I struggled with the pacing of this book. The murder only occurs midway through, and then the book rushes to resolve it. I think if the pacing was a little more conventional I would have gotten into the story more. There's so much great content.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley. Any reviews I give are done obligation free, and are unpaid… well, unless you count getting this book for free… but we won’t go there. ;-)

This is the second book in the ‘A Change of Fortune Mystery’ series, and I really enjoyed the first – ‘Whispers Beyond the Veil’. So it was therefore a relief when the second book was just as good.

Though, saying that, you’re probably wondering why the mediocre rating. Well, the book was good… but there just seemed to be something missing in ‘Whispers of warning’ that had attracted me to ‘Whispers Beyond the Veil’. It was still an enjoyable historical murder mystery, and I want to emphasise that… But, I don’t know, something was missing for me.

Mind you, this was another book I read last year and am only now writing a review of so maybe the spark that was missing was in me? ;-) It would explain why I would got lost as to who was who within the book, kept forgetting why people were doing what they were doing… I don’t know, but I did just find it a little cluttered and confusing. So I feel it might just prove – don’t read while cluttered and confused as it leeches into the great story you’re reading! :-D

No, seriously, this was a very enjoyable story and I do not regret getting a chance to read the next book in the ‘A Change of Fortune Mystery’. To be honest, I had been hanging out for it and kept checking on Netgalley to see if it was going to appear. And was only mildly (VERY MILDLY) disappointed that the spark was missing for me. But I got over it, read on and still enjoyed myself. So no biggie, really.

The characters were still as engaging, the scenes still well described and the villains still nasty. Plus there is a good balance of mostly sleuthing, some enjoyable historical padding out, an undercurrent of supernatural, and that tantalising touch of romantic tension building between the two main characters. So, all in all, a good read.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would, as quite frankly any issues I found with the book I do blame on me, the reader. This is still a potentially good, and enjoyable, series and so I would recommend not only ‘Whispers of Warning’ but ‘Whispers from Beyond the Veil’. Yes this book could be read as a standalone, but I don’t think it would be as enjoyable without you reading book one in this series first.

Would I buy this book for myself?

Yes I would. This is still an enjoyable series with a LOT of potential and I would be silly not to stick with it. The setting, the era, the undercurrent supernatural theme… what more could a girl ask for?

In summary: Lovers of historical crime with a supernatural undercurrent will enjoy this book, and this series.

Checked all the major boxes for me - paranormal elements, mystery, suffrage movement but I found myself skimming over so much of it. A little TOO MUCH description of unnecessary things for me to enjoy fully. It was good I just didn't like the writing style. Will still recommend to our readers looking for historical paranormal mysteries. Setting and characters were unique and interesting.

A little slow to begin but then it picks up. and turns into a good solid historical mystery.

Im not sure if it is down to the fact I haven't read the first book but I just couldn't get going with this one.
Sorry

It’s the turn of the 20th century, and the resort town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, expects a busy season. Large crowds gather for a suffrage rally, plus everyone awaits the opening of a lengthy pier designed to entice tourists. This second novel in the A Change of Fortune series finds former con artist Ruby Proulx enjoying her new life in town at her Aunt Honoria’s spiritualist-themed Hotel Belden and learning to heed her clairaudient abilities. The arrival of nationally-known psychic and suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge draws new business to the hotel while alarming townspeople. After the lady makes a public announcement at the rally, promising to expose corruption among those in power, it’s a sure sign that trouble’s ahead.

This is a mystery, so fans of the genre can infer that Sophronia’s days are numbered. However, the plot is rather dilatory in getting there. There are a host of unconventional characters staying at the Belden, including opinionated cook/housekeeper Mrs. Doyle, who can detect people’s auras; the obnoxious brother and sister-in-law of Honoria’s devoted suitor; and an author belonging to an elite group of hay fever sufferers (this society, fascinatingly enough, is based on historical fact). Also visiting town is an anti-suffrage politician who was once engaged to Sophronia.

Reading about these backstories is interesting, but suspense is lacking early on. Once Sophronia’s body is discovered in a saltwater pool, the pacing improves. Discouraged by the dishonest police chief’s lack of interest in the case, Officer Warren Yancey reluctantly teams up with Ruby, who he admires, although he thinks her psychic work is a bunch of hokum. Their growing friendship is spiced with romantic tension. The social concerns of the period are well evoked. Not surprisingly, Ruby encounters a few men with sexist attitudes, which were just as irritating then as they are today.

(first published in the Historical Novels Review, November 2017)

Although the second in the Change of Fortune series, Whispers of Warning functioned well as a stand-alone. I liked the setting--a spiritualist hotel with echoes of the real spiritualist towns of Lily Dale, NY and Cassadaga, Florida.

Ruby Proulx is happy to be living with her aunt in a hotel which offers various psychic readings to its guests. Ruby is a "clairaudient"--a voice guides her talent as a medium, and her abilities are growing.

When Sophronia Foster Eldridge arrives as a guest, Ruby is impressed at both Sophronia's reputation as a Spiritualist and as an outspoken Suffragette. But Sophronia's goal is more complicated than purely seeking the vote, and she presents a threat to someone who wants to derail her platform.

Ruby begins to recognize that Sophronia has a manipulative side, yet she still wants to support Sophronia's goal of gaining the vote for women.

While the setting intrigued me, the book was a little slow. I think I was looking for something similar to Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer, something a little more complex, but I like the cover.

Blog review scheduled for Oct. 17, 2017.

NetGalley/Berkely Publ.

Paranormal Mystery. Sept. 19, 2017. Print length: 331 pages.

Whispers of Warning by Jessica Estevao is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series. Ruby Proulx and her Aunt Honoria are thrilled when suffragist and spiritualist, Sophronia Foster Eldridge checks into the Belden for a month long stay (quite a coupe for the hotel). At a suffrage rally, Sophronia states she is writing a book about corruption and secret dealings by powerful men. She will sell her manuscript to the highest bidder and use the money to further suffrage movement. Despite a threatening letter and a sabotaged stage, Sophronia will not be deterred. Is Sophronia that dedicated to the cause or does she have a hidden agenda? Sophronia is soon found dead a pool at Pinkney Ferris’ bathhouse. Ruby starts looking into Sophronia’s life and sets out to expose her killer.

Whispers of Warning is the second story in A Change of Fortune Mystery series and it can be read alone. Ruby’s past and her abilities along with what occurred in the first book is discussed (in great detail). I like the paranormal and historical aspects of the story (suffrage, spiritualist, Hay Feverist Society). The writing style, though, hindered my reading enjoyment. It lacks an ease. The pace was glacial thanks to the overabundance of details (the author needed to find a balance) and repetition of information. The dialogue seems stilted and awkward. I am rating Whispers of Warning 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). The murder did not occur until almost halfway into the story. By the time Sophronia was killed (there was no doubt she would be the one murdered), I already identified the evil doer. Suffrage instead of mystery dominates Whispers of Warning. Whispers of Warning has an interesting premise, but I did not enjoy the final outcome.

Brought to you OBS Reviewer Daniele

Whispers of Warning, the second book in the Change of Fortune Mystery series, combines a wonderful setting, an interesting angle, and compelling characters to make a pleasing read.

Ruby has only been living in Old Orchard, Maine, for a few weeks after she fled from her con man father to her aunt. Aunt Honoria runs the Belmont hotel for spiritually inclined guests, and Ruby’s knack for reading people (a necessary skill when working in a travelling medicine show) serves her well in her new capacity as hotel medium. However, Ruby is not a fraud; she is a bit of a clairaudient and has heard a “guiding voice” all her life. Everyone in her adopted seaside town is excited for the new pier to open, drawing in loads of tourists. Honoria is particularly enthusiastic for the arrival of suffragist and self proclaimed medium Sophronia Foster Eldridge. A recommendation from Sophronia would mean a great deal more business for the Belmont. It quickly becomes apparent to Ruby that Sophnonia is not all that she appears to be and will do anything, no matter the cost to others, to further her cause. Of course, she is not popular with a lot of people so there are few that are distraught over her untimely death. The chief of police insists that her death is a suicide and calls the case closed, but Officer Warren Yancy feels otherwise, and solicits Ruby’s assistance in investigating the hotel guests and town residents.

To be honest, I had a hard time getting into this book. Perhaps because I have not read the first book in the series, Whispers Beyond the Veil, it took me a while to become invested in the characters. The murder does not take place until a good halfway into the story, which was plenty of time to strongly dislike the victim, but by that point I did not really care who killed her. In the setup leading up to the Sophronia’s death, we are introduced to many characters, and it was hard to tell who and what were important to the story ahead. The ending caught me off guard, as if I had missed a clue earlier in the book, but it did make perfect sense after the motive was explained.

That said, overall, I did enjoy Whispers of Warning. The seaside setting shines here, and Estevao’s descriptions immersed me in the coastal town at the turn of the century. The period of the book is just right, too. At a time when Spiritualism was all the rage, the Belmont hotel and its employees’ talents feel realistic and true. It is the perfect place for Ruby to find her new family and home. To me, the murder mystery takes second stage to the book’s focus on the suffrage movement. Estevao does not shy away from the resistance and negativity these women faced in their efforts to have a voice.

This is most of all a character driven story, and protagonist Ruby is smart and spunky but not without fault. She does have a rather unsavory past and secrets she will do just about anything to keep hidden which makes her immensely relatable. Don’t we all have things in our pasts that we regret or would just as soon no one be privy to? Her budding friendship with Officer Yancy is the best part of the book. I appreciate his skeptical nature and think his truth and law abiding character makes a fine foil for Ruby and her reformation in progress. Based on the last pages of the book, I look forward to seeing where their relationship goes, whether as friends or of a more romantic nature.

I recommend Whispers of Warning to fans of historical fiction and mysteries.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

According to the Maine Visitors Bureau, Old Orchard Beach “has been welcoming tourists and families to its beautiful 7-mile stretch of perfect sand beach for over 170 years.” Historical mystery Whispers of Warning (A Change of Fortune Mystery #2) capitalizes on the seaside setting as well as the currents of change in social and political life at the time.

It is also the setting for a murder most watery. “Renowned Spiritualist and outspoken suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge” checks into Miss Honoria Belden’s Belden Hotel for a month. Honoria Belden is a shrewd businesswoman—although her hotel is by no means the largest in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, she provides both accommodation and a variety of spiritual experiences.

Eldridge plans to capitalize on the excitement in the town around the opening of the magnificent new steel pier. Huge crowds are expected for the ribbon cutting on July 2, 1898, because at 1,825 feet, the Old Orchard Beach pier was the longest in the world. Unfortunately, before the pier opens to tourists, Eldridge’s body is “found floating in the saltwater plunge pool of a local bathhouse.” She is fully dressed, and her coat is weighed down by rocks in its pockets.

Readers were introduced to Ruby Proulx in the first Change of Fortune Mystery, Whispers Beyond the Veil. She recently returned to her mother’s childhood home in Maine and now lives with her hotelier aunt. Ruby has a talent for solving mysteries. She is perceptive, persistent, and clever. Intriguingly, she also seems to have a talent for the paranormal—her inner voice accurately directs her to the crux of seemingly insoluble problems.

Partially reformed con artist Ruby Proulx is starting to feel at home in her aunt’s seaside hotel. She loves the feeling of being rooted in one place and also feels a sense of purpose as she helps her aunt keep her business afloat by acting as a psychic medium for the hotel’s metaphysically inclined guests.

Ruby and her aunt are devoted supporters of women’s suffrage. To have a star of the movement staying with them is a feather in their cap. Ruby, however, discovers that Miss Eldridge can be ruthless and manipulative to achieve her desired ends. Sophronia sits in on a reading Ruby has with two sisters. Afterward, she makes a request—more of a demand—of Ruby, stating that the young woman “exercises a certain leniency with the truth if it serves the greater good”:

“Are you implying that you believe me to be a fraud as well?”

“Please do not be offended. You have my greatest admiration. You needn’t try to convince me of your talents. I assure you I do not care what part of what you do is genuine and which part requires a well-honed knack for observation and lucky guesses. What I do care about is how we could help each other to have what we both want most.” She gave me another of her smiles but this time it left me feeling chilled.

“What is it that you think I want most?”

“The ongoing success of this hotel? Being seen as the premier Spiritualist hotel in the nation, perhaps?”

Sophronia wants Ruby to appear on stage with her and give a platform psychic reading—a reading “conducted from the stage.” Because Ruby has a private need to keep a low public profile, she wants to refuse, but she feels unable to say no. Sophronia is found dead before the event, as it happens, and Ruby uses her “well-honed knack for observation and lucky guesses” to suss out the killer.

Ruby is a likable character, a modern young woman of her time with a hard past and a future that holds great possibilities. Estevao deftly combines historical accuracy with a tantalizing tale of whodunit. Readers will want more of the Change of Fortune Mysteries.

I featured this book here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2017/09/7-thrillers-mysteries-to-read-in.html

I was eagerly awaiting the release to the sequel Whispers Beyond the Veil. Having loved Estevao's debut historical mystery, I couldn't wait for more.

I can say with absolutely conviction the Whispers of Warning was everything I was hoping it would be. A touch of mystery. A hint of danger, and the historical feel that I most certainly crave with a slight edge of the paranormal to really keep things interesting.

I plowed through this faster than I did the first and soaked up every atmospheric line and page. It truly was such a delight and unlike most mysteries I read, one that truly kept me on my toes and guessing right up to the reveal of whodunnit.

Estevao once again impressed me with her beautiful prose, wonderful seaside setting and her way of weaving accurate historical detail in with the fiction and paranormal that I so dearly crave. I couldn’t of been happier or more satisfied with how it all came together. My only regret, is that it will be a very long wait until Ruby's next adventure.

Ruby has a good heart in spite of her con-artist rearing from her no-good father. She is afraid people will see through the attempts to be good and see the con she used to be. She doesn't even trust her own psychic abilities. Aunt Honoria is the family she always wanted, and will do anything for her. Officer Warren Yancy provides the potential love interest, he struggles with his growing feelings for her. Lucinda (Lucy) is Officer Yancy's sister who has become Ruby's fast friend and is a great side kick.

The true seaside town of Old Orchard is a perfect setting along with the Hotel Belden. The murder doesn't happen right away, so there are events and conflicts happening leading up to the death. This doesn't slow the story down, but gives it more complexity. The killer is a surprise I didn't anticipate! The killer reveal had a few short moments of thrills that I loved, and answered all the questions. The wrap up leaves a tantalizing tidbit for the next book.

I love the "scandalous" bicycle outfits that Ruby and Lucy dare to wear. I also appreciated the coverage of the ugly and even violent attitudes towards those seeking the vote - something we forget too easily. All this was woven into the story without an agenda, but a tableaux of the era. The mystery was solid, the historical setting is absorbing, and the characters each so realistic that the mix is truly an exciting escape. The second book in the series maintains the high bar set by the debut book. I have to say how I am loving the covers for this series, too.

Rating: Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend.

Thanks Berkley Publishing Group and netgalley for this ARC.

The anxiety, fearlessness, and freshness of this series continues into book 2. This is a adventure, mystery, and love story combined.

I read the first book in the Change of Fortune mystery series (Whispers Beyond the Veil) a month back in preparation for reading this, which I had requested from NetGalley based on the cover alone. I found Whispers Beyond the Veil to be a fun, intriguing start to a new series, and I was excited to get to the second book. As we all know, the whims of the reader can sometimes run amok, but having finally read this, I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed in the least. Estevao writes a worthy sequel, and already I know I'll be reading the third book, whenever it ends up being released.

First, our characters - Ruby Proulx is a really compelling narrator, one rife with nuance and feeling. She's eager to move on from her past in the medicine show, and eager to forge friendships and make a life for herself, but she's also plagued with insecurity over what she did in the past, sure that those she cares about would judge her and abandon her once they find out. I can relate to that on some level (and I suspect many others can as well), so it makes Ruby a very sympathetic character, one that I am always hoping for the best for. The side characters are all a delight as well - from Yancey and his sister Lucy, to Honoria and George. Even the antagonists, such as Chief Hurley and Robert Jellison, are compelling - I can't wait to see them get their comeuppance!

The setting of the novel is a delight as well. Estevao is so descriptive in her writing of Old Orchard, at times I can fancy that I am there myself. This sort of immersive writing can be rare, so I appreciate that I can encounter it with the Change of Fortune mysteries. The town sounds so beautiful and charming, but still with its dirty underbelly, and I can't wait to see more of it. Estevao's descriptive writing also extends to the fashion of the time period - her details regarding Lucy and Ruby's swimming costumes in particular stay with me - and that makes it all the better to the reader, to really get a feel for the story and the environment, not to mention the characters themselves.

Whispers of Warning focuses a great deal on the suffrage movement, centering around Sophronia, a guest at the Belden hotel who has come to speak on the vote for women and even host a march in the seaside town of Old Orchard. I consider myself a feminist, but despite that, I've never read much on the suffrage movement itself, so even a fictional rendering by Estevao made for fascinating reading. The time period in the series is a historically significant one, and it's interesting to view that in terms of the characters in the novel - the resistance the suffragettes faced by not only the police and politicians, but the micro aggressions from close acquaintances about how women are insensible and should only be second class citizens. Nowadays I think we take the vote for granted, as well as the freedoms women have now - although let's be honest, we still have a long, long way to go - so to experience the struggle of the suffrage movement in the context of the novel was a great asset to the reader, and to myself in particular.

I was hoping for more of Ruby's voice in this book, as the Spiritualism aspects of the book are a favourite of mine, and I'll confess to being disappointed there wasn't more to do with Ruby's actual ability in this. I definitely appreciate her being such an intrepid investigator, and I greatly enjoy the dynamics of her working and personal relationship with Yancey, but I feel like there should be more to do with Ruby's clairaudience. However, as that was my only gripe with the novel, I can definitely let it slide and admit this was a fun read from start to finish! I'll definitely recommend this series to others.

I loved Jessica Estavao’s first book in this series, Whispers Beyond the Veil, and I have been anxiously awaiting her next one. As soon as I was approved for it by the publisher, I stopped reading my current read and started Whispers of Warning. Thankfully, Estavao’s second book did not disappoint, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did Whispers Beyond the Veil. To top it all off, the ending is spectacular; I was so pleased with the last paragraphs. Kudos to Estevao for writing such a magnificent second installment in her series.

Estevao has created the perfect series with Ruby Proulx- a likeable protagonist hiding a dubious past, an entertaining and inventive cast of supporting characters, a delightful Maine coastal town, and an interesting time period - the turn of the twentieth century. To top it all off, the books have the most gorgeous covers. I find myself frequently judging actual books by their covers; to me the cover can make the difference in whether I read a book or not if it is an author with whom I am not familiar. Moreover, I hate reading a book with a cover that bears no relation to the story within. The covers for this series are simply outstanding and very relevant to the story line.

The suffrage movement dominates the story line in Whispers of Warning. A prominent suffragette, Sophronia Foster Eldridge, has decided to visit Old Orchard, Maine for a month-long stay. Just as Ruby begins to believe that Sophronia may have ulterior motives in addition to promoting the suffrage movement, Sophronia is found floating in a pool at a local bathhouse. Ruby decides she must help solve the murder, and in the process, she works to uncover Sophronia’s secrets and hidden agenda.

My favorite part of the book was the portion relating to the suffrage movement. While women today take the right to vote for granted, Estevao effectively describes the massive resistance the brave suffragettes (and their supporters) faced and the lengths to which people will go to protect their own power and standing. Her descriptions of the suffrage rallies and the behavior of the detractors remind me of current events in the U.S. where other groups are facing similarly close-minded people behaving in an equally ugly manner trying to defend against change. I found the story line a helpful reminder that change is frequently met with resistance. I also like the metaphysical aspects of the book. Ruby is a medium who occasionally uses her powers to encourage others in certain directions. That part of the book is very entertaining.

I highly, highly recommend Whispers of Warning. If you have not read the first book in the series, now is the time to go read it in anticipation of Whispers of Warning’s publication in September. Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruby Proulx is enjoying her life in Orchard Beach at Belden, her aunt Honoria’s inn, where she helps out by using her talents as a medium for the inn’s guests. Ruby gets some lessons in both channeling the dead and taking a stand for women’s rights, Sophronia Foster Eldridge checks into the inn. A well-known spiritualist and suffragist, Sophronia is staying at the inn for a month. Not everyone is as happy as Ruby about the spiritualists stay, and after a series of nasty events leaves a person dead, Ruby will need to use all her powers of detection, both natural and supernatural to find the killer. An engrossing Gothic tale of ocean mists, spiritualism and things that go bump in the night