This book was ok. I had high hopes but I felt like it fell a bit flat. It is a beautiful cover. I didn’t relate to the main character. I felt the book was missing the mystery

Loved the previous book "The Lost Apothecary". I did find this book a bit slower than the previous one. But it was another interesting storyline for us to read. This book has historical fiction, ghosts, mystery, suspense, murders, and more. I enjoyed reading this but I really like the other one better. Overall good book.

I loved The Lost Apothecary but this one was even better even if ti's a bit slow at times.
I'm fascinated by the world of spiritualism at the end of XIX century and how it was popular amongst the members of the high society.
This is a mix of mystery, paranormal and some romance. Even if the romance works it doesn't add a lot to the plot even if it's a srtarting point for one of the MCs.
The plot kept me in thrall, turning pages and following the two POVs. I found the idea of mystery solving seances original and I liked what I learned.
The last part of the story is a firework and I turned pages very fast. The solution was satisfying and I liked it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I'm disappointed to give The London Seance Society 2 stars, but it just did not hold my interest and I did not finish it.

I really enjoyed Sarah Penner's last novel, The Lost Apothecary (4 stars), which grabbed me from the start and had interesting characters and an intriguing plot.

I look forward to Penner's next novel.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to read it because historical fiction + ghosts + crime? What’s not to love!

The book is set in the Victorian era, when seanses start to become increasingly popular within society through fascination with the occult and supernatural.

The story follows Lenna Wickes who is trying to uncover what happened to her sister Evie, who was found murdered close to home in London. Before she died, Evie was doing a lot of research into séances and the occult, including being mentored the internationally famous medium Vaudeline.

Upon Evie’s death, Lenna goes to Paris to understand her sister’s obsession and also becomes Vaudeline’s student (despite not believing in the supernatural). Lenna does this in hopes of being able to conducting a seance to reach her sister and finally learn who killed Evie.
However a new murder, that of the President of the London Seance Society, brings both Vaudeline and Lenna back to London. As they try to find out what is happening, under the careful gaze of Mr. Morley (who seems to be hiding his portion of secrets), both Vaudeline and Lenna start to unravel the mysterious deaths and the wrongdoings within the Seance Society.

I really grew to love Vaudeline’s character and her passion for séances and Lenna’s unwavering bravery. The mysteries and unexpected turns throughout the book really gripped my attention and I thought it was really well done.

Overall it’s a 4 stars from me and I would love to know more about Vaudeline’s and Lenna’s future 👀

Thank you for the opportunity to read this eARC in exhausting for my completely honest review.

Review in exchange for netgalley e-arc

Sarah Penner is a master at telling stories that are eerie, spooky and atmospheric yet filled with emotion, characters that win your hearts over, and a plot to keep you gripped.

I loved The Lost Apothecary so much and I had high hopes for this book after loving that one so much, but I was not disappointed. The world penner had brought to life was so vivid and beautifully written, I barely had to imagine it as it was there right before my eyes. This book was a bit of a slower burn but I never felt it was dragging or boring; the attention to detail is what gave the plot that depth that’s so needed on a book like this. I found although it was a slower burn, I was still hooked from page one with this eerie story.

When I finished the book I was left quite stunned. What a book! And now it’s over? What do I do now! I want more content! Another stellar read from Sarah Penner. Fantastic. I can’t wait to get my physical copy and read it again.

I really enjoyed this delightful mix of historical thriller and ghostly mystery. My thanks Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Sarah Penner is a new author to me as I haven't read The Lost Apothecary (yet) I found the authors gothic storytelling to be both atmospheric and captivating. I was immediately drawn into the Victorian world and their enthusiasm for the occult and spiritualism.

I felt that the story unfolded at a good pace and there were some twists and reveals which I didn't guess. I enjoyed the alternating POV of Lenna and Mr Morley and found them both to be fantastic characters.

The research and attention to detail was evident as I was fully immersed in 19th century London. I really enjoyed reading the authors notes and recipes at the end of the book too. That was an unexpected treat.

After reading The Lost Apothecary, I was excited to see what Sarah Penner would write next. The London Seance Society takes place in 1873 and is about Lenna who has recently lost her sister. She is training with Vaudeline D’Allaire to become a spiritualist. She is determined to get to the bottom of who killed her sister.
I really loved reading a historical fiction novel about the spirituality movement that was so popular in the 1800s. I was aware of the time period, but I hadn't read anything specifically about it. Plus bonus points for the LGBT rep with Vaudeline and Lenna's relationship.

Happy release week! Finished this in a day and couldn’t bring myself to put it down. In The London Séance Society, Sarah Penner brings together a mystery, murders, and plenty of twists along the way with dual POV. While some of details were revealed early on, the ending still had some surprises I didn’t see coming.
Thank you to Legend Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

I appreciate the unique characters and storylines that Sarah Penner crafts. It is refreshing to be transported to a time and place that’s part mystery, fantasty and historical fiction.

Personally, I had a hard time connecting with The London Séance Society, until I was about two-thirds of the way through the book. I’m glad that I didn’t give up on this because it did deliver some unexpected turns, but failed to grip me the way that I hoped.

There is just a lot of set-up involved with Vaudeline, Lenna, her sister Evie, Mr. Morley and the Séance Society business. It is all leading somewhere, but takes quite a bit of character and plot development to get there.

For me, this was more of a 3.5 star rating, I’ve bumped it to 4 because Sarah Penner’s writing is beautiful. She sets a scene in such an immersive way and I love that she infused a bit of a love story in this one as well. So while this wasn’t my favorite, I am looking forward to what she pens next.

Thank you to Net Galley and Legend Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

🕯️Enamored by this “enchanting & entrancing” beauty! 🕯️

Wow, Penner has done it again with her unparalleled story telling. Just as with her debut “The Lost Apothecary”, this novel dives deep into spiritualism & the affairs of a séance society set in old London, during the late Victorian period.

Thanks Netgalley & Legend Press for the ARC!

Synopsis –

Vaudeline D’Allaire a renowned spiritual medium, is well-versed in solving murders by conducting sèances. Lenna her disciple, is desperate to learn this art to communicate with the spirit of her dead sister Evie, who was recently murdered. As the two return to London to solve a high profile murder case, they get involved with some of the men from the highly reputed sèance society – leading them to the secrets, they are desperate to keep hidden.

Review -

The book opens with a dark séance of a murder victim in Paris, conducted Vaudeline, introducing us to this fascinating spiritual pursuit. The description of its process, setup & the various stages were mesmerizing!

As a person with a logical/scientific mindset myself, I could understand Lenna’s dilemma & skepticism towards believing in spirits. I came to admire her dedication & determination to achieve her goals. Vaudeline, was a powerful woman who simply commanded respect & so was Evie – adept, resourceful & shrewd, I was truly amazed & was in awe of her.

Lenna & Vaudeline’s entanglement with the society & its nefarious ways, unveils a completely different face of the society & its inner workings - along with Evie’s role in the recent past. This drowns us in an ‘otherworldly’ realm that involves dirty secrets, extraordinary illusion & chicanery!

The storyline is gripping & taut with tension, intrigue & mystery surrounding the society. It oozes the charm of Victorian London, transporting us to this era. The plot surprised me with gut-punching twists towards the end, that made me gasp with disbelief.

With three strong female lead characters – Lenna, Vaudeline & Evie, Penner takes us on a mystical journey, exploring female relationships, resilience, the strength & power these women wielded during those days.

The author’s note at the end was enlightening, as Penner details her inspiration behind the book. She deserves a huge applause for the diligent research. I especially appreciated how historical facts are woven with brilliant imagination!

Let me tell you, if you don’t believe in ghosts & spirits, by the end of this you will!😆👻

I loved Sara Penner's first book, The Lost Apothecary. When I saw that her newest book, The London Seance Society, was available on Net Galley, I jumped for it. The seductive cover and the book's description grabbed me. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed. It is obvious that Sara Penner researched her subject. However, the pacing of this mystery is slow, and not much happens for the first 2/3 of the book. The final 1/3, including the big reveal, seemed silly to me. The female love relationship caught me by surprise and did nothing to enhance the story. Sara Penner has a great imagination. I look forward to her next book.

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I don't typically go out of my way to read historical fiction, but when I do it is probably because Sarah Penner has written a new novel. After reading The Lost Apothecary last summer she is an auto-buy author for me.

This novel features female empowerment, sapphic characters, and dual POVs.

Lenna is an intelligent geologist with strong beliefs in science, and Vauldeline is a powerful spiritual medium, both women come together and set out to solve murders though old-fashioned detective work and Vauldeline's occult abilities.

It is a man's world of feminist constraint in the Victorian Era of London, but as the novel concludes: "may mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy if a vengeful medium".

I loved the Lost Apothecary so I knew I would love this as well! It was hard to put this down. I loved it and the spooky vibes I got from this book! Highly recommend this!

Obsessed with this author.

Strong female characters, strong storytelling and just a page turner.

I am a fan of Sarah’s work, so I was very much looking forward to reading this, and she doesn’t disappoint- I think I may like it more than The Lost Apothecary….

In short, we have two strong female characters, searching for the truth amongst the dodgy dealings in the Seance Society….

The story really gripped me, and I really was taken by surprise a good few times, the characters are fabulous and the story is brilliant!

My thanks to Netgalley and Legend Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The London Séance Society is part historical fiction, mystery and magical realism.

Leena Wickes is searching for truths around her younger sister, Evie's death. She was killed on All Hollows, and her death has left the family with more questions than answers. Leena knows Evie was mixed-up in the world of the supernatural so she travels to Paris with hopes of learning about the occult directly from Vaudeline D'Allaire.

D'Allaire is a world-renown medium known for summoning the spirits of murder victims to identity their killers. She's currently hiding in Paris after the high profile murder of Mr. Volckman, president of the London Séance Society.

Soon she's summoned back to London by Mr. Morley, vice-president of the Department of Spiritualism at the Society, to perform a seance at the location of Volchman's murder who also happened to die on All Hollows Eve. The London Séance Society, a histfic story set in 1873, is dark and ominous as we learn why two people were murdered on the same day.

Thank you Legend Press for the complimentary copy.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner
I give this book 4.stars

When Vaudeline a spiritualist is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

An atmospheric read set in the Victorian era involving murder,spiritualism and a gentlemen’s club. Told from Lena and Mr Morley’s pov this is a whodunnit filled with vengeance and the power of love. l loved the strong female characters portrayed,the details of this era and the paranormal aspect …. what is real and what is an illusion. As a bonus the author has included interesting facts on funeral customs and recipes of funeral food and drink at the end of the book.With thanks to Netgalley,Sarah Penner and Legend Press for my chance to read and review this book

We meet Lenna Wilkes in Paris, 1873, in the midst of a séance in which she is acting as an apprentice to the renowned spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire. Lenna is by nature a sceptic, but the murder of her sister Evie, who was herself training to become a medium, has led her to explore every possible avenue of finding out the truth behind her sister’s death.

The police have all but given up on finding Evie’s killer, but when Vaudeline is called to the UK to aid in solving the murder of the head of the London Séance Society – a murder which happened on the same night as Evie’s – Lenna accompanies her and finds herself drawn ever further into the murky world of mediumship in Victorian London.

This is a great read, with fascinating details about Victorian London and the art of séances thrown in amid some interesting characters. The relationships between the characters are great, and the plot is nicely paced and twisty. The author takes a firm line on whether the spirits and séances are real or not, and I think I would have preferred that to be more open to interpretation, but I still enjoyed the story.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book

seances, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night...then this is the book for you

summoned back to london acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire and her student lenna wicks are about to undertake a case that will bring them into danger and may even cost them their lives...

lenna is a sceptical student and has yet to see a ghost but this adventure she is about to undertake may find all that she believes may be tested to the limit

a slow burner and at times i felt frustrated with lenna but the end result was worth the weight in gold....hope there are more stories like this to come from the author