I loved this book, and will definitely look out for others from this author.
Esme and Lizzie Dawson are sisters. Their father is an unsuccessful gambler, and the family are always in debt, the bailiff’s are frequent visitors, taking away possessions to repay creditors. Their mother is an alcoholic.
Esme is betrothed to Lord Blountford, a much older gentleman, as payments for her father’s debts. However, one year later, Esme has died, the debt is still outstanding, and Lizzie is lined up as the replacement wife.
Lizzie has a fine spirit of independence and stubbornness, she is forthright in her opinions and views, she is a rather wonderful character and role model. She is not impressed by these marriage plans, but can not see any escape open to her at the moment.
She is moved to Ambletye Manor to settle in before her nuptials, so she can get a feel of the responsibilities of running her future home. Once there, she discovers she will be wife number 5, and her main duty will be to provide an heir to the estate. All the previous wives have died at the house, possibly tragically, and all were young.
Lizzie has a special gift, she can see and communicate with ghosts, especially the ex wives. After speaking to Marisa, the first wife and Pansy, wife number 3, Lizzie decides to find out what happened to all the ex- wives, and possibly use that knowledge to prevent another death, hers!!
Each wife gets the chance to tell her own story. It’s not too scary a read, the ghosts are mainly curious and regretful, they are not threatening poltergeists.
We meet other sympathetic characters, Dr Price, a Vet, whom Esme used to confide in. Jordie, the young stable boy, who is teaching Lizzie to ride. He looks after his widowed mother and siblings, and is a real support to Lizzie. Captain Charles is the nephew to Lord Blountford, and a heart breaker.
This book is almost Dickensian in theme, family brought low , poverty, gambling, uncaring landed gentry, threatening bailiffs, and balanced by caring and kindness from servants ‘ below stairs’, and tradespeople from the village.
A tale full of friendship, compassion and determination not to be ridden over roughshod. A very likeable central character in Lizzie.
A five star read. My thanks to Netgalley and Headline publishers for my advance digital copy in return for my honest review.

The House of Lost Wives was an original and enjoyable Regency paranormal book.

The story follows Lizzy the daughter of a drunkard and a gambler who are always one step away from total penury and debtor’s prison. Esme, Lizzie’s older sister is sold to Lord Blountford to settle their father’s debts. One year later, Esme is dead and Lizzie’s father is once again in debt. Luckily he has another daughter to sell. Lizzie is sent to Lord Blountford’s country estate Ambletye Manor where she is to become wife # 2, oh wait make that wife # 5. Lord Blountford has a distressing track record when it comes to wives. Well Lizzie has her own tricks up her sleeves, she can commune with ghosts and it so happens that her predecessors are ghosts. Lizzie is determined to find out what happened to the prior wives, including her sister. Throw in a handsome nephew, servants and ghosts and you have an ununsual Regency romance.

I really enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this book. Some parts of it did not really feel like they were taking place in Regency England, more a modern setting, but the book was enjoyable and perfect as a spooky fall read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Headline Accent and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

A gothic Regency tale with perfect spooky vibes for this time of year, The House of Lost Wives by Rebecca Hardy is fully of secrets, mystery and romance.
Lizzie and her sister Esme have always been close, especially since they can only rely on each other since their father is too busy gambling away every last penny he possesses and their mother is too busy trying to stay one step ahead of the creditors to pay attention. Eventually things take a desperate turn and Esme is effectively sold into marriage to the elderly Lord Blountford as a way of settling her father's debts . Lizzie is heatbroken at her beloved sister's fate, but this is nothing to the despair she feels when she learns that her sister has died and since her father has not changed his ways, she will be the next Lady Blountford.
Once she arrives at the remote Ambletye Manor which is set to be her home once married, she is shocked to discover that her sister was not the first of Lord Blountford's wives to meet a mysterious or tragic end , in fact she was the fourth and Lizzie is set to become the fifth mistress of the house. Immediately Lizzie's suspicions are aroused and the more she learns the more she begins to fear for her own fate. Unknown to Lord Blountford, Lizzie has a special gift, she can see and communicate with the spirits of the dead, but will what she learns be able to protect her from their fate?
This book moved along at a clipping pace , and since we learn the stories of each of the wives as the book unfolds there was plenty to keep my attention as a reader. I liked the characters in general, especially Lizzy and the ghost wives, but I wish there was a little more spookiness to their interactions with Lizzy. I also thought the setting had a lot of potential , an isolated manor house in the countryside should be the perfect setting for some really thrilling or scary moments but I think the author did not use it to its full advantage.
That said, I really enjoyed the book overall ,it was ideal reading for this time of year when the evenings are getting darker earlier and there is a distinct chill in the air.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Looking for a simple historical fiction story with supernatural elements, romance and lots of secrets ? I recommend checking this one out!

The plot is intriguing, as secrets after secrets are revealed throughout the story. I really like uncovering the secrets to each wives, especially the third wife.
The countryside setting is a nice touch with good pacing as well.

The characters are likeable and pretty well developed. Lizzie is not afraid to always speak up her mind, I admire her friendship with Jodie too as she try to overcome her fear.

The ghosts added the spooky element to the book but they're not as scary as I thought they would be. They interact with the Lizzie just like a normal human being.

However, I wish there's more creepy vibes to create an eerie atmosphere in the story considering there are ghosts haunting in some places.
I also felt the romance progresses slightly too fast for my liking.

Overall, this is a fun, light, and entertaining read. The ending was wrapped up nicely too for all characters and I feel satisfied with how it ends.
I look forward to read more books from this author!

I received an advanced review copy for free from Netgalley, Headline and Rebecca Hardy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story intrigued me from the very beginning. Four wives and a large country house with secrets and lies aplenty. Lizzie was a favourite character of mine - open and honest, she was a force of nature who would do anything for a friend in need regardless of status in life. Her quest to find answers in the house was a fascinating one and I really enjoyed the way in which she puzzled through the information she’d found and heard. The support from the village in such a short time was heartwarming. The Lord was a character I never warmed to- a purposeful decision I think by the author and his darkness only proved to show Lizzie as the light in the secrets of the house’s history.

Trigger warnings in this book i should point out may not be suitable for emotionally challenged

A gripping thrilling tale, set in 1800's time where young woman be sold for force marriage tell's about twin daughters. One that can see ghost of the victims will be setting out a dangerous path to solve what really happen to his wives and why.

Could not put it down, great read for spooky season.

Imagine if your beloved sister was married off to a much older man to save your family from financial ruin, died, and now you must marry her widower. It's the 1800s and that's the situation Lizzie is in. Worse. she discovers that she's not the second but the fifth (!) wife of Lord Blountford. Luckily, she meets the ghost of his third wife before her wedding and is able to start to get answers before it's too late. Can she-should she- trust his nephew Captain Charlie? This is a gothic and creepy and paranormal and if it sometimes gets a little much, well, it's still a fun read that reminded me of the gothic romances I read in the 1970s. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this.

In 1813, Lizzie's older sister Esme is forced to marry the aging Lord Blountford to settle their father's debts. One year later, she is dead, and Lizzie is sent to replace her as the next wife. Upon arriving at Ambletye Manor, Lizzie discovers that she is not the 2nd wife but the fifth mistress of this house. The three women before Esme, were Marisa, Anne and Pansy. What Lord Blountford does not realise is that Lizzie can hear them, and their stories may be her only way to survive.
A paranormal story, filled with fascinating stories, I found this book to be a great thriller, but done with a light-hearted manner. The relationships that developed were touching and the quick pace had me entertained throughout.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. The story held me gripped throughout. It was slightly supernatural but not scary. The characters were all brilliantly written and the descriptions spot on. Very atmospheric. I would totally recommend . Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

I really liked this book and thought it was the perfect mix of spooky and historical fiction. The characters were written well and the twists and turns were done well. I thought that the characters grew and changed throughout the book and it made the book flow really well because of it. I liked the pacing in this and it helped keep me invested in the book and want to continue to read it. The action was done well and i found the plot done well with the ending interesting and not exactly what i expected, in a good way. The only criticism i have of this is that the tonal line of this was off in a couple of places but it didn't affect the book too much for me.

First of all, I absolutely love the cover! While this story was a bit unbelievable at times, the atmospheric elements were gorgeous and I liked the author's writing style. I guess I was expected more of a "creepy" book, and that is the only reason I'm a bit disappointed. I look forward to more by this author.

A most enjoyable book, filled with mystery, the supernatural, friendship and romance. This was a story I found hard to put down as it was very gripping and had some twists and turns on the way.

Set in the early 19th century, the heroine Lizzie has a gambler father and drunkard mother. Her older sister Esme is forced to marry an elderly lord to satisfy her father's debt. A year later, Esme is dead, her father is in debt again, and this time Lizzie must marry the lord to satisfy her father's debt. When she arrives at the estate in preparation for her marriage, she learns that she is to become his FIFTH wife. With the help of the ghosts of wives past, she slowly learns of their fates. Will she be able to save herself? This was entertaining, but the ghosts are not malevolent or scary so this was not particularly suspenseful or chilling.

2.5 ⭐ This book was just "okay" for me. Unbelievable at times, but kept my interest enough to finish it.

Lizzie’s father is a gambler and her mother is a drunk. To clear his debt her father sells her sister Esme to clear his debt. However, one year later her sister is dead and her father once again needs to clear his debts with the elderly Lord Blountford. So Lizzie is sent to become his 5th wife

What people don’t know is that Lizzie can speak to the dead in limbo. In the run up to her wedding she finds herself communicating with the previous Mustresses of the house and discovered how they died.

Marisa. Anne. Pansy. Esme all met early deaths. By freeing them can she save herself from a loveless marriage.

This was an easy read. At times it felt particularly slow. I think this would be suited more to teens/young adults.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Headline for the advanced copy for review.

The House of Lost Wives is Rebecca Hardy's debut and it was so good! I loved the story and the characters so much.

Lizzie is able to see and speak to ghosts. This comes in handy when she's sold into marriage in her sister's place. She goes on a journey to find out why she is the fifth mistress of Ambletye Manor and finds out way more than she expected.

Lizzie and Esme's story is incredibly sad. Their dad is in deep debt due to gambling and their mother is a drunk. They end up selling Esme off to Lord Blountford to settle their debts and she ends up dying before Lizzie is able to come visit her. Lizzie doesn't know what happened and no one will tell her. She searches out clues once she's also sold to Lord Blountford and she has free reign of Ambletye Manor. She finds things long since hidden and she may even end up finding love.

Lizzie grew so much as a character and I loved seeing it. She's also very kind and generous and nothing like her parents. I loved how this story unfolded and can't wait to read more from Rebecca!

''Death tries to make strangers of us all, whether we are on the giving or receiving end. The real trick is not to let it tear you apart.''

It's 1800 and Esme, Lizzie's older sister, is sold in marriage to Lord Blountford of Sussex - a man old enough to be their grandfather. One year later, Esme is dead and Lizzie is sent to take her place as Lord's next wife. Their life has not been easy - their father is a gambler and their mother is a drunk. Days at Ambletye manor may seem easy enough at the first glace, but they are full of dangerous secrets, lies, romances and tragedies. What happened to the four wives who came before her? Can Lizzie unravel secrets with the help of ghosts, that only she can see?

I see that other reviewers have noted, that this was a creepy and frightening story, but for me, it was not that. Yes, it had an eerie and haunting setting, but I wish it was more gritty and scary. I believe that readers, who enjoy historical era murder-mystery reads, with a dash of romance, ghosts, lovable and vile characters, will find this story intriguing. It was an entertaining, fast and light read. As for the plot, I will not spoil it to others. I will say this - you will get to question characters and their motives. You will find some ugly truths, but in between all the mystery and tragedy, you will witness love, trust and friendship. And some light humor. Even though this story has a serious plot.

Thank you to Rebecca Hardy, Headline and NetGalley, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book. Slightly unbelievable at times but it was fun and gripping and a really good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an Arc of this book!

“The House of Lost Wives” by Rebecca Hardy tells a tale of mystery surrounding two sisters in regency era England. The story follows Lizzie as she is made a pawn between men to fulfill her father’s gambling debts. She is forced to be married to an older man she despises who also happened to be married to her recently departed sister. Even worse, she is to become his fifth wife! What happened to the other wives before her? More importantly, what happened to her sister?
I enjoyed following the mystery and intrigue as Lizzie set out to find out the sinister happenings of Lord Blountford’s estate. Along the way, she uncovers secrets about her sister, the estate staff and even her future husband. She forms unlikely alliances, one in particular sparking with romance that causes a nearly life-altering shift that threatens to tear her heart apart.

I would recommend this book as a light, fun read with a sprinkle of paranormal activity.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this advance copy. This was a great read - a lovely mix of historical fiction with a healthy dose of the supernatural thrown in. I would class this as an easy read, but this did not in any way detract from my enjoyment and actually would be a great book for readers to delve into this genre. It all comes together very nicely at the end leaving you with a warm satisfied feeling. I feel this would make a great gift as its a lovely easy read and cover looks sumptuous!