Back of Book: 

In a town where health is currency and longing is lure, a reluctant investigator and seamstress must uncover whether hunger will anchor a man already slipping into the dark.

Behind the decrepit doors of an Infirmary said to offer miraculous cures to London's ailing elite, people are vanishing. Private Investigator and estranged heir to French aristocracy Jacques Valmont is summoned across the channel to sleuth, despite the lingering sickness of his own—one of grief that stirs in his blood and shadows his mind.

Amidst the fog and fever, he finds an unlikely ally in Annie, the quick-witted seamstress working next door to Beecham's Infirmary, whose presence seems to quiet the storm inside him. When she suggests the only way to breach the infirmary's guarded walls is becoming a patient himself, Annie's grandmother warns them both of curses that fester with longing. Unnatural aches that transform a person entirely, if not quelled.

As Jacques nears the truth, desire and dread twist together. Annie may be the last tether holding him to his humanity—or the final thread that unravels it. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Paranormal | Horror 

Review:  🌟🌟🌟

A short vampiric novella set in Victorian England during the peak of consumption. 

Private Investigator Jacques Valmont is in England ready to find a missing tuberculosis patient. However, he himself seems to be inflicted with consumption himself, but he isn't letting that get in the way. Amidst his feverish delusions, he finds comfort and understanding in the arms of a seamstress by the name of Annie. She suggests that the only way to get into the infirmary that the young girl went missing from is to be brought in as a patient himself. Dark beings lurk within the walls of Beecham's Infirmary and Jacques fears that he may not be able to escape with his life. 

I must say, I am intrigued by this one. I fear the plot has barely begun in the course of this novella, so it's hard to make a proper judgment of this story. I think I'm going to report my thoughts as interested to see where it goes but not overly invested.

I think using the front of tuberculosis to hide the fact that there are vampires in Victorian London was pretty genius. People afflicted with consumption are known for their pale skin and coughing up blood, so it truly is a great cover. The vampire elements of this book only started in the last segment, so I don't know all that much about the vampires in this world. However, the mad scientist vibe of Beecham has me interested to see just how Jacques will take him down in future books. 

The romance is the thing that has me questioning this novella severely. Jacques and Annie seem rather terrible together. The fact that they got so physically immediately had me wrinkling my nose and questioning their judgement. I guess their futures have been tied together now, so I'll see if their relationship improves as the series progresses. 

Overall, "Beecham's Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted" felt like reading the first third of a book rather than enjoying a full novella. As it stands, I'm interested to see where this story goes but can't say this book stands on its own. The gothic Victorian vibes and the consumption spotlight add such an eerie feel to this book. I feel the second book will let me know if I truly enjoy this story or not. I definitely have to check out more of Somerset's work, because her dark fairy tale-esque books sound like something I'd eat up. 

Audiobook Note: This one is narrated by Christopher Tester and Krys Jane. This book is set up so Christopher narrates all the male characters and Krys voicing all the females. This audiobook also has sound effects and music, so it was a very immersive experience. The fact that the narrators both have British accents made this book an enjoyable experience to listen to, even if certain parts of the story were a bit cringey. 

Back of Book: 

Some people inherit manors. Others inherit monsters.

After a storm-ravaged voyage aboard the Hesper and a sleepless train ride into Paris, Jacques has brought Annie and her Amah to safety. He’s determined to prove his intentions with her are decent, even as the effects of Beecham’s experiment threatens to make a liar of him. But the hôtel particulier of his youth hides nothing: not the stain of opulence upon its walls, nor the shadowed past his father fought to redeem, nor the hunger coiling beneath his skin.

Determined not to fall for him, Annie is tempted to peek into Jacques’s study of tome and obscura from the confines of the suite in which she's barricaded herself... but men with wealth scarcely tell the truth, and Jacques, for all his gentle devotion, is still a man haunted by something more harrowing than grief.

Across the street, the Théâtre du Brouillard stirs quietly to life. When Amah’s curiosity draws them into its velvet-draped corridors, they discover Jacques isn’t the only one keeping secrets, and that the darkness he’d left in London has no intention of staying behind. With the Comtesse’s autumn ball fast approaching and esteemed expectations tightening around him, Jacques realizes he can no longer outrun the curse woven into his blood.

Navigating halls lined with watching portraits and the quivering quill of a notary who seems to record more than inheritance, Annie must decide where her trust belongs—and whether she dares claim a future that threatens to unmake everything she’s ever known. 

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Paranormal | Horror 

Review: ?