I really liked this premise and wanted very much to enjoy this book, but it just didn't fully work for me.

The research is evident, and the narrative doesn't shy away from the deplorable state of mental health care (especially for women) at the time. As a peek into historical "madness" and how it was levied against women, it was a great book. The characters felt pretty well developed, the writing was pleasant to read and the prose creates a really great feeling of the time and place.

As a romance though it left me kind of cold. I did not really feel any chemistry between the two main characters. The doctor-patient relationship was well-handled, but I had a hard time getting into the semi-fast burn insta-love. The "mystery" was also somewhat weak and the resulting plot felt rushed at the end. While described as "gothic" I didn't really get that vibe.

While I enjoyed reading the book, and would like to see more from the author, I would have liked to see more done with the gothic mystery aspects.

As both a medical student going into psychiatry AND a humanities kid who took classes on the history of psychiatry, you best believe I was excited (tentatively) for this book. Did I have the underlying icky sensation of a doctor, in a position of power, being the male romantic interest? Yes. Definitely. And I do think our author went to great lengths to give our female character enough agency so that it felt like she was choosing to love this male lead and it was addressed head on, frequently, by him. Buuut, yeah, there's this inherent underlying tension.

Here's why I still fully enjoyed this novel. Part of me couldn't help it. It was clear that the author did her best to research the practices of asylums and the diagnoses that women received in this time period, and did a great job with portraying not only hysteria, but other "feminine maladies." The complication of Helen being identified as this nyphomaniac manipulative character really resonated with me, as she's learning about her identity outside of what she's labeled as and how she's treated.


I will say, the amount that Will thinks about his patient naked and has the hots for her immediately is a little bit off-putting. I would hope their initial encounter at his mother's house would be a little less lust-driven, especially if he's under the impression that she may die from hypothermia and/or be severely "mad." But otherwise, I did feel like their relationship progressed at a fair pace, with an appropriate amount of questioning and yearning.

It feels appropriate to describe this book as a Gothic setting, but it certainly was in no way a thriller or depressing, in my opinion. The latter half moves fast, and once we're there, it feels like I'm well on my way to a cute fluffy (and spicy!) ending - though I do wish Vaughn received more punishment for his crimes. And I certainly would've found a put-down of Sterling to be very satisfying.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book - there may be too much historical detail for some, but give it time at the start to build up our characters and our romance, and I promise this book will be worth the time! 5 stars for this book, truly unique amongst historical romances, and a 3 for spice and Helen's paroxysms!

I liked it. I liked that Will wasn’t your typical, handsome, debonair noble but that he was a humble doctor in both looks and personality, that truly wanted to help his patients. Of course Helen was beautiful, but she also was not your typical female main character that had many faults, but who wouldn’t after being locked in an asylum for ten years just because she was the offspring of a pious nobleman who had a reputation to maintain. The side characters were great…even the ones you hate. Although I am not a dog lover, I absolutely adored the relationship Helen develops with him as he becomes her protector.

There are some spicy scenes, but thank goodness not terribly graphic or lasting forever.

Thanks to Netgalley etc. for an eARC and allowing me to give an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I don't really have much to say besides how utterly surprised I was while reading. I was expecting this pompous romance, but it was not that at all.

This was a gothic romance that had such cool subplots like mental health, feminine hysteria in the XIX century, unfair treatment of patients, and more. I truly enjoyed it.

The part that I loved the most was all the feminine illnesses that were shown. My university thesis had the use of hysteria as a form of control of female bodies as one of its main topics, so I had all these emotions and ideas fresh in my mind. This is why, while reading this novel, I had moments where I got angry and frustrated because the world has been so unfair to so many women, just like Julia Bennet showed us in her book.

Also, this was quite a short and fast-paced book, for which I'm thankful because the length was perfect. I read it super fast, and it kept me entertained.

One thing that I would've loved the book to have was more about the other patients in the asylum; I wanted to know more about them.

Finally, this was a great book, full of great commentaries about female bodies and minds that I think are extremely valuable.

*I’d like to thank NetGalley and Julia Bennet for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Madness of Miss Grey” by Julia Bennet is the first book in the Harcastle Inheritance series, and tells the story of Helen Grey and Will Carter

Will Carter, a young doctor, arrives at an asylum in Yorkshire and promptly runs into Helen Grey as she tries to escape the institution. Unable to let the young woman freeze to death in the snow, he brings her to his mother’s cottage before escorting her back to the asylum. There he learns about Miss Grey’s apparent illnesses: hysteria, nymphomania and whatever her Doctor Sterling was able to rhyme together. Will is determined to help Miss Grey, not only for her sake, but also his career. Helen has her own plans for the young doctor, seducing him into helping her to escape. Ten years she has been locked up in the asylum by her benefactor who is unknown to her, ten years she has endured cruel abuse and misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis. She wants to leave before she truly loses her mind. But things don’t go as planned. While Will and Helen both try to execute their plans, they are confronted with a big secret and a burning desire between them.

“The Madness of Miss Grey” is a unique story with interesting characters, an impeccable setting in the countryside of Yorkshire and an undeniable tension.

Will and Helen are amazing main characters: nuanced, flawed but lovable. They are opposites to each other, but complement each other perfectly. Will is the starchy, rags-to-riches doctor with a heart of gold. After tragedy has riddled his life, he is sternly focused on his career when Helen falls in his lap and he gets confronted with all the feelings he had locked up for almost a decade. He tries his best to stay away, but Helen has plans of her own. As the illegitimate daughter of an actress, Helen was raised as a free spirit, changing costumes and lives, opening her arms to men whether there is a ring on her finger or not. But in the eyes of stoic Victorian England her doctors, her open minded approach to life and love is interpreted as madness and nymphomania, and therefore to be cast out. Helen is an unbelievably strong FMC who truly endures the worst thing imaginable, yet keeps her spirit and hopes up. You can’t even judge her for trying to use Will, everyone in her position would have done the same. I loved the high tension between those two, but the slow burn of their romance. It takes a while for them to realize the depth of their feelings for each other, but when they do it was the sweetest thing to read. Of course, I have to mention the side love story of Helen and Hector, Will’s dog which gave much lightness in this rather dark and angsty story. I absolutely loved it.
As mentioned the story of Helen and Will is quite high angst. Their relationship is forbidden: he's the doctor, she’s the patient. On top of that, someone is trying very hard to keep Helen hidden in the asylum. These forces even try to keep Will in line as an upcoming physician. The scene in which Helen is tortured by her nurse is quite hard on the heart.

But the entire darkness of the story perfectly encapsulated the themes of mental health, female sexuality and power. I think fans of “Flowers from the Storm” by Laura Kinsale will enjoy this novel!

I also very much enjoyed the setting of the old manor in the Yorkshire countryside. I can literally feel the cold and harshness of the surroundings drip from the paper onto myself. Truly amazing.

All in all a great Victorian romance with a twist of mystery. The darkness and angst might not be for everyone but it is for me. Helen and Will’s love story warmed my heart and I was saddened to let them go when I finished the last page. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of the re-released version of “The Madness of Miss Grey” by Julia Bennet. Even if it’s just for the gorgeous new cover!

I love historical fiction, especially romantic stories and this one was quite good. I enjoyed the glimpse into a period where women had few rights and could be institutionalized for the mildest of infractions at the whim of the men in their life. Characterization in this novel was excellent and the main male and female leads were multidimensional and experienced appropriate growth by the end of the book. There was a little repetitiveness in some chapters but the story did move along nicely. The love scenes were fairly tame in my opinion but there was a tiny bit of spice. The ending was satisfying as well. I would recommend this to anyone you enjoys historical romance reads.

This was set in a Victorian era. The main character is in an insulin asylum for almost 10 years and doesn’t know what it’s like to be free she ends up falling for one of the doctors who she thinks will help her escape. This wasn’t Gothic in my opinion I’ve heard a lot of Gothic books but it was historical romance. I did like it. Thank you to netgalley for giving me this book.

Set in a Victorian insane asylum for women, this was an original, dark and gothic romance. I really enjoyed this fast paced, well researched book. I loved both characters in this and their complicated love story.

This was an interesting tale. I didn't enjoy some parts and it would have been better if there weren't quite so many villains. For examaple, Dr Vaughn could have been avoided and had Dr Sterling or something

I did like the main characters and it was so refreshing to see a not so handsome main character for once...

3 Stars

Helen Gray has been held captive inside an asylum for ten years yet when a new doctor comes he might be her only chance at finally escaping... what she didn't expect was to fall for him. Helen Grey is the bastard daughter of a wealthy lord, she was raised by her actress mother and was on her way to becoming an actress herself... until her mother died and her "father" put her in an asylum stating that her "grief" mad her "unstable". Helen has been trapped here for 10 years, being abused by the staff and undergoing terrible treatments. She's tried seducing her way out, tried running, tried everything to escape, yet when she runs into a new doctor during her latest attempt she never expects him to want to help her without getting anything from her in return. William Carter is an honorable man, he's someone who wants to hep people with his whole heart and takes being a doctor seriously. When he meets Helen he is surprised by how she is being treated in the asylum, how everyone in the staff is determined to keep her imprisoned her despite her completely sane mind. Helen hopes to seduce Will to help her but finds that she is falling for him and he doesn't want to be seduced, he just wants to help her. Working together they must find a way to free her but things are not easy, especially when the staff is working against them and former doctors come back into Helen's life. This was definitely a historical/gothic story that was giving Eliza Graves (movie with Kate beckinsale) vibes. I did enjoy the romance and was scared for Helen throughout this book, she had to endure so much and honestly I can't fault her at all for doing whatever she could to escape. I loved how the romance was handled between Helen and Will, they both loved each other so much and I was happy with the ending that they both got. It's a sweet read and definitely would make a fun book to read during a cold day with a hot cup of tea!

*Thanks Netgalley and Julia Bennet for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Well, color me pleasantly surprised!
I requested this book from NetGalley because of the a) title b) promise of a gothic romance c ) pretty cover. Then once I was approved I realized this wasn’t a new book, but rather a new cover reveal. The original cover looks like something straight from the world of Fabio and I got nervous. That sort of romance isn’t really my thing and I prepared myself to read the word “quivering” over and over. I am happy to say that this book has more depth than expected and was an enjoyable read.

Helen Grey has been kept in a private asylum for a decade for lunacy - despite the fact that she is utterly sane. Any attempts to prove this have been written off as hysteria, manipulation, and indecent, not that it would even matter if anyone believed her. The head Doctor, Sterling, is willing to do anything to keep Helen under his control and keep the large sum her mysterious benefactor pays. He cares little for helping her and justifies cruel and isolating “treatments”. When a new doctor, Will Carter, comes to the asylum Helen sees a new opportunity to be released, either my seducing him or by making him see her sanity. However, once the identity of Helen’s benefactor is revealed there may be no chance of her ever truly being free.

Will I remember this book in a few months - eh, maybe not. Did I enjoy it while reading- definitely did. The characters aren’t super layered and some plot points are just ridiculous, but Helen is an exciting character and you’ll feel for her plight. It’s not as gothic as I expected and while it definitely has spice those scenes were an bit abrupt and therefore felt less effective at connecting the characters. Overall I liked it, I’d happily give 3.5 stars!

The Madness of Miss Grey is the perfect blend of darkness, suspense and romance centered around two beautifully flawed characters determined to save each other.

Helen Grey has been institutionalized at Blackwell for nearly half her life. She is beginning to forget what it means to be free. With only her cruel doctors and nurses as cold company, she begins to believe that “there are times when giving up feels like fighting.” That is until Dr Will Carter shows her that there are more ways to fight. They have both been hurt in the past, but that will not prevent their love from blossoming in the cruelest of places.

The book was moody and atmospheric in the best way. The plot was more than filler between romantic scenes. I was invested in the plight of Helen and Will’s attempts to rescue her. I look forward to reading more from Bennet in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d say less gothic and more traditional historical romance - no ghosts, madness not all that mad, etc. Perhaps not the most original idea, but the writing definitely kept my attention. I read it very quickly.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Madness of Miss Grey was a generally enjoyable read. I liked the premise and the light it shone on the abuses perpetrated in mental asylums in the past, such as locking up relatives declared 'mad' just to get them out the way. What didn't work quite so well for me was the romance element, which seemed more like lust on William's side and planned manipulation on Helen's. I found it hard to buy into the feelings between them as they seemed too sudden. There were sex scenes in this book too, but while some did help to advance the plot, others felt a little unnecessary. I enjoyed the appearance of Helen's half-brother and wished he had been more involved earlier in the story. Therefore, my overall opinion is that I liked the story idea but feel it would have benefited from being told over a long time-frame in order to gradually develop the romance and allow greater backstory for both the main and side characters. I am giving it 3.5 stars. It was still a quick, fun read; I just feel it had the potential to be more. Recommended if you like standalone historical romance reads with more sexual content and a feisty heroine.

DNF, I read 30% of this book and while it wasn't bad per se, I was bored by the repetitiveness of the same information in each chapter. Also, I'm not a fan of being told information about a chapter and not shown. The FMC is said to be insane but there isnt a clear picture of what specific incidents are supposed to have happened to back up these statements.

4.5 ⭐️

“Being in her company was like basking in the firelight on a cold winter’s day.”

We follow the story of Helen Grey, a 26 year old woman who has been committed to a mental hospital for all of her adult life. Since the death of her mother, Helen has been devoid of love and the most simplest forms of comfort and human connection until Dr Will Carter is appointed as her new doctor. Dr Carter slowly reveals the truth that Helen is not insane and she has been abused by the employees at the hospital. In the most dire of circumstances they find each other and love prevails.

I absolutely adored this book, I could not put it down. Even though Helen and Will come from different backgrounds and have led very different lives, they have one thing in common, they think they don’t deserve to be loved. With the years of abuse Helen faced it’s no wonder how little she thinks of herself but Will gives her hope that she can have a life outside of the hospital. I loved the forbidden romance element of the story you could feel the inner turmoil from Will trying not to break the oath he took to protect his patients.

The only issue I have with this book is that it was too short! I wanted more! I wanted more dialogue between Helen and Will, more quiet moments together and an epilogue with their happy ending! Overall it was one of the best books I’ve read this year and I’ll definitely continue with the series.

This ARC was kindly provided by NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author via NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Julia Bennet wrote an amazing love story between a strong-willed woman and sweet doctor. I loved the male main character, Will. I found him to be extremely lovable and easy to root for. I also appreciated his high morals and commitment to his duty as a doctor. While I enjoyed reading about him, I found the female main character, Helen, to be the star of the book. She is strong, intelligent, and kind. I especially liked how Bennet wrote her as a scheming actress who uses everything she has to better her situation. She is a great, multi-faceted character.
I have very few qualms with the book. My main one is I found the “spicy” scenes to be simultaneously unnecessary and not enough. I thought the book could have easily been fade to black/closed-door. On the other hand, if Bennet wants to write explicit scenes, they need more tension and passion.
My one note for potential readers is to be aware of the book’s contents. It is set at a poorly run and highly abusive mental asylum. There are descriptions of abuse inflicted by nurses. There is also quite a but of verbal abuse like slut-shaming thrown at the FMC. There is also nonconsensual kissing.
All in all, I found the plot and characters to be compelling and enjoyable to read. If the summary sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend! I would not recommend this book if you’re only looking for something spicy to read.

The historical aspects of the book were very interesting, especially in that it featured both the frightening and corrupt aspects of 19th century mental health care and also, through one of the protagonists who was a caring and ethical practitioner, showed the seeds of modern psychology. I also enjoyed the class aspects of the story, which were well presented; as well as the casual and horrifying sexism that plagued the time period. The romance, however, really dragged the story down and, ultimately, ruined it for me.

Okay, so check it out: there's this FMC, right? She's in this crazy asylum, and then this new doc comes in, supposed to just watch over her. But plot twist: he catches feelings for her. Cue the forbidden romance vibes, with a touch of gothic and historical flair. When I heard about this book, I was all in. Like, I needed that ARC ASAP, no joke. I was refreshing my emails like crazy, hoping for that acceptance. And when it finally came through? Let's just say my phone nearly took flight across the room. So yeah, the book delivered on all fronts, but it didn't quite hit me as hard as I expected. I'll spill the deets on why in a bit.

Ugh, the first half of this book was a total slog. I mean, seriously, it was all over the place—the pacing, the characters, you name it. I legit thought about giving up on it so many times, but I powered through (at the expense of my sanity, let's be real). Then, finally, I hit the halfway mark and things started looking up. The plot kicked into gear, and suddenly, I wasn't bored to tears anymore. Plus, the characters actually grew on me. That second half? Total game-changer. I just wish the whole book had that vibe from start to finish.

Helen, huh? She's... Helen. I mean, she didn't exactly blow me away, you know? Not that I hated her or anything, but I couldn't quite connect with her either. There were moments when she did stuff that just left me scratching my head, like, what were you thinking? And don't even get me started on how she treated William in the first half of the book... But then, she'd turn around and be this total badass, which was kinda cool. So yeah, let's just say she's... cool. Cool enough, I guess.

OMG, let me tell you about my baby, William! <3 He's seriously the sweetest, like a total cinnamon roll. Pure, innocent, and just downright adorable. You can't help but fall for him, seriously. He's the kind of guy who'd do anything for the woman he loves, and I am all in for it. Like, I am absolutely head over heels for this guy.

Honestly, I'm not buying it. Their love? Nah, didn't feel real at all. There was zero growth, no real emotions—it all just fell flat. The whole romance felt dragged out at the start, then rushed towards the end, like, where's the chemistry? While I can see William maybe having feelings for Helen, I'm not convinced she feels the same. I mean, she says she does, but her actions don't really match up, you know? So yeah, I'm not exactly swooning over Helen and William's love story. They're just two people chilling together with some insane sexual tension.

So, in the end, the book wasn't as bad as I expected when I first dove in. But it kinda stayed on the surface, you know? I was hoping for a bit more depth. Still, it was a decent read, and I had a good time with it.

Thank you NetGalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I found this book to be quite enjoyable as it was skillfully written and engaging. As a passionate fan of historical fiction and stories set in the Victorian era, this book met my expectations. While there were a few minor details that didn't fully captivate me, that is simply a matter of personal preference. In general, I found this to be a compelling story that I truly relished.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.