The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.

Jaime Jo Wright (www.jaimewrightbooks.com) is the author of eight novels, including Christy Award and Daphne du Maurier Award-winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She's also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat named Foo; her husband, Cap'n Hook; and their two mini-adults, Peter Pan and CoCo.

Jaime Jo Wright is truly in a category all of her own. There is simply no one that I am aware of within the Christian fiction genre that tells stories quite like she does. Each time I pick up one of her books the only thing I expect... is the unexpected. Nothing is ever quite what it seems on the surface. It is difficult not to get drawn into this world of mystery and yes, creepiness. I'm not usually one that goes for a horror story, yet Jaime Jo Wright does it beautifully while keeping with great Christian messages. 

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau is a dual-timeline novel that follows the lives of two women as they find themselves living in this mysterious castle with many legends and rumors surrounding it. Rumors of women going missing. Set in both the 1800s and the current day, both stories managed to draw me in and keep me captivated. Their stories mirrored each other in many ways so there were some moments where I had to wrap my mind around what was happening where, but overall, I found it very easy to follow. This book had everything I have come to expect from Jaime Jo Wright- mysteries, unexpected twists, and a strong faith message... and there was even a touch of romance too! I couldn't get enough.