Review of 'The Secrets of Thorndale Manor' by Syrie James

Review of 'The Secrets of Thorndale Manor' by Syrie James

Release date: June 28th, 2025

Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing

REVIEW

I absolutely adored The Secrets of Thorndale Manor by Syrie James. I cannot remember a time when I enjoyed a book so much for the sheer pleasure of it. From the first line to the last I was captivated by this Victorian gothic mystery romance that held me spellbound with its family secrets, many red herrings and Agatha Christie twists and turns! The pacing is perfect and the dialogue feels authentic. The characters are well formed and drew a lot of mixed emotions from me. The plot was complex and extremely fascinating. I cannot rave enough about this wonderful novel that has obvious Bronte influences (which I love) with its 1850 Yorkshire setting. Echoes of Charlotte Bronte’s younger days at a girl’s school are evident here, too. As well the book’s title pays homage to Jane Eyre’s Thornfield Hall. The author states that her aunt and uncle’s house in Chicago on Thorndale Avenue influenced it, too. I love that Syrie’s life has inspired her story. As a writer myself, I know how much we draw upon our experiences, personal roots, passions and interests which add authenticity to a novel’s fabric. Exceptional research is evident, too, and has been neatly woven into The Secrets of Thorndale Manor. There are clear demonstrations of the era’s customs which created challenges for those whose attractions were classed as ‘forbidden.’

Our heroine, Athena Taylor, is a very endearing character with keen observation and sleuthing skills. She outsmarts the men around her who cannot seem to look past the obvious to find the real killers of this double mystery. As a passionate and committed headmistress of the Darkmoor Bridge School, Athena takes her position seriously and wants girls to have the same education and opportunities as boys. We could easily say she is ahead of her time in her modern views. She swears off marriage as she is not prepared to give up her freedom, her profession or any of her assets to a man as in those days, the husband had control and took possession of everything a woman had when she married. Personally I loved Athena’s fiery resistance and desire to be independent. But as the story progresses, our heroine’s heart is challenged, after she meets the brooding, yet charming Mr. Vernon, previous heir of Thorndale Manor. His charismatic ways and respectful treatment of her thoughts, make her reconsider her views on marriage. Though she still holds strong feminist views, she realises being with the right man, may make marriage a real possibility. So yes, the enemies to lovers theme is present and courses through the veins of this novel’s beating heart.

This is without question, an exciting atmospheric page-turner that kept me engaged as I followed Athena’s every step toward trying to solve two murders that haunt her and are connected to Thorndale Manor. She wants to clear the victims’ names and her home and school. For this negative connection to Thorndale has affected the number of students who attend. She feels the woman who was accused of murder has been wrongly sentenced (due to the holes in the case against her). Our heroine is on an admirable mission but it places her in great danger. At times my heart was racing with the suspense. It is such an intriguing plot with many threads and challenges. I just could not stop reading and found myself waking at all hours and picking up the story to see where it would go! My imagination was ablaze with excitement and I loved every moment of this profound adventure. It reminded me of my love for Victorian suspense-mysteries.

The Secrets of Thorndale Manor is such a rich and distinctive story and I am so happy to have read it. I have feasted on a number of Syrie’s novels in the past and loved them all but I have not read the first book of the The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series so I’ve downloaded it and look forward to another great adventure! I totally recommend this brilliant historical mystery romance! 5 Breathtaking Stars ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thanks to Syrie James, Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.