Skip to main content

Blog Tour: Lady Odelia's Secret (Scott-De Quincy Mysteries #2) by Jane Steen: A Book Review

Lady Odelia's Secret by Jane Steen

Aspidistra Press

Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, #2
Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Source: This book is given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

   

Synopsis: Do you ever really know your family? 

    In the 1880s a sixth daughter learns not to ask for much, even if she’s the daughter of an earl. Even if she married the richest man in her corner of Sussex. Even if she’s now a widow with a splendid Georgian mansion. 

    Lady Helena Whitcombe is still trying to adjust to widowhood and reconcile her family loyalties with her desires when her artist sister Odelia makes a startling suggestion. Why not make her mark on the house that’s now all hers, by commissioning a magnificent work of art from one of London’s most celebrated painters? 

   Lady Odelia invites Helena into the seductive world of medieval fantasies and fairy tales she has inhabited since Helena was a child. But when a shocking series of events exposes the destructive reality of a great artist’s unusual lifestyle, Helena and her lady’s maid Guttridge are called on to help—or is it to interfere? 

    Looming danger, the risk of scandal, and competing loyalties force Helena to re-evaluate her relationship with the sister she’s always loved the most. 

   What is Lady Odelia’s secret? Find out in this gripping continuation of the Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, a story that blends mystery and historical detail with Downton Abbey-style saga as the truths about Helena’s aristocratic family unfold. Read it now before the secret gets out!


My Review: Lady Helena has inherited a beautiful Georgian mansion. Her sister, Odelia, has advised her to decorate it with beautiful art paintings. She suggests a famous London painter. Lady Helena agrees. However, she discovers shocking secrets about the painter she has commissioned. These secrets lead to a rift with her sister. Can Helena’s relationship with her sister survive after she figures out the  secret?


One of the criticisms I had with the first novel was how Lady Helena was mostly a passive character and that she barely investigated. In this sequel, she has certainly become more active. She does much more investigation with her assistant. Therefore, she was definitely given an upgrade to her character. Lady Helena also seems more independent and in control of her life. She definitely seemed happier in her new position. I also liked her romance with the French physician more in this novel. This is because we learn new details about him. Therefore, Lady Helena was more of a likable character in this novel.


Overall, this novel is about scandals, secrets, and love. I found all the characters to be very fascinating in this novel. The mystery itself does not happen until late in this novel. However, there was more action, suspense, and drama than in the first novel! The drawbacks of the were that it can be slow moving throughout most of the book, and there were some scenes that made me uncomfortable. Still, this was a better written story and featured more developed characters than in the first novel. The ending kept me interested enough to at least continue the series. I recommend Lady Odelia’s Secret for fans of Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark, The Gilded Shroud, and An Infamous Betrayal!


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

    Jane Steen writes series set in the late Victorian period, with an unputdownable blend of mystery, family saga, romance, and the real-life issues facing women of the era. She is an indie author who began her career while living in Illinois, later moving with her American husband to her native England. When not working, she can be found walking through the green and muddy Sussex countryside, getting her cobwebs blown away on the nearby beaches, lovingly tending her garden, or sticking her nose into yet another book. 

    For more information, please visit Jane Steen's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 4 
Review at Coffee and Ink 
Interview at Novels Alive 
Review at Gwendalyn's Books 

Tuesday, April 5 

Wednesday, April 6 
Interview at Passages to the Past 

Thursday, April 7 

Friday, April 8 
Review at Novels Alive 
Review at View from the Birdhouse

Giveaway

9 winners will receive an eBook of Lady Odelia's Secret and the main prize winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card & eBook of Lady Odelia's Secret. The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on April 8th. You must be 18 or older to enter. 




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson: A Book Review

In a League of Her Own Author: Kaia Alderson Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks  Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 352 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: From the author of Sisters in Arms comes the incredible, untold story of Effa Manley, a black businesswoman in the male dominated baseball industry, and, currently, the only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.       1930s, New York City        An ambitious Harlem woman’s husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team’s business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125 th Street’s civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys’ club that is professional baseball.        Navigating her way through gentlemen’s agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Pai...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interview with Kate Forsyth

       A huge 'thank you' to author Kate Forsyth for taking the time to respond to this interview! In her latest book, 'The Crimson Thread', tells of the resistance on the Greek island of Crete during WWII. In this interview, Mrs. Forsyth tells of the very personal origins of the novel and the sometimes difficult but fun methods of the research on Greek culture. I hope you enjoy the insights into the world of Kate Forsyth! There are very few WWII stories that are set in Crete. What drew you to the setting? My great-uncle fought in the Battle of Crete and hearing the very dramatic story of his escape from the island when I was a child gave me a lifelong interest in Greece and its history and myths. Then a few years ago I bought an antiquarian copy of Nathanial Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales which reignited my interest. I began to do some  research, and  discovered the untold story of the brave women of the Cretan resistance and knew that was a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by Andrew Morton

Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words Author: Andrew Morton Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography,  Publisher: Simon and Schuster Release Date: 2009 Pages: 448 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis: The sensational biography of Princess Diana, written with her cooperation and now featuring exclusive new material to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death.      When Diana: Her True Story was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy. Greeted initially with disbelief and ridicule, the #1 New York Times bestselling biography has become a unique literary classic, not just because of its explosive contents but also because of Diana’s intimate involvement in the publication. Never before had a senior royal spoken in such a raw, unfiltered way about her unhappy marriage, her relationship with the Queen, her extraordinary life inside the House of Windsor, her hopes, her fears, and her dreams. Now, twenty-fiv...
Post a Comment
Read more