GALLOWS HILL by Darcy Coates will grab you immediately and hold your attention right to very end.

The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for many generations. The wine made there is award-winning and not only does their business thrive, but so does the family. At least they do until...

Hugh and Maria are found dead.

Hugh and Maria's daughter has to return to Gallows Hill to bury her parents. It should be a fairly straightforward task, but the house may just have other plans for Margot.

Vivid descriptions, a fantastic sense of place, and near-perfect pacing all make Gallows Hill a book nit to be missed.

4 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Gallows Hill has all the elements that I love in a Gothic novel; a spooky old house, parents who were killed under mysterious circumstances, bells that rings in the night, hallways that meander forever, major historical secrets, a town that looks at the main character suspiciously, things that go bump in the night, and atmosphere galore. So why did it take so long for me to get through this one? And I had to force myself to read through to the end, wishing I had DNF'd it like I wanted to.

First of all, the main character, Margot, drove me crazy. I didn't dislike her per se, but she really did some silly things. How is it that you go into a new house like this and not check things out? At least the poor girl could have found a bathroom in the first 48 hours she was there, but instead, the author had her getting lost in the same hallways and being mesmerized by a videotape for hours on end. And although I liked the atmosphere of the house, I really felt like I didn't get to KNOW the house through Margot's eyes as there was so much repetitive stuff going on that I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have. I liked the bumps in the night and the scary stuff that was happening, but to make a main character sound so ditzy in order to further a plot point bothers me. How many times will the author have Margot forget to charge her phone in order to advance the plot? Have her fall in this hole without her phone to use to contact someone, have her be attacked in this scenario without a charged phone to contact someone, have her get lost here without a charged phone to do anything about it, and so on. See my point?

While the first three-quarters of the book was repetitious and a bit boring, the ending was actually the best part, but by no means was it great. The author did up the ante on tension and suspense, but by then, I had lost interest and I had to force myself to finish. Furthermore, I felt like the author thought the reader wasn't capable of grasping the fine points of the historical events, and needed to reiterate everything again, something I actually resented. Readers are quite capable of reading between the lines, thank you very much. I can't say the same for the MC, so maybe the retelling was for her benefit?

Gallows Hill had a lot of great ideas, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I typically enjoy this author's books, so this was a big disappointment. Unfortunately, while the author always has a great writing style, this one had very weak characters and character development, and a plot that was slow and pedantic despite the atmospheric horror elements that were included. This one just didn't work for me and I struggled mightily to finish.

Can't go wrong with a book by Darcy Coates!
The Hull Family has owned The Gallows Hill Winery for generations. Everything has been business as usual until the day Margot's parents pass away and she inherits the property. This property has a pretty dark past which wouldn't surprise anyone why it could be haunted - now that she is living here alone she is starting to believe the rumors that the land is cursed!

This was not a win for me unfortunately. I struggled with Margot's motivation in the first half of the book and found myself quite bored. Things did pick up in the latter stages, but the ending was a bit of a cliche and overall, I just didn't enjoy myself with this one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I liked the story but didn't fall for it quickly. The story is slow and it took me a bit to finish it. I rate it a 2.7

Whoa. Is all I can say. I was completely enthralled reading this book and could not put it down. It was a start to finish, do nothing else read. The Hull family carries many secrets. And although there is a slow build up, it is absolutely worth it.

I read this book a while ago and I love Darcy Coates books, this one included, such an exciting read. Such good horror vibes and I had to read it all in one sitting. This book gave me chills. Really recommend this book for horror fans out there. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Darcy Coates is a horror darling. I love that she writes scary books that I could still include in my classroom, because while they are spooky, they aren't inappropriate or too adult. It's almost like cozy horror. Gallows Hill started out pretty slow, I was almost ready to put it aside, but it did pick up quite a bit towards the end.

Coates is a master of the ghost story and I particularly enjoyed the winery setting of this one as it really set up so many creepy moments. The other thing that I appreciate about Coates is that her protagonists are full characters. I always root for them and they really help carry me through the story.

While this one felt a bit imbalanced, I will always be a Coates fan since her haunted house series. It's nice to know there is a woman out there writing spooky ghost stories that are so enjoyable and scary.

All the stars for this addictive, creepy, fabulous horror novel. I absoutely LOVED this book. It was scary as heck and I loved it. I was hooked and couldn't stop reading until I go to the end of the book. I definitely recommend you read this one. It will give you all the chills and you'll love it.

I LOVED THIS!!! Do you love a creepy old house setting where you know something bad is just going to happen? Well say less, this book is for you! Darcy Coates is one of the best horror writers that I have ever read and I am so glad to see that her books are getting the attention that they should.
Margot inherits a creepy old house with a ton of history that you know is just not going to a good and fun place. She is alone in this house and the thought of that had me ready to run screaming from the hills. But there is so much more! Just read this, it's fabulous! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. I got about 30% of the way through but it was just so slow moving and boring to me. I've heard great things about this author though so I will try them again.

THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩

If you are looking for a wonderful new read for spooky season, this is the one for you! Ghosts, history, and WINE! That’s everything I love in one tale 👻🍷

It’s so wonderful to see an author grow in their craft. This book truly showcases how much she has grown in writing characters and their development. I really cared about everyone who is afflicted by Gallows Hill, and I was completely invested in their story. I finished this book weeks ago and I still miss them. I hope they’re doing well 🖤🖤

𝚂𝚄𝙼𝙼𝙰𝚁𝚈
Margot Hull inherits the family winery after her estranged parents die suddenly. She knows nothing of the land or her family’s history. But she quickly learns the good news and the bad news.

The Good News: Money! The winery is famous and extremely profitable.

The Bad News: the house and the winery are built on the land where convicts were hanged, and they may still be hanging around…

ʙᴏᴏᴋ: 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ: Darcy Coates
ᴘᴀɢᴇs: 377
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 🐔🐔🐔.🥚
(𝘖𝘯𝘦 🐔 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘻𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 | 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳)
#BookReview

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. This is the book that made me realize that Darcy Coates is not the author for me. I feel really bored while reading her books. They are way too slow, and this book was no different.

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After her parents death, Margot inherits her family’s successful winery. Never truly knowing her parents or the business, Margot travels to the winery. No matter how successful, the winery is believed to be cursed. Being built on the land where hundreds of convicts with hanged, Gallows Hills Winery lives up to its name. The long Margot stays, the more she believes the curse could be real. Things start to unravel and Margot quickly needs to learn what is going on before the curse catches up to her.

I really enjoyed this novel! Was a quick read and I liked the plot! Another great read from Darcy Coates

Compulsive and creepy - this book was put at the top of my list after hearing about it on a podcast, and I will be recommending Coates as a perfect fall author.

I was excited to read my first Darcy Coates book, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. I found the mystery slow and uninteresting. I typically love haunted house books, but I don’t think Coates’ brand of horror works for me. I will not be reading any more books by this author.

This was one of my favorite books of the year! I love the atmosphere and the plot felt really unique for a haunted house story. There were some moments that had me shocked and there were many times I could not put the book down! One of my favorite things while reading horror is feeling stressed and this book definitely accomplished that for me! I would not survive if I was in this book. I cannot wait to read more from Darcy Coates! This is definitely a new favorite that I'm always recommending!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a BIG fan of Darcy Coates. I have never been disappointed by one of her books. When I saw she had a brand new book coming out, I was beyond excited to check it out! 😀

Once again, Darcy did not disappoint. Gallows Hill is a fantastic modern gothic horror story. The first half of the book is a classic gothic slow burn. After the 50% point, the book kicks it into high gear, continuously ramping up both the tension and the creep factor!

This story is so beautiful. Justice, family, and finding where you fit in are all major themes in this one. There are some truly lovely scenes that left me all the feels. Not to spoil anything too much, but I totally ugly cried happy tears over a very specific part of the story that involved a very good doggo!! ❤

And OMG! That ending! 😮 Geez! Ok, so the ending had one final EPIC reveal that was just… CRAZY (and very icky)! I was completely shocked at the reveal and impressed at the creativity of the author. I did not see THAT coming at all. Very cool. Slow clap standing ovation for that ending.

Gallows Hill might start off a little slow, but finishes with a beautiful, strong ending. Very tense, creepy atmosphere. After things begin to go sideways, the pacing speeds up and does not stop until the very last page. The end is absolutely perfect.

I didn’t know what to think when I first started this book, but by the time I finished Gallows Hill, I was absolutely in love with it. 😀

This novel was spine-tingling, very spooky, and terrifying. I had a hard time sleeping reading this one. This is another hit from my favourite author. I felt all of the emotions while reading this but the characters were very well written and likeable. This is a must read for anyone that loves horror books.