Twilight at Morrington Cross was a pleasant surprise from NetGalley – I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and all opinions expressed within it are my own. I really enjoyed reading this book and would comfortably give it four out of five stars.
Amelia Pembroke, a two-year resident at Cluett’s Mesmeric Hospital, suddenly finds herself named in Dr. Cluett’s will as the heiress to the Morrington Cross estate – provided she marries one of two people of Mr. Cluett’s choosing. This sudden change in fortune doesn’t make any sense to Amelia, and even less to the two men he’s chosen for her. Dr. Cluett’s solicitor, Mr. Ewan Hawkins, assures them all that the will is watertight at the formal meeting to announce the changes. However, upon meeting the delightful Amelia and the less-than-ideal suitors, even Mr. Hawkins can’t figure out the reason behind the stipulation.
Unfortunately for everyone, the terms of the will come into effect sooner than anticipated, as Dr. Cluett is found dead in his bath the night of the meeting. Everyone except the lazy constable feels that Cluett’s death wasn’t an accident, and Amelia enlists Mr. Hawkins’ help in finding the truth. As they investigate together, an attraction between them grows, even though they know they must resist it so that Amelia can inherit the estate. Was Dr. Cluett’s death truly an accident? Can Amelia and Hawkins find the solution, and can they resist their connection so that Amelia might inherit?
I really enjoyed this novel. I think it helps that I’d just read two lackluster romances before this, but I’m sure that most of the credit goes to Wilson rather than the inadequacy of my previous reads. You all know that I’m into historical mystery and I’ve lately discovered that I’m a fan of historical romances, so this combination was just irresistible. I found the writing, plot, romance, and mystery to be very well done. Wilson has great use of language; her style is descriptive while keeping the story on point.
The plot overall was excellent, I really like the pairing of mystery and romance, and even though this was a standalone book, the romance had a sizable challenge to overcome, which gave it a little bit of a slow burn. A lot of the more romantic mystery series I’ve read have a slow-burn romance amidst the cases, which sometimes go on for quite some time. I find it admirable that Wilson managed to make a believable slower-burn romance within a single book, in addition to a mystery.
I really liked the willpower of both Amelia and Hawkins to resist their attraction to one another in order for Amelia to choose a suitor and inherit Morrington Hall. She wants to take care of her fellow residents and help out her spouse with her inheritance, and Hawkins wants to be able to give her the ability to do that. It doesn’t help that Amelia’s suitors both seem to be hiding something, and have personalities that are far less agreeable than Hawkins’. Their struggle to resist each other is real throughout the book, especially since Hawkins is the only person Amelia can really trust to not be the killer. I deeply enjoyed the mystery in this novel as well; it had a lot of facets, which made it interesting, and it was impossible to identify the culprit until the end.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to romance and mystery lovers alike. I really enjoyed reading it, learning about Amelia and Hawkins, and watching them solve a mystery together. They worked well as a team, which could only bode well for a future for them together – if they decide to have one!