Forty-five-year-old Gabriella “Gabby” Heart, an instructor of drawing and art history at the Lifelong Learning Institute on Dost Island, had just driven her daughter to graduate school in Michigan when she received a call that her mother, Connie, had been found unconscious on the kitchen floor. Back on the island, Gabby is surprised when told by the receptionist that her sister was already with Connie, yet she was an only child. But that’s not the only strange thing. The details of the incident were odd. Her mother seemed drugged, and it appeared someone had been at their house while she was away. Gabby accepts that her mother be moved to ACHE (Adult Care and Health Enclave), a facility at the historic King Manor, for proper care. However, she is about to be drawn into a web of mystery at the facility, which will not only lead her to uncover secrets and find love, but also leave many harmed. Find out how it all goes down in Lost Heart in King Manor: Book One in the Mysteries of a Heart Series by Celeste Fenton.

If you are looking for a mystery flavored with suspense, romance, drama, and thrills, Lost Heart in King Manor by Celeste Fenton is a great pick. Featuring a fascinating cast, Fenton's intriguing plot weaves together a cozy mystery and romantic suspense. The storyline relies on snappy conversations, entwined with witty commentary, banter, and sarcasm. Through a multi-perspective timeline and rapid pacing, the plot shifts between domestic drama and the mayhem surrounding the cast. I was stuck figuring out who Gabby would choose between the two good-looking men, Jay and Rick, and trying to uncover what lay beneath the layers of mystery and strange happenings at the Manor. The evocative depictions vividly captured the settings, contrasting the charming and picturesque backdrop of the village with the historic, isolated, and mysterious Manor. The narrative gave me insight into the characters’ emotions and lent the prose a warm and intimate feel. This offered a reprieve from the lingering sense of tension and danger in the story.

Lost Heart in King Manor by Celeste Fenton is a compelling mystery in which the past and present intersect as long-buried secrets unravel. The story follows Gabby Heart, a woman whose seemingly ordinary life on Dost Island is shattered when her mother, Connie, falls unconscious under mysterious circumstances. As Gabby races to uncover the truth, she becomes entangled in a web of intrigue involving her family's history, the historic King Manor estate, and a series of events that threaten her and those she loves. As secrets from her family’s past surface, her heart is torn between two men, Rick and Jay, both of whom have qualities that any woman would appreciate. The story shifts between her present-day investigations and flashbacks to her childhood, revealing a history of pirates, smuggling, and secrets buried beneath the grandeur of King Manor.

Celeste Fenton’s Lost Heart in King Manor is a great read, and the setting of Dost Island, with historic houses, lush gardens, and the imposing King Manor, with its eeriness and storm-battered features, is just perfect for the ensuing mystery. I enjoyed the characters, who are well-developed and relatable. Gabby towers above all of them as a deeply flawed, inquisitive, and determined character in search of the truth. Detective Rosa Moreno is another well-sculpted character who is difficult to assess; at times, she seems to be an ally, and at other times, it is hard to determine whether she is on Gabby’s side or not. Rick Payn is a protective type of person with a mysterious past. These and the other supporting characters are memorable and likable. The dominant theme is family secrets in a blend of romance and mystery that examines how the past influences the present, as secrets surface amid both literal and metaphorical storms. The atmospheric setting, combined with the characters and a complex plot, kept me engaged through every page.

Lost Heart in King Manor by Celeste Fenton follows Gabby, a drawing and art history instructor, who escorts her daughter, Val, to her new college in Ann Arbor. Before she can return to Dost Island, Gabby receives an alarming call: her mother, Connie, has been found unconscious beside an open gas stove. When Gabby rushes home, she discovers Connie has been increasingly forgetful, and that a mysterious dark-haired woman was seen in the hospital room claiming to be Gabby’s sister. Her mother’s condition worsens when she ends up falling and breaking her hip, landing her in rehab at ACHE. At the same time, unsettling things unfold at ACHE, the elite rehabilitation center tied to King Manor, including suspicious injuries and a staff member’s stabbing. Detective Rosa, investigating her own parents’ strange poisoning, uncovers troubling overlaps. As Gabby searches for answers, it becomes clear that multiple threads on the island are converging in dangerous ways.

Readers will enjoy Celeste Fenton's engaging mystery with small-town secrets. The romantic element was nicely incorporated as Gabby found herself attracted to both Rick Payne and Jay Laird. It balanced well with the suspense surrounding Jay and Rick’s suspicions of him. But it didn’t overshadow the mystery and the secrets that began to unfold on the island. The historical elements surrounding King Manor and the island’s shadowy past added depth, and the smugglers’ tunnels provided a wonderfully cinematic setting. The author also did a great job of creating multiple character threads. Detective Rosa, CeCe, Beth, and Dr. Anna Stewart all added meaningful stakes to the narrative. Fans of contemporary coastal mysteries like The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor or The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, and stories blending history, danger, and uncovering secrets, will find Lost Heart in King Manor equally compelling.

In Lost Heart in King Manor by Celeste Fenton, Gabby Heart is quickly pulled back to Dost Island when her mother, Connie Doyle, is found unconscious from a near-fatal gas leak at home. As Gabby cares for Connie and manages the family business, she becomes enmeshed in a series of attacks on residents at ACHE, a rehabilitation and assisted-living facility tied to the King Manor estate. Alongside Rick Payne and Jay Laird, Gabby believes hidden tunnels under ACHE could hold answers to a series of attacks, elder abuse, theft, and poisonings at the facility. As Gabby tries to piece it all together, she also comes up against long-hidden family secrets, including lineage and a previously unknown and supremely close relative, that may reshape her life completely.

Celeste Fenton’s Lost Heart in King Manor, book one in the Mysteries of a Heart series, is a really well-constructed story, and Fenton does an excellent job of keeping all the plates spinning. My favorite aspect of the plot is the only one that is entirely out of the characters' control, which is the crisis response as Hurricane Karen approaches. I love a sweep of environmental assault, and even outside the metaphor it injects, parallel to the story, Hurricane Karen is the single driver that cannot be stopped. Of course, this is of little comfort to poor Mrs. Spoto. Fenton tosses in a doozy of a twist that is brilliant, and she could not have created a more perfect setting than an estate with a manor and a medical facility that used to be a smuggling hub. Overall, this is a solid entry into a new series, and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.