Constance SayersBesprekingen

So, When I got approved for this audiobook by NetGalley I was thrilled. I went through the first 18 chapters in one day. My issue was that after chapter 18 things started to not make sense like bits and pieces of the chapters were missing. So, what I had to do was wait for the book to be published and grab myself a hardcover. That being said I loved this book. My bookish heart is still, the author has done it again. Let me start by saying he can that this is dark, highly addictive, and not for a short novel but this has sealed the deal for this offer to be on my instant buy list. Grab a Cup of tea and your favorite reading spot because you probably could finish this in one sitting. I tend to go into these books blind and get pulled into the atmosphere of them better that way. I did read A Witch in Time and loved it beyond words so happy to have both on my bookshelf. The plot follows generations of the Cabot family between the 1920s and the 2000s and spreads out over three parts. Lara is left at the alter on her wedding day by a vanished husband-to-be. As she puts the pieces of her life back together new revelations on her past, her missing fiancé and a dark heritage start to surface. I am learning that I love a good magic or circus-inspired read. I appreciate an author that can tie in the regular with the magical and make the story not miss a beat. I will confess this has become my new favorite genre where magic and romance are mixed. I will apologize for my late review I had such a fun ride with this book that I can not wait to see what comes next for this author. You will want to find out what happens to him and how she copes. You will most likely love the journal entries they were the parts that I inhaled the quickest and they added so much to the story. I loved everything about this thank you to the author NetGalley and everyone involved. Keep up the great writing of an awesome book.

Between the title and the gorgeous cover, I jumped into this book completely blind. It was different than I thought it would be! (For one thing - there's zero aerial hoop work in the book, so not sure why they put a hoop on the cover - likely because it makes people think of circus acts... anyway...) I assumed this book would be a fictional story about the female performers of a circus. And it was. Kind of.

This book has so many layers and themes woven into it. It had a missing fiance, a few different mysteries, a love story, travelling, jealousy, betrayal, revenge, family relationship dynamics, ancestry, secrets, magic, fantasy, history, detective work, a chase, action.... it had just about everything!

DNF

This is definitely reminiscent of addie larue (even both of their demon lovers are called Luke).
I loved some lives of hers and quite disliked others - I felt like some of them could have been shortened to improve the pace.
Overall I found it entertaining but I needed more chemistry between her and Luke.

Rape

One Sentence Summary: When Lara Barnes's fiancé fails to show up on their wedding day, family secrets begin to tumble out, sending her to Paris for the answers she seeks when only her fiancé's car ever turns up.

When I first learned about the Jazz Age in high school, I was hooked. I loved everything about it. But I knew nothing about the Jazz Age in Paris. The Jazz Age, Paris, a secret circus - I knew I couldn't pass on The Ladies of the Secret Circus. I went into this book with almost no idea what it was about, and ended up loving almost every minute of it. Mostly set in modern times, that Jazz Age flair and a strange, but fascinating, sepia tone to the story easily waft around two time periods to create a story outside of time.

The Plot: A Magical Story with a Daemonic Twist

In 2004, Lara Barnes is preparing to marry her fiancé on October 10th, though her mother Audrey is clearly uneasy about it. And rightfully so. Lara's fiancé never shows up. But his car does, days later. For months, Lara searches tirelessly for answers, and police chief Ben Archer is more than happy to help. After all, there isn't much to do in Kerrigan Falls where no crimes ever seem to happen.

But a man from Lara's childhood pops up, enticing her with answers of what really happened, if only she goes to Paris. Audrey is reluctant to let her go because it's dangerous for them to leave their little town, but Lara is desperate for answers. Answers that maybe the journals left by her great-grandmother Cecile might begin to answer.

In 1925 Paris, the Jazz Age is in full swing. Cecile Cabot, Lara's great-grandmother, travels around Paris with a special circus. Full of incredible performers and even more incredible magic, the circus calls to many, including artist Emile Giroux. But their liaison is threatened by the one woman who holds the answers to a past Cecile doesn't remember, a woman who will threaten Cecile's line all the way down to Lara.

The Ladies of the Secret Circus was an incredible read. I was sucked into the story every time I opened the book. At times, it almost felt like I was reading magic instead of reading about magic. It took me to the little town of Kerrigan Falls, to Paris, and to the terrifying, horrifying Secret Circus.

Part love story, part villain origin story, part mystery, all with a dash of magic and the daemonic, this book kind of had it all. The romance was not a strong part of the story, but it tied in closely to the overall plot. It felt more like a gentle waft, reminding the reader the romance between the women of the Cabot family and their unfortunate men was important without taking over the story. I always love it when the romance is subtle, and this definitely delivered on that front. The villain origin story feel to it was the most surprising to me, but in a really pleasant way. I loved getting to know the villain, and understanding why they did what they did was really one of my favorite parts of this book. Again, it wasn't a big part, but parts of it just struck me as being the perfect origin story for a villain. The mystery was more of a traditional whodunit, but with a big dose of magical interference. Through the police chief, the reader gets a bit of a breadcrumb trail to solving it, and it ties in so well with the rest of the story that, even though it's both a big and small part of the story, I never minded when it faded from my mind.

If there was anything I wasn't particularly fond of, it was the pacing. There was a big jump in time during the first half, and I couldn't help wondering why nothing was really happening for almost a year before the story really gets going. The beginning also had chapters leaping back and forth in time. I had a bit of a difficult time keeping up with it as Lara aged between chapters and I had to do hasty math to figure out how old she was. And then the end came up really fast and suddenly everyone seemed to snap into literal action and figured things out.

Most of the story is devoted to Lara uncovering her family's history and what it all means to her. I did love getting to know the Secret Circus and loved how the whole story was wrapped around it, but I do wish there had been a bit more going on.

Overall, The Ladies of the Secret Circus read like a daydream. It made me feel dreamy and longing to experience it for myself. Opening up the book made me feel like I was literally opening up a portal into another world and I couldn't help but want to step into it.

The Characters: The Cabot Women

The Ladies of the Secret Circus is centered around Lara and Cecile, the bookends of a family that should never have existed. But all of the secondary characters were just as wonderful, just as full of personality as Lara and Cecile. It also helped that there was a very manageable number of them so my mind was less tempted to mix them up.

I really liked Lara, but I did feel I had a harder time pining her down than the other characters. She has a caring heart and is loyal, but also has a need to find the truth. I often felt she was being jerked around by some of the other characters so she did as they wanted, but her commitment to her family always shone through. Similarly, Cecile was committed to her family, gave up things she loved because of them. She both felt like a free spirit, but always had chains around her. I loved that both of these women loved deeply and experienced loss deeply.

The other characters were just as interesting, but I struggled a little with the relationship between Lara and her mother. At times, I got a clear sense that Audrey was Lara's mother. At other times, they felt more like friends. I'm more used to reading about a strict mother-daughter relationship, but it's clear these two are close and have adopted a friendly mother-daughter relationship. I just wish their interactions were a little more consistent, especially at the beginning because I kept forgetting they were mother and daughter.

I loved that The Ladies of the Secret Circus absolutely focused on the women. While Althacazur, the daemonic ringmaster of the Circus, was definitely behind the scenes as one of the top daemons of Hell, I did feel a lot was out of his control, making the story rest almost entirely in the hands of the ladies. The male characters were definitely more supporting cast than lead actors, but I loved how they supported the women.

The Setting: Touched with Magic

The Ladies of the Secret Circus is set in Kerrigan Falls, Virginia; Paris; and, of course, the Secret Circus. It was fun to be able to travel with Lara and experience such incredible things. I also loved getting a glimpse into Paris during the Jazz Age.

Kerrigan Falls was, appropriately, a picture perfect small town. Everything about it felt idyllic and, no wonder, there was no crime. Except for the unsolved disappearance of Lara's fiancé and another man the reader briefly meets at the beginning of the book. It felt open and close knit, and I really liked how everyone was familiar with each other while secrets could also be kept.

Paris was fun, and I wish more time had been spent there. There's plenty of time spent in Jazz Age Paris, which was fun and really managed to make me think of what it looked like, but modern day Paris felt a little lacking. While Paris in the past felt glittering and glamorous, Paris of today was painted as a bit lackluster. It felt like any other major city in the world with little outside of the mention of landmarks and bits of French being thrown around to mark it as Paris. Still, it provided a sharp and interesting contrast to Cecile's Paris, which was nice.

The circus was my favorite place. I would probably be a little scared to visit, but I imagine that being swept up in all the magic of it would have made it very exciting. I loved it's backstory and what it meant for all the performers. It felt like it's own self-contained world, full of wonders and horrors. It's an incredible place I probably wouldn't actually want to visit, but it's certainly nice to dream of how incredible it might be.

Overall: A Fantastic Read

Overall, I really loved this book. Certainly, there were things here and there I wasn't a fan of, but I absolutely loved that I felt like I was sailing away into the story every time I opened it up. It just sucked me in and I wanted to linger in the circus and spend more time with the characters. Every element of The Ladies of the Secret Circus worked really well together to present an incredible cohesive story spanning time and space. I loved the magic of it and the incredible relationships between the women of the Cabot family. Absolutely a magical read!

Thank you to Angela Man and Redhook for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not a fan of stories about witches and demons. Even "magical realism" isn't real enough for me. But both my sister and a friend told me that I would like this one. And I did. It's more of a love story with time travel and past lives than anything else. I liked the way the author portrayed the different time periods so well. And the way the main female character, while the same person, was a product of her time and not exactly the same in each life. The story was well written, and I wanted to know what would happen. I liked the ending! Still, not going to read much more of this genre, but a nice break from the usual for me.

This was a fine read, it was just a little closer to fantasy than I usually like to read so I struggled a bit to fall into the magic elements. The writing is good, but leaves a few gaps - I thought the conversations were a bit weak. Also, it was hard to track a couple of characters that turned out to be key. However, if you like a little magic and have some time (this one isn't short), you will enjoy the escape.

The story begins when Lara Barnes is stood up at the altar. Her husband-to-be disappears into thin air after his truck is found deserted alongside the road. But he's not the first. Thirty years previously, the same thing happened to another young man. And 30 years prior to that, again, a young man disappeared in the same location. Not too long after Lara's fiance's disappearance, she discovers some secrets related to a circus painting that's been in her family for years, along with some journals dating back to the year 1925. In order to discover the link between the journals and the disappearances, Lara is swept up in her family's past and its secrets, including a mysterious world consisting of a Secret Circus.

I'm going to say it now: circuses freak me out a little. I've never been a particular fan, though I've now read several circus-themed fiction stories, mainly because of their popularity throughout the past 10-15 years, and I needed to see what the hubbub was about. The thing with some of these more recent circus novels is that they have a dark undertone, and I suppose that doesn't help my freak-out factor. Regardless, they do make for interesting stories. And I have to admit that I was swept up into this one. I liked the intertwining of past and present. I liked the mysterious undertones. I did not particularly love the main character of Lara, but I did like the way the story unfolded and the subtle mystery involved. I probably would not have picked this book up had it not been a book club read, but overall I enjoyed it.

I usually love any book with a circus setting, and this is no exception. A mix of romance, fantasy, magic, and mystery, it was a little darker than I expected, but the story was intriguing with well-developed characters. Lara’s fiance disappears on their wedding day and sets in motion a tale of good vs. evil that spans multi-generations. The story shifts from the recent past in a magical, serene Virginia town to 1920s Paris, The conclusion is filled with twists I didn’t see occurring. I”d recommend fans of The Night Circus and The Magician’s Lie read this.

I received an ARC from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do I normally read this genre? No.
Did I love the book? Would I recommend it to others? YES!! and YES!!
A sweeping saga of old family secrets, lost loves, sacrifice and revenge. And in the center of it all is a dazzling circus with an insidious Master of Ceremonies.
This novel creatively blends a mystery with the supernatural into a mesmerizing tale of romance and the macabre.
There are many layers to this story - the history of the circus in Paris, the mysterious town of Kerrigan Falls, and a family's buried past. It is all seamlessly woven into an intriguing and suspenseful read.
A wonderful escape into a fantastic world of magic.
*Thank you Redhook Books, Constance Sayers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to give my honest review of the ARC.

This book started off in a totally different direction than what I expected and that worried me. It turns out that I worried for no reason because once I settled into the story, I was hooked.

I am a huge fan of Circus novels... doubly so when they are paranormal or occult in nature. This book was both and more. Not only did it have a magical, demonic circus from Hell... it also had anxiety inducing life or death events, a perilous romp through the streets (and ages) of Paris, familial drama and maybe the most imaginative and tempting depiction of Hell (as seen through the windows of the circus and by the Ferris Wheel trip slowly descending down... down... down). We get all of this plus fierce, bad ass female characters and the men who love them.

Then there were disappearances, intrigue, a treasure hunt (of sorts), personal quests, devious machinations and MUUUUURDER... dum dum dum... Watching it all unfurl and then coalesce was both gratifying and exciting. How each factor (and tidbit) was teasingly doled out led to an addictive need to know more as well as setting a well honed pace.

Sounds awesome right?? There's more...

There's MAGIC. The Magic System was not (and need not be) explained to us in detail... it was pretty straightforward, standard fare. High ranking demon passes on special powers to his daughters... his magically mischievous progeny perform in & are irrevocably linked to this scintillating circus for time immemorial. There was a (super) tame love making scene as well as (numerous) intimated
risqué trysts. There was betrayal, a slight love triangle (if pining over a missing or possibly dead fiancé could be considered one leg of a triangle) and then a cool magical showdown at the end.

The premise sounds both unique and intriguing right?? Yes and Yes!! It was also raw, tangible, rife with possibility... oddities... and filled with varying types of Love. There was the love between Parent & Child, sibling love, love of the Arts, carnal love and (of course) the most important kind of love... love for oneself.

Onto the Trifecta of Awesomeness:

Writing + Character Development + World Building:

The Writing was not too flowery nor bland or curt... it was in that ever elusive Goldilocks zone. It was just right.

There were a few interesting M.Knight Shyamalan bits that blindsided me. Better sleuths than I will most likely be able to suss out some of the twisty turns early on but I think there might be at least one in there that will have them caught off guard and reeling.

The characters: primary, secondary and even tertiary, were compelling and expressive.

The entire magical lineage was a conga line of gifted, kick ass females starting with twins Cecile (the favorite, sweet and slightly naive) and Esme (super strong and a tad touched in the head). They were never supposed to have survived their birth but SURPRISE... out popped the super close, twin female Hellians. Every woman, through the generations, found that their destiny/Fates were entwined with tangled roots, securely fastening their futures to their demonic progenitor and his super mysterious and exclusive playground of misfits. The imprisioned and tormented souls that performed were just trying to serve out their macabre scentences and then BAM!! They became babysitters for their boss's audaciously unrepentant offspring.

The World Building's grunt work was seemingly precise and exhaustively researched. The depiction of Paris's two very different eras was both rich and lush. I swore I could see it all play out, in glorious 4K High Definition, in my mind. Since I have never had the pleasure of seeing Paris firsthand, I was incredibly impressed by Mrs. Sayer's ability to paint an eloquent and vivid mental image.

It was grand yet subtle as to avoid clubbing you over the head and force feeding you info dumppy fodder. WHICH is never fun to swallow nor appreciated (yet is usually tolerated) by this ever evolving bibliophile's taste buds.

Overall:

I was wholeheartedly addicted to this story... it was unputdownable. I just needed to know more and more and more and... oops, it's dawn and I'm only 80 pages from the end... might as well stay up and finish the rest. As a result I ended up being bleary-eyed, hangry and (until the coffee kicked in) a bit of a snippy Grump BUT it was worth it because things felt complete... all was right in the world (sans pandemic) knowing where everyone ended up.

I could easily picture myself giving up (almost) anything just to be allowed to visit, play and/or perform within its wickedly delicious, seductive sanctum. It was so attractive a read that I am admittedly looking forward to reading book #2.

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

Thoughts:

1. This is perfect for a book club read because I figured out so many things when talking about the book with a friend! Talking brought clarity that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

2. A most ambitious undertaking, to put so many past lives in a book!

3. Spook-o-meter: I’m a straight up chicken but I did well with the spooky factor. I could even read it at night!

4. TW: Sexual assault, physical abuse, curses, drug use, suicide.

5. Audiobook version borrowed from library: narrator did a great job with all the different accents.

6. What a journey!

2.5

Wow. I really wanted to love this. At first it seemed promising, but it ended up being the makings of a somewhat original witchy tale mired down by potholes, not well thought out plot points, and the convenience of plot armor, deus ex machina and an occasional macguffin thrown in order to further along a tale that just looses it's way. I truly liked the different lives the character lead and feel like somewhere buried beneath the muck, the author really had something.

This story had several things that attracted me to it; historical fiction, magic, curses, love, witches, demons, and past lives. I had a hard time putting this book down.
The characters were brought to life creatively and very well developed, and the story line was very well constructed. Each story of of Helen's past lives was told at the right pace leading up to the conclusion.
As the story of each past life of Helen was told, a little more was revealed about the nature of the curse that Helen was caught up in, and why and how it happened.
Anyone who loves romantic historical fiction with a twist of magic and time would love this book.

This does deal with triggers such as rape, sex, abortion, demons, and more.

This is told between present and past times. I was really enjoying the past chapters more so than the present at first. When the story jumps to another time, I started to lose a little interest. It was interesting, but nothing was really happening to keep my attention. I needed something more! The middle was just too slow and I found myself skipping to the present chapters to find out how everything was going to unfold.

I was expecting Helen to have more magic or have something happen. This is really just Helen looking back at her life to figure out what has happened. There is little to no actual magic, very little around the demon, and very little around the supernatural aspects to the story.

Overall, this was ok. It was just missing that extra something for me.

The title and especially the cover are what caught my attention when I first saw this novel. The premise was icing on the cake. I want to preface by stating this is not like a young adult novel of curses, witches, demons and love. This isn’t even like Practical Magic level of witchery. This novel is a curse of revenge done by a lesser witch to “protect” her daughter but it backfires, ensnaring her daughter, the lover and a demon in a continual loop of repetition over lifetimes. We come in to the daughter’s life at a stage where she might have the tools and possible powers to break the curse. Don’t expect pages of magical spells and witchery. This is more a story of love. Think 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day.

Reliving the many lives of Helen and seeing each one merge into the other was captivating. I was engrossed in the forbidden and downright underage love of Juliet and Marchant. Hating and loving aspects of each new Helen as they grew and came into knowledge of their Groundhog Day type existence for each era. I don’t want to mention too much of the characters because that will just give too much away.

The author did a wonderful job of depicting each era and surrounding culture. She notes for the reader that historical and fictional incidents are woven throughout the story and edited to fit her tale. Though the story moves back and forth there was no confusion and it flows. I will say that there are some portions that seemed slightly rushed compared to reliving Juliet’s life but it doesn’t take too much away from the story.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a love story that crosses lifetimes. I also want to mention that there are incidents of rape, underage sex, physical abuse, drugs, overdose, forced abortion and demonic ritual.