Where I found it: NetGalley

Why I picked it up: I have always loved Edgar Allen Poe as an author, but I didn't know much about him as a person, except that he was often distraught and inebriated. I was interested to read more about him, even in historical fiction. 

What’s It All About? This is the story of the two women in Mr. Poe's life: his wife and his mistress. His wife, the real Mrs. Poe, is already sick with consumption, and Poe is realizing that his marriage is not as great as he would want it to be, his wife often acting like a child. Enter Frances Osgood. She, like Poe, is a poet and writer. The two meet at a series of salons held by a mutual acquaintance and Poe is drawn to Frances, seeking out her company as soon as he enters the same space as her. Frances tries to befriend Mrs. Poe (who finds much comfort in the poems written by Frances), but soon finds herself in a love triangle, trying to manage Poe's romantic expectations and his wife's growing certainty that Poe and Frances are lovers. My thoughts: This book has everything. A (not so) secret love affair, a vengeful wife who will bring everyone down with her, financial and occupational struggles, and the least HEA (happily ever after) ending I have read in a long time. The magnetism between Edgar and Frances is immediately apparent, even to the other characters in the book, and so rumors abound even before anything inappropriate happens. I appreciated the historical accuracy of Frances struggling between her heart and her reputation (she is married also, and has two daughters to think of), while Edgar is willing to throw everything away to be with her. And just like someone with nothing to use, Edgar finds ways into her life, including assisting her hosts (she is living with friends) in their hobbies and enterprises. By the end of the book, everyone's good intentions have been turned inside out and manipulated into an ending worthy of Poe himself. It was just the right amount of dark, creepy, and realistic. The author used many primary sources for her information lending to the realism of the story. While I know that this is fiction, I like to believe this is how it all happened. My favorite part had to be the period where Frances (under a number of pseudonyms) writes love poems back and forth with Poe, all of which Poe published in his magazine. 

Genre: Historical fiction, thriller
Themes: Love, loss, redemption, revenge, secrets
Recommended For:  Fans of Poe's work, historical fiction fans, thriller fans, and readers who appreciate a dark ending. 

This review will post at https://tichwi.ninja/book-review-38-mrs-poe/ on 2.14.23

I'm not usually a reader of historical fiction but I love poe so this one definitely peaked my interest. I was addicted from the very first page. I had to know what was going to happen. This story was chilling and beautiful and addicting and I couldn't get enough.

Well, I didn't expect this creepy love triangle when I started the book. I assumed Mrs. Poe would be the hero, not the villan. It was still interesting reading. Perhaps because it wasn't what I expected, it made a much more interesting page turner.