Last House by Jessica Shattuck delivered an epic tale that spans eighty-years as Shattuck follows Nick Taylor, his wife Bet and their children, Katherine and Harry in this rich, poignant tale of love, loss and ideals set against American history.
I love everything Chanel Cleeton has written from her contemporary romance to her Cuban inspired historical fiction and was delighted to see her delve into a gothic historical mystery with The House on Biscayne Bay. A suspenseful, atmospheric tale that held me captive from beginning to end.
The Cicada Tree by Robert Gwaltney delivered a southern gothic tale with magical realism and touches of the macabre. Narrated by Allyson Johnson, fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic will want to reach for this lush story with twists, southern charm and characters you’ll long remember after the story is told.
The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett is the first novel in The Damsels of Discovery series, a romantic historical featuring a Victorian apothecary. It’s got mystery, family, romance and more to delight those who enjoy women-in-stem and strong feminist themed historical romance.
Deanna Raybourn’s ninth book in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries proved quite the clever case, when Lord Rosemorran purchases a wax doll and his daughter asked Stoker to animate it. What Veronica and Stoker discover is a carefully preserved human encased in wax like the Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. I don’t think I’ll ever grow bored with this series and quickly was swept up into the mystery and these characters.
