Week 32 Review: The Secret of the Three Fates

From Goodreads:

Following the atmospheric and award-winning gothic historical mystery debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall, USA Today bestselling author Jess Armstrong's heroine, Ruby Vaughn, returns in The Secret of the Three Fates, where the Scottish Hills hold ghosts of the past that threaten Ruby’s present.

American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn't entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare bookshop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.

The Great War left grieving families willing to sacrifice anything for the chance to say goodbye to a lost loved one. Mr. Owen is no exception. He is desperate to speak to his son, but he doesn't want to face the spirits alone. When the séance—hosted by a trio of mediums billing themselves as The Three Fates—goes awry, Mr. Owen's secrets begin to unravel, threatening to reveal a history that he has been running from for half his life. Something Ruby knows all too well how to do.

When Ruby finds one of the Three Fates murdered the night of the seance, she and Mr. Owen quickly become the prime suspects. To clear their names, Ruby enlists the help of Ruan Kivell, the folk healer Pellar who helped her weeks before in Cornwall. As their investigation progresses Ruby and Ruan realize someone is determined to prevent them from uncovering the truth about what happened to the dead medium.

My Review:
I had such a great time reading this book! The ending of the first book gave the starting seeds of this story, and I was so excited to see how they would grow, as well as spend more time with these characters, and watch them investigate this latest mystery!

Since I had an audio ARC of the first book, I might have missed some details. Like the fact that she's in her late 20's. I thought she was still a teen, maybe early 20's. So when she said she was 16 when things went down with the guy who had hidden that he was married, and that it had been 13 years since then, shocked me. But things make a bit more sense with that context in mind. 

The whole mystery with Mr. Owens and his past, and the missing and dead mediums, it was so interesting to read, because he had a lot of secrets in his past. And figuring out what happened in the past might inform what was going on now.

Absolutely loved her and Ruan! She's still sceptical of all things paranormal, but has a more open mind. Watching them investigate together was thrilling to read. Plus there's the whole thing where she has, or is, something paranormal. That's still a mystery, but we were told about her mom, which was interesting…

This was a blast to read, and I can't wait to read more by Jess Armstrong and in this series, I can't wait to see where it goes from here! And I wonder if the Egypt stuff right at the end will be what book 3 will be about…

Author: Jess Armstrong 
Series: Ruby Vaughn #2
Read: August 8th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Really enjoyed the first book, and it's a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge Book, Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Expected Publication: December 3rd 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars