SUMMER RECOMMENDED READING

    Summer is the perfect time to dive into a juicy novel. I’m a fan of many genres including historical and contemporary fiction, Christian and inspirational fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and romance. For me, it isn’t about the newest books on the market—it’s about an engaging, page-turning story that’s so well-written, it stays with…

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Gothic Giveaway: Two Page-Turning Novels

Gothic Giveaway

  Looking for a thrilling read to celebrate the autumn season? Here are not one, but two Gothic Giveaways! Enter for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of my novel The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë and Kris Waldherr’s new release Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women. Read on for contest…

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Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women by Kris Waldherr — Book Review

Unnatural Creatures Book Review Header

  From the desk of Syrie James Unnatural Creatures by Kris Waldherr brings to life the stories of three women in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein: Victor Frankenstein’s mother Caroline; his fiancé Elizabeth Lavenza; and the Frankenstein’s servant Justine Moreau, a character who Waldherr gives a fascinating background and a whole new lease on life. Mary…

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The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews – Book Review

  From the desk of Syrie James Can a daring, independent-minded equestrian and a brilliant, half-Indian dressmaker overcome the pressures of fashionable society to find love and happiness in Victorian London? That’s the premise of Mimi Matthew’s new novel The Siren of Sussex, and I have to admit, I was so intrigued that I could…

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Victorian Christmas Traditions

A Joyful Christmas - Victorian Christmas Card

  I put up my Christmas tree last weekend (I love how it makes the house look so sparkly and bright!) and it got me thinking about the way we celebrate this special holiday and about the origins of its traditions. Did you know that we owe many of our most popular Christmas traditions to…

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Down a Dark River by Karen Odden — Book Review

From the desk of Syrie James I’m always up for a good Victorian murder mystery, and I was excited to dive into Karen Odden’s Down a Dark River, the first book in her new Inspector Corravan Mystery series. It’s 1878 in London, when a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse drifts down the Thames.…

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Victorian Capes and Cloaks: A Dramatic Fashion Statement

Victorian ladies fall and winter cloaks 1890s

  When I was writing my novel Dracula, My Love, I came to a crossroads and knew I was in trouble. In the book, my heroine Mina Harker falls madly in love with Dracula, a brilliant, charismatic, devastatingly handsome being who may not be the evil monster everyone supposes. I couldn’t help falling a little…

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Victorian Gothic Giveaway!

A Perfect Pairing for your Summer Reading: Enter a Victorian Gothic Giveaway

Hello dear readers! I’m so excited to introduce you to bestselling historical romance novelist Mimi Matthews, whose Gothic suspense novel, John Eyre, releases today. Mimi’s new novel caught my eye because it merges two classics together—Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Bram Stoker’s Dracula—two books that I adore so much, I’ve written novels inspired by both of them. I…

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John Eyre by Mimi Matthews — Book Review

From the desk of Syrie James When I heard that John Eyre was a gender-swapping version of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre mashed up with elements from Bram Stoker’s Dracula—two of my favorite Gothic novels of all time—I was intrigued. I’m such a huge fan of these books that I’ve written novels inspired by both of…

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