Love a story about a house and it’s family secrets but I struggled to really get into this book. There was mystery and intrigue but just didn’t grip me. Maybe I’ll try again during summer break

This was a very dark story. It kept my interest, even though I do not read this type of dark gothic. The fact that I read it to the end means the writing was good or I would have abandoned it in the first chapters

First line: Last night, I dreamed Lakecrest was on fire.

Summary: Kate was raised by her mother in poverty. Her mother encouraged her to marry a wealthy man. When Kate meets Matthew Lemont on a return trip from Europe, she creates an encounter. After a whirlwind romance, they marry quietly. Matthew is the heir to a large estate outside Chicago, called Lakecrest. On first sight, Kate hates the old home and Matthew’s family. When she learns that, the life she was hoping for with her rich husband is not as she dreamed she tries to find a way to fix it. She believes that solving the mystery surrounding Matthew’s aunt’s disappearance will endear her to her new family but it is not that easy.

Highlights: I liked the cover and the idea of a gothic novel about a large mansion outside Chicago. It has a mystery surrounding it. It has a wonderful premise.

Lowlights: I found myself trying to trudge through it. It was slow moving and I did not like the characters. They were very boring.

FYI: I did not finish it.

A quick and entertaining read. Strong female characters. Great descriptive writing. Interesting twists and turns.

In the Shadow of Lakecrest didn't grab me immediately, possibly because, like Lakecrest itself, I found the characters unpleasant and a little disturbing. However, I'm glad I persisted as I found the mystery of the family which is at the centre of the novel intriguing. Kate Moore finds herself married into a wealthy but complex family in the 1920s and the novel tells her story as she adjusts to life in a slightly creepy mansion. There are definite gothic undertones, which I don't normally enjoy, but they are central to Blackwell's depiction of a family which has it all, but is gradually losing control of both their world and even the house itself. I was a little annoyed by the ending, but it did make sense in the overall narrative arc.

I really struggled to finish In the Shadow of Lakecrest. I found the characters too shallow.

I think that Shadow at Lakecrest was a nice read, I just didn't think it was particularly special. I love the genre, but maybe because of that same reason, I thought this one didn't include any remarkable storyline that I hadn't read before. I loved the beginning but found the middle less interesting and the ending didn't stand out as I thought it would. I believe that there were some details about the main character that would've been better if they had remained a secret until the ending, because I didn't think there were many surprises. I found myself losing interest and the main mystery wasn't appealing to me.

Rebecca, The Secret History, Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, Rosemary's Baby.

In the Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell borrows from all of the above. 4 out of 5 of those are some of my favorites (sorry, all. I hate The Great Gatsby), so these are high standards that I hold for books that involves women, big old houses, siblings, mystery disappearances, you know...all the good stuff.

Kate, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, reinvents herself and meets a handsome man on a boat. Things move quickly and she and the handsome Matthew marry and return to his family house outside of Chicago. Here's where everything changes. A controlling mother in law, a giant labyrinth, a party girl sister in law, a missing aunt.

It's all there, and while this book had the potential to be great, it felt a little derivative.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

I will start out by saying that Gothic stories are not my favorite. I don't have much patience for the woman going mad story. I prefer to cut to the chase, figure out what is going on and actually having problems that you are capable of facing. Ghosts are not my things, thinking that you are being driven insane is also not my thing, being put in a position where you feel that all of your power is taken away from you - MOST DEFINITELY NOT. MY. THING.

I read it in just 2 days - so it was compelling. Irritating as anything, but compelling.

Kate makes a case for not marrying a man until you know who your mother-in-law is going to be. The first Mrs. Lemont is controlling, cold, manipulative and really I couldn't find anything redemptive about her. She is the spider and everyone in her family is caught in a web of her design and she comes across - at least to me - as flat out evil. Emphasis on the "flat" there wasn't enough of a development of her character to make her compelling.


With all of the frustration from the MIL I will say that this was a book that made my lunch hours fly by. I was entertained by it and I needed to read it faster so that the book would actually get to the part that it had been hinting at so heavily.

If I find more of Elizabeth Blackwell's work I will definitely give it a go though this isn't a book that I would buy for my shelves.


I was given a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This mysterious gothic novel was a lovely read. However, the plot could have used a bit of complexity, I guessed the answer long before it was revealed. Also, I thought the ending was rushed. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed In the Shadow of Lakecrest. It made me think of the novels Catherine reads in Northanger Abby. I look forward to reading more books by Elizabeth Blackwell.

Looking to escape from a life of poverty and hardship, Kate Moore hastily marries wealthy medical company heir Matthew Lemont on the threshold of the Great Depression. When he brings her home to meet his ice queen mother and oddly jealous sister Marjorie, Kate has already gotten a glimpse of the demons Matthew is fighting. But she has no idea just how much darkness looms around every corner of the Lemonts' decrepit estate or how many skeletons the family has in its closet.

"In the Shadow of Lakecrest" basically reads like a cheap knock-off of a Daphne du Maurier novel. I can't get enough of Gothic thrillers, but there was something about this book that felt a bit forced and trite, and I can't quite put my finger on it. It was just bizarre enough to keep me interested, though.

I was fascinated by the deeper element of terror Kate feels when she becomes pregnant. She knows the child she and Matthew are going to bring into the world runs the risk of being a pretty screwed-up individual given the Lemonts' track record. Plus, Kate's mother isn't exactly the "feed 'em sugar and send 'em home" kind of grandma. She's terrifying and possibly a murderer.

Like I said, this family has some pretty dark secrets, and I don't want to give them all away. I will go a step further, though, and talk about Aunt Cecily's Labyrinth and Temple. She was the "fun" aunt (every family has one of those, right?), but she mysteriously vanished years ago. She was, let's just say, a downright worldly dame known for her obsession with mythology and strange moonlit hijinks involving a stone structure built on the Lemont property. The nightmares Matthew brought home from his service during World War I are mixed with visions of his beloved aunt that make him think he might have harmed her.

I guess when I say this book is a "cheap knock-off" of du Maurier's work, that's not all bad. Parts of it were kind of slow but I absolutely couldn't help finishing it, because I had to know what was going to happen to this train wreck of a family. From what little I've heard of "Flowers in the Attic," the story certainly falls within that realm. So prepared to be somewhat weirded out.

3.5 stars.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for something quick to read on a cold snowy day and this book fit the bill. Reminded me of books written by Daphne Du Daumier , but not written as well.. But I enjoyed anyway.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Elizabeth Blackwell for the advanced digital copy. As a child, Kate Moore endured a life of poverty, hardship, and violence. Years later, in 1928, she decides to board a transatlantic ocean liner, in hopes for a new life. She meets Matthew Lamont, who happens to be the heir to his family's Chicago medical company, and soon Kate and Matthew marry. While dealing with the demons of Matthew's past, Kate must also tolerate his cold hearted mother and troubled and jealous sister. With a slight feel of V.C. Andrews, this story unfortunately fell short. Some reviewers actually compared this tale to Daphne de Maurier's classic Rebecca, but not for me.

I DEVOURED this book.

I was worried that the historical (1920’s) setting would give the book a stilted/overly complicated style. But this book was such an easy read on top of such a great story, that I didn’t even realize how quickly I was racing through it.

The novel tells the love story of Kate Moore – raised by a poor mother who dreamed of a rich, handsome husband for her only child – and Matthew Lemont, a wealthy heir to a Chicago family’s fortune and terrible legacy. The Lemonts are well-respected, but also feared due to rumors of strange happenings on the family estate, Lakecrest. Many of the tumors surround Matthew’s aunt, Cecily, an eccentric artist who disappeared into a strange building 16 years before. As Kate unravels the family’s secrets, can she keep her sanity and her life from falling apart?

This story has it all: rumors of strange, heathen rituals, an evil mother-in-law, family secrets, a weird, sprawling estate; literally every gothic novel element is there, just waiting to be unraveled. And the author does a great job of using each element just enough to keep you guessing. There are enough moving parts to keep you guessing until the end.

I also liked that you couldn’t trust any of the characters in the novel. It wasn’t clear who was telling the truth, who was insane, etc. throughout the book. Even Kate comes under suspicion. That’s really the mark of a great suspense novel, when you truly feel you can’t even trust the person telling the story – you’re so wrapped up in the intrigue.

I also loved the ending. So neat and clean. It really was the exact perfect way it should have ended.

I highly recommend this novel to people who love suspense and great thrillers. I look forward to this author’s next work.

A++

A big, dark old house that holds so many secrets....and a remarkable hold on its residents. Questions are asked and answered oh so slowly. Why did the handsome, rolling-in-money Matthew Lemont fall for the pretty but lower class Kate Moore (if that really is her name). Is he a man-about-town or a mamma's boy? Lakecrest is shrouded in mystery. Were there Bacchanalian revels in the labyrinth? And what happened to Aunt Cecily. Was she murdered? Did she run away to Paris where women live together quite openly? The story is like a lush satin ribbon unspooling slowly, beautifully, carefully. Thank you, Elizabeth Blackwell, for such a well-crafted book.

This book creates the kind of feeling that one would have had they been thrown into a labyrinth at night.
The fact that there is a labyrinth involved in the story intrigued me even more.

It starts out with Kate, a governess aboard a ship who comes across Matthew Lemont, a handsome, brooding rich gentleman and is swept off her feet, glad to know that her life of poverty is behind her. In their first meeting Matthew's charms are evident, Why is it I'd rather talk to you than any other person on this ship?
Kate's arrival at Lakecrest is met with disapproval from Matthew's mother, Hannah and it is clear that she runs the Lemont family, and Kate soon learns that 'it has been decided,'means that Hannah has had the final say and no one is to go against her decision.
On her first day Kate learns that there is the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Cecily Lemont, her husband's aunt and she takes it upon herself to solve it.

I liked how Kate went about solving the mystery and her determination to discover the truth did not stop her from asking questions. It was brave of her to go against Hannah in her quest.

I did not quite get the incorporation of the insanity and depression theme- and this was evident in the characterization of Matthew Lemont, he came off as quite sinister as opposed to his mother's puppet, which I think the author wanted to bring to light.

I was taken by the depiction of Chicago during the Great Depression and it created the historical world that I love reading about.

On characters, I did not really like Marjorie, Matthew's sister, her flightiness did not strengthen the plot as much as I hoped it would.

I'm big on pace and story flow and this story has got the right kind of pace to keep you guessing and reeling with emotions in the quest for what happened to Cecily Lemont. It makes for a lovely read. I would recommend it to anyone who loves historical romance

This book held my interest right from the beginning, but it was a dark, gloomy story. I did not find any of the characters to be likable. They all seemed to be touched by madness. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened to the aunt, but even the main character, Kate, eventually gave into the crazy behavior. The book is written in an engaging, easy to read style. It is just filled with a lot of evil acts.

I love historical fiction and I didn't love this. Not my cup of tea at all.

Mystery, secrets and paranoia with a gothic atmosphere...my kind of story. The story moves along a decent pace with a few twists and a particularly satisfying ending.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

High drama from an author who has clearly read her Gothics. This is an entertaining fast read. I liked the Greek mythology (so popular during the time period.) Some of this was a bit unrealistic but that's ok, it made for a good read. I liked Blanche, was unhappy when Hank didn't come through (although the story wouldn't work if he did), and found Hannah to be the classic evil mother-in-law. Nicely written. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.