England in the 1920s was a place full of people recovering from loss and trying to rebuild their lives. Ruby Vaughn is such a person. Her family are gone and her beloved friend has "deserted" her to marry a minor lord in Cornwall.
Ruby has found a new start working for and living with an old rare book dealer in Exeter. Her new life suits her but she still struggles, drinking too much and partying. Then she is sent to Cornwall to deliver a box of books. She can't resist and stops to visit her beloved friend, Tamsyn. When Tamsyn's husband is killed the villagers say its an old curse come back and Tamsyn will be next. Ruby must stay and find the killer with the help of the local pellar (folk healer/witch).
There are gothic and mystical elements to the story. It kept me guessing until the end. I am hopeful that there will be another Ruby Vaughn book in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eGalley of this title.

Rebecca meets the Veronica Speedwell series in this moody gothic mystery. I enjoyed every minute and would like to meet these characters again if this becomes a series.

An intriguing mystery filled with interesting characters whom I hope we'll get to see more of in future books.
I read the book in two sittings because I was so drawn into the story. Armstrong does a fabulous job of conveying her main character's confusion and bewilderment at the events unfolding around and the beliefs and superstitions surrounding them. If a tale can be cozily spooky, then this one is.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook

This took me three weeks to read. I kept thinking about giving up but there was just enough happening each time to make me think that the pace would pick up and it would get exciting. It didn’t. I felt like the same thing happened repeatedly until the finale, Ruby investigates something, gets in trouble, Ruan saves her. Then the grand finale felt like it came out of the blue. Not for me unfortunately.

3.5/5 stars

This book was written so well. The vocabulary and descriptions were next level. It’s a perfect mix of gothic and mystery with murder, witches, curses, and a tiny bit of romance.

I rounded up to four stars, but my rating is 3.5 stars. There were several parts that dragged on and were slow to get through. I didn’t connect with any of the characters (this was probably intentional by the author). As far as content, this was a clean book other than some violence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to first thank Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Our main character Ruby is sent on errand, which during the course of this errand she drops in on an old friend. During the visit, a tradgedy strikes as that friend's husband is found dead. The people of the town believe that a curse is at fault. During Ruby's stay, she decides to investigate alongside a folk healer.

I found this book very difficult to get into. I had started it a hand full of times, gotten a few pages in, then a few chapters in, then half way, then finally on the fourth try I read the whole thing- restarting every time because for me, the main character was difficult to connect to. I found that the main character fell flat in many places. I think this could have been remedied if we had more of her back story from the start. I understand giving us bits and pieces to not infodump, however, I felt lost on why we should root for or connect with Ruby.

Outside of this, I loved the atmosphere of the book. The gothic undertones grasped my attention, and the folklore vibe was also interesting enough to keep me reading once I was committed to the book. The book was a good mix of mystery and fantasy, which are two genres that don't typically go hand in hand, but for this book it worked out well and I would love to see how that genre mesh develops in the future.

Overall, I'd give this book a 3.5 star rating (rounding down here on Netgalley, but I will be rounding up on Goodreads).

I loved this book. I've always been a fan of gothic mysteries, particularly those with supernatural aspects. This book is set soon after the first World War.

Ruby Vaughn is an unusual heroine, who has not led a sheltered life. She had volunteered during the war, and has as much spiritual and emotional damage as the men who fought with guns and bayonets. She is not a virginal heroine; she has had lovers, both male and female. The war taught her that life was too short for waiting. She runs the bookstore owned by her 80-something year old employer and roommate.

Her best friend and lover had married a few years earlier, which had devastated Ruby. Tamsyn had written to Ruby a few months earlier, asking her to come see her. Ruby did not reply, but now her employer and roommate was asking her to take a box of books to the very town where Tamsyn lived with her husband and son at Penryth Hall.

The books were to be delivered to a man who was called the Pellar, part mystic and part physician to the people of the village. She agrees to stay at Penryth Hall overnight, and something unforeseen happens: Tamryn's unpleasant husband is found dead, and it is not a natural death. This nixes Ruby's plan to leave the next day - the authorities have requested all in the household to stay until they can be interviewed.

The Pellar to me was the most interesting character in the book, and I am very curious to read the next books in this series. I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher St. Martin's books/Minotaur via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Disgraced American heiress Ruby Vaughn lives in Devon, and works for an antiquarian bookseller, Mr. Owen. He's charming, and likes the youthful energy she brings to his business and his home (she lives in his large house, which doubles as his library/warehouse. Ruby also drinks to excess each night, in an effort to forget her bad dreams and grief.

Mr. Owen sends her back to the town where a former friend lives to make a large delivery of books to Ruan Kivell, a Pellar (healer+witch) that he knows. Ruby arrives, delivers the books, and despiteher misgivings, calls on an old friend, Tamsyn, whom Ruby had been ignoring for the last couple of years after Tamsyn married.

Ruby is reacquainted with Tamsyn's nasty husband, and the next morning awakens to news that Sir Edward is dead. Ruan, in his role as Pellar, is called in, along with the police. Ruby discovers that there is a curse known to follow Sir Edward's family, and the locals need the Pellar to inform them if the death was the result of this. Ruby scoffs, but this is serious to the locals, and Ruan takes his supernatural and healing abilities seriously.

Very quickly, Ruby decides that if people are going to rely on the supernatural, then she will investigate for hard evidence, so that the police don't look at Tamsyn as the prime suspect in her husband's murder.

Ruby is soon questioning townspeople, which turns violent for Ruby, as, being a stranger, it's easy to direct their anger and fear at her. Undeterred, and developing an odd and unsettling ability when in proximity to Ruan, Ruby presses on, uncovering old secrets and abuses, and eventually, the identity of the killer.


Ruby is generous to a fault, grieving, and unwilling to confront her feelings about her family, and why she is so angry that Tamsyn would choose to marry even though Ruby thoughtthey would spend the rest of their lives together. It's obvious to the reader what's going on, but Ruby prefers drowning herself in alcohol to acknowledging her feelings.

I liked how the author kept us intrigued by the connection between Ruan and Ruby. It's never explained, and even Ruan is unwilling to try to define it. This supernatural aspect of the story is subtle and minor enough that nothing is automatically solved by its existence, which I appreciated.

I liked the overall feel of the novel, from its overt, gothic setting, Ruby's messy and unrequited feelings, family curses, and the area's history of witchcraft. It makes for an enjoyable read with a likeable protagonist. And the way the author left a few things open at the end makes me wonder if we might see Ruby again, on another adventure. I'd read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Love a good Gothic. This harkens back to the favorites of Mary Stewart and Barbara Michaels. Very much enjoyed.

A Gothic mystery set in the 20s, The Curse of Penryth Hall is an atmospheric story set in the Cornish countryside. When Ruby visits her friend Tamsyn at her secluded estate, Tamsyn's husband is found dead and the town believes it is a family curse that killed him. Ruby and the town Pellar, Ruan, form a good partnership as they work together to figure out what really happened. The story has several twists and I did not see the ending coming. There is a lot about Ruby and her past that we still do not know. The author may have held back some of the information about her intentionally, but I was left wanting to know more about Ruby.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I was sold on the gothic nature of this book and wasn't disappointed in that manner. It was a quick moving narrative that kept my interest. I wasn't sold on all the characters - some were a bit on the unbelievable side, but on a minor scale - like dialogue quirks or motivations, and in other small ways. That said, I was glad I had the opportunity to read it and would read more from this author.

A little slow in places and a little hard to follow, hopefully final edits will provide plot point clarity and syntax; it got a little clunky.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Really loved this book, and I am hoping this becomes a series. I would gladly delve back into this world. It isn't often that I find such an atmospheric book that I can truly escape into and feel as if I was there.
I loved Ruby so much, she is very willful and it is wonderful to see bi representation. Mr. Owen seems to be a bit of a trickster, and I love that she has found family even if it came about from really awful circumstances.
I cannot help but swoon over Ruan. I would love to know more about him, but maybe part of the charm is the mystery.
I am happy to report that I didn't have it all figured out before the unveiling of the mystery. It was a bit complicated, but it all made sense in the end and I was pretty surprised by the outcome.

I started Jess Armstrong's The Curse of Penryth Hall with a bit of trepidation. "Uh oh," I thought, "this is looking perilously close to Mexican Gothic, but in England." As in Moreno-Garcia's novel, an heiress goes to a secluded estate to see a friend who married an old-money a-hole and wrote a cryptic letter about making a mistake. Fortunately, Armstrong takes this gothic opening and makes it her own. Ruby Vaughn, the novel's protagonist, is very similar to Moreno-Garcia's Noemi - wealthy, stubborn, confrontational - but when the stories diverge, so do they.

Very shortly after arriving at Penryth Hall, Ruby notices something is wrong with her friend Tamsyn. Before she can really ask what's going on, Tamsyn's husband is found dead. The town and the Pellar, the handsome and enigmatic Ruan, worry the curse is back. As more and more mysterious and deadly events occur, Ruby works with Ruan to keep the town safe.

The novel is fun and fast-paced (if my 1-day read time is anything to judge by) toying with gothic conventions. The Curse of Penryth Hall is set int he 1920s, so Armstrong has also positioned herself to work inside that Golden Age of Detective Fiction in sequels that I feel confident must be coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Ruby Vaughn is a heroine to root for, and I enjoyed the way she got herself into one predicament after another. The story is rich with gothic atmosphere, and the mystery surrounding her friend Tamsyn is compelling.

I enjoyed Ruby very much as the main character, she was smart, capable, and flawed. loved the relationship between Ruby and Mr. Owen most of all and enjoyed the way Ruby interacted with most of the other minor characters. The story moved along well but at times I felt like there was something obvious happening in front of my face that I couldn't quite figure out. It was an intriguing story and at times I felt we had a twist to only twist again to then take another twist and I couldn't quite remember where we had started or where we had ended up.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is the perfect blend of historical fiction and folklore. Lush descriptions of the Cornish countryside bring images of King Arthur, Pride and Prejudice, and Outlander - I was instantly transported. I lived for the banter between Ruby and Ruan. Their unwitting partnership was by far my favorite part.

I used to play those Nancy Drew computer games as child/teenager by Her Interactive (let’s be honest…I still play them) and the atmosphere and story reminded me so much of Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor. I loved seeing the parallels between two plots. This story had the perfect gothic atmosphere and the twists and turns kept me furiously turning the pages. The ending was so unexpected and so perfect. While the story wraps up, the ending leaves room for a sequel. I really hope we get more Ruby and Ruan!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC!!

This book was so enjoyable, I read it one sitting!!

Thanks to NetGalley for complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book and quickly found myself confused. The man in character alluded to past scandals but didn’t elaborate. She talked about having a past, internet friendship with Tamsyn but didn’t elaborate. She mentioned a connection to the area around Penryth Hall but didn’t elaborate. She has strong feeling about Tamsyn’s husband but - your guessed it - she didn’t elaborate.

I found the missing exposition so aggravating that I set the book aside. Perhaps I’ll try again another time.

A brilliant historical whodunnit!
Ruby is a free spirited heiress who lives on gin and good times. An evening spent with an old friend in a small Cornish village takes a horrific turn when the friends husband is found murdered. Ruby becomes detective to prove he was killed by a human and not by the family curse. Alongside the Pellar, Ruby finds herself fighting for her own survival and digging deep into her past and psyche to find the answers.
I would love to be like Ruby, stubborn and independent, funny and a good friend. There are twists galore and you never know who is going to turn up hurt or worse. The way it ended, suggests another book in the series. Looking forward to reading that one.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.