Corpses & Corsets

by Misty Simon, Rachel Rawlings

Sometimes bodies are easier to bury than secrets…

Coriander Whitlock has been in turmoil for the last few years. After burying her husband, being accused of his murder, and finally finding justice when the real murderer was caught, she is certain she can now quietly disappear into the comforts of the estate she once shared with her husband and tend her garden of herbs, both medicinal and deadly. But fate and a well-meaning, meddling cousin have other plans.
Between funerals and seances, Cory is beginning to believe there is a killer on the loose, and each victim appears to be connected to the magic she so staunchly hides from the ton. Being accused of murder is one thing, but a witch? If word spreads of her abilities, the only calling cards she’s likely to receive would be for a date with the executioner.
Yet, she cannot hide from the spirits who are calling for her to seek justice again. And when she is thrust into another murder investigation, she must put her faith in the hands of a brooding, infuriating man with the power to upend her life and expose her secrets. It seems London is as determined to give up its ghosts as her cousin is to marry her off to the next eligible widower.

Fans of The Last Necromancer and The Parasol Protectorate are sure to enjoy this slow-burn gaslamp fantasy romance. One click to take a trip back in time and start reading today!

Genres: Mystery

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. A wonderful slow burn. You are not left hanging with a horrible cliff-hanger. Looking forward to more adventures

[Jamie Haggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently delved into the gaslamp era mystery themed books. So when I saw that Misty Simon had released this book, I wanted to read it! It appeared to take me a long while to finish it, however this is due to my personal life requiring me to take a pause from reading. But when I got back to it, I was able to jump right back in and, keep right on going with the story. Sometimes, I’m not able to do that with books, and it makes me leave them unfinished. This book, with Coriander and Flossie, I was able to jump in and start reading again right away.
I enjoyed the storyline, with the references to Coriander’s deceased husband as a tinkerer, with coriander having witch powers and her deathly Garden, as well as the description of life at that time.… Not just for women, but for the different classes of people.
The story meanders at a steady, while slow pace, that I did not mind. I enjoyed the description of life at that time. It helps to remind me as the reader that this was a totally different error and things were vastly different and how people interacted with each other.
I appreciate the laying out of the backstory, in hopes that there may be more to come… Maybe a series, Which I love to read books in a series.
I could see myself being immersed in Coriander’s time again and again.
Most of the story includes only a few main characters, and very few participating side characters. It was almost expected that the villain turned out to be one of the side characters… However, I did not know who the bad guy was until it was revealed. It just makes sense, given the limited number of characters discussed in the book. I was glad that it was not the romantic interest in the story who turned out to be the villain.
Thank you again Misty, Simon and Rachel Rawlings!
Please keep the Coriander storyline alive.

[Carinkla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little less conversation, a little more action, please

I was drawn to this book because I like historical novels and fantasy/ paranormal mysteries too. As for falling in both categories, this book did not disappoint. Its a historical murder mystery which involves witches. The preface is okay but the case to solve is very good. However several issues prevented me from enjoying the story fulĺy.

The characters are relatable but not always three dimensional. I found myself liking a secondary character, Flossie the most. The main characters are okay but not very active, passionate, etc. This causes pace to be very slow and more geared towards conversations, musings, visits etc. There is not much sleuthing or activity. ( except for an climatic end)

For me personally it feels that the case ( which in it self has lots of intriguing story possibilities) was solved because of luck not skills, intelligence or passion.

[Noxwitchbooklife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read stories by Rachel Rawlings before and was interested to see when I saw she had written this co-authored with Misty Simon who I haven't read before.

I was happy to see it was about a regency witchy paranormal murder mystery.

It turned out there was many layers to this murder mystery with a suspicious police Special Inspector, a paranormal society investigator as well as the witchy sisters hiding their secrets with magic infused mechanical inventions being all around their home in plain sight.

It had a great combination of humour, the paranormal, mystery and a clean romance in this fast paced standalone story that had all the feels!

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corpses & Corsets by Rachel Rawlings & Misty Simon is an incredible slow burn fantasy romance that I absolutely loved! I am a huge fan of Misty Simon and this was my first time reading Rachel Rawlings, and I will definitely read more of her work!

Historical-Regency, YES PLEASE! Witchy Paranormal YES please!
Romance, YES please! Slow burn ALL THE YESSSES!

Did I mention the incredible murder mystery?
I loved the magic in this story.

The Special Inspector, the magical inventions, and the clean romance.

Oh my gosh, I cannot even say enough great things about this gasplamp fantasy romance.

HIGHLY recommend!!!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coriander has already been wrongly accused of her husband's murder. Now she wants to find out what happened to her friend Franny, with her cousin Flossie's help.

I'm a big cosy mystery reader, with a soft spot for gaslamp fantasy, so this was everything I hoped for. Both the characters and the story came to life easily for me, and I found this book very charming. Cory and Flossie were so much fun to read about and I loved how they worked together. This was really easy to read in one sitting too.

Thank you to Booksprout and the author for a free copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christinaraven]

I loved this story that mixes a vary slow burn romance with a historical story with a dash of magic and a lot of murder. It introduces Cory who starts the story seeing the convection of her husband's killer and then somehow gets sucked into investigating a few more murders. So it has the cozy mystery feel to it too. The mix of all this made for a great story that was entertaining and fun to read. I read it in one sitting and could not put it down as I had to see how the murders were all connected. A great introduction to the characters and loved them all. Easy to read and entertaining at all times.

[Amanda Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous book by Misty Simon and Rachel Rawlings! Loved the fantasy/paranormal aspect, especially as it was not overly done. The story was full of twists and turns- kept me guessing til the end! Loved the characters and the undercurrent of romance (definitely looking to see where it goes in future books). Highly recommend!

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out slow, but then got interesting to see who did it? Cory lost her husband and was accused of murder, until she proved innocent. But what's going on? Everyone around her is dying, but why? Larkin and her cousin Flossie come into the picture and now we get going on the mystery and why.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[AMBER CLARK · Rating 5 out of 5]

With lots of intriguing story possibilities was interested to see where Rawlings would take us. It's an incredible murder mystery with lots of magic and clean romance. What a fabulous book! The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end!.

[Sabrina Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems like it is starting off where another book ended. So much is happening and the past is coming back.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had a lot of twists in it. Very good. Sometimes I have a hard time getting into historical stuff, as much as I love it, but this one kept me reading. Great cast of characters and a good mystery.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it!!! Its a little different than what Misty Simon usually writes but its soooo good!!! I really hope there will be more!!!! Buy this today!!!

[Kathryn Zweigenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It was such a fun read. I loved the banter between Coriander and Larkin. I was hooked from the first page. I hope there will be more books in the future!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[L.A. Chandlar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice, ghosts, new and old mysteries, slow burn romance, posh world-building, seances... FABULOUS read for the upcoming Halloween season!!