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A review by renpuspita
The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I plan to give The Cruel Dark maybe 3,5 stars, but then the truth regarding both Millicent and Callum come to the light and I'll be like "huh, that EXPLAIN things!", so I just up the rate into 4 stars. What? That's what I feel about the Cruel Dark, lol. And I like that the epilogue have some closure rather than left the story open to reader's interpretation. Don't worry, the story end in a happy note!
The Cruel Dark is Bea Northwick debut and I don't really remember, maybe I buy when it was on sale in Kobo. Now this title is only in KU, so I guess I'm lucky back then I give this book a chance and buy it. In the surface, The Cruel Dark have many gothic element that pretty apparent in the books with same genre. A lone woman with no other family member, an abandoned mansion, a enigmatic and charismatic (also brooding) hero, the head helper that seems cold and aloof and then the shadow (or maybe the ghost) of the hero's ex wife that maybe (or maybe not) killed by her own husband. Don't forget..the woman in white.
Millicent Foxboro or Millie come into Willowfield to assist Callum Hughes, a professor, with his research regarding Celtic mythology. Not only Willowfield is in a sorry state of mansion, Millie had been haunted not only by her murky pasts but also apparitions of woman in white. Callum himself is brooding and seems cold, but gradually he and Millie become close and they soon engulfed in their passion for each other. However, both characters also hide their own secret and what Callum did to his deceased wife, Mrs Hughes? Is it true that he killed her in a cold blood? And what is this ghost that Millie encountered in the Willowfield mansion? Is she part of the fae or something more sinister?
I admit Northwick can capture the gothic vibes of the Cruel Dark very well. The book also steamy, so it's a most welcome if you like to be shivering reading about ghost also want your story to be titillating, lel. However, the story pace can be too slow sometimes and I wonder what make Callum's attitude toward Millie change. Maybe because he amused to see Millie didn't back down from his harsh remark and constantly challenge him? Their first tryst can be sketchy at first because Callum is Millie's employer, so their power dynamic can be unbalance. But, with the story flow and like I said, when the truth come out, all will end well. Yeah, trust me!! I like that Northwick manage to write the mystery tightly will reveal it a bit by little bit so I can's help to turning the page. And to said that I'm satisfied with how the story unraveled is an understatement. I also like the touch of Celtic mythology into the book and wondering if the woman in white that Millie encountered is a bean sidhe. The sex also well written and I really love that Millie didn't shy away from her sexuality and like to take initiative when it comes to bedsport. Didn't help that Callum have his own dirty talk, heh!
I think if you like a gothic historical romance set in Roaring Twenties but also in the time of Prohibition (but alas, the Prohibition vibes is not that much), you can put The Cruel Dark into one of your to be read. Millie might be tortured with her pasts but she is not a simpering lady and manage to hold her ground with Callum. Since this book told from Millie's first PoV, sometime I wondering what Callum think about Millie. Apparently, Northwick already release "Lover", a companion novella to The Cruel Dark that written entirely from Callum's PoV and better to be read after you finish The Cruel Dark. This book is surely can't be missed!
The Cruel Dark is Bea Northwick debut and I don't really remember, maybe I buy when it was on sale in Kobo. Now this title is only in KU, so I guess I'm lucky back then I give this book a chance and buy it. In the surface, The Cruel Dark have many gothic element that pretty apparent in the books with same genre. A lone woman with no other family member, an abandoned mansion, a enigmatic and charismatic (also brooding) hero, the head helper that seems cold and aloof and then the shadow (or maybe the ghost) of the hero's ex wife that maybe (or maybe not) killed by her own husband. Don't forget..the woman in white.
Millicent Foxboro or Millie come into Willowfield to assist Callum Hughes, a professor, with his research regarding Celtic mythology. Not only Willowfield is in a sorry state of mansion, Millie had been haunted not only by her murky pasts but also apparitions of woman in white. Callum himself is brooding and seems cold, but gradually he and Millie become close and they soon engulfed in their passion for each other. However, both characters also hide their own secret and what Callum did to his deceased wife, Mrs Hughes? Is it true that he killed her in a cold blood? And what is this ghost that Millie encountered in the Willowfield mansion? Is she part of the fae or something more sinister?
I admit Northwick can capture the gothic vibes of the Cruel Dark very well. The book also steamy, so it's a most welcome if you like to be shivering reading about ghost also want your story to be titillating, lel. However, the story pace can be too slow sometimes and I wonder what make Callum's attitude toward Millie change. Maybe because he amused to see Millie didn't back down from his harsh remark and constantly challenge him? Their first tryst can be sketchy at first because Callum is Millie's employer, so their power dynamic can be unbalance. But, with the story flow and like I said, when the truth come out, all will end well. Yeah, trust me!! I like that Northwick manage to write the mystery tightly will reveal it a bit by little bit so I can's help to turning the page. And to said that I'm satisfied with how the story unraveled is an understatement. I also like the touch of Celtic mythology into the book and wondering if the woman in white that Millie encountered is a bean sidhe. The sex also well written and I really love that Millie didn't shy away from her sexuality and like to take initiative when it comes to bedsport. Didn't help that Callum have his own dirty talk, heh!
I think if you like a gothic historical romance set in Roaring Twenties but also in the time of Prohibition (but alas, the Prohibition vibes is not that much), you can put The Cruel Dark into one of your to be read. Millie might be tortured with her pasts but she is not a simpering lady and manage to hold her ground with Callum. Since this book told from Millie's first PoV, sometime I wondering what Callum think about Millie. Apparently, Northwick already release "Lover", a companion novella to The Cruel Dark that written entirely from Callum's PoV and better to be read after you finish The Cruel Dark. This book is surely can't be missed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage and Suicide
Minor: Infertility and Sexual assault