I was asked to review this book by NetGalley and as a fan of Outlander I was intrigued by this novel. This is essentially a prequel story to the Winter Sea covering Scoltand's turbulent history, uprises, politics and hidden identities all thrown into the mix.

A good story and recommended. Well researched - I am now checking out this author.

As someone who studies the period, it was really nice to read a good piece of fiction set in Scotland of the time. It's way less intimidating than the Outlander series, and I loved the way it touched upon Scottish history, politics, and culture. It is slow going, but historical fiction can be like that, and it's part of the fun to really sink your teeth into the atmospheric setting. It's apparently a prequel, but I haven't read anything else by Kearsley so I can't comment on how it matches up to her other books/plot.

A beautifully told story that I really enjoyed. Especially how the truth can be manipulated. It's a very emotive story that I highly recommend, this was my first book by Susanna, I definitely will look for more.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Overall, I thought The Vanished Days was not what I had expected at all really! What it was though was a many layered mystery with elements of adventure, endurance, and romance as well, all set in a tumultuous and often overlooked place and time.

I have been a big fan of Susanna Kearsley for many years, ever since I read The Shadowy Horses. In my opinion there are not enough novels set in Scotland. As a Bruce I love anything to do with Scottish history, especially the age old struggle for independence from England and so Kearsley's books are always a delight to me. This one was no exception. I was instantly transported and swept away by it. I know it's a cliche, but I just can;t put her books down. Her use of chapter hooks is addictive and she keeps me turning the pages late into the night. Looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. Might I venture to suggest that she tackle the story of Marjorie Bruce, Robert the Bruce's daughter and founder of the Stewart line of Kings and Queens? I for one would love that! Fingers crossed.

This was a beautifully written book that totally sucked me in. The story was a little slow moving to start with, but once it going I found that I was unable to put it down. I didn't realise it was part of a series, but I was able to read it on its own and will absolutely be reading the rest of the series!

The Vanished Days is a beautifully written historical novel. In 1707 Lilly comes forward to claim her husband’s wages. He was a Darien sailor and lost his life fighting for his country. Adam Williamson is tasked in deciding if Lily's claim is legitimate and through his investigation begins having feelings for her.
I have read and enjoyed other Susanna Kearsley novels, but found this book took a while to get into. Great for fans of the historical genre.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. The story was moving too slowly for me to get into and I didn't find the story interesting. I have seen some great reviews of this one but on this occasion is wasn't for me.

This made me quite frankly sad as I loved pretty much all her other books to the point of obsession, but this was, well, just really, really not very good at all. A slog, overly complicated, the characters badly drawn… I could go on. Not for me.

I was disappointed to discover that this book is the third in a trilogy. I wish this was made clear when books are offered for review. I found it very difficult to get into this book, and to relate to the characters, for this reason.
The writing style is excellent, although the time slip element added to my confusion. It became too much like hard work to continue reading, and was a DNF for me, despite two attempts to get into it. I will look for the first two novels in the series, as I was intrigued by the story. I may well come back to this book at some point.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I put the review on Amazon and forgot to put it here. Simply it was excellent. I love all Susannah’s novels.

I requested this book not realising it was part of a trilogy. Saying that, not having read the previous two didn't take from the enjoyment of reading this one as a stand alone.

This book is fully formed, amazingly researched and will appeal to anyone who loved Outlander. The historical details certainly opened another worm hole in time for me to binge. I loved the small bit of romance thrown in too.

I will certainly get the first two in this series to see where all this began.

For lovers of Diana Gabaldon novels The Vanished Days will give you all the history your heart desires. Set against the backdrop of the Jacobite Revolution it's a tale of love, hope, adventure and romance. A lengthy tale you can settle in and enjoy.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for letting me read The Vanished Days! Susanna Kearsley is a historical novelist who has been on my radar for a while, and I was intrigued to pick up her latest book, especially as it's nearly entirely set in Scotland (mostly Edinburgh and Leith) during the late 1600s and early 1700s. It's such an interesting time period, and I loved reading about ordinary Scottish people in history (obvs would have enjoyed it much more if it had been set in Glasgow, a vastly superior city, but Edinburgh's a fun setting too!). Ironically my ancestors are nearly entirely northern Irish so it's not like I actually have any connection to early modern Scotland but I still love reading about it!!

Adam Williamson is a sergeant lately returned to Edinburgh when he's roped into an enquiry: to discover if widow Mrs Graeme was really married to Jamie Graeme, the man she says she was married to. This has lots of implications that I won't go into now, but The Vanished Days was the perfect immersive read for a plane journey and long boring delays; I somehow read 460 pages in a single day (?!) and wasn't bored once. For some reason I'm much less critical of historical fiction than contemporary lit fic: normally I just want a good story, interesting characters, and no glaring anachronisms, and this one definitely delivered – especially in its depiction of Scotland and ordinary people. I really liked how it never felt patronising towards the impoverished people it features, and how sensitively certain themes were dealt with. Although I'm really interested in the Jacobites I did find it difficult to keep track of all the different plots and affiliations and invasions, and I wasn't really sure about the motivations of one (unredemptively) evil character. There was also a pretty huge twist which, initially, I really doubted; having gone back and reread a bunch of chapters, I now feel more favourably about it but I'm still not quite convinced. If I'm going to be incredibly specific, I would give this 3.75 🌟 and I recommend if you're in the mood for some Scottish historical fiction!

Great plotting around the Jacobite Rebellion but I found the characters somewhat anodyne and the romantic parts dragged too much.

I read The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley and absolutely loved it so I was excited to pick up another of her books. It was a pleasant read, I do like her writing style, but I’m really not a big fan of texts set prior to the 1800s so the story wasn’t really for me. I don’t feel that I can connect with the characters well as the timeline is so far from removed from what I understand now, although I do appreciate the research that has gone into this. I think perhaps reading the series in order might have helped and I may go back in the future to do this.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I loved it It is so well written and although this is the third in the series it was not a problem for me that I hadn't read the previous books although I do now plan to read them. It is absolutely delightful

As a lover for Scottish History and Scottish Historical fiction The Vanished days was a read that swept me up and had me reading it within 2 days .

This was a very well research and beautifully written novel that portrays Edinburgh across the two timelines during the turmoil of the Jacobite era in such a brilliant way.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this e-arc

A complex, sweeping historical epic.

Scotland 1707 a land living in the shadow of Union with England, seeking to heal decades of political and religious division even as an outlawed King plots rebellion on the continent.

These dangerous times provide the backdrop to the story of Lily a sailor’s widow who comes forward to claim her dead husband’s wages and Adam, the man tasked with determining if her marriage was real at all.

His investigation, uncovers her journey, trying to survive on the streets of Edinburgh, her life torn apart by the untimely demise of her father and the desires of unscrupulous men.

The Vanished Days is a tale of family lost and found, interwoven with a touching story of enduring love.

I found all the characters to be authentic to their time and place and as a Scot I could almost feel the streets and landmarks of Edinburgh. A beautifully crafted book with an end twist I seriously did not see coming.

I also loved the afterword explaining the genealogy and real historical basis of many of the characters.

This was my first Susanna Kearsley novel it certainly will not be my last.