A Lady At Willowgrove Hall

[Book 3] of the Whispers on the Moors Series

     The story of Cecily Faire and Nathaniel Stanton is likely the best of Sarah E. Ladd's Whispers on the Moors Series. I enjoyed all three of them to a certain degree, but there was something more to A Lady At Willowgrove Hall. She seemed to pay more attention to the emotions and the characters - Cecily and Nathaniel. That's not to say her characters in her other books suffered any neglect, but Cecily and Nathaniel felt more developed and rounded, and I found it easier to fall into the story with them.

     Cecily starts off on the wrong foot entirely. Her father disowns her and drops her unceremoniously on the doorstep of a ladies' school in the area, never to see her again, separating her in the meantime from her twin sister, Leah. All as a result of a sixteen-year-old infatuation. And shame plagues her, harshly and desperately, over the dishonour she feels she will be forever responsible for.

    Now in a fit of circumstance and unforeseen opportunity, Cecily leaves Rosemere, the ladies' school under the guidance of Mrs. Sterling, to become a companion for the infamous Mrs. Trent of Willowgrove Hall. She feels as though she is assuming some kind of facade; living a lie in a constant state of paranoia, fear, and shame. She was not raised to be a lady's companion. Her class status really begs the question of whether she is even eligible for the position. But it is upon Mrs. Sterling's recommendation that she goes, and she refuses to disappoint.

     Cecily is the most curious mixture of propriety and rebellion, submission and opinion, fearless and fearful. She is so secretive, and yet so intent on being honest. So strong willed, and yet so very fragile. And she hides a tormenting secret. When she meets Nathaniel, he's the image of propriety, dedication, and loyalty. Far too good for her. But to him, she is kind and proper and has every bit of innocence he believes he lacks - far too good for him. He has his own secrets to hide.

     And if they're both too good for each other, then where does that leave them?

--Elise--

For more information on A Lady at Willowgrove Hall by Sarah E. Ladd, visit our website here.

The Headmistress of Rosemere

[Book Two] of the Whispers on the Moors Series

     The Headmistress of Rosemere is a delightful continuation of The Heiress of Winterwood from the Whispers on the Moors series. In most respects, the two books are separate of one another. You could read either one without the other and not be lacking in any areas of information or lack thereof. While book one focuses on Graham Sterling, book two takes into account William Sterling, a young man of the most troubled disposition. Caught up in gambling and betting on horse races, he has managed to squander his entire fortune and place himself in heavy debt - a fact he tries - and fails - rather desperately to hide from the general public. Appreciating the high value people place on gossip, he really oughtn't be surprised.

     With his funds rapidly waning and his creditors growing increasingly impatient, he finds himself attacked one snowy evening on the road home and he's forced to seek refuge within the halls of Rosemere - a property he leases to the Creightons where they run a school for girls.

     Patience Creighton has since taken on the role of headmistress there, with her father's sudden passing and her brother's mum disappearance. Her mother has fallen into a state of seemingly irreparable grief and there is no one left to take on that mantle. She hurries the unconscious Mr. Sterling into the school late into the night when he's found passed out in the stables, recognized immediately as the infamous William of Eastmore Hall.

     What follows their initial meeting is an odd set of circumstances and a whirlpool of emotions and uncertainties. The development of both Patience and William's characters is both intriguing and suspenseful in its own right, not to mention the added stress from creditors, and the sudden reappearance of her very elusive, very married brother. Undeniably, both Patience and William are pushed together by a set of outward and surrounding circumstances that provide anticipation, worry, frustration, fluffy joy, and pure delight all the way through.

     Sarah Ladd's way of making one feel for the characters is skillful, and her setting and historical accuracy attracts fans of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, namely in reference to Jane Eyre. I had just watched the new movie when I pulled the Whispers on the Moors series off the shelf, and it continued with Charlotte Bronte's setting and atmosphere most satisfactorily.

--Elise--

For more information on the Whispers on the Moors: The Headmistress of Rosemere by Sarah E. Ladd, visit our website here.

The Heiress of Winterwood

[Book One] of the Whispers on the Moors Series

     The Heiress of Winterwood is an intriguing idea that begins, really, with a very uncustomary proposal. A proposal, first of all, from a woman living in the nineteenth century. And she proposes to a man she has never met.

     We are introduced to Amelia Barrett of Winterwood, and the Sterling family of Eastmore Hall. Amelia is within reach of a very large inheritance as a result of her father's death, with the condition that she must be married before she turns twenty-four, lest the fortune go to someone else. In this case, however, Amelia Barrett's concern is not with the money of her inheritance, but a different matter entirely. Were she to follow with her uncle's plan she would be wed well before her twenty fourth birthday to a man of seemingly ideal character and upbringing. But then of course, there is the matter of the child.

     In the process of her courtship with Edward Littleton, Amelia cares for a pregnant Katherine Sterling. This woman's husband, Graham, is a captain of the navy whom she hasn't seen since shortly after they married. When Katherine dies after giving birth, the child, Lucy, is left in Amelia's care. Amelia promises Katherine just before she dies that she will care for her daughter to her last breath, but when Edward Littleton refuses to allow the child to remain at Winterwood after they marry, her entire future is thrown into disarray. The only way for her to keep her promise to Katherine, and to maintain the funds to do so, is for her to marry Graham Sterling in time to keep her inheritance.

     Never mind that his wife died only months ago, and now as he returns from his duties to meet his daughter for the first time he is proposed marriage by a brazen and headstrong woman he has never encountered before. She presents the proposal as a business arrangement - nothing more, nothing less, with the promise that Graham may go about his life however he pleases so long as she may continue caring for baby Lucy, whom she has come to love as her own child.

    Even if he were to agree to her, how many others will try to stand in her way?

--Elise--

For more information on Whispers on the Moors: The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd, visit our website here.