The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire: Book 1
Publication Date: February 22, 2025
She vowed to solve a murder.
Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.
Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.
As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?
He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.
Combine a suicide, a mermaid’s curse, an isolated English estate, and a brooding new heir along with a new governess with sleuthing skills for a historical cozy mystery.
Author Syrie James introduces a woman determined to discover the truth in The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall. Diana Taylor can’t turn down her godmother’s request to discover what really happened to Sir Thomas Fallbrook, so she welcomes a governess position at Pendowar Hall.
The challenges start to mount when she meets Captain William Fallbrook, the taciturn new heir. Her teen charge is somehow unable to read and write, which gives Diana an interesting puzzle. Meanwhile, there is talk of a curse and ghostly wanderings.
Diana’s character is sensible and methodical. She has resigned herself to spinsterhood after failed attempts at romance. The idea of a curse somehow impacting a potential relationship with her employer seems absurd. However, there is talk, and the author does an excellent job weaving in moments of suspense along with romance.
Her journey to find answers results in a life-changing adventure. The secondary characters add a solid level of support and help keep the story moving along.
The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall serves as an excellent example of historical accuracy along with a storyline centering on light romance and suspense.
SYRIE JAMES is the author of 14 critically acclaimed novels of historical fiction, romance, mystery and suspense, and young adult including The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, Nocturne, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, and Dracula My Love that have been international, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and are published in more than 20 languages. Her books have been Library Journal Editor’s Picks of the Year, received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus, and won numerous awards including the Audiobook Audie, the Women’s National Book Association Great Group Read, Romantic Read of the Week (Barnes and Noble), Best Novel of the Year (Romance Reviews), and Best Snowbound Romance (BookBub).
A member of the Writers Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Dramatist’s Guild, Historical Novel Society, and Jane Austen Society of North America, Syrie has sold many scripts to film and TV, addressed organizations and literary conferences across the U.S. and in Canada, England, and Australia, and her stage plays been produced across North America.
