Scan barcode
slimygf's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lesbian crimson peak vibes! very good but i didnt love it as much as i really wanted to. wasnt expecting the twist, i thought it worked Fine ig but didnt like it. wouldve loved if there was actual paranormal stuff happening yknow?
fourthleafluck's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
From Shakespeare and Carmilla-related flirting in a cemetery to mysterious figures haunting a decaying manor with an untold secret, The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall is about as gothic as it gets.
Kit's narration is deeply immersive and the pacing of the story is riveting. The horror and romance took turns pulling me along, and I loved every second. I desperately wanted to keep reading after I had to put the book down, and ended up devouring it in a single day.
As always, Nothwell's historicity is a boon and a delight. Kit's connections with her whaler predecessors and interactions with historical New Bedford were a treat— especially as someone with a special interest in and professional experience with Massachusetts history. From intimate knowledge of historical buildings and clothing to contemporaneous literary references that these characters would recognize— Nothwell does his research and it shows.
The leads' attraction to each other is clear as day and the sex scene is STEAMY. Fiorenzo and Oak King Holly King prove that Nothwell is a master of chemistry, and I was thrilled to see that this extends to his sapphic work as well.
If you are looking for a classic gothic horror with a deliciously sapphic twist, I cannot recommend The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall enough.
(For all the other Crimson Peak girlies who saw the butterfly scene and said "... Edith and Lucille should have f***ed nasty instead"— Mr. Nothwell proved us right.)
note: I was provided a reviewer copy of this book.
Kit's narration is deeply immersive and the pacing of the story is riveting. The horror and romance took turns pulling me along, and I loved every second. I desperately wanted to keep reading after I had to put the book down, and ended up devouring it in a single day.
As always, Nothwell's historicity is a boon and a delight. Kit's connections with her whaler predecessors and interactions with historical New Bedford were a treat— especially as someone with a special interest in and professional experience with Massachusetts history. From intimate knowledge of historical buildings and clothing to contemporaneous literary references that these characters would recognize— Nothwell does his research and it shows.
The leads' attraction to each other is clear as day and the sex scene is STEAMY. Fiorenzo and Oak King Holly King prove that Nothwell is a master of chemistry, and I was thrilled to see that this extends to his sapphic work as well.
If you are looking for a classic gothic horror with a deliciously sapphic twist, I cannot recommend The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall enough.
(For all the other Crimson Peak girlies who saw the butterfly scene and said "... Edith and Lucille should have f***ed nasty instead"— Mr. Nothwell proved us right.)
note: I was provided a reviewer copy of this book.
runawaytrain's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
clemway's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
posole's review against another edition
4.0
I've been looking for historical romance with LGBTQ characters. Someone recommended I check out Sebastian Nothwell, so I requested this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The plot follows Kit, a young American heiress who is devastated after her best friend and lover marries a man and essentially abandons her. Kit is a wealthy and independent orphan with only a cousin for her family. She’s described as tall, socially awkward, and is not a conventional beauty. Her personality is impulsive, naive, and imaginative (I can’t help but think she was modeled after Catherine from Northanger Abbey). She meets a couple of English nobles at her friend’s wedding - siblings Lady Alexandra and Lord Vivian, who are kind to her and become fast friends. Alexandra recognizes Kit’s grief as that of a spurned lover, and offers her sympathy to her new friend. The two women become close before Alexandra returns to England ahead of her brother. Unexpectedly, Vivian proposes to Kit, who accepts in order to be close to Alexandra.
When Vivian and Kit return to England, the trio must grapple with the consequences of their impulsive decision. Alexandra is suddenly cold to Kit, Vivian ignores her and spends all his time in the basement doing god knows what, the manor is in disarray, there is only one servant who Kit never meets, half of the doors in the manor are locked, and Kit keeps hearing strange footsteps coming from the attic. Her imagination runs wild, of course - forcing the reader to wonder if she’s seeing things, if the siblings are gaslighting her in attempt to hide their secrets, or if something more sinister is afoot.
In the last part of the book, all hell breaks loose - it is completely unhinged and I LOVED it. Not everyone will agree with me, but I really enjoyed it and I thought it was a great book to read in the fall as Halloween approaches.
I'll also say that I very much enjoyed Nothwell’s writing style and I had no complaints about the editing. It was easy to read, the flow and pacing were good, and at no point did I notice any anachronistic vocabulary that took me out of the story. Sometimes I don’t know what to expect when I read a new author, especially one that’s not well known (and it's always a shame when a good story is published without a good editor) - but I was not disappointed.
I also LOVED all of the references to olden lesbian literature!!! Seriously, this was a fantastic touch. I’m not a history buff and usually these sort of details are lost on me, but I am a bit of a literature nerd and I enjoyed the allusions to Carmilla (1872 vampire story, pre-Dracula) and The Goblin Market (1862 children’s poem).
My one criticism is I’m not sure how to feel about Kit’s character. Initially I was annoyed with her seemingly absurd choices - why would she not be more suspicious of these people? On the other hand, she’s grieving, she’s isolated, she’s desperate for company and affection - she’s vulnerable, and maybe that’s enough to explain her actions. However, I think her imaginative character could’ve been established earlier - for me, that only came through in the second act. It’s a subtle thing, but I think Nothwell could’ve leaned into the ‘unreliable narrator’ trope a bit more instead of relying on Kit’s naiveté/vulnerability to explain her choices. To me, Kit came across as impulsive and an airhead, but not unreliable. It was also clear that the siblings were acting suspiciously, and I think I would have preferred a little more ambiguity about what Kit was perceiving and experiencing. That said, this is a romance novel with a gothic flavor, not a horror novel or thriller, so maybe I’m asking for too much. I enjoyed it regardless.
The plot follows Kit, a young American heiress who is devastated after her best friend and lover marries a man and essentially abandons her. Kit is a wealthy and independent orphan with only a cousin for her family. She’s described as tall, socially awkward, and is not a conventional beauty. Her personality is impulsive, naive, and imaginative (I can’t help but think she was modeled after Catherine from Northanger Abbey). She meets a couple of English nobles at her friend’s wedding - siblings Lady Alexandra and Lord Vivian, who are kind to her and become fast friends. Alexandra recognizes Kit’s grief as that of a spurned lover, and offers her sympathy to her new friend. The two women become close before Alexandra returns to England ahead of her brother. Unexpectedly, Vivian proposes to Kit, who accepts in order to be close to Alexandra.
When Vivian and Kit return to England, the trio must grapple with the consequences of their impulsive decision. Alexandra is suddenly cold to Kit, Vivian ignores her and spends all his time in the basement doing god knows what, the manor is in disarray, there is only one servant who Kit never meets, half of the doors in the manor are locked, and Kit keeps hearing strange footsteps coming from the attic. Her imagination runs wild, of course - forcing the reader to wonder if she’s seeing things, if the siblings are gaslighting her in attempt to hide their secrets, or if something more sinister is afoot.
In the last part of the book, all hell breaks loose - it is completely unhinged and I LOVED it. Not everyone will agree with me, but I really enjoyed it and I thought it was a great book to read in the fall as Halloween approaches.
I'll also say that I very much enjoyed Nothwell’s writing style and I had no complaints about the editing. It was easy to read, the flow and pacing were good, and at no point did I notice any anachronistic vocabulary that took me out of the story. Sometimes I don’t know what to expect when I read a new author, especially one that’s not well known (and it's always a shame when a good story is published without a good editor) - but I was not disappointed.
I also LOVED all of the references to olden lesbian literature!!! Seriously, this was a fantastic touch. I’m not a history buff and usually these sort of details are lost on me, but I am a bit of a literature nerd and I enjoyed the allusions to Carmilla (1872 vampire story, pre-Dracula) and The Goblin Market (1862 children’s poem).
My one criticism is I’m not sure how to feel about Kit’s character. Initially I was annoyed with her seemingly absurd choices - why would she not be more suspicious of these people? On the other hand, she’s grieving, she’s isolated, she’s desperate for company and affection - she’s vulnerable, and maybe that’s enough to explain her actions. However, I think her imaginative character could’ve been established earlier - for me, that only came through in the second act. It’s a subtle thing, but I think Nothwell could’ve leaned into the ‘unreliable narrator’ trope a bit more instead of relying on Kit’s naiveté/vulnerability to explain her choices. To me, Kit came across as impulsive and an airhead, but not unreliable. It was also clear that the siblings were acting suspiciously, and I think I would have preferred a little more ambiguity about what Kit was perceiving and experiencing. That said, this is a romance novel with a gothic flavor, not a horror novel or thriller, so maybe I’m asking for too much. I enjoyed it regardless.
rach_eb's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5. Very solid premise of sapphic gothic horror which immediately drew me in. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the story, and the thought of a sturdy, practical American lass seeing all of the ridiculous British gothic-ness and going "but.. couldn't we just fix it?" was pretty hilarious.
However, I had a few problems with the pacing, especially concerning the "romance" aspect of this story.
The ending was also a bit bananas, but not in a way that felt too out of genre for a gothic tale. Overall a good Halloween read, even if I disliked the romance.
However, I had a few problems with the pacing, especially concerning the "romance" aspect of this story.
Spoiler
The pacing in the middle dragged quite a bit, focusing on poor Kit being gaslit to all hell by her husband and the woman who supposedly loves her. Alexandra was so cold and mean that it got to the point where I was pretty uncomfortable calling this a romance at all. Yes, she's technically lying to protect her brother, but there was no need for her to be so cruel? And then Kit just immediately forgives her once the truth comes out?? That just did not sit well with me.The ending was also a bit bananas, but not in a way that felt too out of genre for a gothic tale. Overall a good Halloween read, even if I disliked the romance.
rachelgreenreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a great, atmospheric, gothic read.
While not quite as indulgent as Nothwell’s other works, the characters hold the same devotion for each other, with peak drama and tension.
The mystery was neat and tense, and truly took me by surprise.
Bonus points for a couple of Victorian lesbians nerding out about local folklore and also every instance of queer subtext (or overt queerness) ever found in the literature of their time.
While not quite as indulgent as Nothwell’s other works, the characters hold the same devotion for each other, with peak drama and tension.
The mystery was neat and tense, and truly took me by surprise.
Bonus points for a couple of Victorian lesbians nerding out about local folklore and also every instance of queer subtext (or overt queerness) ever found in the literature of their time.
estelleisreading's review
2.0
an alright gothic sapphic novel. this would have been a 3 stars read if not for the last 30 pages which were so ridiculous?? what was that???
f18's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There were several distracting copyediting/continuity issues, such as the event that took place in the morning room being consistently referred to after as taking place in the graveyard. Nothing that made it unreadable though.
After wondering for a bit if this would turn out to be a sapphic fanfiction of Crimson Peak, I laughed in delight whenthe similarities were lampshaded through Phoebe having determined falsely that that was what was actually going on, and as well I also enjoyed the other mentions of Carmilla, Jane Eyre, and Lizzie Borden as plot twist options.
Great sex scene, though I wish it had come after Alexandra's confession, and I felt Kit was a bit too quick to forgivethe gaslighting the siblings did, even if it wasn't severe. I was pleased to see characters in this novel being very nonjudgmental towards people with disability/"disfigurement" including, eventually, the love interest similar to the Aubrey and Lindsey duology and I wonder if that will be a through line in all Nothwell novels. As for the final reveal, it wasn't 100% to my taste, but I did enjoy how the different threads were tied up.
A little aside, but I really enjoyed the way the characters found solace in reading literature via a sapphic lens/connecting to literature that included sapphic desire.
After wondering for a bit if this would turn out to be a sapphic fanfiction of Crimson Peak, I laughed in delight when
Great sex scene, though I wish it had come after Alexandra's confession, and I felt Kit was a bit too quick to forgive
A little aside, but I really enjoyed the way the characters found solace in reading literature via a sapphic lens/connecting to literature that included sapphic desire.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Classism, Suicide, Homophobia, and Medical content
quinlpa's review against another edition
2.0
the pacing in the middle dragged a bit, but oh man whatever i thought this book was gonna be.........it sure wasn't
still haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing!
still haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing!