The Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen
Genre: Christian Mystery/Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Year: 2022
5 Stars
Where has this author been all my life?! This era is not something I read often (don’t at me, just never fell into the regency faze) however, something prompted me to get this when I saw the review email request.
I honestly forgot about it because shipping for these things is rather unpredictable and I’m always the last person to get my book, and this was a prime example of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”… I got it in the mail and was instantly wondering why I had ordered it simply because the cover didn’t give me any hint to the gem inside till I flipped it over and read Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen and that is the moment I started falling head over heels in love with this story.
I half read, half listened to it in about one weekend while sick and it is definitely a stand out! The murder mystery, classic whodunit vibes with the antique abbey brought to life so vividly under Julie Klassen’s pen all combined with characters full of mystery, shrouded in humanity, and with as many secrets as a cat has lives became one of my all time favorites and will definitely probably be in my top 5 of the year.
The way she described the surroundings was so vivid and descriptive, all without getting bogged down and the story just. Kept. rolling.
If you are fan of classic mysteries, stories where you can’t guess the ending, Pride and Prejudice or anything having to do with the regency era, then this book is for you.
I was blown away and immediately added several other Klassen titles to my TBR list and amazon wishlist.
Five raving stars from me!
Content: does include content of philandering, womanizers, and mention of premarital relationships but it was all tastefully done as it would have been talked about at the time… very delicately. I would be totally fine with mid to young teens reading this. Highly recommend!
*This book was given to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and in no way influenced by the publisher.
