#The Curse of Penryth Hall

[freckles-and-books]

Having trouble getting into Witch King, so I’m going to try this gothic mystery instead.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Curse of Penryth Hall | Author: Jess Armstrong | Publisher: Minotaur Books (2023)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

Review:

A historical cozy murder mystery with a dash of gothic tones and some romance! American heiress Ruby Vaughn has made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and housemate. She's trying to leave behind her past and her time during the Great War, particularly because she wants to forget her former best friend and the woman who broke her heart Yet when her employer sends her on her newest job, she'll be visiting the town where the same woman lives... and facing that heartbreak all over again. Ruby is meant to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside... where Penryth Hall is and where Tamsyn and her husband Sir Edward Chenowyth are. Ruby dislikes that Tamsyn had to marry such an awful man and in doing so also broke her heart. Yet now seeing Tamsyn, Ruby also notices that Edward has been abusing Tamsyn as well. Yet when waking up at Penryth hall one morning, it is reported that Edward has been killed and now Ruby doesn't know whether Tamsyn did it or not. Along to solve the case is Ruan Kivell, the person who Ruby was sent to give the books to. He is a Pellar, a man the locals believe can break the curse that is on Penryth Hall. Ruby doesn't believe in curses but something strange is definitely happening at Penryth and Ruby is determined to solve the case to save This one was an interesting murder mystery, it definitely got the cozy small village vibes with an interesting sapphic romance touch to the story and the main protagonist is Bi (from what I can tell) and overall was okay. The story was a bit slow at parts but I think some people might enjoy the slow pace of it for a cozy mystery. I was expecting a bit more from the big reveal of who did it and why but I guess the overall ending does make sense with the gothic vibes. Overall it was an okay read for me but I think others might have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[libraryofbaxobab]

May 7, 2024:

The text on the front cover says "A Mystery" and that's an apt description. It sure is just a mystery: someone dies and the character wants to figure out what happened to him. The town thinks there's a curse, the main character is certain it's murder, and the hot local witcher seems to equivocate. Eavesdropping and clues-gathering commence.

The part that stands out most to me is, I started reading this while on my way to have lunch with an old childhood friend with whom I had had a falling-out years ago, only to reconnect out of the blue and allowing the past to become water under the bridge. That the book stars a woman traveling to see an old childhood friend with whom she'd had a falling-out years previous, etc etc etc, was striking, down to the semi-acknowledged attraction between the friends, both "back then" and "now" in terms of story. Luckily, my friend's husband is great and, as far as I know, still alive and uncursed.

5.5/10 #WhatsKenyaReading

[tymp3st]

The Curse of Penryth Hall

Busy, busy season this. Trying to get gifts sorted and everything ready for the upcoming break. Trying to make sure everything is in order for Krampusnacht. It’s a lot. But one must make time for relaxation even in busy times, so I’m taking my chance to talk about a book with both hands. This one is courtesy of netGalley. Here is Jess Armstrong’s The Curse of Penryth Hall. Enjoy! Penryth Hall is…

[bookwyrmshoard]

My Favorite Books of 2023

I had very few 5-star books this year, but quite a few 4.5-star and 4-star books. I limited this list to books I read for the first time this year (with one exception—an audiobook which I had read in print, over 10 years ago.) I also decided not to base the list entirely on the number of stars I gave each book at the time I read it. Instead, the books on this list are the ones that shine brightest in my memory at the end of the year.

Spinning Silver (Naomi Novik) – 5 stars. Probably the best book I read all year. Not only did I love it, I was also blown away by her mastery of the writing craft.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (Heather Fawcett; ARC) – 5 stars. Absolutely delightful! Emily Wilde is a grumpy academic who is brilliant at research but terrible with people. When she travels to a remote Scandinavian island to research the local fae, she is drawn in to the townspeople’s lives and troubles, as well as the machinations of the fae. And her charismatic and interfering colleague, Wendell Bambleby, is a complication she neither wants nor needs. Or does she? (reviewed here)

Without a Summer (Mary Robinette Kowal) – 4.5 stars. Third in a historical-fantasy series, and possibly the best yet. Kowal’s magic system (“glamour”) is unique and fascinating, and her use of actual historical events and trends is meticulously researched, but it’s the relationships, particularly between plain Jane and her handsome, highborn husband, that really make the book shine.

An Enchantment of Ravens (Margaret Rogerson) – 4.5 stars (though I may raise it to 5) Enchanting. The Fae are properly fae (unpredictable, tricky, and largely indifferent to human emotions), yet the author made the love story totally convincing.

Identity (Nora Roberts; ARC) – 4.5 stars. Well-written contemporary romantic suspense, but simultaneously a character-driven novel about a woman rebuilding her life after her best friend was murdered and her own identity stolen by a serial killer. All the characters are compelling, and there are strong family relationships on both the hero’s and heroine’s side.

Murder on Black Swan Lane (Andrea Penrose) – 4.5 stars. A strong start to a historical mystery series that became a highlight of my reading year. The Wrexford and Sloane mysteries are set during the Regency era, mostly in London, and involve both high society and the middle and lower classes. There’s a long, slow-burn romantic arc, strong friendships, and found family. I absolutely love them. I’m letting book #1 stand in for the entire series, though book #2 might actually be my favorite by a hair.

The Curse of Penryth Hall (Jess Armstrong; ARC) – 4.5 stars. I would have given this marvelous gothic mystery 5 stars, were it not for the frequent sentence fragments that sometimes threw me out of the story.

Role Playing (Cathy Yardley) – 4.5 stars. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this grumpy-sunshine romance between 50-ish online gamers. The author’s portrayal of both the bi demi hero and the Asian-American single mom heroine is sensitive and perceptive, and the ending is pure satisfaction.

Bound for Perdition (Celia Lake) – 4 stars. Celia Lake‘s historical-fantasy romances are my latest obsession (since 2022). She published 5 (!) novels or novellas in 2023, and Bound for Perdition was my favorite of this year’s releases that can stand on its own. (I should probably add that I reread her entire Albion oeuvre once this year, and reread about 2/3 of the books twice. Something about her characters, setting, and style really appeals to me.)

Hounded (Kevin Hearne; audiobook) – 5 stars. This is the exception to the “new-to-me” books. I read Hounded in paperback about 11 years ago, but listening to it on audiobook was a different and better experience. And as with Andrea Penrose’s mysteries, I’m letting the first audiobook stand in for the rest of the series. (Well, most of them. I’m not quite to the end of the series yet, and book #3 really irritated me, but other than that, I loved them.) (reviewed here)

I am embarrassed at how few of these I actually reviewed. I’ll try to do better in 2024!

[rockislandadultreads]

January NoveList Challenge: Read a 2023 Debut

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins

Once upon a time Orla was: a woman, a painter, a lover. Now she is a mother and a wife, and when her husband Nick suggests that their city apartment has grown too small for their lives, she agrees, in part because she does agree, and in part because she is too tired to think about what she really does want. She agrees again when Nick announces with pride that he has found an antiquated Georgian house on the Dorset cliffs - a good house for children, he says, tons of space and gorgeous grounds.

But as the family settles into the mansion - Nick absent all week, commuting to the city for work - Orla finds herself unsettled. She hears voices when no one is around; doors open and close on their own; and her son Sam, who has not spoken in six months, seems to have made an imaginary friend whose motives Orla does not trust.

Four decades earlier, Lydia moves into the same house as a live-in nanny to a grieving family. Lydia, too, becomes aware of intangible presences in the large house, and she, like Orla four decades later, becomes increasingly fearful for the safety of the children in her care. But no one in either woman’s life believes the stories that seem fanciful, the stuff of magic and mayhem, sprung from the imaginations of hysterical women who spend too much time in the company of children.

Are both families careening towards tragedy? Are Orla and Lydia seeing things that aren’t there? What secrets is the house hiding?

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

On the night of her husband Matt’s fortieth birthday, Rachel Abbott receives a sexy, explicit text from her husband that she quickly realizes was meant for another woman. Divorce is inevitable, and Rachel is determined not to leave her thirteen-year marriage empty handed. Meanwhile, Matt, a rising star mayor with his eye on the White House, can’t afford a messy split in the middle of his reelection campaign. They strike a deal: Rachel gets one million dollars and their lavish house in the wealthy DC suburb of Oasis Springs, as long as she keeps playing the ideal Black trophy wife until the election.

Then Rachel meets Nathan Vasquez, a very handsome, very lost twenty-six-year-old artist, and their connection makes Rachel forget about being the perfect politician’s wife. As Rachel reawakens Nathan’s long-dormant artistic aspirations, their attraction becomes impossible to resist. But secrets are hard to keep in a town like Oasis Springs, and Nathan has a few of his own. With the risk of scandal looming and their hearts on the line, they’ll have to decide whether the possibility of losing everything is worth taking a chance on love.

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses - or Pellars - but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

[lynnwriting]

WOMS: The Curse of Penryth Hall

It's getting close to #spookyseason, so let's get in the mood with my latest #bookreview of Jess Armstrong's The Curse of Penryth Hall! Click below to read how this #murdermystery surprised me! #amreading #musings

It’s getting close to spooky season, and since I happened to read a few thrilling stories over the summer, let’s get in the mood! This week, we’re reviewing Jess Armstrong’s The Curse of Penryth Hall. What drew me most to this book was its setting in post-war England, especially since that is when my own work in progress is set. Of course, the promise of an enticing mystery didn’t hurt. I had…

[gemmiejewel]

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

Plot The Pellar, Ruan Kivell, is summoned. The locals believe that this unsettling man can break the curse. Sceptical Ruby doesn’t believe in curses or Pellars but to protect her friend, she must work alongside him to find out what really happened that night. Review I had an up and down time with this book I won’t lie to you. Firstly. The premise is a really good one; a gothic, 1920s murder…

[freckles-and-books]

I think I’m gonna continue with 1920s mysteries because I sped through The Curse of Penryth Hall.

[primmlife]

Review: The Curse of Penryth Hall

Review: The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong from Minotaur Books #mystery #Cornwall

Some novels are immersive. I get lost in character or story or action. I get caught up world building. Rarely do I get caught up in scenery or setting of a novel. When it does happen, I love it. It’s always a joy to be surprised by a novel, especially when you read as much as I do. The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong was a novel where I got lost in the scenery and setting. It was…

[bwitzenhausen]

#NetGalley #BookReview of The Curse of Penryth Hall, A Mystery by Jess Armstrong #Gothic #Mystery

Review The Curse of Penryth Hall A Mystery by Jess Armstrong Release date: December 5th, 2023 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Curse of Penryth Hall, A Mysteryby Jess Armstrong from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.  “…a well-written, cleverly plotted, atmospheric mystery that offers the reader a deliciously…

[mirandagoing4baroque]

⭐️⭐️ The experience of reading Curse of Penryth Hall is like drinking a wine that hasn’t fully completed the aging process. The core concept is good, and the mystery is solid. The characters are passable, but occasionally have to hold the idiot ball or become two dimensional in service of the plot. I have a lot of issues with the sentence craft of this book, and unfortunately, the good idea, solid mystery, and middling characters mean I can’t in good fait recommend this book.

I’ve had experiences like this before, and in my opinion the person first in line for the blame is the editor. The author has promise, but the correct response here is: “Congratulations on finishing your novel. It’s not ready for prime time, but I’d be interested in seeing your next one.” The sentences are just too rough. In places I found myself skimming because the poorly constructed sentences were repelling my eyes as oil does to water.

The core idea of a haunted Welsh mansion where people start dying is a good one, but that is an idea that rests on vibes. I want to feel the wind off the moor on my neck, and smell the mist in the morning. Instead it felt like listening to a teenage girl tell you about her day at school. I also took issue with some inconsistent and unconvincing character choices. The main character Ruby, lives with a bookseller, who’s only personality traits are old and fatherly. It’s entirely unclear why he likes Ruby, who appears to be a selfish drunk (I do not understand why everyone thought she was charming. She reminded me most of a Frat bro.) I recommend giving this one a pass.

I received an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

[jolieeason]

WWW Wednesday: December 6th, 2023

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday. Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!! Happy…

[amarachireads]

Book Review|The Curse Of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong

Genre: Adult historical mystery Tropes/themes: Gothic fiction Suspense Thriller Historical fiction Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Release date: December 5th 2023 This book is quite different from the mysteries I’ve read. It’s about Ruby, who is now running a bookstore after the end of the great war. She finds herself in the countryside and ends up at Penryth Hall, a place that has old memories which she…