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ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Whispering Muse in Books
Apr 15, 2024
I love Laura Purcell’s gothic novels, and The Whispering Muse is yet another chilling tale of paranormal occurrences - this time set in a London theatre.
Jenny is persuaded to work in the Mercury Theatre as a dresser to the leading lady - and to spy on her for the owners wife. Jenny has little choice but to do as she’s asked, and initially she just gets on with it. But soon she begins to actually like the woman she’s supposed to be spying on, which leaves her in a bit of a tricky predicament.
This was a really atmospheric, gloomy and unnerving read. If I’d been able to see the setting, I would have seen shadows in every corner. My skin was crawling just reading about it!
Laura Purcell has become an insta-buy author for me - historical fiction with a touch of threatening, unexplainable atmosphere would appear to be right up my street!
Jenny is persuaded to work in the Mercury Theatre as a dresser to the leading lady - and to spy on her for the owners wife. Jenny has little choice but to do as she’s asked, and initially she just gets on with it. But soon she begins to actually like the woman she’s supposed to be spying on, which leaves her in a bit of a tricky predicament.
This was a really atmospheric, gloomy and unnerving read. If I’d been able to see the setting, I would have seen shadows in every corner. My skin was crawling just reading about it!
Laura Purcell has become an insta-buy author for me - historical fiction with a touch of threatening, unexplainable atmosphere would appear to be right up my street!
JT (287 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
Original story (1 more)
Solid tension
White wedding goes full bloodshed
Grace (Samara Weaving) is about to marry the man of her dreams, Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien). But her new in-laws, as it turns out, are going to be a real nightmare.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
After a long sweeping shot through a gothic house 30-years earlier which sets up the back story to what is going to unfold, Grace is tasked with drawing a card from a mysterious mechanical box.
The premise is simple, whatever game is on the card she has to play in order to be accepted into the family – a tradition which must be accepted.
Innocently believing that it is just a harmless game of Hide-and-Seek Grace sets off to hide. The family, however, arming themselves with a variety of antique weaponry, must kill poor Grace before sunrise or they will all perish.
The family is an eclectic mix of batshit crazed parents, eccentric grandparents, troublesome daughters and drunken sons. When merged they come across as a psychopath’s answer to the Keystone Cops, all flair but no clue whatsoever.
Ready or Not manages to balance horror and comedy nicely. It is gory when it needs to be with several grotesque and humorous scenes that will leave viewers squirming in their seats.
The remainder of the film is a tense game of cat and mouse with Grace now realising what the real motives of the family are. She must hold her nerve to see out the night and make it to morning.
The setting is perfect for this type of caper and the gothic mansion provides plenty of twists and turns; from secret doors and passages to outhouses filled with decaying corpses.
Grace turns from the bride in white to the bride in blood as she battles the family – the tension rarely lets up for a second. Ready or Not gets just about everything spot on and it never suffers from horror cliches or boredom.
Weaving gives a good account of herself as a modern-day scream queen turned badass, running around in a torn wedding dress and trainers dispelling the myth ‘till death do us part‘.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Breathless ( Scarlet Suffragette book 2) in Books
Mar 29, 2022
54 of 230
Kindle
Breathless (Scarlet Suffragette book 2)
By Nicola Claire
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series continues with a dark and sinister London City at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector...
Determined doctor? Interfering busybody? Fearless fighter?
The London of Anna Cassidy's memories is not the London she faces today. Having proved her worth as a physician, Dr Cassidy finds herself pitted against the stolid attitude of a male-dominated society.
But it's not only society she has to contend with.
A criminal mastermind has set themselves up in London, England; chosen the dirty streets of Whitechapel and Lambeth as their stage. Competing against a devious and cunning opponent sets Anna and her closest friends off on a dire adventure, which could culminate in a loss so great Anna may never recover again.
Steadfast police inspector? Loyal guardian? Caring lover?
Anna, however, is not alone. Or, at least, she won't be once Inspector Kelly finds her. Facing the ghosts of his past, Andrew Kelly rushes to face Anna's enemies and protect the woman he loves.
But Anna is not unable to defend herself.
Proving she needs him is a task Inspector Kelly would gladly undertake. But the city of Andrew's birth is more in the grip of evil machinations than it has ever been, bringing to mind memories of a dark London, ripped to within an inch of its life by a devil known to most simply as Jack.
Andrew knows otherwise. For his secrets are unravelling and within their shadowed corners lies a murderer, a poisoner, and a villain so deceitful that nothing is what it appears to be.
A gritty, twisted, and authentic Victorian romantic suspense, sure to rip you apart... just like old Jack.
Read preview >
This was so good I love the era and the references to Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. It has fabulous characters both good and bad. The story kept you wanting to read more. I’m not one for huge relationship storylines but this I loved. Highly recommended if you like murder mystery set in a gothic Victorian era.
Kindle
Breathless (Scarlet Suffragette book 2)
By Nicola Claire
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series continues with a dark and sinister London City at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector...
Determined doctor? Interfering busybody? Fearless fighter?
The London of Anna Cassidy's memories is not the London she faces today. Having proved her worth as a physician, Dr Cassidy finds herself pitted against the stolid attitude of a male-dominated society.
But it's not only society she has to contend with.
A criminal mastermind has set themselves up in London, England; chosen the dirty streets of Whitechapel and Lambeth as their stage. Competing against a devious and cunning opponent sets Anna and her closest friends off on a dire adventure, which could culminate in a loss so great Anna may never recover again.
Steadfast police inspector? Loyal guardian? Caring lover?
Anna, however, is not alone. Or, at least, she won't be once Inspector Kelly finds her. Facing the ghosts of his past, Andrew Kelly rushes to face Anna's enemies and protect the woman he loves.
But Anna is not unable to defend herself.
Proving she needs him is a task Inspector Kelly would gladly undertake. But the city of Andrew's birth is more in the grip of evil machinations than it has ever been, bringing to mind memories of a dark London, ripped to within an inch of its life by a devil known to most simply as Jack.
Andrew knows otherwise. For his secrets are unravelling and within their shadowed corners lies a murderer, a poisoner, and a villain so deceitful that nothing is what it appears to be.
A gritty, twisted, and authentic Victorian romantic suspense, sure to rip you apart... just like old Jack.
Read preview >
This was so good I love the era and the references to Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. It has fabulous characters both good and bad. The story kept you wanting to read more. I’m not one for huge relationship storylines but this I loved. Highly recommended if you like murder mystery set in a gothic Victorian era.
Aspiring novelist Lena London has been given the change of a lifetime, helping her idol, best-selling author Camilla Graham, polish up her newest novel. But Lena has hardly arrived in town when she finds the dead body of a young man near Camilla’s house. What is going on?
There is a strong element of wish fulfillment in this novel, and I must admit I enjoyed that real life fantasy. Camilla writes gothic novels, and there are elements of those here as an homage to the genre. Even though I’m not familiar with that genre, I still spotted a few; I probably missed others, but it wasn’t that big a deal to me. The characters are fun and the plot was strong. I did have some issues with the pacing at the end, but overall, I enjoyed this. It certainly left me anxious for the next one.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-dark-and-stormy-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
There is a strong element of wish fulfillment in this novel, and I must admit I enjoyed that real life fantasy. Camilla writes gothic novels, and there are elements of those here as an homage to the genre. Even though I’m not familiar with that genre, I still spotted a few; I probably missed others, but it wasn’t that big a deal to me. The characters are fun and the plot was strong. I did have some issues with the pacing at the end, but overall, I enjoyed this. It certainly left me anxious for the next one.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-dark-and-stormy-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated A Dark and Stormy Murder (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery, #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This cozy mystery is dedicated to Mary Stewart, and that should tell you something! A fan of gothic romantic suspense, the author has done a great job of incorporating the common elements of that genre into a cozy mystery.
I've always loved Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, and similar authors, so I was very excited to hear about this cozy. I was not disappointed. There's the young heroine, living in an unfamiliar house, the "is he good or is he bad" guy, and the "he must be good but there's something we don't like about him" guy, and lots of other suspicious characters for us to distrust. All of these elements, combined with a modern mystery and a likable amateur sleuth, created a story I didn't want to put down.
This one also wrapped up a little differently than most cozies - the reader is left with a pretty good idea of what the characters will be doing at the beginning of the next book. I can't wait for it!
I've always loved Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, and similar authors, so I was very excited to hear about this cozy. I was not disappointed. There's the young heroine, living in an unfamiliar house, the "is he good or is he bad" guy, and the "he must be good but there's something we don't like about him" guy, and lots of other suspicious characters for us to distrust. All of these elements, combined with a modern mystery and a likable amateur sleuth, created a story I didn't want to put down.
This one also wrapped up a little differently than most cozies - the reader is left with a pretty good idea of what the characters will be doing at the beginning of the next book. I can't wait for it!
Roxanne (13 KP) rated Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Being a part of the Gothic subculture I have followed these events since they happened. I have donated to the charity and I have joined marches through Plymouth in memory of Sophie. This collection of poems truly moved me, it did not matter that the poetry wasn't written in a style I'm more used to, I still very much enjoyed them and believe more people should read them. The subject matter brought tears to my eyes and the last poem made my heart ache. After recently becoming a mum myself I can not even begin to imagine the pain her family felt when she slipped away from them. Even though I did not know Sophie I still feel connected to her and am unbelievably sad that she was taken from this world in such a brutal and disgusting way...just because she and her boyfriend were different.
This is a beautiful collection, handled in a very sensitive way, I hope for this to reach more people as things need to change.
Rest in peace beautiful Sophie.
This is a beautiful collection, handled in a very sensitive way, I hope for this to reach more people as things need to change.
Rest in peace beautiful Sophie.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Iron Angel (Deepgate Codex #2) in Books
Nov 15, 2019
The first novel in the Deepgate Codex trilogy, Scar Night, explored the immediate surroundings of the suspended city of Deepgate. This second entry follows the fallout from the battle of Deepgate as the balance between the powers of the world realign themselves.
As with Scar Night, Campbell's imagination creates some stunning characters and imagery; the Soft Men, John Anchor, a nightmarish journey through hell. The descriptions are extremely evocative, the whole having a sort of Gothic Steampunk feel to it.
This is, however, weaker than Scar Night, partly because there is just so much Campbell is keen to show us that the detail gets lost, and at times the story grinds to a halt for some lingering descriptions of something that although interesting has no real bearing on the story and just means momentum is lost. The result is unfortunately a bit of a mess.
Not a bad book by any means, but a case of an author's enthusiasm for their own creations reducing the focus on developing an interesting and coherent story
As with Scar Night, Campbell's imagination creates some stunning characters and imagery; the Soft Men, John Anchor, a nightmarish journey through hell. The descriptions are extremely evocative, the whole having a sort of Gothic Steampunk feel to it.
This is, however, weaker than Scar Night, partly because there is just so much Campbell is keen to show us that the detail gets lost, and at times the story grinds to a halt for some lingering descriptions of something that although interesting has no real bearing on the story and just means momentum is lost. The result is unfortunately a bit of a mess.
Not a bad book by any means, but a case of an author's enthusiasm for their own creations reducing the focus on developing an interesting and coherent story
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