I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I read House of Shadows (the first book in this series) in one day, and as soon as I finished it, I had to go straight on to this book. Normally if I'm reading a series, I like to take a break between each installment but for this I just had to know what happened. The ending of House of Shadows was a cliff hanger and I just had to keep going. House of Secrets is just as good and spooky. I managed to read it all in one day and now I need to find more from this author.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Poisoned Pen Press and Darcy Coates for a chance to read and review this book.

House of Secrets is book # 2 in the House of Shadows series, and as always with me and my craziness, have missed reading book #1. Well, honestly, as I read book 2, never felt like I missed much but had a strong desire to know what has transpired in Northwood and their fight against the Grimlock. And the only Grimlock I have heard is from Transformers and thereby pictured it exactly like that in my mind.

Sophie and Joseph have won the war against Grimlock and is recuperating at Sophie’s father’s house when they are summoned by Joseph’s uncle Garrett to Kensington as the nightmare has reared its ugly head again. The much feared and dreaded Grimlock which Sophie had believed to be destroyed after the Northwood burned to the ground is not actually dead but has attached itself to Garrett’s daughter Elise. Arriving at the dead town and seeing the dilapidated and crumbling mansion that is Kensington, Sophie becomes adamant in her decision in helping Joseph and Garrett defeat the monster. And Kensington is the place to be as the late Miss Bishop has devoted her life to the study of this creature and its destruction.

House of Secrets is a fast-paced story with incidents happening one after another with the discovery of ghosts and decayed bodies in the collapsed part of the house and the dead town coming back to life with resurrected ghosts. The ending of the story was action packed thrill with everyone including the young Elise playing a part. The location and the menacing atmosphere add to the chill factor but I would have still loved to have more ominous and sinister occurrences with the Grimlock. The still developing romance between the newly married Sophie and Joseph was beautiful but Joseph’s hot and cold approach was confusing even with the reasons explained.

In all, a quick read that was immensely enjoyed.

4.5 stars rounding down to 4 only because it didn't live up to high 5 star bar its predecessor, House of Shadows, did. This book was a great continuance of the horrors that plague Sophie and Joseph's lives. It deepens the romantic connection between the two main characters and showcases Sophie's independence which was a breath of fresh air to find in a novel occurring in the Victorian era. Yet again, Sophie's bravery an courage is showcased well but her compassion for Joseph and hope for their future truly makes this book even more endearing.

Knowing what the Grimlock was when this book started probably took away a but of the mystery for me that I treasured in House of Shadows. The formation of the plan to defeat it is really what draws the reader into this book, instead of that mystery. I have quickly learned that Darcy Coates is a master of creating a spooky scene and she showcases that talent well in this sequel just as she did in the first. It is a book that transports you and has the ability to chill you, which is something I absolutely admire.

I was extremely pleased with how this book ended and it did not leave the reader yearning for a 3rd book. It wrapped up so well that I feel like Darcy Coates should give a lesson on how to finish a story. I am so looking forward to further delving into her backlist and making her my reigning Queen of the Creep.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honesty!

House of secrets is my second read from Darcy Coates. My first read was House of shadows.. House of Secrets picks up the story from the end of house of shadows.. was not much impressed about the romance.. but felt good to be spooked and thrilled! Gotta love Darcy’s writting.. its clean, gothic, horror and non gory novel! Read it for an amazing goth experience..
Thank you NetGalley, Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen press for the ARC. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author, Darcy Coates, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of House of Secrets in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I love reading this author. The gothic style of the writing, the storyline and the intrigue make for a really good read. This book was certainly no exception.
Well worth a read.

House of Secrets is the continuation of Sophie  and Joseph's story. We pick up with them immediately where House of Shadows left off. Sophie and Joseph thought they left their troubles behind when they left Northwood, they were wrong.

Another great read for those who want mystery and thrills without the gory stuff. If you have yet to read Darcy Coates, you're missing out!

Thanks to Poisened Pen Press and Net Galley for my ARC copy to review.

House of secrets nicely wraps up this duology, however, I'm still not sold on the romance. If you're looking for mystery and paranormal however, check this set out!

While House of Shadows saved itself with its second half of story, House of Secrets was not as lucky.

One of the things that sorted itself out in this duology was Sophie's character. Someone who began as a meek, weak and mousy being turned into a stronger and more confident version of herself. That seems to have completely crumbled in the second book. Sophie spends so much of the story obsessing about how much, or how little, her husband might care for her, that this all that occupies her mind.

She finds out that the Grimlock is not dead.

She finds out that Elise's life is in danger.

She confronts and sees the danger they all face at the new setting of Kensington house, with its secrets, and its hauntings, and its dead bodies... And still, her constant internal monologue about Joseph's feelings, or lack thereof, occupy most of her attention.

Coupled with this, I did not feel the sense of urgency that House of Shadows eventually built up to. Yes, there were a few tense moments here and there—the chase from the town alongside Elise to escape the dead, the fight with the Grimlock, Sophie's discovery of Elise's fall—but overall, it was a steady stream of “not much happening”.

I was glad to see the author's inclusion of Bishop's ghost in the story, especially since she and the legacy of her studies are main reason the characters converge in her house, but more often than not I felt like she derailed from the main plot. And whatever spooks and scares were given to us in the first novel barely showed their faces in this one.

The end of the Grimlock was not only inevitable but foreseen, and though it happened in a very rushed fashion, I was at least gratified by the fact that it was Elise who brought it about. She was due her own pound of flesh.

'House of secrets' is the second book in the 'house of shadows'-series. A series that tells the story about a monster that had a deal with the Argenton family. In book 2 the reader discovers that it all isn't over.

For years I've loved the ghost tale 'the woman in black'. An older story that totally grabbed my attention when I first read it. The 'house of shadow' series, reminds me of that story. I normally don't read gothic romance, so it's very new to me.
However, this author is amazing with words. The writing style is ideal for the genre: dark, subtle, but still filled with emotion. It took a while this time before the story really 'started'. The first fifty pages ware a bit long-winded. After that, the story went very fast. I felt like that balance was better in book one. I still enjoyed it anyway. The second book came up with lots of new elements. Very unique plot twists were added where needed. Which made me want to continue.
It's a happy ending, even when I hoped it wouldn't be one. It's a closed ending too, but I would love to read the third book. The characters a so lovely and I don't want to say goodbye yet. To me, the characters were stronger in book one. Now they lost a little of their spoken personalities.
Oh besides, I adore the twist with the old lady from the house. It was such a guess If she would be on their side or not.

To be honest: just read this series because it's absolutely amazing!

What a ride, this book always amazing! This was the third book by the author I had read and just like the two before it was a page turner, with well rounded characters and a solid plot. I couldn’t put it down. The plot was creepy but well balanced!

This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn't want the book to end!

If the first book I liked? This fascinated me, with these books I want to read more about this genre and the author.

House of Secrets by author Darcy Coates is a dark and twisty thriller that does not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.