If you like historical stories then you will love this book. Although it is second in the series it can easily be read as a standalone book.
The author Alexandra Walsh has perfected the art of two timelines. One set in the Victorian musical theatre and in modern day.
Do yourself a favour. Lock the door. Send the kids out and put the phone on silent and delve into the magic of the music makers.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

This was an interesting, fast-paced read. I enjoyed the chapters set in the Victorian theater as I don’t know much about it and you could tell the author does. In fact, I wish that the entire story had been set in Victorian times rather than switching back and forth between that and the present, which was dull by comparison. I found myself skimming the current day chapters to return to Esme’s storyline in the past.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alexandra Walsh for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The second in a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. However, do yourself a favor and read them both. Beautifully written historical fiction!

What a charming and well-written book! Very enjoyable story with two timelines 150 years apart. The past involving a small child who grew up performing and reading Tarot cards while searching her ancestry when older. The present, a woman who falls ill with a rare disease and has to sell her Victorian antiques shop and move back home and using a barn to recreate her store.. She also reads Tarot cards and is searching her ancestry. She sees a poster with a name she recognizes, and the search is on to find the history of this young woman, wondering if there might be a connection between the two. There were many characters, and as I read, it was easier to sort them all out. Much music, performing, and merrymaking in the past story, which I enjoyed more than the present, but the two timelines are necessary to connect and conclude the story. This is one of the most charming books I have read this year, Spirituality, music, plays, singing, family, trust, betrayal, and friends who are as good or better than some family, these subjects all appealed to me. If you like all things Victorian (as I do), you will enjoy this book.
4.5 we’ll-deserved stars.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Sapere Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The second in the dual timeline mysteries, you don’t need to have read the first book as this also works as a standalone.

I found the parts about tarot cards very interesting. I did think the modern day story struggled a little, the relationship between Eleanor and Arthur was never really explored. I found myself skimming the modern day parts to get back to reading about Esme and Aaron.

Although a very enjoyable book, this was not as strong a story as the first book I felt.
3.5 stars to be rounded up to 4.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Wow what a read! What a ride!

The intricate details entwining the families and characters involved were incredibly written and very well thought out.

I very much preferred the chapters set in Esme’s time period, however the modern chapters were necessary to carry the story and were important when discovering and understanding Esme’s and Eleanor’s life.
I loved the correlation between Esme and Eleanor and the way the writer did this through their relationships, theatrical interests, tarot abilities and family history was excellent.
I was also thrilled to discover Arthur’s ancestry and parentage too! This book continued to surprise me as new discoveries appeared and the connections were utterly mesmerising.

I would give it 5 stars but sometimes the relationship between Arthur and Eleanor was sickly at the start and unfortunately romance like that doesn’t do anything for me, so I will go for 4.5 stars (even though you can’t do halves on goodreads).
Also at times the relationships and people were a little hard to remember and took a bit of effort to get my head around, but with some slow reading and concentration this became easier.

The ending gave me shivers, and I am truly pleased that finally Aaron and Esme, and Arthur and Eleanor got the true love they deserved.

I chose to review this book because of my passion for theatre, my fascination with Victorians, and also my spiritualism and interest in tarot, but I would recommend this to anyone who loves an adventure, enjoys a thrilling surprise and can handle many twists and turns!

3.7 Stars

One Liner: The historical timeline worked better.

Eleanor Wilder goes back to Pembrokeshire from London to start afresh. After falling sick and being hospitalized, she’s too weak to manage the business in the bustling city. Her love for theatre and theatrical costumes made her a successful businesswoman, and she can easily continue it online from her parent’s house.
The trip back home brings back her interest in tracing the ancestors. The name Esme Blood calls to her soul. In fact, Eleanor finds that nature is giving her the necessary clues to know what happened to Esme.
Back in 1875, Esme Blood is a young girl born to a teenage mother who left her in a fortune tellers’ tent and vanished. Esme only has a doll to call her own. She’s lucky that Rose and her husband have adopted and loved her like their own.
But Esme’s life is not easy. Each time she finds that happiness is within reach, something happens that makes things worse. Is Esme’s life only about uncovering secrets and yearning for a happy ever after?
How is Esme connected to Eleanor apart from the obvious family link? The Tarot cards show hope. Is it possible to hope for love and find it too?
The Music Makers is the second book in the series and pretty much follows the same format as the first one. The heroine has the urge to find out what happened to a certain ancestor and is helped by diaries written by the ancestor.
What Worked for Me:
• I’ve been fascinated by tarot cards since I was in high school. Tarot cards are an intrinsic part of the book. So that’s a definite plus. One day, I’m going to learn how to read tarot cards.
• Esme is a strong character. Though her decisions seem a little rash at times, she sees them through and doesn’t give up.
• Eleanor is smart, sensible, and loving. The way she handles her illness and her business was a treat to read.
• A majority of the historical track is interesting and engaging. Lynette, Aaron, Cassie, etc., were intriguing in their own way.
• The shift between past and present is clear and doesn’t cause any confusion.
• The use of Victorian theatre throughout the book was consistent and artful. In fact, I loved the role of theatre and tarot cards more than music (which went on and off).
• There’s no need to read book one to read this. It works as a standalone.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
• The connection between Eleanor and Arthur wasn’t explored properly. In dual timelines, one timeline suffers, and this book is no exception.
• There are too many characters again. But this time, they come towards the end and create confusion. Since it happens at a stage where the story picks up speed and races towards the conclusion, it gets overwhelming.
• The relationships reminded me of certain regional daily soaps. I was tempted to round down to 3 stars. But such convoluted relationships are not new (I’ve read enough Regency and Victorian books to know that as a fact), so I let it go.

To sum up, The Music Makers is a good continuation of the series. While I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t call it the best. Still, I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Maybe the author will use a new technique to reveal the past in book three. Diaries are convenient but can get boring if they are used multiple times in the same series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Sapere Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

An eventful and entertaining book that contains so many twists and turns, coincidences and surprises which would be enough for two novels!

My first book from this author but not the last one, I'm sure of that. This is a fast paced, dual-timeline fiction, giving you a glimpse into the life of theater people in the Victorian times. Well-researched and a great read. Both the old and new stories are compelling, with a strong female character in each, and the two plots nicely complement each other.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for an Advance Review Copy.

In a a nutshell:
🎭2020, Eleanor Wilders recent illness has caused her to pack up her vintage theatrical shop in london and return to her family home in Pembrokeshire. A group of old family photos pique her interest, particularly one of actress Esme Blood who's diaries she had come across in a job lot she bought for her shop. Eleanors research leads us into a time-hop situation where we go back in time to join Esme Blood in 1875, treading the boards of the Firebird Theatre...

🎭Lots of elements to love in this atmospheric time-hop novel. I adored the Victorian era of Esme, theatre and tarot cards .... Wonderous! And these elements are carried through to Eleanor's timeline beautifully with Eleanor's collection of Victorian theatrical items and her love of tarot card readings🃏.
There are some rich wonderful characters in this novel but my only complaint is occasionally I lost track of who was who as more characters got introduced in each timeline....
Wonderful storylines in both time lines and so obviously well researched.
I adore the Victorian era so I particularly loved Esme's timeline

Thank you to @sapere.books @netgalley @purplemermaid25 the author for an ARC of this novel

I found this a really enjoyable Historical Mystery to read. It was well written with good chracters and a good storyline. Apart from the stpryline which in itself is a very enjoyable part fo this book i also loved the victorian elements within the book and I really enjoyed the fact that Tarot and spiritualism was introduced within this story as it really added something to both the storyline and the voctorian gothic atmosphere.

In this intriguing, beautiful, twisty historical mystery, told through a captivating dual POV, the main lesson learnt is that everything in the universe is connected. Eleanor, a lover of antiques, is in 2020 recovering from a serious illness, feeling dejected about the sudden uprooting of her life due to the illness, when she discovers a box of items - including several diaries - that used to belong to an ancestor from the late 1800s - Esme Blood. With Eleanor (and tarot!) we uncover Esme's story, and why Esme has seemingly found Eleanor now, at this time in her life - the trajectories of the two lives intertwining.

I loved many things - the incorporation of Tarot (and how it connects Eleanor and Esme across time), the historical elements, the way relationships (romantic, familial, etc.) are portrayed. I especially loved Esme, her strong-willed persona, and the unravelling of her story with so many shocking twists and turns that had my head spinning with one revelation after another. And while not every story has to have a happy ending of course, I was so delighted that this did.

The way it was written, it was easy to read, and easy to fly through mystery after mystery, and it was charged with enough emotional resonance for my heart to speed and tears to threaten sometimes. It was contradictory though, because there would be some paragraphs of beautiful flourishes of prose, and then the writing would get more stilted, more 'telling' than 'showing', and this had me feeling awkward at first, but I think it was a pretty good way to tell the expansive story because if not, this would probably be 200 pages longer (which would be unnecessary).

Overall, I'm so intrigued to read more of this series. And I HAVE to reiterate - I LOVE Esme. Her story is gorgeous and her character is dazzling.

A captivating page turner that I really enjoyed, and the book is highly recommended. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

The Music Makers is the 2nd in the Victorian mysteries books by Alexandra Walsh after her Trilogy reimagining Tudor England’s famous Queens. The book starts with Eleanor Wilder having to close her antiques shop and return to her parent’s home in Pembrokeshire after contracting a dibilitating disease. While going through some items she bought at auction, she discovers a set of Tarot cards and diaries that belonged to a Victorian woman named Esme Blood. While visiting an old family home, Cliffside, Eleanor sees a picture of a Victorian lady in theatrical dress with the name Esme Blood on the photo, what a strange coincidence.

In Victorian times Esme is abandoned by her mother and taken in by the kind Hardy family, a family of travelers/actors who raise Esme as their own. She is raised with Aaron a young man that is her 1st love but when he leaves she must find another life for herself. Is the life she finds a happy one? Eleanor decides to investigate.

I really enjoyed the 2nd in this series, the books can definitely be read as stand-alones, the only real tie is the house Cliffside and Pembrokeshire. I recommend this book and the series for lovers of histiorical fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sapere publishing and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

An extremely well written and detailed novel that I highly enjoyed. The dual timeline aspect of the book was very inventive and very descriptive. Characters are well developed and plot of the novel is both interesting and fun to read. Highly recommend!

The lives of two women, 150 years apart, entwine and intersect in this magical story. Eleanor Wilde had a happy life in London, running her antiques shop, but now illness has forced her to pull up stakes and return to her family farm in Wales. At a family reunion, Eleanor finds herself drawn to a series of old photographs hanging on the wall. The woman in the photos is Esme Blood and Eleanor recognizes the name from a set of tarot cards and diaries that were in Eleanor’s shop. What starts as a distraction from her own ill health becomes an obsession as Eleanor traces the life of the mysterious Esme, a woman thwarted in love who made her way forward with a deck of tarot cards. Perfect escapist reading for a cold winter night. This is a keeper