The Summary

Nineteen-year-old Signa was abandoned as a baby and has been raised by a succession of guardians, all of whom have tragically perished because they were more concerned with ensuring her riches than her well being. The mysterious Hawthornes, an eccentric family residing at the opulent yet desolate Thorn Grove estate, are her last surviving family members. The family patriarch throws wild parties in remembrance of his late wife, while his son struggles to maintain the family's declining image and his daughter battles an unexplained illness. Signa recognizes that the family she relies on may be in grave danger when their mother's restless spirit claims she was poisoned and enlists the aid of a grumpy stable boy to find the murderer.

However, an association with Death himself, a captivating, perilous shadow who has never left her side, represents Signa's best chance of catching the murderer. Death reveals to Signa that their growing connection may be more potent and more irresistible than she ever dared conceive, despite the fact that he has made her life a living hell.

My Review

This book was excellent! I was totally absorbed in the world the author had created in the Gothic way from the first page. I feel as though I've been waiting a very long period for this and am just now getting it.

In Belladonna, a young lady named Signa Farrow, who has always had the ability to see death, moves to live with her new guardian after experiencing a string of problems with her previous ones. When she arrives at the Hawthornes' home, she learns that the family is caught up in a riddle and that they are suffering from an odd illness.

Signa was great in her role as the main character. She was incredibly sincere, and I'm glad she wasn't a wimp. She became a better person and learned more about her abilities as her character developed throughout the book.

The chemistry between Death and Signa was amazing! It was incredible how tight it got! He was a real sweetheart and a complete beauty. I can't wait to read the next book to learn more about Death's domain and to learn what happens to them.

Both the pace and the plot held my attention! One of the things I liked most about the book was its gothic and menacing tone. I wasn't ready for the numerous turns the story took. My interest was most piqued by the book's intriguing storyline and the puzzle that needed to be solved.

Superb characters round out the cast. It was very fun to discover more about the characters' characteristics. They were all untrustworthy. Each of them is full of complexity and charm, making learning about them enjoyable.

Equally beautiful writing, I might add. It drew me into the Gothic world with the aid of the author's descriptive language and some truly stunning portrayals. It develops a lively, vibrant ambiance that takes the narrative in a marvelously eerie direction.

The cliffhanger at the end of this book, which was fantastic overall, is a really perfect setup for the next one!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

The Summary

Every story has its own secrets.

The Summary

Lillian Carter, age 21, lost her mother to the Spanish flu in 1919, and it has been eight months since then. Since then, her life has fallen apart totally. Lillian was one of the most sought-after painters' models in New York City for the previous six years under the name Angelica. Statues of her likeness may be found on famous structures like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Plaza Hotel. The job has dried up and a brewing scandal have left a mourning Lillian completely without a safe haven. However, with her mother gone, she is alone and desperate. Therefore, Lillian seizes the chance when she discovers a job opening at the Frick mansion a building that, strangely, bears her own face. She is drawn into a complex web of romantic liaisons, stolen jewels, and family drama that is so deep that the stakes may be life or death the longer she serves as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick.

Nearly fifty years later, within the walls of the former Frick mansion, now transformed into one of New York City's most stunning museums, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own opportunity to build her career and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home. However, after being fired from the Vogue photo shoot at the Frick Collection with a charming intern and aspiring art curator named Joshua, she stumbles upon a series of hidden messages in the gallery. These messages could help Veronica with her money problems as well as finally shed light on a long-simmering murder in the infamous Frick family.

My Review

My very first Fiona Davis book! Honestly, I was immediately drawn to the book's cover. The lovely Magnolia Palace on the book's cover relates to the Frick Collection in New York City, a peculiar but stunning location that serves as the setting for the most of the story.

Two separate historical fiction stories, a light romance, and an intriguing murder mystery are all featured in this literary gem. The first stream moves through 1919 effortlessly, but the second stream, which moves through 1966 gradually, reads like two books combined.

Lillian, a female form model for artists at the time, loses her mother to the Spanish flu in 1919, and it is later discovered that she had a significant role in the death of her landlord's wife. By mistake, she agrees to work as Helen Frick's personal secretary. Helen Frick's father is the owner of the estate that would eventually house the Frick Museum. In the second timeline, aspiring model Veronica Weber is trapped within the Frick Museum after being left behind after a photo shoot there in 1966, during a harsh blizzard.

The thing I like best about reading historical fiction is that I always learn something new, even if it's often hard for me to believe because it really does happen. This book made me intrigued about the Frick Museum in general and Audrey Munson, who is partly based on Lillian's character, which led me to explore Google for more information. incredibly fascinating things.

I was surprised by how many specifics there were in the Frick family history. I became totally absorbed in both timelines and was captivated by both tales. Despite my limited knowledge of art, the explanations in this book allowed me to picture the statues and paintings.

Although the story may have begun slowly, it quickly gathered up steam and entered the thriller subgenre, where it improved in both intrigue and readability. The finale was really satisfying, and the characters were incredibly believable. by fusing fictional characters that were both inspired by and connected to actual events with historically accurate details.

Overall, I thought it was a really good book and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and is interested in history or one of New York's most famous families and buildings!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

The Summary

Six young girls vanished in Chloe Davis' tiny Louisiana village when she was twelve years old. By the end of the summer, Chloe and the rest of her family were left to deal with the truth and the fallout when her own father admitted to the crimes and was sentenced to life in prison.

Chloe is a psychotherapist in Baton Rouge and preparing for her wedding twenty years later. She has a tenuous hold of the happiness she has worked so hard to obtain, yet she occasionally feels just as powerless over her life as the problematic teenagers she treats. Therefore, that horrible summer suddenly comes flooding back as one local teen girl vanishes, followed by another. Is Chloe ready to reveal a killer for the second time in her life, or is she neurotic and seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there?

My Review

This book is amazing! If I don't get sidetracked from my work, I can probably read it in a day. I was engaged and felt a feeling of plausibility since it had a decent blend of expected and unpredictable components. I felt pretty anxious the rest of the time I was reading this.

The entire story is portrayed through our MC Chloe's perspective, cutting between the present and the past to show glimpses of her happy family before they tragically disintegrated. She makes the perfect flawed, unreliable narrator who is unsure of whom to believe because she utilizes alcohol and prescription drugs to address her anxieties. Chloe Davis, a psychologist, is concealing a very sinister secret from both her patients and the bulk of the world.

I found each character to be quite intriguing. They were all incredibly fascinating, and they all had something to hide. Despite the fact that I felt some of them were brought in unexpected places or seemingly out of nowhere. I could still argue that they all had a purpose, whether it was to confuse us or to reveal more about Chloe's past, traits, and worries.

Although Chloe's emotions repeat themselves frequently and the tempo is a little off, overall the writing flows well, and the Louisiana setting of the story is evocative and well described. Even so, the tension and suspense are masterfully crafted, and even though I had my doubts about who the murderer was, it didn't stop me from enjoying the plot's many twists and turns.

It is clear that this type of psychological thriller focuses a great emphasis on the psychological. There are a few negatives, but nothing that will stop you from enjoying yourself. What a terrific debut!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.

The Summary

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