The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What genre is your comfort read?  One of my favorite types of comfort reads is Gothic romantic suspense.

Governess Diana Taylor has been sent by her Godmother to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to teach her Godmother’s niece, Emma Fallbrook, and to investigate the mystery of her Godmother’s brother’s (the former Baronet’s) death.  The new owner of the estate is the former baronet’s nephew, Captain William Fallbrook.  The Captain is home recovering from a wound.  He is handsome and charismatic, but it’s rumored he has a woman in every port.  Is he all that he seems?  What is the mermaid’s curse, and did it cause the previous baronet’s death?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked how Diana was a caring governess and helped her ward Emma build her confidence by trying to figure out the facts behind the death of her father as well as help her with her learning disability.  Diana was a strong woman and kept on working on solving the mystery, while helping others and finding romance for herself.  I always enjoy stories that involve governesses.

·       The Captain was an intriguing and mysterious romantic figure.

·       I loved all the references to Jane Eyre.  The entire novel had a Jane Eyre vibe to it, but I especially loved the meeting of Diana and the Captain.  It reminded me so much of the meeting between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.

·       The cover of this novel is beautiful.  Blue is my favorite color.

·       This is the first novel in the new series – The Audacious Sisterhood of the Smoke and Fire.  I like the series title.  I can’t wait for the next book. I also hope that Diana and her sisters will be able to start their own school as they planned.

·       I loved the mysteries and the gothic romance.  It was a great escapism read and reminded me of some of my favorite authors in this genre including Daphne Du Maurier, Victoria, Holt, and Mary Stewart. 

·       This was a clean read.  The book had a good romance, but mostly focused on the mystery.

·       This novel had a great setting.  I always love mysterious manors on the coast of Cornwall.

Overall, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James was a riveting start to a great new series with a captivating Gothic romantic suspense mystery.

Book Source:  Review copy from Dragonblade Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

She vowed to solve a murder.

Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.

Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.

As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?

He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.

ADVANCE PRAISE

"Syrie James launches her 'Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire' series with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, a page-turning Victorian Gothic that invokes all the romance, mystery, and atmosphere of a Brontë novel. I couldn't put it down!" —Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Belles of London series

"James kicks off her new series ‘The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire’ with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, a wonderfully atmospheric and suspenseful tale brimming with everything that fans of Victorian historical romance and mystery love: a bright and feisty heroine, a perfectly Gothic coastal estate full of secrets, and the brooding and mysterious navy captain in charge of it all." —Natalie Jenner, international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls, and Every Time We Say Goodbye

"A pitch perfect homage to the classic Gothic novel — I loved it! The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall is packed with intrigue, mystery, treachery, and tension — and brimming with romance! I couldn't put it down and eagerly await the next installment of James' new series!" —Katherine Reay, author of The London House and The Berlin Letters

AUTHOR BIO

SYRIE JAMES is the author of 14 critically acclaimed novels of historical fiction, romance, mystery and suspense, and young adult including The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, Nocturne, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, and Dracula My Love that have been international, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and are published in more than 20 languages. Her books have been Library Journal Editor's Picks of the Year, received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus, and won numerous awards including the Audiobook Audie, the Women's National Book Association Great Group Read, Romantic Read of the Week (Barnes and Noble), Best Novel of the Year (Romance Reviews), and Best Snowbound Romance (BookBub).

A member of the Writers Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Dramatist's Guild, Historical Novel Society, and Jane Austen Society of North America, Syrie has sold many scripts to film and TV, addressed organizations and literary conferences across the U.S. and in Canada, England, and Australia, and her stage plays been produced across North America.