This was a dark, spooky tale, filled with family secrets. It was very atmospheric and I felt as though I were at Winterbourne. The two timelines were very interesting. This was a perfect read for a cold rainy afternoon.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my.honest opinion.

A fantastic tribute to Henry james' The Turn of the Screw, weaved with modern day thriller, The Woman in the Mirror grabs you instantly and doesn't let go until the end.
From the protagonist who seems to have lost her way and then inherits an abandoned mansion that belonged to her biological family, to flashbacks told in the voice of a governess in the 1940's living in the house and in charge of two strange children, this story will have readers guessing at the truth until the final page.

Successful city girl Rachel is happily living on her own in New York when she receives a letter. Although Rachel was adopted, it seems that she’s inherited some property by her birth family. The catch? It’s in Cornwall. Oh, and it’s haunted. I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth storyline between Rachel in the present, and Alice as the nanny at “Winterbourne Hall.” I loved the suspense, the old-fashioned gothic influence, really everything about it. With most of the books I’ve read lately, this one also tries to pull one last twist in the final pages. Not necessary (in fact, it detracts a bit for me), but the book itself is work a read!

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

They wanted her land. She didn't want to give it. He made her fall in love with him. And then he labelled her a witch. She can hear the horses coming. She knows he has betrayed her. But if she is to die, it will be on her own terms and heaven help Ivan de Grey's family and the cursed land where he will build his enormous Gothic home, Winterbourne Hall. On the bluff overlooking the sea, where once a woman had lived, loved and died.

And so it stood in Cornwall in isolation, looking gloomy and slightly scary.

In 1947, Alice Miller is living in London but can't wait to get away. Memories of horrible things haunt her. When she sees the advert about a governess position at Winterbourne, she jumps at the chance. Her job will be to care for Captain Jonothan de Grey's children. Twins, a boy and a girl, 8 years old and motherless. 

Alice falls in love with the children as well as their father. The children seem to adore her but when they start behaving alarmingly like little demons and turn on her she is suspicious. The house seems to be cursed. When her one night with her boss leaves her pregnant and half-crazed, Jonothan tells her they are going to Paris. He drops her off with the nuns and hopes she will be safe there. 

In the present day, Rachel Wright, just opening her gallery has also just received a letter for solicitors that her Aunt Constance has died and left Winterbourne and everything to her, her niece. Rachel is stunned. She was adopted as an infant and has been searching for her mother for a long time. She sees this as a chance to find out what happened to her mother and who was her father?

The answers she finds are alarming and sad. The house itself is dark and foreboding and you just know there is a dead body or two waiting to be found!

There are multiple timelines here. And we hear Alice's and Rachel's and someone or something else. Something malicious that wants them all to die.

Rachel gets answers and decides to stay in Winterbourne. After all, they have destroyed the mirror and the house does seem lighter, but you can bet this isn't the end!

The timelines were a bit much but looking back, it was the only way the story could be told. And Oh what a story it is!

A good old fashioned ghost story! Witches, Curses, Women driven mad, Scary Children, I would say this one had it all!

NetGalley/March 17th, 2020 by Minotaur Books

This book falls clearly into the dark, gothic genre. As with so many books I have read lately it bounces back and forth between two time periods and two female story lines, and the two almost certainly end up being related. While I did enjoy the book I didn't love it. The development of Rebecca's story and her relationships with both men felt a little rushed and Alice's descent seemed to happen so quickly - after so much build up. I was compelled to keep reading so it clearly kept my interest and I was very intrigued by how the children would eventually impact the outcome for Alice. But what bothered me most was why "the woman in the mirror" was haunting the females of Winterbourne and not the males. But I cannot say more on that topic without spoiling part of the story. I am probably just overthinking it. Overall the book delivers an interesting story with characters that you connect with and a satisfying conclusion - one that I didn't see coming.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this expecting a haunting and atmospheric thriller in the same vein as Rebecca. I was not disappointed. It was haunting and suspenseful. The dual timelines made the story so much richer and I was really invested in Alice and Rachel's stories. If you like a gothic pageturner, this book is for you!

I would call this one a ‘throwback’ to my younger self, when I was obsessed with romantic, mysterious gothic novels that took place in the wilds of Cornwall. It has a dark and mysterious man who needs a governess, a naive and gullible young woman, a manipulative witch from the past, a smart career woman of today, a hot friendly neighbor, all mixed together to create a mystery that must be solved. Yep, all the pieces of yesteryear. It did the trick and made me turn pages, but I did have to stop myself from sighing over the melodrama yet... That’s the Point!

This was such an interesting novel! I love gothic settings, and creepy castles that seem to be a character themselves are an absolute treat.

There are three female POVs in this novel, although one only appears briefly at the beginning. The main POVs are Alice Miller, a woman in 1947 who accepts a job at Winterbourne as the governess to two young children; and Rachel Wright, who in present day is an art gallery curator in New York, who just learned she is sole heir to Winterbourne. The story goes back between Alice and Rachel, exploring something that could be horribly wrong with the manor. Particularly in Alice's POV, there is an issue of an unreliable narrator, as something seems to be inhabiting the bodies of those living at the manor--something malicious is ruining their otherwise idyllic life and twisting minds.

Truthfully, I really enjoyed the story until the last 10%--it would have otherwise been a solid 4 star read. But I really didn't like the explanation of what was causing the issues at the manor. In cases like this, I actually prefer no explanation--why can't the paranormal and creepy exist without a reason? There was also a really out-of-character moment that did not sit well with me.

If you're interested in creepy castles with paranormal elements and an unreliable narrator, consider picking this up!

For any lover of the gothic, this is your book. Winterborne Hall holds many secrets, chiefly those of the late Laura de Grey. When Alice Miller accepts a position as governess at Winterborne Hall for Captain de Grey's twins (yes, I immediately caught the Jane Eyre-esque connections), she begins experiencing some strange things, some with the children and some with different belongings that she inherited at Winterborne. Alice, like Jane Eyre, (probably my reason for my connections) begins to have feelings for Mr. Rochester--I mean Captain de Grey, and he becomes somewhat of an obsession for Alice.

What makes this novel so intriguing is the alternating point-of-view that has become so often utilized in literature today. However, the alternating perspective works perfectly, and is in demand here, because the perspectives range from Alice in 1947 to Rachel in 2018. Since Rachel was adopted, she has no heritage to claim, until she receives word that she has inherited a vast homestead on the cliffs near Cornwall in Polcreath. As she begins investigating her new home, she begins to unearth some mysterious pieces of information and letters that tell her what really happened in 1947.

This book actually made my heart race, and not because it is downright scary, but because it was simply just eerie. The characters were eerie, the house was eerie, and it just all made my skin crawl, in SUCH a good way. I absolutely loved the conclusion: fabulous. It definitely left me thinking. If you appreciate attention spent toward establishing the setting, pick this one up!

I could not get more than 10% of the way through this book. It didn't grab my attention and the changing timelines, while I normally enjoy it, didn't serve to capture me. I also felt the emphasis on secrets was far too...much. In the small bit I did read, I noticed vague mentions of secrets and hiding things way too much. This isn't a genre I typically enjoy; I was originally drawn to it because it reminded me of the Turn of the Screw. Sadly, this did not grab me in the same way.

This was a very interesting novel with elements of older gothic books. It is set in two different times and I thought it was really intriguing and kept you interested.

I really enjoyed this atmospheric suspense! All the characters were quite mysterious too and I liked the pace that their stories unfolded. This is probably best for readers that like a slow build up, because it does take a bit to get to the core of the story.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Felt like this book lacked the story line that I was hoping for after reading the synopsis. Nothing too overwhelmingly memorable about the story or characters. Felt like a fairly slow read.

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James is a gripping, Gothic love story about obsession and madness. Set in a the rural Cornish countryside, the story's ominous atmosphere quickly drew me in and held my attention until the brilliant end.

Told in dual POV, I found both narrators, Alice and Rachel, to be complex, well-developed, interesting characters. James does a admirable job writing both women, but she excels when she writes Alice's sections. Throughout the book, the reader must question Alice's sanity, and the writer does such a fantastic job that you start to actually FEEL her madness seeping through the pages.

Magical realism + supernatural elements within thriller/mystery/suspense fiction is definitely a major genre this year, with many, MANY books releasing, but I thought The Woman in the Mirror stood out among the others. It felt original, the plot unique, and the themes are wonderfully enthralling. Is Winterbourne house haunted? Or is there something suspicious about the de Grey family? Is Alice insane? Or are her fears justified? I thought the ending did a wonderful job of tying up all the loose ends and many plot lines. I absolutely recommend this one!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne while desperately trying to escape her past transgressions. In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne and desperately wants to discover who who ancestors are.

Nice gothic story. Good characterizations of its residents, big creepy mansion with a love lorn ghost on a sea swept landscape.

3.75☆

Odd. What a very odd book.

While this book hearkened back to the old 60's/70's Gothics, the writing was very clumsy and or the narration was very bland.

I couldn't tell if the Winterbourne house was cursed/not cursed/or simply from bad story-telling it just ended up being a whole bunch of coincidences.

I found the characters very one-note and or not memorable. The worst character or the most deranged character was Alice. One minute she seemed pretty sane and then the next she became an absolute psycho.

I feel that there is a story in this book but I don't think it was that well crafted to convey the Gothic imagery that the synopsis provoked.

The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James has all the right ingredients for an atmospheric English mystery: a gothic manor built high on a cliff, apparitions dressed in black, twin children who are equal parts beautiful and creepy, and of course fog and mist across the moors. This book follows two women who are drawn to Winterbourne Hall, but 70 years apart; one is trying to escape her past and the other is trying to discover hers. With gentle foreshadowing, the mysteries of Winterbourne are revealed in a well-paced manner. The ending was very satisfying (not happily ever after, but satisfying nonetheless). The reason this is not a 5 star instead of a 4 star review is because I felt there were a few parts that were a bit rushed. I also felt like the American character was using too many English references which made it feel slightly inauthentic. Overall a really great mystery/ghost story that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good atmospheric novel. I will be posting this review to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor today. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for granting me access to this advance reading copy.

The Woman in the Mirror was a haunting story set in a moody, gothic oceanside estate in the English countryside. I love historical fiction novels that go back and forth between different times, and this book did just that, alternating between post WWII and present day.
While I didn't really care for the character of Alice the governess at all, I was still interested in the part she played as the secrets of the estate were revealed to Rachel in the present day. I'm not a fan of books that are too scary, and this story hit all the right notes for me in terms of spookiness, giving me chills more than once! The mystery unfolded at a nice pace, with a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I wasn’t a fan of this one. It seemed like a good premise and the atmosphere was definitely dark, haunting and gothic but the action was ssssooooooo slooowwww. In fact there wasn’t any action. If I was explaining this book to someone else it would take me about 3 minutes to describe the entire book. I wouldn’t even call it a slow burn because that implies that action eventually happens. Not the book for me but I could see how others would enjoy it.

This made for a perfect winter read, with a gothic horror plot lines that keeps it mild enough for readers that are highly sensitive but keeps the suspense high enough to keep less sensitive readers interested throughout.

Told through alternating timelines with a main one taking place in 1947 and the other taking place in present day, the author does a great job at using this device to unfurl the spooky history of the Winterbourne estate. I could've done without the romance storyline in the storyline being told in the past as it seemed like a missed opportunity to add an element to the history of instability that females face within the walls of the house. The present day romance was understated and executed much better, with better character development and a more believable pace.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending it to fellow fans of gothic horror. The reasoning behind the haunting was extremely satisfying and the addition of the epilogue at the end was a very smart move and really brought kept the suspense up through the very last page. I am very happy to see a work such as this being released and look forward to reading more from this author!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.