Tag: gothic romance

Book Review: The Memory of Glass by Brenna Lauren

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantic Suspense/Gothic Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Brenna Lauren
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sensual gothic romance meets “are you afraid of the dark?” in this decadent story about a cursed Savannah glass heiress, her southern mansion haunted by vengeful ghosts, and her marriage of convenience to the broody, mysterious man standing between her and ruin.

“Break the curse, Whitney Darling, before it breaks you.”

If I return to Savannah, to Darling House – I’ll die there. Either the curse I accidentally unleashed on my family will catch up with me, or I’ll flatline at the sight of the man I left behind – Ephraim Callaghan.

But when my grandfather’s cryptic will leads to an arranged marriage, Ephraim and I are trapped together in Darling House, my ancestral haunted mansion by the sea. As our passion rekindles, we must overcome the past and decode a dark family secret surrounding the glass, a century-old murder mystery, and the restless ghosts that remain. To put their souls to rest will not only save our lives, but the Darling’s legacy – and grant me and Ephraim a second chance at the love we thought we’d lost forever.

The Memory of Glass is a stand alone, slow burn, sensual romance set against the backdrop of a fast-paced ghost story adventure in a Lowcountry haunted mansion. It’s ideal for gothic romance readers who loved Karen White’s The House on Tradd Street series, BELLADONNA, and Grove Hollow. Readers who enjoyed Evie and O-Connell’s dynamic from the film, The Mummy, will also enjoy this gothic adventure.

HAUNTING DEBUT.

When a book has less than 20 reviews on Goodreads (at the time of me writing this), I feel like it’s a big leap to the bookish world to give it a go, but lo and behold, this one absolutely held up. I will, without a doubt, be reading the next book (note: this is a standalone with more books in this world).

MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE. That’s probably the only line you need here.

I loved the dynamic between Ephraim and Whitney. It was intense and heated and had that all consuming, I’ve never forgotten you, kind of vibe. It really fit the atmosphere of the whole novel and I grew to love what they had going.

This book had that creepy factor that made it difficult for me to read in the dark (and this is a compliment, though also, I’m easily spooked). I loooved the intrigue and mystery and the whole whodunnit. I liked having the historical flashback chapters that added to the puzzle. I desperately wanted to put all the pieces together to see wrongs righted and the curse lifted. There’s just the right amount of paranormal aspects that just made this book sing.

I had some small balance issues in regards to the plot and where time was spent. And that was really my only main complaint. I thought this was an amazing debut and I look forward to reading more books in the future.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantic Suspense / Gothic Romance
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: vague open/fade to black
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, attempted murder, multiple murders, miscarriage

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ARC Book Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Magical Realism
Length: 304 pages
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: February 14th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales–the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after–and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ALC.

UNDERWHELMED.

Audiobook review: LOVED the audio. I thought the narrators (hello Steve West, I love you) were great. I didn’t have to switch audio speeds between them and thought it did enhance the story.

I wish I had more to say, but I am feeling completely MEH about this entire book. I have no distinct feelings and that’s saying something on it’s own.

I’m not sure where this book got the idea it’s a romance? But it is not. There’s some undertones and there is a marriage, yet that’s kind of it. This mostly focuses around one POV (that takes place in the past) and how that is affecting the bridegroom in the present. There was kind of a Narnia quality to this with a dark and fairy like overtone.

The writing gives an atmospheric vibe. I can see the gothicness with the spooky house that seems to know all. I didn’t have any complaints about the writing itself, more so, the execution of the plot.

A super toxic friendship that clearly goes predictably south didn’t bring anything new to the table. The set-up leads you to the inevitable conclusion.

Overall audience notes:

  • Magical Realism
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: multiple vague to closed door; low innuendo
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: adult predation of a child, grooming, bullying, murder

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Book Review: The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction / Gothic / Romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Hester Fox
Publisher: Graydon House
Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two centuries after the Salem witch trials, there’s still one witch left in Massachusetts. But she doesn’t even know it.

Take this as a warning: if you are not able or willing to control yourself, it will not only be you who suffers the consequences but those around you, as well.

New Oldbury, 1821

In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia, and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline.

All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end.

WHAT?

That’s mostly how I felt after finishing this book.

It’s a bit creepy, definitely disturbing, and it does hit that Gothic vibe well.

Those were basically my good thoughts. And the audio was good. I’ll give it that too. I love an atmosphere read and I was spooked out here and there with this one.

But the struggles.

Oh my gosh I hated her sister. That was probably the point, which is fine, but what drove me wild was that the main character Lydia, kept letting herself be walked all over. And even when Catherine (the sister) KEPT BEING AWFUL, Lydia kept feeling like she needed to defend her and believer her? I’m sorry, once bitten, twice shy, STOP TRUSTING HER ALREADY. Lydia was a fool.

The romance was good when you focused on Mr. Barrett and Lydia. Unfortunately this pairing turned into an odd love…pentagon? I don’t know. There was a triangle at one point, then someone else would get throw in, then taken out, AND I JUST COULDN’T KEEP UP.

I did think it was written well, and the mystery was interesting (even if obvious). I liked the setting and some small scenes here and there. Most of the characters honestly weren’t that bad. The awful ones were just glaringly obvious.

Overall audience notes:

  • Gothic Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical altercations, dueling, incest, suicide, miscarriage, death of a child, animal death

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Book Review: Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Gothic Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Dana Schwartz
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.

Edinburgh, 1817.

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society. 

NOT A FAN OF THE ENDING.

I love a good gory and darker YA book. This gave all of those vibes and more. [It is gruesome, please check warnings!]. Great atmosphere and I liked the writing style.

Hazel was a pretty solid YA heroine too. I liked her tenacity and that she refused to give up on her dream of becoming a doctor. Hazel might have taken some unorthodox routes to get there, but hey! I liked her and I’m cool with it.

The love story aspects didn’t really happen until the halfway point? For a smaller book that’s really hard to accomplish well and I thought it was lacking. I wasn’t as invested in the romance as I wanted to be. Hazel and Jack had some sweet moments, but I needed more.

Aaaaand that ending. Throwing in some fantasy aspects all of a sudden had me tilting my head. Seemed like an easy way to fix some of the remaining plot issues and attempt to tie everything up in a neat bow. It didn’t all come together the way I hoped.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Gothic Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: extremely blood/gore
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: grave robbing (with use of the bodies in medical fields), kidnapping, organ harvesting, body dissection (with detail)

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