THE SECRETS OF HARTWOOD HALL

Initially, this audiobook would seem to be a classic gothic romance with a remote crumbling manor; a forbidden east wing; an attractive governess with limited resources; a precocious, lovable child; and bumps in the night. Then listeners meet the sexiest gardener since Lady Chatterley's. Narrator Olivia Vinall adds to his appeal by giving him a firm but kind voice. Her portrayal of the governess, Margaret, has the voice of a genteel, educated young woman. Everyone at Hartwood Hall has secrets, which are revealed during the course of this Victorian mystery. Surprise elements such as a feminist perspective and homosexuality add a contemporary slant to the nineteenth-century setting. If Charlotte Brontë were with us today, she might have written this. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2023]