I do love a good gothic mystery, and set on the coast of Cornwall, of course.! This book skips around a bit, and is part romance, part history and part gothic mystery. But I can’t read it at night, because it’s just plain creepy!

YES!  This is the book I wanted when I picked up Ruth Ware's Turn of the Key.  The Woman in the Mirror is so much deeper and richer.  It's haunting and spooky and keeps you guessing as to what's real and what's not.  I love the alternating time lines between modern times and post-WWII.  The story reminded me in tone of one of my favorite books of last year, Wakenhyrst.  If you're looking for a haunting story to help you escape from the real madness out there this is the right book for you.  I nearly read it straight through last night.  It has some of the pulpy elements the a Ware novel would but has well-developed characters and leaves you with no loose ends!  Finally a thriller worth 5 stars in my opinion!

A full, more thorough review will be posted on CelticsLibrary.com by 3/22/2020.

This is a dark, ghostly, gothic tale that switches between two points of view: that of Alice and Rachel. They have little in common in the beginning, but their connection becomes obviously later on in the story. I loved the descriptions of the house, but felt as if it could use a little more building up for mental visual effect. Fortunately for me, my imagination had a wonderful time filling in any blanks.
Alice is a governess at Winterbourn and quickly falls in love with the house and most of the people in it. However, shortly after working there, strange bruises start to form and the children no longer seem as sweet and innocent. Something dark is gradually taking over and things simply are not adding up anymore. Alice did not have a wonderful childhood and she sees this as an opportunity to do something good in her life. Things, unfortunately, will not turn out well if the house turns against her.
Rachel is the owner of an art gallery in New York in the present day.After learning she is a decedent of the de Grey family, she goes to the house she has inherited from an aunt she never knew. Will the house turn against her as well or will she defeat whatever evil presence is haunting the women who dare live there and try to be happy?
A quick, easy read with a sinister undertone, this will keep most people happy and entertained.

When I started to read this I hadn't realized we would be switching from 1947 to the current day. Time switching novels are really not at the top of my favourite list, with a few notable exceptions. However I had been drawn to the location of this gothic read.
Winterbourne Hall in Cornwall is eerie enough for even the hardiest souls' blood to run a little cold. I did love the description of the hall.
As we weave between the lot of governess Alice Miller (I am reminded of Deborah Kerr and The Innocents) and the current heir to Winterbourne Hall; New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright, the story of the Hall and generations of its inhabitants--the de Grey's, the malevolency and horror that afflicted all is played out.
Maybe my expectations were too high. I must admit this gothic inspired story left me wanting.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley

I'm always going to read certain types of book. Books with dark castle-type fortresses, a brooding leading man, usually with some sort of physical ailment left over from a war, a woman, usually an orphan, escaping her past.... Jane Eyre being the prime example of this. Rebecca being the second.

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James falls into this sort of story. Alice leaves London and her past to become a governess to two twins in the lonely and dark Winterborne. The Captain Jonathan de Grey is her employer and owner of the castle. The twins instantly treat Alice as a beloved member of their family, smothering her in kisses and sweet words.

In modern day, Rachel is a successful gallery owner in New York. An orphan, she wants to know more about her past, and as luck would have it, a letter arrives, telling her of the death of an unknown Aunt, who has left her Winterborne.

The Woman in the Mirror straddles the lines between historical fiction and a mystery/thriller. A house that seems to live and breathe. Strange noises and stranger rooms. Broken men and broken women, everyone looking for love and for answers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Rebecca James unveils a chilling modern Gothic novel of a family consumed by the shadows and secrets of its past in The Woman in the Mirror.

For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond.

In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.

In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage."

I don't know about you, but I need a good Gothic escape with what's going on in the world.

The Woman in the Mirror A Novel by Rebecca James is a mysterious and thrilling read that is sure to keep you turning the pages. A story that is full of dark shadows and mysterious secrets. James's writing will keep you turning the pages trying to figure out the twists and turns that are full of the unexpected.

This book will delight gothic lovers! If a story with a witch, a big castle-like manor, the sea, and the Cornish cliffs make your heart sing, you will love this book! It is mysterious and engrossing, dark and suspenseful. It is a wonderful blend of past and present. I enjoyed this so much!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

I emerge from beneath my covers to tell you that I haven't been genuinely so terrified in quite awhile. As a malevolent spirit takes old of a British manor, it has devastating consequences for the women who try to live happily under its roof. Right from the very beginning of this tale, "she" wrapped her cold hands around my neck and just wouldn't let go.

In 1947, Alice Miller escapes from war-scarred London to take a job as a governess for the twin children of Captain de Grey. Instantly, Alice is enamored by Winterbourne, Constance and Edmund, and the scar-faced patriarch. But the dark spirits that surround the house soon sense that they can use Alice's own secrets against her.

In 2018, New York art gallery owner, Rachel receives a surprising letter that informs her that through a biological parent, she is related to the people of Winterbourne so she decides to journey to Cornwall to uncover her family's past.


Let me address that this tale is reminiscent of The Turn of The Screw and The Woman in Black but it didn't lessen the tension that I felt as I held my breath and worried about Alice and Rachel in that house. Hands down, a favorite of 2020!

Goodreads review published 07/03/20
Expected publication. 17/03/20

I was drawn to the gothic setting/theme of this story. The estate itself seemed like its own character and had a lot of fun spooky vibes.
Overall, I liked the story enough to finish it because of how different and intriguing it was but it did drag a little for me in certain parts and I lost interest at times.

I am sorry, but after several attempts to read this book, I just couldn't get into it. I also don't think it would be fair for me to rate it since I didn't read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, will round up to 4. While I didn't love it, this book was intriguing and engaging enough for me to finish. The story follows two timelines, one in current day and one in the late 1940s. Current day Rachel finds out that her late aunt has left her the Winterbourne estate in Cornwall and, as an adoptee, goes to learn more about her heritage. 1940s Alice has just been hired on at Winterbourne to care for the de Gray children after the death of their mother and then their former governess.

Overall, I enjoyed Rachel's story far more than Alice's. Alice grated on my nerves, and I didn't like the eventual reveal of her past (love and crime) that had been hinted at throughout. It seemed clumsily executed. That ending though......

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

For fans of the Gothic genre this book will be a home run. For me, it's just not my scene. I once read a lot of Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney and Daphne du Maurier, but that was a long time ago. "The Woman in the Mirror" is all gothic, with a touch of paranormal and very intense. It makes you care for these characters and the ending is probably going to give me nightmares. Told in two different time periods, the story shifts back and forth, but that trope just adds to the suspense.

Alice Miller is working as a secretary in London in 1947. She hates her job and when she gets the opportunity to become a governess for twins in Cornwell, she gladly accepts the job. The place, Winterbourne Hall, is a magnificent structure that reminds her of a gothic cathedral. She falls instantly in love with both the home and the family she has been hired by. Captain Jonathan de Grey, a widower who was injured in the War, and his eight year old twins, Edmund and Constance. But there are dark and malevolent forces alive here at Winterbourne and Alice would do well to understand that.

As an adoptee, Rachel Wright has always felt a piece of her was missing. Even being a successful businesswoman in 2018 with a millionaire boyfriend hasn't stopped her from wondering who she came from. A letter from a British solicitor brings her the chance to finally find out the answers to her questions. Winterbourne Hall in Polcreath, Cornwall, England is her inheritance from a unknown aunt. But, Winterbourne is a place that doesn't like strangers and with Rachel's arrival the evil is again stirred. 3 1/2-Stars

I was drawn to this book by its Gothic setting and the promise of a creepy read. The setting is perfect - an old mansion with its own secrets and past, that overlooks the beautiful but treacherous coastline of Cornwall. When that locale is paired with sinister happenings, possible hauntings and a couple of deaths, I was expecting a truly ominous read.

But what I got was a story with a good premise but the way it was told was underwhelming. I was intrigued enough to keep reading but I was disappointed in how little the creepy Gothic aspect was used. There are a couple of truly sinister scenes but the story itself is sluggish with the intrigue not picking up until the last ten percent of the book. The story was also more complicated than it had to be making it feel like the author tried to add too much to her plot without allowing time to flesh out these ideas fully - especially Alice's outbursts that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I also found the storytelling and dialogue a bit clumsy, particularly the anatopisms early in the book when Rachel used very British phrases for a woman who was raised in the US. They just didn't fit, and a better edit would have weeded those out.

The setting is well described bringing readers onto the remote shores of Cornwall. The author uses dual timelines and multiple POVs and this back and forth was done smoothly. Rachel and Alice tell most of the story but unfortunately I found them both to be unlikable and I wasn't a fan of the romantic focus later in the book because it took page time away from the suspense which is why I picked up this book in the first place.

While I had intended to love this book, it didn't captivate me like I had expected. It had an interesting premise and I liked the pacing of the ending but wish that energy had been used throughout the book.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is dark, atmospheric, and gothic. It is also super creepy at times, which I loved. Being a horror fan, especially of haunted house stories, this book was right up my alley. I loved the alternating story lines which added to the mystery behind this house and what was going on there. It also added intrigue to the story to see how the characters from the prologue, and the main characters were all connected in some way by Winterbourne Hall. 

I also liked how the kid characters in this book were used. They added so much to the story, that without them wouldn't have been near as good. I also liked how there was a lot of mystery in the book and that the characters had to work to figure out what was going on before it was too late.

If your looking for a creepy suspenseful, gothic read, this is it. I really enjoyed this book from the first page to the last - alternating chapters between present day and past, with a cast of characters that are perfectly drawn, including an old ancestral home, this is the perfect read for fans of Rebecca.

Owing more to Daphne DuMaurier than to Victoria Holt, this creepy Gothic was a lot of fun to read. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

In 1947, Alice Miller comes to Winterbourne to be a governess for Cpt. Jonathan de Grey's twins. At first, the situation is idyllic. The isolated mansion on top a cliff by the sea is beautiful...but frightening or even threatening as well. The children's strange affection for her starts to turn dark. And their father slowly turns spiteful and mean. Flash forward several decades....orphan Rachel Wright finally discovers who her parents were and that she is the heir of Winterbourne. Excited that she finally has knowledge she wanted all her life, she discovers the old mansion hides secrets and mysteries that might have been best left alone.

This story is very gothic in feel. Very Victoria Holt-esque. I loved it! The story sucked me right in and I enjoyed every twist and turn. I'm not usually big on plots that skip back and forth in time, but for this sort of tale, it works. This sort of story has been done many times before.....governess finds herself isolated in a dangerous, mysterious situation....and a later resident of the house discovers what happened. But, Rebecca James does a superb job at re-visiting an old, tried and true gothic plot. She never allows the story to fall into melodrama or theatrics. This story is very well written. Great character development. And, some good twists along the way.

This is the first book by Rebecca James that I have read. I will definitely be coming back for more! Very enjoyable read!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

If you like true Gothic novels, you should enjoy this one and will not be disappointed. Reminiscent of novels such as Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and The Turn of the Screw, it has many traditional Gothic components: an eerie, isolated, crumbling mansion on the clifftops of Cornwall; a governess who deals with a handsome but injured and tormented master; and angelic but mischievous children.

The novel alternates between 1947, when Alice Miller goes to remote Winterbourne to be a governess to twins, and the present day, when art gallery owner Rachel goes to Cornwall to visit the mansion and property she has inherited from a previously unknown relative.

Overall, the novel delivers a very interesting story in the Gothic tradition. Although I found a few occurrences stretching the concept of “the willing suspension of disbelief,” I really enjoyed the novel. It was a perfect winter’s read and a nice delve into the Gothic!

An eerie story of Alice Miller who comes to be governess to Constance and Edmund, children of a Captain who lost his wife. Meanwhile, in present day, Rachel is working on her gallery in NY when she gets a letter about an inheritance abroad. Rachel is adopted and wants to learn more of her biological heritage, so she goes investigating...