Unfortunately this a two star book for me. It started off with instant romance, very cringey and dull. Then we transition into what is supposed to be spooky and is instead an awkward domestic thriller with no thrill.

I didn't really enjoy this book. I found it somewhat confusing to follow, and I felt like I didn't know much about the characters even after reading several chapters from their points of view.
I liked Hester Fox's last novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, but this book just wasn't for me, although I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I tried to read this one but could only get 100 pages in before I put it aside. The story moves too slowly and the characters, primarily the brooding and distracted male lead, isn't engaging at all. The period of time is well represented as is the superstitions of a small New England port town, but overall not a good read for me.

This is a thrilling read for the fall!

I love Edgar Allen Poe stories, especially at this time of year. In this story, someone copied the gruesome murders from his stories in an attempt to scare Sophronia. It was so creepy, but it was also exciting to recognize these elements of his stories.

This story was so fast paced! I couldn’t put it down. There were lots of events that happened quickly, such as the threats against Sophronia. The mystery of Sophronia’s and Gabriel’s secret pasts we’re slowly revealed throughout the story, so it kept me guessing. I loved the twists at the end when the culprit was revealed!

I loved this book! It’s the perfect read for a cold autumn evening!

Thank you Graydon House Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF after a couple of chapters.

While I found the writing to be beautiful and evocative, I found a lot of the Gothic elements to be tired and uninteresting. I also had trouble connecting with the characters even though each of their backstories seemed like they should have been interesting.

Overall, it's definitely a me-not-you DNF, as I would probably be willing enough to push on if I just had more energy.

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of “ The Widow of Pale Harbor” by Hester Fox. After having read Fox’s debut novel “The Witch of Willow Hall” I was excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley. This story was pitched as a historical fiction novel laced with hints of Edgar Allan Poe and I am here for it. The novel's strength lies in its ability to portray its atmosphere in a hauntingly and real way. As we are introduced to the sleepy town of Pale Harbor we introduced to a widower named Gabriel Stone. With his arrival brings town gossip to his door where he finds out of a reclusive widow named Sophronia who rumor has it has killed her husband and is a witch. By placing these elements together made “The Widow of Pale Harbor” a novel I was glad to have read. As I mentioned the atmosphere this novel conjured is impressive to the eye and imagination. Overall I enjoyed this novel and give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and will place a 3-star rating on goodreads.

I absolutely loved The Witch of Willow Hall (Fox’s first novel) and I’m happy to report her sophomore novel is equally as entertaining. Sophronia Carver, widow and town pariah, is the immediate suspect when a series of escalating town pranks strike Pale Harbor, Maine. When the pranks turn deadly, she begins to fear she’s being targeted. Gabriel, the town’s new preacher, is enchanted by the widow, and seeks to prove her innocence. With a bit of romance, Edgar Allen Poe, and a whole lot of Gothic-ky goodness (yes, that’s the technical term), The Widow of Pale Harbor is a delightful October read.

A historical fiction mystery with a side of romance. I really loved the pacing of the novel. It kept everything moving to keep you reading but not too fast to be absurd. And just enough romantic intrigue to not be heavy handed and completely steal the story, but also enough that you care about and want them to be together. Recently, romance has been something I've really been avoiding, but I liked it here. I also loved the tie-in of Edgar Allan Poe's work. I liked that component, no particular reason for it.

The story really only could have worked in the setting it was in. Move it forward in time anymore, and technology would start getting in the way. Not a complaint just a fact. The reveal came out of left field, but I feel like anyone else substituted in still would have been out of left field.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend others to give it a shot.

Hester Fox's latest work is a valiant attempt at a gothic mystery. Sophronia Carver's (aka the widow) story line is wonderfully disturbing. Gideon Stone's character is in need of further development. His indecisiveness and romantic desires do nothing to enhance the story. Carver's character on the other hand compounds all of the elements necessary for a successful story. The ending was powerful and Fox did a remarkable job tying up the loose ends. It was overall an enjoyable read.

I discovered Hester Fox last year with her debut novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, and thought it was marvelous.

When I saw that she had another haunting novel coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! I even saved it as my special October/Halloween feature!

It was released in the middle of September, and even though I wanted to start reading it right away, I also wanted to set the mood because her books demand it so I saved it for October!

Before we get down to this book, let’s talk for a minute about the cover! How unbelievably beautiful is this cover? I love this cover much more than her first book’s cover. The crumbling house in the background immediately made me think of something from a Poe story which has a special little connection to this book. Well done cover designer!

Summary
Maine, 1846. Gideon Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Pale Harbor, Maine, where there is a vacancy for a new minister. Gideon and his late wife had always dreamed of building their own church, and Pale Harbor is the perfect opportunity.

But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town of Pale Harbor. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople know that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a widow who lives with a spinster maid in the decaying Castle Carver on the edge of town. Sophronia is a recluse, rumored to be a witch who killed her husband.

When Gideon meets her, he knows the charming, beautiful woman cannot be guilty of anything. Together, Gideon and Sophronia realize that the mysterious events have one thing in common: they all contain an element from the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And when the events escalate to murder, Gideon and Sophronia must find the real killer, before it’s too late for them both (summary from Goodreads).

Review
So admittedly the first couple of chapters read a little slow for me, but as soon as the story was set up, I was hooked and excited to dive right into this wonderful story. The setting of this book was an excellent choice. It added a lot of moodiness to the novel and I was completely wrapped up in the Maine coast.

It had a wonderfully gothic feel to it that is pitch perfect for this time of year. But it isn’t just a spooky story, it’s got romance, some gothic elements, as well as a mystery. This combination hits all the high notes for me and I found that I couldn’t get enough of this one.

I loved the little nods to Edgar Allen Poe throughout this one, if you like his stories and poems, then this book is going to speak to your heart.

This is my second book by this author and I think I actually liked this one better than the first book! This book had so much atmosphere and the characters were interesting and I found myself totally roped into their story. I was afraid at first because it did start a little slow, but as I said, it picked right up and I was completely taken in. I loved so much about this book and I was so glad that I waited to read it for the Halloween season. Obviously it can be read at any season but the cool, blustery days made this one extra special for me.

If you haven’t discovered Hester Fox yet, you need you! She is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait to see what her next book is about.

Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 352 pages
Published September 17th 2019 by Graydon House
ISBN 1525834266 (ISBN13: 9781525834264)
Free review copy provided by publisher, Graydon House, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: historical fiction, gothic

i enjoyed Hester Fox's first book and was anxious to read The Widow of Pale Harbor. The description gave me the impression there would be more "witchcraft" but the story really is a mystery / romance with a little macabre thrown in. Strange things happen in the town and the townspeople look to a young widow to be the culprit. A minister moves to town and is immediately enamored with her. The story is more about their relationship. Maybe I was expecting too much.

A historical-fiction, romantic, horror mystery.

Sophoria Carver is believed to be the town witch after the death of her husband and strange/violent/gory incidences have been happening around town. Gabriel Stone is new to town in order to be the new transcendentalist minister, except that he's not really a minister nor does he really understand what transcendentalism really is. In order to be a good minister, and see how true the town gossip really is, Gabriel visits Sophy and while both want to deny it, there's some instant attraction.

Then a death occurs, followed by other strange incidences, followed by more deaths, which all seem to match stories told by Mr. Edgar Allen Poe in the magazine that Sophy owns and helps edit submissions. Both Gabriel and Sophy start investigating hoping to clear her name, but with a town so small, why is it so hard to figure out who the real killer is?

Told in third person, the story can get jumbled as it jumps from one character's perspective to another in between paragraphs with no real transition. It also felt that the story wanted to be all those genres without really focusing on one type, which left it feeling all over the place and not as smooth as it could have been. The ending villain was a little obvious when they started going through who could have done it, but I like how they had decided to do all the evil deeds.

I also felt that the author tried too hard to put in as many mental health issues as possible, Sophy suffers from some OCD/anxiety/agoraphobia (plus some residual fear from being abused by her husband), Helen clearly is suffering from Munchhausen by proxy, and Gabriel suffers from depression and survivors guilt. There was just so much going on with the characters mentally that it started pulling away from the plot.

This was still a dark and entertaining read.

Free copy provided by NetGalley.

Sophronia Carver is a wealthy widow who lives in a castle with her elderly maid in Pale Harbor, Maine during the 1800's. She has not left her house since her husband died. Seeing as the whole town has accused her of killing him, and thinks she is a witch, she does not want to show her face and incur anymore of their wrath.

Gabriel Stone is a widow who has come to Pale Harbor as their new minister. After losing both his wife and child during childbirth, Stone made a commitment to his late wife to become more spiritual. Hence his new found interest in religion.

Sophronia and Gabriel's paths cross and there are instant sparks which does not go over too well with Sophronia's maid Helen who feels she must be the only protector of her employer. Having cast spells on Sophronia before, she starts again to use her powers to assist her.

But the town is being bombarded by dead ravens and other eerie happenings which are being attributed to Sophronia. She tends to ignore the talk, until the murders begin.

Townspeople are being killed by someone whose motives have been inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's stories. Each murder is one of Poe's tales come to life! Then both Sophronia and Gabriel begin to get mysterious notes. They begin to work in tandem to try and find out who is doing the killings and why.

In a town where it seems everyone is hiding a dark secret, who could be doing the killings and what does Sophronia have to do with it all? And why are they using Poe as their blueprint?

The Widow of Pale Harbor is more than your average cozy mystery. A great read for Halloween, it has murder, love and the macabre which holds the reader spellbound.

Thank you #NetGalley #GraydonHouse #HesterFox for the advanced copy.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox completely enchanted me last year. It was the perfect October read, featuring a haunted mansion and a girl who had just come into her power as a witch. I was looking forward to read the writer's second novel, which had a similar eerie promise.

It wasn't exactly a let-down, but I couldn't say The Widow of Pale Harbor lived up to its predecessor.

Gabriel – a man with a well-guarded secret – arrives to Pale Harbor to act as the minister of the sleepy town. He quickly becomes fascinated with the woman the whole place regards a murderess and a witch, and when strange occurrences disturb the people, he can't help standing up for the lady of his heart.

Most of the readers will be drawn to this book for the reference to Edgar Allan Poe in the blurb. Indeed, the murders and other weird happenings in the novel are pulled from Poe stories and the reader even gets time to guess from which ones before it is revealed. I think it is a pretty awesome game for those who know Poe's tales intimately.

The setting and the whole atmosphere that is created are the strongest features in the book. The gothic vibes are very powerful, starting from the mansion Sophronia lives in, through the foggy streets, to the eerie cemetery and the windy cliffs – the mood is beautifully composed through the chilly descriptions.

I know, so far I've only shared good things – so why wasn't I completely satisfied then?

The romance I'm afraid blunted my excitement for yet another autumn read. It was too flowery, too sweet for a gothic book. Everything else was so dark, so raw, that I expected the passion to be a bit more down-to-earth, the love a bit less schoolgirlish. I find I don't have much patience for these kind of romances any more. It is sad, but it's the truth.

Also, I couldn't really understand why Sophronia found Gabriel so intriguing. It turned out they didn't share that many interests after all, he wasn't one for intellectual conversations – as far as male protagonists go he fell a little flat for me.

I'd say it is worth to give The Widow of Pale Harbor a try if you're a Poe fan and like gothic tales. It helps if you're also a romance fan, because then you'll appreciate the parts I didn't, and the story can give you more than what it offered me. It is far from being a bad book, but I couldn't rate it higher because the author's debut novel undoubtedly casts a long shadow on it.

Sophronia Carver is a widow rumored to have murdered her husband who lives in Pale Harbor, Maine. Because of the stories and rumors surrounding her, the town shuns her. Along comes a minister who is hiding secrets of his own. My first thought was that this book would be of the paranormal variety; however, I quickly discovered it was a romance with some mystery thrown into it. This book is ok for a quick read; but ultimately I found it a little disappointing.

The Widow of Pale Harbor was the perfect atmospherically creepy read to start the fall season right!

I jumped at the chance to read this one because I enjoyed Ms Fox's first effort, The Witch of Willow Hall so much, and I am happy to report it did not disappoint. Once again we have a spooky atmosphere rife with eerie goings-on, many specifically aimed at the misunderstood heroine, Sophy Carter, the widow of Pale Harbor. Both she and Gabriel, the hero, have some heavy duty pasts they need to work through, tasks made doubly difficult by the fact that bodies are actually starting to pile up.

I loved the coastal Maine setting (note to self: visit Castle Tucker next time we're in Maine!) and the way Poe's stories played into the plot (I often forget just how many stories he wrote, and really need to make a point read some of his less popular ones); both helped to add to the overall feel of the story. The romance was a nice addition, though at times it felt like it distracted them a bit more from the danger at hand than it really should have.

Just the title of Hester Fox's next book, The Orphan of Cemetery Hill, has me eager to see what she has in store for us next!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is a perfect book to read in the fall! There is plenty of mystery and the gothic vibe is wonderful. I absolutely loved the writing! The writing is beautiful. There is also plenty of romance. I really enjoyed the fact that all the crimes were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's stories. I thought that was very interesting. I enjoyed this book as much as I did The Witch of Willow Hall!

**Review will posted to my blog on October 19, 2019**

Thank you to Graydon House and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I just got approved to read this book though it’s been out for a month now. This is a wonderful autumn read because it has a gothic vibe to it. Mrs. Sophronia Carver is a widow and lives in a house called Castle Carver. Everyone in Pale Harbor thinks she killed her husband so she never leaves her house. Then Gabriel Stone comes to town as the new minister but he’s as mysterious as they come. There are strange things happening in Pale Harbor and Gabriel and Mrs. Carver need to find out who is behind them before people get hurt.

What I Like:

+The gothic atmosphere in this story is fantastic. It definitely gave me a spooky vibe with Castle Carver up on a hill, and Sophronia, the widow who barely leaves her house. Pale Harbor is the perfect place for things to go bump in the night.

+The murder mystery kept me guessing and I LOVE all the references to Edgar Allan Poe because I love Poe! The twist in the end wan’t something I expected so it definitely kept me on my toes.

+I did enjoy the romance building between Gabriel Stone and Sophronia Carver because it made her come out of her shell. Before Gabriel appears, Sophronia is shown as a very fearful person. No one in town really knew her except for the people that worked for her, which was very few. Gabriel made her feel brave.

+Helen, Sophronia’s housekeeper is more than what she seems and she came off suspicious from the start! Her relationship with Sophronia was a bit much, to the point of obsession, you can see why she was my #1 suspect!

Things That Made Me Go…Hmmmm:

~I wish we got to learn a more about Gabriel Stone – why am I still suspicious of him? LOL I think I wanted him to have a shadier past than he did. 😂 This book made me second guess everyone! 👀🤔
{Final Thoughts}

This is definitely a perfect Fall release and October mood read! It has Edgar Allah Poe references (which I adore), a mysterious widow and a minister, nefarious deeds, a little witchcraft and a lot of suspects. If you are into a gothic romantic murder mystery, this will hit the spot.

I really wanted to love The Widow of Pale Harbor, but really found the book tedious. The main action doesn't really ramp up until 2/3 of the way through and the romance felt forced -- I couldn't see the characters together. Also, Sophronia (also, what's up with that name?) was such a weak character and person.

Such a beautiful cover and great blurb just didn't deliver.

I was so pleasantly surprised by Hester Fox's first book that I couldn't wait to snatch this one up and it was well worth it! Perfect for a rainy autumn evening with a steaming cup of tea, it was easy to imagine oneself in Pale Habor. I'd definitely recommend it to patrons interested in mysteries with a sexy twist.