Responsibilities in Lizzy Grimm's life have now taken a toll. She not only has to look after the antique shop (Grimm Curiosities) her father left behind but also look after her mother who has suddenly stopped speaking. As she navigates through her struggles trying to be the bread earner, 2 strange encounters have left her puzzled & a little spooked👻. Her heart demands what she cannot have and her future hangs in the balance of the choices she is afraid to make.

As weird and spooky as the title of the book is, the story and the characters were equally riveting. I loved the ambience of the shop, a historical setting acting as a backdrop curtain to this tale along with the mystery around the rare books. There's also a trope of forbidden love from a financial societal angle which was wired well with the magic of the shop.

It was a great read & if you pair this up with the audiobook it works even better ✨️
4.5/5 ⭐️

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Audiobook, Unabridged Narrated by Henrietta Meire; Joshua Akehurst

In Victorian England, 1851 in old York Lizzy Grimm struggled to run her father's shop Grimm Curiosities which sells unique items. Some are odd, some interesting, and some are antiques. He successfully acquired items with many good contacts and sourced from estate sales. After he passed away, she and her mother struggled to keep the shop full like it once was. Women were shunned during this time as it was their place to be tending the house and children, not run a business and men frowned upon doing business with women.

In desperation, her mother set up a spot in the back of the shop doing something she was gifted with naturally. Something that originally attracted her father when they met. She is a real psychic medium; for a year, the shop did more business than when her father was alive. People traveled from all over to speak with her, even from Ireland. That is until the last client she helped and her mother was afflicted with something strange and unable to speak or communicate with anyone. She would do things as instructed like eat or sleep, but she didn't respond to questions and looked like her mind was far away. The local Dr. had no idea what caused the issue and his only suggestion was to send her to the asylum. Lizzy would never do that to her. She heard horrible things happen to the people sent to those places. For a year they had money to help pay the rent for the shop and buy simple things they needed, but now that money is gone they are struggling to sell enough things.

Then one day a handsome gentleman entered the shop named Antony Carlisle. She found that his sister suffers from the same perplexing affliction as Lizzy's mother--both stricken silent and unresponsive after speaking with ghosts. Since they both had the same issue with a loved one, they started meeting regularly to figure out why it happened and how to cure it. While this is happening though, Lizzy is being threatened by the landlord to pay the rent. If she could not pay, she and her mother would not only lose the family business but their home as they lived above the store.

An older man came into the shop and purchased a book that she hadn't noticed was in the store. He paid handsomely for it and inquired about the other books he knew existed. He said he had the set as a child but his father burned them all and he desperately wanted the set again. They were the books her father read to her as a child about ancient folktales and other myths and legends. He was very persistent in acquiring them which seemed odd.

When Lizzy looked to find the other books, she came across a note in the box where the rest of the books were stored and it was from her father who said to NEVER sell the books. Troubled after seeing that, she felt guilty for selling the other book to that man, but she didn't know what his wishes were before. Thought, the money offered for the other books could help with their rent issues and help pay for simple things like food and other necessities, but Lizzy didn't want to go against her father's wishes. On top of that, Lizzy was starting to see and feel ghosts within the shop and on the streets. It wasn't something she was used to that was natural and normal for her mother. It came on suddenly and it seemed they wanted to tell her something, but what? The more she and Antony look into how to help their loved ones, the more complicated things get.

This is a historical paranormal story with a bit of fantasy, old myths, and fables that come to life surrounded by a complicated forbidden romance. It touches on the struggles of women during that time and how the rich and privileged looked at people beneath their station. It was an enjoyable read and reminded me of the books by one of my favorite authors Paula Brackston. The setting, how the people spoke and the magic in the story. The romance is sweet and endearing but at times, frustrating knowing how couples were matched for who they were and what their family could offer one another by getting married. It wasn't for love, it was for power which is quite sad.

I received the audiobook from NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this to people who love Historical Fiction with fantasy and paranormal aspects. The narrators were lovely and enjoyed listening to this book.

Lizzy Grimm has taken over her family's curiosities shop after her father passed, and her mother stops speaking, appearing to fall ill from an unknown illness. Times are tough for the Grimm ladies, and their landlady tells them that they are falling behind on their rent, and they must pay or leave. After this news, Lizzy finds herself sadly selling a book with sentimental value and possibly of importance, more than she realizes, to Mr. Stoke, who walks into the shop one day and asks her to sell him the series if she finds any more of the books. Another man, Mr. Carlisle, also comes into the shop one day, and Lizzy finds out that Mr. Carlisle's sister has the same ailment as her mother. Throughout the book, Lizzy grows closer to both of the men, and closer to the truth about her family and what is plaguing both her mother, and Mr. Carlisle's sister.

This was such a pleasant read. I loved the different paranormal aspects of this book and it fit so well with the setting of the book. Picture a gothic, regency era book filled with ghosts, mystery, and romance, and this is what you have here. The plot was a bit dark, yet heartwarming with Lizzy doing what she can to save her family's shop and her mother. Lizzy as a main character was great overall. She was sweet and kind, and it was very hard not to love her or root for her.

The romance was so well done. From the beginning you can see that there is a love triangle in the book, although the main character's feelings are made obvious from the very beginning. However, even though her feelings are obvious, it is shown throughout the book that Lizzy is willing to do things that she doesn't necessarily want to in order to save her family, and her heart isn't always what she follows when making decision, leading to some interesting, and surprising, twists.

The balance of the plot and romance was perfect and it all tied together beautifully and the ending was wonderful. It didn't make me feel like there were still strings left untied and I'm very happy with how things turned out for Lizzy and Grimm Curiosities.

Thank you to Sharon Lynn Fisher, Brilliance Publishing, and NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Just to start, Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher predominantly a romance. I wanted to begin with that just to help set the right expectations. In NetGalley, it's listed as just Sci-fi/Fantasy. While there are elements of Fantasy in this novel, most of which appears toward the end, the bulk of the novel centers on the rushed live triangle with the protagonist, Lizzie at the center.

I don't dislike romance. I do have pretty high standards for it. The romance needs to feel natural and earned. Despite the massive amount of time spent on Lizzie's romances, neither feels authentic. She meets both men on the same day and they're all talking about marriage a week later. I'm not exaggerating. A week after meeting these men, they're talking marriage.

Not only were the relationships weak, but the characters barely existed. They were all just names with dialogue that slowly pushed the plot forward. Only two tertiary characters had personalities, but they barely impacted the story.

Speaking of the plot, it had the potential to be very interesting. Lizzie's mother has a mysterious condition is shared by the sister of one of her love interests. They have to work together to discover what's happened to their loved ones. This is a very strong premise in my opinion. But after the initial set up, it was pretty much lost.

Overall, I liked the potential which made the poor execution all the worse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am honestly completely blown away by this book! At first I was bit worried because it felt a bit “too” historical fiction but once I got into the bones of the book, my mind was changed. I loved this. This was so very unique and I would not hesitate to read more from this author. It has magic aspects, gothic style fantasy aspects, ghost, Narnia-esque “door to another world” vibes, a complicated romance… so much to love.

Highly recommend the audio of this book as well - the narrators were absolutely fantastic!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an early audio copy of this book - and well done on an amazing audio.