4 Stars

Behind the Manor Door Lies the Reckoning by Debbie Zello is a historical romance that has a bit of unpredictability to the clever, multi-layered storyline- there is suspense, new beginnings, drama, secrets, tension, emotion, some upsetting scenes, and many surprising developments.

Permelia Shaw’s world turns upside down when she loses the love of her life. She decides to move south so she can start fresh, so she leaves Boston and heads to Virginia. Now this is a big step for her, because she is a staunch abolitionist, and even though she lives a wealthy lifestyle, she can’t see eye to eye with the southern way of life where slavery is very much the norm.

Montgomery Randall is a slave trader who had fled England because of the abolition of slavery- settling in Virginia in order to continue his ‘lifestyle’. There he meets Permelia (Meli) and sets his sights on her immediately- he has to have her! These two have such opposing viewpoints- is there any way that they can find a common ground, or compromise? Will Meli be able to maintain her stand, or will Montgomery and southern society break her down?

Anytime a new book of Ms. Zello’s pops up on my feed, it’s an instant ‘one-click’ for me. I know anything she writes is going to be something I will enjoy. I might have high expectations, but she hasn’t let me down yet!  As I started reading I realised that this book is a little different from the other books of Ms. Zello’s that I have read- but no less captivating. The story was unique and gives us lots of complex and intriguing characters and situations. The way she blended the historical elements with suspense, tension, turmoil, romance, and drama, was done exceedingly well- entirely realistic and believable. I definitely wasn’t expecting the storyline to evolve the way it did, that’s for sure! It’s easy to see that she put a lot of thought, planning, heart, and soul into the development of this book.

I am definitely looking forward to her next book!

Thank-you, Ms. Zello!