By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book

Book: Beneath His Silence

Author: Hannah Linder

Genre: Christian Fiction / Historical / Romance

Release date: November, 2022

Gothic-Style Regency Romance from a Promising Young Author

Second daughter of a baron—and a little on the mischievous side—Ella Pemberton is no governess. But the pretense is a necessity if she ever wishes to get inside of Wyckhorn Manor and attain the truth. Exposing the man who killed her sister is all that matters.

Lord Sedgewick knows there’s blood on his hands. Lies have been conceived, then more lies, but the price of truth would be too great. All he has left now is his son—and his hatred. Yet as the charming governess invades his home, his safe cocoon of bitterness begins to tear away.

Could Ella, despite the lingering questions of his guilt, fall in love with such a man? Or is she falling prey to him—just as her dead sister?

My Thoughts:

Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder combines a Jane Eyre type story with a mystery. When readers start the story, they will notice a number of similarities to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. An old house with a Lord who has rumors spread throughout the countryside about him. Even though the story is not a mirror image of the Jane Eyre plot, it does have some similarities, so the story does ring as not original. The plot does feature a mystery, and the story does move through the daily lives of each characters. While the plot does ring familiar, I wanted more explanation near the end of the mystery. What actually happened to Ella’s sister? Was the reasoning behind the person upstairs realistic? It was truly never explained either. I wanted more backstory on his story. As for the romance, it was awkward and weird at times. When Ella and Lord Sedgewick started to feel emotions toward each other, I, personally, did not buy it. The snide remarks that they have been sharing the whole story kind of kept their emotions at a distance. Overall, Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder was a nice try for a debut author, but I needed more backstory and information to make the story realistic and believable.

I received a complimentary copy of Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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About the Author:

Hannah Linder resides in the beautiful mountains of central West Virginia. Represented by Books & Such, she writes Regency romantic suspense novels. She is a double 2021 Selah Award winner, a 2022 Selah Award winner, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). In way of career, Hannah is a Graphic Design Associates Degree graduate who specializes in professional book cover design. She designs for both traditional publishing houses and individual authors, including New York Times, USA Today, National, and International bestsellers. She is also a local photographer and self-portrait photographer. When Hannah is not writing, she enjoys playing her instruments—piano, guitar, and ukulele—songwriting, painting still life, walking in the rain, and sitting on the front porch of her 1800s farmhouse. To follow her journey, visit hannahlinderbooks.com.