Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned and there’s nothing like an angry, vengeful medium bent on revenge on this deeply atmospheric trip through old London in the 1800’s.

Sara Penner has crafted an eerie, suspenseful mystery that is steeped in a world dripping with illusion, bringing the Victorian era to life and once again proving her novels are not one’s to miss.

Lenna Wickes does not believe in the otherworldly as she is grounded in the sciences and feels the only ghosts around are the fossil imprints she seeks to find, tangible reminders of thing’s past. That is until her baby sister Evie is found dead, causing Lenna to seek out the help of a medium in trying to embrace the occult all in the name of finding her sisters killer.

Vaudeline D’Allaire is a spiritualist that holds classes in learning the art of invocation of murder victims spirits to glean the truth of who had killed them. She herself had to flee London for Paris under threats to her safety.

Lenna knows her sister Evie studied with Vaudeline and has travelled to Paris to embark on her own journey, gaining a special solo class once she explains who her sister was and that she had been murdered. While working and learning as an understudy, Vaudeline gets word an old friend has been murdered and must travel to London to perform a seance, bringing Lenna along the journey.

These two tough women have unknowingly set the stage to become entangled with and embattled with the all men’s London Séance Society, and with nothing as it seems, danger, murder and mayhem are soon to ensue, putting even their lives at risk.

Penner has once again built an immersive world that sucks you through dark back alleys and secret seances that runs closely with London’s true history of mediums and death rituals. You will feel the chill of the London cobblestone streets and feel the danger all around as plotting and secrets surround you, pulling you in for a tale that will cause goosebumps and that feel of something behind you, touching you, watching you, and bringing hours of spine tingling enjoyment.

I can not give this book enough praise and recommendations as one to add to your book wish list, your preorder madness, or your race to the bookstore on release date to grab your copy of The London Séance Society. Don’t be the one left crying when the shelves are empty this March of 2023 when this amazing tale hits retail shelves. You’ve been warned!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

My full review will be posted on all my social media, blog sites, and retail sites on publication day!

4.5 stars

Lenna Wickes mourned the loss of her sister, Evie. Evie had a passionate interest in spiritualism and life after death. Lenna didn't understand Evie's interest as she found no scientific basis for seances and the like but, she was willing to try anything to learn who killed her sister. Lenna traveled to Paris to study with the renowned spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire. Vaudeline was known for holding seances for people who had been killed in order to find their murderer. Evie was a follower of Vaudeline and had studied with her as well. Vaudeline received a request to travel to London to hold a séance for the recently murdered president of the London Séance Society as their attempts had been unsuccessful. Since the man has been a friend, Vaudeline decided to return to find her friend's killer. Lenna returned with Vaudeline and they soon found themselves in potential peril as well. It quickly became a matter of who was a friend and who was a foe.

This was quite enjoyable. The story had twists and turns. I thought I had it all figured out and then new information was revealed. Both of the women were interesting characters. Vaudeline was mysterious and had amazing abilities. Lenna was deeply rooted in science, but was open to learning about spiritualism. I enjoyed how Penner set the scenes in her story. The story was wonderfully spooky and eerie when it needed to be. I loved Sarah Penner's first book, The Lost Apothecary. This is an excellent second book and one I will definitely recommend.

I received an e-ARC for The London Séance Society and want to thank Sarah Penner, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book.

I plan to post my review on March 1, 2023 on my Goodreads, Instagram, and StoryGraph accounts. I will link those posts once they are live.

Another book by the author of The Lost Apothecary, this historical fiction is beautifully written. This novel explores the seance obsessions of the Victorian Era. Vaudeline is a respected and gifted medium who is chased out of London by the less scrupulous mediums of the men's only London Seance Society. After the death of her friend, the founder of the society, Vaudeline returns to London with her understudy ti investigate his death. Then they get caught up in a dangerous game and must solve two murders before they are killed.
Lots of spooky, ghost filled seances and a murder mystery! What a great read! Plus, I love Penner's lyricism and beautiful writing.

Enchanting. Enthralling. Engrossing.

The London Séance Society is a wonderful masterpiece that is at once beautiful and menacing. After finishing the ARC I immediately had to pre-order a hard copy (and The Lost Apothecary because I need more of Sarah Penner’s prose in my life).

Skeptic and fossil collector Lenna Wilkes goes to spiritualist crime solving Vaudeline D’Allaire to learn to how to perform séances and find out what happened to her murdered sister. After a letter arrives announcing the death of the president of the London Séance Society the two women find themselves right in the middle of a mystery full of delightful twists and turns. While trying to solve two murders they also discover a growing affection between them.

There are so many things that I adored about this book! Not one but two murders to solve! A twisty mystery so masterfully laid out that I felt like I was uncovering it just seconds before the characters which, to me, shows a well-written mystery. Especially after looking back and seeing that all the clues and hints were there the whole time.

The imagery used in the novel is breathtaking. Comparing and contrasting the scientific physical proof of physical remains after death using fossils to the spiritualist intangible proof of spirits after death using events that take place at a seance was such an intriguing and compelling choice. Really the arguments made through the book dealing with belief in what can be seen in the physical world vs belief in what can’t be seen but felt were wonderful. Especially how it was used not just to relate to séances and proof of life after death but also to emotions and the romance.

And the romance! A slow burn that continuously tugged at my heartstrings. It was tender and sweet and gave another lovely dimension to the story with fond moments scattered throughout the tension and mystery. I could almost feel every longing look and cheered when they kissed.

But for how much I loved and rooted for the romance I absolutely adored that Lenna’s love for her sister and want to find out what happened to her trumped everything else for her. She never once forgot about it or stopped searching for the truth. Even if it meant having to go against her own self (and romantic interest).

I don’t think I could ever stop gushing about this book but I also don’t think my gushing gives it even the slightest justice. Instead I’ll just say go read this gorgeous book (with a gorgeous cover) for yourself. And references! The back has references, which is always a win for me, and just an extra joy to see at the back of this book! Fall into the world of spirits, science, and mystery!

Another great book by Sarah Penner. I felt transported to the time and place. Perfect read for spooky season. I loved the multiple points of view as well as back and forth between timelines. Everything fell together perfectly at the end.

It’s abundantly clear that Sarah Penner can hold your attention hostage once you’ve opened one of her books. It’s near impossible to put it down once that first chapter is read.

The London Seance Society takes place in 19th century London and Paris. Lenna Wickes is grieving the loss of her sister who was brutally murdered. She becomes an understudy to the renowned spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire, in hopes of learning how to conjure her dead sister’s spirit. Vaudeline is invited to perform a seance in Paris where the President of the London Seance Society was found murdered and she invites Lenna along as her understudy. Lenna has plans of her own to learn more about her sister’s death and possibly use the same seance to solve her murder. The two women band together and not only solve both murders but find that the Society isn’t exactly on the up and up.

This story is full of intrigue with enough mystery to keep you enthralled throughout. The two main characters are captivating and alluring, in perfect sync with the plot of the book.

This is most definitely worthy of my 5-star review and I will eagerly anticipate the next Sarah Penner novel. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishers for the ARC of this fantastic book.
It’s abundantly clear that Sarah Penner can hold your attention hostage once you’ve opened one of her books. It’s near impossible to put it down once that first chapter is read.

The London Seance Society takes place in 19th century London and Paris. Lenna Wickes is grieving the loss of her sister who was brutally murdered. She becomes an understudy to the renowned spiritualist, Vaudeline D’Allaire, in hopes of learning how to conjure her dead sister’s spirit. Vaudeline is invited to perform a seance in Paris where the President of the London Seance Society was found murdered and she invites Lenna along as her understudy. Lenna has plans of her own to learn more about her sister’s death and possibly use the same seance to solve her murder. The two women band together and not only solve both murders but find that the Society isn’t exactly on the up and up.

This story is full of intrigue with enough mystery to keep you enthralled throughout. The two main characters are captivating and alluring, in perfect sync with the plot of the book.

This is most definitely worthy of my 5-star review and I will eagerly anticipate the next Sarah Penner novel. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishers for the ARC of this fantastic book.

I'm so mad about this book.

I do not know who writes this author's excerpts but i have questions. Why do the synopsis of the Lost Apothecary and The London Seance Society sound so much better than what you actually get?

Going into this i thought i was going to be reading a rich dark historical fiction novel about a secret society in London that conducted seance's in London's underbelly.

that is not what i got.

I can't even give an accurate review because this book isn't out yet and i would be spoiling every part of it that i was frustrated with.

Read at your own risk.

I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary and was looking forward to Penners latest release. Overall, I enjoyed this one, but not as much as her previous book, and this one took me longer to get into.

Told in alternating perspectives, The London Seance Society is set during Victorian era London and focuses on the latest trend of seances. Lenna is determined to find out what happened to her sister Evie who was murdered, so she starts to work under spiritualist Vaudeline. As time goes on Lenna uncovers some sinister information around the London Seance Society.

This book has some eerie scenes mystery revolving around the society. A quick read once I got into the story.

Loved this title! I enjoyed another foray into Victorian times and the subject was quite wonderful. Reading it October made it even better. My "Lost Apothecary" fans will love this one just as much or even more!

Definitely something I haven’t read before. The characters were interesting and the story line kept me hooked I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

I absolutely loved this book, I ate this story up, it was great! I love how Sarah Penner writes and I had a feeling this would be as good as The Lost Apothecary. I read the synopsis and I was immediately intrigued. The first chapter had me hooked. The characters were well written, the first seance in the book actually gave me chills. It was a slower burn but the way Sarah wrote it made it flow very well, there wasn't a downhill moment for me. Also, that world building? Done so well.

This was a story that delivered, it had promise in the synopsis and I was floored. I'll definitely be picking up a physical copy when this comes out!

Interesting book about something I know very little about. In 19th century London if you wanted to know how or why a family member died, or hear from them it was quite fashionable to call upon a ghost or seance club. In this historical fiction novel a woman decides to study how these seances are done after the death of her sister, a friend and the friends father. She suspects that there may be some false practices in play and gets involved with a woman who is supposed to be “the real thing”.
Fascinating story with a few surprises along the way. Another success for Sarah Penner! Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

Just when I thought Sarah Penner’s writing could not top her first book, The Lost Apothecary, along comes her second book, The London Seance Society! This book is a tale of spiritualism and seances in the Victorian era. Very well researched, and complete with an informative Author’s Note at the conclusion of the book, I was overjoyed to learn about this time period in history. Although I felt the book started a little slow, it made up for it as the story develops and action comes alive. I found it difficult to put this book aside until I finished it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

I LOVED The Lost Apothecary by @sarah_penner_author when I read it a little over a year ago. Loved as in it became one of my all-time favorite books. So I was stoked when I saw that this author was releasing another book, The London Seance Society, and I was even more stoked when @netgalley approved me for an advanced reader’s copy.

I was not disappointed. I read this book yesterday (yes, all in one day. I mean, I was in too much pain to do anything else, but still), and it was everything I hoped for and more.

After the mysterious death of Lenna’s sister, Evie, she travels to Paris to learn mediumship from one of the best in the best in the business, Vaudeline D’Allair. Except soon after Lenna begins her apprenticeship, Vaudeline is called back to London to investigate the death of Volckner, President of the London Seance Society. What’s more? Volckner and Evie died on the same night.

Before long, Lenna begins to suspect the two deaths are connected, and her mistrust of everyone around her grows. Will she find the truth of Evie’s death? Will she even make it out of London alive?

If you haven’t read The Lost Apothecary, get it now. Then mark your calendars for March 23, 2023 when The London Seance Society will hit the shelves.

The London Séance Society is a wonderful historical novel that will leave you unable to put it down. I would like to thank NetGalley, Harlequin, and Sarah Penner for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is set in 19th century London and Paris and follows Lenna Wickes as she meets with Vaudeline D’Allaire, a well-known spiritualist, to try and uncover what happened to her sister Evie. While with Vaudeline, though, they start to uncover a mystery within London’s Séance Society.

The mystery in this book is very well-done and I couldn’t figure out what happened, which kept me turning pages all night! I finished this one at 3 a.m. because I couldn’t put it down. The descriptions of Victorian London were beautiful and I felt like I was truly there. I also really enjoyed the two main characters and learning more about them throughout.

After reading this, I’m hoping to pick up the author’s first book, The Lost Apothecary, soon! I highly recommend this one for fans of Victorian novels, spooky reads, and mysteries. 5 stars!

Sarah Penner entrances us once again with her latest novel. The London Séance Society centers around Lenna Wilkes, who's traveled from London to Paris in an effort to find out who murdered her sister. Evie had been a very eager student of a world renowned medium whose main claim to fame was the conjuring spirits of murder victims to find out who killed them. Lenna is now that very medium's understudy. Will she keep her steadfast trust in facts and science, or open her eyes and mind to the supernatural?

There’s no sophomore slump for Sarah Penner! She knocked it out of the park again with The London Séance Society.

I’ll be totally honest - this one took a bit longer to draw me in than The Lost Apothecary did and that made me a little nervous… But once it got going, it really took off and kept me wanting more. The web of mystery in London and Paris society, tied in with the zenith of the Victorian spiritualist movement (and all that that entails), makes for a truly unique story with a rather clever ending.

Sarah Penner's historical fiction is unmatched. The London Seance Society instantly transports you to 19th-century London. Atmospheric, well-written, and obviously well-researched, Penner is now on my list of auto-buy authors. Excellent book!

Lenna wants answers to the brutal murder of her sister, Evie, even if that means becoming an understudy to the world’s most renowned medium. Vaudeline is widely known to be an authentic conjurer of spirits who were victims of violent crimes. She uses her gifts to learn who was responsible for their deaths. Lenna has joined her in Paris to learn the art of séances, and despite being a skeptic herself, she has a natural talent for supernatural gifts.

Vaudeline receives word that a friend of hers in England has been murdered. Mr. Volckman was the founder and leader of the London Séance Society, an exclusive gentlemen’s club that rose in notoriety at the height of the 1873 Victorian spiritualist movement. Vaudeline and Lenna set out to discover the truth behind what happened to Mr. Volckman. Lenna also hopes that returning to England where her sister was murdered will mean they can finally learn the truth of that mystery too. But the plots run deeper than either of them expected and they quickly become entangled in sinister schemes beyond their imagining.

Everything we loved about her writing in her previous debut, The Lost Apothecary, is back and better than ever! This is sure to be another massively popular release. It’s got a vividly constructed historical setting, creeping tension in the plot, and an atmospheric feel to the prose and style. The paranormal elements really come to life in a believable way. Suspense and illusions will keep you guessing with so many unexpected twists.

The feminist underpinnings create nuances in the plot and the themes of women empowerment are strong. There is an intensity in the way that Lenna explores her sexuality, with even some mildly spicy moments which I was pleasantly surprised about. Women during that time were largely suppressed and I enjoyed the journey that Lenna takes in learning to love and express herself, even if it was in ways that were not the status quo.

But the true driver of this story is that the bonds and loyalty between siblings transcends even death. Even through all of the danger and discoveries, Lenna never loses sight of her ambition for justice for her sister. This is the kind of historical book that I just love to read, with just enough of the magical to make it entrancing. And there is even a section at the end of the story with research and information about the climate of society during that time-period. The story is passionate, dramatic, and sinister. If you love the possibility that the supernatural is real, an unlikely Victorian-era female heroine, and a complex murder-mystery plot, then this is the book for you.

This book was so fun, a page turner if there ever was one. Engaging and fascinating all the way through. I loved the setting and time period at the height of spiritualism at the time, the characters, the mystery of the society. Haven't read Penner's previous novel but will absolutely add it to my list of to-reads. I mean, this was just a blast to read.