The Memory Keeper by C.J. Archer Series: The 2nd Freak House Series #1
Published by Self Published on May 2014
Pages: 216
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Add to your Goodreads TBR shelf.
Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N
Charity Evans wants nothing more than to leave her troubled past behind and start afresh. The teacher at a London school for orphans is encouraged to have her memories blocked by hypnotist Samuel Gladstone, but when they experience visions with an unknown third person, they realize the past can never be truly erased.
Now her past is returning to haunt Charity all over again.
Samuel is determined to help her, but how can a woman who trusts no man trust a hypnotist? And what dark secrets changed the charming gentleman into a desperate man who'll do anything to keep those secrets buried?
The Memory Keeper is the first book in the second Freak House series, which I love fiercely. You can check out my reviews for the first Freak House series, here.
The Romance and Mystery continue at The Frankingham Estate aka Freak House:
The Memory Keeper picks up with Samuel and Charity’s story right where we left off at the end of the first Freak House trilogy. I was SO ATTACHED and IN LOVE with Jack and Hannah’s story in the first series that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to properly ”get into” The Memory Keeper.
But I was wrong. (What’s new?)
The Memory Keeper was enthralling. It was full of suppressed attraction and pulse-pounding games of cat and mouse. The menacing thread of mystery throughout the story kept me completely captivated. Samuel and Charity’s story has a much darker edge to it than Jack and Hannah’s from the previous Freak House books, and The Memory Keeper made for a chilling Victorian-era read.
I kinda imagined Sara Gadon as Charity, though she isn’t my perfect match. These pictures of her are not Victorian-era, but it’s all I got.
Charity has a scandalous past. Orphaned at an early age, she was forced to fend for herself by any means necessary- even if it meant becoming someone’s mistress. WE meet Charity in the first Freak House trilogy because she was child-hood friends with Jack Langley. The Memory Keeper focuses on Charity’s internal struggles with the dark memories that haunt her and her desire to be rid of them once and for all so she can move on with her life. It was both heartbreaking and intriguing to be privy to Charity’s painful past, and ultimately frustrating because of how these experiences have scarred her. We also witness the unfolding of a sinister plot that involves people from Charity’s past that threaten to ruin the new sense of self and career she has made for herself. All of this was exciting and intriguing, but I was left with one question at the end of the book: Will Charity ever be able to love a man again, let alone trust one?
I always imagine Alex Pettyfer as Samuel.
Samuel. *SIGH*. Sweet, seductive, sensitive Samuel. My heart definitely beats a little faster for Samuel, but he cannot replace my love for Jack Langley. Maybe that’s because Jack from the first Freak House trilogy is just the right amount of domineering and dashing. But Samuel is debonair as ever in The Memory Keeper and he about charmed the pants right off me- no hypnotizing required. He is the same enticing character he was in the previous books, but layers of mystery and depth come together perfectly to flesh him out in this novel. I enjoyed learning more about his life before he met Charity or entered the Freak House world of characters.
As learned in the previous Freak House trilogy, Samuel has a special skill- he’s able to hypnotize people on demand just by using his voice. In The Memory Keeper, Samuel uses this skill to help Charity cope with her past but it triggers something dark in him.
The Memory Keeper felt more character driven than the previous Freak House books to me, therefore the pacing was slowed down to match this shift. Samuel only has eyes for Charity and desperately wants to be the man in her life. But as one might guess- things are complicated.
Once again, the paranormal, romantic, and mysterious combine to create an attention grabbing story. C.J. Archer’s books are ones to be savored and shared with the historical fiction and paranormal fiction lovers in your life. If you haven’t read them already, please check the first Freak House trilogy before starting The Memory Keeper.
Leave a Reply