Review: "Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey" by Abigail Wilson

In the past six months or so, I've developed a great love for Regency romance. I'd enjoyed a few titles here and there in the past (mainly written by Julie Klassen and Carolyn Miller), but for me, 2020 is turning into the year of the Regency! So if you take a Regency-era novel and combine it with a marriage of convenience plot (my favorite romance trope!), you've got a book I can't resist!

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In this new Regency romance, Elizabeth knows she must protect her heart from the charm of her new husband, Lord Torrington. She is not, however, prepared to protect her life.

When the widowed Lord Torrington agreed to spy for the crown, he never planned to impersonate a highwayman, let alone rob the wrong carriage. Stranded on the road with an unconscious young woman, he is forced to propose marriage to protect his identity and her reputation, as well as his dangerous mission.

Trapped not only by her duty to her country but also by her limited options as an unwed mother, Miss Elizabeth Cantrell and her infant son are whisked away to Middlecrest Abbey by none other than the elder brother of her son’s absent father. There she is met by Torrington’s beautiful grown daughters, a vicious murderer, and an urgent hunt for the missing intelligence that could turn the war with France. Meanwhile she must convince everyone that her marriage is a genuine love match if her new husband has any hope of uncovering the enemy.

Determined to keep her son’s true identity a secret, Elizabeth will need to remain one step ahead of her fragile heart, her uncertain future, and the relentless fiend bent on her new family’s ruin.

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Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey is such a fun book to read! Full of mystery, romance, and drama, the book is practically unputdownable. I would say the romance takes a back seat to the mystery, but both are enjoyable. I did (accurately) identify the villains fairly early on, but the story was still quite enjoyable.

The book is written in first person from Elizabeth's perspective, a point of view I really enjoy in Regency fiction. I do wish that the romance had been a bit more pronounced, but overall, I liked the novel very much, and I would love to read author Abigail Wilson's other novels (which are set in the same universe as this one). 4 stars.

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Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A registered nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the national parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book. In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and in 2016, ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a 2017 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children.

Connect with Abigail: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."