This was an interesting, well written second part of what I'm guessing is a trilogy. Certainly this book reads as a follow up although sadly I have not read the previous story. It catches up with a medium called Eve who is part of a Unit working for the Police but as this is a period piece you can imagine the constraints levelled at the women. As this book begins Eve is desperate to find her ghostly best friend who has gone missing. Still struggling with the aftermath of recent exploits and kidnapping Eve and her fellow mediums are horrified when the ghosts of children start crying out for help but trust me dear reader the horror is far worse than you can imagine.
Sadly as I hadn't seen the first book it took me a while to immerse myself in this but I did thoroughly enjoy the idea of these amazing women working for the Police. It does actually feel really well researched and of its time so to speak so I commend the author for her diligence. Alas it is slow to start in many ways and it wasn't until the last third that things really started to get exciting. I liked the characters although they were numerous and there's the beginning of a romance here although slow burn is actually overstating it ! There is a resolution of sorts but it ends in a way that means the author definitely has more to tell .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from NetGalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

FOCUS ON A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber

Hieber, Leanna Renee. A Sanctuary of Spirits: A Spectral City Novel. Kensington Rebel Base Books. New York, NY. 2019. [eISBN 9781635730593]

In the late 19th century, Evelyn H. Whitby guides a team of talented agents including Cora Dupris, Antonia Morelli and Jenny Friel who make up New York Police Department’s Ghost Precinct. The division flies under the radar – each member contributing her own unique sixth sense to the team effort -- to solve crimes in tandem with a host of nonphysical operatives. Whitby also liaises with the caring yet cautious Detective Jacob Horowitz with whom a budding flirtation could bloom, if given half a chance.

But disturbing events concerning missing beings from both realms – the living and the dead – weigh heavily on Eve and her team. When the spirit world persistently pleads with the Ghost Precinct to take urgent action against the living’s violations of the dead, Eve is at her wit’s end for clues. Dare she travel to Sleepy Hollow to the forbidden place “made for the dead by the dead” (p. 24) – the Sanctuary – to ask for direction? What will be the consequences if she crosses through the veil? What will they be if she doesn’t?

This thrilling, theatrical gaslight fantasy has great sensory appeal and is jam-packed with action, amusement and turns of events that will surely satisfy your own sixth sense!


The Spectral City series:

The Spectral City
A Sanctuary of Spirits

#ASanctuaryOfSpirits #NetGalley

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Peggy McGibney is a performance enhancement consultant, professional and personal development coach, and published author of numerous articles about healthcare, education, and business. She also served as chair and member of Writers’ Bloc. This organization provided information about writers and writing in the Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties in Florida, and sponsored lectures and workshops. PM has a master’s degree in educational psychology and in systemic studies with expertise in cognitive, behavioral, systemic, and linguistic fields and was a previous faculty member in health sciences, communications, and faculty development disciplines. She is a NetGalley member and professional reader. Her interviews and reviews may be found at Peggy McGibney Authors and Books on Facebook.

PLEASE NOTE: This review, along with the accompanying slide show, was also posted on Facebook; please see link below.

I am a huge fan on Leanna's Strangely Beautiful series and couldn't wait to read her new novel. I was not disappointed. What I love most about Leanne's writing is her sense of place. Read her novels makes we feel like I am there, right along with her characters. Very little imagination is needed on my part to "see" the locations. Her heroines are an amazing combination of strong an vulnerable. Fearless but cautious. If Anita Shreve were to start writing Gothic novels she would meet her match with Leanne Renee Hieber.

I loved this entry into the series. I love the combination of mystery and the paranormal, and the women who investigate the incidents. The NYPD’s Ghost Precinct, an all-female team of psychics and spiritualists, take on the cases that no one else seems to touch. They speak for the women and children of the city who the police force ignores. The introduction of the Ghost Sanctuary was interesting. The gruesome end result of the murder case was terrifying but made sense.

I enjoy reading about Eve, her ghost unit, and her blooming relationship with Detective Horowitz and can't wait to read more.

This is the second book in the paranormal fantasy series Spectral City. I have not read the first book in the series and will not be doing so. The main character is Evelyn Whitby (Eve), supervisor of The Ghost Precinct of New York City in 1899. Eve is a medium who sees and talks to ghosts and, with her staff and one male detective from the police force, handles crimes of a supernatural nature. Eve and her friend Maggie, who is now a ghost, are trying to solve the mystery of why so many ghost children are unsettled and unhappy. There is a very slow moving romance building between Eve and David Horowitz, the detective assigned to The Ghost Precinct.

I didn't especially enjoy reading this book even though the combination of genres was of interest and I think the author writes well. The book is structured so that the first book flows immediately into the second and there is an inordinate amount of time spent in bring the plot forward. As far into the novel as 40% I was still finding characters from the previous portion of the story introduced into this second book. The actual story in the second book took a long time to begin and I was not quite sure whether it had started or if there was just going to be more rehashing of what had gone before. I found that I was impatient and frustrated by that treatment and positively irritated when I found that, despite me struggling to keep reading, the story doesn't have a resolution. This book has a cliffhanger ending that will obviously flow directly into the third book in the series. I am not someone who likes novels structured in this way so I will not be reading more of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books - Rebel Base Books for an e-galley of this novel.

I did not realise this was the second book in a series but I loved this gothic tale so much I’m going to track down the first book. This was a paranormal mystery with MC Eve working with a division of psychics and a mundane detective and love interest bringing up the rear. The setting was perfect and the romance was very sweet. Highly recommend.

Another wonderfully written book from Leanna Renne Hieber.

A Sanctuary of Spirits picks up where the first book ended. Eve Whitby still heads the Ghost Precint, works with her mediums, Cora, Antonia and Jenny. They are investigating a mortician’s disappearance and while doing so Eve discovers the Ghost Sanctuary. That place and the ghost within offer her answers and clues that help her and her team. Eve also meets a mesmerist unlike any she’s ever met.

I love this story, every character, the story, the writing style, all of it. The romance part is really the icing on the cake.

This book is highly recommended.

I received a copy from NetGalley and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

Leanna Renee Hieber is my go-to for beautiful, contemporary takes on gothic fiction. I jumped into this book without having read the 1st, and I immediately grasped the world and the characters. The concept is fantastic: in 1890s New York, gifted medium Eve Whitby leads NYPD's first Ghost Precinct. With the help of other skilled women with various psychic and spiritualist abilities--and a cadre of the dead--Eve hunts down clues behind a mortician's disappearance and the reasons for the persistent presence of a disturbing mob of ghostly children. Along the while, she's assisted by the mundane Detective Horowitz, and the romance that blossoms between them is charming and based on mutual respect for their abilities and cultures--which is the hottest sort of romance, in my opinion!

I love the balance that Hieber struck in this book. It is very much in the gothic mode. You can tell the author KNOWS New York City. The book does get quite dark at times--trigger warning for those who cannot read about bad things happening to children--but the romance with Horowitz and the wonderful friendships between the women do a lot to lighten the plot. (Just as those kinds of positive relationships do in life, really.) I loved the guest appearance by Theodore Roosevelt as well; I wrote him into my own books, and he's such a fascinating man.

This book comes out on October 15th. This series would make for the perfect Halloween read!

The book blends fantasy and supernatural element in a beautiful concoction and then a pinch of mystery is added to it. The book revolves around Eva who is a medium pretinct and can communicate between ghosts and humans, you know, like send the message across. While looking for Ingrid, she reconnects with her old ghost friend Maggie on the edge of death and finds out about this ghost sanctuary where ghosts are connecting. Eva and the detective try to connect dots here with the help of ghosts.

Personally, I really liked the idea of the book but it wasn't a smooth read for me. I was struggling to stay in and not just DNF the book. I liked the characters and the fantasy, but the writing didn't really absorb into the story. I hope the writing is more interesting in the author's next work.

The premise of this book was promising and at first it took some time to get into it. But as it progressed, I was quickly caught up with the story and the characters. A unique book with blending of paranormal and mystery and a hint of romance, I am looking forward to reading more from this author. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I hadn’t heard of the author before, I was really pleasantly surprised. The story was very original and. I loved all of the characters ,even the evil ones 😄.
I will be searching out more of her work.

I didn't see that you his was the second in the series and as soon as I finish this review, I'm definitely reading the first book!

Eve is a medium who heads up NYPD's Ghost Precinct close to the turn of the century with the help of her fellow precinct members who are also women, the ghost Maggie, and the wonder Detective Jacob Horowitz.

I had previously read Leanna's Strangely Beautiful series so I was hopeful I was going to like this as well and I absolutely loved it! Eve is a great character and it had two of my favorite things - well written relationships both friends, family and potentially romantic AND a unique, creative plot. Highly recommended for fans of historical mysteries with supernatural/fantasy elements!

On the gas lit streets of Victorian New York, the NYPD’s Ghost precinct,a group of female spiritualists and physics have uncovered the existence of the Ghost Sanctuary, a place where the dead can give information to the living. The group of mediums, led by Eve Whitby are looking into the disappearance of an undertaker when she meets a magician and mesmerist whose gifts are as impressive as they are frightening. Is he an ally or a dangerous enemy? I love this unique and quirky mystery that features a strong and feisty Victorian heroine