The Nature of a Lady

In The Nature of a Lady, we follow the story of Libby, short for Elizabeth, as she feels stifled by society and her family, and decided to take a break to the Scilly Islands, where she can pursue her biology studies without hindrance. Or at least, that’s what she thought, because soon she discovers that another Elizabeth who stayed in the cottage before her has gone missing, and weird things are happening when some people think she is the missing girl...

A trope that never tires is the mistaken identity trope, it’s just so much fun! And very intruiging, as you try to find out what’s going on alongside Libby. It seems everyone has secrets, including her maid who she is actually friends with, and a kind vicar that is the other Elizabeth’s brother, who helps her but seems to hold something back.

But it’s not just an adventure, there is much depth in this book. All the characters are fleshed out with their own wants and personalities (and there are quite a lot!) and the feel of this island is just truly magical. You might even begin to believe in pirate treasure... there are spiritual lessons too, as Libby slowly starts to believe and trust in God. And Oliver has so much kindness and love for everyone, it’s amazing to witness. Her fiery stubborn maid Mabena is very much fun, and plays a big role in the story - her heated arguments with her nemesis Casek make me chuckle. Oh, and Mamm-wyn is the sweetest person, she deserves her own novel. I love how Roseanna M. White uses what we think of as disability and shows how she is so much more than her dementia.

All in all, I really liked the story. The mystery was really good, the pacing and writing too. I have to admit, I personally liked the Shadows over England series better, those books really spoke to me, where this one feels more like entertainment all in all. Nothing wrong with that though, and I liked it very much!

I received a free e-copy from Netgalley but this hasn’t influenced my opinion.