The Letter from Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd is an excellent story. I had so much fun reading this book. It was another story I devoured in days. I enjoyed the mystery; in fact, the mystery was my favorite aspect to this story. I liked how the mystery begins subtly, but by the 50% mark it is full-blown and forced me to furiously turn pages well past my bedtime. I knew better, of course, but I had to keep going to discover whodunnit. In addition to the mystery, I really loved the characters. Cassandra is a well-crafted heroine. Sure, she is petit in stature, but she makes up for it with her tenacity, strength, and intelligence. I love how she breathes new life into Briarton Park (and she doesn’t even realize she is doing it — it’s just who she is). Cassandra is really good at being exactly what others need. She’s a good friend, listener, confidante, employee, parishioner, etc. We would all be fortunate to have a friend like Cassandra in our lives. James is a great hero. He is truly devoted to his family, he never shirks from a hard-day’s work, and when he sees someone in need he is not afraid to do whatever is necessary to help out. I really enjoyed watching Cassandra and James become good friends and more. Their relationship would be considered slow-burn, but I felt it progressed naturally and realistically. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the villain for just a quick minute. I won’t tell you who the villain is because that might be an unnecessary spoiler, but I will say Ladd does a great job with this character. At first I was like, “It can’t be this guy, can it?!” Then I was like, “Oooooooh…so smart to make this guy the bad guy!” Well done, Ladd, well done! I also really appreciated the timely themes Ladd discusses in her story. Specifically, the idea of trust resonated with me. It’s hard to trust, especially when you’ve been burned in the past. And most especially when people appear one way, but then change — it’s like having the rug ripped out from beneath you. I enjoyed watching Cassandra journey through her trust issues to finding lasting friendships and love.

The Letter from Briarton Park is a fantastic Historical Romance that I highly recommend. If you are a fan of well-written, highly engaging Historical Romances with heart, depth, and mystery, then this is definitely a book for you!