"Within These Gilded Halls" by Abigail Wilson

Phoebe Radcliff's quiet existence as a young painter trying to escape her past takes a turn when her tutor is murdered and asks Phoebe to complete a treasure hunt to find the hidden jewels before the murderer can get to them. With clues hundreds of years old and hidden all over the estate, Phoebe races against unknown foes in the present as well as the return of foes from the past.

This book confused me from the beginning. It felt like I was dropped into the story and was somehow supposed to know these characters and their relationships to each other already. I was also annoyed at how Phoebe "solved" many of the clues by overhearing the most random things. The romance was lackluster for me, probably because I never came to care for any of the characters individually, much less how they interacted with each other.

I will be the first to admit that treasure hunts are a trope that I really don't enjoy, and mysteries in general are hit and miss for me, but if these are your thing, you'll probably enjoy this book much more than I did. I normally love Abigail Wilson's books and will definitely read more in the future. If you are a fan of gothic Regency stories, don't let my lackluster review stop you from checking this one out.

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.