This is the second Ruby Vaughn mystery. There are supernatural elements that Ruby struggles to believe in. The book opens with Ruby and Mr. Owen attending a seance after being summoned to Scotland. Of course things aren’t going to be as simple as just getting a message from the dead.. Soon after one of the three mediums is dead and Ruby is in danger of being arrested for the murder. This is a well written atmospheric gothic mystery that exposes secrets, murder, both past and present, and intriguing foreshadowing about what ‘gifts’ Ruby might possess that bond her to Ruan Kivell.

A thrilling story, The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong is an intriguing blend of adventure, mythology, and mystery. It follows three teens as they uncover an ancient secret tied to the Fates themselves.

I really enjoyed this moody atmospheric novel. I probably should have re-read The Curse of Penryth Hall before reading this one but I still enjoyed this book in the series. I would continue the series if more books are planned.

The second mystery in the Ruby Vaughn series does not disappoint. This time, Ruby sets off to Scotland with Mr. Owen. He has received a mysterious missive from Lucy Campbell, aka one of the 3 Fates, a group of psychics that are more real than Ruby would like. Of course, misadventure finds it's way to Ruby when she discovers the body of Lucy in the pond at the estate they are visiting. Ruby, with Mr. Owen's help, must figure out who killed Lucy before she herself is arrested for the crime. It definitely doesn't help that Mr. Owen has been keeping secrets and even a viscount title under wraps. Thank goodness Ruan Kivell has come to help as well.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-arc.*

The Secret of the Three Fates, by Jess Armstrong is the second book in a wonderful new series. I mean, who doesn't love a good gothic mystery with a side of supernatural? I definitely do, because I stayed up all night reading it. Very entertaining.

This is book two in this series and I think it’s better than the first one. It has a bit of a gothic feel to it. It’s full of secrets and surprises. I liked Hattie and her strong will and determination. I can’t wait to see what happens in book three.

I love Ruby Vaughn!

These books remind me of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: a daring heroine who goes against the societal proprieties of the time to take control of her life. We learn more about her exile from America and how she ended up in England as well as some excellent foreshadowing into what could possibly be in store for her ✨magically✨.

And as much as I love Ruby Vaughn, I love Ruan Kivell even more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jess Armstrong, and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This series is fabulous! Set in the 1920s it has yearning, secrets, murder, a fearless yet vulnerable heroine, a lovable old grump, and a hot witchy hero. Yes, witchy. And the supernatural. I cannot resist these characters or the plots!

Thank you for the free ebook Minotaur Books @minotaur_books , NetGalley @netgalley and Jess Armstrong @jessl_armstrong !
“The Secret of the Three Fates” (Ruby Vaughn #2) by Jess Armstrong. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Cozy Gothic Mystery. Location: The Scottish Borders. Time: October 1922 (The Jazz Age).

THE SERIES: Expat American heiress Ruby Vaughn has a dark brown bob, and drives a Crow-Elkhart roadster. She runs a rare bookstore in Exeter with the secretive, and very Scottish Mr Owen (her 80+ year old employer/housemate), and Fiachna the black house cat. Somehow, they keep getting involved in paranormal mysteries.

THIS BOOK: Six weeks after her Lothlel Green visit (book 1), Mr Owen and Ruby journey to the possibly haunted Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Hills to acquire illuminated manuscripts for their bookshop. But they find no manuscripts, and The Three Fates mediums are holding a séance there. Ruby’s suspicious about the real reason for their visit. Mr. Owen is desperate to say goodbye to his son (killed in the Great War), but doesn’t want to face the spirits alone. When the séance goes wrong, his secrets unravel. A body is found in the lake, Ruby and Mr. Owen become prime suspects, and friend/‘Pellar’ (healer) Ruan Kivell arrives from. Cornwall to help. Someone/something is stopping them from finding the truth.

Author Armstrong has written a witty, atmospheric, very gothic mystery. It’s full of dark undercurrents that may or may not be paranormal, a jazz age heroine, a brooding healer, and many secrets. In this book, we meet Mr. Owen’s brother and nephew, and learn more about his past. Questions are raised about Ruby’s abilities, and her mother’s influence. Armstrong has a knack for using witty prose, particularly with her flawed but appealing heroine. I can’t wait for book 3 because I think I know where they’re going next! It’s 5 gothic stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️🎀 #jessarmstrong #thesecretofthethreefates

It was great to be back with Ruby Vaughn and this book was even better than the last. There's still so many questions that need answers, so I can't wait for the next book!

3.75

This is the second book in the series, and since I always recommend reading books in order, you know whether this is your type of thing. The book is a historical mystery set in the early 20s, but with a witchcraft/other-wordly baseline. That’s not really my thing, but I liked the character of Ruby and her situation, as well as her relationship with Mr. Owen and later Ruan.

I had to check back a few times to get the gist of this story at first, both to the first book and earlier parts of the second, but I eventually got it down, mostly. There is a lot happening and a challenging landscape setting, not atypical for rural Scotland, which adds to the difficulty, but also intrigue.

I liked this book, but was missing the relationship between Ruby and Ruan. Well, low and behold, who should turn up in Scotland? That may have been a bit contrived, but it still works. I liked the witchcraft/occult elements of this more than the first book. After all, Sances were in Vogue at the time, whether or not they were real. There are certainly unbelievable parts, the logistical kind and that which could not be explained away by special powers.

An enjoyable read if this is your thing or if you liked the first book anyway. I would say it’s an improvement over the first.

Thank you to Jess Armstrong, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

This second installment in the Ruby Vaughn series was a question-inducing, thought-provoking, fist-pumpingly wild ride! Lured to Scotland by a mysterious letter, Ruby and Mr. Owen find themselves invited to the table for a tension-filled séance. When Mr. Owen's long-dead wife is called forth and offers up some ominous information, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly there are disappearances, murder attempts, and nocturnal prowling. Suspicious characters abound, and the plot thickens when Ruan appears, summoned by Mr. Owen, to wreak havoc with Ruby's carefully controlled emotions. Highly recommend.

Excited for this one but unfortunately it just didn’t click for me. The beginning was a bit abrupt and the characters very two dimensional. It was hard to connect to story. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

I first read The Curse of Penryth Hall a while back and loved the character of Ruby Vaughn who is full of vim and vinegar. She is not afraid to make her way and be her own sort of woman with the help of the elderly Mr. Owen. Now in #TheSecretOfTheThreeFates Ruby once again finds herself at the center of strange occurences thanks to Mr. Owen. The odd pair find themselves in Scottland at Manhurst Castle. Mr. Owen had always kept his past a secret not willing to speak of it and for Ruby that was just fine as her past was better left in the past as well. Here though at Manhurst the past refuses to stay dead and buried. Never really believing in the occult even after the event at Penryth Hall with the Pellar Ruan and the White Witch Ruby still refuses to believe in the anything other thanwhat science can explain that is until she finds out that Mr. Owen has come back to Scottland and Manhurst for a Seance being held in the hopes that he can speak with his son Ben who died before making it home during the war. Things at this seance are not as they seem and people from both Mr. Owens past and alarmingly Rubys past have joined them at Manhurst all at the behest of strange letters sent to them gathering them all in this once place. Ruby is taken aback when one of the three fates turns out to be none other than the White Witch who once again warns her away from Ruan who has also shown up at Manhurst thanks to Mr. Owen.
It seems no matter where Ruby goes her Pellar Ruan is sure to follow and unfortunetly death seems to always follow her as well. Ruby is dragged into Mr. Owens past to uncover truth about a man she always thought of as a Father but whom now she is not so sure is at all what he seems, and the Pellar Ruan is at risk just from being near Ruby, the White Witch has warned her several times that she will be the death of Ruan yet Ruby can't seem to keep her distance and he can't keep his as they are inexplicably drawn to one another over and over again.
Before the seance has even begun a death has occured though no one knows it, and the night of the seance Ruby finds a letter asking her to come to the bridge on the property for information but when she arrives in the dark all she finds are lit candles, a salt circle and a design etched in charcoal all over the place. That us until she sees the body of one of the mediums in the water and jumps in to save her not realizing she is already dead. So it begins for our Ruby Vaughn once again placeing herself in the center of a murder conspiracy to keep secrets about Mr. Owens past buried where it belongs.

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheSecretOfTheThreeFates by #JessArmstrong in return for a fair and honest review.

I thought this was honestly ok. It was enjoyable but I was hoping for more when I read the description

Ruby Vaughn is back in this fantastic sequel to the Curse of Penryth Hall. Mr. Owen and Ruby are heading to Manhurst Castle to acquire manuscripts for their rare book shop. When Ruby finds that there are no manuscripts upon their arrival, Mr. Owen tells Ruby about a medium group known as The Three Fates. He believes they have word from his son and asks Ruby to attend the seance with him. On the night of the seance, Ruby finds one of the mediums murdered. Ruby and Mr. Owen are immediately considered suspects and Mr. Owen seems to be hiding secrets. To help find the true killer, Ruby asks a certain Pellar for help. Can Ruby and Ruan find out what secrets Mr. Owen is hiding?

This is a fantastic sequel and enjoyed this more than first book. Throughout the investigation, Ruby learns more about Mr. Owen's past and everything she thought she knew about her friend and housemate is called into question. I loved learning more about this secondary character and how his actions were related to the seance and the medium's death. This book also gives us more information about Ruby and Ruan and leaves us with several questions about what Ruby is and the extent of her abilities. The ending left us wondering what is next for Ruby and Ruan and I cannot wait for the next book.

The Secret of the Three Fates is out December 3rd.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review The Secret of the Three Fates. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ruby Vaughn has been brought to Manhurst Castle by Mr. Owen to search thru some rare books, or so she thought. It was a ruse to get Ruby to come with Mr. Owen to a seance he had been invited to in order to contact his youngest son, Ben, who had died on the way home from the war. But, the seance brought someone other than Ben, and it upset Mr. Owen so much Ruby feared for his life. While to try to find out what the messages from the seance meant, Mr. Owen finally tells Ruby most of his deep dark secrets and Ruby feels she cannot be more surprised, until she is. Especially when Ruan Kivell, the Pellar Ruby met a few weeks ago shows up, at Mr. Owen's insistence. Then the bodies start falling and Ruby and Ruan are shot. What next will happen...

DNF. Couldn't get into it. My fault for trying to read historical fiction maybe? I know it's not really my thing but man I would've thought I'd care at least a little about the story since otherwise it's up my alley. 🤷🏻‍♀️😞

The Secret of the Three Fates is a novel that, while promising an intriguing magical world, falters along the way. The narrative, though adorned with a rich tapestry of mythological lore, struggles to maintain a captivating pace. The mystery, the central plot point, is drawn out to a tedious length, risking the reader's interest.

The novel's greatest strength lies in its magical backstory, which starts with a seance, sketchy mediums, and a skeptic. However, this potential is largely untapped. The story often delves into lengthy descriptions and exposition, slowing the momentum and diluting the impact of the magical elements. The romance between Ruby and Ruan feels forced, lacking the depth and chemistry necessary to ignite a spark. The characters themselves, while well-intentioned, often come across as one-dimensional and predictable.

The conclusion, though tidy, feels somewhat anticlimactic. By the time the final pages are turned, the initial purpose of the journey may have faded from memory. The resolution, while satisfying in a conventional sense, fails to leave a lasting impression.

Sophomore books can be a tricky thing, often failing to catch the spark of the first. But that’s not a problem here! I was completely riveted with the mystery, the paranormal/fantastic, and the subtle hints as to what Ruby is. Perhaps she’s more similar to her Pellar than she thought? I can’t say enough good things about this book, and can’t wait for more!