Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Series: A Stranje House Novel (Book 5)
Publication: Ink Lion Books (June 15, 2023)
Description: What if you’d been born two centuries ago during a dangerously superstitious time… with the ability to see the spiritual realm? Hint: mentioning you can see angels and demons would be a surefire way to get locked away in the attic.
Sera’s family cast her off and sent her away to Stranje House, a reform school for unusual girls. But unbeknownst to their parents, these young ladies, who each possess remarkable talents, are being trained to enter the perilous world of espionage, diplomacy, and war. Sera loves the sisterhood she finds among these outcasts, but she dares not reveal her more peculiar gifts for fear of losing her new friends.
Conquering Europe wasn’t enough for Napoleon. Now, he wants Britain. His band of assassins and spies, the Iron Crown Brotherhood, led by a ruthless man known only as Ghost, have abducted the Prince Regent. Britain is teetering on ruin, Sera and the young ladies of Stranje House must risk their lives in a desperate attempt to free the Prince before it’s too late. Sera’s secret gifts are desperately needed to help avert disaster. But will she dare risk it?
Amid the chaos, Sera discovers that the one person who truly understands her is the one man they all fear the most. The man set on destroying England. Can she save her homeland and her heart from Ghost?
My Thoughts: The fifth Stranje House novel is Sera's story. Seraphina Wyndham was thrown away by her parents because she had visions. She has found a new home for herself at Stranje House among her fellow students, but she has never shared that she can see demons and sometimes angels with anyone there. She has made a place for herself at Stranje House by being quiet, very observant, and having the ability to tell if someone is lying. All of these are useful characteristics for the young spies that Miss Stranje is raising.
This story begins with Sera receiving news that her family has emigrated to Massachusetts without leaving word and without leaving any provisions for her. She contemplates suicide. But her trip to the cliff's leads to the discovery of one of Ghost's spies who, before he dies, gives some hints about where Ghost and Napoleon are hiding the kidnapped Prince Regent.
Sera and the others at Stranje House must gather to rescue the Prince before England falls to Napoleon. Sera is convinced that the dying spy misled them and that Ghost and all are much nearer to them than France.
She comes upon Ghost while searching some of the many hidden tunnels and finds, not only an enemy, but a man who has had a childhood much like hers and who is beset by demons which are quieted in Sera's presence. He demands that Sera remove the demons which leads to a plot where Sera distracts Ghost while the rest invade the house where Napoleon and the Prince are being hidden.
Packed with secret tunnels, spies, friendship and romance, SANCTUARY FOR SEERS is an excellent episode in a historical fantasy series.
Favorite Quote:
"People will tell you that hate is the opposite of love. That isn't true. Fear is love's greatest enemy. Fear is a vicious weed that strangles love. Our fear clamps an iron shackle around our loved one's leg."I bought this one July 25, 2023. You can buy your copy here.
This sounds like a good read, I'll have to add it to my list, the one that never stops growing.
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