4.5 stars rounded up Who wouldn’t love to inherit a gorgeous estate and millions of dollars…especially after a lifetime of struggling to make ends meet and suffering great loss? What appears to be a modern day Gothic fairytale, quickly proves to be much more. Family loyalty, deceit, supernatural secrets…stirred into a surprising cliffhanger ending…can’t wait for part two of this new trilogy!

I loved this book. Generally love books ablut witches, and this one did not disappoint in the least. Ture blood meets discovery of witches makes for a great read! Looking foward to book 2 as I feel still in the dark at the end of book 1!!!!

The House at Watch Hill is not as it seems - including its townspeople as Zo quickly finds out. As the suspense continues to mount for both Zo and this reader, before I knew it the first part of this trilogy was done and I could only wonder what is next for Zo and Watch Hill. I am waiting impatiently for the next book in the series.

What one would expect from Ms. Moning! This book did not disappoint. It’s a little dark, a little twisted, and a whole lot mysterious. There are so many secrets, and so things I want answered. I have received this book as an advanced copy for my honest opinion and I have to say that my opinion is:
1. Who else has read this? We need to talk.
2. I will absolutely be buying this because I am going to need to highlight a number of things, and notes. I have notes.
3. Time for a reread to see what I missed.

All of that being said, this is looking to be an amazing, edge of your seat, dark and twisty kind of series. I for one cannot wait. So buckle up buttercup, and get ready for a good time.

Okay I loved this! What a way to start a (hopefully!) long new series!

An inheritance that can’t be refused. A main character that doesn’t have anything left to lose, or so she thinks. Until she gets to her new town with a gothic mansion looming over her head, and lots of responsibilities dumped in her lap. KMM really painted a pretty picture here with her descriptions of the town, the house itself, and even feelings.

I loved the victorian, creepy yet lush atmosphere of the property and THE OWL!

Everything that happened in this book, appropriately led us up to that ending that I was waiting for. There’s just enough romance, or should I say lust, to keep you guessing what the endgame is. This book is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come. The cliffhanger KILLED ME! Book two is going to be good!

Oh M G. Y'all. KMM has done it yet again. I was deep in a reading slump when I got this as an ARC, and being the KMM Fever series lover, I had to start it immediately. From the beginning, I was hooked. Karen has such a way of making you feel that you are in the story, I could swear I was there with Zo through this whole ride. Zo is yet another great FMC, who though is broken at the beginning of this novel, starts to find her way through a new life that was thrust upon her. The men in this novel are to die for, and are similar to those in the Fever series (🥵)
The ending had me absolutely SHOOK, and I'm absolutely dying for the next book. For those of you who also love her Fever series, you are sure to love this one as well!!

2/5 - Thank you William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the ARC eBook of the newest title form one of my favorite authors of all time!

I was so excited to get my hands on this! It brings me such joy to see Ms. Moning back at it again with a new series. Though I know this is the first book in what will likely be a lengthy series that will develop and fix many of the issues I had, that unfortunately that did not enhance my enjoyment of this first book at this time.

I know that Ms. Moning is very well versed and studied in both Irish and Scottish history, but I was really looking for something different here. I wanted to see her diverge from her normal path and make something new, creative, and beautiful. But I felt that this was very much in the same world as her past books, so much so that it felt like the same story with variations on the same plot and characters. Dark, buff, mysterious, old, all knowing men out the wazoo? Check. Bereft MFC going to an unknown place for adventures and mysteries that bend her understanding of life as she knows it so that they mentally and emotionally break her down so she grows stronger by the hardships she faces, things she learns, and power she gains? Check. Magical clubs? Check. Grimoire/fancy book of importance? Check. People of (pretty much) strictly Irish/Scottish descent? Check.

Furthermore, as the title of the book is "House at Watch Hill," I was expecting a story more so based around the house itself. Sure, it was a major point of discussion in the book, and, I know more will be revealed as the story develops over time. BUT, I think I was expecting something like a "Monster House" premise. None of the revelations were......well, revelatory for me.

I also am in desperate need of a more realistic relationship. I respect that Ms. Moning's version of a powerful, imaginary man is that he is all knowing, all perceptive, all charming, but when EVERY. SINGLE. MAN. is like that? I confess, it loses me a little.

Will I still read the rest of this series as it unfolds? Absolutely! It is my moral obligation as a supporter of this author. And I sincerely hope I grow more attached the more it develops. I also hope that writing this was a good tool for Ms. Moning to help her cope with the passing of her mother, as that was expressed through the writing as well.

SO many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning. Oh my.goodness!!!! Love big spooky gothic books set in big spooky gothic houses?! You are going to love this book! And it's the beginning of a new series! Squeeeee!

The beginning of THE HOUSE AT WATCH HILL drew me in, but I found myself struggling to get through the book around the 30% mark. The pacing is too slow for my liking, as most of the plot consists of Zo spending her time inside the Cameron mansion as she waits to learn more about her true identity. By the 90% mark, I was sort of checked out even though the intensity picked up during the last two chapters and we’re presented with a cliffhanger that seemed obvious to me from the beginning.

THE HOUSE AT WATCH HILL suffers from an excessive amount of inner dialogue along with underutilization of the Cameron mansion, which is supposed to be full of “countless secrets and mystifying riddles.” I would have liked for the mansion to be written as a true character to enhance the Gothic setting. Maybe my expectations were misplaced, but I was really hoping for a setting that evoked the feelings I felt while reading Starling House and The Last Tale of the Flower Bride.

I really loved the premise of this book, but overall I think the execution could have went in a different direction.

When Zo's mother dies, she is left homeless and rudderless. The call from the lawyer in Louisiana is welcome, even though it seems a little too good to be true. Zo, it turns out, is an heir to a fortune - provided that she follows the requests in the will. Zo travels to the small town and is met with many different welcomes. She is unsure who is telling the truth and if she can trust her gut. One thing is for sure, there are hidden powers in this town - and not all are good.

Karen Marie Moning introduces a new heroine and universe where witches can be light or dark (or grey) and there is more than one type of vampire. Marie Moning includes quite a bit of sex and longing which can push this story into a romantasy style story.

The story is compelling and more than enough hook to have me waiting breathlessly for the next book! #willimamorrow #thehousetatwatchhill #karenmariemoning

Why yes, I am KMM's #1 fan and yes, I immediately requested this one! It does not disappoint. In "The House at Watch Hill", which is set in a gothic mansion in Divinity, LA, we enter the world of Zo. Being from Indiana (which is where the book starts out), I was excited to see places/towns I knew (so fun to actually read about places I know)!

The book starts out as Zo is trying to keep it together working 3 jobs and caring for her mother, who is dying from cancer. As Zo puts it, "I'm just trying to take care of her until I no longer have that privilege." Fast forward to Zo traveling to Divinity and finding out she is the heir to a gothic manor and many other things with many stipulations. The book describes Zo's new accommodation as a "home to three centuries of secrets, blood, and lies," and even says that "the mansion on the hill was a dark, slumbering beast." To actually inherit this mansion, Zo must live in it and learn how to be the royal witch she is...something that her mother actually hid from her.

I absolutely loved Zo's journey of self-discovery and this new world of witches that KMM has created. The last chapter is unbelievable and had me wanting more. As in, when is book 2 coming out!!! Thank you, William Morrow Publishing for the Arc to Read and Review!

This book really started strong, but it began to fall flat for me after a while. I could not connect with the characters and found the main character unlikeable. The plot felt a bit repetitive to me as well. Perhaps the author was using this book as world-building for the trilogy to come, but it did fall a bit flat for me, I’m sorry to say. I really wanted to love this one.

It was an entertaining read, but not my favorite.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This feedback and opinions are my own.
I was so excited to preview this copy of The House at Watch Hill. Karen is one of my most favorite authors and I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release.
I felt like the FMC was written well and the supporting characters were fully fleshed out - definitely more than just placeholders. The world building was wonderful and the descriptions of The House painted a clear picture in my mind.
I feel like a lot of the foundation for future books in this series was laid in this first book, which I understand the need for, but it still made me want the meat of the story more. The ending has a definite cliffhanger and I think it’s a solid hook into making readers want to continue the series to see where it goes.
Overall 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This was my first KMM book and I’m not sure I was as into the writing as I thought I would be. There were lots of $100 words being used but also be used repetitively. There was some interesting wording choices as well that felt out of place, almost like Britishisms being used for an American MC and a story taking place in America.

There are also asides from “Future Zo” which only made things more confusing because it hints at bad stuff to come that doesn’t really show up in this book. The pacing was super slow up until the very last 20 pages when it was lightning fast and then just ends. With what was supposed to be this big cliffhanger but I saw it coming from a mile away.

I’ll probably continue the series but only through the library or KU. I also probably won’t try any of KMM’s other books.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I want to begin this review by saying I am a huge Karen Marie Moning fan. I have loved her work since I randomly grabbed one of her books instead of the Karen Monk book I thought I was grabbing. This is a brand new series from Karen about one of my favorite topics, witches.

The story is about a young woman by the name of Zo Grey. She is a 24 year old who is the sole caretaker of her mother who is fighting cancer. One day after coming home from a job interview at a diner she finds her apartment building engulfed in flames. She loses her mother and everything that she owns in a short few minutes. A short time later she is notified that she is the sole beneficiary of a long lost relative by the name of Juniper Cameron, who she has never met before. Zo travels to Divinity, Louisiana to find she has inherited a house known as Watch Hill House. It is an amazing house with waterfall, pool, secret passage, and more room than Zo knows what to do with. I so want to live there the way Karen described it.

While she is there she discovers that she is also going to get an allowance every month and for every year she stays she will be paid 1 Million Dollars (insert Doctor Evil pinky to lip move here). If she stays 3 years she will get the rest of Juniper's fortune which is over 140 Million dollars. Of course this does not come without stipulations. She cannot have anyone live with her during those three years. Guests can't stay more than two nights.

As time goes on Zo learns that everything isn't quite as it seems. She begins to discover that she has magical powers and that her mother was keeping secrets about both of their true identities. Which leads to a whole new set of problems for Zo when she has to decide if she wants to embrace these abilities and claim her rightful spot and reign in Juniper's place.. I'll stop here with the plot because there is a lot more that happens and a lot more questions that are brought up in the story that you need to read to find out.

Over all, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, I am left with more questions than answers but OMG this was a great ride. It's a little slow to build up at first but dang is it good. I cannot wait to see where Karen is going to go with this story.

I used to be a big fan of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. The summary of the House at Watch Hill sounded like it would be another instant hit for me, however, I found it lacking. I didn't like the main character. in fact, I found her annoying. I find it hard to believe that she was some meek little mouse who did everything to turn into a crazy lady. I want to know what happens, so I'll read the next book but it isn't something that I can't live without or will probably remember.

I am a years long KMM fan and when this book was announced, I immediately reached out to help with coverage. I love a gothic house. I love a creepy town. I love a strong woman's story and a heat filled romance. This book should have checked every single box. What I actually got was a book with no romance. Yes, it's the start of a trilogy so there is some set up involved. But at 55% I texted a friend and said "there's no hero". At 75% I texted the same friend and said "there's no love interest in this book and I am now rage reading it". The entire book was focused on Zo as she learns about her inheritance, uncovers what that means and also as she whines and complains and rages through the book while waiting 7 days for answers. She thinks a lot about sex but anything that happens is behind closed doors and those moments are at the very beginning and very end. It's set up to be great but was just so disappointing. I loved the idea but the execution was not for me.

I thought The House at Watch Hill started out strong, and while I really wanted to like this one, after a while, it felt really repetitive and predictable. I had a hard time connecting with Zo's character, and the only characters I really found likeable were Mr. Balfour and his wife.

The book was 384 pages of a plot that was mostly just a bunch of setup that didn't go much of anywhere yet, but I was still invested enough that I will likely pick up Book Two to see where the story goes.

Warning: There is a LOT of talk about sex. Like, the main character basically wants to sleep with any male that crosses her path (with the exception of good old Mr. Balfour), and she talks about it ad nauseam. The actual spicy scenes, however, are mostly closed-door or not described in very vivid detail.

I have a hard time with a main character that I don't like and I took an instant dislike to Zo (as in no). I can't say I like anything about her, but I kept reading because I was totally engaged in the story. It's a great story and a great world that's been created but Zo is just NO for me. I don't like the way she interacts with people, doesn't listen to advice, seriously doesn't listen to people who know more than her and I'm totally ok if she doesn't get her inheritance. That being said, I need the next book, I haven't stopped thinking about this book, which makes it a really, really good book, it got under my skin. I'm a librarian, I read tons of books, this one got me.

I devoured this book! I love this author anyways. She wrote one of my favorite series. I knew the book was gonna be good, but this is super good! Creepy, and mysterious! I will be waiting anxiously for the next book!

This eerie Paranormal Romance is book 1 in a new series. The romance is not set in stone, as Zo is sowing her wild oats to say. The book does have a few spicy scenes, they are detailed mildly.
The book moves at a steady pace following Zo after a tragic loss. While in mourning Zo gets called about an inheritance. While navigating the terms of whats been left behind for her she learns that there is so much more than meets the eye. Zo is resilient, doing whatever it takes to survive. The other characters are fantastic as we learn little bits about them as the book goes on. This leaves them all very mysterious. The majority of the book takes place in a small town, that Zo knew nothing of prior. Just like the characters we are given little bits to savor as the story builds. This makes the story mysteriously addictive.