The Portrait

by Emilia Kelly

For fans of Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier comes the tale of a woman enchanted by the past until it threatens her future. The Portrait is a captivating debut filled with new love, old secrets, and a mysterious missing woman, all set against the vibrancy of 19th-century London and the construction of the Crystal Palace.

"Atmospheric and gripping, The Portrait deftly weaves Victorian details, Brontë-esque romance, and riveting suspense." -Emily Inouye Huey, author of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky

Every work of art tells a story. And every story has its secrets.

London, 1850. Iris Sheffield has plenty of people to worry about in her life: Hope, the ailing younger sister for whom Iris feels responsible. Winston, Iris's fiancé, who is consumed with his work. And James, the handsome but arrogant artist painting Iris’s portrait, with whom she is forced to spend countless, awkward hours.

But when Iris finds the diary and photograph of a mysterious young woman, she can’t stop wondering who the woman is and what has become of her. The more questions Iris asks, the more she suspects someone does not want her to discover the answers.

Exploring themes of sisterly bonds, familial obligations, and the lengths we go to for those we love, The Portrait illustrates the surprising and frightening ways a work of art can tell a story.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Gothic, Fiction

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Emilia Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether the Portrait is a 5-star read or a 1-star read for you, I'm grateful to every reader who gives it a chance.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Twisted Victorian Romance

The Portrait by Emilia Kelly is a confounding combination of a Victorian love story, an Edgar Allen Poe horror tale, and a passionate Paris fated mates ending. Emilia writes so vividly, you can smell the flowers in the park as well as the stinking refuse floating in the Thames. Tendrils of London fog reach out to touch your face at night while you read of terrible deeds. Soft sunshine illuminates dust motes in the Parisian painter's house where all plots are resolved.

The Portrait is all about atmosphere. The Sheffield family has to sell their estate and move to a townhome to keep their young daughter Hope, near a doctor. The Carmichael family struggles to keep their family glass business going. The eldest Miss Sheffield meets Mr. Carmichael on a train and a long friendship ensues.

The youngest Sheffield daughter, Hope, who has consumption, becomes significantly more ill due to the factory-polluted air in London. Her doctor recommends she go to Nice, France, for the sea air. Miss Sheffield doesn't know what she's going to do. She turns to her best friend, Mr. Carmichael, who carefully offers to support her family going to France. Miss Sheffield is exceedingly grateful and, then, when he proposes to her, is overjoyed.

This is where you would almost expect Rod Serling to interrupt the book and warn you that you have stepped into The Twilight Zone. From here until the end, nothing is as it seems. Twists and turns in the story get so downright ominous, I wanted to cover my eyes, but you can't do that when you're reading a book. I settled for grabbing my cat instead.

The resolution of all of the different storylines is satisfying in its own way. Some are a little perverse, but well within the keeping of the Edgar Allen Poe theme. Victorian romantics, do not despair. Jane Eyre will find her Mr. Rochester.

I want to thank Amazon First Reads for the opportunity to read this book before it was published.

[Alli White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed this book! I read it in a few days because I just had to know what happened. Well written mystery, interesting characters and a new fun topic.

[Heather Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was a suspenseful Bronte-esque romance and mystery. I loved how the author weaved this Victorian era romance with art and the idea of what is really behind a portrait, or painting.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Portrait tells the story of Iris, a devoted sister and fiancee of Winston. Winston's rich and that's great because Iris is sick and he bankrolls her care.

Everything is great until Winston hires a portrait painter to paint Iris before the wedding. Yes, he's broodingly handsome, but that's not all there is to the story, for there are secrets to uncover and mysteries to solve.

The narrative kicks into high gear about 100 pages in. Reader, once I reached that milestone, I finished the rest that night. This one's a no-brainer for fans of gothic romance/mystery. (and for fans of handsome painters!)

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 bright stars ✨

I enjoyed this book.

The story was both familiar and yet new.

I found the twists a bit foreseeable, but that did not take away from how much fun this book was. Some of the dialogue seemed a little trite— at one point reminding me strangely of When Harry Met Sally.

However. The plot reminded me ever so slightly of du Maurier, which is obviously a good thing. But I felt like something was missing.

And all criticism aside, I just enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy and most enjoyable getaway book. And that’s why it gets all the stars.

Emilia Kelly, please, please write more.

[Melarie Wheat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not one of those regency novels where you know exactly what's going to happen but you just keep reading because it's fun anyway. No, this novel had me guessing throughout. I was so engrossed that when I finished and looked at the clock I was shocked to see it was 1:30 AM. I also loved all the little historical details and art history.

[Shauna Ludlow Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was difficult to put this book down when life interrupted. I loved the layers of art history, Victorian England, relationships, and mystery.

I judge a book’s worth by how much I learn. Writing style is also important.

This book had everything.

[Becky Gilles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story although some of the story line seemed far -fetched. For instance, James approaching Iris right before her wedding, that scene took an impossible amount of time when she was waiting to be walked down the aisle. The whole end of the story with Anna finding Iris in the backyard after the wedding, Iris running away - but oh no! she forgot the envelope with the money and had to go back, and then Walter not being in bed but waiting to 'get' Iris because she was going to ruin him, Anna showing up on the bridge and helping shove him over, and who ever heard of a pocket on the front of your wedding gown just in case someone gave you tickets and money to escape before the wedding?!
After all that, you may wonder that I enjoyed the book at all but I did!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It checked all of my romance boxes. Loved the heroine, loved the hero, loved the time period and location. Lots of great detail.( One nitpick-pants in England are underwear-the word is trousers.) I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book which had some unique elements of art and architecture that were surprisingly enjoyable. It was hard to put down!

[Lindsay Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Interesting plot, we’ll written, and satisfying ending. Highly recommend!

[Lindsey H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read for me and I really enjoyed it! With romance and some suspense…I really loved it.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I liked the unique details the author focused on in each scene. Each chapters’ completeness created a nice flow. I enjoyed how the book included family, grief, mystery, romance, art, and women’s stories. It was fun to read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights references as well as the inspiration from works of Sargent and Vermeer. I looked up Lady Agnew after finishing the story. Quite the mystery in that stare!

[Heather Munz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I had to know what happened. It’s a beautifully written clean mystery/romance. I highly recommended it.

[Bookfan36 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Portrait by Emilia Kelly

Brief synopsis from the book cover:

Every work of art tells a story. And every story has its secrets.

London, 1850. Iris Sheffield has plenty of people to worry about in her life: Hope, the ailing younger sister for whom Iris feels responsible. Winston, Iris's fiancé, who is consumed with his work. And James, the handsome but arrogant artist painting Iris’s portrait, with whom she is forced to spend countless, awkward hours.

But when Iris finds the diary and photograph of a mysterious young woman, she can’t stop wondering who the woman is and what has become of her. The more questions Iris asks, the more she suspects someone does not want her to discover the answers.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical Fiction
Mystery Suspense


Review:

This is a interesting story with a bit of a gotic feel to it. It took a while for the story to capture me but once it did I was fully invested and had to know how it ended.

The book is well written, and nicely paced. The characters are well developed; enough background information is given in order for the characters to have an authentic feel but still leave some mystery and intrigue which made the plot suspenseful and interesting.


Overall:
A nicely written story with great character development and the right amount of mystery and suspense to keep you captivated..

[W. M. Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iris Sheffield thinks she has won the jackpot when she gets engaged to the handsome Winston, wealthy heir to the glass business that is commissioned to build the glass palace to house Victoria and Albert’s “Great Exhibition.” With his help, Iris can surely afford to care for her ailing sister. However, after she discovers a mysterious journal at his estate, Iris finds herself caught in an intrigue that also surrounds her fiancé’s painted portrait. While she reluctantly has her own portrait painted by a dashing young painter named James, she enlists his help to solve the truth about her fiancé’s past before it is too late.

This is Emilia Kelly’s debut self-published novel. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Storymakers Conference and she was a very friendly person who informed me about her book and showed me a wonderful trailer for the novel that captured my interest even further. She includes a list of book club questions for readers of The Portrait on her website, which will help readers engage even further with the story!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It had wholesome aspects of suspense, romance, intrigue, and history (all of which are elements in storytelling that I am a fan of). So, I recommend this tale to readers of those genres as well as other self-published authors who would like to read more from authors like them!

[Read full book review at https://ashleyweaverauthor.com/2023/0...]

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read a well-done gothic suspense/romance. This one perfectly scratched that itch. If I had to pick one genre to read for the rest of my life it would be in this arena. Iris irritated me at first... those who overly dote on family members, especially to the level of self-sacrificing their own happiness, often do. However, as I learned more behind why she was that way it made sense and felt more believable and less of a trope. Thomas James had just a dash enough Darcy while also completely being a distinct character himself... really loved the brooding artist. Winston gave me the ick from the get-go and I don't think him being a creep is much of a spoiler. While I saw that coming I was fully invested in what the mystery was behind his ickiness. Even though it was quite clear where this story was headed I really enjoyed filling in the missing details of how we were to get there. I also had fun researching the glass palace (I've seen the remains and never knew what they were), the Great Exposition of 1851, and the paintings that served as inspiration for the author. Highly recommended.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5-ish) When I learned that this is the author's first book, it made all my irritation with some of the frankly odd choices more or less evaporate--and, for me, the odd choices were not at all deal-breakers, as I did quite enjoy the story and genuinely want to know how everything was going to turn out. But as others have pointed out: the young unmarried woman either living by herself (she stays at her family townhouse apparently completely unaccompanied, even by a single servant?), or in the home of her fiance, was Not At All Done, and does tend to break immersion if you think about it too much. In many ways the period setting is merely set dressing, as the characters behave mostly as contemporary folk might do, down to the way they speak and interact ("Little Miss/Mister [Adjective]" being a particularly glaring example). If you can get around that, The Portrait is a charming, almost innocent Gothic-ish romance (if those aren't contradictions, given the usual Gothic subject matter), and an enjoyable read with some solid emotional stakes. I am looking forward to what else this author might do, especially with some greater attention to historical detail.

[Alejandra May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning felt slow but we were just learning of characters and the sadness that Iris felt as she lost her mom, the sickening of her sister, her emotionally distant father, and her busy fiancé. Once she found the book I couldn’t put it down. We learned of the life prior to iris that Winston had. As the story progressed we felt the connection of James and iris and his gentleness towards her and of course the underlying tone of revenge once the painting is revealed. Anna always felt like she could have been Penelope but once she was revealed as her sister we were able to see the warning signs she was trying to give to iris. It was good to see that while Anna was dismissed by iris she pulled through and helped iris in the desperate time. Winston was such a jerk. Anna reminded iris of something, “we go through great lengths for those we love.” It was sweet to see iris care for hope to the very end “and my lengths had not been great enough!” We see the selflessness through iris in the entire book. It was full circle to see iris and James reconnect through his newest favorite painting…her! Eeeek which leads to a happily ever after!

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE PORTRAIT by Emilia Kelly -- Iris Sheffield, her father, and her ailing younger sister Hope sell their home in 1850 and move to London to be near a doctor. Iris promised her dead mother that she would care for Hope. On a train, Iris meets Winston Carmichael, businessman consumed by the success with his glass-making business and saving his family's wealth and future. Iris and Winston fall in love, become engaged, and look forward to their future. Hope's condition deteriorates due to London's polluted air, and she and her father move to Nice, France for the air, the move funded by Winston. To continue family tradition, Winston commissions a portrait of Iris to be painted by the handsome, arrogant artist James. Iris and James conflict and struggle with their hours together posing and painting. The plot leads to a hidden diary, a second portrait, a mysterious other woman, uncovering Winston's secret past, struggling to both hide and uncover answers, and the unsuspected development in Iris and James' relationship, with an unexpected and satisfying ending. Well-written and enjoyable to read.

[Judith Hale Everett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot about this story was good. I liked the main character and her strong love for her family, and I identified with her confusion over what true love was and what she should be willing to sacrifice for the good of those she loved. The writing was good, the characters interesting, and the Victorian era well represented. But the story didn't seem to really know what to do with itself. It started out like a historical romance but by the end it was definitely gothic, and it was unsatisfying. The minor characters didn't contribute to building a feeling of foreboding nearly as much as they should have, and the villain was too good and kind--there should have been more little creepy clues to his true nature. I found the romance choppy and superficial, too. It wasn't supposed to be smooth, but even though there was a lot of chemistry between the two characters, they weren't consistent and their attraction didn't convince me. I didn't root for them until the very end when I basically had to. The ending was really well done, however, and was very satisfying.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have slightly mixed feelings about this book but overall I enjoyed reading it. The author's writing style is really good and she described the historical setting with great detail, so it ws very believable and I got transported into the 19th-century London effortlessly.

The main character was developed really well and I very much also enjoyed the flashbacks to learn her backstory. The other characters weren't that fleshed outbut I can understand why and it was a part of the mystery.

However, I feel like the book fell a little flat when it comes to the plot, the way the story was built. It is described as a gothic novel but to me, there was too little if that. There were only a few small moments that I could feel were gothic and I wish the author built some more tension and a bit more dramatic reveal. For the most of the book I felt like not much happened. Maybe the main character also could have had more doubts about her relationship.

All in all, I would recommend this book if you're looking for a quiet historical mystery, with a dash of romance.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story about a woman who married into a late 19th century noble family. A noble must maintain the family line with a legitimate heir, so marriage is required.

Iris is enchanted during Winston's courtship, but after their engagement, feels deserted when he leaves her in his home while he conducts his business, often traveling. He also leaves her with his mother who is planning the wedding and the local artist, James, who is to paint her portrait, a job that requires her to sit for hours most days over several months to be completed before their wedding.

The artist is at first mostly silent, then tries to open Iris's eyes after she discovers the journal of another woman hidden under the mattress in the guest room where Iris sleeps. Perhaps the wedding should not happen. He points to the portrait of Winston - something for her to study.

[Halime Omari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

I enjoyed the storytelling, though I wasn’t a fan of the “almost kiss” scene—it felt too awkward. The dynamics of the relationships could have been handled a bit differently to avoid the MC (Iris) almost cheating on her fiancé, while still keeping the love conflicts. I also wish there had been more suspense leading up to the major climax reveal(s). The shift from historical romance to murder mystery felt way too abrupt—4 stars for this reason. But everything before and after that kept me glued to the page. The ending was satisfying, despite the sorrow.

[Thea Marlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, surprise ending. Successful/rich Winston seemed so in love/attentive of Iris/fiancé. Financially taking care of her sick sister Hope, due to Iris’s money issues. Figured portrait painter James would talk her out of marrying Winston for friendship only to sustain financial medical care of Hope, but was not able to. A few good twists via Winston’s past, Anna the housekeeper/sister to Winston’s previous missing love/Penelope’s disappearance/etc. Thought from the get-go James & Iris were better suited.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read. I am always a little hesitant when I know it’s an authors first book but I enjoyed it. I felt like there was just enough of each character and storyline to get the point across without dragging anything out. I love a story I can do more research on so I was glad to know the paintings were based off real works I could look up.

Although the story line was predictable in a general sense there was enough layers added into it to make it feel exciting. I found myself eager to see how it all ended.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally gave this book a 4 rating and dropped it down so maybe 3.5?? I read it quickly but we had bad weather and I had more time than usual. It’s a quick, entertaining read in a mysterious setting. There’s foreshadowing in the first chapter about a missing girl and it takes a while to get the story to connect with that piece of information. What starts as light hearted and family friendly soon turns to underlying unease and suspicion. The story wraps up well. Some of it is predictable but still enjoyable with a satisfying happy ending.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. First of all I love art so the art and artist work involved is awesome and loved the tugging love interest(s) in the story.

I would want to read again and knowing the ending see the characters in their glory but enjoyed knowing the inspiration at the end were from real paintings and that was so fun to see.

I felt bad about the boy wanting to feel accepted from his father and what a sad mother who won’t spend the night w her son.
Great read

Bravo w your writing style. I hope she writes more.

Borrowed from my pal Chrisy Hains

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, fun read. Iris is the main character. Book setting is latter half of 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. Iris, her father, and sister move to London after the death of her mother. London is extremely polluted at the time; in fact, it was the dirtiest city in the world. Iris’s younger sister is afflicted with consumption. When Iris meets James and has the means, she sends them to the south of France where the air is cleaner. Iris and James plans a wedding, but first he wants a portrait done of his wife to be. This is where the love triangle starts, and the book is about how their lives play out.