FICTION

Parting the Veil

Amazon: Lake Union. Nov. 2021. 368p. ISBN 9781542032117. pap. $14.95. F
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DEBUT It’s the summer of 1899, and Eliza and her half-sister Lydia have left their lives in New Orleans behind for a fresh start in England. Eliza has unexpectedly inherited Sherbourne House, a once grand house in a small English village, from her aunt. However, she learns that she’ll only receive her inheritance if she marries within the next three months. Soon Lord Malcolm Havenwood has caught Eliza’s interest despite rumors of scandal and his supposedly haunted house. Their attraction to each other and access to Eliza’s inheritance unite them in a swift marriage, but Malcolm’s loving courtship quickly disappears after the wedding. Dismayed by Malcolm’s unpredictable behavior and haunted by a malevolent spirit, Eliza realizes she must uncover the secrets of Havenwood Manor in order to survive.
VERDICT Billed as a gothic romantic thriller, this debut novel does have all of those elements, but unfortunately, the dialogue often feels too modern for the historical setting while main character Eliza occasionally seems unintentionally contradictory. A more solid historical setting and fully fleshed-out characters would better support the supernatural elements and the many revelations of the story.
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