Welcome to my stop on the blog tour celebrating the release of The Missing Years by Lexie Elliott! Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the invitation! Stay tuned for information on how to win a copy at the bottom of this post!
About the Book:
An eerie, old Scottish manor in the middle of nowhere that’s now hers.
Ailsa Calder has inherited half of a house. The other half belongs to a man who disappeared without a trace twenty-seven years ago—her father.
Leaving London behind to settle the inheritance from her mother’s estate, Ailsa returns to her childhood home, nestled amongst the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands, joined by the half-sister who’s almost a stranger to her.
Ailsa can’t escape the claustrophobic feeling that the house itself is watching her—as if her past hungers to consume her. She also can’t ignore how the neighbourhood animals refuse to set one foot within the gates of the garden.
When the first nighttime intruder shows up, Ailsa fears that the manor’s careless rugged beauty could cost her everything.
My Thoughts:
I LOVED Lexie Elliott’s debut, The French Girl, and could not wait for her latest release, The Missing Years, which is available now! Both books have creepy, atmospheric vibes.
Ailsa inherits half a house, the Manse, from her mother’s estate in Scotland. The other half belongs to her father who disappeared over twenty-seven years ago.
Ailsa returns to her childhood home amongst the glorious Scottish Highlands. Her estranged half-sister, Carrie, meets her there. Ailsa cannot sell the home until her father is found, so she decides to move in with Carrie.
The house feels claustrophobic, eerie, strange, like someone is watching Ailsa. It also frightens her that animals won’t step foot in the garden.
…And then someone uninvited arrives in the night….
The Missing Years is a haunting slow-burn of a read. It’s about the characters and slowly building up to a big reveal. My favorite aspect of this story was definitely the Manse. It becomes its own character here. It groans and watches its residents, holding many secrets. The story slowly develops in bits and tiny pieces, until you get to the exciting ending I never saw coming. This is a book that’s best read quickly. The momentum and tension keep building, and I personally could not put it down!
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Lexie Elliott has been writing for as long as she can remember, but she began to focus on it more seriously after she lost her banking job in 2009 due to the Global Financial Crisis. After some success in short story competitions, she began planning a novel. With two kids and a (new) job, it took some time for that novel to move from her head to the page, but the result was “The French Girl”, which was published by Berkley in February 2018.
When she’s not writing, Lexie can be found running, swimming or cycling whilst thinking about writing. In 2007 she swam the English Channel solo. She won’t be doing that again. In 2015 she ran 100km, raising money for Alzheimer Scotland. She won’t be doing that again either. But the odd triathlon or marathon isn’t out of the question.
***Book Giveaway***
For a chance to win a copy of The Missing Years, please visit my instagram page! Giveaway generously sponsored by the publisher.
An eerie Scottish manor…. love that for a setting. I also like when a house
/ setting is worked so well into the story it becomes like its own character.
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Me, too, Nina! It adds so much to the creepiness when that’s a factor!
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Ohhhhh creepy indeed! Wonderful review Jen! Happy Wednesday my friend! Enjoy the heat!😢💜😽
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Thanks, Sus! It was super creepy! Yes, it was beautiful today! I hope you had a lovely Wednesday! ♥️
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Great review, Jennifer 💜 I’m still trying to see if my library will add this.
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Thanks, Jonetta! I hope so, too! 🤞
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Gorgeous cat and pillow, wonderful blog tour and review, Jennifer! I cannot wait to read this thriller and added it to my tbr list. Happy Wednesday! 🐙🐱🐾🐾❤️📚🌹🌹😘 thanks for giveaway.
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Thanks, Virginia! Love that kitty! ♥️ I hope you enjoy this book! Also hope you’ve had a great Wednesday! 💗
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I was sold on creepy atmospheric set in scotland, need.
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The atmosphere in this one really sets it apart! I just realized you are my Goodreads friend, Lily! ♥️
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I like the sound of this! Atmospheric sounds amazing. Wonderful review.
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Thanks, Chrissi! The atmosphere was so cool! I know you are from Scotland, so I wonder what you would think of this one! ♥️
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This sounds like such a good read, I might try and get a copy soon as I’m in the mood for something I can get lost in that I can read in one or two sittings. Fab review, as always. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Hayley! You can definitely breeze through this one quickly. I hope you get a chance to read it! ♥️
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I love when the environment becomes a character in a story. Sounds like a book I would like and yay I have it.
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Yay, I’m so glad you have it to read, Marialyce! I hope you enjoy it too! ♥️
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I’m a chicken, lol, not sure this one would work for me. Great meme, though!
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Thanks, Jacquie! I totally understand! ♥️
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Nothing quite like a spooky old house to get the spine tingling! Hemy seems to be taking it in his stride though. 😉 I’m intrigued as to why animals won’t set foot in the grounds…
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Did you see it’s a spooky Scottish setting, FF? Yes, Hemy is not bothered a bit. That confidence keeps him pretty even-keeled. Those animals sure are smart!
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That sounds like the perfect setting for a creepy read! Fab review.
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Thanks, Yvo! It was so atmospheric and enchanting that way!
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Another one for my list! 😀
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It’s definitely up your alley! Did you read The French Girl?
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I did! Only now that you mentioned i realized it’s the same author… haha 😀
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I had a hard time remembering it was her too!
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I LOVE when a house is as big a character in a story as any of the “human” characters!
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Me, too, Angela! It’s always so much fun!
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This sounds so eerie and I love a good slow, burn. I love that the house almost becomes its own character and I’m super intrigued by this story (and author). Adding to my list!
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Great review Jennifer and I absolutely love your photo. That alone would have me picking this one up, but your review clinches it. I do not like creepy, but this one sounds more atmospheric than creepy.
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Aww, thank you, Carla! This photo makes me so happy because it was the first time my shy Bengal kitty, Hemingway, surprised me and sat in the photo spot all on his own. I couldn’t believe it. And he hasn’t done it again since that day 😂 (though I luckily have a few more books I photographed that day). Thank you again. ♥️
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