The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes- Chapman

Here is my review of the  The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes- Chapman- gothic historical fiction.

Meirionydd, 1783. Henry Talbot has been dismissed from his post at a prestigious London hospital. The only job he can find is as a physician in the backwaters of Wales where he can’t speak the language, belief in myth and magic is rife, and the villagers treat him with bewildering suspicion. When Henry discovers his predecessor died under mysterious circumstances, he is determined to find answers.

Linette Tresilian, the unconventional mistress of Plas Helyg, lives a lonely life. Her father is long dead, her mother haunted by demons which keep her locked away in her room, and her cousin treats her with cool disdain – she has had no choice but to become fiercely self-reliant.

Linette has always suspected something is not quite right in the village, but it is only through Henry’s investigations that the truth about those closest to her will come to light…a truth that will bind hers and Henry’s destinies together in ways neither thought possible.

Review

Here is my review of The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes- Chapman- gothic historical fiction.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

It might have been me but I was expecting a little bit more of the supernatural with Shadow Key but this was more a historical fiction with gothic undertones- it had the feel of The Hound of The Baskervilles.

I really enjoyed reading about Wales and its society, its relationship with England and the how the Welsh culture was slowly being stamped out. The author has added rich historical detail which I found fascinating along with snippets of Welsh throughout the book.

There are a few unexpected twists and few I saw coming. Henry and Linette are the main point of view characters and Henry’s slow acceptance of the Welsh village was heart-warming. Unfortunately, if you are a gothic fan and have a read widely, the answers Henry and Linette seek are obvious- however it I would still recommend  the book as it was enjoyable read.

Perfect for Fans

Who like low stakes gothic fiction

Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson- Book review and Blog Tour

The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.
Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he’s forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can’t believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there’s a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London’s mobsters is lurking in the shadows.
Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he’s suffocated by his own greed?

Thank you @Write Reads Tour and Silver Thistle Books for my copy

Review

The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson is a slip of a book, but it packs a punch- I almost missed by train as I was so entranced by this Christmas Ghost  story.

I received a copy for a free and unbiased opinion.

There is story itself a beautifully, written ghost story highlighting the trauma of war , both on the soldiers and the families they leave behind.  The presence of Arthur, the teenager who died because of the war, leaves a strong presence throughout the story.

Charlie is the unlikable thief, who I reluctantly

felt sorry for by the end of the book, as he paid the price for stealing a precious book and perhaps also for not respecting the boys and men who gave up their lives to war.

The prose is descriptive and haunting bringing to life post-first world war England to life. Each character is memorable in their own way and how they have had to cope with the aftermath of war and grief.

I loved the actual physical copy of the book, slim and small, it fit perfectly in a handbag ,pocket or Christmas Stocking.

Content warning.

References to suicide

Perfect for Fans of

M.R James and Susan Hill

My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers- Book review

Here is my review of My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers- Gothic fantasy.

When young Emily Brontë helps a wounded man she finds at the foot of an ancient pagan shrine in the remote Yorkshire moors, her life becomes contentiously entwined with his. He is Alcuin Curzon, embittered member of a sect working to eradicate the resurgent plague of lycanthropy in Europe and northern England.
But Emily’s father, curate of the Haworth village church, is responsible for having unwittingly brought a demonic werewolf god to Yorkshire forty years ago—and it is taking possession of Emily’s beloved but foolish and dissolute brother. Curzon must regard Emily’s family as a dire threat.
In spite of being at deadly odds, Emily and Curzon find themselves thrown together in fighting werewolves, confronting pagan gods, even saving each other from the lures of moorland demons. And in a final battle that sweeps from the haunted village of Haworth to a monstrous shrine far out on the moors, the two of them must be reluctant allies against an ancient power that seems likely to take their souls as well as their lives.

Review

I’m a big fan of Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights, so I jumped at the chance to read My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers- a gothic ghost story with cults, sacrifice, possession and magical dogs.

My Brother’s Keeper captures the atmosphere of the North York Moors and echoes the feel of Wuthering Heights. The village of Howarth, the vicarage, moors and caves play a vital part and I can’t imagine this book without them.

Read more: My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers- Book review

I received a copy this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

The author has created a perfectly tragic, flawed, sympathetic yet annoying character in Branwell Bronte- the brother who never lived up to his potential unlike his sisters. His resentment, despair and love come through so clearly. But it is Emily who is steals the show as the charismatic, bold and wild heroine capable of writing a book like Wuthering Heights.

The book at its heart is a ghost story who follows the doomed Bronte family from Ireland to Yorkshire. There is plenty of action in the book with guns being shot in old English pubs to mysterious ongoings on the Moors.

I did feel the book was a little too long with some parts being a bit repetitive towards the end, but these didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Perfect for Fans

Gothic ghost stories, the Brontes.

The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett- Book review

Here is my review of The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett- a spooky gothic thriller that will resonate with anyone who has found themselves lost in the woods

1643: A small group of Parliamentarian soldiers are ambushed in an isolated part of Northern England. Their only hope for survival is to flee into the nearby Moresby Wood… unwise though that may seem. For Moresby Wood is known to be an unnatural place, the realm of witchcraft and shadows, where the devil is said to go walking by moonlight.Seventeen men enter the wood. Only two are ever seen again, and the stories they tell of what happened make no sense. Stories of shifting landscapes, of trees that appear and disappear at will… and of something else. Something dark. Something hungry.
Today, five women are headed into Moresby Wood to discover  what happened to that unfortunate group of soldiers. Led by Dr Alice Christopher, an historian who has devoted her entire academic career to uncovering the secrets of Moresby Wood. Armed with metal detectors, GPS units, mobile phones and the most recent map of the area, Dr Christopher’s group enters the wood ready for anything.
Or so they think.

Review

I enjoys walking in the North of England and I have to confess, I find walking through some of the old woods and forests a little anxiety provoking-just in case I get lost and never find my way out. So, The Dark Between the Trees by Fiona Barnett struck a note with me.

I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion

The story is told from several points of view – the group of men in 1643 and the women in the present time. The main protagonist is the historian Alice Christopher who is determined (beyond the point of obsession) to find out the truth of what happened to the men who got lost in Moresby wood.

Moresby wood which feels like a character in its own right and the author captures the that  terrifying feeling of losing your bearing in a wooded area where all the trees just look the same ( and yes I speak from experience). The myths and folk tales of monsters, witches and people selling the souls to the devil all feed into the charm and mystery. The book builds a scary atmosphere with gentle, sustained dread rather than outright horror.

I found the women of this book more interesting particularly the backstories of the two academics who unfortunately must risk their lives to prove their credibility in a male dominated world. But woods treat the men and women the same with the same tragic consequences.

I felt the book ended a bit too abruptly (I would have liked a little more explanation)but also felt a little too long- there was a lot of backstory to the women that sometimes slowed the pace of the book.

But if you enjoy books with a gothic feel, lots of atmosphere and complex characters, then this is the book for you.

Perfect for Fans

Small Angels by Lauren Owens

Behind the Veil by E. J Dawson – Book review

I enjoyed this atmospheric, gothic ghost story with a strong romance at its core. Here is my review of Behind the Veil by E J Dawson.

@ejdawsonauthor @RRbookTours1  #RRbookto

Behind the Veil

Publication Date: October 1st, 2021

Genre: Gothic Noir/ Paranormal Suspense

Source : Initially R and R book tours but then borrowed from Kindle unlimited

Can she keep the secrets of her past to rescue a girl tormented by a ghost?

In 1920s Los Angeles, Letitia Hawking reads the veil between life and death. A scrying bowl allows her to experience the final moments of the deceased. She brings closure to grief-stricken war widows and mourning families.
For Letitia, it is a penance. She knows no such peace.

For Alasdair Driscoll, it may be the only way to save his niece, Finola, from her growing night terrors. But when Letitia sees a shadowy figure attached to the household, it rouses old fears of her unspeakable past in England.

When a man comes to her about his missing daughter, the third girl to go missing in as many months, Letitia can’t help him when she can’t see who’s taken them.

As a darkness haunts Letitia’s vision, she may not be given a choice in helping the determined Mr Driscoll, or stop herself falling in love with him. But to do so risks a part of herself she locked away, and to release it may cost Letitia her sanity and her heart.

Add to Goodreads

Review

I was particularly impressed with the clear, and inclusive content warning present in the index of the book- not many books highlight miscarriage or loss of children in books and I was glad this was highlighted, so I didn’t have the usual pit in my stomach when I came across this.

But despite the content warning, this was I book I really enjoyed and is full of optimism about life after grief, loss and trauma.

Letitia, the heroine of the book and the main point of view character is a reluctant medium but uses her gifts to help people say goodbye to their loved ones. She has a strict set of rules about the clients she takes one, so turns down the determined Mr Driscoll and his sister. But she relents when she finds out why they are desperate for her help despite the risks to her own life and sanity and helps Mr Driscoll’s niece with her own blossoming gifts. Letitia has to be one of the most interesting characters I have read recently.

The growing attraction and romance between Letitia and Mr Driscoll is slow and provides a counterpoint to the ghosts and some of the darkness of the story. I found myself rooting for Letitia- a survivor who keeps going and can see the good in everyone around her despite the horrors in her own life.

The romance isn’t the main focus of the story and the ghostly element, as well as the mystery of the missing girls, are interesting. I read the book in one sitting to find out who the kidnapper and the ghost was and how the story ended.

I was invited to read the book by RR tours for a free, unbiased opinion but I have also borrowed the book from Kindle unlimited for a reread and help support the author.

Content warning ( from the book)

Miscarriage, suicide, paedophilia, murder, rape and possession- however, there are no graphic descriptions.

Perfect for fans

Anyone who enjoys mild horror, or gothic romances.

The Golden Key by Marian Womack- Book Review

The Golden Key, by Marian Womack, is a fantasy that has all my favourite themes- a suitably gothic atmosphere, the supernatural, creepy villains and a rational, feminist detective has a mystery to solve.

The Golden Key is another book I picked because of the amazing cover. But I am glad that I did buy this book and finished the book in one sitting. The story is so much more than then you would expect from the blurb’s description. This book has seances, mysteries, great characters, a suitably eerie atmosphere, creepy villains, feminism and other interesting strands but would be spoiling the book if I mentioned anymore.