I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

In this tale of love gone wrong resulting in an arranged marriage finds Emeline Fitzpatrick desperate to find a way out of her dilemma after her supposedly relationship with a handsome navy officer ends in scandal. She is whisked away to Faraday House, a crumbling cement home owned by a widowed sea captain. Sure, he has money but the hangup is that the captain's second wife is not yet dead when Emeline arrives! From this nifty romance hook, the story becomes one containing many gothic mystery tropes from creaking floors, women grasping candelabras, footsteps treading in secret rooms, ghosts trying to communicate with the living, a nasty suspicious staff plus a dying woman secluded in an upstairs bedroom. Emeline wants out of her upcoming nuptials and foolishly figures her navy officer will sail up and rescue her. As she waits for this miracle, a local reverend who is easy on her eyes warns her of the house's curse. This is a fine mystery that ties up neatly and readers will hope Emeline finds a happy ending.

After an engagement scandal, Emeline agrees to a last-resort marriage to a recently widowed stranger. While she hopes the man she thinks she loves will come and rescue her, she finds herself tangled in mysteries of Faraday House.

Despite an enticing premise, this book did not hold my attention. I know that true gothic novels can be "slow burns" in terms of peeling back clues to the mystery but I found myself not caring about Emeline's fate and I skimmed quite a bit.

My first gothic read ever! I enjoyed the haunted island setting more than I thought I would, and I'm glad I tried the genre. But the overall reading experience was just okay.

The characters were the weakest element of the book -- the protagonist was painfully naive in most parts, but incredibly mature and insightful in others. The secondary characters were inconsistent and at times, incredibly annoying tbh. The mystery kept me intrigued to continue reading, but felt rushed in the second half of the book. And finally, I think the book was mismarketed as a romance -- it was more of a gothic mystery/thriller. I think readers who enjoy gothic fiction might enjoy this book more than I did.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with this review because I like the premise of the book, and at times it pulled me in, but the pace just was not right for me. I found myself not caring enough for the main character and getting confused over the secondary characters. Maybe I will try reading it again, but the first time through was difficult for me. Felt a bit more "gothic" than my prefered read.

Another wild ride of a story, even though the beginning was slow. I also had a hard time with the first person POV narrative. Fortunately, once the action really got going, so did my interest.

Emmeline is a naive character and the reader quickly understands that her hopes are doomed from the start. Her uncle and aunt send her to an island as the next wife to a wealthy captain. But when she arrives, she finds out his previous wife is actually not dead yet. This was a good premise.

There were some Gothic elements but they were not realized to their full capacity. The relationship between Emmeline and Revered Pellerine lacked chemistry and they didn't spend enough time together.

All in all, it kept me reading to the end and it was overall enjoyable.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

There are books that stay open in your mind even when you've put the book down for a while. This Third Wife of Faraday House is one of those books. This is a mysterious, gothic story about a young woman, Emeline, sent away from her guardians after scandal. Her guardians have arranged a marriage for her, but she arrives on the private island of her future husband to find out that he has a wife, Georgina, who is slowly dying. Our main character is somewhat naive and is slow to realize she can't trust anyone who lives in Faraday House. Emeline is somewhat eager to marry, but she also wants to help Georgina. But can she trust Georgina? What about the Reverend who doesn't live at the house? Is the first wife, who came before Georgina, haunting the house?

Even when Emeline is fumbling because of her naiveite, you find yourself rooting for her, as it seems like everyone is against her. It's interesting to have a heroine who isn't a traditional hero - she's sheltered, ignorant, and is grasping at a romantic scenario in her head for most of the book.

The pace picks up considerably when Emeline realizes she's been manipulated. She doesn't turn into a hero - she stumbles her way to safety in the end. The epilogue of this story is one of the most satisfying ones I've ever read. The jump into the future is a great tactic in epilogues and this one does it beautifully.

I’m loving the spooky Jane Eyre, Rebecca vibes in this Gothic novel. Any novel with a creepy house that is a character in its own right is right up my alley.

I loved the collaborative nature between the two main female characters in this novel. It was great to see them come together to make the best of their circumstances.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an atmospheric and gripping, gothic thriller. I really just enjoyed every second of this book. There's nothing like tons of eerie unease, ghostly apparitions and a wind-battered mansion by the sea to really set the tone. The climax of this book is absolutely ridiculous in the best way with plenty of twists and turns. The ending was satisfying and completely deserved after everything that happened along the way.

I also really loved the side romance plot. I found Emeline and Rene's moments together so sweet and I'm happy how their story ended. Of course, Moses is probably my favorite character. Gotta love a large, sweet dog.

Thank you to William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

I am glad I finished this book, it was a little slow in the middle, but I think my crow brain was to blame, wanting to change gears to newer shinier books. The mystery was decent, the romance was sweet and gentle, and I was happy that it had ghosts and the Christmas season. With the long winter nights, ghosts feel like they belong more to Christmas than to Halloween.

Great gothic mystery in a creepy old house that has ample bumps in the night. Why do all the wives of Faraday House die young? Why is Emeline recruited to be Wife #3, when Wife #2 is still alive? Is there really a curse over the house?

Don't worry, you'll find out all the answers to your questions by the end of the book, in a story that mostly stays rational, but has a tiny bit of spooky paranormal thrown in for good measure. There are some solid creepy scenes in here and one or two minor jump scare scenes.

There aren't many people stranded on the island in Faraday House, but the author does a nice job of smoothly and reasonably shifting suspicion from person to person. (While it's a trifle odd that the Rev is living in the house, I was willing to just go with it.) As a whole, the characters are well rendered (save for the husband who isn't present for much of the book) and the story believable.

(Shout out to Moses, the best doggo ever!)

I loved how Emeline used her "get a husband" training to politely navigate all the unknowns. Since we spend the story in her brain, we know that she is scared and that something is terribly wrong. But we get to witness her use her "feminine whiles" to interview suspects, research the house's history, and try to solve the mystery without ruffling anyone's feathers.

I enjoyed the read and felt like the final quarter of the book was really cookin. I would have preferred a bit more spookiness, but overall this is a lovely read. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Always love a scandal & gothic vibes! A little predictable but enjoyable! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read!

4 🌟
A very fun, yet predictable read. Despite being predictable I quite enjoyed reading, especially after I got sucked into the characters. I found myself caring for the characters and enjoyed reading about them despite guessing at the ending. I wish there was a bit more character development, but regardless I still found myself wanting to read more. A gothic mystery read I would absolutely recommend, it's a page turner once you get invested.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc copy!

This writing style is decidedly not for me. It's choppy and immature, which certainly makes it an easy read, but not an enjoyable one. I'm not connecting with the lead thus far and the action is thus-far oddly paced. I'm DNFing.

**Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC**

If you like Jane Eyre or Crimson Peak, you will appreciate the gothic vibes of The Third Wife of Faraday House.

A curse. A mystery. A ghost. A cast of characters you can’t trust and a haunted, isolated house set against the cold and icy sea cliffs. It doesn’t get more gothic than this. It’s also enjoyable to read a book set amongst Acadia. I could easily visualize the setting!

Three stars for the pacing. The beginning had more backstory than necessary. The middle of this book could have been condensed or had more action. The last 1/4 was riveting, had me on the edge of my seat, but it took a bit to get there. I almost DNF’d, but I am glad I didn’t.

I also do not think this is a romance. The romance is light, you could easily miss it. Perhaps a switch up of the marketing would be warranted.

I also found the ending to be unrealistic.

Overall, it was a good book, but did not interest me as much as I had hoped based on the description.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley.

I couldn’t help but read this book in one day. It had that classic Jane Eyre-esque gothic feel right away. The mystery was really grabbing, filled with twists I didn’t see coming and plenty of convincing red herrings. Perfect for those who like gothic that leans mysterious and paranormal without being too heavy.

Gothic mystery!
Emeline Fitzpatrick is hoping to escape her life. Her guardian (early 1800's) is lining up potential suitors but she is hoping for more. A scandal causes her to have far less choice in her future and she takes what is left - Captain Graves. Graces is mysterious. Two previous wives has died so its safe that Emaline might be in danger. The biggest surprise to Emeline is when she arrives at Faraday House and meets the late wife! Add a bit of a gothic element and there is a spooky, almost claustrophobic feeling.
if you like paranormal with your mystery, creepy with your gothic, this is a fantastic story for you!
#williammorrow #thehtirdwifeoffaradayhouse #brmyers

What a fun read! This is going to be absolutely perfect all year round, but especially during the Fall!

In The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Myers, the ominous atmosphere of Faraday House sets the stage for a gripping gothic thriller where the wives meet untimely ends, leaving a lingering sense of unease. As Emeline Fitzpatrick navigates the treacherous waters of marriage to the enigmatic Captain Graves, she finds herself embroiled in a web of suspicion and deceit. With each page turn, tension mounts as Emeline races against time to uncover the dark secrets lurking within the house's walls while evading her own demise. Myers skillfully blends paranormal mystery with historical thriller elements, keeping readers enthralled until the very end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect since I selected this book based solely on the title and the cover art, but I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were well-developed, setting was interesting (both in time and place), and the historical feeling was present. I really enjoyed the evolution of the main character throughout the book from more of a damsel in distress to someone who solves things herself. It felt very powerful.

My only minor complaint is that the pacing definitely didn’t feel even throughout the book. All the background at the beginning felt like it could have been a bit more polished, but that’s really a minor complaint in the context of the whole story.

I’d give this a 4.5/5 rounding to 5 for Goodreads purposes. Would read more from this author.