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The Ladies of the Secret Circus  By  cover art

The Ladies of the Secret Circus

By: Constance Sayers
Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
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Publisher's summary

From the author of A Witch in Time comes a magical story spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America of family secrets, sacrifice, and lost love set against the backdrop of a mysterious circus.

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder - a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love.

Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance

For more from Constance Sayers, check out A Witch in Time.

©2021 Constance Sayers (P)2021 Redhook

Critic reviews

"A spellbinding historical fantasy.... Fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will love this page-turning story of dark magic, star-crossed love, and familial sacrifice." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"At times decadent and macabre, The Ladies of the Secret Circus is a mesmerizing tale of love, treachery, and depraved magic percolating through four generations of Cabot women." (Luanne G. Smith, author of The Vine Witch)

"Ambitious and teeming with magic, Sayers creates a fascinating mix of art, The Belle Époque, and more than a little murder.” (Erika Swyler, author of The Book of Speculation)

What listeners say about The Ladies of the Secret Circus

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  • 08-27-21

Fabulous!

So enjoyable after a Witch in Time that I also loved. Hope there will be more!!!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fake French accent ruins great story

I love the story but am giving up at Chapter 12 because the fake French accent has just become unbearable. I'll get the book and read it because the story so far is great. Very disapp

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Very fun listen!

Very fun, engaging listen. If you like magic, a whodunnit, and romping around Paris then I highly recommend LOSC. The narrator does a great job on the American accents, and is very dynamic; the French accents were pretty rough but overall loved the book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not as engaging as I hoped

Extremely powerful nearly all-woman cast of characters reduced to self-sacrificing damsel in distress tropes.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Atrocious French accent

I am only on chapter 12, but the terrible "French" accent is really getting on my nerves. Why couldn't they have gotten a native French speaker for those parts?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic!!

It starts a little slow but man, what a fantastic book! The plot twist was so unexpected! What an enjoyable read!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting story

Did not like the narrator. Story was interesting but narrator was overly dramatic but made characters flat.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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as if I could close my eyes and awaken to a fantasy made real

I loved the details and found myself compelled to care about demon tribulations and heartache.

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Loved it!!

Loved the story and the narrator. One caution, this is not a turn on for noise and keep up with the plot book. You actually have to invest the time to listen.

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1 person found this helpful

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Interesting story

The narrator shouldn’t try to speak French. It’s really bad.. like curling your toes bad 🤣

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1 person found this helpful