Have you ever visited a
castle? Do you have any historic homes or
buildings near you with haunted legends?
I have sadly never
visited a castle yet. I live in a
historic home, which luckily does not have any stories of being haunted. In Kewaunee, we do have a haunted hotel and a
haunted jailhouse museum. I have not
seen the ghosts myself, but the curious visit to find the ghosts and they have
been featured in books and TV.
Castle Moreau is the
story of a haunted castle in Wisconsin.
Built around 1800 on the Mississippi River, a legend has grown up around
it that women disappear in the castle never to be seen again. In 1870, an orphan girl named Daisy takes up
a position at the castle. She is not sure
of her role, but finds the castle mostly abandoned. Madame Ora Moreau is a famous Gothic authoress
who lives in the castle. Her Grandson Lincoln
believes that Daisy should be there to look after her and do some light
cleaning. As Daisy settles in, she
starts to notice many mysterious happenings at the castle. As she starts to investigate, will she be
able to discover the secrets the castle holds?
The other timeline is
present day. Cleo has been hired by the
mysterious rich son, of a famous American family, Deacon, to help his
Grandmother, Virgie, sort through her hoarded junk that has filled up the
Castle Moreau. When she arrives, Cleo quickly
gets wrapped up in the mystery of the castle as the townspeople fill her in on
the disappearances that have happened over the centuries. Will Cleo finally be able to solve the mystery
of the disappearances?
I really loved the dual
timelines in this novel. I thought the
two stories really parallel and also built on each other. I also really liked the light romance in both
stories. In the modern story, Deacon is
a reformed rake who has turned his life around.
I enjoyed the characters and learning more about them. I loved how the stories were very Gothic and
mysterious. Wright really built a creepy
atmosphere that pulled me into the book. I really wanted to know how it
ended! I did really enjoy the
ending. I did not guess it at all and it
was a very satisfying ending.
I also loved that it was
a castle in Wisconsin. It made me wish
it were real and I could visit it! I
loved the suspense of this story and think it would be a great book to read for
Halloween.
The Vanishing at Castle
Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright as a riveting Christian Gothic romance novel and I
highly recommend it!
Review Copy from author Bethany
House Publishing. Thank-you! I received
a complimentary copy of this book as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
QUICK FACTS
·
Title: The Vanishing at Castle Moreau
·
Author: Jaime
Jo Wright
·
Genre: Historical Suspense, Historical Romance,
Inspirational Fiction
·
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
(April 4, 2023)
·
Length: (384) pages
· Format: Hardcover,
trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook
· ISBN: 978-0764238345
·
Tour Dates: March 27 – April 10, 2023
BOOK DESCRIPTION
A
haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the
castle walls.
In 1870,
orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to
escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric
Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As
women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a
local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity,
if not her life.
In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American
aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the
dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's
stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's
curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the
sordid tale.
Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two
women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding
Castle Moreau.
PRAISE FOR THE
VANISHING AT CASTLE MOREAU
· “Wright (The Souls of Lost Lake)
captivates with a thrilling tale of two women who get caught up in the secrets
of a Wisconsin castle…The twisting, fast-moving plot is loaded with secrets,
and the characters remain morally ambiguous until the end. Readers won’t want
to put this down.”— Publisher’s Weekly
· "Wright (The Premonition at
Withers Farm) pens another delightfully creepy tale where nothing is quite
as it seems and characters seek freedom from nightmares both real and
imagined.”— Library Journal
·
"Jaime
Jo Wright never disappoints, and The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is
no exception. With real, flawed characters who grapple with real-life
struggles, this gripping suspense novel will draw readers in from the very
first page. Good luck putting it down. I couldn't."— Lynette Eason,
bestselling author of the Extreme Measures series
AMAZON | BARNES
& NOBLE | BOOK
DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP
| GOODREADS
AUTHOR BIO
Jaime Jo
Wright is the author of eight novels, including Christy Award and
Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill and
Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She's also
the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two
novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap'n
Hook; and their two mini-adults, Peter Pan and CoCo.
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Laura. The story set in a Wisconsin castle also intrigued me. Wright is a very gifted writer.
ReplyDeleteI've visited a few old castles in Scotland...and I do like that creepy Gothic vibe in books. This one sounds so good! Love your review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.
ReplyDelete