This is a great debut by a first-time author that encompasses witchcraft, love, and tragedy in the early 1800s. This book is a great pick for fans of gothic novels, witches, and or historical fiction as it blends the three elements beautifully throughout the story.

The Montrose family is one of the most prominent families in early 1800s Boston until the oldest daughter, Catherine, causes a scandal so atrocious that it forces the family to start their lives over in the small town of Old Newbury, Massachusetts. The Montrose family members have many secrets - even from each other - and they are determined to preserve their secrets while rebuilding their new lives in Willow Hall. Middle daughter, Lydia, immediately suspects that something is wrong with their new home. Like the Montrose family, Willow Hall has it's own share of tragic secrets. As Lydia delves into the mysteries of the house and the supernatural elements inhabiting it, she also unravels the secrets of her own family - including that her mother's family is descended from one of the women who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials and that she herself is a witch!

THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL is very eerie, and the novel is packed with suspense and a escalating sense of dread. There is romance, family secrets, blackmail, betrayal, and various family dynamics. The novel is beautifully written, and the storyline was very interesting. I was intrigued that the novel was written in the present tense. I'll admit that it was a bit jarring at first, and it continued to surprise me a few times throughout the novel. But, once I got used to the present tense, I found it very fascinating. Lydia Montrose is an intriguing character, and she becomes more and more appealing as she learns that she is a witch. The other main characters are interesting as well, and they all add something to the story. The "evil" sister, Catherine, works as a great foil against "good" sister Lydia. The ups and downs of their relationship added to the storyline, and caused some unexpected twists. Catherine is not a likable character, but her story will keep the readers interested. The romantic elements in the novel were also captivating. John Barrett makes a remarkable hero who is tortured by his past.

My only criticism is that I would have liked to know more about the Montrose family's only son as well as their ancestor who was killed during the Salem Witch Trial. It also took a little too long to reveal the big family secret that drove the Montrose family out of Boston. Since the story is told in Lydia's first-person perspective, and she clearly knows about the scandal, it seems a bit unfair that she waits so long to pass along the information to the readers.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel - it is really very well written. I was totally absorbed in the story and didn't want to put the book down until finished. There's a lot more to the story than witchcraft. The Montrose family flees Boston in 1821 due to scandalous rumors and moves to New Oldbury into a home called Willow Hall. Willow Hall has a history of tragedy. This is the story of what happens at Willow Hall and especially what Lydia discovers about herself and her history. There is also a romance, blackmail and betrayal, incest, and a new tragedy at Willow Hall. The witchcraft in the book is definitely there, but is somewhat understated.

My favorite characters were Lydia Montrose and John Barrow. The characters were well-developed and interesting. My least favorite character was Catherine - I would really hate to have her for a sister! The book was atmospheric and gave me a sense of foreboding and dread.

I really enjoyed the book! Thanks to Hester Fox and HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I had high expectations for this book but I really felt like it didn't live up to them. I'm also not sure why this was listed as a romance? It definitely does not have romance as it's main plot.

The book kind of drags though the middle and does do a good job of having that spooky ominous tone but overall it was hard to keep engaged. I was also disappointed in the magic, there wasn't very much of it nor any explanations or elaborations on it either.

I did really enjoy the writing though, her writing is eloquent and beautiful but I just couldn't get into the story.

The Witch of Willow Hall is spooky, atmospheric, and romantic. It's exactly the type of Gothic story I love and it's a perfect read for fall/Halloween season. I made the mistake of reading it before bed and was definitely feeling chills once the lights were off. If you love stories about witches, ghosts and supernatural, The Witch of Willow Hall is for you.

The premise of this book is very interesting and the Gothic tone works very well. The first-person present tense was slightly awkward to read. The vocabulary was too modern in several spots. The storyline had some good twists and turns, but by the end had become predictable. Unfortunately, it was more of a standard romance than the creepy Gothic tale of the supernatural that I had expected.

How would you like to know something is different and yet you have no idea what it is? How would you like to be a witch yet have no training on how to control your powers? How would you feel to find out that your older sister was trying to get married because she was pregnant and when you find out who the father is it shocks the daylights out of you? Then to make matters worse you lose a very close loved one and that you accidentally due to your unknown & unlearned powers keep with you instead of sending her through the veil? Your mother is no help and is so far out of it that she is so fragile you are afraid that if she has to handle anything she will break into a million pieces, so you do your best to clean up all the family messes. Does not sound fun does it? To make matters worse the entire family is forced out of their home due to rumors (which will shock you when you realize what those rumors are) and to a back water small community where the rumors have followed you. This is what Lydia goes through with her sisters, Catherine (older) & Emeline (younger).

Then to top it off the property that they live on already has ghosts and odd things that has happened to it in the past. Lydia does her best to handle things, but just when it seems all has failed and she must make the biggest sacrifice of all things are finally revealed to her and it work out. This book held my attention and was quite difficult for me to put down at times. I do recommend reading it.

Reminiscent of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice with a gothic and dark twist. Creepy and romantic, I enjoyed it . Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what draws me to stories about witches and witchcraft. Perhaps it's because my family is from New England, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond was one of my favorite books as a kid. Or maybe it's due to my love for Harry Potter. Whatever the reason, I enticed by Hester Fox's The Witch of Willow Hall, recommended to fans of Alice Hoffman and Deborah Harkness. While it's not as historically rich as Harkness' series or as classic as Hoffman's Practical Magic, I devoured Willow Hall in two days, not willing to let it sit unread.

In addition to the magical aspects, Willow Hall will also appeal to fans of Regency novels and Jane Austen as well as the Bronte sisters' gothic tales. The overall tone more closely mirrors Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, but Austen fans will appreciate the romantic aspects and Lydia's introspection. Plus, a handful handsome men in riding breeches never hurt.

Perfect gothic tale of suspense and romance with supernatural elements . Lydia is the main character who is special but does not even know it .Due to a family scandal there is a move from Boston to a small town .. .. This novel is creepy , suspenseful , romantic. Add some history from Salem witch trials and you have quite the page turner . Perfect for fans of Daphne Du Maurier . I enjoyed every second reading this unique novel

A good suspense,mystery romance with twist.
Lydia a her family were outcast from Boston and went to live at Willow Hill.Lydia was different from sister but doesn't know why until she goes to Willow Hill.There she meet MR Barrett and a romance begins but will they get their happy ending. Things happens that but make it impossible.
Very good story.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I LOVE witch-y books. I love the atmosphere of them. Especially when they make me feel like it’s an October night even when it’s actually July. The Witch of Willow Hall achieved this, but I don’t think it’s a book that will stick with me.

I quite enjoyed Lydia’s voice. She seemed to be fairly level headed, but I definitely would not have stuck by Catherine the way she did.. Catherine was awful and just got worse and worse. I’m pretty disappointed that she never got what she deserved. She’s lucky she has a sister that is as devoted to their family as Lydia is.

I really enjoyed the romance in this! There’s just something romantic about how courting and dating used to happen. I like Mr. Barrett a lot. Cyrus was awful, but I’m glad he was dealt with.

Emeline broke my heart. I didn’t expect what happened to happen, but after finishing the book I realized I really should have.

It was a bit of a slow burn, but I feel like it went with the tone of the book very well. I have found that lots of historical fiction books are slower than contemporaries and I usually end up enjoying it.

The only thing that really disappoints me about this novel is that it really didn’t have much witchcraft in it. Tons of ghosts, but very little practice.

The ending was kind of perfect, though. It wrapped everything up nicely, if not a little quickly.

The Witch of Willow Hall is a decent book, just not amazing. I feel like it’s going to be one of those books that I won’t be able to remember the names of the characters or the plot a year from now.

Opening line:
"It was the Bishop boy who started it all."

I was sucked right into this story from the beginning. Scandal, secrets, ghosts, oh my! I found myself reaching for my Kindle time and again because I wanted to know what came next. But now that I'm done reading it and there is a few hours behind me, I'm not sure what to think.
First off, the writing is great. The author knows how to create tension and hooks that kept me engrossed. I skimmed a little bit in the middle but not much. The beginning drew me in and the end of the middle kept me reading.
Second off is everything else. The characters were developed to a certain point and then flat lined. There was one, scarce mentor for the main character and the mentor doesn't show up for a long time and then just says cryptic things to her. Her parents don't do anything throughout the book (except maybe one time), the oldest sister is a B and jilted love interest needed to MOVE ON.
There were a LOT of secrets. Everyone had a secret (except maybe the dad but that character was never fleshed out). All the secrets were found out with lots of anger except one and that was "well here is my deep dark secret." "Okay. That's fine." I think the keeping and revealing of secrets were my biggest disappointment. "Oh yes, by the way, you are not normal but it's okay." "Good to know." There is one secret I found very distasteful and it bothered me through most of the book.
The ending was happy but a little abrupt. I did not get closure with at least three plot lines.
All in all, if you like ghost stories and being kept up reading late into the night, you'll enjoy this book. I hope Ms. Fox writes more and more books and hones her talents even more. She has a bright future ahead of her!

For the sensitive reader: there are roughly 10 swear words, ghosts, drowning, death, kissing passionately, suggestions of sexual romps, unwanted pregnancy, and incest.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read.

The darker parts of this tale are hinted at repeatedly but not fully revealed until the second half of the book. Until then, we are left wondering what shadow hangs over this formerly-fortunate family. And what might save any of the members from some dark fate? Yet, it’s not a grim tale at all. Part historic fiction, part witchy-tale, part romance, there’s something here for almost every reader, if any of this falls in your wheelhouse. Author Hester Fox handles the time period well and her characters are engaging. This book is a quick read because it’s difficult to stop reading once you start.

This book had me at “witch”.

From the moment I got it I couldn’t put it down. I wanted nothing more than to stay up too late surrounded by its ghosts and promises of revealed secrets.

At first I found the characters a bit clichéd. The protagonist is a little too good. The older sister is a vain, self-centered, bully. The younger sister is an annoying, yet endearing, 8-year-old. John is the classic stoic knight. The ghost is, well... why is there a ghost?

Then there is the tragedy. Oh the tragedy!

Then the scandal is revealed. Oh the scandal!!

It is positively bewitching.

Haunting, compelling, and deeply gratifying, this is the perfect read for early fall when nights come earlier and cool breezes hint at a chill soon to come…

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Set in the 1800s, this modern take on the Gothic novel was a page turner. Lydia Montrose and her family leave Boston under a cloud of scandal. They take up residence in a small town where Mr. Monstrose is looking to build a mill in partnership with young Mr. Barrett.. Lydia, a kind and compassionate young woman is caught between her responsibilities to protect her family, especially sister Catherine and her new found love for. Mr. John Barrett. Tragedies ensue, misunderstandings, threat of exposure to more public scandal over Catherine’s behavior in Boston, and a great dollop of witchcraft, a satisfying read all in all. My one criticism is the plot device removing Catherine from the local scene at the end. The solution the author provides to the problem of this character’s place in the family and society would certainly never have happened in that time unless she were to descend to life of the street and this novel didn’t set up that particular scenario.

The Witch of Willow Hall was not so much a book about magic or witchcraft as it was about ghosts and sisters. The story opens early in the 1800s on the Montrose sisters and their mother as they are moving into Willow Hall. They are joining their father there as they fled from scandal in Boston. Their brother Charles isn't with them, and we're not sure where he is or why he's not with the family. The scandal involved Catherine, the eldest, and her improper behavior. Lydia tells the story and takes care of the youngest sister, Emeline, as the mother is unwell thanks to the stress of the scandal and the ultimate move to the country. Willow Hall is a lovely, large house on a sprawling bit of property that includes the titular willow tree and a small pond. Emeline immediately wants to visit the pond and talk to the mermaids she is sure live just below the surface. The girls fair pretty well considering what they left behind, until a quick trip to town uncovers rumors about ghosts inhabiting the house. Emeline's dog, Snip, runs off and its while searching for him that Lydia meets John Barrett, their neighbor and their father's business partner. What follows is a tale of devastating tragedy and secrets come to light. As Lydia grows closer to Mr. Barrett she learns more about the past, herself, and her relationship to her family. This was a great ghost story, well told and easy to read. The Witch of Willow Hall is , not as fast paced or suspenseful as many I've ready but enjoyable nonetheless. Its refreshing to read a book that is well written and doesn't rely on shocking gore or violence to tell a story.

I love a good scary story set in a spooky haunted house, so I was very much looking forward to this book. Unfortunately there were too many things going on throughout the story and it bogged the narrative down. Witchcraft, ghosts, romance, incest, a pregnancy from that incest...it was too much. I think had the author chosen one or two to focus on rather than throwing them all together the book would have been more cohesive. None of it was BAD, exactly, it just didn't all fit together. Almost like certain plot lines should have been an entirely separate novel. As a result I never really felt any connection to any of the characters. I was disappointed.

Lydia and her family have moved to Willow Hall after leaving Boston due to a family scandal. Lydia tries to forget the past, but she will soon discover that the past cannot be ignored, because secrets hold a power all their own, and they can’t be silenced forever.

The cover grabbed my attention, as did the description. However, the story just didn’t match up with my expectations. The ghost/witchcraft/creepy house angle was somewhat interesting, but there wasn’t a lot of tension or drama. Sadly, there wasn’t a lot of character growth, either. The story was very slow, particularly at the beginning, and it was really hard for me to stay engaged, even though things picked up a bit as the story unfolded. Catherine is a large part of the story, and I found it difficult to like or care about her. Some parts seem a bit too modern for a story taking place in the 1800s, and the latter half of the book is predictable. Based on the cover and description, I was expecting more creepiness, especially as the book releases in October. It fell a bit flat for me, however.

This review was posted on Goodreads, and I'll post on Amazon after the book is released.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

This book started out slow but left little tidbits that kept me reading. I LOVED the ending and the journey that Lydia goes on to discover who she truly is.