This book starts very slowly, making the reader curious where its going. Lucas needs some peace and quiet to finish his next big novel..... then the retreat where he is staying starts getting visits from ghostly visitors and he starts investigating. This was really another Mark Edwards killer read, and firmly puts him on my best author list.
Highly highly recommended.

This was one heck of a thriller with plenty of twists and turns and also pretty creepy at times. Secrets abound and make for a pretty compulsive read and my first Mark Edwards book so I now look forward to reading more of his novels.. if you want a good read then this is it ...

I'm giving this 3 instead of 4 stars because the middle of the book dragged and seemed a little repetitive. But overall, the story is very unique and I loved the ending.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Quite a dark and atmospheric novel from Edwards, rich with local folklore and ghost stories (whether based on real lores I cannot say, but they were fun to read), interlinked with a missing person case.
An enjoyable read with a few twists. Some of the characters were a tad annoying to me but generally this was a good holiday read.

I’ve always enjoyed Mark Edwards books.
At the beginning of this one though I had a niggle of a doubt I might not like it. It started out fair but I couldn’t believe this was written by the same author. I couldn’t connect with it. Maybe that was my fault, I’m not sure.

By 1/2 way I was biting at the bit as it was picking up pace and I was on a roll then. “No one interupt me” I said, I need to read this!

He writes a realistic story that I ended up really liking.

I always love the section at the back. Don’t ever read those until you’ve read his book as it contains spoilers....always.

But I love them,
He tells us how he came to write the story. It intrigues me.

A house with a ghost.
A missing child-or two.
And The Retreat where authors can stay to write.

Except.....
The owner of The Retreat is Julia. The Mother whose child is missing/stolen/dead.

You won’t know until the end because this wasn’t common knowledge to her paying guests.

I also loved the hint of romance thrown into this one. Two people, two tragedies.

Great book.
Real people within these pages that soon blew up 3D in my mind.

And to this authors style, a shocker at the end.

3.5 Stars

Ugh, this book is the epitome of why I'm always hesitant to pick up books by "new" authors. I LOVED the idea of this book. I just didn't care for the actual story. Does that make sense? If not, that's ok, because that's how the whole book felt to me; like I was always missing the one piece that would make it all make sense.

It was creepy, it was intriguing, it just didn't make me want to turn the pages. It moved slowly. The book literally died from 14% done until 93%. I didn't care for the two main characters AT ALL, didn't care for any of them really. They weren't endearing and I didn't connect with them in the slightest. The one bright spot was the ending. The after the epilogue of the cast of characters, part. I don't want to give spoilers, but THAT was made me happy that I finished the book.

Thank you though, to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2377695102

A little girl who would do anything to make her parents love each again and a mother who would do anything to have her daughter returned safely.
Lilly is out walking with her parents when they start to argue. Tired of hearing their conflict she decides to hide in an attempt to teach them a lesson. Her father drowns endeavoring to find Lilly leaving his wife alone to file the missing person request with police. Despite investigating all avenues of enquiry, Lily disappears into thin air. The police decide to treat the case as a death by drowning despite the absence of a body. This leaves a brokenhearted mother without closure.
Lucas Radcliffe writes horror stories. After the sudden loss of his partner, he attempts to get his authors mojo back by attending a writers retreat in the country. Lilly’s mother opened the retreat as a means of coping with her losses. During his stay, Lucas finds himself experiencing strange sights and sounds as well as death along the way as well as superstition and irrational beliefs. Commonsense indicates Lily’s disappearance is due to human not spiritual intervention. Can he succeed in unraveling the past, finding the answers for a woman he has a growing attraction to?
There are plenty of twists and turns in this one to keep you guessing. The storyline reminded me how scared I was of the Boogey man as a child. This story is a reminder that beliefs do not always have a good effect on people. Read this book and you will find out why.
Great psychological thriller with almost a Wuthering Heights feel to it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy in return for an honest review.

Having loved loved loved everything I have read before by Mark Edwards, this was a bit disappointing. Not pacey enough for me, I'm really not sure why because usually I want to rush through his books. Loose ends well tied up at the end, but made less impact with me than some of his others.

Was up early this morning so thought I’d sit in the garden with a cup of coffee and make a start on The Retreat by Mark Edwards, big mistake - once I started I couldn’t stop, by 6pm I’d finished it (I’m a fast reader) and loved every minute of it!

The plot revolves around Lucas, an author who has writers block so goes to a retreat for writers in Wales. Quickly he finds himself in a tale full of mystery and suspense. The story races along and keeps the reader guessing all the way through with plenty of twists and turns.

I thought I had it worked out about half way through but once again I was so far away from what really happened, which is testament to the wonderful writings of Mr a Edwards.

I highly recommend this book, as well as all Mark Edwards previous writings.

Mark Edwards drew me instantly into The Retreat with a tantalising promise of all manner of gothic horrors to come, but I have to admit that I struggled to maintain that first level of enjoyment all the way through.

There was plenty of suspense and some lovely twists and shocks from time to time, but still I found The Retreat a slightly ‘cosy’ and undemanding read (possibly because of its length); my attention wandered and I couldn’t quite engage with most of the characters - to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the overall experience.

Mr Edwards is always a fabulous story-teller, but unfortunately this time he didn’t quite hit the spot with me, however many thanks for granting me the opportunity to read and give a candid review of his latest book.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheRetreat!

I absolutely loved this book. This book is about Julia, a widow who’s child is also missing/possibly dead, who opens a writers retreat at her home. In comes horror writer Lucas who is determined to find out what really happened to Julia’s daughter, Lily! Disturbing things start happening at the retreat and more and more people end up dead... the ending was a total surprise for me! I’m a reader that analyzes the book from the beginning trying to figure out exactly what happened and this one caught me by surprise. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put the book down! Highly recommend!

Another superb tale from Mark Edwards. Creepy, atmospheric and builds towards a stunning conclusion. Enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

This is my first Mark Edwards book, and what a find! I'll definitely be seeking out his other books after reading this.

Lucas, a horror novelist, has just lost his girlfriend and is seeking out a place to renew his spirit and work on his second book. He finds a writers' retreat in his parents' home town in Wales. It's run by Julia, who he soons find out has recently lost her husband and 8 year old daughter in a tragic drowning incident. As Lucas grows more intertwined in Julia's life, she shares with him that she believes her daughter is still alive, and he sets out to try to help her solve the mystery.

These characters are so fleshed out and well-rounded that you feel like you know them. Even the minor characters are fully developed in a way you don't often find in books like this. My only complaint about the novel is the ending--it just gets a little weird and seems rushed, but it still answered all the questions and felt complete.

Mark Edwards did an amazing job with this novel and the characters that played a part in the storyline! It was such a great read and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store!

3.5 stars. Mark Edwards is one of my favourite authors and I’ve loved all his books so far. To be honest I struggled with this one a bit and it left me a little disappointed. The whole supernatural aspect just doesn’t appeal to me and it has never been my genre which is the only reason I struggled with this. Otherwise the writing was fantastic and I look forward to his next book

Julia is still grieving following the tragic death of her husband and daughter two years ago. The little girls body was never found and Julia is struggling to believe that she is really dead.
In order to make ends meet Julia opens a writers retreat, but strange things keep happening in the house and people are scared.
Lucas, one of the writers, has also suffered a loss of someone close and begins to form an attachment to Julia. He desperately wants to help her and starts investigating.
There is a local myth about a red widow and some of the strange things that happen are blamed on her. Myth and reality become difficult to distinguish as the book reaches its climax.
The book moves quickly with plenty of red herrings and an unexpected ending.

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Retreat is a dark and creepy story filled with myths and folk tales. I enjoyed the story and it had a few twists and turns. It was written well and kept my interest throughout.

Two years ago, Julia lost her family in a tragic accident. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter, Lily, in the river near their rural home. Now Julia has converted their home into a writer's retreat. Since Lily's body has never been found, Julia believes her daughter is still out there. Lucas is a horror writer whose book made it big and is in talks to becoming a blockbuster movie. Hoping not to be a one-hit-wonder, he goes to the retreat hoping the peace and quiet will help him finish his next book and meet his deadline. But as spooky things start to happen to him and the other guests at the retreat, Lucas quickly becomes intrigued with Julia and her missing daughter. In trying to find out about what happened to Lily, Lucas learns of the myth of The Red Widow, a witch that demands a child sacrifice every 35 years in order to prevent her from cursing Beddmawr.

This is my first book read from Mark Edwards and I look forward to reading more from him.

I received an ARC of "The Retreat" from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what else I can say about Mark Edwards' books. He's such a great storyteller; you never know where his books are going to go. It's just amazing.

Lucas is a writer struggling to pen his latest novel when he heads to a writer's retreat in the Welsh countryside. The retreat is in the home of Julia, who lost her young daughter and husband two years prior. Her daughter, Lilly, was never found. As Lucas begins to look into what might have happened to Lilly, weird things start happening to the people at the retreat and the people Lucas talks to about the tragedy. And everyone in town keeps talking about the Widow, a ghostly figure who allegedly haunts the woods near the retreat....

The atmosphere of this novel is pitch perfect: it's a great setting with some really interesting characters, both with the other writers at the retreat and the townspeople. There's so many different personalities and possibilities, that I found it impossible to guess what was coming next.

There's also a hint of romance in there, which I think was well-balanced with the main mystery plot and provided a nice change of pace.

This book is another of Edwards' novels that will leave you creeped out and looking over your shoulder. Make sure to read the Author's Note a the end after you've finished the novel for a great perspective on the novel and where the idea came from.

Highly recommended.

This is definitely a suspenseful story that has some supernatural/horror overtones. I have read other books by Mark Edwards so was really looking forward to this one. I enjoyed it, but was a bit hesitant in the middle, which is why I gave it 4 stars.

Julia owns a home that she turned into a Writer's Retreat. She is trying to come to terms with the fact that two years earlier her husband drowned and her daughter went missing. The consensus is, that her daughter is dead, but because they have never found a body, she refuses to believe it. Lucas is a novelist, whose last horror story was a best seller. He is trying to write a second novel, but appears to be blocked. As he gets to know Julia better, he wants to give her closure, so he hires a private detective to investigate and find proof one way or the other. As both Zara and Lucas start asking questions, they find out about a superstition from years earlier about the Red Widow. Every 35 years she either takes a child or one is left in the woods for her. In 1980, a young orphan disappeared from the Children's Home, a victim of the Red Widow? Was Lily a victim as well?

The story involves Lucas getting caught up in the superstitions and stories that tend to be part of the history of small villages. He uncovers secrets that are hidden under the stories and rumors. When Lucas and the other writers at the retreat start hearing voices, sounds and sensing someone in their room, the angst ramps up. At one point, Julia tells everyone they need to leave. Most of the characters are supporting cast to Lucas and Julia. We get to know these two through their discussions with one another and their thoughts that we are privy too. The villagers tend to be very secretive and several other people die under suspicious circumstances after talking to either Lucas or Zara. As the past and the present come together, the conclusion arrives which quickly unravels all the secrets and innuendo. This was a very satisfying read that was not what I was expecting, but still a great read.

I’ve read a few of Mark Edwards backlog books. The Retreat is quite a bit different in some ways but super similar as well. I really enjoy his slow build ups. Now I’ll be honest, I struggled with that first 20% of the book. It was a bit slower than I like suspense book to be. But, I get it. Mr. Edwards needed to set the stage, build the characters, and get us right where he wanted us. Once that was set, I felt the build up steadily increasing. My favorite thing about The Retreat is I had no idea what the story was giving me... what it was hinting at. While Mr. Edwards gave me all the puzzle pieces he did not show me a picture to follow. So it took me a while to put everything together. That impressed me. A story that can keep me in the dark nearly the entire time is a talent! I can usually rattle off the ending based on what I would do in the authors place and generally, I’m correct.

Now, I’ve included the synopsis above my review so I’m not going to rewrite it in my own words. However, what I will tell you is that Mr. Edwards sticks to what he’s used to writing but strays a little bit with The Retreat. This book, while he wrote in a similar way, he was still able to give his readers something unique, something original. There was a large cast of characters but they all held their own and made an interesting addition to the story. I found that the closer I got to the ending the quicker my heart was pounding, the quicker I was flying through the pages. Adding in folklore and local myths from the town made the story super creepy and you wondered if there was a paranormal or ghost aspect to this story. I didn’t realize how invested I was until I had 10% left and I was devouring the last of it.

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.