Blog Tour and Book Review: Lady Odelia’s Secret

Lady Odelia’s Secret by Jane Steen

Publication Date: March 7, 2022 Aspidistra Press Genre: Historical Mystery Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, #2     Do you ever really know your family? In the 1880s a sixth daughter learns not to ask for much, even if she’s the daughter of an earl. Even if she married the richest man in her corner of Sussex. Even if she’s now a widow with a splendid Georgian mansion. Lady Helena Whitcombe is still trying to adjust to widowhood and reconcile her family loyalties with her desires when her artist sister Odelia makes a startling suggestion. Why not make her mark on the house that’s now all hers, by commissioning a magnificent work of art from one of London’s most celebrated painters? Lady Odelia invites Helena into the seductive world of medieval fantasies and fairy tales she has inhabited since Helena was a child. But when a shocking series of events exposes the destructive reality of a great artist’s unusual lifestyle, Helena and her lady’s maid Guttridge are called on to help—or is it to interfere? Looming danger, the risk of scandal, and competing loyalties force Helena to re-evaluate her relationship with the sister she’s always loved the most. What is Lady Odelia’s secret? Find out in this gripping continuation of the Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, a story that blends mystery and historical detail with Downton Abbey-style saga as the truths about Helena’s aristocratic family unfold. Read it now before the secret gets out!

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About the Author

Jane Steen writes series set in the late Victorian period, with an unputdownable blend of mystery, family saga, romance, and the real-life issues facing women of the era. She is an indie author who began her career while living in Illinois, later moving with her American husband to her native England. When not working, she can be found walking through the green and muddy Sussex countryside, getting her cobwebs blown away on the nearby beaches, lovingly tending her garden, or sticking her nose into yet another book. For more information, please visit Jane Steen’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, April 4 Review at Coffee and Ink Interview at Novels Alive Review at Gwendalyn’s Books Tuesday, April 5 Review at Bonnie Reads and Writes Wednesday, April 6 Interview at Passages to the Past Thursday, April 7 Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective Friday, April 8 Review at Novels Alive Review at View from the Birdhouse

Giveaway

9 winners will receive an eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret and the main prize winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card & eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret. The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on April 8th. You must be 18 or older to enter. Lady Odelia’s Secret https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js

BOOK REVIEW

Lady Helena Whitcomb is the sixth daughter of an earl, but the widow of a very rich man. She is struggling to start her life over after the death of her husband. She decides to commission an artist, Sir Geraint Dorrian-Knowles, to create works of art for a room in her home. Dorrian-Knowles is enthusiastically recommended by Helena’s sister Odelia. The artist begins his work, and shock, intrigue, deception, and murder follow. Along the way, Odelia’s secret comes to light. This is the second book in the Scott-De Quincy Mystery Series.

Although this is a Victorian mystery, it is even more about the dynamics of a large, entitled family in 1880s Britain. The relationship between Helena and her older sister Odelia is interesting and sometimes fun, as Odelia tends to shock the much more conservative Helena. Helena and her ladies maid Guttridge work well together as amateur sleuths. The art world of that time, and all its excesses, is explored. The mystery is compelling and there are plenty of shocks to be had. There’s a bit of romance and hints of debauchery. Fans of mysteries and the Victorian era may enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via HFVBT Book Tours. My review is voluntary. My opinions are my own.