Review of Twilight at Moorington Cross
Twilight at Moorington Cross is mystery and romance in a gothic historical setting. The very odd circumstances for Amelia Pembroke make for a compelling tale. She is the heir to Cluett’s Mesmeric Hospital, but will only inherit if she marries one of two equally undesirable men. Amelia also has a mysterious illness that no one understands.
Ewan Hawkins is the solicitor who is present when Dr. Cluett, dies. The ensuing story is a combination of a questionable death, a conditional inheritance, Amelia, Ewan, the possible husbands and the hospital residents who are also Amelia’s friends.
Amelia and Ewan spend time together in order to determine Amelia’s best option. But that just brings them closer together as Amelia learns she is not keen on either possible husband. In the seemingly impossible situation, they also discover a strange resident in one of the hospital’s out buildings and all the while, they suspect that Dr. Cluett’s death was not natural.
The setting of a big house that has closed off wings and creepy secret passageways give the story a gothic feel, as does the odd resident. Eerie is another word to describe the feeling invoked by the mystery. This book has atmosphere to spare.
Twilight at Moorington Cross is lightly connected to the Abigail Wilson’s Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey. This book features a heroine who wants to maintain some control over her life in a time when women did not have many such rights. An engaging hero who feels she deserves that control means Amelia will have a happy ending. I am always pleased to read one of Abigail Wilson’s books.
Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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About Twilight at Moorington Cross by Abigail Wilson
Brushed cruelly aside by the only father figure she’s ever known and then hospitalized by her arranged husband months before his death, Amelia Pembroke means to take control of her future at last, one way or another. Yet she knows all too well she faces an uphill battle, considering her transient sleeping spells are only getting worse.
Cluett’s Mesmeric Hospital has been something of a refuge for Amelia over the past year, even if it didn’t exactly improve her condition. But when her doctor is murdered and her name surprisingly turns up in his will, her options take a drastic turn. She has thirty days to marry one of two named gentlemen—strangers to her—and she will inherit everything from her friend and doctor, Mr. Cluett. One simple decision and all her financial troubles are at an end. The only problem is it’s not a simple decision anymore. Not when she’s falling in love with another man.
Ewan Hawkins has received his first assignment as an apprenticed solicitor: to update a man’s will. Finally, a chance to prove to society that possessing a disfigurement won’t hold him back. Thus, he means to do his job well. Of course, he never could have anticipated a murder, nor the strange clause added to the will—nor, most importantly, the charming widow who has found a way to capture his heart. She doesn’t want to be there. He doesn’t either.
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