I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and although I had the mystery figured out early on, it didn't diminish my fun. The characters were well-drawn, the atmosphere was appropriately spooky, and the story was engaging.

If you like ghosts, creepy mansions, and complicated families, this is definitely the book for you.

The Darkling Bride is an incredibly enjoyable dark tale about the Gallaghers and their ancestral home of Deeprath in Ireland. Fans of Gothic fiction would love every bit of this read, as well as bibliophiles and historical fiction fans. The story jumps between three time periods (the present, the 1970s-80s, and the 1880s) but the author does it so seamlessly that it doesn’t feel jarring. The prose is haunting but beautiful, much like the setting itself, and the pacing stays both suspenseful and measured throughout the book. I found the ending to be very satisfying as well.

I enjoyed all of the characters. Each is flawed in their own way but I think that adds to them being more complex. Carragh was a great protagonist but I was a big fan of Nessa and the inspector as well. I appreciated the fact that there was a smidgen of romance in the present story line so that it didn’t overwhelm the focal point of the mystery. The mansion itself is a character too, watching over the events as they unfold. That moment when Carragh goes into Bride Tower, talk about goosebumps!

I really look forward to reading more books from the author. It’s so easy to lose balance within the elements of between historical fiction, mystery, and paranormal but Andersen does it expertly.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Random House - Ballantine, and the author Laura Andersen for the opportunity to do so.

The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Tucked away in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, Deeprath Castle has a long, sad history of love, legend, blood, and myths. The most pervasive of the myths revolves around a beautiful and doomed woman whose legend has been so strong as to survives centuries and seemingly impact the lives of her descendants.


Several centuries later . . . .

Aidan Gallagher’s family has lived under a curse for the entirety of his life. As a child, his parents were violently murdered, he and his sister were raised by their cold and tremendously proud aunt, and as an adult all are separated and distant. With the family manor, Deeprath Castle being the common denominator, Aidan feels he has no choice but to unload the castle on the state as an historic/heritage site. Before the transfer can happen, however, Aidan and his aunt want the family library catalogued with the intent of donating the contents with the exception of personal/family documents.

Carragh Ryan has spent the vast majority of her young life in the service of books. When the opportunity to catalogue the famed Gallagher/Deeprath Castle collection presents itself, she jumps at the chance! According to her contract, Carragh is to reside in the castle for the duration of the job and confine her activities to the library. With no objections, Carragh packs her bags and gets to work within hours of her arrival. The library is vast, her employers are standoffish at best, and Carragh is absolutely certain the castle is haunted. Within days of her arrival, the double portrait of the Darkling Bride in her bedroom has been moved leaving Carragh with a great sense of unease and more than a few questions.

Though Carragh finds Aidan attractive, he isn’t the easiest of men to approach. Her questions relate directly to his family, but not her job so broaching certain subjects seems somewhat risky. As it happens, Aidan quite likes Carragh and as they begin to work together, Aidan becomes more willing to open up and share stories of his family’s past and the myths and legend surrounding Deeprath Castle and the Wicklow Mountains.

With each conversation, Carragh becomes more attached to Aidan and even more involved in the mystery surrounding Deeprath Castle and her Darkling Bride. What’s more, with each new bit of evidence uncovered, Carragh becomes convinced the ancient legend is, in fact tied to the death of Aidan’s parents. With each step closer to the truth, Carragh finds herself in danger. Her safety and her freedom are threatened before all is said and done with her only ally being Aidan Gallagher.

The Bottom Line: What a wonderfully dark read is Lauren Andersen’s The Darkling Bride. From start to finish I was absolutely and thoroughly invested in this read. The legend of the Darkling Bride is woven into every aspect of the story, from the setting, to the characters, to the mystery. She is always present and truly feeds the entirety of the story which makes it all the more entertaining. I didn’t want to put this book down and was heartbroken in the best possible way by the resolution to the rather Gothic tale. This is an early favorite for 2018 and one I heartily recommend. 0

A gorgeous Irish family drama that truly compels you forward! I lost myself for hours in this world and when I finally emerged I was sad to see it end!

The Darkling Bride is a dark and complex family mystery unraveled across several generations of Gallaghers who lived within the walls of Deeprath Castle. This is the perfect novel for those who love family sagas, Irish history, and historical mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the strong characters, ghostly whispers, and clues from the past.

Loved this book! A little romance, little history and a ancient old mystery all wrapped up in an irish estate. Makes me want to return to Ireland!

Laura Andersen has done it again! I loved her retelling of the Tudors series and this title does not disappoint. I found it impossible to put down.

I thought The Darkling Bride was pretty good with a bit of suspense. I recommend it and look forward to more by Laura Andersen.
4 stars.

This is the best mystery book that I have read in a long time. Going back and forth between time periods made it fascinating! I don't want to give anything away, there is only one reason that I am deducting a star! This is a fabulous read!
I highly recommend! Thanks! Enjoy
carolintallahassee 👒

2.5 to 3 stars. Honestly, it reminded me very much of a game of Clue written out in text form which was enjoyable. The things I loved -- the historic castle setting, the quickness of the read. However, I only give it 2.5 to 3 stars because a lot of the detailing just wasn't there. A lot of things happen in the book, but they're quickly glazed over to hit the next part in the book leaving the reader to wonder exactly how the event had even happened in the first place. I wish the author would have spent more time fleshing out more the important events that led up to the book's conclusion.

If you've been here before or know me you'll know that I love Laura Andersen's alternate history Tudor novels. When I saw that she was writing a Gothic mystery taking place in Ireland I was like, SIGN ME UP! And while it's always exciting to start a new book by one of your favorite authors, it's also a littler nerve-wracking not knowing if you'll enjoy this departure in genre as much as the other. I can safely say I had nothing to worry about.
The Darkling Bride takes place mostly in modern day Ireland in the Wicklow mountains at Deeprath Castle. This castle is home to not only the ancient Gallagher family but also numerous tragedies. Carragh is hired by the pseudo-matriarch of the family to catalog it's infamous library before it is given to the National Trust. Along the way, she meets Aiden, the current Viscount of the manor, his eccentric and complicated family, both past and present, and also a little more of herself.

While the synopsis can be a bit confusing as there are three different times we are dealing with, I was never confused. The story is majority present-day with a few flashbacks to 1992 and a few more from 1883. I really liked how this was done. We had the contemporary storyline fueling all our questions with great insight to the past spaced out along the way. The questions we want answered? Why Aiden's parents were found dead in a horrific fashion when he was 10 years old and what happened to his ancestors in 1883 that caused a famous author never to write again and his wife to commit suicide? I loved this mystery. It kept me turning the pages and if the mystery itself didn't engage me, the setting did.

Set in a beautiful Norman style castle deep in the Irish countryside, I loved being in Ireland. It is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to and Andersen absolutely brought this setting to life. The infamous library, the crumbling tower, the countryside lake, it all came to life while reading. The setting can make or break a book for me and this setting only added to the book.

The cast of characters was....interesting. The Gallagher family is not without their eccentricities to say the least. Consistent with old aristocratic families, this one had its share of secrets, problems, and things that go bump in the night that they would like to stay hidden. I loved unraveling the mystery and figuring out everyones motives and whereabouts and what exactly happened all those years ago.

If you're looking for a book to cozy up to under a blanket with a cup of cocoa to unravel a mystery over 100 years old, then this is a book for you!

Backstage Pass
If you love Ireland, Gothic mysteries, and ghosts that laugh in the night...this book is for you.

I had so much fun reading this book - Originally, I went into it thinking, historical fiction, but quickly discovered it is really so much more than that. The book does weave a bit of historical fiction into what is actually more of a modern day murder mystery. The main storyline takes place in Deeprath Castle, a very old (and possibly haunted) castle in the County Wicklow, Ireland, which has been in the Gallagher family for generations. Our protagonist, Carragh, is an archivist hired on to inventory the extensive historical library prior to the castle's potential sale. There she finds not just books but mystery, suspense, gothic settings, a potential love match, long guarded family secrets and an unsolved murder that sees its investigation rekindled.

Throughout the book the chapters shift between present time, the late 1880s and 1990s. We meet a full cast of Gallaghers, as well as some outside players. I loved this aspect of the book and enjoyed watching the multiple generations storylines eventually tie together. Many of the characters were extremely likable and I wouldn't mind reading more about them in the future- particularly Aidan and Carragh- I know their stories can't end here!

There is so much to love about this book and I am hoping that many, many readers get to enjoy it as much as I did - a big thank you to Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

What an enjoyable, escapist read! For lovers of historical fiction, Gothic fiction, and/or mystery, this book has it all. Andersen aptly braids together three storylines from three different time periods (current, 1970's-1990's, 1880's) and casts the Wicklow area of Ireland (complete with castle and ghosts) as a broody character as well. I finished reading it in a big armchair, cup of tea in hand, as I listened to the rain pattering against the window -- a truly fitting setting for such a novel.

I really enjoyed this book. It's set in Ireland and is steeped in mystery, romance, and death. It follows a young woman in modern times on a temporary assignment to help catalog all of the books at Deeprath Castle. It also investigates two alternate times, one not so long ago which concerns the murder of one of our characters parents. The other timeline is that of a young author, enamored with the lady of the castle who holds her own secrets. It starts a little slow but picks up soon after. If you're looking for a dark and atmospheric mystery/romance then this is a good one.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalleyfor letting me review this title!

Great story that drew me in quickly and kept me guessing. The Darkling Bride has all the elements that make it an enjoyable read - mystery, romance, a castle with ghost. Perfect for a rainy day. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fraught with suspense, this story which spans decades, is well written and easily draws you in with its mystery. Anderson gives only pieces away, until culminating into a full picture. Mystery and suspense fans will love The Darkling Bride.

The very beginning of the book starts interesting. However, the more characters and settings are introduced the less interesting this story becomes.

I loved this. So many things I'm interested in - Irish folklore, Victorian Literature, libraries, castles, a good mystery. I really enjoyed this book and wish it had been longer.

With a ghost looming around each corner this book was full of twists and turns. I love a good Whodunnit book and this one kept me on my toes!

The Darkling Bride, written by Aura Andersen, follows Carragh Ryan, an Irish history graduate, who has been hired to record the contents of an Irish Castle library before it is donated. This Castle, though, is the location where her favorite novel lived, loved, and where his wife killed herself. 

And where a murder occurred 23 years ago.

I enjoyed the writing in this book, though the love interest was a bit forced at times. This book reminds me, in the best of ways, of The Forgotten Garden ,this novel follows a mystery across three different generations. Secrets that lives have been based upon and hidden since they occurred.

I do wish more explanations were given to terms used, such as the Garda, so that non-Irish would be able to have a better understanding of the structure of the police that is referenced more than once.

The romance in this book ended up working out, but the shift into it was odd and felt so very forced.  Other than that, the characters were believable and the mystery felt real. Which might sound odd, but the build up was great and kept me hooked till the end.

This is a good book for mystery lovers and romance lovers. 

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