Today I have just the book for these cold, November nights: Illusion by Stephanie Elmas. Full of atmosphere and mystery and suspense, Endeavour Press are celebrating its launch with a Giveaway- details on how to enter are at the end of this post.
London,
1873. Returning home from his travels with a stowaway named Kayan,
Walter Balanchine is noted for the charms, potions and locket hanging
from his neck. Finding his friend Tom Winter’s mother unwell, he gives
her a potion he learned to brew in the Far East. Lucid and free from
pain, the old woman remembers something about Walter’s mother.
Walter
is intrigued, for he has never known his family or even his own name –
he christened himself upon leaving the workhouse. Living in a cemetery
with his pet panther Sinbad to keep the body snatchers away, word soon
spreads of his healing and magical abilities and he becomes a sought
after party performer.
During one of Walter’s parties, Tom is
approached by Tamara Huntington, who reveals she is being forced to
marry a man she does not love. Will he and Walter come to her rescue?
Try as they might, sometimes all the best intentions in the world can’t
put a stop to a bad thing, and she is soon married off to the cruel
Cecil Hearst.
Drama and tragedy ensue, and Walter keeps his
distance from Tamara. That is until her stricken brother-in-law Daniel
requires his magical healing, and he is forced back into her life. With
secrets beginning to emerge, Walter finds his mother may be a lot closer
to home than he realised…
Filled with mystery, magic and larger than life characters, Illusion will keep you guessing until the very last page.
My Thoughts
In this novel, Stephanie Elmas conjures up a mysterious, dark story full of larger than life characters. There is a real Gothic feel to it, with Tamara apparently doomed to be tied in marriage with the wicked Lord Cecil. Shut away in his forbidding house at Dovesteads, you feel her helplessness as she tries to come to terms with life there, with her cruel husband. I particularly enjoyed the way life in Victorian times was described, with lots of details, especially showing life in the East End. The whole story goes along at a cracking pace.
At times, you feel how aptly named the novel is as you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. Walter's potions and illusions cast a spell over events and you find yourself wondering just what is going to happen next and whether there is real magic at loose. Twists and turns and the unexpected make it such an enjoyable read and the cast of characters are great fun.
In short: vivid descriptions, exuberant characters and a darkly satisfying plot.
About the Author
Stephanie Elmas was born in Hong Kong to an English father and Czech
mother but spent most of her childhood in Bristol, England UK.
She studied English at university in London. She has worked as a head
hunter, taught English in Japan and returned to
university to complete a Masters in Victorian fiction. It was here
that she developed her interest in the dark dangerous
world of Victorian sensation writing. Stephanie now lives in a
chaotic house in Surrey, England UK, with her husband and three highly
energetic but wonderful children.
You can follow Stephanie here: Website | Twitter
Endeavour Press: | Facebook | Website | Twitter | Instagram
Book Link: Amazon UK
Giveaway (International)
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