"The Thief of Lanwyn Manor" by Sarah E. Ladd

About this book:

  “In Regency England an advantageous match could set up a lady for life. Julia knows Matthew Blake, copper mine owner and very eligible bachelor, is the gentleman she should set her eyes upon. But why can’t she steal her gaze away from his younger brother, Isaac?
   Cornwall, England, 1818
   Julia Twethewey needs a diversion to mend her broken heart, so when her cousin invites her to Lanwyn Manor, Julia eagerly accepts. The manor is located at the heart of Cornwall’s mining industry, and as a guest Julia is swept into its intricate world. It’s not long, though, before she realizes something dark lurks within the home’s ancient halls.
   As a respected mine owner’s younger son, Isaac Blake is determined to keep his late father’s legacy alive through the family business, despite his brother’s careless attitude. In order to save their livelihood—and that of the people around them—the brothers approach the master of Lanwyn Manor with plans to bolster the floundering local industry. Isaac can’t deny his attraction to the man’s charming niece, but his brother has made clear his intentions to court the lovely visitor. And Isaac knows his place.
   When tragedy strikes, mysteries arise, and valuables go missing, Julia and Isaac find they are pulled together in a swirl of strange circumstances, but despite their best efforts to bow to social expectations, their hearts aren’t so keen to surrender.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Cornwall” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Church going; Mentions of churches, church going, & vicars; A handful mentions of God; A few mentions of prayers & praying; A mention of a miracle;

             *Note: Many mentions of curses & ghosts; A mention of an ancient spirit.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘Egad’; A mention of a curse (said, not written); Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Julia lies a few times; Isaac drinks a bit (port/wine); Being held at gunpoint & knifepoint (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of thieves/criminals, stealing, stolen items, & robberies; Mentions of accidents, deaths, injuries, & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being held at gunpoint, guns, shooting, & threats/being threatened (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of violence, fights, fighting, & injuries; Mentions of bloodletting & bleeding; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of snuffboxes & people using them (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of drinking, port, & tobacco; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of a possibility of a criminal being hung; A mention of hunting.

Sexual Content- Two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of flirting & blushes; A few mentions of chaperones & reputations; A couple mentions of scandals; A mention of a married couple kissing; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

             *Note: Many mentions of Lanwyn Manor having a curse where no child born under that roof has survived; Mentions of wives who died in childbirth & stillborns; Mentions of a childbirth & pain (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of an aunt’s “bosom heaving with each breath”.

-Julia Twethewey, age 19

-Isaac Blake, age 25
                                P.O.V. switches between them

                                            Set in 1818 {Prologue in 1807}
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

The mystery of a thief is what pulled me into this novel, but, unfortunately, it didn’t keep my attention very well. 

While I like Julia as a character a decent amount, nothing stood out to me about her. She felt like nearly every other regency heroine I’ve read in the Christian genre. I didn’t feel any depth from her, sadly. 

Isaac was fine and in love (at basically first sight) with Julia, but there was a comment he made about the men in his family having a problem with anger and that it was passed to him as well. I’m not sure if this was supposed to give him a sense of dimension (ie a “flaw” in his perfect hero role), but I found it to be a little unnerving for Julia’s sake as she never saw that side of him. 

I (and many others) have noticed that more and more new books published by this publisher are lacking in Christian content. This book was no exception. There was so much about the curses and ghosts of Lanwyn Manor and barely anything about God. A few church mentions of scenes and a mention of God in a discussion/uplifting way. (Since I was reading the Kindle edition of this book, I will note that the way “God” was mentioned 4 times (including a “God’s earth”, “God dear his soul”, and “God willing” which are all common phrases of this time period) and the word “cursed” is used 20 times.)

Besides these points, it was an overall clean read, I just found it lacking in some regards and not my cup of tea in terms of details. 

See y’all on Friday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.