The London Séance Society 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕/5
“Penner conjures a masterpiece.”

Summary:
1873. After the murder of her sister, Lenna Wickes travels from London to Paris as a Spiritualist understudy to renowned Vaudeline D’Allaire. When shocking news arrives of a murder at the London Séance Society the two swiftly depart for London.
Vaudeline intends to use her abilities to unmask two murders. Twisted truths, malice and a budding romance awaits them.

What I Liked:

- The protagonists are well developed, relatable, strong women.
- Fascinating insight into physical techniques used by mediums. Flame reading, spirit horns, ectoplasm, etc.
- Written in alternating POV’s added mystery and intrigue between the antagonist and protagonist.
- The way Penner researched and conveyed Spiritualism in the Victorian era is perfection.
- The curious, innocent, unapologetic exploration of female sexuality in the 19th century adds texture and beauty to the story.

What Could Have been Improved:

- Less repetitive details from Lenna and Morley’s POV during the final scenes.
- Mr. Morley’s character could have been more aggressive, defiant at the end.

Final Thoughts:
I was naturally drawn to this story from the first chapter since I relish anything supernatural. Sarah’s female characters are always powerful and invoke confidence. The story is not only about death but also the depths to which we go to in our grief to find solace. I felt empathy for a couple characters who were judged, ostracized and ridiculed by a fear induced society. This book is magic.

Thank you Harpercollinscanada, Park Row Books for this eARC.

Set in 1873, Lenna is pairing up with a trained spiritualist to attempt to figure out why her younger sister was killed. The spiritualist, Vaudeline, recently left London for unknown reasons but both are persuaded to return, as Vaudeline is wanted to help solve a the murder of an important man in London. It's clear that Lenna's dead sister was caught up in all of this but not at all clear what the author has planned for the reader. A great story, much like Penner's last book!

The London Seance Society is the second book from Sarah Penner. This one is another historical work and I really enjoy the writing style. I was initially drawn to the beautiful cover art, but the story holds its own. Ive yet to read Jenner's first novel, but I'm excited to dive into it after enjoying this one so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I enjoyed this book. It was a little bit mystery, romance, and spooky combined. I think it is a prefect fall read. The story is told mainly through Lenna’s perspective and I found her likable.

This is very different from The Lost Apothecary, although the writing style is similar. Fans of Penner’s debut novel may be disappointed in this one, which is sort of a murder mystery-spiritualist-lesbian drama. It’s an enjoyable read but somehow less than I expected.

I was a huge fan of Penner's previous novel, The Lost Apothecary, so I was excited to have a chance to read the ARC of The London Seance Society. It didn't disappoint.

Penner once again painted a rich historical picture with engaging characters. The mystery was gripping, meted out at the perfect rate from different characters' points of view, and contained some twists and turns I didn't expect.

I'll definitely be recommending it widely, and Penner has solidified her position on my "must-read" list. I'm already looking forward to her next book!

This was absolutely spectacular. If you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, get excited for this one. Sarah Penner is becoming an auto-but author for me. Two 5 star books, back to back for me. There is mystery. There is murder. AND a sapphic romance. Yes please, sign me up.

I read " The Lost Apothecary" by the same author and loved it (5 stars) so when I saw that Sarah Penner was coming out with another book, I knew that I needed to read it, too! TLSS uses dual perspective and kept me guessing up until the very end as to whodunnit. It makes you question what is real and what is a hoax. I love ghost-y things, I remember fondly falling asleep to haunted place shows when I was a kid - so a story about seances and vengeance was right up my alley.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

"The London Seance Society" is the story of two sisters. Once is alive and one is dead. Lenna has apprenticed herself to medium Vaudeline D'Allaire in hopes of finding out what happened to her sister who she believes was murdered. Her sister, Evie, believed in ghosts and psychics and had been Vaudeline's apprentice before she died. Vaudeline is well known among people looking for resolutions to murders that the police cannot solve. Vaudeline has been sent to Paris for her protection because she believes the group is defrauding people that hire them. Mr. Morley, the vice president of the Department of Spiritualism at the London Seance Society (an all male group) calls her back to try to solve the murder of Mr. Wolckman who died the same night as Lenna's sister Evie. Lenna comes along in case Vaudeline needs help and finds out that her sister was more embroiled in the mystery than she originally thought.

I enjoyed the story, but it did have a slow start. I really liked Sarah Penner's previous story "The Lost Apothecary". It may have been easier for me to empathize with a modern person since that story went back and forth between the past and the present. Both stories involve some nod to modern day feminism by noting the problems women had with being respected in the past. I want to give this 3.5 stars, but since I cannot. I will have to err on the side of three.

It is human nature to compare an author’s works of art. The Lost Apothecary was a memorable treasure. The London Seance is a shadow of a the first. It took several restarts to finish the book. I may give it another try later simply because I like TLA so much. I’ll be curious to see what’s next by Penner.

Sarah Penney has done it again. Her historical fiction novels are truly magic. With strong characters, detailed settings and a wonderful tale, this book fully transported me and I couldn’t put it down.

Sarah Penner nails her sophomore book with the London Séance Society and I’m so excited to grab a physical copy when it’s out!

LSS follows Lenna, as she works with a well known medium in 19th century France/England as she wants to make contact with her sister who passed mysteriously earlier in the year.

Her investigation takes her to the exclusive men’s club, the London Séance Society, as she learns there might be something dark happening within the club.

Penner does such a great job slowly revealing the mysteries found in this book all while creating really well written characters and scenes.

It is clear she did so much research to write this book and I was so exited to read this one when I got approved for an ARC.

If you loved The Lost Apothecary, you’ll love LSS and I personally believe Penner out did her debut. Pick up a copy when it’s released in March!

Fellow readers, if you're in the market for a gripping new read, you must pre-order Sarah Penner's forthcoming novel, The London Séance Society. In The London Séance Society, Penner creates both complex characters and a dynamic plot that keeps the reader guessing till the end. Historical details fill the novel, making it extra interesting to this historical fiction lover!

Penner's novel follows two young women who work as mediums and perform séances to help solve crimes. Interestingly, the women have varying degrees of belief in the subject, which proves challenging throughout the plot. Vaudeline D'Allaire, a renowned spiritualist in Paris, takes on Lena Wicks as a pupil. Lena, ever logic-driven and distrustful of the occult, is trying to solve the mystery of her sister's death. The women team up with a men's-only Séance Society to solve a mysterious crime. However, they quickly find a cover-up that goes deeper than they expected and could prove fatal for them both.

I read this novel in a day and a half, an that should tell you a lot about how much I enjoyed the story. Shirking chores and staying up late to read, I devoured this novel and wished there was more once it was done.

Sarah Penner grabbed me with The Lost Apothecary and I have been eager for this one to arrive!

The year is 1873. Under the expert tutelage of famous spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire, and her protege, Leann Wickes, are holding court in an abandoned chateau outside of Paris. Famous for conjuring spirits all over the world. Also known for those spirits to cause trouble now and then. Some say she is dangerous, but to Lenna and anyone else looking for the killer of a loved one, she is a long shot.

Lenna Wickes is in Paris to find out who killed her sister and why. While Lenna and her sister, Evie, had both been investigating The London Seance Society. No women are allowed so it’s a tough job to get inside. And remember the time period. Women were still being looked down on.

Murders are piling up and the women are highly suspicious of the men’s only club. After some checking, it seems as if they are not all as ethical and above board as they would have us believe. In fact, someone has been using tricks in the seances.

As they team up with the men to find out who killed Evie, they aren’t so sure they are not about to join her!

I enjoyed all this book. The women fighting back were especially good. The relationships were scandalous and none of them cared.

Sarah is always giving us good stories and I am loving them.

NetGalley/: March 21st, 2023 by Park Row

Spiriualism is in vogue in the 1870s. There are mediums in abundance, but that may not continue. Lately mediums are being murdered. The renowned spiritualist Vaudeline and her assistance Lenna have been asked to investigate.
This book is intriguing and well written with plenty of gothic atmosphere.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eGalley of this title.

In 1873, Lenna Wickes is grieving the loss of her sister. She is convinced her death is a result of her sister's involvement in spiritualism and study of renown spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Lenna sets out to meet and study with Vaudeline herself to find out what happened to her sister. Then Vaudeline is called to London's secretive gentlemen's club, the London Seance Society to investigate the mysterious death of the society's director. Lenna must set aside her own suspicion of the occult to work with Vaudeline and perhaps save themselves from fraudulent spiritualists. This is an enjoyable story of the obsession of spiritualists during the late 1800s. However, I did not enjoy it as much as the author's previous novel, The Lost Apothecary.

It's the Victorian Era, where in London, séances, spiritualism, and the mystical arts are en vogue. There are secret societies, costly séances, parties, and lectures, but corruption and fraud exist.
It is here, in the mid-19th century, where we meet our characters. Lenna Wilkes has experienced tremendous loss and is determined to find her sister's killer by working with the renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Despite being a skeptic, Lenna works as D'Allaire's pupil, hoping to find her sister's killer. Much is uncovered in the mysterious death of Lenna's sister, including the death of the head of the London Séance Society, but not until more than halfway through the book.
This leads me to the main critique of the story, the pacing. The pacing was relatively slow, with character building and the budding romance between Vaudeline and Lenna being the bulk of the novel's first half. Only some of the character development was even; I would have liked more background or Mr. Morley; after all, he's a main character. Overall, not a bad story. I enjoyed the mystery and ambiance despite the pacing.
I recommend this book to fans of mysteries and Victorian spiritualism.
⭐⭐⭐
Note I received this advanced reader's copy from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
Further note, the arc had a lot of spacing issues and a few grammatical errors.

I enjoyed Penners first book and was thrilled to have an opportunity to read this one early. Sadly it’s a DNF for me. Don’t feel like it’s what the blurb promised and did not care for sapphic storyline. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

19th century London, seances, death and incredibly strong women. Sarah Penner has enchanted us with another historical fiction with a mystery! I love the different point of views and the strong voices of women.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Reviews will be posted to public sites on publication day.

The London Seance Society is an excellent historical fiction that is filled with mystery and suspense. 19th Century London where it was not uncommon for families to hold a seance after someone has died. A way for the family to find out why or how they died.
I was captivated from the start and engrossed in the story.
A story of love, murder, heartache, ghosts, intrigue, illusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.