Rating: 5 stars
Genre: LGBTQ+suspenseful romance
Audiobook ASIN: B08VZJMGBD
Listening Length: 16 hours and 18 minutes

The Wife in the Attic by Rose Lerner is an Audible Original wonderfully narrated by Elsa Lepecki Bean. In this suspenseful gothic romance, Deborah Oliver becomes a governess in the isolated manor (Goldengrove) by the sea. She is haunted by a fear of fire, having heard stories as a child of relatives burned in Portugal for being Jewish. She has been taught not to reveal her heritage and trust no one, for no one can be her friend.

To her horror, Sir Kit locks her and all the employees in at night. Fearing fire with an escape, she talks her employer into giving her a key and a rope to climb out of the window, should a fire occur. But he also has a liking and attraction to Miss Oliver. Unfortunately, he also has a wife in the attic, locked away for being sick.

Lonely and feeling unattractive, Miss Oliver starts to warm to Sir Kit’s advancements. But can she trust him? Over several months, she finds out more about Lady Jael, who secretly meets her daughter Tabby in the middle of the night. As they speak, Deborah and Jael become friends and then, in the second third of the book, lovers. But, having hidden her feeling and emotions for so long, can Deborah trust this love?

When Jael devises a plan to kill Sir Kit to be free, she gets Deborah to collaborate. But, can Deborah trust Jael? Can they succeed and get away with it? Could the prime Miss Oliver killing this monster and then live with herself?

The story is compelling, and the reading is even better. I found myself extending my walks to continue listening to the narrator and seeing what happened next. For hours of delightful storytelling, I recommend The Wife in the Attic.