I was promised a paranormal novella with a touch of slow burn romance. I was so excited! Well…

Madame Chalamet can talk to ghosts and her skills come handy when solving murder cases. Unfortunately she sometimes knows things that should absolutely not be repeated. Or that’s what the Duke de Archambeau thinks. Since said Duke doesn’t trust her to keep her mouth shut he locks her up.

But he locks her up in his own house 🤯
The same evening he invites her to a dinner party 🤯🤯 Why?? The idea behind locking her up was so she wouldn’t talk to anyone, so - a PARTY?

This is the first novella of the series and the Duke is supposed to be the love interest and yet there was absolutely no chemistry between them. Instead she was very touchy-feely with some childhood friend (a straight one) who kept reappearing throughout the book and it was a little confusing.

The first half of the book was very boring but it picked up speed later on and became less so. Then things got excitingly creepy which I enjoyed and then turned slightly gore which I enjoyed less.

All in all unfortunately a little meh.

2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had never experienced a Gaslamp fantasy before, I loved the world building and the atmosphere Byrd Nash created. The characters and their interactions have left me eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I will begin by thanking NetGalley and Rook and Castle Press for the opportunity to read "Ghost Talker".

In this book we follow Madame Elinor Chalamet as she's requested to conduct a ghost talking by the Duke de Archambeau (Tristan Fountaine) entourage in the hopes of solving an issue of great national importance!

CW: murder, drug addiction

I must say..this novella was a delight! ^^ Byrd Nash managed to evoque the 1900s France pretty well! We got A LOT of world building for 141 pages,as my ipad showed...not only we get the current state of affairs in this country( Sarnesse), but also a pretty great description of Alenbonné - the city in which all the action takes place! We get some idea about the society without actually spending that much time describing stuff, and a richer introduction in what exactly is ghost talking and how our MC got into it!
This story is mainly a mystery-thriller with an undertone of romance.
I loved our main character and her way of approaching different kind of people! Loved how she's described, her way of talking and her wit! We also got a nice supporting cast, with the Duke, of course, leading the show! :)))
In terms of the actual plot, I believe we have a great start to the story, as we have Chalamet goal of finding her father's killer. We have a good mistery with some other's showing their heads at different times...the fact that all those mysteries are ghost-related is only a bonus! Cannot wait to find out more when it comes to Minette and papa Chalamet! I'm also very curious if we'll get more political stuff in future instalments... Jaques and the King were pretty interesting..not to mention the student riots and the tense relationship we have with the state of Perino by the end of this book...hopefully we see more!
The story is tightly written, which show how well the authors rules this area; I can definitely say that every character was well portrayed, regardless of how minor a role they played, and the paranormal/fantastical side of this was really well done! (I love when authors impose a set of rules when it comes to the fantastical side of their work! Makes everything more interesting...)

Overall, this novella was a great entry in a mystery series with some romance along the way! I highly recommend trying Byrd Nash if you enjoy ghost stories, slow-burn romance and historical settings!

Enjoy

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries, there are six books planned in this series. I got a copy of this on ebook through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This was a fairly short read and is mostly a murder mystery with some supernatural elements to it. I enjoyed this but found the characters and story a bit dry, although both started to grow on me as I got deeper into the story.

The story focuses around Elinor, who is a medium that works with the local police to solve murders. The setting is very London-like but is set in a different fantasy world. Initially I didn't really enjoy Elinor as a character, she is very standoffish and holds the reader at a distance. However, I grew to like her more as the book continued.

The plot initially seems fairly straightforward as well; Elinor talks to recently deceased spirits to get info on who murdered them or what happened to them. The plot got more intriguing as it went on though and things like dragon's blood and political spies were introduced.

By the end I realized I had been enjoying this quite a bit. I liked Elinor and her incredibly dry sense of humor and started to enjoy a lot of the side characters as well. I am curious to watch Elinor work with the Duke de Archambeau in future books to see what they come up with.

The writing style was a bit dense for me initially and I had to put some effort into reading this when I started, however I quickly became accustomed to the style and ended up enjoying it. I plan on continuing with the second book in the series, "Delicious Death".

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a quick and fun read. I enjoyed the Victorian-like setting, the creepy ghosts, and the hints at a bigger and more interesting fantasy world here. Although both the story and the characters were a bit dry to start, I ended up really growing to love Elinor and this world as the story continued. There was a good mystery here and some fun side characters too. I would recommend to those who enjoy Victorian mysteries with supernatural ghost elements and a no-nonsense female heroine.

I have received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have been trying to read more mysteries since I loved them so much growing up. Elinor is a woman with psychic gifts. She works with the police and takes on private clients of her own. She is a trained Ghost Talker. Along with the cases that she takes on she is trying to find out who murdered her father and collect details that have been lost. It was a short and quick read and looking to reading more of this witty and mysterious series.

GHOST TALKER: Madam Chalamet Ghost Mysteries Vol 1 (Invest-Elinor Chalamet-Eng-Vict)
Byrd Nash 1st Book
Kendle Scribe – Oct 2022, 168 pp
RATING: Okay

A light bit of fluff. For those really interested in the paranormal, the author does get some things right, and some things very wrong. However, it doesn’t appear it was te author’s intrtest to be accurate as far as the attributes and capabilities of spirits. It’s an innocuous little book which passes the time, rather than something to be taken seriously.

This is the first time reading a Byrd Nash book and I absolutely loved it and it was a great read. I love the world building with the historical feel to the 1900's. I am big into reading fantasy and paranormal. I enjoyed reading Elinor Chalamet and duke of Archambeau banter through the whole book. Their personalities are polar opposites, but they worked really well together. This is the first book of the series and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for letting me read this arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

I received the first two novellas in Byrd Nash´ new series through Netgalley, and was ever so excited to read them. I believe this series will consist of six books, and all of them are released very close to each other (like every 2-3 months) so that is just perfect. These stories are historical mysteries but with a fantasy twist to them. We follow Elinor who is in her late twenties and single (though I can't imagine she will be much longer). Elinor is a ghost talker... the name says it all, she can talk to ghosts. So now and then she is asked to help out the police to find out about the final memories of found bodies. But she also has her regular clients who come to her for seances. I am very impressed by these novellas, because even though they are only 140-150 pages long, they have everything you could want. It is set in a fantasy world that is similar to our 19th century (but there were dragons...). We get a look at the politics, we get to travel, we learn a bit about the ghost talker society. All in all, some interesting and easy to grasp world building. The mysteries are intriguing, especially in the second book, and we also leave some space for minor adventures (like the gay chef who is still hunted by his lover during a cooking competition for the king). Elinor is a great character! She is cheeky, blunt, determined and very capable. She is the daughter of a jeweller and is trying to find out who murdered him (which I guess we will find out by book 6?). Because of her job she has to mingle with the aristo's, and their cruelty and ignorance is on full display. It also means though that she works closely together with the duke... and that is one romance I do not mind. It is very much a slow burn, which is the only way you will ever convince me to not be annoyed and roll my eyes at a romance. Overall, these were cozy and fun fantasy/mysteries in a series I will most definitely continue.

Madame Elinor Chalamet battles a ghost in the Beyond. Trained as a medium by the elite Morpheus Society, Elinor Chalamet uses her skills to aid the police while she hunts for her father’s killer in the coastal city of Alenbonne. But a dead body found in the canal puts her in deep with royal matters. And she might even succeed in solving the mystery if Tristan Fontaine, duke de Archambeau, would stop getting in her way.

The first of a six part fantasy ghost mystery series featuring a strong female character in a slow burn romance

I very much enjoyed this story with strong willed characters with great banter. I will be reading all the books!

I received a DRC from NetGalley.

I really liked the premise of a ghost talker who solves paranormal mysteries, and Elinor the MC is witty as well as likeable. This novella was just the right length to introduce us to these characters of her Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries series. I read this book while recovering from COVID-19, so I'm trying to make this review as clear-headed as I can despite feeling pretty rotten still.

Some things you might enjoy about these characters: if you ever enjoyed the banter and dynamic between Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester you will enjoy the repartee between Elinor and Tristan. In Brontean fashion, there's even a ghostly wife to contend with although the full mystery of Archambeau's house is kept tantalizingly open for other books in the series.

A note for the publisher: this book needs another proofreading pass. I caught a handful of typos I hope are caught before the book debuts properly.

I enjoyed the unique approach to the spiritual world with its combination of science and the paranormal to understand why ghosts linger long after mortal death. I wasn't expecting ghosts to be fully incorporated into the daily lives of all people as they are in this book, since most paranormal stories single out a special person gifted with supernatural abilities to see what others cannot. The Ghost Talker is the first in a six-book series about a young woman gifted with the ability to glean information from deceased apparitions, mainly regarding the nature of their often violent and unexpected deaths. We learn early that there is not shortage of charlatans in this society, but we discover quickly that the heroine, Elinor, is the real deal. It doesn't takes the Duke de Archambeau to figure out her authenticity and keep finding ways to keep her in his orbit. The series marks the two of them as a potential couple pretty early. I found the mysteries at the center of this story though to be fairly lackluster. And while I enjoyed some f the banter between the main couple, I didn't find either of them engaging enough to want to keep reading more in this series.

The story is set in the Victorian era, in country name Sarnesse. Madame Elior Chalamet is a Ghost Talker paranormal investigation who trained as a medium in The Morpheus Society, The institute who use science and superanatural. Elior aim to catch her father murder beside that helping police solve murder case who involve Royal family.

I love how this book describe in details about supernatural things, earthly plane-the beyond-the afterlife, what kind of ghosts, their power, fraud in occult, sign of ghost present, use some herb and water to see ghost clearly and many more. We can see daily life of Medium, what kind of client, another simple case. I hope there more develop relationship between Elior and Tristan!!

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#GhostTalker #ByrdNash #RockandCastlePress #IndependentBookPublishersAssociation #IBPA #NetGalley #ARC

Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash is the start of a series with a fascinating world. We have setting that is loosely French and historical, but a paranormal element is layered on top. Ghosts are real and some people are able to interact with them. Our main character, Elinor Chalamet is one of the "ghost talkers" who earns a living with private clients seeking information about dead loved ones, but doing pro bono work for the police in her city-state. In this initial installment, she has helped a relative of the king communicate with police and government agents about the hours before his murder. He has stolen something that will interrupt a treaty with a nearby country.

There is quite a bit of world building here, which is to be expected in the first book of a series. It's done efficiently, in the early pages, though there is a rush of more information during the final action scene. The characters are interesting, all with a little edge that has this feeling Victorian. A side plot allows the gruff, arrogant male main character to show a crack in his armor as he generously resolves a sad situation.

While the story is told from Elinor's point of view, there still a lot to learn about her and her backstory. The stage is set for the second book in this story's epilogue and I imagine most readers will want to dive into the next installment right away.

Madame Elinor Chalamet is a woman in her twenties who has the ability to communicate with ghosts and sometimes the dead. After a murder, she is called in by the police to help find the culprit. If you think that's unrealistic, well that may be why the action takes place in an unspecified European country at some point during Victorian times. It's a clever plot device that works. For security reasons, she is taken into the home of the Duc D'Archambeau, after it is discovered that the victim is a relative of the king. As a man widowed under suspicious circumstances, the duke has his own ghosts to deal with, including the ones inhabiting his family home. Elinor is an independent, intelligent and able woman and D'archambeau is a complicated, appealing character. There's a lot that goes on between the mystery and the spiritual connctions - all of it absorbing My only complaint about the book is that is was shorter than I would have liked. I became very involved in the story, which is obviously the beginning of a series. There was a proper ending so it isn't a cliffhanger but there are several threads left dangling which I really want to follow to the end. I will definitely read the next book. I thought this was well written and fleshed out the characters so that I became invested with them. .

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Byrd Nash for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Ghost Talker. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Madame Elinor Chalamet battles a ghost in the Beyond.

She was trained as a medium by the elite Morpheus Society. She uses her ghost talking skills to help the police while she hunts for her father’s killer in the coastal city of Alenbonne.

Soon after she helps the police, a dead body turns up in the canal. It’s another mystery for her to solve. And she might even succeed if Tristan Fontaine, the duke de Archambeau, would leave her be and stop getting in her way. 

This book is the first of a six part gaslamp fantasy ghost mystery featuring a strong female character in a slow burn romance.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I loved that it was fast paced and set during Victorian times. I loved the main characters. The ending was slightly confusing with the dragon ghosts. I suppose that’s part of the fantasy aspect. I would definitely read more books in the series though.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys communicating with the dead murder mysteries!

I was so intrigued by the premise as I love ghost stories and mysteries. However, I don't feel the book lived up to it's blurb.

For such a short work, there is so much to take in. It starts with one mystery and then goes to the duke's wife and her death and then goes on to another mystery and goes on from there.theres also added character disputes thrown in that don't have much to do with the case.

I honestly had a hard time getting into this novella and sorting everything out. I did finish and in the last few pages things begin to make sense.

I would have liked to see either a longer work which develops some of the ideas the author has better or fewer plot points written into and developed better.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I didn't like the writing and the characters felt flat. I didn't care enough about the plot to keep going

A highly entertaining mix of different genre that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Gripping and compelling, good character development and storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

It took me a bit to finish this book, but in between being able to read I couldn't keep my mind off of it. This was the perfect combination of paranormal and historical fiction. I really enjoy anything having to do with ghosts and the crime mystery tied in perfectly. I was not expecting the plot to take the turn it did in solving the mystery. I was pleasantly surprised. I will be reading the next installment of this series. I need to know what happens next. I've got some serious suspicions of the Lady Beaudelaire 🤔

Great fun! A historical murder mystery with ghosts, mediums and magic.
The main character, Elinor Chalamet, is an independent woman who marches to her own tune and answers to no one. I loved that about her. Elinor's background is very intriguing and we don't learn an awful lot about it but she was trained as a medium, she sees and interacts with ghosts and is trying to solve her father's murder. All this adds up to make a fascinating heroine who has to contend with a very grumpy and reluctant sidekick in the Duke de Archambeau.
Despite his grumpiness, I quite liked him as there is more to him than meets the eye. Much is alluded to but not fully explained....yet. He lives in a house haunted by the spirit of his dead wife whom he claims to have killed. Paranormal activity abounds the more he and Elinor investigate. Elinor's own side business also brings some unwanted ghostly apparitions and these add a whole lot of humour and drama to the story.
Despite the ghosts, hauntings and murder, this is a light read that's very entertaining and difficult to put down.
I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series as it releases.