Tag: gothic horror

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell

Not every house is a home…Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady … Read More House of Splinters by Laura Purcell

My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Three

Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Three, including audiobooks, as I haven’t listened to enough to have their own post this quarter. As usual quite a disparate selection. The Empty Cradle by Lisa Rookes This was so good. I’m not sure how a story could be scary, creepy, and really funny at the same time. I think that’s because it’s so well … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Three

The Witch, The Seed and The Scalpel by Scott O’Neill

Edinburgh 1841. ‘Reaching out like a hungry white worm it twisted and spiralled, tasting the air. Then, evidently attracted by the flow of warm blood, it squirmed its way under the surface of my skin.‘ Every autumn without fail, a strange seed appears on the chestnut tree that marks the spot where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered. Legend states that anyone who catches … Read More The Witch, The Seed and The Scalpel by Scott O’Neill

Mrs England by Stacey Halls

West Yorkshire, 1904. When newly graduated nurse Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear there’s something not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious … Read More Mrs England by Stacey Halls

The Lincoln House by LB Stimson

It would be a new start – a reincarnation of sorts. Hannah Murphy faces an uncertain future. Her aunt was dead and soon, strangers would take possession of the only home she had ever known. When a letter arrives informing her she is the sole heir to an unknown uncle’s estate, the news seems like a Godsend. #TheLincolnHouse X(Twitter) @ZooloosBT #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour #booktwitterInstagram @zooloosbooktours #bookstagram Days later, she finds herself on … Read More The Lincoln House by LB Stimson

My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two

Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Two, including audiobooks, as I haven’t listened to enough to have their own post this quarter. Again quite a disparate selection. The Cure by Eve Smith I’m so out of my comfort zone here. Firstly, I don’t usually read speculative fiction, sci-fi or dystopian future novels. And secondly, I don’t think this is entirely fiction, … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Two

Estella’s Fury by Barbara Havelocke Cover Reveal

I’m so excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Estella’s Fury, the new dark, gothic historical thriller by Barbara Havelocke. Instagram@BarbaraCopperthwaite It’s the sequel to Estella’s Revenge, a twisted tale of dark deeds, which I loved when I reviewed it last year – and this sounds even better! Daughter. Murderer. Saviour.London, 1835. To high society, Estella is the perfect lady. But … Read More Estella’s Fury by Barbara Havelocke Cover Reveal

The Last Days of Leda Grey by Essie Fox

A bewitching novel about an enigmatic silent film actress, and the volatile love affair that left her a recluse for over half a century – for fans of Sarah Waters and Tracy Chevalier. During the oppressive heat wave of 1976, a young journalist, Ed Peters, finds an Edwardian photograph in a junk shop in the Brighton Lanes. It shows an alluring dark-haired girl, an … Read More The Last Days of Leda Grey by Essie Fox

Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

Poison runs through this land like blood… When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers. Lily is terrified of what her sister might … Read More Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Kerr

‘There are a lot of shadows at Ravenswood, so you will need to be strong…’ The year is 1885 and a young woman is on the run, knowing if she’s caught, she’ll be hanged for murder. Moments from a safe haven, she collides with a gruff stranger, falling and breaking her ankle. To her surprise, the man – Marcus Greybourne – convinces the local … Read More The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Kerr

My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part Four

Here are my favourite audio books of the year Part Four. There’s always a Gothic mystery in there. Plus Chris Whitaker makes a second appearance of the year. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton I signed up for this as an audio book on Borrowbox. It’s 20 hours long – which is huge – I can see it’s six hours and 48 mins as … Read More My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part Four

Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner Paperback Tour

This brilliant book is now out in paperback. Art expert Emma Lindhal is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found. As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that … Read More Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner Paperback Tour