I was so excited to read The London Seance Sociéty after hearing the atmospheric vibe that Sarah Panner writes. However; I felt this story dragged and wished that Mr. Moyer's point of view was featured more throughout. Unfortunately, this plot was moving slower than I hoped and I had to DNF this novel at forty percent in.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Sarah Penner for sending me a copy of THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY. This book just came out last week.

I really loved Sarah Penner's previous book, THE LOST APOTHECARY and was excited to dig into her newest one. This one started out really great and I was super into it until I hit about 80% and it just started dragging. I didn't hate it but it just lost momentum. If you're into historical fiction then this is probably exactly your jam.

While not as wonderful as her first novel, The Lost Apothecary, The London Séance Society is an exciting read that keeps the reader guessing. I wasn't expecting the LGBTQIA+ link, but it's really nice to see that authors are starting to include characters who identify as queer in books that aren't necessarily classified as such. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

I gave the Lost Apothecary 3 stars back when it first came out. The London Seance Society shows great growth in its writing and plot. Instead of having two timelines, one in the past and one in the present, The London Seance Society is set entirely in the past with duel POVs. At its heart, it is a historical murder mystery with some elements of the paranormal. It also has a subtle sapphic romantic sub plot. While I found the murder mystery easy to predict, it still had a few final surprises I was excited about. A fun and atmospheric read!

Lenna Wickes' sister, an apprentice for well known spiritualist Vaudeline, has been killed. In an attempt to solve her sister’s murder, Lenna takes up her sister’s apprenticeship. Meanwhile, Vaudeline has been asked to assist in solving another murder, that of a member of The London Seance Society.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this book and after reading about a third I decided to shelf it under ‘Did Not Finish’. The concept is fairly interesting but I found I didn’t connect with the characters enough to care about their struggles. This is a bit outside of my usual genre and I wanted to give it a try but I kept choosing to put this book down in favor of others. Hopefully it appeals to others more than it did to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy of this book.

This was a wild read and I stayed awake until 2am to finish it because I had to know the ending. I did NOT guess correctly what the ending would be! Absolutely buying copies for my friends!

I wasn't sure The lost apothecary could be topped but this latest from Sarah Penner is possibly my new favorite! A beautifully atmospheric murder mystery novel set in 1873 Paris and London, we get immersed in the world of spiritualism and occultism as geologist Lenna Wickes investigates her sister Evie's mysterious death.

Teaming up with the famed spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire, who is also looking into a murder, Lenna discovers her sister was involved with a secret London Séance Society, the members of which were up to nefarious deeds. I loved how the story alternated timelines and perspectives, allowing us to see what happened in the past through Evie's eyes and the head of the Society, who was also murdered.

This book will make you question what you believe as far as ghosts, the afterlife and the abilities of mediums. Great on audio narrated by Lauren Irwin and Alex Wyndham, with an interesting author's note included at the end. Highly recommended for fans of books like The apothecary's garden by Jeanette Lynes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I started this book with high hopes because I really enjoyed Penner's debut novel The Lost Apothecary. However, I was unable to get hooked into the story right away. I found myself losing interest from the first 50 pages or so. Also when I realized how the relationship would be developing between the two main female characters, that completely turned me off. I was unimpressed with this one and did not complete it. Thank you for the review copy. It just was not for me.

I didn't like Sarah Penner's debut but I wanted to give her another shot with this one, as it sounded so interesting. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be sold on Penner anymore. I just can't get into her books. Her protagonists are simply uninteresting and I couldn't get into the story. What should have been a riveting story was instead painfully slow and boring.

The London Séance Society was a good book. An absolute slow burn, frankly too slow for me, but overall good. This book was a really fun look into life in the late 1800's, and how séance's were really a big thing at that time. If you are interested in historical fiction, with a slow burn mystery (that isn't really a biiig mystery) check this one out!

Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this one early in exchange for my honest review.
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It's 1873, and spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire is about to start a séance in the outskirts of Paris. Vaudeline is known around the world for her expertise of contouring murder victims spirits in order to learn the identities of the people who killed them.

Lenna Wickes has come learn from Vaudleine in Paris, because she wants to learn more about her sister's death. Lenna is skeptical of the whole séance process, but she will do anything to find her sister's killer. Once Lenna gets to Vaudeline's and starts to study under her, Vaudeline is summoned to London to solve a murder - and Lenna travels with her as an understudy. However, as the women start to try to solve the mystery alongside the exclusive men's club, the Séance Society, they begin to suspect that there is more to meet the eye with this case.

The London Seance Society takes places in 1873, part of the Victorian era. As the author notes in her afterword, it was a time of great interest in the spiritual world. In the novel, Lenna has recently lost her younger sister and in her quest for answers, starts studying with a spiritualist that her sister studied with before her death.

Told from a few points of view, I found the story to be interesting but not compelling. I think readers who enjoy historical fiction would like this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Park Row Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

I liked the Victorian-era atmosphere author Sarah Penner created in her novel, The London Seance Society, and it was interesting to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the curtain, so to speak, when mediums say they can summon the departed. I felt ambivalent about the character of Lenna. It seemed odd that someone who is so devoted to science and the material world would dip into the supernatural, even though she was trying to find out what happened to her sister. While the story seemed to start slowly, the pace picked up. In all, this was an enjoyable read, although not one I'd return to again.

Another great book from Sarah Penner!
Lenna is in Paris training with renowned medium, Vaudeline D’Allaire. Her sister, Evie, was murdered three months ago and she hopes she can reconnect with her again.
Vaudeline is called back to London by the London Seance Society after their president is found murdered. When Lenna and Vaudeline get to London, they realize not everything is what it seems.

I really liked this book! Again, Sarah proving that men ain’t shit lol I loved the characters and their arcs. I liked that there was some romance involved and I loved the twists at the end. Definitely recommend this one if like creepy, eerie, atmospheric story telling!

I want to start this review off my saying that I was a huge fan of Sarah Penner's first book, The Lost Apothecary'. So, when I got an ARC of her second book, I was really excited to read it.

This book was ok to me. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. I had a few problems with pacing. It took a long period of time to start to unravel the actual mystery. There are 42 chapters in this books and it didn't really start to hook me until halfway into the book. Like I said, it wasn't a bad read for any stretch. Just took longer to get to the bigger picture.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes historical mysteries with a touch of the supernatural.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this historical thriller. It begins with a seance and ends with a seance--very effective. The author can create a chilling scene with visual writing and tense character interaction. I think that readers will enjoy learning about the details of the seance "business."
Where the book didn't work for me was:
* Main characters. I didn't warm to Lenna. I didn't believe a cold and skeptical person like her would want to learn from a medium and I didn't believe she would do all this to find out about her sister's death. the 1960s
I found the alternating point of view of Mr. Morley (strangely first person while Lenna is first person) worked. The shift in his character was jarring and I just didn't want to spend time with someone so creepy--and not in a fun way.
* Anachronisms. How could you have "Ms." in a book set in the 19th century? It wasn't in common usage until the 1960s. "Headrests" on trains that were similar to what you'd have on an Amtrak? Young unmarried women running around London unimpeded by family, having sex seemingly without fear of pregnancy or syphilis?
The climax of the book was so well written and suspenseful and genuinely frightening that it compensated for the pace problems in other parts of the novel.

A Victorian lady medium, a ghost hunting gentlemen's club, a young woman looking for answers to her sister's murder! I was drawn into the story from page one, I will admit that the story was a bit slow in places, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I kept thinking I had the mystery figured out, just to be proven wrong in the following pages! I could not guess where this story would end up. I will definitely be keeping Sarah Penner on my to read list.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

A twisty, gripping tale of intrigue, deception, and ghosts set in Victorian London. While at times predictable, this was a highly enjoyable read. Misogyny and hubris take down the bad guys, and female rage rears her head for a satisfying but surprising revenge.

Sarah Penner's second novel is another winner! Set in 1870's Paris and London, the novel centers around a acclaimed spiritual medium and her apprentice as both women have a wary history and must work together to solves two murders. Vaudeline D'Allaire and Lenna Wickes are no strangers to working against the grain in the dominantly male field of conjuring the spirits through seances; a practice that was very popular at this time in Europe. Together the women learn to trust each other and be suspicious of all other claims in order to understand the truth.

Penner's ability to bring the reader directly into the locations and time period the story is describing is a gift, and one that is not easily achieved in all historical fiction novels. I was very excited to not only learn more about 1870's Europe but also the practices of seances and mourning rituals of the time. The London Séance Society is a solid follow up to The Lost Apothecary and Sarah Penner is definitely becoming a "must read author" for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the opportunity to review this novel.

The slightly goofy, blockbuster film version of Historical Fiction and Magical Realism.

If you don’t read a lot in this genre, you’ll likely enjoy this one more than I did, because it mostly suffers in comparison to other books of a similar type with a similar premise. This is spooky seances for the masses, which means it’s entertaining, if not exactly erudite.

There’s nothing abjectly terrible about this book except perhaps for the doofus villain monologue at the end, which is very Scooby Doo and tough to take outside of a kids book. The characters are archetypal, though likable enough, and the premise and pacing are fine.

Generally speaking, when it comes to Historical Fiction, I need to either learn a lot or feel very immersed atmospherically to consider the book a success. I didn’t get either of those things from this book. If you’re a reader who is truly just here to be entertained, you probably won’t have many objections though, as it’s a well-paced, relatively engaging story.

Color me disappointed.

After enjoying The Lost Apothecary immensely, I was looking forward to Sarah Penner's sophomore book. Seances? Spiritualism? Murder? Sounded like the perfect recipe.

Alas, the book failed to engage me. The pacing was much too slow for a mystery. Many of the scenes were cut up with unnecessary cliffhangers that, rather than heighten the tension, diluted it. I would have preferred a shorter read with tighter pacing.

That said, the mystery had some terrific twists at the end. Penner did a great job of keeping me guessing. The slow-burn romance was sweet as well despite some of the conflict feeling forced.

Over all, I would call this a good-not-great read. It's perfect for a weekend or vacation read.. Given that sophomore books are notoriously difficult, I will definitely keep Penner on my reading list and hope she bounces back with her third book.