~Sandee*Stuck in Wonderland~

I totally adored this book.
It contained the right mix of everything.
It not only has mystery and suspense but it also just the right of romance in it.

Oxford Whispers is not what I have expected. It over-exceeded my expectations to tell you honestly. I learned from experience that not all fancy covers and intriguing goodreads summary would end up good when you read it. But this book, well it not only has a good cover and a good synopsis. After reading the book, you'll feel that you didn't waste your time reading it. This book has substance which is why it was definitely worth reading.

Madison LeBon may look like an ordinary girl but she's not. She's from a family that posseses power that will later consume them. Consume them meaning, either they go crazy or kill themselves or whatever bad things that might happen. Knowing this, Madison tried to steer away from that kind of future so moved to Oxford to study history.

Funny thing is, it seems that her heritage didn't really want to let her go. On her history class, she then encounters the painting that will turn her life around. She then gets visions of the woman and the man on the painting. She then realizes that no matter how hard she tries to run away from her destiny, she'll need to face it one way or the other or she might really end up like the other women in her family.

Phew.

This book is a real gem. It is not every day you'll find a book that is this unique. I intially thought it would be somewhat like Darker Still(another one of my favorites) but then after reading more I realized that although both dealt with paintings that was where the similarity stops.

One of the things I loved about this book was the setting. It was very vivid that you could almost feel you are walking with Madison in Oxford. The author made sure that you get the feel of the surrounding.

Another good thing about it is how well the historical aspect of the book has been researched. I loved the fact that such a painting really exist and how believable Ms. Croslydon incorporated the story about Sara and Robert as well as Madison's and Rupert's. It was just so well thought of.

I liked the characters. Madison was a pretty good female lead for me because she knew what she must do. At first, she was afraid but then after some time she realized she can't run away forever. Rupert was the perfectly-imperfect type of male character. You fall in love with him not because he was gorgeous and rich and stuff. You fall in love because he was all that but at the same time he was flawed.

One thing that did bother me was the pacing. I really thought there were times that I wish some parts were just not included but I guess those parts make the book more interesting.

The deal-sealer for this book for me was the twist towards the end. The bad guy was not the one who I was really expecting it to be. I thought it was but damn it surprised me that I was so wrong by a mile!

All in all, it was a fantastic read. It is a must read for New Adult readers or Mature YA-PNR readers. Why? Because there are some scenes not suited for younger YA readers but more for mature-YA or NA readers so just a caution. Also for those who wants a PNR book with a historical twist in it, this book is definitely for you.