Whispers at Painswick Court by Julie Klassen
Inspirational Fiction, Historical, Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Published: 12.2.25
Pages: 360
Rating: 5 stars
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Sellers: Amazon
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/
GoodReads Synopsis:
Anne Loveday, a surgeon's daughter, is determined to live a single, useful life. To escape her matchmaking stepmother, she accepts an invitation from an old friend to return to Painswick, the place she and her sister spent many happy summers until that last, fateful year.
Soon after arriving, Anne is asked to serve as sick-room nurse to Lady Celia, who forbade her nephew to marry Anne's sister years before. Pushing aside resentments, Anne moves into Painswick Court, a shadowy old house rumored to be haunted. Also in residence are Lady Celia's spinster daughter, her handsome adult nephews, and a secretive new lady's maid. Two local doctors visit regularly as well, one of whom admires Anne while concealing secrets of his own. As an escalating series of mishaps befalls her patient, Anne realizes someone is trying to kill the woman. But who? When Anne finds herself a suspect and her determination to avoid romance challenged, can she discover the real killer--and protect her heart--before it's too late?
Acclaimed Regency author Julie Klassen marries the best of historical romance and mystery in a novel full of English village charm, intrigue, and love.
Review:
An apothecary-surgeon’s daughter returns to her home town and lands a nursing gig and a mystery at the local manor house. Julie Klassen weaves history, mystery, inspiration-themes, and romance into a beautiful, suspenseful tale.
The Whispers at Painswick Court begins when Anne Lovejoy fends off her step-mother’s latest attempt to marry her off setting the house into an uproar. An opportune invitation from her deceased mother’s dear friend back in Painswick has her quickly packing her trunk and headed off to spend time away from a family situation that no longer feels welcome.
Miss Lottie’s ankle has laid her up, but Anne is a welcome guest. Anne is keen to spend time reveling in memories and places of the happy past days when her mother was still alive and she felt wanted and needed. If she had been a man, she could have trained in the medical profession and worked alongside her father still, but ever since her stepmother came along and put a stop to her apothecary work, she has been at loose ends.
However, Miss Lottie introduces her to the two local physicians and they share a case up at Painswick Court that Anne is suited for. They need a nurse for Lady Celia. Anne has a history with the family and is reluctant, but knows her duty. Anne’s sister Fanny was once courted by Lady Celia’s nephew until the old lady made him call it off and marry for wealth. Fanny has never gotten over him though she has her own kind husband now.
Anne’s time at Painswick Court was to be a quiet one with just Lady Celia and her spinster daughter in residence, but no, both nephews return to stay and their situations turn a quietly ominous situation more volatile by the day. There are whispers in the halls and Anne senses a malevolence against Lady Celia. There are accidents that could have been deadly and she happens upon secrets and circumstances among the people at Painswick Court, the doctors, and she begins to see the past a little differently as truths come out.
Anne has always sworn off marriage, but wonders a little when a childhood friend is kind and a certain doctor is caring. But events push forward and engulf them all.
Julie Klassen set up a delicious gothic-flavored tale of a slow build suspense so that even the air was taut with danger. So many possibilities and little mysteries mingled with every day life in Painswick among a colorful cast of characters. Many times, her books feel next door to an Austen or a Bronte tale, but in this instance, I really associated Whispers at Painswick Court mostly to Gaskell’s Cransford. Oh, never fear, she tucks in a Wickham character and a whiff of the old-style gothic with a subterranean dungeon, no less.
The details of Anne’s nursing work and her chance to include her apothecary and surgical knowledge through various scenes was a treat.
The romance and inspirational elements are secondary to the character-driven suspense plot, but I loved how the slow-burn sweet romance built in the background and the inspirational themes of guilt/forgiveness, duty/compassion, and trust were all organic to the story.
Another abso-fab tale that I didn’t want to put down. I hope Julie Klassen has many golden years of gothic suspense storytelling in her future.
Author Bio:
A little about me…
I love all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, I worked in publishing for sixteen years and now write full time. Three of my books, The Silent Governess, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park won the Minnesota Book Award, and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA awards. I have also been honored with the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. I enjoy travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. My husband and I have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
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