I am not usually a "thriller" or a "ghost story" type of person. But something about this book made me want to give it a try. I am glad that I decided to dive in and give it a try.
Emiline is a girl in the early 1800's, waiting to be whisked away to a life as a Navy wife by her handsome sailor. Of course, not everything is as it seems, and scandal forces her guardians to make new plans for her, sending her to a dark manor and an older suitor who is looking for a new wife and someone who can give him an heir. But when Emiline arrives, she discovers that the second wife is not as dead as the suitor claimed, and much about the manor and the island are not as they seem.
The story weaves elements of a ghost story, a mystery or two, and a bit of romance. the mystery pulled me in. Not a single character is who they seem to be, and many of their actions and motivations truly surprised me. I also got a bit into the Canadian history and geography of this story - doing some extra research to try and picture the location, or understand the time period a bit better.
As someone who doesn't read a lot of "thriller" type stories, some of the aspects of the story seemed to be a bit slow, or unnecessary, but once everything started to come together, I was truly enthralled and locked myself away just so I could keep reading. Enjoy the mystery of the Third Wife of Faraday House!

Emeline, in love with an unsuitable military man, is shipped off to marry a ship captain. Don't read more before you go in, the surprises are part of the fun.

I picked this up based on the cover and plot and only later saw it was classified as "general fiction / women's fiction / romance". I would have assumed it is gothic horror. This is an excellent example of a really well done gothic. There is even buried treasure and poisons and secret rooms and ghostly music and conversations head through vents and a widow's walk and oooh it's so good.

The most masterful part of this book is the pacing and storytelling. Clues are well placed and it's really a page turner. (Once or twice it drifted into the "thriller" style of ending a chapter on a faux-cliffhanger; this wasn't necessary).

I also enjoyed the Halifax setting. The descriptions of food made me hungry. The characters are distinct and well drawn. I am glad I didn't realize it was supposed to be a romance because watching that storyline develop fairly late in the tale was a pleasure.

I cried 3 times reading this book's most tender moments about family, loss, and hope.

If I could change anything, I would have a little of the spark and wit of Emeline show through in the first third of the book so there is a little more of a through-line.

I genuinely enjoyed this experience of reading this book, and it may even make my top 10 list for the year. I say may because it's only January as I write this but truly - I loved it!

Thank you to William Morris and NetGalley for the early copy.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest feedback. This book is sooo good! I read it all today and couldn’t put it down! The book is full of mystery and suspense and just waiting to find out who did what, and what was causing the events to happen… without giving anything away… I held on to every single word and followed the story. Such a fast and wonderful read with a suspenseful and tense read until the very end. 100% recommend!

This book is not for me. I was drawn in by the cover but I can tell that this book is written in a way that doesn't work for me.

All the wives die young.

The book centers around Emeline, a sheltered young woman. Her guardians aim to marry her off but she is in love with a young lieutenant from her town in Halifax. Following a scandal, she is left with no other choice but to become the third wife to the wealthy, widower Captain Graves. Upon arriving at his estate, she is shocked to learn that his second wife is still alive.

I enjoyed this book; it was a quick, easy-to-read novel. I’m a sucker for a good regency-type novel. The murder mystery involved was a plus. It was suspenseful, haunted, gripping, and thrilling. The only thing I didn’t like was that it felt somewhat rushed. It felt like Emeline’s final pairing didn’t make sense as her romance was briefly introduced and not fully developed. Also, I felt that some of the characters were discarded. I understand that the mystery took precedence over the other characters but it would have been great to have read more about them.

Other than those few complaints, I thought it was a cozy read. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

The Third Wife of Faraday House is a page-turner, I'll give it that, but it badly misunderstands the spirit of the Gothic genre. Additionally, it's a little puzzling why the author chose to set it in 1816 if she didn't want to do the research for the time period. There are a number of very incorrect details.

Most of Myers's previously published work is in the YA genre, and this book doesn't really manage to break free of that. This is significant drawback for me, but others might not mind.

In sum, it is not poorly written in and of itself, but it also does not succeed at what it purports to be.

This was a beautifully done Gothic fiction novel, it had everything that I was looking for based on the description. The characters were everything that I wanted from this type of book and I enjoyed how B.R. Myers wrote this. The cover was what drew me in and I’m glad I enjoyed reading this a lot.

Holy bookshelves, "The Third Wife of Faraday House" took me on a rollercoaster of emotions! Right from page one, I was sucked into Emeline's world, and let me tell you, it's a ride you won't want to get off. The mystery had me playing detective, trying to unravel the twists until the absolutely thrilling and oh-so-satisfying conclusion. And that epilogue? It was like the author sprinkled magic dust on the pages — *chef's kiss*

But can we talk about Emeline? She started off as this unsure, wide-eyed character, and by the end, she's this powerhouse of bravery and intelligence. The character development is like a literary glow-up that adds a whole new layer of depth to the story. I mean, kudos to B.R. Myers for turning Emeline into the awesome woman she was always meant to be!

And let's not forget the perfect blend of spookiness and romance. Picture this: rain tapping on the window, a cozy blanket, a cup of tea in hand, and you're knee-deep in the mysterious world of Faraday House. It's the kind of book that becomes your rainy day companion, making you forget about the gloom outside.

In a nutshell, "The Third Wife of Faraday House" isn't just a book; it's a literary adventure that'll keep you hooked from start to finish. If you're into stories that make your heart race, your brain work overtime, and leave you with a sense of pure satisfaction, this one's a winner. Grab a copy, clear your schedule, and get ready for a wild ride!

Got my hands on this beauty for free as an advance review copy, and let me tell you, this review is me voluntarily spilling all the bookish tea. No strings attached – just my honest, unfiltered take on the awesomeness I encountered between the pages!

I wasn’t sure what to epic of this book but it was quite the fun like gothic romance/mystery. The main character Emeline was witty and charming she really made the book for me.

I will say this different feel like a romance much to me and the relationship felt off in some way the chemistry wasn’t there or it just wasn’t developed enough. But looking past that the mystery and the overall vibes of the book made it enjoyable. I would def recommend this for people who are a fan of the gothic mystery type genre.

This was such a fun read! Firstly, the protagonist Emeline is so funny. I often come across books where the protagonist is supposed to be witty but they never really are. However, Emeline is genuinely hilarious. I smiled and laughed so many times.

Second, the writing. It was gorgeous. B.R. Myers has a knack for describing backdrops and moments and the world of the novel in such a vivid and clear way. She uses exactly the amount of words needed to deliver the point. This is my first time reading something by Myers but I was so impressed and would definitely read more works by them.

Thirdly, the Gothic vibes were so chilly and spooky, I loved it. I can see fans of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier really enjoying this book.

Overall, this was an amazing read and I would definitely recommend it to others. Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review

I can see how this might not be for everyone, but it was for me. This book had the kind of spooky gothic vibes with time sensitive mystery, is it a curse or something more malicious? I do not like high stakes mystery or too much suspense/thriller, because I have ✨anxiety✨, and this had enough to be engaging but not too much that I will have nightmares. This would be a great intro to mystery/gothic fiction. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

This was an excellent read it reminded me so much of a movie i love in gothic romance called crimson peaks.
this woman has to get married to this man but he is a captain of this creepy house that is covered in vines, problem is she finds out that he had two wives already one that died an another that is dying. I dont want to spoil it too much because I feel like it would spoil the plot of the story. But you do find out a lot on why the second wife died and why the third one is dying.

She hides a secret the main character as well and is nervous about telling the captain you are turning the pages and its like a lot is happening for a really big book with 45 something chapters. I read this it took me a few days because I was reading the book at night and i wanted to see what would happen in this mystery gothic book.

I was invested in on their maid of the house there was a lot of times i pointed my finger thinking it was someone else in the house and of course you do find out the truth at the end but the story was excellent. She in the beginning has to get married to captain graves while she's waiting for her main man frederick to arrive to take her away to marry her and she has to hold on to her secret. It was just so good. Thank you to netgalley for giving me this arc to read.

This really was a nice cozy gothic mystery. Although not at all the same book, I got the same vibes as when I read Northanger Abbey, with both books following a very naive but lovable FMC as she enters into a big, creepy house completely unknown to her. The similarities mostly stop there, but the vibe is a great one for fall especially. The writing was also very well done and I could picture the island and the manor perfectly. I love when an author is able to transport me to a place with their descriptions, even down to the taste of food. The plot is full of mystery and suspense, especially the last half of the book. Nothing to cause a jump scare, but just enough to give you the chills at times. There is also a large subplot of Emeline, the main character, coming into herself as her own person. Her character had a lot of growth and heart. The characters are kind of exaggerated, but in this genre I actually like that. The romance is very very little, and really not much develops until the end, but the few conversations and banter sessions between Emeline and Reverend Pellerine are adorable. There could have been more development there for sure, but my biggest complaint is probably that Emeline and Georgina needed more conversations to establish their bond. But overall I have very few complaints and this was a solid 4 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Since her father's death, Emeline Fitzpatrick has been stuck in Halifax with her two guardians, Judge Shackleton and his wife. Though she's certain that marriage to her lover Frederick will be her escape, a scandal destroys any hopes of a happy ending. To save face, her guardians arrange for her to marry Captain Graves, whose last two wives were said to have died in childbirth. Upon her arrival to Faraday House, Emeline is shocked to find that Captain Graves' second wife, Georgina, is still alive. While Emeline remains hopeful that Frederick will rescue her, she must quickly figure out who she can trust if she wants to survive.

This regency mystery set in 1816 delivers on the Gothic elements, reminiscent of Jane Eyre, but falls short on romance and plot.

Emeline was hard to like; she is incredibly naive for a twenty year old, reminding me of Lydia Bennet in her pursuit of Mr. Wickham. I could have looked past this in a YA novel, but for adult fiction it was incredibly frustrating to see how foolish she acted. Even with the late revelation that added context to her desperation, I was constantly shaking my head at her naivety.

While I liked the reverend, based on Emeline's relationship with him I would not classify this novel as a romance. Their romance felt underdeveloped and there was little chemistry between them. He saves her several times and they banter a bit but there's not much more than that.

The plot itself felt predictable; there aren't a ton of characters so the situation felt fairly obvious from the beginning. The pace is fairly even but then suddenly picked up around Chapter Thirty. After that, everything felt rushed, with one reveal after another until the climax. Emeline summarizes the aftermath of the events in the final chapters, followed by the perfect happy ending.

I thought I would like this more but it felt middling to me based on the weak central mystery and the lukewarm romance.

The Third Wife of Faraday House is a suspenseful but fun gothic tale. Though it takes a bit to get going, the background information at the start does help provide insights into later character behavior. Once I was past the setup phase, I tore through this book. And yes, even though I guessed at the conclusion, I still very much enjoyed the journey and twists and turns. The setting and spooky descriptions were fantastic. I love that it's a "new world" location that isn't seen much in the genre. I did wish for some more character development between the various individuals, or just more in depth interactions/ connections. But overall I really enjoyed this story!

I thought this would be more mystery or more romance or just more. This book wasn’t my favorite, but I’m sure it is someone else’s cup of tea.

I just felt like it was obvious from the beginning that Georgina was being poisoned by her caretakers and that they were going to try and do the same to Evangeline.

I did like that she fell for the reverend rather than the man she was set to marry. I thought it would be more the forced marriage trope but it wasn’t.

Evangeline did learn about her worth, value, and strengths and because of that wound up having a great life for herself, so the ending did make me happy!

Thank you for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
This book has an interesting premise, however I did not find it as interesting as I initially thought I would. This gives the vibes of a subdued Crimson Peak. I’m sure there are people out there who will thoroughly enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I had a difficult time connecting with the main character as well as other characters within the book. I also had a little bit of difficulty following what was happening throughout the book as there were a lot of different things happening while at the same time it did not feel like anything had happened. For being categorized as a romance it felt lacking in this category for me. I am not sure how Emeline ended up with who she ended up with at the end of the book as it felt rushed and awkward and a way to tie up loose ends. Additionally, I felt that the epilogue did not help to round out the book as it seemed it was trying to sell a happily ever after that was already established at the end. However, the format of starting and ending the book with a letter was a nice touch.

“All the wives die young at Faraday House”

I expected more. Much more, in the sense of the story. The story felt…. Disjointed. Everything related to each other…. And yet it didn’t. I felt like the characters were very flat. One minute the Captain was described one way…. And then all of a sudden, he is the polar opposite and intimidating…. And no reason given. The supposed curse??? What curse? Because it didn’t really become an issue until the present story.
Was it the best- no, yet it also wasn’t the worse either. Just had higher expectations that were not met.

Nothing like showing up to your new fiancé's house only to find out that his previous wife isn't quite dead yet, amirite? Awkward.

The Third Wife of Faraday House is a suspenseful and entertaining Gothic mystery. It's also billed as a romance but there's really not a whole lot of the lovey-dovey stuff to be found, which is perfectly okay with me – I'm just here for the Gothic-y bits anyway.

I found this to be a mostly enjoyable and well-written novel. It's definitely suspenseful – I read the last 50% in one setting, even though I'd actually gone to bed early because I could barely keep my eyes open. Once the action really started, I couldn't put the book down and discovered that I maybe wasn't so tired after all. The plot is twisty-turny and there are definitely a few surprises that I didn't see coming. I also appreciated the supernatural bits – this is by no means a horror story, but there is a little creepy ghostly action.

Emeline is a delightful main character and I enjoyed following along as she unravels the mysteries of Faraday House and its inhabitants. I also found myself rooting for the second Mrs. Graves, although she really doesn't have much of a personality beyond “sick.” The villains of the story aren't really much of a surprise (I mean, there aren't really all that many characters to choose from to begin with), but at the same time I was surprised by how villainous they end up being.

And the setting? Fantastic. I've mentioned (probably many times) previously that I'm a sucker for anything that involves an English manor house, and apparently that extends to Canadian manor houses as well.

My one big quibble (is “big quibble” an oxymoron? almost certainly, but whatever.) is that certain parts of the story just feel … hollow? Underdeveloped? Mainly the relationships. Emeline and Georgina are near strangers and yet they're basically BFFs by the end. The “relationship” between Emeline and Reverend Pellerine doesn't seem very realistic either, probably because they only occasionally interact and there doesn't seem to be any real non-physical reason for their attraction to each other. And the ending? I don't want to spoil anything so I'll spare the details, but it's just more of the same … the characters involved all adore each other for, um, reasons? They barely know each other!

Quibbles notwithstanding, however, The Third Wife of Faraday House is an original and suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages. 3.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

I liked “The 3rd Wife of Faraday House” very, very much. The main character has been raised to be pretty so as to land a good marriage and to not ruffle feathers. But upon being shipped off to Faraday House to marry Captain Graves, she finds herself digging deeper than before, not only to more strength and vulnerability but also to uncovering the mystery of the young wives and their untimely deaths at this spooky mansion by the sea. If you enjoyed B. R. Meyers' previous novel, you will absolutely like this one also- the gothic romance vibes are alive and well here!