Cover Image: The Gray Chamber

The Gray Chamber

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Far too often in our English history we have seen women have no wealth on their own, it goes to a spouse, brother, uncle, distant cousin and they become under their care until they marry. This story is no different. Set in the late 1800's Edyths entire fortune is under her uncles care until her 25th birthday, then it becomes her own. She isn't concerned with the traditional courting scene or marrying because she knows she will be independently wealthy soon. However she wasn't counting on her uncle trying to keep her fortune, but he is. After committing Edyth to an insane asylum for which people don't come back, Edyth struggles to find a way out. Inside she finds comfort from another who claims to be undercover for a news article. Is this woman who she says she is, after all they are in a mental facility? Can she help Edyth? Will Edyth overcome her circumstance and gain back what is rightfully hers?

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It would be impossible to describe this book in one word. It was intriguing, suspenseful, heart-wrenching, and absolutely amazing. I could not put this book down. Edyth Foster is wrongfully placed in a mental institution by her uncle, who is just after Edyth’s fortune, and does not care about what happens to his niece. Raoul Banebridge is the love interest doing everything and anything he can to save Edyth from the wretched place. Edyth is sweet, kind, and a little eccentric but not clinically insane. She does what she wants, not caring about what society thinks.

I found this book interesting, especially since I had no idea that such an asylum existed, let alone the outrageous reasons why women were admitted and the cruelty of their treatment. It’s quite sad, especially since mental illness is such a delicate thing. People who actually suffer from mental illness should be treated with care and the intention for them to get better, not worse.

My favorite character was Poppy. Although she was just a side character, she was sweet and her story itself was moving. She was a woman that Edyth befriended at the mental asylum, who claimed she saw her dead father and would often talk to him. She was such a dear character, and one who I sympathized.
Overall, this book was amazing and thrilling. I would highly recommend it.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

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I could not get interested in this book. The description sounded interesting but I found I didn't care for the characters. This was a dnf for me.

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A fun read. A sweet romance. I loved the historical details about fencing and about the asylum. Very interesting topics to read up on.

I did connect well with Edyth's character, since part of society probably though of her as a bit eccentric. Hey, I'm a bit eccentric myself. Unluckily for Edyth, her uncle is trying to get her committed to a madhouse though...

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The Gray Chamber, another in the “Historical Stories of American Crime” series was another great read. I love reading about history and I love reading about it in fictitious stories. This one fascinated me with the subject matter and it didn’t disappoint. The characters really drew me in and I couldn't wait to keep turning the pages. I read this quickly because I couldn't wait to see how it all fit together. Great book and I’m so glad I’ve been reading the whole series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

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The Gray Chamber is part of the True Colors series. They are historical fiction based on events that are not well know or forgotten, all crimes. In this book, Grace Hitchcock highlights how men were able to get female family members committed to asylums for their own reasons, not because the women had mental health issues. Edyth Foster's parents died when she was young and she was raised by her bachelor uncle. She is an heiress and will come into her fortune in a few months when she turns 25. Her uncle has recently married and little does Edyth know, but he has resented her all the years he has to take care of her. He and his wife concoct a plan to have her committed to Blackwell Island Asylum. With a clause in her father's will that if she goes insane, her uncle will inherit everything. While in the asylum, she meets Nellie Brown (aka Nellie Bly) who also seems to be as sane as she is.

I really liked this story. I had heard about the practice over the years and have read other stories where this happened to women. Men whose wives didn't produce a male heir, or who suffered from post partum depression. Some just wanted to marry someone else, so had them committed, such a sad time for women. This story was well written and did have a romance story tied in as well. Edyth had been in love with a friend for years and just before she disappears, he realizes that he cares for her as more than just a friend. Can they mount a rescue before her uncle takes possession of everything that she owns. I liked the various characters, except for the villains of course, but would have liked to have more background on them. The Nellie Bly angle was interesting and I do want to see if I can find the book Ten Days in a Madhouse that she wrote that began reforms. There is a bit of a Christian undertone to this story, where Edyth prays for strength and support, but it does not overpower the story. I recommend this one to those who enjoy historical fiction based on crimes committed over the years.

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I had been looking forward to this book, and I'm not at all disappointed. I love this author's voice, and the research shines through in her work. The story is completely captivating. I'm fascinated by the basis of true crimes. Not having fear is a strong theme, one we often need reminding of daily. Edyth's locked in the insane asylum. Nelly Bly, she's stuck there because she went in undercover and can't get out. Or can she? Or does she just think she is a journalist? I have seen the undercover reporter trapped in horrible situations as a plot more than once, but this one is my favorite! It will pull you through highs and lows, show you darkness and the light of redemption. This book fits so very many categories, it is a magnificent read. This author is about to be one of the few ones who made the "cut" to be on my physical bookshelves.

Thank you, Celebrate Lit, for my copy of this book. This review is mine, left of my own volition, containing my thoughts and opinions of this book.

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Intriguing cover art. Very well written. Captivating characters. Mysterious. Suspenseful. Multi layered. Five stars.

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In The Gray Chamber, Grace Hitchcock gives us a window into a nineteenth century women's asylum.

I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the story and loved the writing style.

I did battle, however with the characters. I felt that the heroine had a somewhat anachronistic outlook (and don't even get me started on the corset issue), and I couldn't understand the hero's motivation a most of the time.

That said, it was still an enjoyable and interesting read, and I'll definitely be back for more from this author.

I'd recommend it to fans of historical fiction with modern characters, and fans of historical suspense.

(I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)

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I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ms. Hitchcock's The Gray Chamber is another installment of the True Colors series of books. The series is incredibly well written and excellently researched. The Gray Chamber in it's depiction of it's main character Edyth being committed to an insane asylum by her uncle so he gains control of her fortune. As events develop, it is a race against time to prove her sanity.

Highly recommended reading. 5 out of 5 stars.

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Liked it but not sure if other people interested in these genres would enjoy it. But still, you can give it a try.

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Part of the True Colors series. Can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. These are stories of American criminal activity played out as historical romantic suspense.

On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.

“With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.”

This is an insane book that really makes you think. You won’t want to miss this one in the True Colors series.

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?

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Possibly the best of all of the True Crime Series (it's a daily toss-up on that), The Gray Chamber offers a realistic look into the seedy side of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century mental institutions and how corrupt they were. Seeing the story of Nellie Bly, reporter, through the eyes of a semi-fictional character is done with honesty, brilliance, and compassion.
I sat on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I'd purchased an ebook copy of the book to read for my podcast, but after reading it, I knew I had to have the paperback for my personal collection. Excellent characterization, no anachronisms that I recall, and spiritual content that tugged at your heart. A five-star read for sure.

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Here you will find the story of Nellie Bly and her exposure of New York's mental asylums, in the 1800's. Although fiction, it is based on fact and will cause you to wonder about the human spirit and the callousness of man. Compelling and frightening, at the same time. You are THERE, in the asylum and the fear of never escaping is real. Not a book that I would read on a dark and gloomy night, where I was alone....I would lose my stuff!!!

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I thought that this story was well done! I enjoyed learned more about Nellie Bly's expose on how the insane asylums' were back in the 1800's.

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Creepy Crawlers!
"THE GRAY CHAMBER" is a keep you turning the page but wanting to ease into the next page at the same time. That this story is based on a true story is sad yet informative. Evil raises its head in a way that make you keep asking "How could people be so cruel and abusive?" Edyth learns that she can't trust anyone especially her uncle. Can she survive the insane asylum or will she really lose her mind?
Hurry and buy the book and you'll find out.
Blessings,
Karen Hadley
Rated: 5*
I received this book as a gift and all opinions are my own.

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This is the second True Colors book I've read and I'll be reading more. I did have to take breaks because this book would make me so mad! Even though I knew it would be "happily every after", the callousness of Edyth's uncle made my blood boil.

I enjoy historical fiction especially about little known parts of history. I can't wait to read more in this series.

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Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Barbour Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It has a very compelling storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat. Edyth's plight as a women viewed as an inconvenience and sent away to an asylum is heart breaking and the twist and turns in the book kept me engaged the whole time. No spoilers but the book is worth the read. :)

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Wowzers! This book gave me the creeps, but in a good way. Grace Hitchcock captures the time and place and you feel like you are trapped in the lunatic asylum with Edyth and the real life character Nellie Bly. Edyth is an engaging character who has eccentric likes for the time period, such as fencing & riding a velocipede. I felt like I was sucked into 1887 and the times for declaring someone, especially women mentally ill were atrocious. You don’t know who is trustworthy and who is shady and self seeking. This book has all the elements of a great read. You will be captivated from the beginning and sitting on the edge of your seat by the end. I highly recommend this, as well as the other books in the True Colors series.
I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit/author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

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what an awesome book! Suspenseful and inciteful into the horrors of throw away people. How horrible this tale was about Edyth! A must read!

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