In the Shadow of Croft Towers

A Regency Romance

By: Abigail Wilson

Narrated by: Laura Kirman

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nothing - and no one - at Croft Towers is what they claim in this Gothic Regency romance. 

When Sybil Delafield's coach to Croft Towers was robbed by highwaymen, she should have realized that her new position as companion to old Mrs. Chalcroft would be no ordinary job. Upon Sybil's arrival, Mrs. Chalcroft sneaks into her room in the dark of night, imploring her to relay messages to town that are to stay hidden from the rest of the family. Who exactly is she working for and what do the messages contain?

When fellow passengers of the robbed coach are later murdered, Sybil's hunt for the truth takes on a new urgency. The only person she can rely on is Mr. Sinclair, Mrs. Chalcroft's godson, but under all his charms he too leads a double life. Sybil must decide if he is the one honest voice she can trust, or if he is simply using her for his own advances.

Croft Towers holds more than its share of secrets...and Sybil is determined to uncover them all. 

Praise for In the Shadow of Croft Towers 

"In the Shadow of Croft Towers is everything I love in a novel: a classic gothic feel, a regency setting, a mysterious hero...and secrets abounding!" (Dawn Crandall, award-winning author of the Everstone Chronicles series)  

"Shades of Gothic romance in a portrait of Regency England...if Jane Austen ever met Jane Eyre, it would be at Croft Towers!" (Kristy Cambron, author of Castle on the Rise) 

"Blending the unputdownable Regency flair of Georgette Heyer with the intricate plotting of Julie Klassen, Wilson not only places herself competently amidst beloved authors but carves out a unique place of her own." (Rachel McMillan, author of the Van Buren and DeLuca Mysteries)

"Beautifully written, suspenseful, and satisfyingly romantic." (Jennifer Beckstrand, author of Home on Huckleberry Hill 

Full-length Regency romance with a murder mystery (c. 95,000 words)

Perfect for fans of Sarah Ladd, Deanna Raybourn, Julie Klassen, Tasha Alexander, and Lauren Willig.

Also by Abigail Wilson:

• Midnight on the River Grey
• Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey
• The Vanishing at Loxby Manor (available January 2021) 

©2019 Abigail Wilson (P)2019 Thomas Nelson

Critic Reviews

"Part mystery and part romance, Abigail Wilson's debut is an atmospheric period novel that will keep readers guessing to the very end." (Amanda Flower, USA Today best-selling author of Death and Daisies)

"In the Shadow of Croft Tower is beautifully written, suspenseful, and satisfyingly romantic. Abigail Wilson paints a beautiful picture of pastoral Regency England. This book will keep you riveted to the end, and you'll be rooting for the feisty heroine to get her happily ever after." (Jennifer Beckstrand, author of Home on Huckleberry Hill)

Bless you Abigail!!!

Finally, a book with traditional values! Bless you Abigail Wilson! Almost impossible to find books with " clean" values anymore . Please, I beg you, keep your books as wholesome as this one. Story also kept my interest. You need to know there IS a market for wholesome books with Godly values. May the Lord bless you!

Excellence

I was shocked to discover that this is Abigail Wilson‘s first book. It was an excellent read. At a time when I have a multitude of books on my currently reading list, this was one that I simply could not put down. The characters were interesting, the storyline was intriguing and mysterious, the Romance was enchanting yet clean. I will definitely be looking to read all of Ms. Wilson’s books in the future.

The narration was also incredible!

Loved it

I enjoyed every sentence of this story. It was quick witted and engrossing. The pace of the story was fast paced and believable. The characters were true to life and each had a depth of character that made them real. Loved so much I’m giving as a gift. I will be reading again.

unfortunately the narration .. unable to finish

I imagine it would have been a good story but the narration was affected to the point of distracting from the story!!it's a shame to have wasted an entire credit on a story that's impossible to listen to because of The dramatics of the narrator 😡

Amazing Book

The author of this story kept me on edge wringing my hands from all the suspense. I just loved this story and am hoping for more to come. Thank you Abigail Wilson!

A JANE EYRISK BOOK!

A story about a servant woman who goes to a spooky castle that has many rumors attached to it. It was full of people who seemed weird, but weren't when all was said and done at the end of the book. They were really just selfish people who wanted money from the old woman's will. The servant meets one man who was an undercover agent for the Crown, and they eventually end up falling in love. Maybe it was the niavety of the time, but the heroine is so NAIVE! She thinks she is smart, but always does dumb things! She puts herself and others in danger to be "true" to the woman she thinks is her grandmother - no matter how stupid and terrible the things asked of her are! She blindly does them to please her "grandmother". (I wouldn't !) I guess I'm just SO TIRED of stories with headstrong women who act stupidly!

Good mystery

Plenty of mystery and intrigue filled this book along with a bit of romance. The reader did a fine job with two caveats. She reads slow, so it was best listened to at a slightly faster speed. Also, I wish she hadn’t given Sinclair such a raspy voice. Every so often it was better, but it was harder to be drawn to his character in the beginning. Aside from a few overly long sections that I sped and fast-forwarded through, I enjoyed this book and will look for this author again,

Gripping story

I was hooked from the beginning, the plot really gripping, I loved it!!

The only downfall for me, Mr StClair's voice didn't suite him at all! He sounded like an old grumpy man, couldn't really relate the voice with the character

A real gothic novel!

Wonderful book! Couldn't stop listening. I stayed up way late because it was so good. I will definitely find more by this author. Fantastic!

Good suspense regency plot

I enjoyed this plot thoroughly. It lagged a few times but overall it was balanced, witty, suspenseful, and just the right bit romantic.

A bit soppy

I was irritated by words and phrases that were wrong for the period. The romance was a bit Mills and Boone for my liking, and it became rather tedious knowing the hero would come to the heroine's rescue each time she was in trouble. Oh, and boy was she thick at the beginning. There were bits of the story left unexplained, and one character said two opposing things, which didn't say much for the editors. The narrator is obviously a trained actor, so the voices were done reasonably well, though most of the men had similar gruff voices. I was able to stick with the book to the end but I wouldn't bother with another book by this author.

clean historical romantic mystery

I loved this book. There were so many secrets. Just as I thought I'd guessed them, the book started to twist and turn. I enjoyed the story, both as a historical romance and as a mystery and suspense novel.
The narrator was perfect for the main character.
I've seen this listed on Amazon as a Christian fiction but there is no spiritual content. However it is clean, with no swearing or sex scenes.

Both a good Regency & Gothic story

Reading was adequate too. I didn't give 5* because the narrator speaks of the quality of the relationship between the protagonist and the lady of the house and I didn't think it was well developed. However the writing is that of the period 95% of the time. The writer masters its vocabulary quite well as well as its customs. Description of landscapes interesting. I listened to this audiobook almost non stop, which is a good sign. More in depth study of the characters and their interactions would have been nice, but this makes for a very pleasant reading nonetheless.