The House of Lost Wives by Rebecca Hardy
Publication Date: 13th Oct 2022
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance (and Mystery)
3.5 Stars
One Liner: A mixed bag
1813, Sussex
Lizzie and her older sister Esme have a tough time dealing with their father’s debts. Esme is sold off as a wife to an aging Lord Blountford to clear the debts. However, Esme dies within a year of the marriage, and Lizzie is ordered to take her dead sister’s place.
Lizzie is taken to Ambletye Manor as Lord Blountford’s fiancé to discover that she would be his fifth wife. Apparently, all four wives have died in the manor. Can Lizzie find the truth behind their deaths and save herself?
With growing feelings between Charles Blountford (the old man’s nephew) and Lizzie, she has a lot more at stake in getting to the bottom of the truth. It certainly helps that Lizzie has a special gift. But what will this cost her?
The story comes in Lizzie’s first-person POV.
My Observations:
The blurb makes the book sound like an atmospheric paranormal mystery. However, the story is more of a romantic drama with a couple of ghosts and some social issues.
The pacing is great, an advantage, as I could breeze through the book in a couple of days.
There is no atmosphere despite the book being set in an old Manor with a vast estate. Imagine cloudy days, dark manor rooms, and secret spots in the estate. All of these are used, but none create the atmosphere.
Lord Blountford is supposed to be some sort of villainous old man with too many secrets. But most of his secrets aren’t the kinds that send chills down the spine. In fact, when Lizzie herself feels sad for him on multiple occasions, it’s hard to consider him ‘the villain’. He ends up being more of a controller than sinister.
The book is a blend of romance, mystery, and family drama. It has a bit of everything though none of them feel intense. One theme gets extra focus and is handled pretty well.
How you like the book depends on what you expect from it. If you’re looking for a slow-burn gothic setting with intense scenes, this isn’t for you. However, if you like something fast-paced with zero spookiness, you’ll enjoy the book more.
The book doesn’t require any effort from the reader’s side (be careful of the triggers), which is an advantage and a disadvantage. I liked it okay and enjoyed the pace, so it worked decent for me.
The ending is satisfactory, though the climax is as dramatic as it can get. Lizzie has to do something idiotic, right? Still, the following scenes could have been used to bring out the real darkness in Lord Blountford, but that doesn’t fully happen.
The side characters are a treat. Jordie, Price, Judith, etc., deliver their best and shine better than the main leads. I’d love it if Jordie and Price get a book each. Such potential!
To summarize, The House of Lost Wives is a regency romance (clean) with some friendly ghosts and great side characters.
Thank you, NetGalley and Headline, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheHouseofLostWives
P.S: It gets easy to root for the heroine when her opponent is a true baddie. Giving him a soft side is okay if it doesn’t dilute his villainous nature. If the heroine alters between feeling sad for him, lashing out at him, realizing his ‘true’ side, and feeling bad for him again, it puts the reader in the same position (this being first-person POV).
**
TW: Sexual assault (multiple mentions), gambling, death
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