The Curse of Penryth Hall is a Gothic murder mystery, seeping with a moody, paranormal atmosphere that really worked for me.

I enjoyed the characters and found them interesting. I found Ruby (the main character) to be strong-willed, impulsive, and a bit reckless. Yet, she is also loyal, caring, and rational. I especially liked the relationship between Ruby and Ruan (the grumpy town pellar/healer). They butt heads over the nature of the mystery. Is it paranormal, or is there a logical explanation for the killings? Their banter brought their characters to life. While this gives off enemies-to-lovers vibes, don't expect too much romance.

I was captivated by the mystery and read this in nearly one sitting. Armstrong had me second-guessing every character. I thought everyone was the culprit at one point. It kept me turning the pages.

If I have any complaints, I would say the pacing is off. The middle dragged some for me, but it didn't stop me from continuing. I never felt like putting the book down.

This is the perfect snuggle-up and on a rainy day kind of read.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a mystery set in a small Cornish village. This gothic tale is about friendship, family curses, and murder. This is a good murder mystery for those who love historical gothic literature. Thanks to author Jess Armstrong, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Curse of Penryth Hall, A Mystery by Jess Armstrong from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

“…a well-written, cleverly plotted, atmospheric mystery that offers the reader a deliciously intriguing tale … ”

A mystery with a gothic feel, The Curse of Penryth Hall set on a country estate in a Cornish Hamlet we meet bold, brash, and brave heiress, Ruby Vaugh, who flees from the fallout from one of her many scandals settles in Exeter after WWI. Ruby luckily finds lodgings with octogenarian and father-like landlord Mr. Owen. Luckily, she is fortunate to work with him at his bookshop and is tasked with delivering a mysterious chest of books to a folk healer, Ruan Kivell living in Cornwall, with her cat in tow. As she drops the books off she meets Kivell, as charming as he is unsettling to Ruby, but he leaves her with a definite impression.

Before her return to Exeter, she plans on a quick visit with former flame Tamsyn who now resides with her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth and their son at Penryth Hall. Unsure of what reception she will get since Ruby has not seen them since a drunk Ruby disgraced herself at their wedding. Tamsyn, vastly different from the friend she knew, is now a timid, obedient wife and a doting mother to her young son. Ruby is not sure what to think but while sitting at the dinner table she sees Sir Edward’s disdain she also notices faded bruises on her friend Tamsyn and the pieces begin to fit. She believes there is nothing she can do to help her friend and plans to leave first thing in the morning. That night in the guest room she is plagued by disturbing dreams, dreams of being strangled as she sleeps, when she startles awake, she sees a figure in white disappear into the darkness of the room. Confused and disturbed she goes to close her bedroom window to catch a glimpse of a lady in white make moving through the orchards outside. When woken by alarm bells Ruby, a former army nurse, rushes to help only when she stumbles across Edward’s dead body in the orchard. As a respected healer in the town Ruby’s path crosses with Ruan Kivell or as the locals call him “Pellar” when he arrives to attend to the body.

Penryth Hall, famous for its curse, has the locals pointing to it as the cause, along with Ruby the outsider who arrived just the night before. The odd and quirky partnership of Ruby and Ruan must find who or what killed Edward before Tamsyn and her son fall victim.

I really enjoyed this book, a well-written, cleverly plotted, atmospheric mystery that offers the reader a deliciously intriguing tale that will keep them reading to the wee hours of the morning. This was an incredible debut and I look forward to reading more from Jess Armstrong.

This one started out a strong four stars. Moody gothic setting. Spunky heroine. Murder with a twinge of the supernatural. Unfortunately, at the halfway point the story just somewhat stalled and the characters seemed to become a bit flat.

The ending hinted that this might be the first book of a series. It would be interesting to see where the author goes from here. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

No wonder this won a debut crime and mystery writing award!

It’s 1922. Ruby Vaughn is an American employed by an Octogenarian eccentric Exeter bookseller, Mr. Owen. She does odd tasks for him like delivering tomes to various customers.
She’s haring off to Lothlel Green near Tintagel, Cornwall (need I say more!) to deliver a trunk of books to Ruan Kivell, the Pellar (whatever that is!) Somehow the cat Mr, Owen’s cat Fiachna has managed her way into Ruby’s Crow Elkhart roadster.
Ruby is also calling in on her best friend and once lover, Lady Tamsyn Chenowyth at Penryth Hall, whom she’d fought with on the day Tamsyn had married Sir Edward Chenowyth. Tamsyn had sent a letter asking for Ruby’s help. Now, a year and a half since receiving the letter, and against her better judgement, Ruby decides to call in. After all she is passing by.
Ruby’s shocked by Tamsyn’s appearance, and the fading bruise on her cheekbone. She’s stunned when later, Tamsyn charges her to look after her son should anything happen to her.
What Ruby finds in Cornwall is death and dire circumstances, curses and superstitions, a healer cum witch who can read some of her thoughts, and ill feeling from the villagers.
We uncover much about Ruby as the story unfolds. She’s a reluctant heiress (her parents died when the boat they were on was sunk), she’s uncaring about her own mortality, she’s brave and adventurous, (an ambulance driver during WW1 on the front at Amiens), and she feels alone, except for the wise and welcoming Mr. Owen.
I relished Ruby, an unusual heroine who’s seen more than most.
I’m agog about what she will do next! I’m sure Ruan will be there somehow.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was such a fun read! A little fantastical/supernatural, a little budding romance, and best of all, a great mystery at the heart of it all! I very much look forward to following Ruby and Ruan and (hopefully 😉) watching their relationship grow, and see what other mishaps they fall into.

🖤 The Curse of Penryth Hall ARC Review 🖤

Thank you so much to Jess Armstrong, Minotaur Books and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a standalone historical mystery. Odd things are occurring at Penryth Hall and the lord of the house is dead. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, and everyone is convinced that the curse has returned. Ruby is determined to figure out what the curse is and the mystery of Penryth Hall.

This was a fun mystery read! I really enjoyed Ruby and her sassy attitude. She was vibrant and fun, while still being relatable. The world building was engaging and I enjoyed the bits of magical lore tossed in!

Overall this was a four star read for me! I enjoyed the characters, the world and the build up of the mystery. This book hinted at some romances, past and future, but had no on page spice so no rating will be given for smut

If you’re a fan of murder mysteries with curses, magical lore and fun characters, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please note: review will be posted on Amazon upon publication

I did not like this, not one bit.
I didn't really give a sh*t.
It was not fun, but now I'm done.
And off to have a comfort read.
Thank you (?) to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

I'm so sorry; I wanted to like this. I liked the concept enough. But I started reading and I was immediately confused. It didn't get better throughout the book either. I felt like I was jus dropped somewhere with no compass and asked to find my way out. I tried restarting and rereading multiple times, but this one was ultimately not for me.

I think this book had promise, but isn't quite there. The beginning was interesting enough, but once we got to the manor, the murder, and the curse, it felt very slow and less engaging than I'd expected, so I DNF'd at 25%. I wanted to feel the creepiness of the house and the starkness of the Cornish village, but instead I was just annoyed by the characters. There were also issues with the writing - information was doled out in little bits, which was confusing and frustrating, and left me with little sense of the characters' backstories and how they connected with the present day. With some editing and more to pull the reader into the story, it would have been more engaging for me. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy.

2.5⭐️, rounded up to 3⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is a bit mystery, a bit fantasy, and a lot of gothic vibes, which I love. Ruby Vaughn is a young American heiress living abroad in Exeter and working for an older gentleman who deals in the world of rare books. When her employer sends her on a mission to deliver a box of books to a pellar (or a folk healer) in Cornwall, Ruby pays a visit to an old friend of hers in the area. Soon after Ruby arrives at her friend’s home (Penryth Hall), her friend’s husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth, is found dead. The townspeople begin to mention that “the curse” came for Edward, and Ruby is thus swept up into the myth and mystery surrounding Sir Edward’s death.

I loved the plot of this book and all of the elements that went into it, from the gothic atmosphere to the country folklore. I feel like the background of the characters could have been better explored, however, to allow readers to feel a stronger sense of connection to them and a better understanding of them. Because of this lack of background and also the writing style, the characters felt flat to me. The pacing was also a little off for me, as the beginning moved really quickly and then things dragged until the end.

All in all, I primarily stuck with this because of a sense of duty and because I truly was curious about the mystery; I just wish it were more cohesive and compelling.

⚠️ CWs: death, murder, infidelity

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I'm having a lot of conflicting feelings about this book. well parts of it were very entertaining. I still found a lot of it just completely dragged. There were times when it just felt like it went on forever, especially at the beginning. It felt like I was making no progress getting through the book. The book certainly had its good moments as there were times when I was completely engrossed in the story and I even a few bits of laughter.

So what I liked about this book is that the mystery was solid and the characters were pretty decent. Where it goes downhill for me is when the characters just fell flat at random points in the story. It was like they temporarily un-developed to fit the scene and bounced back later.

Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, so if this is something that sounds interesting to you I would still recommend giving it a shot.

This book has wonderful reminders of a Victoria Holt or Mary Stewart gothic suspense. Rather than a quiet, shy protagonist however, Ruby is world weary and snarky as can be. She throws wonderfully degenerate parties (according to some) and loves her octogenarian landlord/employer. Her life turns upside down when he sends her to deliver a crate of books to mysterious, spooky Cornwall. I loved this novel and hope there's more coming!

While I wanted to enjoy Jess Armstrong's debut, I ended up "dnf'ing" The Curse of Penryth Hall at 70%. I couldn't find a connection to the characters and feel (after reflection) that atmospheric gothic tales are just not my thing. BUT IF YOU LIKE THAT YOU MAY LIKE THIS! The one thing that *almost* kept me listening was the audio, narrator by Emma Love. Emma's voice kept me immersed in the story and I could imagine myself walking in the fields.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Macmillan (Minotaur) for my alc/earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book kind of reminded me of Mexican Gothic, but with a post-WWI European setting. I enjoyed Ruby, our main heroine, and her inner monologue. She’d had a rough life and an interesting outlook. Penryth Hall and its cast of characters have an excellent spooky vibe on its cliff side local and I could definitely feel and picture the drafty, dark rooms and hallways. I had a hard time keeping all townspeople together and, while I didn’t see the twist coming, parts of it seemed too far-fetched. Overall, a good and interesting novel with some queer aspects.

Book Name: The Curse of Penryth Hall
Author: Jess Armstrong

ARC
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an ARC of The Curse of Penryth Hall

Stars: 1
Spice: 0

Standalone (hints of a series in the final chapter)
Slow Paced
Mystery with some Super Natural Elements
Not Quite an Alternate Magical Reality

Thoughts
- More 1920’s Nior than Gothic.
- Romance was an After Thought (Disappointing)
- Slow Moving
- Lost Interest
- Writing has a strange historical vibe maybe it's due to the setting 1920s
- This just wasn't a book for me. I love Gothics and this just didn't feel like a gothic to me.

The best way I can describe this book is “Not Quite” It is not quite gothic, its romance is not quite there, and its pacing and tensions are not quite there either… its just missing something….

Due to the Negative Nature of this review, I will not be posting it to Goodreads or retail sites with respect to the publisher and author.

Thanks to NetGalley and St, Martins Press for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

Had high hopes for this book, and unfortunately it did not live up to those hopes. There is a good plot, but characters are lacking in development and the longer I read the book the less and less I enjoyed it. This follows Ruby Vaughan, an American who now works at a small bookstore in England, She is/was an heiress who was sent to England due to "Indiscretions" in the states. She worked helping wounded soldiers in WW1 where she met and fell in love with another lady who eventually left here to get married to one of the patients. Whew, had that all come out early in the book it would make sense, but instead we get little snippets here and there, during the main body of the story, Ruby is sent to deliver books to a man who she finds out is a Preller - again it takes multiple chapters to figure out what a Preller really is, and even then I am not sure but he is some sort of mystic. the 7th son of the 7th son, and therefore allegedly has special powers. She finally visits her old female friend, along with her husband and infant child, and a gruesome murder occurs. Everyone blames it on the curse at the house. Ruby refuses to believe it and sets about trying to disprove that myth. The longer it went on, the less interested I was in the book. Disappointed, since the idea behind the book was good but it was not executed very well.

The experience of reading Curse of Penryth Hall is like drinking a wine that hasn’t fully completed the aging process. The core concept is good, and the mystery is solid. The characters are passable, but occasionally have to hold the idiot ball or become two dimensional in service of the plot. I have a lot of issues with the sentence craft of this book, and unfortunately, the good idea, solid mystery, and middling characters mean I can’t in good fait recommend this book,

I’ve had experiences like this before, and in my opinion the person first in line for the blame is the editor. The author has promise, but the correct response here is: “Congratulations on finishing your novel. It’s not ready for prime time, but I’d be interested in seeing your next one.” The sentences are just too rough. In places I found myself skimming because the poorly constructed sentences were repelling them as oil does to water.

The core idea of a haunted Welsh mansion where people start dying is a good one, but that is an idea that rests on vibes. I want to feel the wind off the moor on my neck, and smell the mist in the morning. Instead it felt like listening to a teenage girl tell you about her day at school. I also took issue with some inconsistent and unconvincing character choices. The main character Ruby, lives with a bookseller, who’s only personality traits are old and fatherly. It’s entirely unclear why he likes Ruby, who appears to be a selfish drunk (I do not understand why everyone thought she was charming. She reminded me most of a Frat bro.) I recommend giving this one a pass.

I received an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Disgraced American heiress Ruby Vaughn has made a new life in Exeter, England, as a bookseller. A delivery of sorcery books to the local folk-healer in Cornwall causes Ruby to cross paths with a beloved friend from the past, someone from whom she parted badly. The very next day, the friend’s husband is murdered and Ruby had a dream about it. The villagers are convinced it’s the long-ago curse placed on the lord of Penryth Hall but Ruby’s got her doubts. This may be the start of a fun (and maybe quite cozy) mystery series.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

The Curse of Penryth Hall
By Jess Armstrong

This is a murder mystery set in Cornwall in a small village steeped in superstition. In fact, it involves multiple murders as well as kidnapping and blackmail. And then there is the supernatural element in the person of Ruan Kivell, the Pellar or witch, as he is known in Pethlol.

While the story line is interesting enough, in the end there were several things about the book which were never really explained or resolved. Worse than that, for me, is that most of the characters were not believable or even likeable.

I don't know whether this is intended to be the first in a series, but it read like that.