The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

 

“Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book is based on the fairytale Blue Beard by Charles Perrault. Right from the start I knew that The House Saphir was going to be my favorite book by Marissa Meyer. Mallory Fontaine is quite the spunky character. She is trying to keep the fact that she isn’t a true witch like her mother and keep Armand Saphir in the dark about the truth in order to make enough money to start a new life elsewhere. The only magic Mallory does have is the ability to see ghosts, including Le Bleu’s three murdered wives. Before too long, she finds herself drawn to Armand. When a new murder occurs at the Saphir house, the Fontaine sisters realize that they are truly in over their heads. Can Mallory solve the murders surrounding Le Bleu and House Saphir before it is too late?

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox

“Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.

It’s a killer guest list . . .

DANI: Sophie’s new stepmother who’s been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl

ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house

MIKAYLA: the birthday girl’s best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume

KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of . . .

Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.” - taken from Goodreads.

This mystery opens to the night of Sophie’s 16th birthday party and someone falling to their death from the balcony. But who is it? Told from four different points of view, beginning on the previous day, readers will slowly uncover the mystery behind that fateful day. Who falls to their death? Is the house truly haunted or is it everyone’s imagination? The ending will truly shock you.

Visit Kelsey Cox’s website.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace (Belladonna book 1)

“Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

 

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.” - taken from Goodreads.

Signa has been repeatedly passed over by Death since she was an infant. Shuffled between numerous guardians who were only interested in her wealth, her latest placement heads her to the Hawthorns and Thorn Grove. Haunted by restless spirits, including the recently departed family matriarch, Signa is left to pull what remains of the family back together. Siding with Death himself, Signa is in a race against time to uncover the deadly secrets before time runs out.

With a fantastic ending, readers will be clamoring for book two, Foxglove is out August 29, 2023.

Visit Adalyn Grace’s website.