Within These Gilded Halls

 

Book Description: 

After studying art for two years under Miss Drake, a renowned painter, Phoebe Radcliff is certain she can finally move beyond the childish mistake that’s kept her away from home. She is determined to carve a new, happier future and is thrilled when Miss Drake employs her to complete a complicated ballroom renovation—the first real test of her talent.

Everything changes, however, the moment Miss Drake is murdered. With her last breath she imparts the location of a clue to Phoebe. Can the biggest secret of Avonthorpe Hall be true—the rumored treasure real? Phoebe is tasked to finish the detailed trim work in the ballroom by Miss Drake’s infuriatingly regimented yet all-too-handsome nephew, Lt. Graham Burke. She finds herself in the perfect position to uncover the answers she craves about her beloved teacher’s death as well as fulfill the promise she made regarding the treasure. If only she can do so before Lt. Burke leases the house.

But dark shadows line the gilded halls of Avonthorpe. Soon enough, Phoebe realizes she’s not the only person with knowledge of the clues—and worse, she’ll need Lt. Burke’s help to stay ahead of whoever is hard on her heels. If only she wasn’t so attracted to the gentleman. And why is she exactly? She’s always had far greater plans for her life than an uncomfortable romance with a former military lieutenant.

Caught up in a deadly race for answers, Phoebe must find a way to breach the shroud of lies that surrounds every last resident in the house and, more importantly, face a past she’s been running away from for far too long.

My Review:

I was intrigued by the book’s description and it was even better than that! Ms. Wilson’s books are some of my favorites because she always has intricate plots, a mystery, an uplifting message, and clean, wholesome romance.  I highly recommend reading Within These Gilded Halls for the following reasons: 

 

* Phoebe who was “daring, impulsive, intelligent”.

* Lt. Graham Burke- a “kind, deep thinker… a man filled with compassion and the propensity to love.”

* Scouring the seashore for shells

* Hidden coves

* Searching for clues to a rumored fortune

* Egyptian antiquities

* Mysterious happenings

* Political intrigue

* Plot twists 

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC of  the book. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.