When Anne’s mother agrees to marry a wealthy, mysterious man, she expects a nice mansion in the hills. But their new home, Belrose Abbey, is more like a castle—imposing, cold, and full of shadows. The more Anne explores the corridors and vacant rooms and dusty crannies, the more she discovers about the abbey’s master—her soon-to-be stepfather—Ivan Helsburg. As her mother’s wedding draws closer, … closer, Anne begins to harbor a creeping suspicion that all is not well at Belrose Abbey.
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This is the first book in The Belrose Abbey Mystery Series, a Ghotic Story. I loved it! The story is suspenseful, filled with mystery, and secrets. The characters are great and interesting. Looking forward to listen to The Bloodstone Vial, the next book in the series. Michelle Babb did a fantastic job with the narration. I enjoyed it.
What a great mystery with an eerie feeling to it. I loved it! And Michelle Babb did a great job telling the story. Her voice enhanced the feeling of this story. Anne and her mother move to a large estate not too long after her father has died. Her mother has met a man and agreed to marry him. It’s not a marriage of love, but survival. The man seems nice enough. But Anne doesn’t trust him or his home. As we learn more about him, his staff, and the estate it shows that you should never ignore that gut feeling. What a great mystery! I am not giving details on purpose. From the start to the end I was on the edge of my seat. I was hit with surprise after surprise. I started to feel like I was on this adventure with Anne. This is a must read/listen for mystery fans. Especially if you like a little haunting feel to it.
Chapters are narrated from the point of view of either Dauphine (widowed 8 months ago) or Anne (her 16 y/o daughter). A creepy old stone mansion, a chatelaine worthy of a gothic novel, a worrisome new stepfather, the new husband’s stepson as a friend, and even more mysteries. But no bad language or erotica.
It is a good read made even better by having Michelle Babb to bring the characters to life with her narration.
This review is for the audio book.
This is the first book by this author I have read or listened. Even though I wouldn’t place it in the modern detective category or judging from the picture would it be a book I would choose, I did enjoy it. It was very different and kept me guessing the whole way through. The story starts each chapter telling you who the main character is and gives you there perspective of what is going on building up the suspense. As the tension builds so does your curiosity and you soon find you have finished the book before you know it. Off to start the next book.
After the death of her father Anne is just happy to see her mother smile again, even if it means moving to spooky old castle and her mother getting married to a man she barely knows. That is until the weirdness starts to feel menacing. The spooky old castle with its hidden doors and passageways was fun to explore at first but as she discovers more the more she fears her mother is making a big mistake.
The narrator was the main reason I gave this book a chance. She is such a great reader that I knew I was going to enjoy it and she doesn’t disappoint this time either. She really builds up the tension, so make sure you don’t listen to this book in the dark.
What a great read. Gothic novels are not what I usually read but I really enjoyed this one. Set in an Abby with secret passageways and even catacombs. This is the first book in this series. I can’t wait to see what the next book will bring. The narrator for this book is Michelle Babb she does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. Michelle made a good book even better.
“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”
A Ruby Locket (A Belrose Abbey Mystery Book 1) by Anita Higman and Hillary McMullen and Narrated by Michelle Babb.
A teenage girl, Anne, and her widowed mother are moving into a very old castle after Anne’s mother has agreed to marry it’s mysterious owner Ivan. Anne can’t seem to shake the feeling that something is off with Ivan. He is a very wealthy man who seems nice but there is just something about him and about how fast the relationship between him and her mother has gone from meeting one another to marriage. Can Anne find out what is making her uneasy about Ivan before her mother marries him?
This is an enjoyable story, well developed characters. I really enjoyed Anne, even though she a teenager she is not going to believe everything she is told; especially when something feels wrong and her mother could be endanger. Although this is a novella this story is well developed, great pace, includes enough twist and turns to keep you interested in the mystery. This book is in the YA mystery genre so there is no graphic language, sex, or violence. For the romance fans there seems to be a little bit of something developing between Anne and Wyatt.
I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Michelle Babb. Mrs Babb is a natural storyteller. She does a great job with her voice; you can have no trouble telling which character is speaking at any time. She has great pace and timing, she never rushes the story. She brings the words on the page to life.
I would definitely recommend this book either print or audio version to Young Adult, mystery, or romance alike.