By Joanna Davidson Politano
Tressa Harlowe can hardly contain her excitement she is returning home to her beloved Trevelyan Castle - summoned she is sure by her father. But nothing is how she expected it to be - her father is dead and creditors are demanding their debts be paid. But the Harlowe family fortune is a thing of legend - hidden away years ago and Tressa has no idea where it lies. With time against Tressa needs help but to whom she should turn that is a matter of trust.
Donegan Vance has a daunting task before him - hired by Josiah Harlowe as the vineyard manager seems easy enough hard work for a more than generous salary. But the laborers of Trevelyan have been paid sporadically and the estate's funds at present are non-existent. But Donegan needs the money he was promised and it seems that helping Tressa Harlowe find her father's hidden fortune may be his only option.
But Tressa isn't the only one interested in finding her father's fortune and those she'd once have welcomed with open arms in this time of grief may very well be those who are working against her. With threats, suspicions, and danger closing in Tressa finds herself learning truths she never knew while relying, somewhat unwillingly, on the estate's new manager. But does Donegan Vance truly have her best interests at heart or is him merely another fortune hunter here to claim his piece?
This book is set in 1866, England and while a historical fiction there is a definite but subtle undercurrent of mystery running throughout it. A daughter who has always felt alone. A father she never truly knew. A mother always in need of pampering and care. A cousin and his less than happy wife. An old suitor who had once broken her heart. The kindly doctor. The new estate manager. The staff she's known her whole life. And her father's notebooks. These all combine is a most delightful story that will touch the reader's heart as Tressa works through her emotions at her sudden and unexpected change in circumstance. This is a journey of discovery of who she is and who those around her are.
This is a most lovely reading excursion and one not to be missed the characters are both complex and yet identifiable. One wants to be wanted not for possessions but for who one truly is at their heart. The need to be understood is a driving force for the main characters and one most can probably relate to on some level. This would make an excellent book club selection and I highly recommend it.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
About the book:
Welcome to Trevelyan Castle, home of the
poorest heiress in Victorian England
Tressa Harlowe's father kept his vast fortune hidden somewhere on his estate in the south of England and died suddenly, without telling anyone where he had concealed it. Now Tressa and her ailing mother are left with a mansion and an immense vineyard and no money to run it.
It doesn't take long for a bevy of opportunists to flock to the estate under the guise of offering condolences. Tressa knows what they're really up to. She'll have to work with the rough and rusticated vineyard manager to keep the laborers content without pay and discover the key to finding her father's fortune--before someone else finds it first.
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