The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond Louise Davidson

THE FORTUNES OF OLIVIA RICHMOND BY LOUISE DAVIDSON

Hardback published by Moonflower 26th October 2023

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this is to be a girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determine to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past and save herself.

MY REVIEW

When I took my proof copy out of the envelope and a spider fell out it frightened the living daylights out of me! But I absolutely just loved, loved this debut novel, by Louise Davidson.

Halloween! I love this time of year, it’s dark outside, with the creepy books and films to enjoy and The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond, is definitely 100% the book to read as we approach Halloween, with a gripping flair of gothic, and paranormal period drama.

It’s clear to me after reading this book, that this darkly gothic historical mystery novel should be made into a scary film.

The day after Julia’s mother’s funeral, she see a job advertised. Julia and Anthony her brother find out there mother had left a hundred pounds, that Anthony will have, all Julia Pearlie, gets is some pieces of jewellery.

Now Julia has no money, or no home, the only thing she can do is accept a live in companion job, at Mistcoate House in a little village Fellwick in Norfolk to look after Dr Richmond’s seventeen year old daughter Miss Olivia Richmond.

The village have there own speculations about Miss Olivia, who goes for midnight walks alone, and rumours have it that she haunts the woods.

As Julia starts her companion job, she is given strict instructions curtains and shutters are to be closed in the middle of the day, front and back doors must be locked at all times. And Miss Olivia can’t go anywhere without the housekeeper or her father knowing. Strange things go on the house of Mistcoate. Julia is put into a shock, Miss Olivia, seems somehow familiar.

Olivia, who may seem strange but she knows things! The question is how?

Mrs Hayes the housekeeper bought Olivia a gift, a set of tarot card. Olivia likes to do reading with her tarot cards, but there’s a point where she can really scare people, with what she says, some call her mad.

When it’s Julia’s turn to be told what her tarot card says. Olivia hits the exact button, leaving Julia stunned at how Olivia knew about her past.

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is for fans out there of Jane Eyre, and The Night Circus. But I can tell you all that a lot of bloggers will love this spooky tale.

I would like to thank Moonflower for sending me this very exciting paranormal, gothic novel .

About author Louise Davidson

Born in 1988, Louise Davidson grew up in Belfast during the troubles with a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. The Catholic side of her family lived on Mountcollyer Street the street featured in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar winning film Belfast, that was badly effected by violent protests.

Louise’s early memory is of her parents deciding whether they should drive past a car that was on fire in the streets of Belfast. It was only when she left Belfast to study Creative Writing at University in the UK that Louise realised it was not normal to live in a permanent state of fear and anxiety. She says the sense of dread she has had from a young age Drew her to Gothic fiction and is something she has tried to channel into her debut novel.

Louise was introduced to the idea of tarot, mediums and fortune telling from a young age as her Aunt Pat is an intuitive, witty the ability to receive messages from the dead and to predict dreams. Louise grew up watching her aunt predict dreams and pass messages from the dead to bereaved families and this helped her to create the character Olivia Richmond.

After a career working in theatre production with theatres including Tinder Box and Ransome Theatre in Northern Ireland and Intemission, RSC and the Lyric Hammersmith in London, Louise now teaches English and drama to A-Level students and lives in West London with her husband and stepson. The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her first novel.

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