This book was nothing like I expected. It was much further back in time for diction than I thought it would be. I was super excited for the plot of doctor and patient, but it fell short. The vocabulary made it hard to connect or feel anything for these characters. Overall I was just bored, and let down. Although I could blame that on the expectations I set.

Mental health is the Victorian era has always fascinated me! I had to read this one.

Miss Grey has been institutionalized for ten years! What’s her diagnosis? Well no one is really sure but until a new doctor comes and questions everything about her case.

Basically she has been held against her will and has been abused by medical professionals all these years. She has tried to seduce other doctors to fight her way out. Should she try this strategy with the new doctor? Is there any other way out?

I enjoyed this one. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity to read it as an ARC.

This was fun! It felt like a classic Victorian-era novel with a fun modern perspective. The language could be a little boring and monotonous at times, I feel like that's typical of these types of books. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

I was really excited about this book and the idea of a Dr/patient romance mainly because you really have to do it right for it to work. Unfortunately this book just fell flat in plot. I was honestly pretty bored most of the time and I'd find myself looking for things to do around the house instead of read.
The characters did't feel very significant in any way and nothing really drew me to them. I would have liked Will and Helen to have been more curious about each other.
While I did enjoy the writing style, I did get confused about who was speaking and who was who. I kept finding myself curious as to how a lot of the characters looked and looking up terms that were used only to find definitions that were just more confusing but I'm chalking that up to my knowledge of the medical/mental field.
By the end, I felt there were a lot of loose ends (Her father & Fletcher?) and was rather surprised to realize I was at the end of the book.

A quick read of a gothic romance. Miss Grey has been wrongfully committed to an asylum for 10 years. She finds a means to escape through the rugged Dr. Carter if only she can convince him she’s worth risking his lively hood to help her.

Loved the plot line and couldn’t help turning the next page. I’m surprised to see that it’s the first of a series. Curious to see what character the next novel will focus on.

The Madness of Miss Grey - (Harcastle Inheritance Gothic Romance Book 1) by Julia Bennet is a rambunctious romp that I really was not expecting with the dark edge I was expecting from a Gothic Romance. Julia Bennet writes in the style of the old gothic horrors, the penny dreadfuls and the level of research that has gone into this book makes for a very strong backdrop to the storyline

Incredibly spicy for the time but not implausible and it certainly gives a powerful line for the narrative

Helen Gray has been committed to an asylum for nigh on a decade and she is plotting her escape. The dashing Dr Carter seems just the right vehicle to enable her escape, but his morals are a seemingly insurmountable barrier, or are they? However, where morals may be diverted, a mysterious benefactor may not and this is where our story takes an ever so quirky turn

A fun read and certainly not what I was expecting! A wonderfully well researched, genre crossing and hopping tale.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author Julia Bennet for this ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I absolutely loved the setting - it was dark and atmospheric and such a pleasure to experience in this quickly paced book! And as a bonus, I love a manipulative woman. Unfortunately, I didn't love the relationship between the FMC and MMC - which tragically is the most important part of a romance novel. It was fun overall, but I occasionally found the treatment of the MMC to be grating.

this title felt so fast paced and absolutely insane that i binged it all in one sitting! i don’t even have words! i think it’s absolute perfection and i will be recommending this to everyone in my life! can i give it 100 stars?

This was a quick, steamy historical romance. I was gifted a copy of this book through NetGalley, but my review is honest.

I really enjoyed this book!
1. Would I read a book by this author again: Absolutely! I really liked this read and I was very quick.
2. What is something I loved: The setting was very moody and ominous.
3. What is something I didn't love: How frequently all the characters discuss Will Carter's appearance (as ugly) without actually describing the things about him that they view as ugly.
4. What is a quote from the book I loved: "It's hard enough for us women to guard our own virtue. Why must you men insist on making us the guardians of yours as well?"
5. Is this couple still together after the book ends: If they are, I suspect it is out of duty for one another and not because they are still in love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Madness of Miss Grey coming out April 9, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m just now getting into Julia Bennet’s books. I enjoyed another book of hers. I thought the plot to this was really interesting. Asylums are always an interesting setting. There are so many dark and gothic things about them. I loved the first half of the book. I thinking there would be more of a twist in the second half, but it didn’t quite come. The patient-doctor relationship isn’t my favorite. The power dynamic was pretty uneven. I thought there would be something to make them more on an even playing field, but it didn’t quite seem like it to me. I really enjoyed the book, but I think I would’ve loved it more if a couple things had been different.

Oh did I want to like this book so much more than I did. The history lover in me wanted to see how the treatment of "mental illness" for women in the 1800s was approached through the lens of a love story, of perhaps a doctor who saw the humanity in the women he wanted to help. Instead, I got a manipulative woman, a man with the smallest hint of a backbone, and so many side characters that the simple straight forward plot was muddled.

TELL ME WHY THIS DEVOURED. this had all my favorite elements; dark, gothic, and victorian romance that was executed FLAWLESSLY. i can’t wait to read the second one!!!

2⭐️

Tropes:
age gap
instant connection
forced proximity
he falls first
marriage of convenience

things i liked:
* interesting plot! readers follow the story of a falsely institutionalized woman who is constantly misdiagnosed and mistreated by her scheming physicians in order to implore her mysterious benefactor to extend her stay thus ensuring his generous checks to the asylum will continue making their appearance. a new doctor joins the team, notices things are amiss and finds himself on a rescue mission to free this woman from her 10 year long imprisonment
* positive sex rep! the fmc has been diagnosed by her physicians as a nymphomaniac (ahem, sex addict) but really, the girl just enjoys sexual pleasure. oftentimes in romances, we see more lustful narratives from the guy’s pov but women are just as capable of having those same inner (and verbal) monologues. not every woman is shy and simpering when it comes to sex and it was nice to meet a character who embraced her sensuality.

things i wished for:
* consistent voice :( every paragraph had multiple changes and it felt really overwhelming to keep up with who was feeling/saying what.
* poor chemistry building. i think this couple’s chemistry was tremendously better than the one in “The Most Dangerous Woman in London” but between the awkward/choppy dialogue and a seemingly genuine lack of interest from the fmc, the romance felt unconvincing.
* the marriage of convenience was necessary for the plot but i found it a bit problematic that they remained together. when helen wasn’t challenging the quality of will’s sex life with his deceased wife, she was straight up antagonizing him for his looks? girl…

it would have been nice to see helen flourish in her birthright with the help of the family she found and for will to step into this great beginning with a newfound sense of self worth. i did enjoy the plot of The Madness of Miss Grey significantly more than the first book i read by this author so i’d honestly still pick up another title by her!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the free advanced copy!

Helen Grey spends ten years of her life imprisoned in in an asylum. I feel like that's enough to make anyone crazy.

Helen Gray is an outstanding character. I really enjoyed getting to see inside her head to understand the motive behind the decisioned she made. She would truly do anything to get out of the asylum, and I can't say I blame her. I would have loved to have heard more about her past as I feel that it would have established her character a bit more. I loved the glimpses into the past that we did get.

I would have also liked to see some more character development for Will Carter as well. I love that he isn't portrayed as someone who is conventionally attractive; that's so refreshing to read. It seems that every character I encounter is tall, dark, and handsome.

The chemistry that builds between Helen and Will is undeniable. I loved being able to see the wall of professionalism that Will worked so hard build come crumbling down during his interactions with Helen.

I have always been a lover of romances, and this period romance really scratched that itch for me. I loved the writing style. I would recommend this to any lover of period romances! I can't wait to read more from this author.

I want to extend a huge thank you to Julia Bennet, Xpresso Book Tours, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

The Madness of Miss Grey gives a vibe of a mini series that you’d watch on PBS or BBC. It’s entertaining, but not overwhelming in any way. It is a bit suspenseful towards the end. It’s a nice period cozy read, with mystery and romance.

This book was lists of fun! As someone who loves unique writing and storylines this book gave me everything I wanted! I cannot wait to pick up a physical copy of this book to add to my trophy shelf! I really enjoyed this take on a historical romance. The only reason this is not a 5 star for me was because it did get slow in a few places and I wanted to see if MMC consider/build his feelings a bit more, but other than that i loved it!

A mix of romance and a treatise on mental health in England.

Miss Grey has been institutionalized for 10 years...but is she really mad/looney? Dr. Carter comes to Blackwell hoping to learn from the esteemed doctor who works there, but soon discovers that private practice has it's issues.

Dr. Carter connects with Miss Grey and determines to protect her...but is it worth it?

This was not bad. It had some dry points and the characters weren't the most delightful. Miss Grey was hard to love when you are second guessing her motives the whole time. I did like Dr. Carter but sometimes found him bland. The last 15% of the book or so was the best IMO.

This is a "reprint" with new cover. The ebook also had formatting issues

This was a really interesting premise for a historical romance and unique from really anything else I've read. The writing and characters sucked me in immediately with just the right amount of angst and tension throughout. You could also tell that it was really thoroughly researched. While I did enjoy the romance in the book, it maybe felt like they fell a little too quickly? Will also immediately was obsessed and really cared about Helen, I think I would have liked if he fought his feelings or took a little longer to really be all in. But I did love that Will wasn't the typical really good looking, alpha hero, he was really refreshing and had a lot of depth. Helen was also a great character, I liked her strength and vulnerability. Would definitely recommend and read from this author again!

This book is so unique!
I was drawn to the asylum setting and the plot of escaping it. It sounded exciting and dramatic. Plus this, unfortunately, was something that happened to people so that had it going for it as well.
I’m happy to say that the setting and plot lived up to my expectations. I was intrigued from the start and continued to be until the end. The descriptions were creepy and detailed. Felt very realistic.
I enjoyed the romance too. There could be a power dynamic that would make it uncomfortable but the author masterfully avoided that. I actually found the romance to be sweet and romantic.
A great historical romance read!

3.5

This is an enjoyable historical romance with an interesting premise! Helen Grey is a patient in an asylum that she has been in for ten years. Does she really deserve to be there? How can she get out? Helen intends to seduce her way out and what better way than the new doctor, Will Carter. Helen is described often as beautiful and Dr. Carter is considered very plan if not "unhandsome". Quite an unlikely pairing. What starts as a means to an ends soon becomes endgame but they must first face obstacles like the jerk of a head doctor and the mysterious benefactor who has placed Helen in the asylum in the first place. Julia Bennet does a great job of setting the scene and keeping the reader immersed in the world. She makes the characters very real and flawed in their own ways which makes it that much more satisfying to see the way the story unfolds.

Check it out if you like historical romance!