Publication Date: March 1, 2025
In the shadowy aisles of the Lamplighter’s Bookshop, secrets lie as thick as the dust…
When Evelyn Seaton answers an advertisement for an assistant at a forgotten bookshop in York, she is not the only one with something to hide.
There she meets the enigmatic and prickly William Morton, an aspiring writer keeping secrets of his own. But when the walls that Evelyn has built around herself start to crumble, there is only one person she can turn to.
As the layers are brushed away, can Evelyn and William find the courage to write the next chapter of their story?
The Lost Bookshop meets The Lost Apothecary in a beguiling novel full of secrets…
When her family’s fortune takes a dive, Evelyn Seaton is desperate to find her own way. However, her mother keeps insisting that the daughter of a baron must follow Society’s dictates.
The Lamplighter’s Bookshop transports readers to York in 1899, where Evelyn and her mother are staying with a distant relative. Author Sophie Austin fills in details of the time period, including the fact that Baron Seaton is in a sponging-house in London.
Understanding how the Seatons lost everything sets the stage for Evelyn’s reactions later in the story. She values truth and accountability, especially if someone’s actions could impact others.
Evelyn secures a position at a local bookshop, which gives her confidence and security. However, that changes when the owner’s nephew returns.
William’s character embodies a man with a prickly exterior hiding a number of secrets. He and Evelyn both want a position at the bookshop but for vastly different reasons.
Yet secrets have a way of coming out at the most awkward moments, including two people in a budding relationship. It’s essential to note that the romantic element is a very slow burn.
The Lamplighter’s Bookshop centers around complicated relationships and the ripple effect of consequences.
Sophie Austin was born in Kent and she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from King’s College London in 2013. After spending five years working in marketing, Sophie moved to Sweden in 2017 to focus on her novel writing and gain her Master’s in Transnational Creative Writing at Stockholm University. Now, Sophie works as a Creative Writer for Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time. When she’s not writing YouTube scripts for millions of viewers, she retreats to the turn of the century to write historical novels about a time where old Victorian values and turn-of-the-century inventions collide – a perfect, conflict-rich backdrop for her debut romance novel, The Lamplighter’s Bookshop. Sophie is hard at work on her next historical romance. Find her on X @saustinauthor
