The Cruel Dark

English language

Published Oct. 31, 2023 by Northwick Books.

ISBN:
979-8-9884738-0-0
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Millicent Foxboro is haunted.

Not by ghosts, but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia. So when an uncommon assistantship to a reclusive Professor of mythology falls into her lap with an ungodly salary attached, her desperation for stability overrides her cautious nature.

To Millie’s dismay, the widowed Professor Callum Hughes and his estate, Willowfield, are more than she bargained for. The once magnificent home, known for its sprawling gardens and dazzling parties, is falling to pieces after the death of the professor’s fragile wife. What’s more, the staff has been reduced to the only three people not frightened away by rumors of ghosts, leaving the halls empty and languishing in bitter memories.

The professor himself is …

1 edition

For readers who like their haunting gothic tales with plenty of spice.

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Gothic novels have always been a mixed bag for me. I love the aesthetic, but I often find myself let down by tepid endings that don't always fulfill the carefully laden promise. The Cruel Dark does no such thing, instead sticking the landing so beautifully and so perfectly that I immediately want to dive back in and read it again. You've got all the trademarks of a gothic novel - an intelligent young woman who sees ghosts (or DOES SHE?), a crumbling mansion that's seen better days, and a brooding love interest who may or may not be exceedingly dangerous. All of these are stitched together in a tense atmosphere with a hint of Rebecca, and a healthy dose of spice for readers who like it sexy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bea Northwick for an advance copy! All thoughts in this review are my own.

Subjects

  • Fiction, romance, general

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