When librarian Sigrun falls head-over-heels for the sophisticated and very married Edgar Leyward, she never expects to find herself in his bed—or his heart. Nevertheless, when his enigmatic wife Octavia dies from a sudden illness, Sigrun finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance worthy of the most lurid novels on her bookshelves.
Sigrun soon discovers Octavia wasn’t Edgar’s first lost love, or even his second. Three women Edgar has loved met early deaths. As she delves into her beloved’s past through a trove of discovered letters, the edges of Sigrun identity begin to disappear, fading into the women of the past. Sigrun tells herself it’s impossible for any dark magic to be at play—that the dead can’t possibly inhabit the bodies of the living—but something shadowy stalks the halls of the Leyward house and the lines between the love of the present and the obsessions of the past become increasingly blurred—and bloody.
Hold My Place by Cassondra Windwalker was published January 25th, 2022 by Black Spot Books.
My Thoughts:
I really liked the character of Sigrun the gothic librarian. Edgar, I didn't trust almost from the start. I kind of expected a Bluebeard's wife kind of story going in, but it seems as the story goes on, nothing is out of bounds when it comes to his former wives. He is sort of disturbingly open on that topic. Sigrun finds herself reading a cache of letters from each of the former wives to Edgar. The more she reads, the creepier it feels.
Much of the book has a dreamlike quality. It's definitely gothic in nature. The book gains momentum as the end nears. And there is quite a twist to the plot.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. Sigrun makes a good main character. It's set during Covid times. I did not see the twist coming. If you enjoy gothic type stories, you will probably enjoy this one.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
