Paris, 1873
Lenna is wondering what happened to her sister after her death. She wants answers!

Now in an abandon chateau a seance is about to start…Do you believe what you see and hear?

Lenna decides to train as a medium under Vaudeline D’Allaire after she is called to London to help solve a murder. They end up working with men from the London Seance Society.

This novel is like a puzzle. I was trying to put all the pieces together.

I remember dabbling with the Ouija board as a teen, but never thought about seances. I think I would be afraid of what or whom I would conjure up.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Set in the late 1800s. 'The London Séance Society' follows Lenna Wickes who, in the wake of her sister's death, is thrust into the world of the occult in her effort to find answers. She studies under the famous spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire, who uses her gifts to solve murders. When D'Allaire is called back to London to help solve one of her most high-profiles crimes yet, the two are thrust into the path of the mysterious, and often dubious, London Séance Society.

This was definitely another enjoyable read by Sarah Penner, and one I think I preferred to her last work, 'The Lost Apothecary.' I am always impressed by how much research the author does on the topic, as she truly makes it seem like she is an expert on niche historial topics - something which only adds to the reading experience. I think that this was a well put together novel that, while it moves somewhat too slow for my liking, kept me hooked the whole way through. As with her other work, I personally don't resonate with the characters, but I don't think that this is the fault of the author as they are generally well written and fleshed out.

This is certainly a recommended read if you are looking for a historical murder mystery with a touch of the supernatural.

A fantastic sophomore novel filled with spooky atmosphere, subversive and strong women, and a mystery that twists!

Lenna is searching for her sister's killer, willing to suspend her logical side to learn from Vaudeline D'Allaire, world renown medium from whom her sister was learning. When the pair return to their 1873 London from Paris, summoned by Mr. Morely of the gentleman's club The London Seance Society, they begin to discover a sinister plot that threatens everything they hold dear.

This story is utterly captivating from the first page and just when you catch your breath, another deeper tension pulls you down. As the story unfolds, Lenna is struggling with deeper issues that make this more than just a spooky tale of wonder. I appreciated her cynicism while doing whatever was necessary to find her sister's killer, and consequently finding more about herself in the process.

I have been reading my @NetGalley copy to my friends in the care home (slightly edited😘) and am so grateful for @parkrowbooks and @harlequinbooks for the ability to have the digital ARC early! They are loving it!

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑
The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner is a historical mystery with some romance.

Story Recap:
Acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire, is about to perform a séance in an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris. Vaudeline D’Allaire is an accomplished spiritualist renowned throughout the world for conjuring spirits.

Lenna Wickes wants answers to her sister’s death. She doesn’t believe in séances but is desperate to discover what happened to her sister. Mr. Morley, the current president of the Society’s Department of Spiritualism, needs to know what happened to his predecessor, Mr. Wolckman, who was brutally murdered the same day as Lenna’s sister.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this atmospheric, Victorian story about spiritualism and murder! I’ve always heard that the Victorians enjoyed this spiritualism and séances so it was fun to read a story set in this time.

Although the story has a slow start, once it picked up, I was quickly immersed in the story. The author does a wonderful job of making me feel like I’m there with the characters. The mystery was interesting and I didn’t figure it out until the characters did.

The story switched POVs between Lenna and Mr. Morley which helped move the story along.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend The London Séance Society to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was another fun read by Sarah Penner! I really felt immersed in the world she created and flew through this one pretty quickly.

What an amazing story about the Victorian fascination with the occult! When the President of the London Seance Society and her sister end up dead the same day, Lenna (the new understudy for medium Vaudeline) and her master medium are on the case.

Leaving the protection of Paris, the pair return to assist the vice President of the London Seance Society uncover who is trying to use tricks and smoke and mirrors to sully the society’s reputation.

How does Lenna’s sister’s obsession with the occult connect back to the society? Who are the dirty actors?

Told in first (Mr Morley’s chapters) and third person (Lenna’s chapters), a genius way to unfold this story with as many intricate layers as an onion.

Loved, loved, loved it. Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for offering me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The London Seance Society ends up being a very enjoyable book. I may have had other expectations about the focus. Vaudeline, a world famous medium from France, takes on students. Her practice focuses on solving murders. Presently, Lenna, a young woman from London, is studying with Vaudeline. Lenna's younger sister Evie was a former student and very enthusiastic in her studies of the spirit world. She was murdered on All Hallows Eve, her body found in the family's front yard. Lenna does not believe in things one cannot see, yet she is drawn to work with Vaudeline to understand her sister and possibly to connect with her spirit, should she come to terms with that idea.

Mr. Morely is head of the London Seance Society's Department of Spiritualism. His Department manages the seance side of the business. Mr. Volckman, founder of the Society and Morale's boss was also murdered on All Hallow's Eve. He is an old friend of Vaudeline. When she discusses rumors about questionable conduct by someone in the Society, Volckman informs Vaudeline that his inquiries have put him in danger and suggests she return to Paris for her own safety. This is where Lennie and Vaudeline are when Morley calls them back to conduct a seance to try to solve Volckman's murder.

Penner constructs her own set of rules for "real" (Vaudeline's) seances versus those put on by fraudsters using various tricks to fool attendees. If you consider this as if it were a novel written in the time it portrays, 1873, the narratives and Penner's style becomes enjoyable to the ear. At first it felt unnatural and stilted. The story begins rather slowly but as the pieces come together, the plot, details, red herrings and characters come alive and are engaging. The Society is a stuff men's club that does not allow women on the premises. Lenna first came across it when she attended a seance for her close friend, Eloise and her father. They died in an unexpected accident but the seance, run by the Society, rang false to Lenna. This influences her view of spiritualism, but does not impact her earnest effort to learn.

A good Victorian mystery with some fun recipes at the end and a bibliography for those who want to learn more. Recommend.

London Séance Society is by Sarah Penner, the bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary. It has a little of everything: mystery, romance, supernatural elements, and nonstop drama. This is a novel with many twists. You will be wondering throughout who are the trustworthy charterers and who are the villains. Set in the Victorian era during the height of Spiritualism it is the tale of both charlatans and true believers along with those caught up in their machinations.

Leanna Wickets joins renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire in attempting to solve the murder of her sister as well as the death of Vaudeline’s friend, The President of the exclusive male only London Séance Society. As they struggle to survive their investigations of the spirit world as well as mortal men, romance between the two begins to spark. This is a gothic tale with a modern sensibility, which kept me guessing till the end.

For those fascinated by the time period, there are some interesting bonuses at the end including historical notes, instructions on making a candle, and Victorian funeral cookie and punch recipes.

I received an early copy of London Séance Society through Netgalley and the publishers in order to provide readers with an honest opinion.

It is difficult to pull off a novel with alternating points of view, especially when one is male and one is female, but Sarah Penner pulls it off beautifully. Told from the perspectives of Lenna, who is training to be a medium to find out who murdered her sister, and Mr. Morley, who is the vice president of The London Seance Society and is holding secrets, this novel has mystery, murder, ghosts, and romance, all set in a time when proper women in London knew their place. Vaudeline, a well-known medium, will challenge all of the notions that Lenna has lived by, and challenge the smug Mr. Morley, threatening to reveal the ugly underbelly of the all men's society.

Sarah Penner has written a compelling historical fiction about the mid-nineteenth century when seances were all the rage. She combines a study of the societal restrictions placed on women with a series of mysteries and a medium who uses seances to solve the crimes. I give this only 4 of 5 stars. I felt the viewpoint of Mr. Morley was underdeveloped, but the viewpoint of Lenna was so well written, it would have received 5 stars otherwise.

Fun Fact… THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner was groundbreaking for my reading, as it was my first audiobook ever that I actually enjoyed! (I laugh thinking at my .75 speed then).

I knew that I couldn’t read this book without getting the audiobook also (2.5 speed nowadays 😅).

I snagged the audio today, Happy Pub Day, and it was such a fun read I was finished by dinner time…so you know it’s a good book!

I’m typically not a big fan of HF, but what can I say I’m Cajun and I’m a sucker for anything clairvoyant, mediums and ghosts all the like.

Plus you sprinkle in suspense, a tad bit of mystery, sapphic moments, con artists, swindlers, illusionists with sisterly love that defies death and I couldn’t help but smile all day while reading. 4.5 stars

LOVED IT!!

Another fabulous stand alone mystery from a fantastic author. It takes the reader through an interweaving story fraught with the victorian spiritualism, female relationships, and a whodunnit mystery. Just when you think you've figured it all out, you're surprised by some well timed twists. I loved it, and highly recommend it.

In 1873 London, seances were very popular. One medium uses her craft to try to help police investigate unsolved murders. She and her assistant get involved in something really dangerous and complicated in order to solve the murders. A mix of historical fiction, thriller/mystery with a touch of magical realism thrown in, this book will keep you turning the pages to get to the end.

One of my reading goals this year is to read more historical fiction, particularly in genre fiction. So far, I am finding myself gravitating towards Gilded Age / late Victorian / Belle Epoque settings. I am drawn to the era's fascination with the macabre, ghosts, and the afterlife, so I was especially intrigued by this book's focus on mediums and seances. There's a lot to enjoy here: gender dynamics in Victorian England (gentlemen's social clubs vs the extremely female-dominated industry of spiritualism), a duo of crime-solving sapphic mediums (who might kiss a little), a mystery surrounding a criminal conspiracy (I love a corruption investigation), and otherworldly ghosts (via the titular seances).

I generally enjoyed this book. The mystery was compelling. At first, I was surprised by the narration switching POVs between Lenna, the medium-in-training, and Mr. Morley, a vice president in the London Seance Society. However, I found that this narrative structure helped structure the reveals in a very twisty mystery about corruption, fraud, and murder within the Society's membership.

I do wish the book had been spookier. I didn't find that it quite had the gothic vibe I love. The majority of the plot focuses on a criminal investigation, with the only major seance serving as a final scene to tie the different threads of the mystery together. I would have appreciated more otherworldliness woven throughout. Even so, it is a fun enough read.

In 1873, Lenna Wickes travels to Paris to get answers about her sister’s death from world-renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire, who is known for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to discover the identities of those who killed them. Vaudeline is asked to go back to England to help solve a high-profile murder, so Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. They team up together to solve the mystery, however, they start to suspect that they are not merely there to solve a crime…

Penner did a wonderful job depicting the Victorian era and creating an atmospheric novel that’s creepy, eerie, and suspenseful. Not only does the book focus on the murder mystery with some supernatural elements, but there also is a romance plot line weaved throughout the book. The book, overall, was an easy, engaging read.

The story is told by two POVs: Lenna and Mr Morley, the Vice President of the London Seance Society’s Department of Spiritualism. Mr. Morley’s POV really helped to tie the whole story together, as it helped to drop some of the hints and clues toward the mystery before Lenna discovered them herself.

I did find the book to be a bit slow at first, and I just wanted to get to the actual investigation of the murder. However, I was hooked in the second half. There were many twists and turns at the end of the novel that I did not see coming.

Overall, a great read for those who are interested in the supernatural and love murder mysteries!

I absolutely adored The Lost Apothecary and couldn’t wait to tear into this one. I even bought it through the Book of the Month club just because I knew I was going to love it!

However, I read 23% of this book before I decided to give up. The pacing is sooo slow. Really, nothing happened in the first quarter of the book other than setting up love interests and characters, who were not interesting to me at all.

You’d think with that title there would be a seance every once in a while, yet after the first few pages - none. There were talks of seances, but no action.

I am so sad to say that this just completely bored me and it wasn’t worth finishing.

This book takes you deep into the world of Victorian London. I loved the details used create a setting that I could easily picture and often even smell. Sarah Penner is a gifted writer.

For me, the story was rather slow and I found the 2 narrators to be repetitive, but it all made up for it in the last quarter of the book! It really takes off and has a powerful ending. I highly recommend it if you like a good mystery and love finding yourself immersed in the setting of a book!

Sarah Penner has created a atmospheric suspenseful whodunit filled with mystery and illusion, set in the Victorian Era. It is an engaging story that will have you hooked after the first chapter. Lenna Wickes has gone to Paris after her little sister Evie is found dead under mysterious circumstances. She was studying under Vaudeline A"illare who is a renowned spiritualist well known for invoking the spirits of murder victims to determine the identitys of the of the people who murdered them. Lenna becomes Vaudeline's understudy to get answers. When Vaudeline learns her mentor and old friend Mr. M Volckman is dead she and Lenna go to The London Séance Society .for men under Mr. Morley's request. Let the games begin, as nothing is at it seems lies, murder betrayal as both women seek out answers the men will go to great lengths to stop that from happening.

I would like to thank Sarah Penner, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Row Books,and NetGalley for the ARC of The London Séance Society in exchange for an honest review
I highly recommend you read this book available on March 7, 2023

I received this book from NetGalley.

Honestly, during the first 15% of this book, I was worried that it would be a flop for me-thankfully I was wrong. This book was full of twists and turns, but some little things weren't my favorite in the story. I will say that the author's note was fascinating to read and it is clear that Sarah puts a lot of research into writing a book. I think this makes the book more well-rounded since it is based on realistic information from the time period.

Lenna is under the tutelage of a spiritualist who taught her sister before her untimely death. Vaudeline D'Allaire has been residing in Paris since she left London due to a threat against her life. During a seance Vaudeline gets a letter from a colleague that has her in tears- she must return to London immediately to find out who murdered an old friend, and the president of the London Seance Society.

Lenna returns to London with her teacher, she intends to go see her family but the man that meets them has the same cap that she had found in her sister's room- and it was too much of a coincidence for her to ignore.

The dual POV in this book did confuse me at times because the italics were flashbacks in the person's POV, so that was not my favorite component. I did enjoy the twist and surprises that popped up throughout the book. I did not predict some of the big reveals throughout the story.

I appreciated that the FMCs were queer and how that component of the book seemed realistic for the time period that it was written. I got the ick with Evie and the person that was her "lover", I understand that Evie was using him but I felt gross reading it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book and I liked Lenna our FMC. I hated the male MC but I think that was completely on purpose. I enjoyed the relationship between Lenna and Vaudeline, along with Bennett our driver throughout the story.

Thank you @netgally for this free book to read and review

An unsolved murder, ghosts, seances, and two women trying to get answers. Set in the late 1800’s in London this book had several twists and held my attention right until the end.