LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

Right from the start this story opens with you being terrified of this monstrous intruder who has appeared out of nowhere. You've lived in this home 15 years and now this thing has you hiding in your room in terror as it walks your home trying to find you... That is how this story feels, as if YOU are the one being haunted by this thing! No joke, my heart felt as if it had stopped at points and I was afraid to even breathe thinking this things was going to find me (mind you I was reading this story in the dark).

Coates has a true gift when it come to making you feel as if you are actually a part of this story! I was on edge for the first 30% of this story before I felt safe enough to actually breathe. I must also state here that if it hadn't been for the exquisite writing, it would have and did seem slow paced for this portion of the book. However, due to the immense detail and sheer horror I felt to my core, I can't complain. And that would be my only compliant for this entire book.

This story and its characters are absolutely amazing. This is the first book in a long time where I have honestly and whole heartedly cared about the characters. Leigh, though mousy and a loner is brought to life by this haunting tale. I wish I could tell you more of her story, but to do that would be a great injustice to you and would spoil the story. You HAVE to read it to find out more about Leigh. Sarah's character is very much the same, there isn't much I can tell you without spoiling some major parts of this book. What I will say though is that the friendship and dynamic of these two is so wonderful. I loved them so much that I cried actual tears at one part. This pair has a special place in my heart forever.

The rest of the story after the first bit opens doors, literally and figuratively, for the rest of the story. This is were you start to find your answers and some of the key players. I was just as much on edge during the second part of the book as I was in the beginning. But, you won't get the full story till the very end and it's so worth it! Such a unique and frightening story with so much depth. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be the way it was, but I am so very glad that it was written that way. I wouldn't change a thing. I couldn't put it down and am so sad that it's over, at least for me. I hope Leigh and Sarah find their peace together.

Thank you so incredibly much to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This is my second book by Darcy Coates, and I am so happy to have found her- especially as we get closer to Autumn and spooky stories take over my TBR list. ;)

This book can be divided into three sections, with the first part of the story and the final part of the story being the 'scariest.' I don't have much to say about the book plot itself- it really is better to just read it and experience the plot as you go along. It's a story of a woman who feels she is not alone in her house- let your imagination take it from there! Coates does not use gore to scare her audiences. There ARE some bloody moments in the book, but the fear factor is largely due to feelings of anxiety and fear in uncertain and ghostly situations. If I saw shadows in my house and furniture/items moved from where I placed them, I'd know it was my children... but if it wasn't? Coates does an excellent job building on the uncertainty (and freakiness!) of that situation.

I don't always love the horror genre, but this one was really well-written. Thank you to Netgalley and Poison press for an e-arc copy of this book. Publishing is set for September 07, 2021- just in time to start the fall season. Another way to really make this story come to life: Once Upon a Book Club is offering this book as one of its book box books. While I don't know what the gifts will be, I highly recommend reading books through them if you are looking for an interactive experience while reading. The pre-order for this book box is currently available on their website.

Picture this visual: some unknown eyeless entity is chasing you and you have taken refuge inside your wardrobe, hoping it will not find you. You have your fingers bracing the bottom of the wardrobe door frame because it is the only thing keeping the door closed. You hear the entity right outside the door as you feel a sharp pain on your fingers bracing the underside of the door; whatever is outside the door has cut your fingers. Are your fingers broken? You don’t know but you know that you are bleeding. You hide behind the clothes in your wardrobe, knowing your legs are still visible and whoever is there can see you as the door creaks open. Something inhuman and sinister crawls inside and the door shuts behind them. They are in the wardrobe with you.

All this happens in THE FIRST CHAPTER.

What I love about Darcy’s books are that they are genuinely scary. When it comes to horror novels, it’s a lot harder to *scare* me than a horror movie. It is harder to build a genuinely terrifying atmosphere with only words than it is with video and sound, so I applaud authors who can write horror novels that are GENUINELY scary. That is no small feat! It requires an extreme level of description and detail to pull that off, and Darcy Coates does it. I’ve read hundreds of horror novels in my day, and Darcy Coates is one of the few authors who has can write horror that goes further than just make you uncomfortable like most horror does; she writes horror that genuinely does make you scared. And that’s hard to do! She has an immense amount of writing talent and I really do think she was born to write horror.

The only real con I had with this book is the fact that the main character Leigh is immensely stupid on a unfathomable level. Yeah, I know it’s a thing for people to make the stupidest possible decisions in horror. But Leigh takes it to a whole other level. It’s really hard to have sympathy for someone who is repeatedly SO DUMB. Some evil thing cut her finger to the tendon and she still WENT BACK to her house the next day. Alone. Oh, and it’s about to be nighttime soon too. And her phone is completely uncharged. Later when she hears the entity upstairs she decides it’s a good idea to go up to TOWARDS THE DANGER to find her phone to call for help when she’s alone at night, which is just the cherry on top. Creepy antique phone that’s never rung before randomly rings? Oh, let’s pick that up too! Evil entity stands literally right in front of your face and you are fully aware that it can physically harm you, you manage to escape and see it standing at the top of the staircase staring at you, you run outside for like one minute, then decide it’s a good idea to go BACK INSIDE right after into a dark house when you have no power? Bitch get in your car and drive to a fucking McDonald’s or something? At least it’s safe there?????

But I guess every horror movie/novel protagonist has to have some level of dumb bitch in them or else we wouldn’t really have much of a scary story if they’re not dumb enough to stupidly put themselves at risk a million times, ya know?

Aside from the stupid decision making, this book is legitimately scary! Genuinely scary and phenomenally written. Darcy Coates is the queen of haunted house horror and this is prob the book of hers that I’ve enjoyed the most since Haunting of Ashburn House.

Settle in, get all cozy and happy, and know that you’re going to be in for a fun ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.”

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and felt completely paralyzed with fear? Unable to move or breathe, lest the monster of your nightmares hears you? Feeling yourself straining to listen to creaking floorboards, the sound of a whispered voice, or felt the touch of cool fingers on your skin? Heart slamming against your ribs, trying to calm down. Yet unable to move….

This is Leigh Harker. And under the stairs is a door that has been locked for 15 years. All she knows is that it rattles at all hours of the night and the fear she feels when she’s close to it consumes her.

Like Alice travelling the depths of Wonderland, this book will drop you into another world. One that is twisted, cold, and a bit mind bending as you try to sort out what’s happening.

But it’s also eerie. The descriptions will make goosebumps rise on your skin and send little shivers down your spine. You can feel the dust and spiderwebs collecting on your hands.

Leigh Harker is not what she seems. In a cruel twist of fate, you begin to discover exactly what happened to Leigh Harker.

Once this book got rolling, I COULDN’T put it down! There’s a part in this book that also tugged on my heart strings.

I’ve read the Black Winter series and I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Darcy Coates!

4 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early copy!

I’ve read a few Darcy Coates novels, but this one is unlike any of those I’m familiar with. It’s creepy, chilling, and guaranteed to have you leaving lights on all over the house – but the premise is something I haven’t come across in other horror novels. Which is why this review will be brief since I don’t do spoilers.

I’m not the first reviewer to say they almost DNFed the book, but most of those reviewers also encouraged readers to stick with it, and everything would soon make sense. The beginning is slow, filled with the monotonous details of Leigh’s everyday life interspersed with some terrifying moments that didn’t seem to make sense. I couldn’t imagine why the author chose to begin the story this way. Trust me when I say you’ll be rewarded with a jaw-dropping reveal later on. Everything will click.

Something else resides in Leigh’s house with her. The doorknob of a locked closet under the stairs rattles at night when whatever is on the other side tries to get out. It watches while she sleeps – if she ever manages to get any. Then there’s the harrowing encounter with sharp tools in a gardening shed when the door mysteriously slams shut and traps her inside. There’s no shortage of gripping scenes that may have you holding your breath while reading. Coates draws the reader in and makes them feel as if they’re right beside Leigh experiencing every terrifying moment with her.

Surprisingly, the story also contains some bittersweet and heartfelt scenes – and I can’t say that about most horror novels I’ve read. Part of the ending shot out of left field for me, but it comes with an explanation. If you’re looking for a different spin on the haunted house tale, give this novel a chance. Just remember to hang with it a few chapters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

🖤 If you love the thrill of being truly frightened, then I have a book for you…The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy Coates.

🖤Leigh Harker has her life down pat. She thrives on the same comforting routine day after day. She works as an archivist in a museum during the day, and then comes home to enjoy a meal by herself in the evening. For the past fifteen years, her home has been her sanctuary. That is until one night she senses someone standing in her doorway watching her while in bed. As if that isn’t terrifying enough, curtains open on their own, the radio continues to play sans batteries, and the doorknob on the locked door under the stairs seems to rattle, and this is just the beginning!

🖤Whoa!! I do enjoy a good, gothic ghost tale, but this is one I’d not want to read if my husband were away. It does start out a bit confusing, but hang in there, because it will be worth the harrowing, ghastly ride. In addition to the gripping ghost story, and without giving anything away, there is a relationship that completely warmed my heart. I dare you to pick up a copy of The Haunting of Leigh Harker available 9/7/21.

🖤Special thanks to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress and @darcybooks for my digital ARC in exchange for my honest review; all opinions are my own.

Full review to come on Instagram closer to Pub Day. Thank you to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, author Darcy Coates, and NetGalley for a review copy.

"From bestselling gothic horror author Darcy Coates comes a chilling story of a quiet house on a forgotten suburban lane that hides a deadly secret...

Leigh Harker's quiet suburban home was her sanctuary for more than a decade, until things abruptly changed. Curtains open by themselves. Radios turn off and on. And a dark figure looms in the shadows of her bedroom door at night, watching her, waiting for her to finally let down her guard enough to fall asleep.

Pushed to her limits but unwilling to abandon her home, Leigh struggles to find answers. But each step forces her towards something more terrifying than she ever imagined.

A poisonous shadow seeps from the locked door beneath the stairs. The handle rattles through the night and fingernails scratch at the wood. Her home harbours dangerous secrets, and now that Leigh is trapped within its walls, she fears she may never escape."

I like Gothic books that subvert the expected tropes.

I've been a long time fan or Darcy Coates and have loved almost every one of her books that I've read so far. The Haunting of Leigh Harker makes the list as being another one I loved. It had the creepy nature of all her other books and made me paranoid to read it at night. It was an amazing read and I cant wait to see what this author does next.

Thank you @NetGalley for this eARC of #TheHauntingOfLeighHarker by Darcy Coates.

Leigh has lived in her house for 15 years and everything was normal, she had her routine set in stone. Until something went bump in the night and a presence starts making itself known to Leigh.

I was introduced to Darcy's book by a bookstagram from and she instantly became one of my favourite authors.

Darcy was able to tell the story with such believability that I was too scared to continue reading this book and night and had to keep it to daytime hours only. If that isn't the sign of a good scary story I don't know what is. This is easily one of my favourite new releases of the year.

So many plot twists. I felt truly haunted while reading this. Well written and creepy. I felt sorry for Leigh and then Sarah as they struggled in that house. The character of the house was terrible yet intriguing. And the end was never expected.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

It may be cliche to say but this book reminds me of a very popular movie from more than a few years ago, I don't want to say the name of the movie and give away the slight twist of the book.

It this book is definitely a ghost story and has some creepy parts but also has likable characters which sometimes isn't easy to do in the horror genre.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a genuinely decent ghost story!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This new book by Darcy Coates starts out very quickly with Leigh Harker a ghost in her hallway. My first thought that this was too abrupt a start of the book with the haunting happening so quickly. I was wrong as this was a perfect start to this book. As always, Ms. Coates has written a great story with likeable characters and some real scares.

About a quarter of the way through the book, you will be just as surprised as I was. I didn't figure out the twist which I usually figure out very quickly in books. I just can't say enough good things but I also can't say much about the story as I don't want to give anything away to take enjoyment out of the journey into The Haunting of Leigh Harper.

I couldn't really get into this one. Not sure what it was, might have been the wrong time for it. Really wanted to love it. Just didn't.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for allowing me to read a digital ARC copy of this book for an honest review. This truly is my honest opinions

I really love a good ghost story and "The Haunting of Leigh Harker" started out so good. I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of the book but I found the middle something to be desired. I struggled to get through the book and it literally took me 11 days to read it. The creep factor was there but I found the author to be too narrative and I found myself skimming the book. The author could have shaved 50 pages off the story and we wouldn't have missed one thing....

I'm not one to give the story line away because I want readers to read the book and form their own opinions. I'm so sorry to the author and publisher but I have read Darcy Coates books before and this one didn't hold a candle to her other books. For me it was 2.5 stars but I rounded it up instead of down. I don't often give a book a bad rating but since I only do honest reviews I'm sorry but this one didn't cut it. Please don't go by my review because a book to one person is totally different to another...we don't all like the same things.

If we are all honest with ourselves, who isn’t afraid of the dark? That tap, tap, tap that you hear… just the house settling, or is that the slow tap of shoe meeting flooring? The weight of the tap unfamiliar to any you’ve heard before. Reaching slowly for the light switch… the soft click sounding like thunder in your ears… but no light to save you. And what’s that change in the shadow shape? Is that someone standing there waiting for your attention to wander?

Yes, from the opening sentence author Darcy Coates had me hooked… line and sinker … reeling me along through this well woven horror house … letting go only after I had finished reading and was breathless. Coates managed to go into this novel at break neck speed, and maintain as well as twist, turn, and continue to apply the pressure, as well as even ramp it up even more than I thought was possible. There are passages so vivid, I’m sure I will see them in my nightmares. I spent the entire read not knowing whether to bob, or weave… BO-EAVE maybe?!?!… while also caring deeply for Leigh, the main character, as well as for Sarah, the 85 year old champion. I refuse to give spoilers, so I will just say this one was never what I thought, or had pegged out in my reading mind. This is a pure treat! Amazing writing, likable characters, and creepy setting with an ever evolving story line ,.. yes please! Sign me up! Oh wait … I was just there !

This is one to have marked and saved, or pre-ordered for its Sept. 7, 2021 release date. This is a true 4.5 star out of 5 star book, perfect to get you in the feel of those spooky Halloween nights around the corner.

I saw this as a wish for book on NetGalley. To be honest, I hadn’t had one I wished for come true - until this one did! Maybe all those extra prayers helped!

So, thank you so much to #NetGalley, the amazing author Darcy Coates, and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press for granting my wish and sending me an electronic ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

"Sometimes the dead reach back..."

Yikes! I absolutely adore a good horror book and The Haunting of Leigh Harker, was nothing short of satisfying! I have always been a HUGE fan of Darcy Coates, and it was an honor to be able to read and review this novel prior to its September 7, 2021 release date.

Darcy Coates, has a writing style all her own. I am instantly overcome with an obsession to keep reading on after just the first chapter. The characters are well developed and each chapter leaves you begging for more.

Leigh has lived a quiet life and found comfort and safety in her small suburban home until all of a sudden weird and unexplained things start to happen . Leigh feels as though she is being watched late at night and curtains are opening by themselves. Leigh starts to feel as though she is trapped and will never escape. Leigh's house has secrets, but how far will they go?

This was spooky and I loved every minute of it! If you are into books that go bump in the night, this is a book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC for a review.

A ghost story told from the perspective of the ghost. Leigh is being haunted by the living but she doesn't know that she's dead! After many nights of torment she breaks through her ghostly fog to realize the "ghost" is a kind old lady, Sarah, who has moved into her home. Sarah has the gift of sight and begins to help Leigh piece together what led up to her death. But if Sarah is who was haunting her then why does Leigh still feel like there is another presence in the house, a presence that Sarah can't sense.
A classic ghost story told in modern day with a pinch of murder mystery and a surprise ending. I will have to reread to catch all the clues.

I enjoyed this book. The only complaint is that the descriptions of the haunting visions tended to be wordy and repetitive. The ending, though a surprise, seemed rushed and was spelled out a little too much for my taste.

Leigh Harker is being haunted by something or someone in her house.

She has a lot of scary experiences in her house, and is terrified of the presence that’s haunting her.

Going into more detail will spoil the book so I don’t want to give too much away.

Let’s just say that there’s a twist that comes up early on, and it is quite unexpected, but fascinating indeed. This is not your typical haunted house story.

It started off a bit slow, but after the twist that turns everything on it’s head, things got really interesting.

I have to admit that I was a bit let down by the ending, and it could’ve been better. However that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the book.

All in all, a good story with an interesting mystery at the heart of it.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I will say that most of my complaints were mitigated by the ending which did come together in the end for better or worse, but by that time I had almost put this one down and stopped reading a few times because it seemed the characters were extremely obtuse. I do think Coates is very talented at writing individual scenes even if I thought the overall plot was a bit poorly executed. I could see many things as they were happening.