The Darkling Bride transported me back to the 1970s, when I would spend hours browsing the Gothics section of bookstore and library shelves. Everything I loved about Gothics is here - the spunky heroine with a tragedy in her past, the brooding but ridiculously handsome "lord of the manor," his disagreeable sibling, and the forbidding matriarch - all squished up together in a remote castle or manor with a mystery and maybe a few ghosts.

The story here is original and well developed, the characters appealing, and the outcome satisfying. I had a hard time putting this one down. Recommended for lovers of mysteries & romances, and for the YA audience.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but coming back to it was a chore. I have enjoyed Laura Anderson's previous books so that made this one even more disappointing. As I was reading it, I kept waiting for something to happen- and nothing really ever did.

So I'm going to start off with that this was just not my genre of books. I tried to read something different and add some 'flavor' to my reading list. The story was well written and had a great plot. I loved the concept of this book, but ultimately it did not do it for me. I would definitely recommend reading if you enjoy historical-gothic type or some mystery with a little bit of paranormal to it.

Laura Anderson, big shout out! The Darkling Bride was the perfect rainy day book - it had all the major elements; mystery, love, a castle... She had me hooked at castle. This one captivated from
Page one and kept me up all night. I look forward to more work from this author in the future.

Thanks, for the ARC NetGalley.

Having recently been to Ireland, where I visited the Wicklow mountains and Glendalough, I was excited to read a book set in that location. I loved the idea of a haunted Irish castle, I liked the mystery, wished there had been a lot more romance. My biggest issue: there were too many different main characters, too many subplots, too much swapping of time periods... sometimes this was written in past tense with one voice and then suddenly someone else's diary page was thrown in.... If the book had focused on two protagonists total it could have been a richer and more compelling story and I could have identified with the people and story more. I liked that Carragh Ryan was half-Chinese, unusual for a book heroine, but other than her, the character development was kind of weak. I didn't like the way the author often recapped scenes in prose instead of giving us actual dialog. Overall I liked the concept but not the execution.

I loved this book! The Gallagher family has been haunted by the mysterious murders of Cillian and Lily for 20 years and the family has come together to make decisions about Deeprath Castle. Everybody has an opinion of what should happen and none of them line up with the others. As fate would have it, Carragh Ryan, an outsider, is hired on to catalogue the library, but she has her own innocent motives. She finds herself tangled up in the hurting family’s secrets but also manages to become a part of the story she’s been chasing: the story of The Darkling Bride.

I read this book in a day, it was that good! It has all the twists and turns of a good mystery with a few love stories, old and new. I loved how all the personal stories unraveled, how we got to see so clearly the personal battle in some many of the characters. The unfolding of all of those stories and how there was a resolution, not necessarily a happy one, for everybody. There was plenty of heartbreak and heart mending while the haunted family learned about more than just the 20 year old mystery but also a more than 100 year old secret. Such an intriguing story!

The Darkling Bride is a mystery novel narrated by two couples in two different eras. Carragh, our MC, is a English graduate with a love for Irish lore and authors including Evan Chase. Her passion however does not pay the bills until she stumbles upon a job that is too good to be true: cataloguing the world-class library at Deeprath, an Norman/Irish castle just outside of Dublin. There Carragh meets Viscount Aidan Gallagher, a handsome, troubled man who stumbled upon the bodies of his dead parents 20 years earlier. The two begin to form a relationship as they try to unravel the circumstances of his parents death and the death of Evan's wife nearly a century prior while trying to escape the myth of the Darkling Bride.

The tale of the Darkling Bride and Jenny's madness pulled me in from the beginning. I love historical fiction that also has a bit of supernatural. However after the introductions to Jenny, Aidan, Evan and Carragh were complete, the story seemed to drag on a bit. Secondary characters, Nessa, Sibeal and Phillip had more depth at times than Aidan or Carragh. Also I thought Carragh's adoption storyline didn't add much to the plot. Aside from providing another reason for the already abundantly clear love interest (I love you because you're twisted like me, etc.). However, I did appreciate that she was Chinese American, it was a pleasure to read something with some diversity.

Anderson dropped a few clues along the way to help readers unravel the mystery and my prediction of the killer was spot on, albeit the motive was different. Overall this was a very enjoyable read if you are looking for a mystery with a hint of romance, history and the supernatural.

Three stars!

This was such an enjoyable read! Telling the story of one family's history over several hundred years it included a wonderful castle that became a character of the book, amazing landscapes, interesting history, great characters, a bit of romance and a mystery that kept me guessing. It had all the components of a great book that I love and it definitely delivered a really great read.

A whirlwind of romance, dark intentions, ghosts, spectres and mystery. This story follows Carragh Ryan, who is hired to help catalogue the library at Deeprath castle where writer Evan Chase purportedly wrote his final novel. We quickly become embroiled in a mystery- how were the current Lord Gallagher’s parents viciously murdered 30 years ago? Did it have to do with the mystery of the Darkling Bride? I wholeheartedly enjoyed this ride through darkest, wettest Ireland. I highly recommend reading this book with a thick blanket and a warm mug of tea because you will need to caffeine to help you stay awake to finish it!

This book had a lot going for it: a mystical setting, a haunted Irish castle, an intriguing mystery element, romance, and a sympathetic protagonist. But there was simply so much going on, so many different characters, time periods, and side plots crammed into one book that it watered down what could have been a very rich and compelling story. Aside from protagonist Carragh Ryan, character development was especially weak. The author also had a habit of swapping out actual dialogue for general statements such as "Over the course of the night they discussed this and talked about that." That's one of my greatest pet peeves but perhaps this wouldn't bother another reader as much. I loved the concept of this book, but ultimately it did not work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Deeprath castle sits uninhabited in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, that has been the home of the Gallagher family for well over seven hundred years. With the possible transfer of the building and lands to a public trust all the remaining Gallagher family members converge on the grounds for the final days. But when new evidence is unearthed in an old well, more questions are raised concerning the deaths of several past residents, the ghosts and police become more adamant in their struggles to solve the mysteries that plague this ancestral home. An excellent cast of characters spanning several generations to construct a tangled web of love & lies with a smattering of local history for an ever-present backdrop for the ghosts to roam undeterred in their mourning.

By Laura Andersen
2018 Ballantine Books
Genere: Mystery, Thriller, Crime-Detective, Women, Murder,
#TheDarklingBride #NetGalley
http://www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie/
http://www.glendalough.ie/

What a wonderfully written modern-day Gothic. The characters were intriguing, Mysteries abound in it, you didn't know who to trust. I loved the intrigue and the hidden family history. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a enthralling thriller to read.

**I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

This Gothic tale held me rapt. In modern-day Ireland, Carragh has been hired to catalog the contents of the library at Deeprath Castle before the Gallagher family turn their home over to the National Trust. Aidan, the current Viscount Gallagher makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the ancestral home where both his parents met suspicious ends when he was just a child. Carragh is interested in learning what happened to Aidan’s ancestor, a writer whose wife also died suspiciously not long after they were married. After his wife’s death, he never wrote another word. And what of the legend of the Darkling Bride, a spirit said to haunt the castle, who may have driven others to their deaths? Told in both present day and the late 19th century, this story is the kind I like to cuddle up with on a chilly autumn night. The kind of story that has me glancing out the window, afraid to see who or what might be looking back at me. Highly recommended