If you really loved that Bridgerton is getting more gay, or if you think that regency books would be more fun if there was witches, vampires, and magic in them, this book is for you.

This book follows the story of Netherford Hall, as Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood returns to claim the ancestral seat following a devastating fire at their family's London home. The arrival of a gentlewitch to Netherford stirs up the town, as the town has not had a gentlewitch in generations. Yet there are bigger issues afoot than the unmarried status of the gentlewitch, not least of which is the as-of-yet unknown Rookwoods arrival from America.

This book has an amazing cast of characters, from the brooding gentlewitch Edith, her majordomo Auden and their young family member Henry, to the lively Poppy Brightwell and her extended family, to the mysterious Vampires and more. Barron juggles a vast cast of characters pretty well, though at times it is hard to keep track of whose POV we are following at a given time. I think this book could have been helped by splitting up the chapters a bit more (since they are all quite long chapters with a lot of POV swaps).

I really enjoyed this book, even with the slower pace, and I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes!

First of all, thank you NetGalley, Rebellion and Natalie Barron for gifting me an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

As a hardcore lover of Pride and Prejudice (both book and the 2005 film) I didn't know I needed this book until I actually started reading it.

Characters were fresh and the plot felt fresh, even if people still have to remember this is a queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The pen of Barron was very much appreciated to me, especially her details in the characters wardrobe, that was simply phenomenal.

The problems I found while reading the book is that the plot line at times is not linear, and that most of the chapters where excessively long (as in 45 minute long on kindle), the last thing that was a bit confusing was the unsigned change of Povs through the whole book. At that point it would have maybe been better start a new chapter every change of POV to facilitate the reading experience, that for me because of that was unfortunately a bit of a hindering thing.

But still, Netherford Hall is for all those that didn't want to leave Mr and Mrs Darcy after their happily ever-after, but add it a bit of magic and secrets, and make it between a common girl and a cold gentlewitch.

Loved this book so much. I rated this book 4 stars because I loved the characters and the storyline but I couldn't give it 5 stars because I was expecting more about it.

Witches, vampires, and other magical beings converge on Netherford for this layered romp set in the regency period. The set up of the story is interesting and kept me reading for the first half. Poppy, the free-spirited daughter of an impoverished gentry family, is a compelling main character. As the story opens, she learns that the owners of nearby Netherford Hall are going to take up residence there. She liked to spend her free time wandering around the old home (though we don't see this on page) and she realizes she can no longer take refuge there.

Edith is the head of the coven/family that owns Netherford Hall. After almost every member of her family died in a fire at the family's London residence, she arrives at Netherford with her uncle and nephew. Edith wasn't a talented witch and didn't expect to move into a leadership role in the coven for many decades, so she is trying to find her way without much guidance or training. Distant relatives arrive more America and claim to be the rightful owners of Netherford and Edith must defend her position.

Another plot line has Poppy working at Edith's lady's maid and an attraction that was already building grows stronger. Their scenes together are wonderful and sweet. I wanted more!

So much happens in this book that it's hard to summarize it. Perhaps it was too ambitious to include all of the different storylines in this first book? Focusing on Poppy and Edith's relationship and perhaps the magical aspect of Netherford Hall might have then set up the story of Poppy's "illness" and the American relatives for a second book. This would also push the introduction of the vampires to a second or third book. Their presence was a little confusing in this story.

In really enjoyed the set up, the setting, and overall premise of this story. Poppy and Edith were delightful, but I wish their relationship had more time to grow and we has more sweet moments between them.

'Netherford Hall' is a cute, entertaining story, following various POVs and diverse cast. The plot takes a bit of time to settle, as does the romance, once the initial attraction is passed. Nonetheless, the overall story is a nice read, with a good saphic romance, found family all around, and interesting world building choices, the story taking place in an alternate england, where Witches hold quite a big part of power, and where werewoves and vampires coexist with human.
The magic side of the plot had an interesting turn, with the house and what it's been hiding, helping the reader to discover the magical world bit by bit.

There were a few times where I thought it lacked transition between scenes, or lacked a bit of smoothness, and I can't say I was really involved with the characters, but I think it has partly to do with my mood as I read it, and me having just read another story in which I was deeply invested. Still, I wanted to finish and read the whole book here, so it's a win!

This book will appeal to fans of Pride and Prejudice, lovers of Freya Marske"s series 'The last binding", and maybe to KJ Charles lovers! We can't get enough queer historical fantasy!

4.5⭐️ Have you ever read or watched pride and prejudice and thought to yourself this would be so much better if it was set in a fantasy world with witches, vampire and fae? If you have then you will love this book!! Yes this book gives off major pride and prejudice vibes but it’s definitely its own story. Netherford Hall is a story about finding your way when you don’t know where you fit, and features diverse characters, a sapphic romance, and found family. I absolutely adored this book and the reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because the POV would change in the middle of a chapter (which is a pet peeve of mine) and also the chapters were kinda long. But I highly recommend Netherford Hall to anyone who loves pride and prejudice or just loves queer fantasy books. 😊🥰

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read a ARC copy of this book.