I will start by saying that I would not consider this so much a gothic book as I would a period mystery. Gothic romance, mystery, whatever, it is one of my favorite genres, so in the end, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't really get what I thought I was going into.

With that being said, the writing, especially toward the end of the book was wonderful. The Victorian setting did give the feel, ever so slightly of gothic, however, the book got much better when I pushed the word out of my mind. I actually loved the haunting atmosphere of the story and the writer certainly kept me guessing who the killer actually was.

There is a slow build romance that takes place in the book as well. I did not feel that the two love interests had much chemistry between them, but I do appreciate that Myers gave us a slow build instead of insta-love. There is nothing I dislike more in a book than insta-love. I want the drama, the tension...

There were times I felt that the story was a bit slow and during those times I caught my mind wandering off to trivial things. I think what really kept me reading and pushing through the thing that I did not like was Myers's very vivid descriptions throughout the book.

A tightly paced, enjoyable read with a smart, complex heroine and deliciously Gothic atmosphere. Jane Austen fans will be familiar with THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO, and until Hollywood decides to adapt that foundational novel, fans can turn to talented authors like B. R. Myers. Myers is obviously well-read in the subject areas; the details of the 19th c. Spiritualist movement and the deception used during seances are realistic and intriguing .At one point, our heroine Genevieve admits that one reason she is rarely squeamish is that her late mother trained her to conceal “ectoplasm” in her cheek -- sausage casings from a butcher shop -- to spew from her mouth as proof of spiritual possession and presence during the seances that mother and daughter performed to support themselves. Highly recommended. As a Librarian, I’d suggest this book to fans of historical romance mystery fiction.

I loved A Dreadful Splendor! This historical mystery was a lot of fun. The gothic and atmospheric setting as well as the cast of characters kept me hooked from page one.

I loved that Genevieve was a spiritualist and I appreciated the fact that she was up front about the fact that she was conning people - that was her job and she did it to make ends meat. The fact that Genevieve was not of the upper echelons of society was also a refreshing change for me. Genevieve was not a "good" character and I loved that she had a bit of an edge to her. It made her a complex character. Since readers stay in her perspective for most of the novel, her complexity really kept the momentum going.

The mystery itself was fun, even if I guessed the ultimate reveal well before the ending. The interspersing of diary entries went a long way in showing which way the wind was going to blow, so to speak. But, the journey to the reveal was great.

I also loved the bit of romance thrown in her. First and foremost, I'm a romance reader, and when that can be combined in a mystery, I am a happy reader. For me, the romance wasn't overpowering (I would have been happy with more!), but I felt that it struck a nice balance. There was a little bit of everything in this novel.

The narration by Olivia Vinall was a nice accompaniment to this atmospheric tale. Since the novel is told through Genevieve's eyes, Vinall's narration helped to convey Genevieve's feelings and experiences as she slowly unraveled the mysterious death of Lady Audra.

I would love to read another historical mystery by B.R. Myers!

This title is accessible and hits a lot of the fun spooky tropes I expect in a gothic novel. I picked it up because I needed something fun and creepy and completely Gothic. This novel delivers on the haunted (?) house, aloof moody earl, traumatized and haunted young woman, tragedy, alcohol, and doomed romances.

--SPOILERS BELOW---

I was disappointed in the twist. I expect horror-adjacent titles and gothic lit to rely on tired tropes of "madwoman" and crazy people as dangerous. I think an easy way to prevent trope this feeling tiring or even harmful is to have other characters who are equally or moreso mad and not harmful. Crazy people can be useful and loving and even heroes. Unfortunately I'm worn out on seeing crazy folks who hear voices and try to hurt others. I was engrossed enough in the book to simply roll my eyes through some of that and push forward.

I'm glad I pushed through for the characterization of the women who do sex work. At first, I was worried that the book was casting them as vapid and powerless. However, the MC's attitude is one of shame, which makes sense in context. Eventually the sex workers exercise more agency and express more personality than previous. I'm glad I finished the book for this little payoff that I initially worried about.

I enjoyed the dynamic between the main female character and her romantic partner. Some of their dialog is a tad tired. I knew where their relationship would go from the jump, and I loved every second. Their relationship is fun, familiar, and exactly why I picked up this book. There's some great moments of hilarity and I squealed during the sequence where our MC goes to confront the suspicious Earl with an axe. That was a great build up and pay off that left the MC feeling a bit goofy and off kilter in a good way.

I really did enjoy this book. I don't know that I would reread it, but if somebody, like me, wants a familiar and fun gothic novel and can ignore some of the tired characterization one of the villains, I'd recommend this title.

The audiobook performance was also really great. The pacing and voicing were friendly and easy to follow.

Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to steal from the wealthy - until she gets caught. Bail is posted by an elderly man asking for her help, pose the perfect séance to heal The Lord he serves cope with the death of his bride. Yet when she arrives at the manor, Mr. Pemberton is not the grieving widower she expected. He recruits her for his own mission, stage a seance to catch the murderer of his bride.
A fantastic gothic mystery, full of secrets, surprises and spooky energy.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed listening to A Dreadful Splendor. I liked the narrator. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of this story. It kept me interested throughout the story, and kept me guessing. I will recommend this to my students.

I was not a big fan of the premise, but I acknowledge and appreciate what others would see in the characters and writing. The narration was well performed and pleasant to listen to. I do think this is a good story, just not one for me.

A Dreadful Splendor was so much fun to listen to. The story was entertaining and the narrator did a great job. I felt B.R. Myers’s gothic atmosphere was very reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, and the mystery had elements that were quite surprising. It was also interesting to know right from the start that the main character, Ginny, was a scam artist. That knowledge left me thinking, “Do I cheer Ginny on or hope her scheme fails?”.
Some may feel the story has a slow start. Hang in there. The last several chapters bring everything together in an unexpected way. You’ll be glad you stayed to see everything come to light.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#ADreadfulSplendor #NetGalley

This is a very captivating and imaginative gothic mystery novel. I liked Genevieve and could understand why she made the decisions she did based on her past. It was interesting to read about early Victorian spiritualists and their many tools of the trade. The mystery itself felt very true to the genre and included lots of twists and turns. There’s also a slow burn romance subplot, but it never overpowers the main mystery.

The audiobook was narrated by Olivia Vinall. She did a great job bringing the characters to life. I especially appreciated the different accents.

Love this book! I was in suspense about whether there was a fantasitcal ellement at play or just layers of great mystery woating to be solved - it will keep you guessing until the end! Great charecters - well developed story! and wonderful audio reader!

Ginny is a fascinating narrator for this story. A woman who runs fake séances to steal from the rich gets looped into an actual haunting that she doesn't believe in. Come on, that sounds fantastic. The story itself has all the things, intrigue, betrayal, a haunted manor house, dark family secrets, notes from the dead, and a will-they/won't they enemies to lovers romance. I never try to solve a mystery as I read it, so all the final twists and turns we delightful, well plotted surprises. Really enjoyed this one.

Perfect for fans who love the haunted house of "Home Before Dark" and the whimsey of "The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry". I enjoyed the candid themes of class obligations and different methods of revenge.

<i>A Dreadful Splendor</i> is an entertaining gothic mystery that’ll hook you from the very beginning!
The mystery at the novel’s center – did Audre jump from the cliff or was she murdered – took great twists and turns, some predictable and some not! As the story progresses, the reader and the MC Genevieve start questioning whether ghosts just might be real. A tremendous gothic mystery!
I felt the love plotline was very well developed, and I was rooting for them from the get-go.
At times the narration became repetitive. The most common occurrences were when Genevieve recounted her deals with Mr. Pemberton and Mr. Lockhart and the consequences. As a reader, this constant reiteration of facts you already know gets annoying fairly quickly.
There were also some frustrating plotlines. <spoiler>(Genevieve’s continued suspicion of Mr. T even though it wouldn’t be logical for him to secretly enlist her help in finding the murderer if he was the murderer. That stuck along waaay too long and made me doubt Genevieve’s mystery-solving capabilities.) </spoiler> However, they weren’t big enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.
I’d definitely recommend <i>A Dreadful Splendor</i>! I’ll be checking out B.R Myers future work for sure!

<b>Audiobook Review:</b> The voice actor, Olivia Vinall, did a splendid job! I think I liked the book as much as I did because of her performance. The parts that felt tedious or repetitive weren’t as much of an annoyance since I was listening to a good performance. I’ll definitely be searching out more of her work!
<i>Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Given the description, this book should have been an easy 5 stars for me. I'd anticipated a Rebecca-esque gothic romantic mystery, but what I was given felt lacking.

The plot ambled, the mystery didn't push the narrative forward enough in my opinion, and the romance fell flat.

Unfortunately by the time this book caught my attention, it was too little too late. I'd pushed through because this was a galley read, and I felt a stronger obligation to finish, but if I'd picked this up independently it may have been a DNF for me.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and HarperAudio in exchange for an honest review.

We've got a family estate with a dark past that is potentially haunted, we've got seances and schemes, and we've got multiple levels of people lying and manipulating other people for their own benefits. Genevieve may have been brought to Somerset Park to ease the mind of a man that lost his fiancé... on their wedding night. But there is a lot more going on at the estate than just a young woman who died too young.

A DREADFUL SPLENDOR is a perfect Victorian gothic story to get lost in. Myers paces the plot well and there are enough twists to keep readers guessing until all the pieces are put together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and Olivia Vinall does a great job with the audiobook performance.

I loved the audiobook of A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers!
A Gothic murder mystery set in Victorian London, it hit all the right notes for an atmospheric, suspenseful, and spooky listen.
Genevieve Timmons is a fake spiritualist who survives by defrauding mourning families who have hired her to conduct seances. Jailed and facing the gallows, she is unexpectedly released after agreeing to conduct a sham seance for a grieving nobleman who lost his fiance the night before their wedding, and if things go well, she may earn her freedom. However, once Genevieve arrives at Somerset Park estate, she learns that the handsome nobleman suspects his fiance was murdered. He then enlists Genevieve's help to unmask a killer among them, and they are not at a loss for suspects. Genevieve knows ghosts aren't real but frightening occurrences, and spooked household staff talking about a curse have her wondering if perhaps this time, she is genuinely dealing with the supernatural.

Narrator Olivia Vinall adds to the emotion, dread, and suspense through her mesmerizing portrayal of the spirited and resourceful Genevieve. Her performance also brings to life multiple characters with different attributes and accents and the creepy house. She is excellent!

This engrossing period mystery brims with an eery Gothic moodiness, betrayals, suspicions, romance, and ghosts. It was well-written, twisty, and so much fun! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to review this ALC. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Solid 3.5
Genevieve was a fascinating character to read from. She is a con artist who petends to communicate with the dead. But when she takes on a job at Somerset Park estate the one there she is ment to console knows she is a fake. He wishes her to put on her seance in hopes of scaring a confession out of the guilty party that killed his fiance on the eve of their wedding. As she stays at the estate weird occurances make her start to belive a spirt is giving her messages and helping to solve this murder.

I felt the first half or so was rather fast paced and intriguing. But as the story started to drag it left me uninterested by the time the twists and culprit was revealed. But overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

This was a fun listen! I found the narrator to be engaging throughout the book.

A Dreadful Splendor takes place in Victorian London. The main character, Genevieve Timmons, is a spiritualist, but she lets the readers know that she's a fake pretty much straight away. She gets arrested during a seance, but a wealthy lawyer gets her out of it, provided she does a seance for a nobleman to help him move on from the death of his wife.

I loved the creepy feeling throughout the book. The twists were very unexpected.

Genevieve was a really good character and this was a nice little gothic mystery book. I don’t think I would say it was “brimming with romance” considering I think even Pride & Prejudice had more tension but this was still good.

I’d recommend this for anyone who likes a good light mystery you don’t have to think very hard on. The audio narrator had a good voice from what I could tell!

I quite enjoyed A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers. The narration was very well done and led a lot of credence to the main character, Jenny's, feelings throughout the novel as well as Audra's diary entries. While I did suspect the ending about half way through the book, I did find the ending to be well done and I enjoyed how the reveal played out.