Title: A Splendid RuinAuthor: Megan Chance
Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Jan. 1, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback
Source: Amazon Publishing
Book Rating: 8.5/10
The eve of destruction. After her mother’s death, penniless May Kimble lives a lonely life until an aunt she didn’t know existed summons her to San Francisco. There she’s welcomed into the wealthy Sullivan family and their social circle.
Initially overwhelmed by the opulence of her new life, May soon senses that dark mysteries lurk in the shadows of the Sullivan mansion. Her glamorous cousin often disappears in the night. Her aunt wanders about in a laudanum fog. And a maid keeps hinting that May is in danger. Trapped by betrayal, madness, and murder, May stands to lose everything, including her freedom, at the hands of those she trusts most.
Then, on an early April morning, San Francisco comes tumbling down. Out of the smoldering ruins, May embarks on a harrowing road to reclaim what is hers. This tragic twist of fate, along with the help of an intrepid and charismatic journalist, puts vengeance within May’s reach. But will she take it?
Review:
Moving, mysterious, and rich!
A Splendid Ruin is the enigmatic, compelling tale set during the early 1900s that takes you into the life of May Kimble, a young woman who after losing her mother travels from Brooklyn to San Francisco to live with family she never knew existed, gets consumed by a life filled with opulence and indulgence, is the victim of malicious intent, and endeavours to seek revenge while the city and its citizens struggle to survive all the destruction and fire that rages around them.
The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are naive, vulnerable, and resilient. And the plot is an engaging tale of life, loss, deception, surprises, heartbreak, betrayal, danger, friendship, survival, a touch of romance, and the great San Francisco earthquake.
Overall, A Splendid Ruin is an intriguing, absorbing, beautifully written tale by Chance that immerses you in another time and place and does a wonderful job of highlighting the lengths that one will go to for perceived power, societal acceptance, retribution, and survival.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Megan Chance
Megan Chance is the best-selling, critically acclaimed author of several novels. Her novel Bone River was an Amazon Book of the Month, A Drop of Ink was an Editors' Choice of the Historical Novel Society, and An Inconvenient Wife was an IndieNext pick.
In addition to her historical fiction novels, Chance is the author of the young adult Fianna Trilogy, short stories, and eight historical romance novels. Her novels have been translated into several different languages.
She is also a popular workshop speaker whose speaking credits include the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, Romance Writers of America National Conference, Edmonds Write on the Sound Conference, the Seattle Assistance League, Timberland Regional Libraries, and many others.
Chance was born in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Washington State as a girl. She graduated from Western Washington University. Megan lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.
Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.
