In all honesty the cover of this book pulled me in and made me want to read it, it is really eye catching. I do not read a lot of mystery type novels, but I always enjoy them. This period set one that goes from England to the US was so good and kept my attention the entire time. The characters did not individually pull me in all that much, but together they worked perfectly. I kept trying to guess and make predictions, but in the end it completely surprised me. Well done and I recommend this one for a fun read.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I absolutely loved the cover on this novel, and the description sounded interesting. It was a little outside my normal go-to so I was excited to read something different. The book was a little slower than I expected, it was a little wordy and I found that the start of the book took a while to get moving plot wise for me. I struggled a little through the start, but once it got towards the middle of the book things started to pick up and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. The plot was interesting, there were some good plot twists in the story line. The characters were nuanced. I just found the plot to be a little sad, especially Georgie's gradual disillusionment of her marriage. I did love the ending though, especially how things ended for Jane. Overall it was a good book and I enjoyed it but I wouldn't say that I was super thrilling.

This has been sitting on my TBR shelf for three years now, and I finally took the time to give it a chance. This is my first Willig book, and if this story is typical of hers, I’m not certain I could read another. It’s a very well-written, entertaining story, but it takes melancholy to a new level. I sympathized with Janie, I understood Janie, but it was Georgie’s story that kept me hooked. Her relationship with Bay is both beautiful and tragic, and there were a number of times I wanted to weep along with her. Ugh. Heartbreaking.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A turn of the century novel with a nod to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, this gothic mystery was dark and gloomy. While at times I found it wandering and a bit confusing, overall I enjoyed it.

I voluntarily read an Advance Review Copy of this book. This book starts out with a murder of Bay and Annabelle, his wife, is a suspect even though she disappears. The book goes back and forth in time which can be confusing at times. The book is full of suspense, mystery and there are secrets along the way. It is a good book to read but it is a little long.

1/3 of my favorite writing team, this is the first time I read Willig on her own. She has writing style that leaves you feeling haunted by the characters and the story. AND WOW THAT COVER!

A wonderful read about a fascinating woman who impacted the day of a man leading the country in war.

This started out a little slow and I found it a little confusing, as I had put it down for a time before resuming. It was well worth the extra effort. I really enjoy books set in this time period, and Willig came through with evocative descriptions of family dynamics and societal limitations on women of different classes, with a good mystery to keep the plot moving. I will read more of this author.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really liked this one! It had an amazing plot with quiet, but powerful characters. The setting and the atmosphere was spell-bounding and the mystery just added to these elements!

I was looking through my Netgalley queue deciding on my next read, and Lauren Willig's The English Wife caught my eye. It was one of those I started reading a long time ago, set it aside for whatever reason, and ended up purchasing a copy of the book for myself because look at that cover? It's gorgeous. So with it being October and with me being in the mood for some historical fiction, I decided to pick this up again. This took a little bit of time to get into, but by the time I got through the first quarter of the book, I was hooked and I needed to know how the story got to its end. There's nothing entirely new about the plot or the types of characters and once I was clued into a certain character's behaviors, I did begin to put together the pieces of the narrative and very nearly guess whodunit, and that's completely fine. It felt both familiar and new, I was entertained, and I loved the insights to and development of each of the four main characters.

One of the things I loved the most about The English Wife was the Gilded Age setting. I'm such a sucker for it, especially when it's done well, and this novel felt incredibly atmospheric in just the right ways. I don't think I've ever read anything by Willig before, but this certainly makes me want to go back and see what I've missed! After being in a reading slump for a while, Willig's novel was exactly what I needed. Something a little familiar, something a little new, something that reminded me how fun reading could be. I absolutely devoured this within a twenty-four hour period, and it felt like it had been a while since a book was able to captivate me like that from the get-go.

This was a perfect mid-October read, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. If you like historical fiction with a heavier lean on romance, do look into this!

I loved the idea of this story and there was a good mystery involved. The downside was that the storyline moved along so slowly that at times I had trouble sticking with it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As this was not my cup of tea, I will not post my review online or in my blog, but I can say that I'll make a recommendation of this book to the right readers. For me, though, it's a pass. Writing was good, characters were well written.

**I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review**

Willig takes readers to the turn of the 20th century in this dual timeline narrative. Janie Van Duyvil’s entire life is turned upside down when she finds her dying brother outside his home in 1899. The events that led to this scene began in 1894, when Bayard Van Duyvil meets Georgiana Evans, a stage actress in London. In a plot line filled with mystery and romance, Janie wants to find out more about her brother and his wife, especially as the more she learns, the less the pieces seem to fit. She enlists the help of newspaper reporter Mr. Burke in her investigation, but even Mr. Burke has some secrets.

I’ve read several novels by Willig; this is my favorite to date. It was hard to put the book down…as the secrets piled up between the two timelines, I had to know what happened. The red herring thrown in by Willig had me fooled! The relationships between the characters were at times wonderful and at times heartbreaking. The writing style makes the narrative flow smoothly.

Highly recommending this to anyone who love historical fiction.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! It was a riveting read from page one. I liked the way it moved back and forth in two time periods and had you on the edge of your seat to solve the mystery. I loved the characters and could really feel their emotions.

Steamy, scandalous, and mysterious! I really enjoyed The English Wife, a murder mystery - historical fiction, full of twists and turns, great characters and many surprises. Thank you NetGalley for the reader copy for my review. All opinions are my own.

I love Lauren's books and this was no exception. The whodunnit aspect had me guessing until the end and I loved the Gilded Age New York setting. Perfect!

The English Wife is a standalone historical mystery/romance from Lauren Willig. Released 9th Jan, 2018 by St. Martin's/Macmillan, it's 376 pages and available in ebook, hardback, paperback and audiobook formats.

I'm generally a huge fan of historical mysteries; especially ones set in the late 19th century (Gilded Age/Victorian). Unfortunately this story never really felt convincingly as if the setting (and characters) were more than pasted in. I never connected with the characters and (as other reviewers have noted), I had a great deal of trouble keeping them straight in my mind. The plot was convoluted and odd , I can't figure out why it never gelled for me. I found myself plodding through the book, though I did finish it. I don't review books for which I'm guilty of skimming (or cheating and reading ahead). The story developed very very slowly. I never felt much (any) dramatic tension. It's a shame because the author is a talented writer. It just wasn't for me.

The dialogue was (to my ear) often stilted and awkward, and not in a formal 'polite society' manner. It also felt to me that the author couldn't decide whether to write a mystery or a romance and wound up doing neither justice.

I would, with some mild hesitation, recommend this book to previous fans of the author or possibly historical romance fans. The ending was satisfying in a some ways, but mostly had me rolling my eyes and internally thinking, "really?! Almost 400 pages for that"?!

Two and a half stars, rounded up because the author really is talented, I think.

"...taking a sip of her tea, which had been brewed too weak. Americans, no matter how they aped English manners, no matter how they imported hampers from Fortnum’s, failed to understand tea."

One of my favorite quotes. As Americans we have no business brewing tea. This country was built on coffee. And beer. Feel the need to stick your pinky up in the air like a flag, do it while drinking a Budweiser :P

I digress.

I won't lie to you... I picked this up mostly based on the gorgeous cover. And by mostly I mean over 90%. The author being a New York Times Bestselling Author helped a little, but the cover grabbed and held on to me until I screamed Uncle! Sadly, the only thing I love about this book is the cover. I didn't go in with any expectations but when I finished, I was left with a feeling of wanting more than what I received.

The setting and the time period were both appealing. New York City during the "Gilded Age". Featuring The Rich, The Famous, The Secretive.

The story has it's fair share of all three. Two of them are Brayard Van Duyvil and his bride, Annabelle - he is found dying with a knife in his chest and she is missing. Rumor circulates that this was a murder/suicide, with Brayard the perpetrator. His sister Janie isn't buying that version of events and looks to uncover the truth.

This is a gothic mystery told in two timelines...the present and 5 years earlier. Both timelines are intriguing and little by little we're fed bits and pieces that answer some questions and raise others. This is one my notes I wrote while reading this - "pg 149... I am so confused" ;) I also felt a bit of unease and melancholy while reading this story. I did find at times that the story moved so slowly for no apparent reason.

The mystery was well-crafted but once I latched on to a suspect, this 'Whodunit' became more of a 'How-they-dun-it'?

I liked the way the author wrote her characters - the one I liked, Janie, I really liked. The ones I hated, like mom and a cousin, I despised. The naming of the characters left much to be desired in my opinion. I spent a good bit confused (again? yes again) with the similar names Anne Annabelle Alva and Georgiana Georgie and George. If confusing the reader was the author's intent, Kudos! Mission accomplished :) Every character has secrets - so that was fun. Part of me wanted to be all up in their business and another part was wary of what I would find.

Despite the 3-star rating, this story is still highly recommended.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It was a compelling read from page one. I liked the way it moved back and forth in two time periods and had you hanging to solve the mystery. I loved the characters and really felt for them. My favorite of Willig's novels so far.

I enjoy Lauren Willig's non-pink carnation books so much. This one did not disappoint. I love how she blends historical fiction with murder mystery.