I didn’t like this as much as Lauren Westwood’s last novel. A strange Gothic story about a dilapidated historic house, a ghost and estranged sisters, it certainly captures the attention. It was a bit creepy for me but I liked the themes of family, love and forgiveness.

The story revolves around Ada, a ghost stuck in the historic Rookwood House, and Kate and Emma who live in the present century. Who is Ada, and what does she want? Kate, a young lawyer, who rushes to the country to look after her estranged sister’s children, forms a connection with Ada. The handsome headmaster of the children’s school seems to be the only one who understands this, but what about Charlie, the good-looking builder? Kate is also attracted to him.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The setting of a run down haunted house was atmospheric and mysterious.

The family dynamics between the sisters (in the modern and historical time periods) provided parallel storylines.

Background information about historical photography techniques was interesting.

Overall I found this book to be quite predictable but nevertheless enjoyable.

I did notice an occasional word or phrase which made me suspect the author was not British which I found a bit distracting.

I honestly don't know what rating to give this book. Everything felt too predictable and I understand that the author was trying to put her own spin to the story. It just felt like the author was trying too much. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't give it more than a 3 star. Some of the concepts were borrowed from other books which I didn't like either.

Thank you to the publisher and author for sending me this book.

If you like historical and paranormal mysteries with dual POV's, then this book is for you!
The House of Light and Shadows was an easy and engaging read that captured my attention straight away. The pacing is on point and the historical references to Victorian special effects photography were interesting and insightful.
Theres a good range of characters with some unexpected twists and turns and I'll be honest and admit that the ending had me in tears.
The only negative thing I have to say is that I wanted more of Adaline and Camile's story!
Overall, it's a great little read which is centred around family and forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Genre: Historical mystery
Upcoming release date: February 18, 2025
Goodreads rating: 4.03
My rating: 5

Book cover of House of light and shadows by Lauren Westwood. Image shows a mansion during nighttime
The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood follows Kate, a NY attorney, who is called upon to go care for her niece and nephew while her estranged sister recovers from an injury. Upon arrival in their small town, she discovers that the circumstances of her sister’s injury are mysterious—possibly ghostly. She soon meets a few townspeople who, in my opinion, feel a little bit suspicious from the start.

The story takes place in a dual timeline. We follow Ada and her sister Camile in the late 1800s, as well as Kate and Emma in modern day. Both sets of sisters struggle with a rift that pulled them apart, and both are trying to mend this rift. This connects the two timelines.

The book starts off strong… I was quickly drawn into the story and found that Westwood set the atmosphere of the old haunted Victorian-era house very well. This house—Rookswood House—quickly felt like a character in itself to me.

The story flowed at a good pace and a few twists and turns kept the mystery interesting. I quite enjoyed how the book delved into the art of Victorian-era photography… l learned quite a few historical facts about this art.

This book is part mystery, part ghost story, part family drama… with a bit of romance. I found that it did the mystery-ghost-drama portions very well but the romance, in my opinion, distracted a bit from the story. But for those who enjoy a dash of romance, this will bring the right mix to the book.

Fair warning that there are a few macabre moments to the story but overall, I quite enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

While caring for her estranged teenage niece and nephew, Kate explores the ramshackle old house on the property, and photographs what appears to be a ghost. Intrigued, she investigates the home’s history and the two mysterious Victorian sisters who used to live there. But as Kate uncovers disturbing secrets, she realizes a sinister presence threatens her family and her future.

This story is engrossing and complex, with hints of gothic horror. The creepiness is more atmospheric than psychological.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Sisters Emma and Kate haven’t spoken for 15 years but when Kate is called upon suddenly to help with Emma’s children , Kate comes face to face with the imposing Rookswood House and “The weird sisters” Adaline and Camile.

My thoughts- I loved this book so much, the characters were all amazing , the settings were so vividly written that I could easily picture the places in my mind. The plot kept me guessing and I audibly screamed in places when the plot took a twist, I would highly recommend this book to everyone I know and I look forward to reading more from this author, thank your the advance copy

The House of Light and Shadows blends historical mystery with gothic elements, weaving a compelling story about family, secrets, and the eerie past of Rookswood House. While the atmospheric setting and historical photography details are intriguing, some readers may find the characters a bit flat and the mystery not as tightly woven as hoped, leaving the overall experience enjoyable but not unforgettable.

Let us go together, forever always.
Two sisters.
In light, in shadows.
Two sisters.
Let us go together in love...

Katherine (Kate) Goodman is one interview from the law partnership she has fought so hard for when a phone call from the headmaster of the school her estranged sister's children go to upends her life. She's soon deep in the English countryside dealing with family secrets, traumatised teens and a century old mansion with a spooky past and several recent 'accidents'.

The house of light and shadows speaks of many things. It tells a ghost story. It tells a romance story. It tells a story of a century old house and the people who once lived there. But above all else, it speaks about sisters and the deeply woven, complex, messy and above all enduring bonds they share.

The narrative masterfully switches between the past and the present as we read about the deep but damaged bonds between Kate and Emma in the present and Ada and Camile in the past.

Skilled writing, likeable characters and fascinating vignettes from real history adds to the experience. I loved reading about the fascinating and macabre history of Victorian 'photoshop' trends like post-mortem photography and spirit photography.

I wanted to love this book but I think I'm more of a character reader and I found most of the characters to not be very dimensional. A decent mystery, just didn't end up being my fave.

In January I read my very first Advance Reader Copy (ARC), and my first book by @lwestwoodwriter. It was absolutely a case of judging a book by its cover; the image and blurb drew me in but it was the writing that kept me reading.

From the very first chapter, I was absolutely hooked. The book is narrated from the point of view of two of the main characters. While I'm not usually the biggest fan of split POV stories, I felt like it really worked in this instance. It highlighted the parallels and similarities, but without causing confusion or unnecessary complications.

The plot is a great mix of family drama, mystery, paranormal and romance without being too cheesy or feeling forced.

I absolutely raced through this novel and promptly added the rest of Lauren's books to my TBR! I would happily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery with a splash of romance and can't wait to read the other books in the series. Definitely 5 stars from me!

Thank you to #Netgalley for a free ARC ebook of #TheHouseofLightandShadows.

I want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an ARC digital copy of The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Westwood is a brilliant writer. She manages to weave two different time periods together flawlessly. Both with the underlying issue of sisters who have a falling out and an ache to be reunited. The book had many twists and turns that kept me guessing. The characters evolved as the story unfolds and I could easily feel the different emotions the characters were feeling. This was a creative story with an old house in the center of it. There were moments when the story gave you chills but was not overly scary or haunting.

Similar to the book The Orchids of Ashford Hall by Rebecca Anderson. If you like books with old houses, ghosts, romance and mystery you will love this book.

Thank you @netgalley for providing the gifted ARC. This book will be Published on 18 2025.

The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood is a profound historical mystery blended with gothic horror elements with a dash of romance, also this book delves into lost and found theme in the settings of family mystery.

When Kate goes to look after her estranged sister’s children in their creepy old house, she takes a photo of what seems to be a ghost. Frightened yet intrigued, Kate undertakes to uncover the secrets of the house and the two mysterious sisters who lived there over a hundred years before.

But like the illusions of light and shadow in the sisters’ strange and disturbing Victorian post-mortem photography, Kate discovers that all is not what it seems. Someone – or something – has their own plans for Rookswood House – and for Kate.

With a potential developer circling around, her teenage niece in danger from an unseen force, and new love on the horizon, Kate must unravel the secrets and lies of her own and Rookswood’s past before she loses everything she holds dear.

Let me tell you a vital point about this book, this gripping story is a delicate dance between horror, epiphany and historical event that staged in a mysterious old house named Rookswood. This book also explores the headless Photoshop trend from the Victorian Era, early 19th century was buzzing in this fun photoshop fashion, Oscar Gustave Rejlander, Father of Art Photography, and the author masterfully used this theme in her gothic horror environment.

This book is highly atmospheric, will make you engrossed immediately in a perfectly blended story line which is an interesting amalgamation of history, horror, sisterhood, it reminds us historical mysteries by Eve Chase, Rachel Burton and Harriet Evans, you'll love Lauren Westwood.

With beautifully articulated characters and well crafted mystery this book is a page turner.

Rating 5/5⭐

The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood

I want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

In this well-written mystery thriller, we follow Kate, whose life turns upside down after she receives a phone call. She steps into an unexpected situation where she grapples with family, love, and a bit of horror.

I decided to read this book purely on a gut feeling, which, after finishing it, turned out to be a great decision. Lauren is a fantastic author; she writes in a way that makes it easy for readers to follow the story, and she ties the entire book together in a satisfying way. I both laughed and got emotional while reading it.

I highly recommend this book, which is why it gets a 4.5/5. This is a book I could read again.

Synopsis: Kate is living a life of intense ambition as a lawyer seeking a partnership at a law firm in London. She hasn’t seen her sister, Emma, for years since they had a terrible, hurtful argument. She is at work when she receives word that Emma has suffered injuries after an accident and needs Kate immediately. Despite her misgivings, Kate drops everything and goes to Emma’s country property, Rookswood House, to look after her niece and nephew and help her sister. Kate discovers that Rookswood House is a huge, dilapidated Victorian mansion in need of major repairs, while Emma and her children have been living in the smaller coach house. The mansion seems to have a mysterious hold on the entire family, and is full of bizarre Victorian era photographs and photographic equipment belonging to the “Weird Sisters” that lived in the house. Kate has her hands full, with misbehaviour from the teens, Izzy and Max, ghostly activity at the mansion, a devious developer intent on tearing down Rookswood, and efforts to repair her rocky relationship with her sister. Will Kate be able to hold her family together and prevent the destruction of Rookswood?

Commentary: This novel tells the story of two sets of sisters, set in two different eras, that have a falling out and go their different ways. It is the modern-day story of Emma and Kate, as well as the Victorian story of Ada and Camille. The sets of sisters allow their differences to tear them apart, and they all learn to regret their choices. The history of photography and the story of Ada as a female photography pioneer is quite interesting and provides the background for much of the ghostly intrigue that surrounds Rookswood House. There is also a theme in both narratives of false and untruthful lovers that manipulate and use the sisters to their own advantage. Both Kate and Ada are cast as the older, more controlling sister while Emma and Camille are younger and more vulnerable, even though they all exhibit unlikeable behaviours and fully share the blame in their quarrels. The moral of the story is that family matters and no falling-out should be carried to the grave. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy to read.

I absolutely loved the story, a bit of a ghost story but not scary, a romance, a mystery, some badly behaved children pretending to be angels and a spooky old house. Lots to think about, some very interesting characters set in two time zones and a fascinating history of early photographic methods.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

My thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to review this arc.

I liked this book. It was something unique I have not read. An old house where 2 sisters from the past, Ana and Camille live. Flash forward and Kate Werner has to leave her life to care for her niece and nephew and live on the grounds if the house the sisters from the past live while her sister is in the hospital. . Ana was estranged from her sister and her ghost lives in the house with Kate who tries to unite her with her estranged sister Emma. The story is told from the 2 time periods. Throw in a developer and you got a good story.

My only problem it took awhile for it to pick up but recommend.

I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley thank you to the author and the publisher.

More aunts in books please! Reading this made me realise how little I’ve seen this role represented in books and really, it’s such an interesting dynamic. The main character has to drop everything, even though she’s at a critical moment in her career, to go and take care of her estranged sister’s two children. She hasn’t spoken to her sister in fifteen years, but there’s no-one else who can help so she comes running. She has no children of her own and is trying to navigating looking after two teenagers in a time of great need, the older of whom is quite frosty. I found the aunt trying to find her footing with the niece and nephew she’s never met before so interesting. It’s a very different dynamic to the parental relationship, particularly as she is dreading seeing her sister again.

There’s another sisterly relationship integral to this story, that of two sisters who lived in the stately home our main character now sees herself living on the grounds of. Dead for many years, the ghost of one is creating strange occurrences in the house. Haunting photographs are found in the house demonstrating the strange camera technique used in the past. Our main character must uncover the story of the house as she tries to navigate the haunting that’s wreaking havoc on her family.

I really enjoyed this, I thought the haunting was well done, the house atmospheric, the inclusion of the historical photography was fascinating. The modern parts were explored well, even where I did get frustrated at the younger sister’s continuous flip flopping and willingness to change her mind constantly even when clearly being manipulated by characters with nefarious intentions. But the main character made up for it and when presented with new information, she was able to respond and make choices in the best way she could.

This historical mystery has twin themes of photography and the potentially damaging relationship between sisters. Kate reluctantly is called upon to look after her estranged sister's children who live in the grounds of Rookswood House. The old property is ripe for development but has secrets to settle before that can happen and that are revealed through photographs from the nineteenth and early twentieth century when it was owned by a family who were pioneers in the art. As well as being a well crafted story, I found the information about the early development of photography utterly fascinating.

Good characters, creepy setting. Interesting use of a ghost to tell part of the story - though it took a long time for the story to come out.