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The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson : a review

I’m delighted to be sharing Laura’s thoughts about The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson.

book cover for The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson.  A woman's silhouette is centre with a lake/river behind her.  The sky and water are grey
  • Category : Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Moonflower Publishing (12 Sept. 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916678033
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916678033

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After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond Review

I felt utterly captivated reading this debut gothic novel set during the Victorian times. It was dark and spooky with characters displaying a mysterious past.

The two main characters, governess Julia Pearlie and her companion Miss Olivia Richmond are both in their way strong, intelligent and courageous women.

Julia after losing out on her inheritance finds herself without a home, job or even a reference and without much choice takes on a job as a companion to Olivia at Mistcoate House. On arrival Julia detects many secrets and discovers her charge is know locally as the Mistcoate Witch. Her father Dr Richmond had appointed Julia to teach his daughter how to become a proper lady whilst stopping her infatuation with tarot cards.

I enjoyed some of the secondary characters with sinister Mrs Hayes and forgetful and unwell grandfather.

The setting is wonderfully described with an eerie feel.

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a wonderful historical novel which I highly recommend.

About the Author

Louise Davidson was born in Belfast and has always worked in the creative arts in some capacity – from assistant to theatre directors to teaching scriptwriting classes in prisons to teaching English and drama to A-Level students. Growing up in Northern Ireland backgrounded by the Troubles led to a fascination with history, and this combined with her love of all things gothic inspired her to write her first book, a dark Victorian thriller set in a neglected and isolated mansion. Louise lives in London with her husband and step-son, and in her spare time is working on fulfilling her ambition to visit every museum in the city. The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her debut novel. X @LouiseDWriter

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