If you're familiar with the works of Jane Austen, you know how much priority was placed on making a suitable match for the young ladies of that era. In Dawn at Emberwilde, Isabel was not sure she would ever have the opportunity to marry, being an orphaned teacher at a small girls school and having a younger sister as her ward.
Her circumstances change unexpectedly as she is discovered by relatives of her deceased mother and whisked away to Emberwilde to live a very different life. Isabel must get used to colorful dresses, refined manners, and the attentions of two young men.
Her aunt is a complex character, hard for Isabel to puzzle out. Younger sister Lizzie takes to Emberwilde quickly, helped by the horseback riding lessons Aunt Margaret insists that a proper young lady must have. Cousin Constance is a friend, but the two were raised so differently that Constance cannot understand Isabel's reluctance to accept the man that Aunt Margaret is pushing at her. After all, Constance is about to marry a man her mother picked for her.
Isabel fills some of her time teaching at the local children's home, where things are not all as they seem. And what of the tales of danger within Emberwilde Forest, referred to as the Black Woods by the locals who avoid it?
I enjoyed this tale of intrigue set in 1817 England. Author Sarah E. Ladd has other fascinating tales, as well, including A Lady at Willowgrove Hall, which I reviewed. You can read additional reviews of Dawn at Emberwilde at the Litfuse website.
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