Daughters of Hampshire
By Sandra Byrd
Mist of Midnight is truly vintage Gothic romance and one you won't want to put down! A delightfully chilling book filled with intrigue and danger and a mystery woven throughout.
Rebecca Ravenshaw is the sole heir to her family's estate, or so she thought. Returning to England following the death of her parents Rebecca is shocked to learn that a young woman impersonating her has been installed in her home (as her!). Worse the young woman died in a suspicious manner and the estate has been turned over to a distant cousin, a Captain Whitfield.
With no one to verify her identity, Rebecca is unable to lay claim to her home or her inheritance. Her knowledge of her parents work as missionaries in India is her only hope, but it could take months to validate her.
More puzzling is the identity of the young woman who took advantage of the Indian Mutiny from which Rebecca barely escaped and which claimed the lives of her parents. How did this impostor know enough to fool those around her. And even more troubling how did the young woman die? Was it natural causes or was it foul play as has been suggested and implied? And what role did Captain Whitfield play in the entire situation?
Mist at Midnight is the perfect way to spend the waning hours of the night - mystery, betrayal, intrigue all wrapped in the possibility of romance. Sandra Byrd has woven yet another masterful tale drawing upon historical fact, her ability to craft fiction and to create characters that have both depth and dimension.
I am excited to see what comes next in this series that has captured my attention with this first offering. Fans of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney will enjoy this Victorian era Gothic romance,
And fans of clean romance will enjoy this book with no need to blush.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Howard Books in exchange for my honest review and tour participation.
Synopsis
In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.
Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her home and incomes.
That pretender died within months of her arrival; the servant fled to London as the young woman was hastily buried at midnight. The locals believe that perhaps she, Rebecca, is the real impostor. Her home and her father's investments reverted to a distant relative, the darkly charming Captain Luke Whitfield, who quickly took over. Against her best intentions, Rebecca begins to fall in love with Luke, but she is forced to question his motives—does he love her or does he just want Headbourne House? If Luke is simply after the property, as everyone suspects, will she suffer a similar fate as the first “Rebecca”?
A captivating Gothic love story set against a backdrop of intrigue and danger, Mist of Midnight will leave you breathless.
Sandra Byrd is a best-selling author and has earned Library Journal's Best Books of the year pick twice, in 2011 for To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, and in 2012 for The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr. She's twice been a Christy Award finalist, for To Die For and for Let Them Eat Cake: A Novel. Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I published April 2013.
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Lace bookmark giveaway open to US Residents runs February 25th through March 4th! Winner must respond by March 7th with U.S. mailing address or an alternate winner will be chosen.
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Sandra is hosting an amazing giveaway including an Amazon Kindle Voyage, lace bookmarks, a copy of Mist of Midnight, among other fabulous items through March 31st.
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