The Vanishing at Castle Moreau - by Jaime Jo Wright

“It was said that Castle Moreau was a place that consumed the vulnerable. Welcoming them in but never giving them back.” Heart-racing, unputdownable, clean, romantic suspense! All of Jaime’s books are like this for me, but I think this one takes the cake. Spanning a couple of centuries, the most haunted castle in the Midwest ties two women’s stories together. Both women desire to leave their pasts behind, even willing to risk working at a creepy castle shrouded in legends and curses. Once inside, buried secrets seem to threaten their safety. Will they have the courage to expose the darkness before vanishing without a trace? Awesome if you love: * Dual timelines * Mystery * Suspense * Flawed characters * Haunted castles * Clean romance * Twists! * Light faith thread Extras: Love that one of the characters was named Lincoln since my middle son shares that name. Also, my hubby and I watch Hoarders, so it was fun to read about a hoarding character. I’m not a huge fan of certain contemporary descriptions of physique, but other than that I absolutely LOVED this story! I received a paperback copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

“… the dust of the old castle’s curse threatens to rise again, this time leaving no one alive to tell its sordid tale,” the back jacket states in Jaime Jo Wright’s novel, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau. ~ What ~ This three-hundred-and-eighty-four-page advance reader copy targets those interested in Christian mystery and suspense involving an old castle and disappearing women. With slang words such as darn and heck, topics of alcoholism, mental and physical abuse, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes an author’s note, ten discussion questions, acknowledgments, the author’s biography, and advertisements. In this tale that is spread over one-hundred-and-fifty years, three women are involved in an old Wisconsin castle. There is Daisy, an orphan who has nowhere else to go so becomes a housekeeper for a Gothic authoress who seems eviler than the stories she writes. And decades later, there is Cleo, who drastically wants to hide her identity so agrees to help a wealthy aging hoarder at the same abode. And intertwined is a girl who grows up, only wanting to protect the skeletons of her past. ~ Why ~ I love fiction that jumps around in time and links the past with the present, especially if it involves the history of an old castle. The descriptions of the fear and angst some of the characters go through are well-written and believable. I appreciate that God was called upon and trusted when needed. ~ Why Not ~ Those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ may not like this story of how God provides protection, even when things appear differently than expected. Some may not like the lag between chapters as it is hard to remember the story as it jumps years. I would have marked the read lower due to the references to a phantom woman and spirit beings, but the ending redeems itself. ~ Wish ~ It would have been thoughtful to include the eternal plan of salvation. Since I only read Christian fiction, I prefer no slang words. ~ Want ~ If you like a mystery of an eerie old house that hides secrets within its walls as women go missing, this one will make you wonder what is real and what is not as you learn the truth about protecting others. Thanks to Bethany House and Interviews & Reviews for this complimentary book. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

Wow! This haunting novel has all the Gothic feels, descriptive imagery, sheer visual poetry, and enthralling, enigmatic characters that fans of Jaime Jo Wright have come to expect. Of course, it has its heebie-jeebie and "things that go bump in the night" moments (it wouldn't be a Wright novel without that), but is also filled with hope, light, and just a smidgen of romance. A dual-timeline set predominantly in a prodigious, creepy old manor, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau lends truth to the idiom "things are not always what they seem" as the reader is met with many a mysterious twist and turn—some quite fanciful! I found some things a bit far-fetched, but it's fiction meant for entertainment, and the rich message within its pages as relevant today as it was a century ago. An unputdownable novel guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime! *I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from the publisher and was under no obligation to write a positive review.*

Women have been vanishing at Castle Moreau for over one hundred fifty years, never to be seen or heard from again. Obviously the same person could not be responsible for them all. Was it a generational curse that led to the Moreau-Tremblay family's involvement in these disappearances or was someone or something else lurking in the hidden passages of Castle Moreau? As always Jaime Jo Wright takes us through a haunting tale, one that makes the hairs rise on the back of our necks, one that leads us near the supernatural, and ends at the foot of the throne of God. The Vanishing at Castle Moreau may not lead quite as far down that supernatural path as some of Wright's past books, but it does have its fair share of spookiness, and it does leave us with a significant message of God's strength to conquer fear and evil, and His desire to use us to care for one another. I highly recommend this book as well as any among Wrights' oeuvre. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

"Beauty exists where love begins." Jaime Jo Wright's beautiful craftmanship never fails to amaze me. She has a magical touch that seamlessly weaves threads of Gothic suspense with faith and just the right amount of romance to create a stunning tapestry of redemption and belonging. Fear and grief play big roles in the plot but truth, kindness, steadfast love, purpose and faith overcome the hopelessness that lingers in fear and regret. Dual timeline that alternates between 1870 and present time, with interjections from 1801, is cleverly and masterfully stitched together without any gaps or confusion. Cleo and Deacon from the present time are such a delightful match. Though they come from very different backgrounds, they share grief, addictions, regrets, loyalty, and faith. Daisy and Lincoln mirror their present time counterparts in 1870 - they are the forgotten ones, deemed useless by society yet so capable of love and longing for acceptance and purpose. And then there is the grandmother who writes horror fiction, the grandmother who hoards everything, the wandering phantom woman, and battles against grief and alcohol and human depravity that add deep layers to the characters and plot. It's a Jaime Jo Wright book you don't want to miss. I received the book from Bethany House via Interviews and Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.