From London to Surrey, Annabelle needs to adjust her way of living as all she knew growing up crumbles around her. She needs to teach to make a living and falls in love with her rescuer. Although Annabelle learns to trust in God as her mother did, the book is not too religious. ( )

I really enjoyed the historical time period and the beautiful setting of the story . The story moves at a quick pace which I really liked. Annabelle was a great character. I loved her spunkiness and determination. After finding out that the family is in financial trouble, her brother schemes to get her married off. I was shocked at how violent her brother was towards her. I would have slapped him back and had him thrown out of the house.

I loved the school that Annabelle decides to teach at and bringing her “friend “ with her was a great idea. Margaret has been with her for awhile so there was no way Annabelle was leaving her behind to live on the streets. The school is interesting and at times very strict. A chance encounter with Owen Locke will prove to benefit Annabelle during the story. I loved the intrigue in the story and learned a bit about poaching. The author does a great job of bringing characters to life with vivid details and raw emotions. I loved how some characters were not as trustworthy as readers first think. Who will betray Annabelle ? Will her brother find out where she has gone. Can Owen keep Annabelle safe? These are some of the questions that keep the story so action packed and hard to put down. I applaud the author for a story that held my attention and at times made me really think about true friendship. Learning to trust is not easy and Annabelle will have to decide who she can rely on.

I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion. ( )

A Stranger at Fellsworth is the third book in Sarah E. Ladd's Treasures of Surrey Series. The historical setting was well described and the story itself full of action, mystery, second chances and of course, a budding romance!

This story was a fairly quick read, very and the perfect start to start my Summer romance reading. I enjoyed this wonderful book and highly recommend it for those who love faith based historical romance novels!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing, Ms. Ladd and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

Annabelle Thorley’s fiance has just called off her engagement. Scandal around her late father’s financial activity made him bolt, leaving the future of her and her brother in doubt. London society in the early 1800’s was not very flexible for young women. Her brother quickly arranges a marriage to a wealthy gentleman that she cannot stand to be around. Putting her happiness first, she flees her comfortable upper class life and joins her aunt and uncle in Fellsworth.

Her uncle oversees a boarding school where Annabelle find employment as a teacher’s assistant. She provides for herself and no longer has staff at her disposal. She assimilates to living with other teachers in shared housing. Her biggest worry is being found by her brother and being forced into an unhappy arranged marriage.

This book is the third in a series, but it is not necessary to read the prior novels. It is a nice mix of historical fiction, romance and mystery. This was the first novel that I read by the author, Sarah E. Ladd. ( )

Title: A Stranger at Fellsworth (Treasures of Surrey #3)
Author: Sarah Ladd
Pages: 328
Year: 2017
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.
Annabelle Thorsley is a pampered gentleman’s daughter who now lives with her brother after the death of her father. Her brother, Thomas Thorsley, has tried to get them out of the debt their father put the family business in, but the debts keep mounting unbeknownst to her. She soon learns that her brother has promised a wealthy man marriage to Annabelle to obtain the needed funds to recoup their losses. Annabelle wants nothing to do with the old, sinister and slovenly man so she hatches a plan for her future with the help of Owen Locke, who happens to be traveling with his boss and staying at Annabelle’s brother’s house.
Owen Locke is the gamekeeper on an estate of a friend of Thomas’ and has been traveling to purchase new hunting dogs. Owen sees the conditions that Annabelle must live under and agrees to help her escape. He sees her settled with a relative and can’t seem to stop thinking about her. She obtains a job and begins teaching Owen’s young daughter at a local school. Owen has long wanted to purchase his ancestral home and has gotten the landowner to agree to sell if Owen can catch the poachers who are stealing all the game from the land. Owen knows this is his only chance to become a landowner, but can’t seem to catch the criminals. He finds some clues and begins to piece the puzzle together while losing his heart to Annabelle. Can he catch the criminals in the act and gain his land?
I have read the other two books in this series and liked them, but this one just didn’t seem able to hold my attention. The two main characters couldn’t engage my emotions and the plot was just okay for me. The faith element was weak for the female lead and just average for the male lead, and I like stories that showcase characters’ faith. Every once in a while, a reader and an author just don’t click on a particular book and that was the case for this one for me. I am okay with that and I will read this author’s future writings as I have enjoyed many of her other books.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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.” ( )