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

The Captive Maiden (Hagenheim Series #4) by Melanie Dickerson: A Book Review

The Captive Maiden (Hagenheim Series #4) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian Publisher: Zondervan Release Date: 2013 Pages: 204 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Happily Ever After …Or Happily Nevermore?      Gisela’s childhood was filled with laughter and visits from nobles such as the duke and his young son. But since her father’s death, each day has been filled with nothing but servitude to her stepmother. So when Gisela learns the duke’s son, Valten—the boy she has daydreamed about for years—is throwing a ball in hopes of finding a wife, she vows to find a way to attend, even if it’s only for a taste of a life she’ll never have. To her surprise, she catches Valten’s eye. Though he is rough around the edges, Gisela finds Valten has completely captured her heart. But other forces are bent on keeping the two from falling further in love, putting Gisela in more danger than she ever imagined.       My Review: Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daughter of The Sun, Story of the Young Eleanor of Aquitaine (The Heirs of Anarchy #5) by G. Lawrence: A Book Review

Daughter of the Sun, Story of the Young Eleanor of Aquitaine (The Heirs of Anarchy #5) Author: G. Lawrence  Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: G. Lawrence  Book Release Date: 2023 Pages: 339 Source: Borrowed  Synopsis: Countess, Duchess, twice a Queen, ruler of vast lands, crusader, mother and politician, this is the story of the young Eleanor of Aquitaine.      Aquitaine, 1137      The young Eleanor of Aquitaine has inherited the lands of her father, at once becoming most powerful and most vulnerable. Promised without her knowledge to the heir to the King of France, Eleanor is about to enter a court unknown, and a world most violent. Through trials of marriage, politics and crusade to the Holy Lands, Eleanor will travel, rising above the limitations set upon her, to forge a path to a future where dreams of true power are more than mere illusion.        Daughter of the Sun, Story of the Youn...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Merchant's Daughter (Hagenheim Series #2) by Melanie Dickerson: A Book Review

The Merchant’s Daughter (Hagenheim Series #2) Author: Melanie Dickerson Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian Publisher: Zondervan Release Date: 2011 Pages: 284 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf s bailiff a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past. Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her ha...
Post a Comment
Read more