If someone is looking for witchy vibes this would definitely be a good choice to pick up.

Our main character, Zo, lives a hard life working multiple jobs just to make ends meet and on top of everything she is dealing with, she is caring for her mother who has several forms of cancer that aren’t able to be cured.
After a house fire that claims her mothers life she is called by a lawyer who claims she is a relative to someone who has recently passed and is left not only a mansion but a fortune of money and assets. With nothing left for her where she lives she decides to follow up on the mysterious call and find out not only what she inherited but how she has a distant relative she’s never heard of. As she uncovers more about her inheritance she also will unearth her powers and why she never knew she was born a witch.

Overall this is a tough book to rate for me. The places it bode well for me was I did enjoy the ending (even if predictable) but it makes me really wish I could just open up the second book right away. I also felt that the descriptions of some of the places Zo visits were detailed in such a way I could visualize it exactly as it should be.

Many parts just fell flat for me though. I felt the writing itself could have been polished more. The characters themselves need way more detail. I think had this been the type of book to have pictures it would have been better to have pictures commissioned of the places (ex. The mansion or the clubs) and use that space instead for character development.

The book didn’t start picking up until about the 50-60 percent mark. It made it really hard to get into. Getting that far into the book, to basically have just slightly more info than the back of the book could give wasn’t a great feeling. And then to be left on a cliffhanger made it feel like this trilogy could have been one really good bigger book. Some places are really wordy and three books definitely could’ve been just one book and then maybe some novellas or books that focus the other characters POV.

The character herself wasn’t super lovable for me. And adding in the vocab not many people would know was jarring (we don’t learn why until pretty late in the book but still). The way words were placed and used just seemed forced.

My biggest irk would be on top of it all we get random dialogue from future Zo, as in everything we are reading already happened. To me it means that the issues we face don’t feel as real because we know she will make it out the other side alive and alright.

I do think books two and three will be better. And I would definitely read them. Overall I’m just left unsatisfied with book one but I do love the trajectory we are headed and what secrets Zo will uncover next.

(There is lots of talk about lust and sex in the book but the “sex scenes” aren’t very detailed or steamy. It’s a .5/5 spice level).

(Lastly one thing that still really bothers me is female empowerment is woven through the book- amazing! - so why then do we tear down two random girls just going about their day at the beginning of the book? This stuck with me and is still eating at me).

Characters: 2/5 stars
Plot: 2/5 stars
Writing: 2/5 stars
Overall: 3/5 stars

I’ve read many books by Karen Marie Moning and I don’t think its possible for her to write a bad book, or for me to give her one. Lol The woman can world build like no one’s business and she writes in a way that always makes the readers want more. She takes a strong FMC and evolves them into something so much more and I will always seek out her books.
I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. I like the trope of an average joe (jill) having the unknown relative & inheriting something, plus I like the trope of finding magic power/coming into magic power, especially if it had been hidden...so yay for both. I did not realize it was part of a series, so I was deeply bummed at the end cliffhanger. I had tons of questions. I hope the mfc gets plenty more answers as well, and hopefully mends her friendship with Este. I also hope the person who was severely injured at the end is not truly down for the count. Alisdair talking throughout was weird to me because we never really "met" him (is he Rufus the owl, or maybe the stag?)/figured how he fit in with the bigger picture. I think the phone conversations were odd too. I realize that's likely intentional now since there is more than one book. I see it's supposed to be a trilogy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC opportunity. I was excited to read a new story from KMM!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay my gothic/witchy/mystery/haunted house readers…this one released October 1st and is for YOU.

Zo Gray and her mother have been on the run her whole life, that she can remember. At 24, the last decade of Zo’s life has been filled with working multiple jobs and racking up debt over her mother’s medical bills. When her mother passed away in a tragic house fire, Zo feels lost.
Not long after the fire, she is contacted about a distant relative who has left her their estate. She travels from Indiana to New Orleans to meet with the attorney over the details and hopefully learn about this relative she never knew existed.
As she arrives in this seemingly hidden town, she feels weird things happening but can’t explain them. And the stipulations over this estate? Absolutely weird. She must reside in The House on Watch Hill for three years to receive the $147m inheritance as well as the mansion. And when I say mansion, I mean gothic, spooky, and living. By live there, she’s not allowed to spend more than one month of nights away from the estate per year, and she’s allowed one overnight visitor twice a month for 48 hours.
Zo takes the deal, because she has nothing to lose anymore. But the longer she resides and explores the mansion, the more she questions her heritage, who she really is, whether her mother knew about this, and what they spent her whole life running from.
And the men she finds herself surrounded and protected by? Grab an ice pack, ladies.
And that cliffhanger?? Book one hasn’t even released yet and I NEED book two…

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
As a fantasy reader, I’m accustomed to the first in the series setting the world. I feel like the author did well with this. However, I dove into this for the gothic, haunted house and wish there were more thrilling revelations from the house included with the gothic descriptions. I am hoping more takes place in book two.

I wish that Balfour and Este would have done more to help Zo discover herself. Once her powers were revealed, her mistakes should have been approached rather than covered up so they could help her on the path of the light. I feel confident we will learn more about what her mother was hiding her from in book two.

As far as the ending, I did find myself suspecting the “who” in the cliffhanger as events unfolded, but I’m still excited for where this leads.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishing, and Karen Marie Moning for this ARC and the opportunity to provide a voluntary review.

I really enjoyed the world building but this is the first in what is going to be a trilogy so it’s slow going and definitely leaves you with more questions than answers. You get excerpts from future Zo which eludes to things that haven’t happened yet that are bad but we don’t actually get to in this. I like how she starts discovering her powers and that her mom hid a bunch of secrets about who they were. So I am intrigued about what will happen next and can’t wait for book 2.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Holy S@&$ KMM can write. And she writes a beautiful, atmospheric, novel with a strong FMC at the center. Karen can take all my money as I will forever be a fan and forever thankful to the friend that introduced me to her books. That ending though… I’m gonna need the second book real quick.

Brand new series by the wonderful Karen Marie Moning!!! Loved The Fever series by KMM and could not wait to get my hands on this new series by her!!!
Zo Grey has always been struggling working 3 jobs and trying to take care of her mother who’s dying of cancer. Yet she has always felt like she was missing something. That something is she’s the sole heir to a huge gothic mansion and a fortune. However, there are stipulations to receive this fortune, she must live in the house by herself for 3 years.
I really enjoyed this book, it did start off slow and the details at times seemed to be a little much, but loved the story of witches light, dark and grey. This book does leave on a cliffhanger and I’m dying to know what happens to Zo in the rest of the series!!!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley. I’ve been a fan of Karen Marie Moning for nearly 20 years, from her time-traveling Highlanders to the Fever series, so I was beyond excited to dive into her new series with The House at Watch Hill. This book brings a more mature, refined writing style that fans of the Fever series will appreciate. KMM is a master at giving us so much while keeping just enough hidden to leave us craving more.

One of the things I loved most was how the narrator constantly brings in reality checks when her younger self does something oh so dumb—haven’t we all reflected on our past selves like that? The gothic horror setting is pitch-perfect, making The House at Watch Hill feel like a character in its own right.

The story weaves together classic elements: an orphan stumbling into a wealthy birthright, a spooky house, magic, and dark, mysterious men. It all comes together in a way that’s both captivating and thrilling. Starting this series was so much fun, and I can’t wait to see where KMM takes us next!

The House At Watch Hill is a promising start to a new trilogy and introduces the dark, mysterious new world of Divinity, Louisiana.

Top notch southern gothic atmosphere, witchy elements, a multi layered plot, and a strong sense of anticipation for where the story will go once it fully gains momentum had me finishing this book in less than 24 hours. This is very much a world building book, which I wasn't expecting. Once I mentally adjusted my expectations and settled in to begin gathering the hints and clues for what will be a multi book story, I enjoyed my time in Divinity. 

A few things held me back from giving a higher rating. Some sections felt repetitive, too drawn out, and the overall pacing lagged as a result. Zo was a frustrating character.  She often had me rolling my eyes and desperate to see some character growth and maturity. Admittedly, I can see my opinions changing for the better once I read all books in the series and see a complete picture instead of just a few pieces.

I'd have loved more story progression and answers than we're given, but this is clearly only part 1 of a much larger story and the beginning of Zo's journey. The world has been introduced, and the stage is set. I suspect everyone and trust nobody, which I suspect is exactly where the author wants us to be. I can't wait to see where book 2 takes us!

Inheriting a mansion might sound like a dream come true, but there is something different about this house!

After her mother’s death, Zo Grey finds herself adrift, with no family, no home, and no hope. A call from a lawyer in changes everything when she learns that she’s the heir to a fortune and a mansion!

The catch? She must live in the house, alone, for three years before she can claim her inheritance.

She quickly discovers that the mansion is more than just an old house. It’s filled with secrets, strange happenings, and a connection to Zo’s past that she never could have imagined.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint! The author’s previous series was a favorite of mine, so I had high expectations going in, and I’m thrilled to say this story delivered on all fronts.

The plot was gripping, with just the right amount of creepy, Gothic vibes that kept me turning the pages! It was a perfect fall read!

If you’re a fan of Gothic fiction, this book is a must-read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Williams Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but the writing wasn’t doing it for me and the FMC was irritating and immature despite her circumstances. I DNFd this book

*3.5 STARS*

Content Warning: death, violence, death of parent, illness

I was obsessed with Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series so I was very curious to see what this new series would be about. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

*I really enjoyed the world building especially because it’s centered around a town and a monstrosity of a house. There is a lot of mystery about the town and the house itself. It’s dark and fits the vibe of something bad coming. I like the paranormal themes of the story and we have witches and vampires and who knows what else as the series continues. I usually find mysteries slow but I was mostly engrossed in this one.

*Zo is a fighter. Her mom just died and it’s turned her world upside down. She’s now supposedly the heir to a fortune, but that’s not all. There are conditions of her inheritance and she finds out there’s is more to the town than what is presented. We learn a lot about her upbringing by her stories of struggle and I don’t necessarily feel like I know a lot about her to like her, but I admire her strength in taking care of her mom. She’s a woman who has learned not to make connections with people, because she never had a chance to do so.

*There are a a lot players in this story and I can’t say I have a good grasp on any of them yet. But many of them are intriguing. Este, seems like Zo’s only friend. The rest of the cast is untrustworthy at this point of the story.

Dislikes:

*Nothing much happens in this book except it’s building the story for whatever is coming. I didn’t mind that so much until the second half of the book when I wanted Zo to stop wallowing in her thoughts so much. But there are conditions to her will and she has a lot of waiting to do – that makes us wait as an audience too. When Zo sleeps with men, we don’t get any real details, it’s more telling than showing and I hope that changes in book two.

*I thought with how the beginning was written that the house was sentient and it would have been cool if it was! But it’s not (at least so far), it’s got weird energy though, that’s for sure, and I have to say there is a lot of detail about the house which I thought was nice. I love the darkness of the atmosphere but yeah, a sentient house would have been very interesting.


My Thoughts:

This book has the best vibes for fall reading and that’s actually what kept me reading. It’s dark, mysterious, and there are plenty of secrets and also so many sexy men. But I feel like not much happened in this book except for laying the groundwork for what’s to come. I feel like Zo is strong which is admirable but she was also about to hurt the one person she has on her side. So clearly she needs help and control and it will be interesting to see who she can actually trust going forward. So I’ll be waiting for book two and hope we get so much more out of this story because it has so much potential to be amazing. I have lots of questions so I hope we get answers in the next book.

"𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙕𝙤 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧."

We were 𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖 to receive this ARC from NetGalley! We are the biggest KMM fans and could not wait to dive into this new world of hers. This review will be as spoiler free as we can make it!

When we first meet Zo, she's at the lowest point in her life. She works tirelessly just to have medicine, food, and shelter for her and her ill mother. Then the absolute worst thing imaginable happens and suddenly, literally 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, she inherits this large estate. How...𝙘𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡. She was homeless, with no money, nothing she could call hers. And out of the blue, a long lost relative passes away and leaves her not only a house, not only a fortune, but something much bigger than she could have ever imagined.

"....𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙨𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚. 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚. 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚."

The sheer scale of this house, and even the grounds, are nearly impossible to imagine. If KMM has taught us anything in the past, it is that nothing is ever 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 as it seems. 𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲. It has secrets that Zo is determined to figure out, whether it wants her to or not.

We want to say so many spoilery thoughts about certain characters, but we will leave you to make your own decisions about them.

This book was a little spooky, a little gothic, and a lot witchy. It has KMM's signature style and intelligence, along with the strategic evasiveness we have come to love from her. No one can keep us guessing quite like Karen. We absolutely recommend this, not only to KMM fans, but for those wanting a bewitching read!

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙛, 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙."


Thank you NetGalley!

The House at Watch Hill is masterfully written and a must-read, regardless of genre. I must admit, since KMM Fever Series, I have eagerly awaited this new series, and it did not disappoint. H@WH is completely unique in its storyline and delivery.
Zo Cameron is a 24 year old young woman with no home, family, and drowning in grief. When an unknown relative passes, Zo has the chance at a whole new life and having a home. Of course, H@WH is not so simple a story like that. Zo is shrouded in mystery in a house that is beyond freaky.
Throughout the novel, we see Zo question everything she knows while getting little hints of what's to come that really suck you in even more. The whole book sucks you in with its detailed descriptions and leaves you guessing at everything. I sort of felt this book was like a mounsterous storm building in the summertime, you can see the sky darkening, clouds gather, hear the rumble of thunder in the distance, feel the ground thrum as the sound of thunder gets louder and the humidity in the air feels like an oppressive blanket weighing you down. You just know it's gonna be a crazy storm. That is how The House at Watch Hill made me feel while reading it. I am seriously dying to know what more will happen. Amazing storytelling.

What did I like? I loved the premise of a secret inheritance set in a spooky Louisiana town. Because of course, that's going to come with some strings attached. While the first 1/3 of the book was slow after that I did find myself wanting to pick up the book and find out what would happen.

What didn't I like? While I loved the spooky Louisiana house with a secret inheritance premise, the plot is predictable and does feel a bit "been there, done that." You know the "young adult with dead parents discovers she's secretly the heir to a fortune and has magical powers, but come to think of it didn't the powers make sense because of this secret ability she knew about that wasn't mentioned in the first 40% of the book" plot? It felt like it could have been handled with more finesse, and better woven throughout the book. I likely could have overlooked this if more happened. Seriously, almost nothing happens in the book, the main character Zo builds no real relationships and learns nothing about her heritage or background. I wish this had either been longer with a more meaningful plot or that it had been condensed into about 4 chapters and added to the next book. Because the entire thing feels like a barely relevant prologue rather than a meaningful beginning to a series.


Unfortunatly, not only does Zo not have much going on, she is unlikeable. She is constantly whining and complaining about her life, crying about the loss of her mother, all while doing nothing but going with the flow of whatever comes at her. This gives her all the personality and backbone of a wet noodle. She continually thinks about sex and one-night stands, not in an "I'm 24" way but in a desperate "look how cool and detached I am" way. Because it's just her obsessing over a series of men while simultaneously insisting she never cares about men, there's no real love interest in the book. There can't be, she never actually gets to know anyone.


Who's it for? I would recommend it to fans of books about witches and vampires who don't mind that this book feels like the set-up for a series and is a bit light on a distinctive plot. Despite the amount of time the FMC spends thinking about sex, there is no spice in the book, and there is no romantic relationship.

I LOVE Karen Moning's writing and books but it's been a minute since I've read anything from her. As soon as I saw she was the author of this I requested it, and SIS STILL HAS ITTTTT.

This is a slow burn in the best ways. We start off with our FMC, Zo, and quickly learn her life has anything but easy. Her mother has always kept them on the run and living in poverty... she says from Zo's father but after her mother's tragic death and receiving an inheritance from an unknown family member, Zo quickly starts to question her whole life. After caring for her sick mother and worrying about every dollar, she doesn't know what to think of an inheritance that would put her living in a mansion with millions... but only if she follows a few rules.

Zo is thrown into a completely new world, one where she doesn't have to worry about money... Too bad that will be the least of her issues now. Family secrets pile up as does suspension of friends all while she's figuring out who she is... or isn't.

This story blends so many of my favorite things, gothic mystery, a bit of romance and supernatural beings. Then there's the house that Zo inherits, it's almost character in itself, the whole mystery surrounding it making it more eerie. The way that Karen writes the characters leaves you questioning who friend or foe is.

A slow burn that you will fly through trying to get answers.

I had no idea what to expect from my first Karen Marie Moning book but I understand the hype! This was a really thrilling and surprising read set in a spooky gothic mansion in a strange little town. The MC Zo inherits the estate after the sudden death of her mother from a relative she didn’t know existed and things seem a bit too good to be true. She soon finds out that everyone in her life has been lying to her and she has more power than she knows.

This had all of the creepy vibes including forbidden rooms and secret passageways, mysterious deaths, realistic nightmares, and supernatural creatures. It kept me asking questions the entire time and wondering who could be trusted. The romance was pretty light but had me really intrigued about who the love interest is going to be - so many hot Scottish/Irish men! Definitely looking forward to continuing this series and getting more answers.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Karen Marie Moning’s “The House at Watch Hill” is a gripping gothic paranormal mystery that will spook you out - I found myself getting creeped out reading this book in bed before falling asleep. Moning’s brilliant writing style has a way of captivating and keeping you invested - it was truly a challenge to put this book down - I had so many questions that I needed the answer to, and even upon finishing I’m hanging off a cliff waiting for the next installment to provide me with the solutions that I’m desperate for. I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t be invested in the entire series after dipping their toes into this one.

FMC Zo has just lost her mother and now is finding out that she has a multi-millionaire distant relative who is leaving an entire estate and then some to her … just so long as Zo agrees to a few stipulations and follows some rules. The house that she is inheriting and expected to live in has many secrets & Zo is going to find out secrets about her family and self that she has been completely kept in the dark about.

If you are looking for something spooky that might give you nightmares then you have struck gold - this book does have a lil bit of spicy spice in there, but romance is definitely not the central theme so don’t go into this with expectations and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was my first KMM book & certainly will not be my last. Keep ‘em coming!!

Thank you to William Morrow for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

I am a Moning Maniac ok? I’m a huge fan. The Fever Series is one of my favorite series of all time. I live and die by Mac and Barrons. That being said: I’m incredibly biased in favor of this author. So, I’m sure it won’t surprise you to hear that I loved this novel. LOVED.

This is more of a paranormal fantasy with a romantic subplot. The romance, however, is very much a subplot to the main plot which is Zo losing her mother and discovering a massive inheritance in Louisiana.

This is not a Gothic novel. I know some might have thought that, but it’s not Gothic. It is witchy and creepy and gives massive spooky season vibes, but it’s based in Louisiana.

This series is completely different from The Fever Series. It is separate and it is distinct. Zo is nothing like MacKayla Lane or Dani. I loved that this wasn’t the same.

We do get similar writing however: tons of foreshadowing, narrative from future characters that aid in the foreshadowing, lots of character narrative and in classic Moning fashion, a massive cliffhanger.

I don’t want to tell you too much because this novel relies on the suspense of not knowing anything. Our main character, Zo, knows nothing and therefore, we know nothing. For a while. The suspense of that, however, builds so much that I couldn’t put this book down because I had to know what happens and I had to know IMMEDIATELY.

I’ll say this: if you’re a fan of the author, this is a different vibe and a different tone and it’s not spicy, but I loved it. It’s still got the KMM charm and the brutal cliffhanger.

I need the second book as soon as possible.

This book was sooo good! I really love the story line, and I CAN’T WAIT for book two! This is such a fun blend of paranormal/found family/haunted house that had me running late because I couldn’t put the book down. Karen Marie Moning is an old favorite of mine, and I loved rediscovering her work through The House at Watch Hill!