Today I am on the blog tour for The Parlour Game (Published 30th Aug 2022) By Jennifer Renshaw. A big thank you to the author for sending me a copy to read and review, always appreciated. Also to the wonderful Anne for the invite to take part in the tour, always a pleasure to work with.
The Parlour Game
DEATH IS ONLY THE BEGINNING… a dark gothic tale for fans of The Clockwork Girl and The Woman in Black.
London, 1873.
Ivy Granger, an amateur botanist, is plagued by disturbing dreams and faceless whispers. Misunderstood by her father, she fears for her sanity – threatened with the asylum or worse, the hands of a man she loathes.
But a stranger at her mother’s funeral reveals Ivy’s world has been a lie and she could have a different life, for she is capable of so much more…
Miss Earnshaw, London’s most renowned spiritualist, is Ivy’s only hope of revealing what secrets her mother took to the grave and discovering her true purpose.
Ivy’s journey for knowledge takes her to Blackham House, a building haunted by a terrible past – full of macabre artefacts and ancient studies of the supernatural. But behind closed doors, the Blackhams collect more than relics alone, and Ivy will soon find herself at the centre of a conspiracy spanning generations and a hidden evil waiting to be unleashed.
Can Ivy survive in a world where women must play their part or risk being silenced?
About The Author
Jennifer Renshaw grew up in Sussex, England, and is a former analyst. She has always been fascinated by history and enjoys a gothic mystery. She now lives in Denmark with her family and two portly cats.
Review
The year is 1873 and Ivy Granger stands alone at her mother’s grave. Ivy secretly wishes they had rather buried her cousin Edith who is already busy trying to marry her off or send her away. Now with her mother, Lillian gone Ivy fears for her future and doesn’t understand what her purpose is. When her mother was alive she had encouraged her pursuit of botany, studying and drawing the plants all around. Ivy has hopes of becoming a botanist and continuing her studies but fears her dream fading now as she is left with her father and the interventions of Edith who sees her as an inconvenience.
From a young age Ivy has always woke to voices and strange dark figures lurking in her bedroom. She would hide under her blankets fearing that the devil had found her. On the way to her mother’s funeral an old woman rushes at the carriage and warns how the spirits follow her. Shaken up by this encounter Ivy worries now that her mother has passed, who will keep the voices and creatures at bay in the night.
Ivy has no friends, no one she can safely confide in. She has always hidden in the shadows and listened to what others say about her, how she’s quiet and odd. Ivy herself doubts she would be missed if she died and thanks to her knowledge of plants would know how to end her suffering. As she stands at her mother’s grave her thoughts are suddenly interrupted when a striking woman approaches her. She introduces herself as Miss Earnshaw, Rosetta, a dear friend to her mother. Miss Earnshaw says they are family and has come to warn Ivy about the dark forces working against them. She tells Ivy that she has been protected for a reason but now she has to know who she really is. Miss Earnshaw advises that Ivy must come to London with her, that she can teach and protect her but before Ivy can accept her father appears telling Miss Earnshaw to stay away, before she leaves she hands Ivy a card and tells her to find her in London. Ivy is bewildered by this invitation but wants to learn more about her mother and the possibility of being related to Miss Earnshaw. Maybe she can help her understand why she sees and hears strange things at night.
Told in four parts the reader follows Ivy’s journey to disocver the truth behind this mystery woman who calms to have known her mother. She travels to London and seeks her out only to discover that she has disappeared. Her investigations lead her to Blackham House, the last place Miss Earnshaw was seen attending a party to conduct a séance. Thanks to good fortune Ivy is mistaken for the new maid and accepts the job in the hopes she will learn more about Miss Earnshaw’s disappearance. It doesn’t take Ivy long to realise that the Blackham house holds many dark, disturbing secrets. The house is full of strange, unusual collections from all over the world that many would and have died for, the infamous Blackham House collection is well known among many. The family is obsessed with shiny objects.
Blackham House has a mind of its own as doors bang and windows open letting in a cold wind that sends shivers up your spine. The food deteriorates quickly, often rotting the next day after being purchased, life does not last long in the house. Magpies surround the garden where exotic plants grow. Ivy notices how they shouldn’t survive in this climate and is desperate to take a sample. The more Ivy learns about the house the more she knows she has to find out the truth. The house is short staffed, Mrs Higgins the cook mentions how a few have left recently as Ivy works alongside another maid Hannah who takes an instant disliking to her. But when Ivy finds a truck full of possessions members of staff must of left behind she begins to question what would make them leave so hastily. Renshaw hooks you in, you are desperate, determined to learn the truth about Miss Earnshaw and the horrific secrets buried under the house.
Master Blackham, his new wife Angelica and his mother, Lady Blackham all live in the house along with the staff. Master Blackham has returned home with Angelica from Italy with the hopes that the ghosts from his past will no longer torment him. It is his mother’s wish that the vacant position in the household should be corrected as soon as possible but Master Blackham fears he has made a grave mistake in marrying again. He drinks himself unconscious most nights, stumbling about the corridors while his wife hides away in her room, drinking tonics to help her sleep and forget the nightmares. Ivy feels sympathetic towards Master Blackham at times but finds it hard when she hears how he treats his wife by locking her bedroom door at night. Ivy dreads going into Lady Blackham’s room as it is consumed with death. She feels uncomfortable and uneasy in her presence. There is something about Lady Blackham that scares her, makes her want to scream and run. But she can’t, she has to stick it out until she knows what happened that night at the séance. The truth will send your jaw to the floor dear reader. I did not see that coming.
Ivy is a strong, determined character to follow. She only wants to follow her own ambitions which do not include being someone’s wife. She wants to be free to study, draw, do as she pleases. Her mother wanted better for her and Ivy will do anything it takes to avoid a fate chosen for her by others. I enjoyed watching her develop and her confidence in herself gaining. It was fascinating to read and I cheered her on every step of the way.
I give The Parlour Game By Jennifer Renshaw a Five out of Five paw rating
Renshaw creates a suffocating atmosphere that fills the reader with dread at each turn. You never know what lies in wait in the shadows. I constantly felt like Ivy, that I was being watched. It was haunting and I loved every second.
The Parlour Game is book one in The Corvidae Hauntings, I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below, enjoy!
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@ jen_renshaw
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Thanks for the blog tour support x