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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