"The Cruel Dark" by Bea Northwick offers readers a unique blend of "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Haunting of Hill House." The main character, Millie, finds herself assisting a mysterious master of a dark manor in translating ancient Irish folklore. As her relationship with Callum blossoms, tension within the house starts to escalate. Millie experiences multiple close encounters with the ghost of the manor's previous lady, leading her on a chilling search within the house. The plot thickens as the narrative progresses, with subtle clues masterfully interwoven into the story. The book excels in creating an aura of suspense and mystery, urging readers to discover what Millie uncovers about the house and, intriguingly, about herself. However, the true star of the book is the haunting atmosphere, which adds an extra layer of complexity and fear. "The Cruel Dark" is a compelling read that keeps you on edge, wondering if Millie will unravel the sinister secrets before it's too late.

I truly enjoyed this gothic story. It gripped me from the very beginning and it kept me interested throughout.

This roller coaster of a read had me questing decisions, mocking peoples actions, and creating theory after theory and never sure when I was right or wrong but loving the story as it played out. Millicent Foxboro takes on a job that seems too good to be true and very questionable, to assist a dark and broody (and handsome) Professor with his project in a dark gloomy house with a very standoffish staff. Oh and also ghost stories of a dead previous mistress and the delusions she experienced. When Millie starts seeing ghosts everywhere and memories of her mothers voice she weighs her own insanity against her desire for the Professor of the house. Millie starts to investigate things while accepting what is, but not everyone in the home is willing to do the same.

If given the choice between listening to the audiobook or reading the book, do yourself a favor and go for the audiobook.

I tend to switch back and forth, typically because I have a long commute, but I listened as I painted my living room. The narrators are perfect, but be prepared to blush as you listen!

The genre of this is hard to pin down. It is certainly romance and gothic historical fiction, but there are some other vibes: some thriller, some horror, and a feeling of the paranormal. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and while I had figured out pieces, I was still surprised at how masterfully it all came together.

I am not a huge thriller fan, but one of my book clubs loves thrillers, and I think this would be a great book for them!

This book had strong Beauty and the Beast vibes with some Jane Eyre and Rebecca thrown in for good measure.

I am excited to read whatever Bea Northwick puts out next!

Thank you to Victory Editing Net Galley Co-op and Net Galley for the audioARC! All opinions are my own.

I am extremely grateful to have received this arc of the audiobook for The Cruel Dark. I really enjoyed the dual narration, and I liked the FMC's voice. Her voice felt appropriate to the setting and story, and I thought she did a good job at portraying the feelings the FMC was having during this gothic thriller. The MMC voice only narrated quotes by the male characters in the book, and while I didn't mind his voice he came across as a much older than the FMC.

I enjoy a gothic setting, so I enjoyed the set up and rich descriptions of the house and setting. However, I never felt connected to the story, and I really did not feel connected to the romance. I felt like we went from 0-100 in the relationship without any emotional connection or relationship development. I guessed the twists early on, but the plot development felt very choppy. We went a long time without movement in the story, and I still don't understand what the professor was researching? Really why he needed an assistant, etc.

Overall I liked the vibes and narration, but unfortunately this story wasn't for me. I will definitely give Bea Northwick's next novel another try, especially if it's a gothic horror romance. I love the idea of a dark mystery with smut!

I have to say I really enjoyed this book! The vibes are 1920's gothic manor in the middle of nowhere with a skeleton crew due to an untimely death. I loved how the author chose to make the staff small because no one would work there. I feel like I have read a few where the owners want everyone out. It was a refreshing change to see that people did not want to be there! Anyways, a blunt FMC gets offered a job by the MMC to catalog his research and she is thus whisked away to this nightmare of a situation.

There were elements of clever foreshadowing, vibrant scene/character descriptions, *spice*, and an interesting twist at the end! The people who say they figured it all out need to stop being so serious. Let the book take you and you might enjoy it more!

Overall, this was a delicious read by Bea Northwick.

Audio ARC:

First of all, if this story sounds like something you enjoy I would recommend picking this up either as an ebook or a physical copy. I love a good audiobook, but the narration of this story was not for me. There are two narrators for this book. The male narrator only read the dialogue lines of the male characters, and the voice he uses for Professor Hughes felt much more like a Santa Claus impersonation than a sexy professor. Toward the end of the book the voice changes a bit and feels like a better fit for the character. The female narrator uses a breathy “bedroom” voice through the entire book. Seriously, if you don’t like to hear every time the narrator breathes I would recommend you get this in a different format.

The story itself was fine, dark academia vibes with a little spice. There isn’t a whole lot that happens in the first half of the book. Things really only pick up in the last 20-30% and the twist was predictable. was hoping for more of a fantasy/mythology element but it was very light on that and mainly had brief descriptions of the paranormal.

2/5 ⭐️

4.5 ✨
🌶️🌶️

This was such a good thriller! I’m not usually genuinely freaked out by a haunted house, but this one got me. I never knew what would happen next and the ending had me on the edge of my seat.

The audiobook did have some strange pauses in it where there’s just a slight pause where they cut the audio together. This could be due to the fact that this was arc and overall the audio was good and the narrator enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley & Victory Editing for the audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was not what I was expecting at all and I was so pleasantly surprised! This book is a horror mixed with a romance mixed with magical realism, it seriously has everything!

I listened to the audio and honestly jumped in a few parts. The “ghost” story was so unique and it fit perfectly in the storyline once you know the ending. I seriously felt like the whole book was this way, nothing truly makes sense until the end. That being said, It was such a fun, quick read that it comes up fast and I did not expect the ending at all!

I definitely recommend!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Read this if you like:
👻 Gothic horror mixed with romance
👻 Clue
👻 An Unexpected ending

Thank you Netgalley, Victory Editing Netgalley Co op and Bea Northwick for the audio Arc of The Cruel Dark.
.Narrated by Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr

I really enjoyed listening to this dark fantasy thriller surrounding Millie and Callum Hughes. The narrative itself was slow to medium paced which allowed for great character development. I loved the historical gothic atmosphere of this book, having been set in the 1920s. The romance side while spicy, was nicely entwined into the error twists. Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr brought the whole story out with their wonderful narration .

3.5 stars rounded to 4

This was a foray into an unusual genre for me. A bit macabre for a comic romance/horror. I enjoyed the setting of the 1920s, on a large dilapidated estate called Willowfield. A slow romance evolves between Millie, who was given a job on the estate, and Professor Callum Hughes. The twist at the end was not surprising but a solidly tied the story together. I listened to the audio production of this novel which was performed exceedingly well. Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my personal review.

I loved this book and I love the audiobook even more! The Cruel Dark swept me away with its captivating dual narrative, all from a single perspective. The narrators did an awesome job of capturing the tension and bringing each characters to life with depths and emotions. Imagine peeling back layers of mystery and emotion as you're drawn into a hauntingly beautiful world. The storytelling is masterful, weaving past and present seamlessly, unveiling secrets that send chills down your spine. Millicent Foxboro's journey is both heart-wrenching and exhilarating, filled with love and eerie twists that kept me guessing until the very end. The book is rich with Gothic charm, setting the perfect stage for dark secrets and passionate encounters. If you're looking for a book that blends romance, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural, this is it. It's an amazing read that lingers long after you've turned the last page. Thank you Bea Northwick and Netgalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe I've just read too many gothic mystery books in my day? The story was enjoyable enough - hence the 3 stars. The writing and the vibes were fine.

I just feel like I've read this story already? Within the first couple of chapters I'd already guessed the conclusion - so that was a little bit of a let down.

I received the audio arc and while the female narrator was enjoyable, the male narrator was horrible. The ick for real.


❥・ Gothic
❥・ Mystery
❥・ Spicy
❥・ Dark Academia
❥・Dark secrets
❥・Distressed heroine
❥・Emotional scars
❥・Grieving lover
❥・Sinister circumstances
❥・Creepy House

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bea Northwick for the complementary audio copy in exchange for my thoughts. 🖤🏹․ ⁺ ⊹

First off, the male narrator sounds a lot like Armie Hammer, and that took me a lot to grow accustomed to. I don’t know about you all, but the sound of a cannibal’s voice does not intrigue me too much haha. Once I was able to disassociate the two voices, I liked this book enough. The author has a promising debut novel, and her talent is commendable. I will definitely be reading more stories by her, but I never found myself enthralled with this story. It was only just alright. The twist about her was really obvious, and I think it deterred me from a truly immersive experience.

„The Cruel Dark“ follows Millie, who moves to Willowfield to be the new assistant to a reclusive Professor of mythology and botany. Tragedy has struck Willowfield a couple of years ago, when the wife of the Professor died under mysterious circumstances. While Millie did come to Willowfield to save up for a new start, she soon starts falling in love and is being haunted by the ghost of his deceased wife.

The audiobook was incredible!

The story is gripping and dark. We follow Millie’s POV and the edges of reality soon start to fade. Millie starts to doubt herself and it is disconcerting to feel untethered. The twist at the end is a masterpiece!

This book has all the right vibes AND substance! Dark Academia, Gothic Romance, Historical Fiction, Mythological Creatures and some Spice. An intriguing mix of Beauty and the Beast, Rebecca and Belladonna. I’m already thinking about a re-read (or rather re-listen).

The book is read by Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr. Theodore’s dark voice fits perfectly and gives the book an even more gothic vibe. Madison portraited Millie’s confusion, fear and detachment from reality perfectly.

One of my true 5 star reads this year and a clear recommendation! I can’t wait to read more from Bea Northwick.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook download!

4 stars for Millie and Callum!

I received an ALC copy of The Cruel Dark from Netgalley and boy oh boy has this changed my life! I'm not really an audiobook listener but this has certainly changed me!

Millicent Foxboro and Professor Callum Hughes were so dreamy. This romance was set in the year 1928 at the Willowfield estate, which is owned by the MMC Callum. Millie, our FMC, gets a job offer to work as an assistant at Callum's estate with a huge paycheck and she accepts the offer which can set her up for life. And ain't nothing wrong with that! Ooh and the spice! I don't want to spoil for anyone but if you love romance and mystery and a historical setting, this book has exactly what you want. The chemistry that is built between Millie and Callum is so well done. That honestly is what kept me coming back for more. Add in two amazing voice actors and you've got a great book.

I enjoy a slowburn and this is definitely a slowburn. I love when a writer takes their time to explore a relationship and doesn't rush it. I felt that Bea Northwick did an excellent job with her debut novel. The setting and characters were perfect. I enjoyed the banter between Millie and Callum so much. He was so mean and then so sexy and I really want to now read Lover which is a companion book to this book, but from Callum's POV.

Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr do a phenomenonal job of bringing Millie and Callum to life! Listening to these two narrate was the cherry on top and I will definitely be buying a hard copy of The Cruel Dark!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for giving me the opportunity to listen to The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick!

2.5
Got this audiobook from NetGalley, but I couldn't finish it. In the beginning you learn that Millie sleepwalks, has a period of amnesia, has been in an asylum, Prof. Callum's wife died in a mysterious way, and there are ghosts. 60% of the way through, after wading through a lot of rich (and by rich I mean wordy) description of gothic architecture and scenery, you still don't know any more than that. No bits of detail, slowly uncovered throughout, to fill in the gaps. Nothing. You don't learn anything more about either character, we still don't know what Dr. Callum is even doing resarch for and why he needs help. Their conversation and interactions are choppy and stilted, with language that turned me off - not romantic in any way. After a second, sex scene that didn't make any sense between two people who have hardly said two words to each other, I realized I had better things I could be reading. Also...Callum sounded like he could be Millie's father.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞.

𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤—𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚, 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥—𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧! 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭, 𝐈 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲—𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞.

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝! 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝐵𝑒𝒶 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽𝓌𝒾𝒸𝓀, 𝒱𝒾𝒸𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝐸𝒹𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

This was a psychological thriller and dark romance. The twists in this book were fantastic, totally unexpected, and made the book such a beautiful and entertaining story. The epilogue tied everything together and explained everything so well. The narrators did a really, really great job with this book. I absolutely loved this story and would easily enjoy this book again!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this audio ARC of The Cruel Dark, in exchange for an honest review.

The narrators did a fantastic 5 star job on this read. Both the female and male voices were done so well and helped to draw you into the story. They boosted the gothic feel and created the perfect tension.

The plot was very interesting but it felt drawn out and very clunky at times. The last few chapters of the book were exciting and had everything I wanted from this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook!