In Victorian London a young woman hides a book in a library, hoping it will never be found... In modern day London the same book appears at an international auction... The pages contain priceless secrets which will obsess and transform all those who read them. Haunted by the fire in Paris, Elise has at last found peace in the English countryside. But her idyll is broken when a ruthless gentleman learns of a book by the elusive Albert Price - and uncovers Elise’s secret.The book is hidden somewhere in Victorian London. Elise must not only find it before her enemies, but also face her own destiny - in a world where the secrets of alchemy are in greater danger than ever before.Meanwhile as auction day approaches in modern London, and the book is in peril again, can Ellie unravel the Victorian mystery in time?Book Two of The Alchemist's Passage.
M.C. Dulac lives in Sydney, Australia, where she daydreams far too much. She is the author of The Alchemist’s Passage series, the Unusual Stories (a set of short reads), and The Perfumer's Challenge, the first book in a new series, The Regency Alchemists. To find out more about M.C. Dulac and her books, please visit http://mcdulacauthor.com Make sure to sign up for her newsletter to receive free reader guides. https://mcdulacauthor.com/newsletter/
It is 1840. Elise du Bois aka Ellie Wood is now living a quiet life in rural England tending her garden. What should go wrong except that a wealthy man from London who is too curious decides to purchase the old manor across the way and begin prying into her past! Why does Miss Wood dress in such an old fashioned way? Why does she still look the same way she did 20 years ago? And so forth. Ellie knows it's time to flee and must contact her benefactor's agent in London, but as she arrives on his doorstep, his servant informs her that he has had to unexpectedly leave for France with his family. Ellie is referred to a kind French woman, but not surprisingly it isn't long before the sinister neighbor is able to track her down and she must find another place to hide. Meanwhile, she must also find a valuable book that her lost love wrote that contains the secret knowledge of alchemy and immortality.
The Alchemist Passage, Book 2, "The Alchemist of London" was interesting and held my attention.
As with the first book in the series, it took me only two days to read and the plot was entertaining enough to give it my full attention. Characters were well developed and descriptive writing about London during different era's made it easy to picture those points in time.
My only problem with the plot was that things fell into place too easily for the main character, Elise. In all of London, she stumbles easily upon the temporary dwelling of the original Alchemist, Price and has no trouble getting the current inhabitants to reveal Price's secrets. The quest to get there should have been more difficult.
The pursuit by many, for a book of alchemy recipes by Albert Price. Elise risks everything in Victorian London to save it from falling into the wrong hands.
Spellbinding....pub intended! Reading the entire series until the last word!! It was captivating and surprising charming. I kept waiting for Ed to be Albert, not yet?
This is the second in the series, and it's as enjoyable as the first. It can be read on its own, but it's helpful to have read the previous book, 'The Alchemist of Paris', since this book continues Elise's story. The switch between the past and present in dual-timeline books is always enjoyable; I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.