The Legacy of Beauregarde - Rosa Fedele

The Legacy of Beauregarde – Rosa Fedele (2018)

‘You could lose someone down there, couldn’t you? Anyone could get buried under the concrete slab, and no one would even know!’

The Beauregarde women have lived in the shadow of The Seminary for four generations. And there is nothing conventional about Marcela, or her family.

When the decadent and obsessive Gordana acquires the iconic Sydney property and invites a television crew to film the building’s transformation into a magnificent showpiece, strangers suddenly penetrate Marcela’s world, each with a dark secret of their own.

But Marcela conceals a sinister bond which inextricably ties her to the derelict estate, holding the power to not only unravel Gordana’s grand designs, but expose bloodstained treachery, long-buried betrayals and lies.

A decadent and eccentric tableau of theatre and treachery, old secrets and betrayals; exploring friendship, guilt and obsession … slipping between characters to gradually reveal a century-old mystery.

My Review of The Legacy of Beauregarde

(4.5 / 5)

A few years ago, talented Australian artist and aspiring author Rosa Fedele sent me her debut novel to review, The Red Door. I really enjoyed that book and was excited when she released her second novel The Legacy of Beauregarde.

In Sydney City 1990 an affluent couple purchase The Seminary, a large estate in need of restoration. As they restore the property, they attempt to relocate Marcela, who lives in a large cottage next to it. However, her family have lived there for generations, and she is not about to move willingly. She is also afflicted with a gift, or curse, allowing her to see things that others do not. What happened generations ago in the Seminary? Why does it matter now?

That was a VERY brief run down of a much more intricate novel, which was filled with interesting and complex characters, and had a spooky and an extremely atmospheric story line. It was full of intrigue, romance, sex, horror, mystery and drama!

I really enjoyed the writing, it is distinctive and unique. The story is cleverly interwoven between the interesting and complicated characters. Yes, there are a LOT of characters to keep track of. That was probably my biggest challenge while reading this. At times I found it slightly hard to keep up, especially as the story was developing in the first half of the book. However by the end of it I felt I knew them intimately, especially Marcela and Claudia.

There were a few characters from The Red Door, and by no means do you need to have read the first one, but if you have – it actually made for a few intense and tragic developments from the first novel. I was a bit shell-shocked as to how those relationships from the first book panned out.

There were actually a HEAP of twists and turns throughout this book, the majority of which I had NO IDEA were coming and helped give the story a really gritty edge. And I just loved the dark and haunting atmosphere.

I really enjoyed the 1990 setting! I actually forgot it was set in the 90’s at times, until I would realise that the characters were not using mobile phones! Loved Australia in the 90’s!

I also have to mention the artwork! WOW! At the beginning of each chapter is a beautiful illustration of something relevant to the upcoming plot. It is one thing to write a book, it is another to illustrate it so absolutely beautifully! You just need to check out her Instagram page to see how incredibly talented she is!

Would I recommend The Legacy of Beauregarde?

Absolutely! I enjoyed it even more than The Red Door. She has a very unique style of writing that I found really refreshing. The plot was intricate and addictive. I think most fans of suspense will enjoy this one!

*Many thanks to author Rosa Fedele for a copy of The Legacy of Beauregarde in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author

‘For me, every painting and every book is a new adventure, started with a thrill of excitement and anticipation.’

Australian author and artist Rosa Fedele, known for her portrait and figurative work, was born in Sydney and studied at the prestigious Julian Ashton Art School. A member of Portrait Artists Australia, Australia’s largest industry association for professional portraitists, her work has been exhibited in NSW Parliament House and Parliament House Canberra, as well as numerous galleries and exhibitions in Australia and worldwide.

Rosa fell avidly in love with books at a very young age. Her favourites were those by C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, and later on Raymond E. Feist, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey and Frank Herbert; in fact, anything with beautiful and spellbinding words and imagery that would allow her to escape into other worlds.

Her debut novel The Red Door was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream, to interweave a story with pictures and draw the reader into her own bewitching, and slightly dark-edged, world. The next in her illustrated suspense series, THE LEGACY OF BEAUREGARDE, will be released 10 July 2018, stay tuned and follow the hashtag #australiannoir