For generations the Hull family has owned Gallows Hill Winery. They live on the property with their staff, and everything seems fine until Mr. and Mrs. Hull are found dead in their beds. Margot, their daughter has inherited the home and winery.

Gallows Hill has an infamous past. It is the site where hundreds of convicts were hanged. Locals say the ground is cursed. Margot hasn't been to the home in a decade but as she settles in, she begins to believe the curse is real and that may be next!

The beginning of this book was a slow burn and I struggle with slow burns. I kept waiting for something - anything scary to happen. The later part of the book brings on the frights. It occurs in stages but once you hear the bells, you know things are about to get real- real fast! Finally!

I would have loved more action in the beginning of the book, more tension, but as I mentioned things do pick up the second half of the book. This was not my favorite book by Coats (my favorite being From Below) but I did enjoy the book once things picked up.

Coates is great at weaving tension and chills in her books. There are things here that go bump in the night, there is a curse, family secrets, and a dark history tied to Gallows Hill. Plus, there is a golden retriever in the book!

Although this book was not my favorite book by the author, I can't wait to see what she writes next.

When I say that this book scared me enough to say 'okay I need to put this down for the night', I mean it scared me enough to probably need to put it down for the night... but I kept reading. GALLOWS HILL is that addicting, that creepy, and a super fun horror read. This is my second Darcy Coates book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The suspense slowly builds at a well done pace, and it is easy to care for our main character, Margot, as she is thrust back to the childhood home she left when she was just a small girl when her estranged parents die. The history of the Gallows Hill Winery is slowly revealed, as the creepy moments come faster and harder, and this haunted house story has unique elements and some dread filled moments that really worked for me. I also really like how Coates isn't tempted to end with open ends or ambiguity, and things are well and settled. I feel like in a lot of horror stories lately there is temptation to maybe keep options open in this way, but with this book you get what you get, and I liked how that worked and how it all wrapped up. It was very satisfying.

I need to go back and read more Darcy Coates. I've thoroughly enjoyed both books I've read, and GALLOWS HILL is a perfect Halloween read for the upcoming Season of the Witch.

Coates is a great writer, overall. Her stories always have good descriptions. However, I never actually feel scared. I am also never invested in her characters or interested in them at all. I think maybe it’s a personal issue, since as I said, her writing isn’t a problem. Just preference as a reader I guess. I could either push through and finish it or stop reading and be fine. I never feel fully sucked in with her books and this one was the same.

This is the 3rd book I've read by Darcy Coates and unfortunately her books just aren't for me. Gallows Hill is another haunted house book with a main character that inherits the house and continues to live there despite the obvious hauntings. Coates' books are very formulaic and tend to have main characters that I just can't connect with. This book is a painstakingly slow burn and I did't become invested in the story until about 65%. I did enjoy the ending but ultimately this was just another ok read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The setup of Gallows Hill is fairly traditional as haunted house books go; an inheritance from estranged family, unexplained happenings, generational secrets, a curse upon the land... you get the picture.

That being said, what Darcy Coates lacks in originality of plot, she makes up for in immersive writing. The action sequences prey upon our innate human fear of the dark and the unknown while introducing a variety of horrific elements, making it a very heart-pounding experience at times. These nighttime sequences were extremely terrifying, and very cinematic.

A few of the events did seem a bit repetitive, like the protagonist constantly losing/breaking/dropping their phone or falling from high places. This took me out of the book a bit, mainly from sheer annoyance (for the love of God give the main character a flashlight instead of their phone PLEASE).

I also feel like it was a bit of a missed opportunity to have glazed over the wine-making aspect of Gallows Hill so much. A bit more detail would have added some much needed flavor and uniqueness to the book, as well as enhanced opportunities to allude to the big reveal at the end.

Overall though, a very creepy read. This will be a perfect addition for anyone who loves a good haunted house tale, or anyone gearing up for spooky season.

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4933505543?ref=ru_lihp_lk_rv_0_mclk-up10814507075

I'd like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC of Gallows Hill.

Margot Hull just lost her parents, who she never knew past the age of 8. She's determined to find answers at her parents winery. Why did her parents send her away? How did they both pass? (Being she's only been told heart attacks). Needing to learn first of the property itself. If she can see it through. Eerie things happen the very night she steps foot in the house, bells chime, boards creek, ropes are hung throughout the house. Gallows Hill was a place meant to teach the town in the old days from thievery amongst other crimes. Many had been hung, and buried on the property. Is it haunted?! This book made my heart race, and my hair stand up on end at times. Yelling at margot at certain points open the curtains, by brighter lightbulbs, dont go down there! I needed a spooky book in my life, and this hit the mark. If you want a truly spine-chilling read don't miss out on Gallows Hill.

I think it's my first ever book in horror genre. It was slow paced, a little too slow for my liking.
The writing was really good. It made shiver run down my spine at the right moments. It was successful in making and maintaining an eerie environment throughout the story.
The story was indeed intriguing.
I would have given a 5 star if it wasn't so slow paced.

I cannot remember the last time a book had me so frightened. Coates weaves an absolutely enthralling atmospheric and spooky narrative with multiple mysteries to solve. Why did Margot's parents give her up when she was young? How did they die? What happened to her ancestors? And what the actual heck is going on at Gallows Hill?

Without spoiling anything, I found the conclusion of this book to be both thrilling and complete--answering all the questions the book initially asks, and in the most incredibly way possible. I'm very stingy with my five star reviews, but I couldn't fathom not giving this book five stars; it had me terrified from cover to cover. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.

Gallows Hill slowly but oh so surely draws you in to the story of Margot who has returned to her family home after the death of her parents.

The story was full of tension, creepiness and so much atmosphere.

A house named Gallows Hill, what could go wrong.

The history of Gallows Hill and the fact it was built on a field where convicts were hung would have me running before I unpacked.

I did not see that ending coming .

I will think of Margot often in the days to come as I leave all the lights on in my house at night.

Darcy Coates you have a new fan! Cant wait to pick up more of her books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a creepy but oh so good read.

What a wild and engaging ride! I was so absorbed in the story I couldn’t stop reading and finished after midnight - maybe not the best time to be reading such a horror filled story. What made this story a 5 star read for me was the humanity that Coates brought to the story. I finished the book with tears in my eyes & feeling optimistic for the characters.

Match, Gasoline, meet Gallows Hill! Seriously, if I had inherited the most horrifyingly haunted winery on earth, it would be ashes by the second night I had to stay in it alone!

That's not what Margot does when she inherits her estranged parents deeply creepy winery and even creepier house, she stays to fight zombies! Margot's another unusually brave, has nothing to lose, deeply sympathetic Coates heroine. You really root for her to survive this horrific ordeal and constantly doubt whether she will. Coates' writing is so intense, it's like watching a horror movie in your head, **Shiver**

After being left literally in the dark about everything (including how exactly her parents died), Margot learns that the house and winery are built on the site of the town's old gallows tree where many "criminals" were hung and buried unceremoniously. Then, her family bought it 250+ years ago and built a business and a mazelike house that there was a mass axe murder in! Double haunted! Like I said, just burn it down. Or better yet BOMB IT!

You know all the places you SHOULDN''T go in a haunted house?
"NO! Don't go in there, Margot!"
Yep, she went into each of them. I had to put the book down every time she ended up in a new scary setting. My fight or flight instinct is straight FLIGHT.

After several terrifying experiences, Margot discovers that she has inherited more than the property, she has also inherited a family curse. The same curse that kept her from her parents and has kept the employees tied to the land. Now, she's determined to break the curse and free herself and her employees from the Hill.

This book will keep you up at night if you're a horror-wuss like me. It's the perfect addition to your Halloween TBR pile! A quick, spine-tingling read (or a longer one to savor if you just can't handle the terror in big doses). I've also read the "Haunting of Ashburn House" and would say they are pretty equal in plot/overall creepiness.

An almost unbearably slow burn of creeping dread and atmosphere dialed up to 20, Darcy Coates' Gallows Hill keeps its secrets close...until you learn all of those bonkers secrets and they're getting *too* close, as a matter of fact, now they're getting in the house and they are after you!

Or after Margot, that is! Margot Hull has just inherited the family business, a winery up on Gallows Hill, on land that the townspeople believe is cursed. Her parents, from whom she has been estranged for reasons unknown to her, have recently died mysteriously in their beds, and the undertaker is doing nothing to convince her it was a peaceful passing. Alone in the rambling house that's falling into ruin, Margot begins seeing strange, awful visions, and hearing noises that panic and terrify her. She comes to learn that the property's curse--a terrifying bane about which the housekeepers. maintenance people, and workers at the winery are disturbingly nonchalant-- is in fact, shockingly real, and that Margot herself may be at the heart of it... and that it will get much, much worse.

This book is the second book from Darcy Coates I've had the pleasure of reading. the book follows Margot, a young woman estranged from her family, that returns to her ancestral home after the death of her family. Looking for closure and a potential purpose for her life she quickly discovers her inheritance may be more than she bargained for in a home. Deeply atmospheric this is the perfect read for the fall spooky season. Thank you Poisoned Pen and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

The death of her parents brings Margot Hull back to her childhood home, Gallows Hill. The mansion and winery have belonged to the Hull family for 250 years. Now, the estate belongs to Margot. But with it comes a terrifying history, a legacy of death and a lurking threat that puts Margot in danger from the moment she sets foot on Gallows Hill.
Coates has given readers a wonderful classic haunted house story. The characters are well developed, each personality playing a crucial role in the story. The atmosphere and the house itself are perfectly executed, communicating the sense of hovering danger and disorientation perfectly. The climax is heart pounding and surprisingly emotional. A great addition to the genre.

Gallows Hill was my first Darcy Coates book. I was extremely excited by the premise -- a young woman inherits her family winery after the death of her parents, but soon finds herself haunted by spirits that inhabit the land. The author wonderfully created an atmosphere that felt chilling. From the first pages, the reader learns that Margot, who had been sent away by her parents as a small child, feels uncomfortable taking over the winery. She quickly learns of its dark past as the land it was built on had been the former site of hundreds of hangings. In that sense, the setup for the novel was perfect. I took issue with the execution, however. The book is heavily driven by plot as opposed to character development. Margot becomes haunted almost immediately. The mysterious figures that haunt the land fiercely attack her ever night. And while a handful of other characters are introduced, they mostly provide background and exposition. That was my primary issue with this book, the fact the mystery of the haunting is laid out and resolved almost immediately. If not for the rushed resolution of the novel, I would have rated it higher. It definitely impressed me with its eerie atmosphere.

What a ride! Going into “Gallows Hill” after reading the book’s description about a woman inheriting her family’s wine business, I thought the story would be more about the goings-on and operations of said business. However, this turned out to be more of a haunted house tale. And I do enjoy haunted house tales.

Without getting too spoilery, this story had atmosphere, suspense, horror, and action. There is an old movie on a VHS tape that is described in masterful detail and could be considered the most chilling part of this book to me. I really liked that scene.

The wrap-up and conclusion of the novel were explained and done satisfactorily. I easily give this book 3.5-4 stars out of 5. My only negative feedback would be I would’ve liked more dialogue and more interaction with townspeople. But that, perhaps, would have been a somewhat different tale. There is a lot of narration and description in this story and I feel like dialogue would have nicely broken up copious pages of text, as this writing style can be laborious on a reader, but all in all, I didn’t stop reading.

Well done, Darcy Coates, and thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press (Source Books) for gifting me an advanced reader’s copy.

Gallows Hill is a slow-burn haunted house horror that actually gave me the chills. The story centers around Margot who is returning to her estranged parent's home after their deaths. The house is an old mansion on winery grounds that was the spot of hangings and is 100% cursed. The second half of this book was too long in my opinion and droned on, though some of the creepy scenes made up for it. I enjoyed the ideas behind the story though the execution was lacking. Overall an enjoyable read and will pick up Coates next book *(as long as it's under 400 pages).

A good scare for anyone in need of a slow burn that reminds you of the 90s horror movies. I won't say much, besides it was good enough that I read it in a day and was throughly freaked out!

This is the definition of a slow burn and I hate to say this, but I’m glad that it’s over. I had read Voices in the Snow and I loved it but this book was just too much and in the same, not enough. It was extremely descriptive and that’s not a bad thing at all but in this case, it was boring. I was rushing to finish and just wanted it to be over. Maybe I’m just not into the paranormal reads but this definitely wasn’t the read for me. A huge thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

As a child she was sent to her grandmother who raised her. Now she's back. Margot who inhereted the estate of her estranged parents.
All alone in this winery she's in for a ride. Secrets and twists and turns - it shows a shining-ish story that is nailbitingly, goosebumps-raisingly, is dark in the best way.
I just wanted to take a glimpse at the book, ha as if. I read the book cover to cover in one sitting, unputdownable the author manages to keep the reader enthralled from start til the last page.