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Cover of The House Saphir

The House Saphir

by Marissa Meyer

🌶️fade to black·spoiler

Why Read This?

A satisfying blend of eerie mystery and romantic tension that keeps you guessing until the end.

Synopsis

This is the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before--a romantasy murder mystery. Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place. Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests. But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft. But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

At a Glance

3.86 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️fade to black
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingslow burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

fairytale retellinghidden identityblood feud romancehidden past revealed

Mood

darkeeriesecretiveatmosphericromantic

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

3.86 ★

Page Count

432 pages

Published

2025

Primary Genre

Young Adult

Pairing

M/F

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Standard

Narrator

Rebecca Soler

Narrator Count

Single

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

lushimmersivewhimsicalatmospheric

Story Pacing

medium

Emotional Weight

moderate

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

Atmospheric gothic manor mystery with witchy whispers and forbidden flirtation that feels like walking through a haunted forest at dusk.

Characters

FMC Archetype

bookworm/scholarwitch/mageprotector

MMC Archetype

brooding princedark/tortured soulmorally gray mmc

Relationship Dynamics

forbidden loveslow burntensionmutual pining

Spice Details 🌶️

🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
🌶️
Spice Level 1

Spice Style

None

Getting Steamy

None

Bringing the Heat

None
deathmurdertraumaviolencecaptivityghostsgriefstalking

World & Setting

World Type

gothic

Primary Setting

manor house / estate

Fantasy Creatures

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

addictive readthe angst delivered

Best Time of Year

autumn

When & Where to Read

summer eveningvacationat nightrainy weekend

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