Secrets of Bennett Hall (Return to Amston #2) by Jordan Elizabeth
Blurb:
Darkness once twisted Adelaide Dinsmore’s mind, but she thought she had grown out of that. Her job as a teacher in Hedlund proved that – until she discovers one of her students dead and the town turns against her. As her mind starts to crumble, she is offered a new job, this time as a governess for Gentleman Bennett’s granddaughter back east.
Bennett Hall is a sprawling manor of winding tunnels and manicured lawns, and the fence is really just for show. The little girl, Theodora, is a delight, albeit quiet, and the Bennetts are kind enough, especially the dashing young Joseph. So what if one of the servants sends chills down her spine every time he looks at her? Surely that, and the noises in the night, are figments of her imagination. She won’t allow the past in Hedlund to tarnish her future at Bennett Hall.
Then, Theodora begins to speak of a Villain who haunts secret passages in the manor, and Adelaide stumbles upon a sealed off wing where ghosts whisper from the shadows. Twisted inventions fill the basement and the villagers are wary of the Bennett family.
The longer she stays at Bennett Hall, the less likely her chance for escape, but she cannot leave Theodora or Joseph. The darkness in her mind might be the only thing to save them.
My Review:
When Adelaide's first teaching job out west results in a dead student and the townspeople driving her out of town she's sure that she'll never get a job teaching again. When she returns home to the east she's surprised to find that the university that placed her at the school she was teaching at already has a new job lined up for her as a governess to a little girl on an isolated, sprawling estate.
Bennett Hall and its' occupants are not what Adelaide was expecting. While she takes to her new pupil, Theodora instantly Theodora's mother is ill and bedridden, her father is absent, and her grandfather seems to call all of the shots. Then there is Wille Green, a manservant who rubs Adelaide the wrong way.
After being told she's not allowed to leave the property without documentation, strange screams in the night, a run-in with Theodora's elderly great-aunts, and rumors of murders in the house Adelaide is determined to find out what's really going on in Bennett Hall and why the house brings forth memories of another life, a life before she was Adelaide Dinsmore. A life that's memories she's tried to squash to avoid being sent back to the asylum she spent time in as a child.
The only person who may be able to help Adelaide is Theodora's older cousin Joseph. But when uncovering the secrets of Bennett Hall takes an unexpected turn will Joseph believe her or think she's insane?
I've read quite a few of this author's other books but Secrets of Bennett Hall is on a whole other level than the rest. The writing shines and I couldn't get enough of the story.
Secrets of Bennett Hall reminded me of Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie because of the house and the little girl and The Revenant by Sonia Gensler because of Adelaide and the teacher/governess aspect which may contribute to why I loved this story so much. It really grabbed me from the beginning and just when I was sure I had unraveled the mystery the author threw in a plot twist I never would have guessed.
Overall, this is definitely my new favorite book by this author. I know she prefers to write her steampunk things, but I'd much prefer reading more books like this.
My Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
5 of 5 Stars!
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