Book Review
On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright
Jaime Jo Wright’s BEST BOOK YET!
I’ve been following Jaime’s writing journey since her very first novel. With books like The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus and The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond, this author is known for her faith-based but creepy and gothic-feeling stories. On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor was no exception to the eerie, mysterious feel and I LOVED it.
About On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor:
1885: Adria Fontaine has been sent to recover goods her father pirated on the Great Lakes during the war. But when she arrives at Foxglove Manor–a stone house on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior–Adria senses wickedness hovering over the property. The mistress of Foxglove is an eccentric and seemingly cruel old woman who has filled her house with dangerous secrets, ones that may cost Adria her life.
Present day: Kailey Gibson is a new nurse’s aide at a senior home in a renovated old stone manor. Kidnapped as a child, she has nothing but locked-up memories of secrets and death, overshadowed by the chilling promise from her abductors that they would return. When the residents of Foxglove start sharing stories of whispers in the night, hidden treasure, and a love willing to kill, it becomes clear this home is far from a haven. She’ll have to risk it all to banish the past’s demons, including her own.
Reader’s Thoughts
On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor is a ghostly tale with a creepy manor, lost treasure, and decades-old hidden codes. I’ve enjoyed all of Jaime Jo Wright’s novels but this one was by far, my favourite.
First of all, the dual-timeline in this story is expertly done. The story bounces back and forth between the late 1800s and the present day. Both timelines follow a female character who is wrestling with the effects of a heavy past and are actively searching for something. Individually, the plots for both stories feel well developed and have strong and intriguing characters. But they also come together beautifully! The two stories mesh and flow together in a way that adds to the suspense and draws the reader further into the novel.
I also loved the ending for this one because (without giving away any spoilers…) it felt realistic. The motivation behind the mystery was able to carry though both timelines in a way that felt plausible.
My one critique is that the first few chapters took a bit for me to get into. The writing is very beautiful. It has a very artistic, flowery feel. This captured the mood for the historical timeline and painted the setting intricately. However, at times, it felt overly descriptive. Once I settled into the feel and style of the book, however, it picked up for me.
I also loved one *very* brief mention to the pandemic, stuck right in the middle of the book. One of the characters makes a joke about being quarantined during a pandemic and the two share a little mutual laugh about their recent historical experience. Twenty years from now, readers may find this reference a little abrupt or out of place in the story. I, however, adored it. It’s the sort of subtle humor that weaved its way throughout the pages of this novel and I thought it was fun.
While this book has a definite “ghost story” theme, the novel itself still speaks to Christian faith and themes throughout. The characters have conversations about God in a way that feels natural and well placed within the story. For those who enjoy suspenseful and spooky (but clean) reads, you should definitely check out Jaime Jo Wright! You can grab a copy of On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor on Amazon, here!
**Thanks to Jaime Jo Wright and the publisher for a copy of this e-book! As always, all opinions expressed are my own.**