Lavender House: A Novel
Oct 2022 · Evander Mills Book 1 · Forge Books
4.3star
6 reviewsreport
Ebook
320
Pages
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About this ebook
A "Best Of" Book From: Amazon * Buzzfeed * Rainbow Reading * Library Journal * CrimeReads * BookPage * Book Riot * Autostraddle
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret—but it's not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.
Dive into the full Evander Mills series:
Lavender House
The Bell in the Fog
Rough Pages
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret—but it's not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.
Dive into the full Evander Mills series:
Lavender House
The Bell in the Fog
Rough Pages
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Ratings and reviews
4.3
6 reviews
orchidbeautiful21
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January 6, 2023
First off, awesome cover with the color and rabbits, innocent looking at first, until you spot the dead one. Makes for a very intriguing book. The story was interesting too. Not quite up to the Knives Out caliber that it touts from the blurb, but still a good read. Not only do you get a good look into how hard it was to be different back then, but you get to see how resilient people can be and how havens were created for them to be themselves. And then there is murder most foul.
Christine Books
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November 25, 2022
LAVENDER HOUSE is an original book, a genre mashup unlike most other books I've read. I'd call this an LGBTQ+ historical mystery, but one that felt more like a character study of a found family than a page-turning whodunit. It has a locked-room vibe as much of it takes place within the gates of Lavender House. It's set in 1952; Andy has just been fired from the San Francisco PD (after being found in a gay bar during a police raid) when he's offered a murder case to investigate.
Shannon M
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October 23, 2022
4.5* Lavender House was an entertaining whodonit! I really enjoyed this book, particularly the setting and the time period. There was a great cast of characters, and it really did remind me of the movie Knives Out, which I thought was great. Andy was a very likeable character, very endearing. He had me worried there at the beginning, but I think, after this case, he's got a second chance at a wonderful life.
About the author
Lev AC Rosen writes books for people of all ages, including the Evander Mills series, which began with the Macavity Award winning Lavender House, and continues with The Bell in the Fog. His most recent young adult novels are Emmett, Lion’s Legacy, and Camp. Rosen’s books have been nominated for Anthony and Lambda Awards and have been selected for Best of lists from The Today Show, Amazon, Library Journal, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Forbes, and many others. He lives in NYC with his husband and a very small cat. You can find him online at LevACRosen.com and @LevACRosen
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