I always love a Jaime Jo Wright novel — the interwoven story lines of past and present, the shiver-y elements, and the twisting paths she takes a reader on. On The Cliffs of Foxglove Manor have all these elements plus engaging characters and spiritual themes that make you think. I think this book is my favorite! Highly recommended!
1885.
Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor — a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior — Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life.
Present day.
Kailey Gibson is a new nurse’s aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She’ll have to risk it all to banish the past’s demons, including her own.
Jaime Jo Wright loves to read — and write — fiction with elements of mystery, faith, and romance from her home in Wisconsin. She’s a coffee drinker by day and night, lives in dreamland, and exists in reality.
My Impressions:
I know that I will get a page-turning read when I open the pages of a Jaime Jo Wright novel. On The Cliffs of Foxglove Manor was that and more. I was impressed at how she sucked me into both storylines, making me read more furiously with each page. This atmospheric book is what some term a time slip — two interwoven stories with their own protagonists and plot, yet dependent upon each other to tell a whole story. Both in the story set in the 1880s and the one set in present day there figures Foxglove Manor, a place that seems to be its own character. Hiding secrets of pirates and lost treasure, the house sits on the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, its grounds remote and its facade unwelcoming. Both main characters Adria and Kailey come to the house seeking release. I loved both women and the inner courage they draw from. The two must find the secrets Foxglove Manor hides in order to gain their freedom. Ghostly appearances, threats from unknown assailants, and misdirection abound. I was thoroughly delighted by the surprises Wright includes in the twisting plot. There’s fun history about the lake and its role in the Civil War, not one, but two delicious romances, and plenty of suspense to keep you awake long past your bedtime. 😉 While there are deep spiritual themes that are addressed, I never felt preached at, just prompted to think about the fragility and preciousness of life. And while this novel should be savored, I finished it in record time. So I suggest you slow down and enjoy! I was a little let down when I finally closed the book — I needed more time with Adria and Mr. Crane and Kailey and Axel, and even the mysterious Foxglove Manor!
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
Genre: mystery/suspense/timeslip
(Thanks to Bethany House for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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