Bellewether – Susanna Kearsley

Can we all agree that this cover is stunning?

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

BELLEWETHER – Susanna Kearsley (out now!)

My Thoughts: 3.5/5 stars!

This was my introduction to Kearsley and her books. I’ve seen nothing but great things and I was really excited to pick up a book of hers. BELLEWETHER is a historical fiction novel with some romance elements in it, and while I’m not normally one to pick up romance, this one had the right balance.

We have multiple timelines and perspectives that all have one commonality – the Wilde House. While there a little hint of mystery as the reader tries to find out what happened to the love between Jean-Phillippe de Sabran and Lydia Wilde. Jean-Phillippe de Sabran was a French-Canadian prisoner of war that was ordered to stay in the Wilde family home to world and assist with whatever was needed of him. An unlikely romance began to spark between him and Lydia Wilde – the daughter of the house.

The two timelines we follow are that of Charlotte, better known as Charley, who is a museum curator in present day. She is the curator for the Wilde family history museum – which is in the family’s home. Charley finds herself fascinated with the story of Lydia and Jean-Phillippe.

There are some elements of mystery and even some hauntings that happen in the museum. I did appreciate the amount of research that went into this book. Lydia and Jean-Phillippe’s story takes place in the 1760’s and Kearsley did a great job approaching some of the more sensitive topics depicted, such as racial and national prejudices along with slavery. I think this was very well-written and I can see people that love a cozy historical fiction romance novel loving this. For me, the pacing was a little slower than I was hoping for and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

 

What’s your favorite historical fiction novel?

–Jess