Nothing is more romantic than leverage. I bit my tongue to hold back from saying this out loud. She dominated every choice in my life, but I would not let her pick my husband. And the only way to accomplish that was to marry Frederick and leave as soon as possible.
If you love a gothic romance then you need to read this book!
November 1816: Restless but naïve Emeline Fitzpatrick is desperate to escape her stifling life in foggy Halifax. Her guardian is lining up repugnant suitors, but Emeline has her eyes set on a handsome lieutenant in the British navy. She just needs to persuade him to propose, or her one chance at happiness will be gone forever.
But when Emeline’s hopes end in scandal, she finds herself with only one suitor left: the wealthy and enigmatic Captain Graves. Having already lost two wives to tragic circumstances, the unfortunate widower is seeking a new companion in his cloistered seaside manor, Faraday House. Or at least that is what Emeline had been told, because when she arrives, she is horrified to discover that the second Mrs. Graves, Georgina, has not yet died.
Emeline is only certain of two things: something ghastly is afoot at Faraday House, and no one is going to save her. She will have to rely on her own courage, her burgeoning bond with the ill but strong-willed Georgina, and the aid of a handsome reverend with a mysterious past to unravel the secrets at the heart of the manor and forge her own destiny.
I grew up reading gothic novels and was obsessed with Northanger Abbey, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca. B. R. Meyers’ latest book is now being added to this list. The Third Wife of Faraday House has a wide-eyed heroine, dastardly villains and a hint of magic set in a perfectly decrepit mansion house. The vibes in this book are immaculate, and even though I read it during a heat wave it made me yearn for flickering candles, cozy blankets and a thunderstorm. I’ll be rereading this book this fall for sure.
Emeline knows she’s pretty. As an orphan, her guardians seem to focus on her beauty as her ticket into a good marriage. But of course, Emeline is young and in love with a charming sailor, who’s vanished on her even though he’s promised to rescue her. After a scandalous encounter, Emeline is shipped off to a recluse who will marry her as his third wife. Imagine her surprise when she realizes the second wife is still alive in this desolate house on a desolate island off the coast of canada.
She realizes quickly that something mysterious is a foot and she wants to figure out why the wives keep dying, and what mystery haunts the house. There is, of course, some light romance, because what good gothic novel doesn’t have a romance, but I would call this book first a thrilling mystical historical novel and a romance second. This is really more a story focused on the bond between women and about a young woman learning about life.
Emeline is almost annoyingly naive, a la so many gothic heroines, but she grows throughout the story and finds both her spine and her wits. She is expecting her love to rescue her and is desperately clinging to him in her mind. Throughout the story though, she stops waiting to be rescued and focuses on saving herself. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but I will say that there is a fabulous cast of characters and an incredible setting that kept me reading late into the night.
This was an incredibly satisfying read with an ending that warmed my heart.
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.