Publication Date: 22nd March 2023
Genre: Historical Paranormal Mystery, Romance
3.3 Stars
One Liner: An entertainer; atmospheric but nothing deep
1873, Paris and London
Vaudeline D’Allaire is an acclaimed spiritualist known to conduct séances for murder victims and help find their killers. She is in Paris after escaping London due to unknown reasons.
Lenna Wickes is her apprentice intent on learning more about the process to find her sister’s killer. She is also struggling to accept the existence of the paranormal since her logical mind refuses to believe in anything she cannot see. However, Evie, her sister, was a firm believer, and Lenna is willing to try anything to discover the truth.
When Vaudeline is requested to visit London and help solve the crime of the founder of The London Séance Society, things turn dangerous quickly. Soon, the two ladies may have only each other and the paranormal to rely on if they want to stay alive.
The story comes in the limited third-person POV of Lenna and the first-person POV of Mr. Morley.
What I Like:
The beginning is a little slow but picks up pace in the second half (after a weak middle part). It’s easy to read and doesn’t require your grey cells to function. In fact, don’t let them be active.
The séances are atmospheric. The book almost carries a dark moody vibe throughout. However, it doesn’t get heavy at any point.
The seven-step process to conduct a séance is among the highlights of the book. I always enjoy such information. You never know when it may come in handy (shh!).
The Victorian setting enhances the plot. The common bias against women and a man’s role in society comes across clearly. I have to mention the author’s notes at the end. Informative, interesting, and useful (it has recipes!).
The climax begins on shaky ground but ends well. I like how it’s done. The epilogue is also well done.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Well, I don’t think the combination of Lenna’s and Morley’s POVs did anything to enhance the plot. Morley is a weak character with a wobbly arc. I’m not sure if it is deliberate (makes sense in a way), but it should have been better established.
Lenna… well… she started strong until she turned whiny, stupid, and silly as the story progressed. It’s only in the climax that she redeems herself. I can see the allure of having a logical character ace paranormal interaction. It could have been better, though. A character jumping to conclusions is hard to empathize with.
Vaudeline is probably the steadiest character in the book. However, not having her POV didn’t help the story. She should have been one of the narrators. In fact, if you think about it, Evie and other women are also intriguing (too bad they don’t get enough space).
The dual POV also means that information is repeated in consecutive chapters. This makes the plot boring and slow. We don’t need to know the same thing from both POVs and go around in circles.
A few developments don’t make sense, especially when they should. This is where you have to turn off your logical side and consider it an entertainer (or a Bwood film). If the issues were handled better, I think the plot would have been enriched with more drama and tension. A wasted chance, TBH.
I don’t know if I should call this a romance. It’s supposed to be slow-burn (maybe) but doesn’t get enough space to grow organically. While I like the darkish touch to the track, I’m not happy with the overall development. It could have been achieved with some care. Removing the repeated content would have created space for this track.
To summarize, The London Séance Society is an atmospheric entertainer and a light mystery with some good and not-so good points. Read it for fun and don't worry about things that don't make sense.
Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Australia, and HQ (Fiction, Non-Fiction, YA) & MIRA, for the eARC.
#TheLondonSéanceSociety #NetGalley
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Confession: I rated the book 3.7 stars immediately after finishing it. After drafting the review, I brought it down to 3.3 stars. Somehow, I had more things I disliked despite enjoying the book. Sigh!
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