I went into this book cold. I mean, look at that cover. I've been living my life with accents of "skull damask" for months now, HOW COULD I NOT?!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It lives up to that stunning display of macabre and intrigue. If you're looking for a title to sit alongside Within These Wicked Walls, Veronica Speedwell, Mexican Gothic, or even your favorite Lucy Foley mystery, but even more gothic, this is it.
This whodunnit or locked room mystery is surprisingly spooky. Filled with the hauntings of a mad woman, lamentations of love lost too soon, and forbidden romance, Myers doesn't shy away from her character's teeth.
Genevieve Timmons is an MC we can all aspire to be. She's clever, brave, resourceful, and a victim of her own heart. Whether following love or compassion, every turn is thrilling. When this Victoria murder mystery turns more gothic and more haunting, it's hard to put down... until the very last twist!
*thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book for an honest review*

This book wasn't what I was expecting. It isn't particularly heavy on the historical details, reads much more as a YA than adult, and was a bit spookier than anticipated. The romance wasn't as much a part of the plot as it seemed based on the summary. All of this meant I wasn't really the audience for this one, but I can see how it would be a great read for those who enjoy YA (or NA) historical mysteries so I am rating based on that rather than my own subjective feelings.

This was fun read. It starts with one of my absolute favorite tropes: One Last Job. The job should be easy, open and shut and then the criminal, in this case spiritualist/conman Genevieve Timmons, can take her nest egg, get out of town, and live a quiet life in the country or on the beach or whatever. But it is never easy. That last job could cost Genevieve everything, from her money to her freedom to her heart to her life.
It has everything you could want from a historical mystery. It's a locked-room cold-case set on a grand estate full of vicious servants, haunted portraits, and rumors of a family curse. Rather than a constable or private investigator, the detective on the case is the spiritualist Genevieve Timmons. That is, Miss Timmons is a woman who earns a living by conning rich people into believing she can speak with the spirits of their dearly departed. And if she wants to avoid prison, or worse, the gallows for her years of charlatanism, she must help the Lord Chadwick discover what really happened to his late bride-to-be.
This book is full of twists, and just when you think you've got it, another piece of evidence is revealed turning the whole case on it's head. I totally fell for the red herrings, but the whole mystery made perfect sense once it was explained, by the perpetrator, in a dramatic monologue. It's an excellently crafted story, and i would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a historical mystery.
My only gripe is that I don't think it needed the romance element. That may sound strange coming from me, as I am known to love romance and be able to see a love story in just about everything, but I think that Genevieve's romantic love plot distracted from the rest of the book. Her budding relationship with the young Lord (because who else could it be), detracts from the themes of grief and learning to no blame yourself for the actions of others. It also messes with the pacing of the book, as I felt that a good chunk of the book very close to the tense ending was spent developing their relationship rather than developing the mystery.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

I love Gothic romance and was excited about the way A Dreadful Splendor adds mystery, too -- not to mention a spiritualist! However, despite all these elements, I didn't find myself falling in love with A Dreadful Splendor. Some elements are predictable, some are confusing, and overall I simply found that the book lacked those elements that would keep me raptly turning pages.

I would recommend A Dreadful Splendor to a Gothic enthusiast, but otherwise, I think this one can be skipped.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Oh this was so much fun! It was confusing, but in a great way where I wasn’t sure what would happen next and the ending was definitely a great surprise. This was a great mystery book for sure.

Rating: 3 /5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read mystery one out of every 10 books. I read Keep that in mind.

You had me at gothic romance. Mystery, suspense, twisty. Slow to start, but once you hit the halfway point, it really got some good things going. The twist kept coming and coming. I really didn't know what would happen and was still left with questions at the end. It was better the second time I read it through after getting the hang of the writing style. The premise of a fake spiritualist who is a murderer could have really gone somewhere if the book's first half wasn't super slow and the second half was less confusing. OVerall you might need to read this once or twice if the mystery isn't your normal gene.

Thank you to netgalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a spooky historical mystery! A con artist heroine is always a plus and the plot was really engaging.

A Dreadful Splendor evoked strong Gothic vibes throughout the story and it felt like I was back in Wuthering Heights, on the moors with Heathcliff! There are no moors in this story, but there are cliffs and swirling ocean waves. B.R. Myers does an excellent job setting up the characters of Genevieve and Mr. Pemberton along with the setting of Somerset Park. If you mix Beauty and the Beast with the Gothic undertones of Wuthering Heights with a dash of mystery, you would get this fantastic murder mystery. Throughout the story, I had no idea what would happen next or who the murderer was, I was just along for the ride. I hope the author continues to write more about these characters, I can't get enough!

A wonderful Gothic romance that reminds me of Scooby-Doo in a more mature less cartoony way. There aren't really any ghosts or ghoulies in this book ( or are there?? just a girl trying to get over her guilt and save herself from the hangman's noose. She's then whisked away to a crumbling house on the edge of the sea where she's to pretend to talk to the ghost of a murdered woman and ease the pain and suffering of the house. However, everything goes wrong and she discovered the truth while trying to avoid the prophecy of her death in la mer.

This was a delightful read from start to finish. Wonderful mystery elements, a tightly written plot, an immersive atmosphere, and characters that leapt off the page.

Sumptuous and twisting!! I was so entertained by A Dreadful Splendor with all its turns and pacing. It’s one of those rare stories where you love all the ghastly villains!! The dashing hero was a flesh and blood—and blonde Mr. Darcy. Totally enjoyable!

A young woman finds herself in trouble after doing séances for grieving families. In a promise to represent her in trial, a solicitor asks help in finding peace for the Earl of Chadwick after his fiancée’s death. This story kept me guessing the entire time. I loved how complex the characters relationships intertwined with one another.

I was gifted an advanced copy by William Morrow and Net Galley to read and review honestly and voluntarily.

This was a fun read! I always enjoy a gothic romance here and there, and this fits the mood while also providing an easy romantic feel. It follows Genevieve Timmons, a spiritualist who stages seances in order to scrape by a living in London. Her situation changes when she's caught and sentenced to death but is whisked away to a stately English manor before it can be carried out. The book includes Genevieve's POV as well as diary entries that lead us further into the mystery that unfolds featuring a wide cast of characters where everyone is a suspect. This book kept me up at night in the best way, not because of spirits and creaky old homes, but because I had to know how everything played out in the end!
As always, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!
I got mixed feelings about this book. It’s not that good but it’s not bad too. I don’t even really sure about the genres in this book. They’re probably YA historical fiction and suspense. The first 50% of the book just roams about the main character’s situation in Somerset Park and the background history surrounding Somerset Park. It’s pretty slow and if you’re not into that shit or if you don’t like the MC, you’ll probably DNF’ed this book early. Shits start happening in the next 50% of the book.

I got disappointed and confused throughout the next 50% of the book (because it’s probably YA mystery). What happens at the end doesn’t make any sense. The twists are everywhere but also out of nowhere. Well, people die at the end of the book but again, it doesn’t make any sense. I hate it when the story spins right away toward a direction that is absolute nonsense. Like the way Lady Audra still alive and wants revenge while she actually caught in love between those three men (ehem no, they’re only two of them). The ending is likable and sad (because our MC’s mother was killed by the boarding house owner…I forgot her name).

My first gothic romance and this one did not disappoint. Mystery, suspense, and romance all in one story.. say less. I was drawn to this book by the summary and stayed for the morally grey main character and the seances. Unlike most mystery books I read, where I can almost always tell who is "shady" or the culprit... this one had me thinking every single character at one point was the villain in disguise. My only knock on this book was that it read like a YA book, and I am not sure if it was marked as one, but there are some more adult themes intertwined throughout. All in all, I would recommend this fast-paced, gothic murder mystery romance book to anyone who is looking for a fun read and has an appreciation for ghosts.

I'm glad that gothic mysteries are being supported and published. This had all the classic gothic elements. The second half of the book did feel a little juvenile at times, especially the romance. This would be a great introduction to gothic romance.

Despite not being one to typically read gothic fiction, I was drawn to the premise of this book and was pleasantly surprised with how much I appreciated this story Although the plot started off a little slow for me, I was completely drawn in by the end and invested in the conclusion. I found the mystery and plot twist to be surprising enough yet not unreasonable, and everything wrapped up quite nicely. Genevieve as a main character and narrator was amusing; morally gray and self-serving, you're presented with her honest takes on each character and situation, and I found her surprisingly reliable. Overall, I gave this story 4.1 stars for a great mix of mystery, romance, and gothicism with a solid ending.

Victorian gothic romances are soooooo my thing. I wish there were more of them. That being said - this one just did not work for me and I DNF at about the 60% mark.

Genevieve Timmons is a spirtual medium and a fraud. She learned from an early age how to read people and make them believe. She's now in a lot of trouble with the police - and is bailed out by a gentleman looking for her to do a fake séance in relation to the mysterious death of a young woman. Mr. Pemberton who is also the Earl of something - was the fiance of the young woman. He knows immediately that Genevieve is a fraud - but wants her to proceed anyway to hopefully expose who murdered his fiancé.

The whole premise sounds perfectly interesting and delightful - only it wasn't for me. I didn't like either Genevieve or Pemberton. I wasn't interested enough in the outcome to read through to the end. The story just dragged for me. I think it was because Genevieve was playing both sides throughout - which was understandable - but I felt I needed her to make a connection to someone to have a shared mission or a shared investigation. I guess I don't love it when even the main character keeps important information from us - and I felt like that was happening

I wanted to love it - but I just didn't.

I received this via NetGalley as anARC, but these opinions are all my own.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy a good mystery that I can't guess the ending of right off. This was a fun read with good twists. It felt s little slow at times but was paced well overall. Genevieve is smart and spunky and keeps the plot moving.