When financial problems force her family to sell their London home, a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll's house left mid-play . . .
The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem to know something about the manor's past, the only information they offer Abigail is a warning: Beware trespassers who may be drawn by rumors that Pembrooke contains a secret room filled with treasure.
Hoping to improve her family's financial situation, Abigail surreptitiously searches for the hidden room, but the arrival of anonymous letters addressed to her, with clues about the room and the past, bring discoveries even more startling. As secrets come to light, will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks...or very real danger? (image and synopsis from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: From the beginning of this novel, there was a foreshadowing of some kind of misfortune or darkness ahead. Abigail and her family have lost their financial status due to some poor investment choices, and it seems that the offer of Pembrooke Park for their family to stay in is too good to be true. When Abigail and her father arrive, invited by a mysterious solicitor, the house almost seems haunted by the past. This sets the tone of most of the novel. There are secrets, mysterious events that can't be explained, and Abigail thinks she hears and sees someone moving through the rooms in the house. I have to admit, I do most of my reading at night and I was feeling the shivers up my spine! There was definitely an element of suspense that I liked. I appreciated the fact that there were several different factors that kept me turning the pages of this novel.
The suspense was good, but so was the romantic element. I've observed that in several of Klassen's novels, there is more than one worthy gentleman that could capture the heroine's heart. The same is true in this novel. Each of the gentlemen had his strengths and weaknesses. This added to the tension in the novel as I couldn't honestly predict who Abigail would end up with in the end. There were also some nice romantic moments between Abigail and one young gentleman. It created a nice balance of intense suspense and tender romance.
There were several plots going on throughout the novel. I felt that Klassen resolved and explained them well, with the exception of the man in the green cloak. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that you find out some of the details behind this character, but I would've like to know much more. It seemed to be wrapped up without really knowing many details.
I also felt that the point of view jumped around a lot. In the prologue and epilogue, there was a first person perspective, but throughout the body of the novel the perspective often jumped around. I did receive an advanced reader copy, so there may be some indicators in the final copy of when the perspective is going to change, but it was a little confusing at times while I was reading.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the characters in this novel. The element of suspense was well done and the balance of that with the romantic tension created a page turner.
Happy reading!
DISCLAIMER: In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” we would like to note that we received an electronic copy of “The Secret of Pembrooke Park”provided by the publishers, Bethany House, through Netgalley.com in exchange for our honest review.
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