Whispers of Shadowbrook House
Rebecca Anderson’s romance novel Whispers of Shadowbrook House is a haunting yet hopeful story of redemption and love.
Pearl, a governess, loves Shadowbrook House, the manor that became her home after she was orphaned. Pearl also loves Maxwell, the brilliant but sick little boy put in her care by reclusive Mr. Ravenscroft. Their simple life is complicated by the arrival of an embittered heir, Oliver, who is intent on selling Shadowbrook and the painful childhood memories it contains. Oliver and Pearl are drawn together as they care for Maxwell, but decades of secrets and loss threaten their budding romance.
Shadowbrook House has a mind of its own. Whispers and haunting music pour from its walls. Hidden passages and family secrets abound. These gothic elements result in an intriguing otherworldly feel. The plot remains grounded in human struggles, though, with the house’s mysteries often functioning as manifestations of people’s inner turmoil. Oliver tries to deny the music he hears, just as he rejects the idea of making a new life within Shadowbrook’s walls. The arrival of an extravagant mystic, Madame Genevieve, and her small dog adds levity as she helps reluctant Oliver, Pearl, and Mr. Ravenscroft accept the ghosts of their pasts.
The poetic prose and ever-present fear of Max’s illness heightens the poignancy of tender moments between characters. In one emotional scene, “the notes of the music soar … brittle and aching” as Oliver remembers his mother. After near tragedy, a sweet epilogue, narrated in the present to mirror the prologue, at last reveals hope for happiness.
In the lovely romance novel Whispers of Shadowbrook House, a kind governess and a brooding heir find love within a haunted nineteenth-century manor.
Reviewed by
Vivian Turnbull
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
