Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley of this novel.

What a cracking good mystery/romance this book is. I've read several books by Lauren Willig in the past so I was excited to see what she had done with this historical story of an old-money society family in New York during the 1890's. The story takes place along two lines, beginning in London in 1894 as well as in New York state in 1899. Baynard Van Duyvil has arrived in London during his Grand Tour of Europe and meets a woman with a mystery in her past. Bay's sister Janie leads the story in 1899 when the consequences of that fateful London trip have to be dealt with.

Usually I prefer that my mystery novels not involve romantic entanglements because I feel they don't add anything to the story of the crimes to be solved. In the case of this book that feeling does not hold true. Without the romance portions this story wouldn't have any purpose. Lauren Willig kept me in suspense throughout the whole novel and I readily admit to having no idea who committed the murder(s?). The characters are finely written and believable. The city and state of New York at the end of a century are very well portrayed and play important parts in the novel. I have to say I very much enjoyed reading this novel with such strong and believable female characters.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Love all Lauren Willig's books. This one will really get your attention and your imagination going. Its timeless, a classic, and enthralling. Family secrets, ghosts, and so much drama, ghoulish characters, and surprises. Loved it!

Read the pink carnation series and loved it. This is a stand alone and it’s great. A fictional historical novel with mystery and some romance. Very interesting some what gothic but not overly. Good read.

I first fell in love with Lauren Willig with her Pink Carnation series but I never ventured into her other stand alone books because I simply liked her where she belonged—in the Pink Carnation series.

Her Pink Carnation series was so fantastic and I didn’t want to spoil it with a stand alone book that was subpar, so I avoided anything by her that wasn’t the Pink Carnation series.

That was until this stunning cover screamed READ ME! Just looking at this book promised something fantastic, especially for fall. I needed this book more than I knew and I was reminded exactly why I love Lauren Willig and why I need to get back to the Pink Carnation series!

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria.


Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad.

Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips? (summary from Goodreads).

Admittedly, the prologue started off a little blah, until the last paragraph. I put it down and tried to go read something else but I kept going back to this book. That final paragraph of the prologue hooked me and I just needed to read the book already. So I abandoned the book I was going to read, in favor of this one.

I was immediately sucked into a story about the rich and famous, family secrets, the promise of love, and of course murder. This book felt a little like Rebecca or some other gothic romance novel in the vein of Victoria Holt.

There was something decidedly uneasy about the story from the get go. Clearly there were lies and family secrets that were probably best left unsaid and there was a sense of unease as some of the characters weren’t what they seemed….literally.

I loved discovering this book. The character development was outstanding. I loved watching Janie slowly come in to her own and stand up to her mother. I also loved watching how Bay and Annabelle’s marriage changed and evolved. The secondary characters were equally scandalous and intriguing.

This book had so much to recommend itself. Romance, murder, family secrets…..everything that make it the perfect fall read. I found myself reading late into the night and not anticipating all the little twists and turns in the story. I was so hooked by about 30% through and I found annoyed when I had to put it down for something as trivial as sleep!

Willig’s writing is witty, charming, and captivating. I loved this book on so many levels and just reading her words made me remember why I love her novels. I left off on the Pink Carnation series after the 5th book because I felt a little underwhelmed but now that I have read this I am inspired to continue the series and possibly her other stand alone books.

While this book was an easy 5 star for me, it wasn’t without it’s little flaws. Without giving too much away, I found that Annabelle’s plot rather unfinished and a big question mark. The last few chapters just left the audience hanging and I felt a little disappointed in that. I also didn’t like that Giles kind of became this ‘hero’ of sorts when so much had been put into casting him as the villain.

As I said, this was the perfect fall read for me. Even though it’s not coming out until January 2018, you need to go pre order this book. You won’t be sorry! It was captivating and alluring, calling my name from my nightstand all hours of the day and night. Pre order it now….you’re welcome!



Book: The English Wife by Lauren Willig

Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Expected publication: January 9th 2018 by St. Martin’s Press
ASIN B072TY6MS6
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

Genre: Gothic lit, historical fiction, romance, mystery, suspense

Memorable lines/quotes:

Thank you NetGalley for this e-galley. This book was all of my favorite genres rolled into one. It takes a lot for me to want to fight sleep at my age to continue to read until 4-5am and this book did it. I could not put it down. I loved the characters, the writing, everything this book offered. The part that surprised me the most is that I typically cannot stand dual narratives but each character was captivating! While I read the galley, I cannot wait to buy it when it is released. Thank you Lauren Willig for writing such a masterful book!!!

4 stars--I really liked it.

This is a gothic romance in the vein of Rebecca--lots of atmosphere, human cruelty, and family secrets, but no supernatural happenings. It's also quite sad.

It's been a long time since I read a historical novel, and this really brought the Gilded Age to life. Characters were finely drawn (and not static!), and I especially liked doomed Annabelle and clever Janie. The plot kept me reading (and guessing) until the end.

There are lots of allusions to Shakespeare's comedies in this book--ironic since it's a tragedy. I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

One young English lady is on the run from her dysfunctional family & falls in love with a sweet American lawyer who is on the run from his own dysfunctional family. Together they find happiness for a time. But when they are found dead it’s up to his mousy sister to clear the family name.
I enjoyed the twists & turns in this story as told simultaneously by Annabelle & Janie.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from The Great Thoughts

This was an interesting novel. I enjoyed the fact that I got to know the main characters both from a first person and third person perspective. It really helped to round them out and portray them in realistic and relatable manner. The story had some well plotted twists and turns. I look forward to reading future books by Lauren Willig.

Bay and Annabelle’s first ball at their new home comes to a tragic end when he is found with a knife in his heart and she is nowhere to be found. Mrs. Van Duyvil will not let murder, disappearance or scandal tarnish the reputation of the family. Anne is dealing with a divorce from her adulterous husband and the death of her beloved cousin Bay by seeming aloof and showing off that nothing affects her. It’s only his sister Janie who is interested in finding out the truth and decides to team up with the journalist Mr. Burke to get about it.

The story is told in two timelines – one follows Janie’s quest; the other follows Bay in his journey to London a few years ago and his love affair with Georgie. I especially liked their interactions. The mystery surrounding Annabelle, Georgie and Giles and ultimately the murders is very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed not being able to guess true culprit till the very end. My only problem was that I didn’t like most of the characters except Janie and Bay in his stint at London. However, the story was so interesting that the pretentious and conniving characters didn’t stop me from completing or enjoying the book. I hope to read other books by this author as well.

I received an egalley of The English Wife in exchange for my own opinions.

Lauren Willig delivers exactly as she is expected in The English Wife: historical fiction, mystery, a little romance, and intrigue. Like with most of her novels, The English Wife has a dual timeline, but the time periods are much closer together, only six years and less as the progresses. But the back-and-forth is well executed with dates and locations heading each chapter. And the third person omniscient narration provides for fluency between time periods, which is where Willig struggled in some of her other stand-alone novels.

In regards to the intrigue, it is enjoyable, and I must admit that I had a sneaking suspicion about one of the Big Reveals, but didn't anticipate who the killer was. Read for yourself and be surprised!

For reasons previously stated, I will not be reviewing this book! Thank you for the chance to read and review one of your books though. I had a hard time staying focused on the plot. There were tons of moments of endless discussions when they should be hunting for the murderer of the two dead people. I did enjoy the writer's sense of description. She really knows how to bring the reader into the setting and make me feel like I was there. I just didn't understand and got confused a lot during the plot elements. They weren't what I was expecting. I kept wishing for more.

It has been a few years since I read a book by Ms. Willig, but The English Wife reminds me of why I enjoyed her books so much. I love mysteries and historical fiction and this is both with a spot of romance too. The setting is Gilded Age in New York City, but the story starts out in London with Georgie a young actress struggling to get by on her own where she meets a charming American named Bay, short for Bayard. Fast forward a bit and we find Bay married to Annabelle a young English woman struggling to be accepted by New York society, tongues gossiping about her and an affair they claim she's having with the architect building the replica of her childhood home, commissioned by her loving husband, Bay. When Bay ends up dad with a dagger in his chest at the ball to introduce society to their new home, Illyria, Annabelle is nowhere to be found. Bay's sister Janie takes it upon herself to find Bay's killer. I found myself transported to another era of parlors, poverty, betrayal, and secrets. I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

Another solid entry from Lauren Willig. The book is intelligent, well written, twistily plotted, has complex characters, and two separate story/timelines that end up converging. I enjoyed watching Janie grow up and find her way out from under her mother's iron fist. Bay was a wonderful, tortured, sympathetic character. The book was a little more melancholy than I had anticipated, but I should have expected it. Bay is found dead in chapter one, then the reader goes back in time and gets to know and fall in love with him, so it really is doomed from the get-go. Poor Bay!

SPOILER ALERT
I thought the treatment of the Georgie/Annabelle mystery was a little odd. It is hinted at throughout the first several chapters, deliberately leaving the reader to guess (is Georgie really Annabelle?), then all of a sudden, in chapter 11, the mystery disappears and it is plainly announced that Georgie isn't Annabelle. This may not have been the key element to the mystery here, but it was an important one, and I thought the reveal was much too abrupt and could have been done more gracefully. It felt a little like the author had been drawing it out, then decided to just give up and tell her readers.
END OF SPOILER

I was a little confused by the dates. I think there might have been a typo or two? For example, at the beginning of chapter 22, it says "Cold Spring, Jan 1898," but I think it's supposed to be 1899. Chapter 24, which deals with events directly following the events from chapter 22, has "Jan 1899." I read an advanced copy though, so this may be fixed in the final.

Anyway. I enjoyed this latest read from Lauren Willig and look forward to reading her next work. Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The English Wife is a tantalizing, scandalous story; a masterful blend of suspense and historical fiction. I was completely engrossed from the very first page, completely and utterly surprised along the way! The characters in this book were so interesting, so full of life; they could have become caricatures, but instead were fully-fleshed out, complex and multi-layered. My favorite character was Janie, a mousey and demure character at the start who finds her voice through the twists and turns of this story. A gasp-out-loud heart-pounding book! I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

Kind of spooky Gothic Lite. If you are looking for Wilkie Collins or Du Maurier, this isn't going to satisfy, but The English Wife can provide an entertaining few hours and will be appreciated by fans of the author.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from The Great Thoughts Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own. I really wish that I could give this book six stars because it so easily deserves it. I loved it from beginning to end. The characters were believable, the story had a lot of twists and turns and the story was well told.

Wonderful. Fans of the author will be pleased with this most recent work. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Bravo!

Annabelle and Bay have what appears to be a storybook romance, but as the story unfolds the reader learns more about truths about both characters. Did Annabelle kill Bay? Did someone named George kill Bay and Annabelle? The story is slowly revealed with many twists and turns.

Lauren Willig has outdone herself. Set in Gilded Age New York, a young priveleged man and returns from a trip abroad with an English bride. This unlikely couple face an unforgiving society with tragic results. This book will keep you riveted, the plot changes are brilliant.

A great historical novel by Lauren Willig. A bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and a great story overall.