Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

Hidden in the shadows are our darkest secrets. But what happens when light shines in the darkness and the shadows dissolve?

Heather Toulson returns to the home where she grew up in a small town in England to prepare to sell her parents’ home. Her daughter is intrigued by the mystery of the drowning death of the boy who lived in the manor next to her grandparents’ cottage. The home with the gardens their own shared a gate with. As the story unfolds, Heather tells Ella about her sister who had died when Heather was a child. A sister her parents rarely spoke of. And what parent would want to talk about a child they grieved. But Heather learns more secrets than she’d planned on. Secrets of who Libby Doyle and the parents who raised her were. And the truth of what had happened with her first love.

Dobson weaves a tale through time, using several different voices. Maggie, Walter, Libby, Heather, and even a couple others lend their pieces to the tapestry of the haunting tale. A tale of poor decisions, bitterness that has stolen joy, love, peace, and forgiveness. A history that seems to repeat itself from generation to generation. A tale of heartache, lost innocence, and lost love. And story that left me both saddened for what had been lost through time for this family and hopeful for a future filled with reconciliation and love. Enchanting, heart twisting, and filled with glimpses of hope, Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor delves into both the pain and the joys of life.

***Howard Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.