I enjoyed this book though it did take me a little while to get into and finish reading. I liked the setting of the novel and how it felt eerie. I liked the story and found the characters interesting and I was surprised by the twist. This was well written if at times a little slow. I want to thank NetGalley andPENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked everything about this book. The gothic setting of the possibly haunted house. Everyone who obviously had secrets and kept them close. This book sucked me in so fast as we followed Margaret to her knew job as Governess at Hartwood Hall and learned right along with her, everything that was and wasn't real.

Every character came off the page in bright atmospheric color and I could see everything as it happened. I fell in love with Louis as Margaret did and freaked out with her when she thought she saw something in the dark. I felt her anxiety when she couldn't hear on her left and my feelings for Paul completely clouded my judgment at it did hers.

This book is all about secrets so I won't give those away. I will say a few had me happy though there was strife among them. But one thing that happens towards the end leaves me feeling colder than a blackmailer in their grave. For me it changes the way I felt about Margaret and feels really off to the character I just spend 300+ pages with.

At the end of it all, this was an outstanding debut and I will definitely read more from the author.

An excellent Victorian Gothic that is the perfect blend of cozy and creepy.

I was impressed by how much atmosphere Lumsden was able to create in this relatively short book, where the sense of place is tremendously good whether you’re talking about the feel of the Victorian Era or Hartwood Hall itself.

More impressive still is that in addition to creating a delightful gothic setting, the story also boasts some
complexity and evolution that sets it apart from others in the Neo Victorian Gothic subgenre, even if the bones of the story are essentially the usual suspects.

The characters are secondary to the above aspects of the story, so they aren’t as fully realized as the house, but that’s fine with me for this sort of book. I liked the protagonist as well as the relationship that developed between her and the family even if I didn’t really get the appeal of the dopey gardener.

There are a few fun twists toward the end that create some excitement as the story comes to its conclusion, and I loved the found family aspect of the narrative that ultimately informs Margaret’s fate.

I received an ARC in exchange for this novel for my honest thought. All opinions are my own.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Gothic
Horror level: Mild
Representation: LGBTQ

I grew up reading gothic fiction. So I was ready to love everything about this book, and I enjoyed a lot but not everything.

The great stuff:
- The mansion has all the spooky vibes!
- There's a mystery.
- Potential ghost sightings.
- Possible hauntings.
- The era with typical class distinctions (not that class distinctions are great but appropriate for the time period)
- A governess
- Dreams

Modern sensibilities:
- Some characters vacillate between what would have been expected of them in that era and more modern sensibilities.
- Some of the relationships had a modern tone to them.
- The characters are reading Jane Eyre! So fun!

What was missing?
- There was no Byronic hero!!! (I really wanted someone to be brooding more.)
- The "innocent" female (generally virginal) trope was missing. I was okay with that.

This one is probably 3 stars for me. But that may have been because I had an expectation in mind.

Happy reading!

I'm always keen to try new authors, and this debut novel was a corker! Anyone who enjoyed "Mrs. England" by Stacey Halls will probably love this one.

Hartwood Hall is an isolated and somewhat dilapidated manor in Somersetshire, England. It is 1852 and Margaret Lennox is only recently widowed from her husband of three years, the Reverend Richard Lennox. We join the story when Margaret comes to Hartwood to fill the position of governess to ten-year-old Louis Eversham. Louis is a bright boy but he is very lonely. His mother, also a widow, is very protective of him and he has no friends of his own age.

"...too many locks and too many secrets".

Margaret settles into the household nicely. She is fond of her young charge. However... one of the maids at Hartwood discovers one of Margaret's secrets and meanly holds it over her as blackmail! Margaret has many secrets, as does her employer Mrs. Eversham. As the title implies, Hartwood Hall itself is riddled with secrets as well. The east wing is off limits to all. The superstitious residents of the nearest village believe the Hall to be haunted and a place of evil. When illness comes to Hartwood Hall all of its residents are tested.

This debut novel was an homage to the classic novel "Jane Eyre", though written with a feminist slant. I was totally engrossed while reading it, and would recommend it to all historical fiction fans. I'm eager to see what this young author comes up with next.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall tells the story of Margaret Lennox, a young widow who takes a position as governess at Hartwood Hall.

I enjoyed the mysterious, gothic elements in the story - the isolation of the house, the secrets and odd behaviour, the closed wing that no one is supposed to enter..

The book was well written and well paced. There were some actions of the main characters that didn't ring true to what we had been told about their personalities though. . Ultimately, this wasn't the book for me. I didn't like the direction the story took. I did enjoy the references to Victorian novels throughout the book. The author showed a definite love of books from that time period.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A gothic historical fiction mystery that felt a bit lacking and left me a bit bored to be honest.

I don't believe it was any fault of the author, I just may not be a fan of the writing style, I'm honestly not sure what it was about this novel that didn't vibe with me but I just wasn't feeling it. It got off to a great start in part 1, but 2 and 3 felt dragged on and almost like the filler episodes of your favorite show. The ending was also pretty lackluster.

However if you're a fan of books by the Bronte sisters, this should be right up your alley.

3/5 from me, the book itself has a great premise and a lot of promise but feel flat for me. That might just be a me problem though.

A Gothic Mystery Reminiscent of Jane Eyre

Margaret Lennox, recently widowed and left without resources, has taken a position as a governess at Hartwood Hall, a large, remote country house. Her charge, a ten-year-old boy is delightful, but the house and the other occupants seem full of secrets.

The townspeople gossip about the house, and Margaret can’t help but listen. They believe the house is haunted and the residents are strange. There are whispers that the owner is a witch. Although she discounts the gossip, Margaret feels uneasy. She thinks that she sees shadows, candles burning where they shouldn’t be and there are strange noises in the night.

Margaret fears her own past will catch up with her. She is also uneasy about her budding relationship with Paul, the groundskeeper.

The book is very atmospheric. The underlying tension and the strange occurrences make Margaret unable be comfortable in her new position. The story is told completely from her point of view, which works well. We see the eerie house through her eyes as an outsider. She is also a strong woman and doesn’t easily give in to her fears.

The time is 1852 and the author has done an excellent job using the historical background to keep the story realistic while providing details that help build the feeling of unease and suspense. If you enjoy historical fiction with a Gothic tone, you’ll like this book.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is an intriguing historical mystery that keeps you hooked as you want to discover the multiple secrets that plague the lives of these characters. We follow newly widowed governess Margaret Lennox who returns to teaching and accepts a position at Hartwood Hall. She is not the only one with secrets; the journey to discover and understand these characters is enjoyable.

I was very much into this story when I picked it up. I read it in about two sittings and was entertained throughout. Almost everyone has secrets or something going on in their lives and it was interesting to discover it all through the eyes of Margaret even though we as the reader didn't know her secrets either. The intrigue was exciting although some of the reveals did feel slightly underwhelming, I grew attached to these characters and understood why things panned out the way they did. One of the characters did make me angry but I am aware that was the intention for this character and means Katie Lumsden did an excellent job.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to people who want a fast read with mysteries and secrets to discover.

There is no better book to read on a dull and rainy day, than a Gothic mystery. The weather in my part of the world was the backdrop on a wet Sunday for Katie Lumsden's debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. The cover and title promised the perfect tale.

What makes this genre such a favorite of mine? Well let me tell you... it's the historical time frame, the run down manor, the village nearby and it's refusal to have anything to do with the manor and it's inhabitants, the whisper of ghosts, the knock in the night, the mixed personalities of the staff, including the handsome gardener, the mystery that surround the Lady of the manor and her son and last but not least the new addition to the manor - a recently widowed governess. Oh - and secrets - lots of secrets!

Katie Lumsden's book is set in 1852. She has captured the social strata, manners and mores of the time period. Her descriptions of the setting(s) are rich in detail and provided strong mental pictures for me. The cast of characters is perfect and I really liked Margaret as a lead character. She isn't one to accept all of those rules and expected behaviors. Hers is the only point of view. Lumsden has taken all of those facets I look forward to and added her own touches to the Secrets of Hartwood Hall. The ending caught me off guard as I had expected a different outcome. On reflection it's a fitting one that's perfect.

If you enjoy this genre, than this is a book for you. I quite enjoyed this debut and wouldn't hesitate to pick up her next book. More please!

Mrs. Margaret Lennox is a twenty-nine-year-old widow whose late husband, Richard, left her penniless. She applies for a position as a governess for ten-year-old Louis Eversham, who lives with his mother and a small staff of servants in Hartwood Hall, a reputedly haunted English estate. After Margaret is hired, she is delighted to meet her bright and curious student. However, she is alarmed when she sees candles lit where there should be none, hears strange noises at night, and sees unidentified figures who appear suddenly and quickly vanish.

In "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall," by Katie Lumsden, Margaret recalls her unhappy marriage to someone she did not love. She hopes to put the past behind her, and tries not to dwell too much on what cannot be changed. Meanwhile, her employer sternly warns Margaret never to visit the mansion's east wing and to keep Louis close to home at all times. As the story progresses, Margaret meets and falls in love with Paul Carter, a handsome man who tends to Hartwood Hall's extensive gardens.

For much of the book, we are in the dark as to what is really going on. Why is Mrs. Eversham so anxious about Louis's safety? What happened to her older child, a daughter named Isabella? We meet villains who are determined to destroy Margaret's and Mrs. Eversham's lives, and matters comes to a head when the truth finally emerges. This is a competently written novel with an intriguing plot and evocative descriptive writing. Although it has limited character development, this work of fiction holds our interest, especially when a daring Margaret takes foolhardy risks that could endanger her future. "The Secrets of Hartwood Hall" sheds light on the restrictions that held women back in the mid-nineteenth century; society's prejudice against those who rebel against its norms; and the exorbitant price paid by those who are forced to live a lie.

I liked it! I thought Margaret was a bit of a drip and Paul was described as being "warm" too many times, but it nailed down the gothic vibes and I appreciated the Tenant of Wildfell Hall easter egg-- very clever. It definitely did neo-Victorian better than I expected.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-Victorian-era gothic fiction⁣
-closed-door historical romance⁣
-sapphic romance subplot⁣
-great on audio⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
I don't know about you, but I've loved gothic fiction for ages. There's nothing better than diving head-first into a darkly atmospheric world of ghosts, witches, and eerie old houses. It all started with a book called Wait Till Helen Comes, which I read and reread a zillion times as a kid. There are so many great gothic reads, and now there's one more to add to the list! I loved this dark, atmospheric book. It scratched all the itches: secrets, ghostly appearances, forbidden romances, revenge, and so much more. Sure, some of the "twists" were predictable, but I didn't mind one bit. I was so caught up in this eerie world that I didn't want to leave, much less get disappointed that I may or may not have guessed the twist. There were definitely some unexpected things along the way, one of which took this book from good to great! Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good gothic tale full of Victorian goodness.

I’m just.. disappointed. So let’s just get to the point. This book had 5 parts, volumes, so that’s how I’ll break up the review.


Volume one: a very promising start. Loved the gloomy and moody feel to it all. We meet all the characters and their roles, so it’s a slow start. Pretty great, had my attention.

Volume two: a bit slower than volume one so my interest declined a bit. Not bad, just not much is happening. Needed more of the mystery, secrets and substance.

Volume three: pointless. Too long. Bored. There were two aspects that added to the whole “secrets” storyline but overall I lost sight of what the book was about.

Volume four: picked up again but now we’re like at 70% of the book. I’m a bit hooked. Disappointed I waited this long to see things play out.

Volume five: anticlimactic. Really.. that’s it??

This one had so much potential. Volumes two and three felt the longest, and both did not provide anything for me to be engrossed in the book. Also.. the romance aspect seemed off. I felt no connection to it. Overall not the page turner I was expecting it to be.

If you are a fan of Jane Eyre, or really any books by the Brontë sisters, this is definitely the book for you!

This is a slow burn gothic mystery whose pages you will easily get sucked into. I was so engaged by the plot, and by wanting to figure out the mystery, that I didn’t want to put this book down!

The main character and narrator, Margaret, was a very intriguing lead. Her backstory is as much a part of this book’s mystery as the main plot is.

As I mentioned, this book is a slow burn, which I love when it comes to mysteries! That being said, there were a few times that certain scenes or dialogue became a little repetitive. I think this was done to create suspense, but instead it ended up creating a few scenes that I wanted to skip over (but didn’t) because I felt like I’d already read them.

Usually I’m able to guess at least a portion of the ending in mystery/suspense novels. However, I can honestly say I did not guess the end of this book even a LITTLE bit correctly! It was a complete surprise to me but still made sense for the plot and characters.

Overall, this is a very atmospheric book that would be the perfect read to curl up with by the window on a rainy day.

“The Secrets of Hartwood Hall” is out today! Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A SONG THAT PAIRS WELL WITH THIS BOOK:
“ivy” by Taylor Swift

READ IF YOU LOVE:
— Chilling mysteries with a dash of suspense
— Jane Eyre and similar gothic novels
— A little bit of an Upstairs, Downstairs or Downton Abbey vibe, but much spookier
— A setting of a Victorian manor in the English countryside
— Twisty plots that keep you guessing
— A touch of romance as a C-plot

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Genre: historical fiction
Format: ebook
Length: 352 pages
Trigger Warnings: child loss, miscarriage, de@th, domestic ab*se

✨Read this book if you enjoy✨
💀 Gothic atmospheric books
📚 Short chapters
🏘️Small town settings
🫣Trust no one vibes


Thank you to Netgalley, Dutton Publishing, and Katie Lumsden for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Margaret Lennox finds herself as the new governess to a young boy of the isolated Hartwood Hall. As she starts to settle into her new role and new life strange things start happening. Margaret quickly learns that everyone around her is keeping secrets, some more dangerous than others.

I requested this book because it sounded a lot like The Haunting of Bly Manor, which I absolutely loved the show. But don’t go into this book expecting Bly Manor. They are both similar but this book is different.

This book does a great job of setting up mystery and intrigue. There were moments that definitely made me feel unsettled and I was yelling at Margaret to make better choices. The writing is beautiful and I truly felt swept into the Hartwood Hall. But the issue throughout the book was pacing. This book is marketed as a thriller and I just don’t see it. Things happen very slowly until everything is revealed at the end. Subplots felt unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the story. Thankfully the short chapters really helped me fly through this book!

Overall, I think if you like atmospheric books with slow pacing then this book will be a great fit for you. I’ll definitely pick up another Katie Lumsden book in the future!

Set in the 1800s, a recently widowed woman, Margaret, is hired to be a governess to 10 year old Louis at a mysterious home named Hartwood Hall. As time goes on, Margaret learns Louis doesn't have any friends, his mother is traveling for work regularly, and there is a strange disconnect from the village. There are also dodgy house workers that seem to be hiding things and whispers of ghosts in the restricted East Wing halls at night.

I really enjoyed the Gothic feel of this book and author's atmospheric writing. Both Louis and Margaret were very likeable and it was fun to unwravel the mystery. Why does everyone seem to be hiding something, from Margaret herself to her lover to Louis and his mother? The book had a satisfying ending and I'm looking forward to more by Katie Lumsden.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and of course, the author, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall was more a miss than a hit for me.

Although I liked the gothic tone of the novel, the pacing was off—the majority of the story was meant to build suspense but just felt repetitive and slow, then everything happens quickly in the final chapters with no real solid resolution. Margaret, the MC, wasn’t particularly likeable. Although I was sympathetic towards the tragedies in her life, she kept thinking of herself as strong willed when she very much wasn’t. I did quite enjoy her relationship with Louis, the young master of the house to whom Margaret serves as governess, but the rest of the relationships were meh, including the romantic ones. The final reveals were a bit over the top and seemed too dramatic for the stoic nature of the rest of the story.

Overall, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is an okay read, but I wanted more spooky, less drama.

A gripping and atmospheric debut that is at once a chilling gothic mystery and a love letter to Victorian fiction.

Nobody ever goes to Hartwood Hall. Folks say it’s cursed…

How exciting! I love a good mystery with gothic twists and The Secrets of Hartwood Hall delivered. The mystery and questions about the secrets of the characters made this a page turner. The author's admiration of Jayne Eyre and nineteenth century literature is evident in this book. Well written and historically accurate I appreciated this read. One of my biggest concerns with historical fiction is the accuracy of details and Katie Lumsden did a wonderful job!

The pace and flow of this read was spot on. While some historical fictions can get slow 1/4 to 1/2 way into the read, this did not. The pace of this book was very well done and connects with the readers emotions.

Chilling, Mysterious, Gothic and full of secrets!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #NetGalley #KatieLumsden

https://northerngypsyblog.blogspot.com/2023/02/new-book-release-secrets-of-hartwood.html

Gothic, chilling and full of secrets! Plus, that cover! Hartwood Hall - villagers say it is cursed. It is a great source of gossip and trepidation. Is it just a house? Or is it truly cursed?

1852

Margaret Lennox, a newly widowed woman, has taken a job as a governess at Hartwood Hall. She has been hired by Mrs. Eversham, a woman with secrets. Just ask the villagers who gossip about her and her home. Margaret has been told to keep a close eye on Louis and never let him out of her sight. A servant often mentions ghosts in the home. Margaret does not believe in ghosts, but she begins to see shadows...

When not looking after and teaching her young charge, Louis Eversham, Margaret begins a relationship with the Paul the groundskeeper. Her relationship is a secret as is the fact that Louis had an older sister who died away from the home. A sister no one is permitted to talk about.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall has a strong gothic vibe and I could see this book playing out like a movie. I could see everyone in the house walking around with candles at night in the dark rooms. The author's love of Jayne Eyre and nineteenth century literature shines through in this well written book.

This is a sense of unease flowing beneath the surface of this book. There is tension and the atmosphere is chilling. Secrets are the name of the game in this book! Everyone has them as do the characters in this book.

I look forward to reading more of the author's books in the future.

Atmospheric, chilling, gripping and Gothic!

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #NetGalley #KatieLumsden