IN THE TIME OF SPIRITS by Beth Ford

Fiction, Historical, Women’s Fiction, Spiritualism

3***

Blurb: An epic adventure through the world of the nineteenth-century spiritualist movement. In 1890, Addy Cohart is determined to defy convention and remain unmarried-until she meets William Fairley, a psychic medium who gives her hope as she grieves the sudden death of her parents. Addy becomes a devotee of the spiritualist movement, but as she takes on a larger role as William’s assistant, she realizes that all may not be as it seems. As the couple moves from New York to London to Paris, Addy is forced to confront the fact that William’s talents may be a ruse, and that he may even be a criminal. She must decide whom to trust and where to place her loyalties. What price is she willing to pay to protect her love and keep her faith?

Thoughts: I thought this story had an interesting premise. Addy is a young woman living with her parents in Washington, DC. Her mother wants her to marry Addy’s lifetime friend, Arthur, but Addy wants nothing to do with marriage. She wants to be an independent woman. Plus, she’s interested in the new spiritualism movement, something both her mother and Arthur disapprove of. After her parents’ death in a fire, Addy decides to travel the world. Then she meets William, a “psychic” in New York. After a whirlwind romance, they marry and Addy thinks the world is finally hers. But then things go south and she discovers that William is not what she thought. But he is her husband. For better or worse.

I liked Addy in the beginning, but kind of didn’t by the end. And the end is what bothered me about the book. It was definitely not how I saw the ending coming. I guess I wanted more from her. Still, she did take things into her own hands and made plans for the future. So good for her. As for William, I pretty much knew what he was from the beginning, so that didn’t surprise me.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe? It’s not a bad story, though the beginning is a bit flowery. And the end…wasn’t wild about it, but I guess it worked. So, recommended with those caveats.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”