Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Book Review: A Brush with Shadows (Lady Darby Mystery #6) by Anna Lee Huber #Mystery #Historical @BerkleyPub @BerkleyMystery


Book Information:

Series: A Lady Darby Mystery (Book 6)
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Berkley 
Release Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN-10: 0399587225
ISBN-13: 978-0399587221


About the Book:

Sebastian Gage returns home to battle the ghosts of his past and prevent them from destroying his future with Kiera in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.

July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim...


In the sixth book of the Lady Darby Mystery series, Sebastian Gage (henceforth known as Gage) and his wife, Kiera, are summoned to Sebastian's childhood home. He hasn't stepped on Langstone Manor property for at least 15 years so to say he's not looking forward to going home is an understatement. However, his grandfather has grown terribly ill and one of Gage's cousins has disappeared. Known to be flighty, Gage doesn't take Alfred's disappearance to seriously. Kiera, however walks right into the mysterious disappearance of Alfred from the get-go. Gage quickly changes his tune when his other cousin Rory also disappears from the Manor. 

As Gage and Kiera become more involved in the mysterious disappearances, they discover that all may not be what it seems at Langstone Manor. Family secrets, jealousies, lies, and tight-lipped family members make searching for Alfred, and then Rory, too, pretty difficult. There are a number of twists and turns throughout A Brush with Shadows. I thought I had the mystery figured out when all-of-a-sudden the author shattered my story board and made me rethink my choice. 

The relationship between Kiera and Gage was sweet and I thought their characters were well written. The author did a wonderful job with the world building in the novel. I felt like I could picture the manor, the moors, and the characters based on her descriptive imagery. I enjoyed Kiera's empathy toward Gage during the difficult decision to go home and face his family and her empathy toward his grandfather. There are things that went on the past that are not loving or caring, yet she put those things aside and helped care for the gravely ill man. 

This is my first experience with Anna Lee Huber and her Lady Darby Mystery series. I was able to jump right into the story without having read the other books. As a reader, I found that Ms. Huber provided enough backstory and other historical information to allow me to enjoy the story without wondering what she was talking about. Despite the ability to read the story without having read the previous five books, I found that I wasn't really engaged in the story. The story didn't really jump out at me. Parts of the story fell flat for me and I was able to put the book down without feeling that eagerness to get back to it as soon as possible. This doesn't mean the book is bad or that I didn't like it; it just means that I wasn't able to become engrossed in the book at any point. I did enjoy the mystery. That twist at the end? Wow! 

I was given a paperback copy of the book.

My Rating:

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