Blog Tour: The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

   ” When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les Genévriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the south of France. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive. But as verdant summer fades to golden autumn, the grand house’s strange and troubling mysteries begin to unfold—and Eve now must uncover its every secret . . . before dark history can repeat itself.”

 Any book that is compared or said to be inspired by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is going to catch my eye…as is the adjective gothic in relation to any work of literature. For this reason and a few others I had really been looking forward to reading The Lantern ever since it had first been pitched to me as a possible blog tour stop for Stiletto Storytime. It just jumped out as one of those books I might truly be able to lose myself in for a couple of days. A book that would be an escape and more than just your average reading experience. And in the end I have to say it truly was.

The Lantern is really a feast for the senses bringing both the past and the present to life through thoughtful descriptions and eerie and yet suspensful happenings and locations. Lawrenson is wonderful about always describing everything in such lush detail from the smell of a flower to the slant of the sun and yet you never feel overwhelmed by her details just included. She magically brings the past and present to life while layering events, people and every day nuances just so throughout her writing. To read this book is to really be taken away from the average and thrust into another world. A world of sights, smells and mystery that will keep you interested and intrigued as the chapters whiz by. I loved how the author dove into a romance and created a work that was about so much more. It touched on so many realms of the imagination and reality and did so very skillfully at every turn. From exploring the country side of France to learning about scent and memory and how a house can tell a story…the novel really impressed and intrigued me. There were so many layers it’s hard to touch on them and you almost feel like if you read the book again…you would no doubt find more as you dug deeper each time.

While the book may at times present situations that are hard to read about, there is always a method to the writing. You always know why Lawrenson chose to include something. The story line is impeccable. The plot weaves so seamlessly throughout time and characters and yet the reader never feels lost only transported. Love story, ghost story, mystery and historical journey….The Lantern really truly seems to have it all right up until the very last page. It’s a book for readers who like to take a journey when they read, for those who enjoy truly getting lost in a book.