, but when William arrives at their meeting place, the man dies - murdered. William flees for his own life, following the only clue he has to find a man who may hold the secrets to William's true identity and inheritance. 

William meets Isabella Gresham while trying to gain an audience with her father, and they enjoy a sweet friendship and connection until the secrets start unravelling and everything William has is taken from him. He is left without a home or resources and even his name and connections have become worthless. Lord Gresham will have nothing to do with him, but Isabella intervenes when an attempt on William's life leaves him seriously injured, and insists on nursing him back to health. Their relationship continues to grow as he recovers, but he knows it cannot continue.

William is betrayed and endangered once again, and he knows that it is best for Isabella that he leave, but after his goodbye, Isabella is kidnapped and William knows that he would give everything in order to find and rescue her. He joins the chase and in the clash with her captors, risks his life, but will it be enough to save her life? Even if they both escape with their lives, William and Isabella may never be able to stay together.

This story has a lot of twists and turns and is full of suspense and secrets. From the opening pages, William discovers one deceit after another in everything he has believed about himself, and must cope with the tragedies of losing everything he thought was his. The relationship between him and Isabella is sweet and develops slowly, especially for Isabella, as she has tried to harden her heart against the possibility that love exists. Tragedy and intrigue dot the storyline, putting William and Isabella both in peril, and making the odds against them seem insurmountable. In true Gothic style, a dramatic kidnapping by a clever but heartless villain leads to an equally dramatic and heroic rescue attempt; and all of it seems to lead from one tragedy to another. Each new turn of events kept me eagerly turning pages to see how the conflicts would resolve.

From the Publisher:

Danger Lurks at Rosenleigh Manor

Enjoy another Gothic Style Regency from Hannah Linder

The accidents are not a matter of chance. They are deliberate. As English gentleman William Kensley becomes aware of the danger at Rosenleigh, he pleads for truth from the only man he can trust―until that man is murdered.

As the secrets unfold into scandal, William's world is tipped into destitution―leaving him penniless and alone. His only comfort is in the constant love of Isabella Gresham, but even that has been threatened. When a hidden foe arises from their acquaintances and imperils Isabella's life, will William be the only one willing to rescue her? And even if he saves Isabella from her captors, will he still have to forsake her heart?

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

By the same author: When Tomorrow Came, Beneath His Silence

This is a book with time in the title (#42), for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

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