“Be assured you have upset absolutely everything – my plans, my future.”
Elizabeth Cantrell
Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey is appropriately titled as there are layers to every character needing to be uncovered to find the villain in this novel. I loved the balance of danger and softness as the family found its feet.
Elizabeth has had a hard life with the father of her son abandoning them. So when she is whisked off as the new wife of the spy who upset her carriage, it starts a new chapter in her life. From the beginning, she is determined to protect Isaac, which is her priority. That tempers my annoyance with some of her actions because I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same in her position. She is guarded but not unkind to her new family and has a spunk that I genuinely enjoy.
Adrian is the solid rock for the Radcliff family, even when everything is in chaos. He owns up to his mistakes without getting overly depressed and is protective of everyone in his household. Still, he reaches out to Elizabeth when making significant decisions and doesn’t try to stifle her.
There are many secrets in Middlecrest Abbey. I loved watching Elizabeth and Adrian move toward each other emotionally, even as they worked to uncover the villain’s identity. Juliana and Phoebe are expectedly shocked to have a new mother dropped on them. Mrs. Ayles is less than pleased to be uprooted as the resident matriarch. As events unfold, each character blossoms into a unique individual, which is rare with such a large cast.
There were quite a few surprises as events unfolded. I changed my mind several times while reading about who I thought the villain was. Yet, despite the danger and chaos, the atmosphere never turned dour instead of tense.
In the end, heroes and villains danced around each other; hearts were broken and healed; the Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey was a success. I look forward to reading more books from Abigail Wilson.
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