The Third Wife of Faraday House

(3.75 rounded up to 4)

The summary of this book gave me Daphne Du Maurier vibes right off the bat. A gothic mansion secluded when the tide comes in and wives dying under suspicious circumstances? Yes, please!

Fearing she's on the verge of a scandal, Emeline is sent away by her guardians to wed the twice-widowed Captain Graves. Though reluctant, she devises a plan to leave Halifax for good to be with her true love Frederick, a lieutenant in the Navy. Captain Graves' private peninsula will be the perfect place to watch and wait for Frederick's ship.

To her surprise, she arrives at the mansion to discover that the second Mrs. Graves has not yet passed, nor is she ailing from what she'd been told. She's relieved to have some more time to wait for her rescue but soon grows suspicious of Georgina's illness and wonders if she's in danger herself.

The tone of this book lies somewhere between gothic and cozy mystery. Emeline's personality grated on me, though still found her likable. That's pretty much how I feel about the book as a whole. I liked a lot of it and had an enjoyable time reading it, but what I enjoyed didn't fully make up for where it lacked. There was not a lot of characterization, in turn, Emeline's relationships with the other characters fell flat. I was particularly confused by the ending. She sets out a plan for her future in one scene and then abandons it in the next with no further reference. The element of romance also felt forced. The mystery was intriguing enough that love interests did more interrupting than building upon the plot.

My issues aside, I did have a good time reading and often lost track of time when I picked it up. I'm not a fan of supernatural elements in books, but for some reason, I didn't mind it so much in the context of this plot. I'm curious to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a free digital ARC of the book!