This novel is set in a small town in Maine in the 1840s. Sophronia is a widow who everyone in town thinks is a witch and killed her husband. Gabriel is new in town to start a transcendentalist church but is just pretending to be a minister to honor his dead wife. And spooky and creepy things are happening in town reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe stories.

This one was a miss for me unfortunately. The first 3/4 or so of the book was just very slow and repetitive - basically the town hates Sophy, Gabriel feels like a fraud, they’re in insta-love with each other other, Sophy’s servant Helen is obsessed with her, something creepy happens, repeat, over and over again. Then the last 1/4 was suddenly lots of fast-paced action, leading to an ending I had guessed some aspects of but still wasn’t very satisfying. Also just didn’t care for the writing they was sort of imitating an old-timey vibe. I will say the book was good at creating a spooky atmosphere though which felt appropriate reading on Halloween.

My friend I was buddy reading it with DNF-ed and tried to convince me too as well, but I soldiered on because I’m stubborn and hoped it would get better. Oh well, they can’t all be winners!

At least I crossed a very old Netgalley book off my backlog.

2.5 stars

The plot didn’t draw me into this book. I couldn’t finish as I didn’t care what was happening. I just don’t think the writing was for me.

I read The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox a few years back and fell in love with the suspenseful, gothic romance. To this day, I still think of a few of the creepy scenes in the story and get chills - fun!

I was really looking forward to reading The Widow of Pale Harbor as my 2nd read from this author and as it began, it seemed like this would be another favorite. And just look at that cover! Breathtaking!!

A widow who lives in a castle-like home just outside of town, rumored to be a witch, receiving deadly messages on her doorstep by an unknown stalker. A newcomer to town who says he is the new pastor for the community but has secrets of his own.

All the gothic pieces were there but for some reason I just couldn't connect with this one. It was a decent story but I think it just dragged on in too many spots for me.

I'm still looking forward to Fox's new book, A Lullaby for Witches, and can't wait to see if that will bring me back to the 'Willow Hall' atmospheric type read!

Thank you to #GraydonHouseBooks, #Harlequin and #NetGalley for this review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Widow of Pale Harbor.

Gabriel Stone is a man trying to escape his troubled past and in doing so, he moves to Pale Harbor, Maine. What he doesn't know is that Pale Harbor has secrets of its own; one being Sophronia Carver. After her husband dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances, Sophronia is accused of murder and witchcraft by the townspeople of Pale Harbor and ultimately becomes a recluse. Her only friends are her maid, Helen, the Carver Castle groundskeeper, and his sister. However strange things are happening in Pale Harbor: murders that bear an eerie resemblance to the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Gabriel finds himself drawn to Sophronia at first because of her intrigue, but as time goes on deeper feelings develop between the two mysterious strangers. Who is committing the horrendous murders in Pale Harbor and what ties Sophronia to them?

This book will keep you guessing until the very end. It is beautifully gothic, dark, and atmospheric. Think Jane Eyre written in present day language. I was captivated by this story from the very beginning and I hope to read more from this author in the future!

A historical storyline that brings in magic making The Widow of Pale Harbor a great read.

The story takes us to Maine in 1846 where Gabriel is desperate to escape. His wife is dead and he needs to get as far away as possible. Moving to Maine, he takes a job as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.

Thinking he has escaped the ghosts of all that was his life he finds that not all is as it seems.

Great storyline.

I absolutely adore Hester Fox's style of writing. She has way of bringing the past alive; the horrors of what man has done to his fellow man (or woman) in a way that illustrates just how terrible mankind always has been. With a slow build throughout until the cataclysmic ending, I found The Widow of Pale Harbor to be engaging and brilliant. I absolutely recommend ALL of Hester Fox's books. ALL.

Hester Fox is always a good read and I am always up for a good ghost story! Thanks for letting me read it.

I love everything about Hester and this was the second ARC I received!!! I always recommend her books! This book did not disappoint and I can’t wait for another witchy thrill

Hester Fox was one of my favorite debut authors I read in 2018 and I was highly anticipating this release. Honestly, it didn’t disappoint. While it may be a little less creepy than the previous book by her, it still packs all the gothic atmosphere and a great romance as well.

The recluse widow Sophy seems to be the target of strange occurrences in the small town of Pale Harbor. Everyone thinks she’s a witch and that she killed her husband and she hasn’t left her castle since that moment. But when those occurrences seem to be tied to the gruesome work of the writer Poe and they escalate in danger, she knows she must do something to solve this. She finds an ally in the town’s new minister, Gabriel Stone. He has secrets of his own and has come to Pale Harbor to honor the memory of his dead wife, but Sophy has enchanted him and he can’t stay away from her.

The pacing of this book may start a little slow but there’s a simple way this story weaves into you and keeps you turning the pages. At some point, I just couldn’t put it down. Now the mystery wasn’t all that I was expecting and while I didn’t have it figured out it also wasn’t extremely shocking.

If you are in the mood for a light mystery but atmospheric read, then look no further. This author, and this book, should be on your list. And they’re perfect to keep a romance reader happy.

I enjoyed Hester Fox's first book, and her sophomore novel is great too! This book kept my interest late into the night, anxiously turning pages to see what would happen to the characters I'd come to care about. If you love suspense, read this book!

I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere and plot of this book! I loved that there were occurrences based on Poe’s writing and the mystery that needed to be solved. However, the mystery left a lot to be desired. I knew who it was almost immediately and was frustrated that they weren’t even a suspect until the very end. However, I’m glad that once realized, the characters realized their error in not seeing it sooner.

I really enjoyed the romance aspect between Gabriel and Sophronia. And I enjoyed the full circle feel of the ending. Overall, I’d definitely recommend reading this for the atmosphere and not for the mystery. But I’m grateful for the chance to have read it!

I've been a Hester Fox fan for a while now. From the moment I read the Witch of Willow Hall, actually.

The dark atmosphere of nineteenth century Maine is exquisite! The Widow of Pale Harbor gripped me from the first moment I was introduced to Sophronia and her mysterious, troubled past. Nothing is as it seems as Sophronia and Gabriel navigate the eerie landscape of this gothic mystery. The writing is as good, perhaps better, than the Witch of Willow Hall; so darkly lyrical and savoring of Poe.

The Widow of Pale Harbor is a lovely, creepy gothic romance inspired by a real castle in Maine. Softly brushed by hints of witchcraft, it will make you wonder about things that go bump in the night.

You have a beautiful young widow, blamed by the townspeople for killing her husband. She has a slightly sinister companion seemingly casting spells just out of sight. Then, there's the new minister in town, who really isn't what he claims to be. Of course, you have the murders, based on stories by Edgar Allen Poe, and blamed on the tragic widow.

I would highly recommend this title to anyone who loves gothic romance, as well as anyone looking for a new genre.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#WidowofPaleHarbor#NetGalley

Such an intriguing concept but, unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. I made it 35% in and I haven’t enjoyed any of it. 🙁 The romance felt very cheesy, which was the biggest turn off of all for me. And, to be fair, I hadn’t expected romance.

It’s definitely a nice nod to Poe and if you don’t mind the romance aspect, you might enjoy it more than I did.

Gabriel Stone moves from Concord, Maine to the small town of Pale Harbor in an attempt to honor his dead wife by becoming a transcendentalist minister. As soon as Gabe arrives in Pale Harbor, odd things begin to happen and the town is quick to point fingers to the widow of Castle Carver, Sophronia. The widow is rumored to be a witch as well as having murdered her husband. However, when Gabe meets her, he finds the widow to be kind and nothing at all like the rumors suggest. As mysterious things continue to happen in the town including murder, Gabriel becomes determined to find the killer before anything else happens. The author weaves an intricate tale with excellent character development which pulled me into the story and made me want to continue reading long past my bedtime. The story is compelling. The author does an excellent job of hinting at several antagonists while holding on to the truth until the end of the book. A story of mystery, romance, and friendship develops around the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. I would highly recommend this book and really enjoyed reading it.

I love, I love this author!!!! Her books are delight. Paranormal romance at its best. Well written. I could not stop reading. I am mesmerized by her plot, twists and creativity. I simply loved every paragraph, every page, every sentence. I cant wait for her next book!!!

Not particularly bad but didn’t hold my interest, so I didn’t finish it. Sometimes a book clicks and sometimes it doesn’t. This was one of those times that it didn’t click with me.

There is something just compulsively readable about Fox's prose. Like WITCH OF WILLOW HALL, this book kept me up into the late hours. It's another moody Gothic tale, populated by a cast full of secrets and shady motives, but the heart of the story is Sophronia, who is on a journey of self-reclamation in the midst of mystery and suspicion.

The plot could generously be distilled to "new person comes to town to talk to eccentric widow who is scorned by society." The plot trope is the kind of silly fluff that usually gets boring fast, but somehow Hester Fox's "The Widow of Pale Harbor" engaged me the whole time. What sets this novel apart seems to be the setting - the small coastal town of Pale Harbor feels like its own character, shaping the characters around it. Additional points awarded because the romance isn't too sickly sweet, and the characters seem real and human enough to care about their minor issues.

Recommended for fans of wholesome romance and historical fiction.

Unfortunately this a two star book for me. It started off with instant romance, very cringey and dull. Then we transition into what is supposed to be spooky and is instead an awkward domestic thriller with no thrill.