Thank you Libro.fm / PRH Audio for the ALC and Dutton, #partner, for the finished copy of An Immaculate Deception in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Dutton / Penguin Audio
Published: September 1,
Summary:
A debut Gothic horror set in 1870s Brazil—a tale of creeping suspense in which a young pregnant woman finds herself unable to escape her lover’s isolated family home, and a family’s deal with the devil goes terribly wrong.
1877, Pernambuco, Brazil: Raised in a deeply religious household, Madalena knows Dante’s Inferno by heart and fears her mother’s reaction as much as she fears God. When she falls pregnant with a child conceived in sin, her mother issues a threat: marry or surrender the baby. Madalena is confident that the father, the dashing Leandro Neves, will do right by her and propose. But just as she is about to tell him about the baby, a violent storm sends their carriage careening off the road.
Madalena awakens in Leandro’s sprawling, secluded home, under the care of the mysterious and larger-than-life Doctor Lobo. Leandro is there . . . but he is no longer the charming poet she knew. He’s silent. Obsessed. Always watching.
Strange perfume haunts a locked room. Pages vanish from books. Jewels lie untouched in a forgotten wardrobe. And mirrors begin disappearing after Madalena sees something—or someone—ghastly in the reflection.
Leandro is unraveling. Doctor Lobo may be hiding something even darker. Trapped in a decaying house of secrets, Madalena must uncover the truth before the men around her destroy her, and before the hell she fears becomes the one she’s living in.
My thoughts:
Holy cow…was this fantastic!! I had seen a few trusted friends raving about it but not every book hits the same for every person…but this one definitely did!
I have really come to love the historical horror genre but combine it with Gothic horror and it’s a total winner! The atmosphere was haunting and there was a constant sense of dread & unease. I loved the slow buildup that adds to the overall tension…at times it might seem painfully slow, but trust me, the payoff is so worth it!!
I loved how the author played on the reader’s assumptions. This is a story where you get pulled into one character’s story only to have you questioning everything with a twist that will leave you dumbstruck! And it doesn’t stop there…that ending is the chef’s kiss! I’m still in awe that this is a debut!! This is an author I for sure will be watching!!
Audio thoughts:
I had both the print & audio, but leaned heavily into the audio as the narrators were fantastic! But it was nice to flip back in the print…if you’ve read the book, you know why!!
Bottom line: This is not to be missed! Pick it up now or add it to your #spookyseason tbr!
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