The Undertaker's Daughter The Undertaker's Daughter Book #1
Gothic Romance, Gothic Fiction, Historical Mystery Romance
The Wild Rose Press
Jan 23, 2023
Kindle
401
Amazon
Charlotte Harkness has (quite cheerfully) accepted that she’ll never find love. An undertaker’s daughter who reads embalming manuals and hears the dearly departed? It’s enough to make any Victorian patriarch despair.
When Lavinia Everly’s corpse arrives at Harkness and Sons, Charlotte is tormented by the girl’s final memories, her death at the hands of the mysterious “Jack.” Charlotte knows she must find the killer before madness consumes her.
Dr. James Everly shuns society’s rules to find out who killed his little sister. When he joins forces with the undertaker’s daughter, he never expected his new ally to be so quick-witted and beautiful.
James and Charlotte agree to pose as a courting couple to continue their investigations. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan.
As danger mounts, Charlotte and James race to stop “Jack” before he can strike again. Will they succeed, or become the next victims on his list?
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
When I was given this book to read and review, I was resigned to drag my way through the over 400 pages, Queen Victoria’s England and a story focused on the daughter of an undertaker, but I was in for a surprise. I started the book and before I knew it, I finished it all in one day and not once did it drag on.
Charlotte Harkness works with her dad at Harkness and Sons mortuary and her dream is to one day take over the business, a dream that will never happen. Women are raised to be a wife and mother and limited to the type of work they are allowed to do. Charlotte has a very loving father who only wants the best for his daughter and will never allow her to take over the business. Her work consists of flowers, making tea for the mourners and even though she is knowledgeable about the business a woman would never be accepted.
Charlotte has a gift that allows her to hear the dead before they finally pass on and when a young woman is brought in the victim of murder, she doesn’t hear her, but she sends Charlotte her thoughts putting Charlotte at the scene of the crime and hearing both the victim’s words and those of the killer. The victim is Lavinia Everly, part of the aristocracy, but fear of scandal has made her mother hide the murder and placed her in the care of Harkness and Sons.
James Everly is a doctor working towards being a surgeon and he questions the story he is told about his sister’s death. Charlotte knows the truth and allows James to see the body, a body that was sliced up, her throat cut and with evidence that the murder was done by someone with medical knowledge. Determined to find the killer and give his sister and Charlotte peace he enlists Charlotte’s help finally believing her when she says she can hear the dead and keeps reliving Lavinia’s death.
From start to finish this book kept me glued. Murder, suspense, romance, secrets, surprises and lies in addition to two amazing characters who are ready to go against societal norms. Can Charlotte ever hope to continue working at the mortuary, can James and Charlotte have a chance at a future and can the murderer be found and stopped.
ROMANCE/HISTORICAL/TIME TRAVEL/FANTASY/MYTH
