Sarah E. Ladd

The Letter from Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd – Review

March 14, 2022 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

About the Book

In Regency England, one letter will alter a young woman’s fate when it summons her to Briarton Park—an ancient place that holds the secrets of her past and the keys to her future.

Cassandra Hale grew up knowing little about her parentage, and she had made peace with the fact that she never would. But Cassandra’s world shifts when a shocking deathbed confession reveals a two-year-old letter from Mr. Clark, the master of Briarton Park, with hints to her family’s identity. Stung by betrayal, she travels to the village of Anston only to learn Mr. Clark has since passed away.

James Warrington is a widower and the new master of Briarton Park, where he lives with his two young daughters, his sister, and his mother-in-law. When Cassandra appears at his doorstep with a letter from the previous owner and then proceeds to assist his family in an unexpected way, he is honor bound to help uncover the answers she seeks.

The more time Cassandra spends in Anston, the more she begins to suspect not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. As details emerge, the danger surrounding her intensifies. Using wit and intuition, she must navigate the treacherous landscapes between truth and rumor and between loyalty and deception if she is to uncover the realities of her past and find the place her heart can finally call home.

Sarah Ladd’s latest Regency romance, first in the new Houses of Yorkshire series, combines mystery and intrigue with the best of historical storytelling.

The Light at Wyndcliff by Sarah E. Ladd – Review

October 15, 2020 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

About the Book

In the small Cornish village of Pevlyn, secrets are as treacherous as the rocky English shores.

Cornwall, England, 1820

Raised on the sprawling and rugged Wyndcliff Estate near the dangerous coast of South Cornwall, Evelyn Bray lives with her grandfather, a once-wealthy man now reduced to the post of steward. Evelyn is still grieving her father’s death and her mother’s abandonment when a passing ship is dashed against the rocks.

Liam Twethewey is a mere two and twenty when he inherits Wyndcliff Estate from his great uncle. His optimistic plans of opening a china clay pit to employ the estate’s tenants meets unexpected resistance, and rumors of smuggling and illegal activity challenge his newfound authority.

Brought together by troubling questions surrounding the shipwreck, Evelyn and Liam uncover even darker mysteries shrouding the estate. But as they untangle truth from deception, their loyalties separate them—and their budding love might not be strong enough to overcome the distance.

This latest Regency romance from Sarah E. Ladd evokes the captivating worlds and delicious dramas of Jane Austen, Daphne du Maurier, and Winston Graham.

Review: A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd

May 19, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

The third installment of Sarah E. Ladd’s Treasures of Surrey series was a hit with me. My biggest complaint with the previous book in this series was that the hero and heroine were not together enough.

This was not an issue in A Stranger at Fellsworth. In fact, Annabelle Thorley and Owen Locke meet early in the book, and from that point forward, circumstances throw them together repeatedly.

While Owen is a gamekeeper, well below the social circles Annabelle is used to, his character stands above the majority of those in the ton. His love for his daughter and the respect of the land he works build his character as much as his desire to help Annabelle escape.

In direct contrast, Annabelle is navigating a new life, a new world. Her determination to make it work despite the obstacles she has to overcome make her loveable in her own right despite her naivety.

Add to that the search for poachers, a murder, questionable characters, and Annabelle’s scheming brother, and this book becomes one of Ladd’s best stories yet. [Read more…] about Review: A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd

Book Convention Survival Tips (with book giveaway)

May 13, 2017 by Suzie Waltner 62 Comments

Jesus calls His followers to be lights in the midst of darkness. If you’ve ever been to (or thought of going to an ABA book conference), the darkness is rampant.

During the first week of May, I got to hang with other readers at the RT Booklovers’ Convention in Atlanta, GA. This convention moves every year, and in 2018 it will be in Reno, NV. But despite the ever-changing city, the crowds flock to this convention for the parties and opportunities to meet with their favorite authors.

I’m by no means an expert at book conventions but this was my second RT (I went to Vegas for my first RT in 2016) and I thought I’d pass along some tips and hints to make the trip more enjoyable and worthwhile.

And if you hang with me until the end of the post, I’m doing a BIG giveaway for fans of Christian fiction (with multiple winners)!! Believe me, you’ll want to stick around and enter!!

Dawn at Emberwilde by Sarah E Ladd

May 7, 2016 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Dawn at Emberwilde

For whatever reason, I seem to have a hit-and-miss relationship with Sarah Ladd and her books. While I enjoyed The Curiosity Keeper immensely, her latest offering, Dawn at Emberwilde had me struggling through the first third. It wasn’t until about midway through the book where the story started to captivate me. With that said, I am glad I kept on reading.

Probably the thing that had me most aggravated about this book was the lack of interaction between the two main characters. Their conversations were brief, the two barely got to know each other beyond polite, formal interactions (some while in groups of people). Even the mystery of the Emberwilde Forest took a while to delve into. There could have been quite a bit more done with this to keep the action moving along.

Isabel Creston is a bit naïve and she doesn’t explore her gut feeling about a certain gentleman when she becomes uneasy around him Thankfully, she is smart enough to not give in to the urgings and expectations of her aunt. Colin Galloway is a good man but he should speak up for himself more often.

I’m sure a lot of this cunning and betrayal within families occurred during this time when land was passed through bloodlines. And again, this could have been explored more. It was almost as if the author had a lot of ideas she wanted to put in the book which led to a general pass over instead of deep exploration—and I would have preferred deep exploration of the relationships between Isabel and Collin as well as Isabel’s aunt and cousin or aunt and uncle.

Not a horrible story by any means, it was entertaining and just intriguing enough for me to keep pushing through the slow beginning. And of course, I had to make sure our heroine got her HEA in the end.

***Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.