Book Review - The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Myers

The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Myers

Thank you very much to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of The Third Wife of Faraday House by B.R. Myers. When I first read the description for the book, I was immediately intrigued and it was a very enjoyable read.

The Third Wife of Faraday House follows Emeline Fitzpatrick who's at the age where her guardians are beginning to line up suitors for her. But Emeline can't think of anything worse than staying in Halifax and marrying some guy she's not interested in. Frederick is a handsome lieutenant of the British Navy, and he and Emeline are in love with each other. But when they're caught kissing, without being properly engaged, they're caught in a scandal. To save face, her guardians arrange an engagement for her to Captain Graves, a wealthy and mysterious man who's already had two wives die tragically. When Emeline arrives to his estate she finds that the captain's second wife is still alive, and that there's something tragically wrong happening at his Faraday House. Can Emeline solve the mystery of what's happening on the island without risking her life?

The characters in this book were pretty good, and relatable even though the book takes place in the early 1800s. I thought that the way Emeline handled everything, from her first love with Frederick to her scandal to solving the mystery at Faraday, was written in a way that I could see myself making the same decisions that she was. Emeline was a bit naive but we can see her evolve throughout the story as she matures from her experiences and trauma. Captain Graves was an interesting character, but I wish we saw more of him. Although he's one of the main characters, we didn't see much from him and there was very little interaction between him and Emeline. I did like Reverand Pellerine's character, however. But once again, I wish there was more interaction between him and Emeline, especially since *spoiler* he's the love interest.

The story of this book was really good. It had been a while since I read a historical fiction story, and the gothic theme made this one very special. The author did a great job of writing in a chilling and haunting style. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this.

Overall, a great gothic mystery read.