Review + GIVEAWAY The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2
 

Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Source: Review copy sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Setting: London, England 1876. It was said that Anne’s body was placed in an Arrow Chest, a large box used to store bow staves as well as arrows. The chest was buried under the Tower of London and she along with Lady Jane Grey and Catherine Howard were forgotten.

Synopsis: Three female bodies were discovered under the Chapel in the Tower of London. The mysterious bodies were believed to be the remains of Lady Jane Grey and the two wives of Henry VII: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Amos Roselli, a painter, was commissioned to sketch the remains of the three women. He was a little afraid of being left alone eerie chapel so he asked if someone could be sent in to keep him company and within a couple of minutes a yeoman warder came in  who turned out to be very friendly and talkative man. Once Amos was through with the sketch he noticed the warder was gone and nowhere to be found. He inquired about the warder and was disturbed by the fact that the warder had been dead for many years.

Amos is a struggling artist who has eccentric taste and style. He is still in love with his life-long companion and muse, Daphne, who has married a powerful industrialist. Daphne’s husband, Oliver Ramsey, has hired Amos to come to his home and paint a portrait of him. Amos is a little weary because this will be the first time he has seen Daphne in a year. Upon arrival, the two life-long friends act as if they have not been separated for over a year. Amos soon learns that Daphne is trapped in a loveless marriage and is terrified that her husband is going to somehow be rid of her since she has yet to provide him with an heir. 

While visiting Daphne and finishing up her husband’s portrait many bizarre and strange things have been occurring. Amos keeps seeing a mysterious lady that is the spitting image of Daphne. He soon discovers that he is not the only one who has seen this mysterious woman. His loyal maid, Beth, claims she saw this woman leaving a bouquet of flowers for Mr. Roselli. She believed the woman to be Lady Daphne, which was impossible because Daphne was with him when the flowers arrived. This sends Amos into a frenzy because he now believes that he is haunted and there is nothing he can do about it.

Review: The Arrow Chest is full of haunting mysteries. Who is the mysterious woman who keeps appearing and as quickly as she appears she’s suddenly gone. I had many ideas as to who the woman was, but was later proven wrong as I kept reading. One of the things I loved about this book was how it paralleled with Anne Boleyn’s story during the 16^th century. In order to understand what I mean by that you will just have to read the book for yourself.

The characterization in this book is incredible.  Amos is the passionate painter who has lost his muse to a tyrant of a man. He realizes his love for her too late and is ensnared by the drama of Daphne and Oliver’s marriage. Amos struggles with his increasing desire for Daphne, but knows it would be wrong to succumb to it.  I could not help but to feel for Daphne. I could not imagine being trapped in a home with a man who wishes to be rid of me by any means necessary and always living in fear with no one to turn to.

Beth was the one who I connected with most in the story. She is Amos’s maid who would do anything for him. She is an orphan who nobody wanted and was never treated right until she came to work for him. They had an unconventional friendship that would have been frowned upon by London society because she was his maid and he was her master, but they did not care.

I absolutely loved this book. There were a few slow points in the book, but as I began to doze off the book would take off with astounding speed. This story is full of mystery, passion, and artistry. There is a little bit of everything in this novel and I would suggest this book to any book lover not just historical fiction readers because I feel it caters to a vast audience. 

If you would like a chance to read this book Robert is graciously giving away 1 copy of The Arrow Chest to a lucky winner! This giveaway is open to the US & Canada only and is open until February 10th!

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