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London Seance Society (C-Format Paperback): The Enchanting New Novel from the Author of the Lost Apothecary
London Seance Society (C-Format Paperback): The Enchanting New Novel from the Author of the Lost Apothecary | Sarah Penner
40 posts | 40 read | 21 to read
'Sarah Penner brings history to vivid life in this atmospheric and evocative whodunnit steeped in suspense, mystery, and illusion' Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestseller of The MaidFrom the author of the intoxicating bestseller The Lost Apothecary comes an entrancing exploration of the blurred lines between truth and illusion and the grave risks women take to avenge the ones they love.May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium...1873. At an abandoned chteau on the outskirts of Paris, a dark sance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister's death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London's exclusive Sance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves...
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dabbe
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KayPhoenix
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Pickpick

Great story! A bit of a slow burn, but in a good way.

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Texreader
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More of my Mother‘s Day haul.

48 likes1 stack add
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OrangeMooseReads
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Pickpick

This was good. I like the writing and enjoyed the story.
The height of spiritualism in Victorian England, murder, love … what more does one need lol
3.5 ⭐️ would recommend.

24 likes1 stack add
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OrangeMooseReads
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Started this one today after getting bored and annoyed with my current podcast listen.

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Read4life
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Congratulations, @dabbe 💙💙

The wheel has spoken and you are the giveaway winner.

dabbe Yahoo and thank you! 🤩😍😃 8mo
mcctrish Congratulations @dabbe ❤️❤️❤️ 8mo
Read4life @dabbe 💙💙💙 8mo
dabbe @mcctrish 😘 8mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🎉🎊🎈 8mo
56 likes5 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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#FreebieFriday #LitsyLove

To enter simply comment below or repost sharing your favorite author.

Remember to tag us: @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Read4life @TieDyeDude

US only due to shipping costs

monkeygirlsmama Oooh looks good! I'd love to toss my name in the hat. Thank you! 😁 8mo
48 likes2 comments
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Read4life
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#FreebieFriday #LitsyLove

To enter simply comment below or repost sharing your favorite author.

Remember to tag us: @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Read4life @TieDyeDude

US only due to shipping costs

AmyG This looks interesting! Thank you. (edited) 8mo
43 likes1 comment
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emtoyama
Pickpick

A little sexy, a little spooky, and a lot of mystery in this one. I enjoyed it. Great for a little book club moment.

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Meshell1313
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Mehso-so

Not as good as Lost Apothecary. Women trying to expose the men who do fake seances while they have the ability to truly conjure the dead. Lots of trying to solve murders and attempts at justice / vengeance. Again the best parts are the sisterhoods and women supporting women. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Kar2b
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Pickpick

While I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary more, this was still an entertaining read. I think my biggest complaint was Lenna. She wasn‘t super likable, in my opinion. She immediately turned on her sister and Vaudeline whenever any small thing gave her doubt. In that respect, I felt she wasn‘t very loyal, and they were generous to quickly forgive her harsh worlds. It was an interesting overall with two murders to solve.

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LeslieO
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@BookwormAHN Ashley, one of my fav swap partners! I love every thing! Great book choices, can‘t wait to read them, especially your fav. Love the journal, pen and tape. Fall coffee is my fav. Thank you so much for the great #FFFS package.

Thanks for organizing, @Avanders @Chrissyreadit 🍂🍁

Chrissyreadit 🧡💛🧡💛 14mo
BookwormAHN Your welcome, enjoy 😺 14mo
IMASLOWREADER enjoyed the london seance society especially the history of it 13mo
32 likes3 comments
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BarkingMadRead
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Y‘all. Look at this amazing box of goodies I got from @Meshell1313 for the #fallingforfallswap it‘s all so amazing! Thank you so much! Perfect books for this month! @Avanders @Chrissyreadit #fffs

Gissy Love that towel😍🍁🍂🤎💛🧡 14mo
Meshell1313 Yay!! So glad you love it! Happy Fall!!! 🤎🧡💛 14mo
BarkingMadRead Happy fall @Meshell1313 😍😍 14mo
Chrissyreadit 🧡💛💛🧡 14mo
Avanders ♥️🍁🧡🍂💛🍎 14mo
41 likes5 comments
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IMASLOWREADER
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yep i would lol…set in london, seances and solving murders sure why not #sundayfunday @BookmarkTavern

BookmarkTavern That sounds like fun! Thanks for posting! 1y
8 likes1 comment
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Beachesnbooks
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Halfway through the 2023 #botm reading challenge! 7 more to go by the end of the year 💪
I've had both 5⭐️ and 2⭐️ botm reads so far this year, hoping for more of the former moving forward.

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Whollybologna
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Having fun with my book challenges. Not touching the ground while reading an entire book is an adventure. My legs are killing me! Lol #bookspinbingo #doublespin #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
2 likes1 comment
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Whollybologna
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The library haul! I‘m so excited for next month! #supportyourlocallibrary have any of you read these? Which one should I read first?

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Quirkybookworm
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awww 🐶 🐾 1y
dabbe Did you read out loud to da sweet pup? 🖤🐾🖤 1y
Quirkybookworm @dabbe Nah! He got bored. He wanted to play catch!🤣🤣 1y
53 likes3 comments
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IMASLOWREADER
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another successful trip to the library…seances in the victorian era why not… #readinggoal #audiophile #weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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Sharpeipup
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It‘s a lovely morning for reading. ☀️☕️📚

Bkwrm7 That looks absolutely delicious! 1y
36 likes1 stack add1 comment
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britt_brooke
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️ Our local brewery started a #bookclub, so I had to get in on that! I wouldn‘t have normally picked this up, and while I didn‘t care for it, the point of book clubs is to broaden your reading life. The plot was too thin and the ending too convenient. Historical fiction used to be one of my fave genres, but I usually find myself wishing for the nonfiction account (this is loosely based on The Ghost Club; a secret society that still exists).

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Skyrimir
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Storm knocked the lights out, so thought I‘d ready a spooky book by flashlight, lol

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erank58
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Pickpick

I feel like the author read my yucky review of The Lost Apothecary and addressed my specific qualms with it in her second book 😆 Because as much as I disliked her first novel, I LOVED this one!

This read much nicer than her earlier dual-timeline debut, and eliminating that plot element worked well here. I'm actually surprised to see the dismal reviews, as aside from the flat characters, I thought this was a nice, light historical mystery #botm

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Cazxxx
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Pickpick

Took a while for the story to get going but once it did I was all in and ended up really enjoying it!

56 likes1 stack add
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Cathyloves2read
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Mehso-so

This book started and ended very good. The middle was just “mehhh” in my opinion. I like the idea of a story involving seances and the occult. I usually don‘t like murder mysteries. This story ended up being more of a murder mystery. I did find the Victorian take on funerals very interesting. I learned a lot from the authors note. I liked The Lost Apothecary much more than I liked this book.

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Valhalla
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5 likes1 stack add
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Hooked_on_books
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Panpan

I really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, so I was excited for this, but unfortunately it‘s a disappointment. Super thin plot that takes much too long to get going hanging on an unconvincing romance that feels forced. Plus all the plot points were broadcast way in advance. Hopefully this is just a sophomore slump, but if you‘re on the fence on this one, I would encourage you to skip it.

britt_brooke Always appreciate an honest review! I‘m reading this now for a book club. 1y
Hooked_on_books @britt_brooke I hope you fare better with it than I did. And if not, at least you have a discussion to look forward to, which is always fun. 1y
britt_brooke @Hooked_on_books It‘s not something I‘d normally pick up, and it‘s not exactly knocking my socks off. The meeting‘s at my favorite brewery at least! It‘s a new Books N Brews thing, so I had to participate. 😄 1y
52 likes3 comments
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Laughterhp
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Mehso-so

This book was different. I don‘t know if I would have finished it, if it wasn‘t for the audio. I also have never been more confused and need to reference the print book. I have no idea why. I also thought the 2 girls (Evie and Elsie (I think) were the some person for a beat).

#thingsincommon - authors both named Sarah

Clwojick Good match! Well done! 2y
Crinoline_Laphroaig I didn't buy London Seance Society, even though the cover caught my eye. I thought Lost Apothecary cover was gorgeous but I was so disappointed by it. 2y
Laughterhp @Crinoline_Laphroaig Yeah, this one was pretty blah. Didn‘t elicit any emotions from me while reading. I liked the Lost Apothecary but the present day timeline drives me nuts and this one was all historic, so I was hoping to like it. 2y
49 likes3 comments
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RedxoHearts
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Bailedbailed

The cover and blurb drew my attention. However I just wasn't able to really get into the story or connect with the characters. So I decided to bail. It reminded me a lot of The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St James.

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Mccall0113
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BOTM delivery!

JamieArc Wow! That was fast! 2y
63 likes1 comment
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BookBosomed1
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Pickpick

3.5 ⭐️ I recommend this book for fan or light mysteries and stories with a hint of magic. From the author of “The Lost Apothecary,” this book is an entertaining, Victoria-era whodunnit. I enjoyed the atmospheric writing and the gothic aesthetic. While the final reveal did not surprise me, I found the plot engaging. I was pleasantly surprised by the WLW 🏳️‍🌈 storyline. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61109069

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Djspens
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Pickpick

A fun, easy read about 1870s seances and a murder mystery. The Lost Apothecary is my favorite of Sarah Penner, but this was an entertaining read/listen.

AmyG Awwww too cute! 2y
RedxoHearts So cute! 2y
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bluebird
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Mehso-so

I loved the premise. A 19th century London mystery. A female spiritualist who conjures murder victims in order to identify the killer. The men‘s club, London Seance Society, does spiritualism for profit and appears to have a fraudulent element within it‘s membership. The two collide….
The pacing was slow and uneven. I enjoyed parts of the book, couldn‘t wait to finish others. I knew where this was going early on and there were no surprises. ⬇️

Bluebird On the upside: i loved the author‘s note with the historical background. I went down a rabbit hole looking into the Ghost Club and the Garrick Club. And, she has recipes for Victorian funeral biscuits and how to make a three layer candle. Really well researched book, so quite disappointing. (edited) 2y
Librarybelle I‘m very excited to read this. I really enjoyed her debut: 2y
See All 6 Comments
LaraReads Sorry it was a bit of a miss for you! I‘ve been wondering about this one. 2y
Bluebird @Librarybelle i‘ve had Lost Apothecary on my TBR list for awhile, it sounds great! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I hope to read it soon. Sadly, I naturally gravitate to the shiny new books instead. Terrible habit! Lol. 2y
Librarybelle Haha! I‘m guilty of that myself! 2y
20 likes1 stack add6 comments
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tpixie
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Her debut book, The Lost Apothecary was good, but the ending landed a little flat. This new book starts out as a slow burn. The climax is much more rewarding.

63 likes1 stack add
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SilversReviews
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Panpan

Ms. Penner thoroughly researched seances, but this book was a disappointment.

I loved THE LOST APOTHECARY and was looking forward to another great read.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/49n42emc

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Sara_Planz
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Pickpick


This is historical fiction, supernatural and a mystery all wrapped up in one. Filled with suspense, this book relishes the feeling of Victorian England. Sarah Penner did an excellent job researching this era and the spiritual movement that was so popular at that time. Throw in a slow burn story with a nice amount of spice, and you have the makings of another excellent novel from Penner.

38 likes2 stack adds
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Reecaspieces
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Mehso-so
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BookBosomed1
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March is my birthday month, so I am using my free credit for March‘s #botm box. I also had the option of expanded add-on to my box. I didn‘t know that was a thing. Is it a new feature? Anyways, I spoiled myself. I am super excited for these choices. What did you choose for your March box?

JamieArc I saw someone post in a Facebook group something about BOTM expanding to allow up to 5 books, so you may be a lucky test recipient. (edited) 2y
BookBosomed1 @JamieArc Whoa! Well, I hope all my add-ons encourage them to make the beta test into reality. Thanks for responding. 2y
30 likes2 comments
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Beachesnbooks
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My #botm picks for March!

Julsmarshall Ooh, these look good! I haven‘t chosen mine yet! 2y
25 likes1 comment
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KristiAhlers
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Pickpick

Perks of working at a bookstore? ARC‘s of course. I managed to get my hands on this one the other day and I was so excited I inhaled this one in a day! This is a sexy, Victorian occult read with mystery and two women who are dynamic and the storyline is one that will have you flipping pages to see how it will end. At first I got Penny Dreadful vibes that solidified this a read to not be missed! Releases April 11th! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 read!

Clare-Dragonfly Sapphic and sexy with Penny Dreadful vibes?! Yes, please! 2y
KristiAhlers @Clare-Dragonfly all that and more! 💜 2y
67 likes6 stack adds2 comments