The Lost Apothecary was such a delightful book, so I was excited to get my hands on Sarah Penner's sophomore novel.

Set in 1873, the story follows 23-year-old Lenna Wilkes in Paris as she learns the art of séance with spiritualist and medium Vaudeline D'Allaire. Vaudeline specializes in conjuring the spirits of murder victims so that their killers can be identified. Lenna plans to use what she learns to find answers about her sister's death, but when the two women team up to solve a high-profile murder in London, they get more than what they bargained for.

This book was a delight to read and had me turning pages in the end. I enjoyed the eccentric characters, who reminded me of the spiritualists that gather in Lily Dale, NY, near where I grew up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Sarah Penner for an advanced e-copy of this book.

3.5 stars rounded up. I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I found the narration to be nicely done. This book is a slow burn but it held my attention, and I finished the book fairly quickly. I found some of the twists to be unexpected, which was a nice surprise.

Told by two POVs, Lena Wickes a spiritualist’s understudy, and Mr. Morley, VP of the Society’s Department of Spiritualism, set in the late 1800s in London. Throughout the book I kept thinking of all the research that went into this story (as with The Lost Apothecary.) Great insight into this gothic-vibe world, thanks to the author’s research.
I enjoyed the thread of suspense, murder, and magic, the deceit that was so common in this line of work… one of the few professions back then where women were considered more adept than men for this job. Probably my favorite part was the author’s notes at the end which gave insightful info from her research. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this interesting and unique story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. I really loved The Lost Apothecary, and was excited to read this book. While this is a little different since it is a purely historical novel instead of two timelines, I think I liked this one even more (I am actually not a fan of popular fiction that has a contemporary timeline and a historical one--it is over done).

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner is Historical Fiction mixed with Mystery-Suspense and touches of Magical Realism! Lenna Wickes does not believe in ghosts but she has a mystery to solve: her little sister Evie’s death. Hoping to learn the art of séance herself, Lenna becomes Vaudeline’s apprentice to discover what actually happened to Evie. Mlle D’Allaire, accompanied by her understudy Lenna, is summoned to London to assist in solving the high-profile murder of the Society’s president and to add a bit of polish to its recently tarnished reputation. I especially appreciated the way she describes everything from the wardrobes and the vocabulary to the cityscape and mannerisms — I can only imagine the amount of research that went into such a detailed depiction of the time. I can not give this book enough praise and recommendations as one to add to your book wish list, your preorder madness, or your race to the bookstore!

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner is Historical Fiction mixed with Mystery-Suspense and touches of Magical Realism.

I found the alternating chapters between characters too short. Some were only a few pages long! It didn't let you get into a rhythm with each character. And overall, the plot is just flat and takes too long to get going.

I kept reading because I wanted to see how this all ended up but I was disappointed after loving the Lost Apothecary.

Kudos to NetGalley for the chance to read in exchange for a full review!

"The London Séance Society" is a mesmerizing novel that seamlessly blends mystery and adventure with class. With its compelling characters and atmospheric setting, it captures the essence of Victorian London and keeps readers captivated from beginning to end. The storytelling prowess and ability to evoke a sense of wonder make this book a must-read for fans who prefer a little eerie with their creepy

I loved the authors first book, The Lost Apothecary, and so I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately the execution of this one was not at all up to snuff. The book had some plot holes, lacked some character development and really dragged in a few places. It was a slog to finish it. Hopefully the next book will be better!

First of all, I think this book had a lot of potential. The subject matter of the Victorian Era, occult, and supernatural are excellent plot points.

But, I was overall just half interested in the story, to be honest. Again. I think the content had such potential but it fell flat for me because I am such a character-driven reader and just did not enjoy these characters overall.

You have Lenna and Vaudeline, who are the FMCs, and their relationship was just odd. The connection/attraction between them was not developed as much as it could have been. What you are left with is a feeling that considering the danger they are in, the thoughts that go through Lenna's head seem misguided and unrealistic.

As far as the plot goes, I just wanted more of the seance stuff. I was disappointed that this actually wasn't really a focal point in the story. I think if the story had gone more in this direction it would have hooked me the same way that The Lost Apothecary did. More mystery and intrigue would have gone a long way.

What I did enjoy was learning some of the actual historical facts about the LSS, I had never heard of it before.

All of this being said I was a superfan of Sarah Penner's first book, this one was just okay, but I will most definitely read whatever she writes next because I do enjoy her writing.

I have to say I was shocked after reading this. It is nothing that I expected. The audiobook does a great job with the characters.

I absolutely freaking LOVED ‘The London Seance Society’ by Sarah Penner and highly, highly recommend it!

I was a fan of The Lost Apothecary so I was happy to receive this e-arc of Sarah Penner's new novel. I enjoyed the mystery, the setting, and the characters. I would recommend this book during readers advisory.

Thank you Netgalley!

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for a review.

This book left me feeling underwhelmed. The premise sounded exciting, but the execution fell flat for me. Considering the word 'seance' is in the title, I expected more paranormal/witchy vibes, but that was a very minor part of the story. Seances were talked about by the characters in the book often, but the actual act was very little.

Thanks, NetGalley folk, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it and recommend it heartily!

A worthy follow-up to THE LOST APOTHECARY, suffused with a moody Gothic vibe I dig. Penner's lush prose and slow-burn suspense make this one hard to put down.

Sarah Penner has done it again. While not as great as her 1st book, this one is still exciting and intriguing. She keeps you guessing with so many fascinating characters. You never want it to end, yet you must know what happens now. I am now a forever fan, and will read everything she writes.

Set in a time when spiritualism and communicating with the dead was all the rage, Lenna goes to Paris to train under Vaudeline, a renowned spiritualist, in an effort to communicate with and solve the mystery of her sister's murder. When Vaudeline is asked to return to London to solve the murder of the President of the London Seance Society, they become involved in more than the obvious murder investigations.

I love that this book has so many faces. There's mystery and romance and I love the editions at the end with recipes and whatnot.

Ghosts and unsolved murder? Mystery, adventure and romance? Sign me up immediately! The London Seance Society had such dark, gothic vibe and really brought to life the world of seances and the occult during the Victorian era.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to study with the famous spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Though Lenna is a skeptic, she is willing to do anything she can to solve her sister's murder. Meanwhile the founder of the London Seance Society Mr. Wolckman has been murderer. Mr. Morley who is in charge of the Society's Department of Spiritualism recruits Ms. D'Allaire who was friends with the deceased to run a seance in London in order to help solve his murder.

The setting, characters, vibe, pacing - it all worked so well for me. Lenna's journey of grief and self-discovery was engaging but it was Vaudeline who stole the (literary) show for me. To create such authentic existence for a woman in the 1870s took gumption and I just loved her spunk. This story had a little bit of everything - a spooky vibe, historical setting, mystery and suspense and even a dash of romance. I am definitely a fan of Sarah Penner's writing and can't wait to find out what she comes up with next.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! I loved it so much I ended up grabbing a copy through Book of the Month because I simply had to own it!

3.5 stars

I loved The Lost Apothecary, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately this one didn’t quite grab my attention as much as I’d hoped it would.

This historical fiction takes place in 1873 and centers around the cities of Paris and London. Vaudeline D’Allaire is known for her ability to conjure the spirits of murder victims in the hopes of uncovering who killed them. When Lenna Wickes’ sister, Evie, is murdered, she travels to Paris in search of answers and spends time training and gaining knowledge from Vaudeline. Then Vaudeline is summoned back to London by the London Seance Society to aid in solving the murder of the society’s president, Mr. Volckman, and Lenna accompanies her as her understudy.

London’s Seance Society is exclusive only to men, yet somehow Evie became entangled in their new approaches to seances, which are rumored to be fraudulent. Lenna is determined to help solve the murder of Evie and Mr. Volckman, but is there a connection between the two or did Evie simply take her obsession with spiritualism too far?

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was a unique story with an intriguing plot twist, and I think it had a lot of potential, but it just didn’t blow me away like The Lost Apothecary. I didn’t feel as invested in the storyline or the characters and it lacked the emotionally-driven qualities that normally draw me in. Overall, it was good. I was just expecting something more. I do look forward to reading more from Ms. Penner.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Book for providing a copy of this book to review.*