Fans of historical fiction will definitely enjoy this!  I really liked the hints of pride and prejudice too! I must say the cover of this book is so beautiful too. This book wasn't on my radar at first, but I am so glad I got a chance to read it.

"A Dreadful Splendor" is different take on the spiritualist novel. In this case, Myers tells us outright that the main character Genevieve Timmons is a fraud. In the Victorian world, there were relatively few ways for a single woman to survive, and Genevieve is doing what she does as a means to an end-making enough money to leave London and settle somewhere new, Coming into contact with the police is an unfortunate side effect of her occupation, and when she's arrested at a seance for attempting to steal some valuable jewelry from her client, Genevieve (or Jenny) believes she's doomed. A chance meeting with an elderly solicitor for a wealthy family gives her the opportunity for an escape by conducting a seance for the recently deceased Lady Audra in exchange for legal representation. Little does she know that nothing at Somerset Park is as it seems, with dark passages and even darker secrets to be revealed. A thoroughly enjoyable read, and one especially well suited for spooky season!

This was a really fun plot, good mystery, you could really sink your teeth into most of it. I mainly didn't understand why the main character, who comes off as a sly and experienced woman of the world, then suddenly became like a surly, immature teen. I thought it was a disservice to her character and that her age didn't really tally with all the things were meant to have happened to her—also the romantic lead being attracted to, you know, a child was a real turn off. I realize Jane Eyre was nineteen and Mr. Rochester 35 but like, it's 2022 now, we all know that's gross!

A little bit of gothic ambience, a little bit of romance, and a lot of twists and turns come together to create an altogether enjoyable read.  Genevieve, a grifting spiritualist, is plucked from a jail cell and promised legal representation if she will conduct a séance to set the soul of a suicidal (murdered?) young bride to rest.   Of course the crumbling country house features a tortured lord of the manor, a dissolute would-be heir, a disapproving housekeeper, and lots of things that go bump and scream in the night.  A well-crafted "what happened" rather than a "whodunnit," that kept me guessing throughout.  A very enjoyable read.  I look forward to more from this author.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

This was an absolutely delightful spooky, murder mystery.  It’s set in one of my favorite settings, a gothic Victorian manor.  There’s ghosts, seances, romance, and of course murder.  If you are a fan of the game Clue you will love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. OOOH I really enjoyed this book. Genevieve Timmons is a con-spiritualist who is trying to break free from the con life and start fresh somewhere. This works, until she's caught, arrested, and likely facing a hanging. A chance encounter leads to her a lucrative job opportunity that sounds simple...on the surface. Hold a séance that is persuasive enough to ease the broken heart of Mr. Pemberton, and he will win her freedom in court. This sounds easy, but expecting a heartsick, lost lover is not who she encounters. Instead, Mr. Pemberton is seemingly rough around the edges and certain that his fiancée was murdered. He insists that Genevieve will help him solve the murder...or else. 
Myers crafts a *delightfully* Gothic murder mystery brimming with bumps in the night, chills, mysteries, twists and turns, and a well-done plot twist towards the end that had me devouring the pages to finish. I hope Myers writes many more like this!

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Dreadful Splendor in exchange for an honest review. ~

Right out of the gate, love the atmosphere of this book, the author really reinforces the setting with the tone, word choice, characters’ clothing, locations, everything. Then, once we really are into the meat of the mystery, that entire atmosphere gets a creepy, unsettling feeling as the lines between real and paranormal start to blur. It’s infectious and well done. I can certainly see why this is blurbed as a gothic murder mystery.

I really enjoy Genevieve, from our initial introduction to her as a reluctant, fake spiritualist to the secrets we slowly uncover about her. She’s a gray main character you still route for. Once we finally learn of her background, oof, the emotion was definitely there and further reinforced by Genevieve’s predicament at the time.

As for the mystery, well, it started to pick up, but the pacing is still very slow overall. Once we finally start getting “answers,” I, unfortunately, was not surprised once. There was a single reveal that took me off guard, but it didn't play as big a role as I thought it would in the story. The seance, though, that whole scene and reveal did make my jaw drop, but I must admit, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. The twist was shocking, that’s for sure, but I can’t decide if it made sense, nor if it was handled well. There was a certain element I did still guess, however, which made the most shocking aspect even harder to swallow as plausible.

The romance is definitely slow-burn, but Gareth’s feelings about Genevieve seem to change really quickly. I like the banter between them, but I still would like more. I also just don’t think he has much depth, in comparison to Genevieve. Perhaps because we are seeing only from her perspective? In the end, they were cute, but really not the focus. I was gonna be mad salty if we didn’t see them kiss though.

Pacing, overall, is very slow. You push through a lot of character-building and background in the beginning of the book, but I did enjoy that. By the middle, you start getting into the juicer bits, but still, slow-moving until the final climax. The stakes were definitely there at the end and I’ll admit, I started turning pages faster.

I loved the vibe of this book. Gave Jane Austen meets Edgar Allen Poe. The characters were maddening in the most enjoyable way and the atmosphere was immersive.

I really enjoyed the journey and romance of Genevieve and Mr. Pemberton. I am a sucker for the grumpy/grumpy trope and they nailed this perfectly. The exploration of grief in this was also surprising but added a depth that made this gothic tale relatable.

This book has been on my radar for months and I was so excited to start reading it. I planned to read it when I had COVID but I couldn’t focus on anything and I ended up setting it aside and then I sort of forgot about it. Then when I was on my way to Cabo I thought this would be a great book to read on the plane so I picked it up on my way to the airport and was so glad I had it in my bag! I was hooked from the very beginning!

I love gothic tales and ghost stories and this book promised both as well as a little romance. Check, check and check! B. R. Myers is a new to my author but I saw she had written a few other YA books that have received some acclaim for and this book appeared to be her first more adult foray. She tends to write more spooky books from what I could tell when I was researching her and I love spooky reads!

This would probably have been a really good book to read during October, when it’s starting to turn colder and the storms are coming more often but it was still a great read sitting on a beach in Mexico in the 100+ degree weather. I found that it was spooky without being terrifying and I loved all the gothic elements and I certainly hope that Myers continues to write more and more books like this because I would absolutely read them! If you are a fan of gothic lit, you will want this one on your nightstand this fall!

Summary

In this spectacularly imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.

Be careful what you conjure…

In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners–until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The Lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a séance persuasive enough to bring the young Lord peace, she will win her freedom.

Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieve’s skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly–yet exceedingly handsome–gentleman is certain that his fiancée was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks aren’t required after all. She may be a fake, but Somerset’s ghost could be all too real…

A Dreadful Splendor is a wickedly whimsical brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for an irresistibly fun and page-turning read. (summary from Goodreads)

Review

While I loved the atmosphere and general plot of this book, I struggled with a few aspects of the larger narrative. Jenny was a great character that really brought the whole ‘medium’ plot to life. I loved reading about how she created a ‘presence’ and I liked discovering how and why she got into that profession. However, I don’t’ know that I needed her back story. Without giving much away, at the end of the main plot, we have a couple of chapters about her family and her mom. For me this didn’t really add or impact the larger story. Personally I found it distracting and her character and the story would have stood alone just fine without diving into her history. I would have liked to have just focused on the main story and characters rather than exploring much of the backstory with her mother and the mother’s family.

I also felt like the romance part of this book could easily have been discarded. The chemistry between Jenny and Mr Pemberton was lukewarm at best. I didn’t feel like they had much of a connection beyond employer and employee. Personally I would have liked to have seen less of Jenny’s backstory and more time spent developing the romance parts or just leave it out all together. The story itself was strong enough on its own to be interesting and entertaining for readers. All criticism aside, this was still an excellent book. I loved the plot twists and turns and was surprised to see how things turned out in the end. I loved exploring the family history and secrets as well as the forbidden romance etc. The paranormal elements were fun and enough to give me some spine tingles!

I was going to give it a 5 star rating but the last couple of chapters about Jenny’s life just left me feeling a little blah about that part so I went with a 4 star rating. The ghost story and investigation into what happened to the late mistress of the house was well written, spooky, and interesting. I loved the alternating parts of the main story and the past diary. It really kept things moving along and interesting. Overall I am excited for more books similar to this from Myers and I think historical fiction fans as well as fans of spooky gothic lit will love this one. I would certainly recommend it to my readers!

Book Info and Rating

Paperback, 416 pages

Expected publication: August 23rd 2022 by William Morrow & Company (first published July 12th 2022)

ISBN 0063209837 (ISBN13: 9780063209831)

Free review copy provided by publisher, William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: historical fiction, gothic lit

3/5 ✨✨✨

I desperately wanted to love this. Gothic mystery? A fake medoum? Clue adjacent? GHOSTS?  I was so looking forward to seeing how this went down. 

Geneieve Timmons is a thief, a fraud, and a murderer – so the story goes. Arrested and betrayed during her last heist, Jenny has no choice but to take up the offer of one Mr. Lockhart, who says he will represent her in court if she can fake her way into consoling his Lord's broken heart. She agrees, of course, only to realize too late that she has been dragged into a mystery that might just be her end as well. 

Before anything, I want to say that this has all the makings of a fun, cozy mystery. Definitely would recommend this as a beachy read or just something to take down by the fire and fly through in your spare time. It was certainly spooky, and had some very well done tense moments that drew on the creepy atmosphere.  

I love me a spunky, smart-mouthed heroine any day of the week. Geneieve on her own was interesting and I wanted to get to know her story. Unfortunately, the second she lands in Somerset, we lose her in the late Audra's shadow. 

She also mentioned, every single time she saw the love interest, that he was handsome. We know girl, we know. It's okay. 

This book crammed like, four major plot points into the first 12%. I have to admit the Lockhart-Jenny-Pemberton situation gave me whiplash and that wasn't the last time. The pacing, in general, was distracting and it made everything else around it difficult for me to latch on to. 

This wasn't my favorite but I think a lot of people who enjoy light, twisty mysteries will rave about this one. 

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have been on a haunted house lit kick lately and this very satisfyingly scratched that itch.

In Victorian England, Genevieve, a jailed fake spiritualist facing the gallows, is unexpectedly bonded out of jail by the solicitor of a wealthy widower. The solicitor offers simple terms for their deal: Genevieve will conduct a convincing fake séance to help the widower find some closure following his wife's apparent suicide, and in return, the solicitor will represent her in court and ensure she gets a fair trial. 

The widower is not what Genevieve expected -- instead of inconsolable grief, he is overcome by a grim determination to find justice for the wife he had barely met or even known, convinced that she didn't commit suicide -- she was murdered.

It seems malevolent forces within the house, specters of evil left behind by generations of his late wife's family, don't want Genevieve to discover their secrets. And this may just be her first séance where something makes itself known.

I love a protagonist who encounters creeping horror and unease and plows ahead anyway, and the twist at the end made this a difficult book to set down. 

Highly recommended for fans of the genre, and for those new to it.

This is a fascinating book about seances and a pretty good mystery. I wish there could be sequels but I am not sure how that would work.

Not what I expected.  I was hoping for a ghost story and what I got was a really long, mystery full of characters I found very nearly unlikable.

Deceiving, Wicked, and Consumable
Man, have investigative murder mysteries been killing it this year! This is a genre I recently came into and have been obsessed with. So far, I've only had one let down but this book was not it. 

Parlor tricks disguised as seances. That is what our main character has been taught since birth and that is what she does to earn her keep. It is her occupation. Although, her mother had taught her it was to console the grieving, not to make out like a bandit. After a seance gone wrong, Genevieve Timmons is arrested for her crimes, yes plural - she is also the prime suspect in a recent death. Jailed and betrayed, her only way out is an agreement made to a stranger offering to be her lawyer, at a price. She must pull off the greatest scheme of her life and console a Lord from a far off estate after his fiance has died. 

Do we not love a morally grey MC? Genevieve is cunning and witty. She has ghosts that trail her conscience and a death sentence awaiting her if she doesn't continue her lies and schemes one last time. I thoroughly enjoyed her. She is far from perfect making it enjoyable to see her struggle with each decision she makes. Even better to see her bloom throughout the book not only for the sake of others but mainly herself. Often times the morally grey characters do that which is deemed "villainous" because of the traumas of their past. They have been sidelined their entire life, making decisions for a mentor or a survival method. Getting to see the progression of character makes it more realistic. It's easier to connect with those character types quicker. 

Throughout the book we (as in the reader and our MC) are constantly questioning every stranger in the estate- their words, actions, and intentions. We are questioning if ghosts really do exist. Is the estate haunted? Best yet! We get multiple POVS. I honestly am not the biggest fan of traditional POV's. I am, however, a fan of the multiple point of views that are one part current affairs and other part journal entry. Every other chapter is Genevieve, then our deceased bride-to-be through journal entry. Chapter by chapter, we get to piece together what happened the night she died. Chapter by chapter we uncover the dark secrets that have haunted the estate for multiple generations. 

Oh, but the romance is wonderful too. You know how there is fantasy and there is romance fantasy? Well, there are gothic mysteries and then there are romantic gothic mysteries. And yes, they are just as good! Imagine the angst of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett or even the Bridgerton series and then give them both a ghostly mystery setting. Delicious. Consumable. 

I did. I devoured it.  It was quick to set. Easy to turn pages. I wanted to figure out the mystery of it all. There was quite a bit going on this book that kept you interested but not overwhelmed. It all revolves around the past- Genevieve and all who have worked and lived on the estate. There is even "prophecy" wound into the pages that gives us a deadly time line. It all just gets so good the more you get into it. It's one giant puzzle with a high stakes pace.  Each character was fantastic and thoroughly served their purpose. The setting of the estate was a perfect dose of creepy. There are half truths that keep it grim. I highly suggest this to anyone who loves a good gothic setting and a mystery to solve. I'm not sure if its just me, my interests changing a bit, or if we are seeing the rise of the Gothic Mystery. I can be sure that they are definitely worthy of it. If I'm right and this genre is about to take off, be sure you get ahead with this one. It sets the pace and you don't want to miss out on it!
4/5 stars

This was a well written mystery! I guessed part of who the culprit was, but wasn't totally right about the whole thing. Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

A Dreadful Splendor is a delightfully gothic and pulpy historical mystery. Genevieve is a young spiritualist who is coerced into performing a séance. The man who engages her services has promised to represent her in court (because, oh yeah, she's also wanted for quite a few crimes), but he has requested a specific outcome of the séance. He would like Genevieve to indicate that the dead lady of the manor is at peace.

After her arrival, she is soon approached by the lord of the manor, who also has an interest in a specific outcome of the séance - but he doesn't want a message of peace in the afterlife. Rather, he is convinced that the dead woman was the victim of foul play, and he is hoping that the séance can help identify the killer. Genevieve has to figure out the mystery of who killed the lady so that she can figure out how to satisfy both men's demands and get out of the manor alive. In the meantime, she's experiencing all sorts of otherworldly activities that she has NOT been directing. 

The mystery has plenty of clues and red herrings that make the book fun to read, while the Victorian setting and spiritualist background add a bit of a Sherlockian flavor. There's also an understated romance - but can Genevieve trust her newfound flame? If you like Deanna Rayburn's or Sherry Thomas's Victorian mysteries, this is definitely one you'll want to check out.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

i enjoyed it, though it felt slow at times since i didn’t really care for the characters but the twists were interesting.
*Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow Publishing for providing a copy of the book*

A Dreadful Splendor had a lot of potential but ended up falling short for me. I loved the idea of following a troubled spiritualist who knows her work is fake but ends up having to confront the idea that spirts may actually be real. I liked the main character and the mystery of who was behind the bizarre happenings. The storyline and the setting certainly followed the Gothic mystery vibe but I found myself often bored with how stretched out some of the events were. The twist at the end was a bit predictable and disappointing and I also didn't like how cheesy it ended up with the romance. Overall this was a good mystery but if you're looking for more of a Gothic read with spooks and specters you might find yourself a but disappointed.

I definitely had a feel for where this story was going and how it was going to get there, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. If anything, I had more anticipation to discover if I was correct. Definitely couldn’t put this one down!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.