So originally I requested this book because I thought House of Shadows maybe something spooky with ghost but, it turned out to be soo good. A gothic romance that turned out soo well! I really enjoyed her writing style! It was definitely really great in that aspect.
I like Sophie as a character, she was very courageous and I liked that she tried to save Joseph. The marriage of convenience with Joseph was something that Sophie needed because her father was financially ruined. Once joseph asked for her hand and he promised to take care of her family she did agree.
The setting was creepy. Sophie was hearing things and seeing things and was convinced the house was haunted but, I guess all is not what it seems. I definitely recommend this book!

I'm not one to prefer timid, meek little females in novels. That's not said as an insult to them, that's just my preference. I tend to prefer badass, kickass women who more often than not tend to tear into a room and command all attention. Both have their pros and cons, but if I'm presented with the former, I just hope that she'll eventually grow a backbone and bring the story around to center around her.

I am delighted that Sophie saved herself in the end. Quite literally too, as a matter of fact.

I'm forever grateful for the teacher that introduced Edgar Allan Poe into my syllabus back in the year I-no-longer-remember, because it began my lifetime love affair with all things Gothic in literature. Granted, when you read a book of this genre, there is going to be the chance that the author writes a story which falls into a traditional setting rather than a modern one. That will bring to the forefront the romantic, sometimes angsty, sometimes eye-rolling moments that accompany these settings. And you have plenty of that here, but there's also the delightful dark ambiance that one is to hope for.

Sophie's introduction to the Argenton's family estate of Northwood is as bleak and imposing as one might expect, with mazes of hallways and plenty of skeletons in the closet. Again, quite literally. The story brought to mind so many references to Dark Shadows, Rebecca and even the film Crimson Peak, that it was hardly surprising to stumble through the first half of the book. But, thankfully, right around the time that Sophie began to show the little granule of strength hiding within herself, the plot became more intriguing.

I only wish that we'd had more time for our characters to be tortured—I mean that lightly, mostly—by the Grimlock, the dark creature that has haunted the Argenton family for generations since its initial pact with it. What a cruel and vicious being this is, with its own little army of the dead. The red door, often used in various forms in other stories, was an entertaining factor to include. Step through it and you step through the Northwood mansion's alter and mirror image, where the Grimlock lives and its heart resides. How the creature is (supposedly) destroyed and the family is saved brought the novel to a climaxing conclusion and made up for any dragging in storytelling that occurred for the first part.

Sophie and Joseph's romance is incredibly rushed—with her love for him being a revelation after they have been in each others' company for no more than whopping five days—but it's sweet, even if it's also incredibly corny more often than not. Rose was a good antagonist, albeit flat. But I look forward to Elise's part in the second book, House of Secrets.

With an open-ended possibility at the close, the Argentons might not quite have been saved yet, and I'm eager to see this brought to a close.

I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, engaging, fast paced and super creepy. This book was full of wonderful gothic atmosphere. The descriptions of the house and the grounds, the haunted and disturbing residents and nightmarish occurrences made for an excellent read. I would recommend to anyone who likes gothic horror. Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for granting access to this book. I will post this review today to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page, @thatreadingrealtor.

This book was a page turner for sure! I never wanted it to end. Great storyline and awesome character development. I was sad for this book to end.

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!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author, Darcy Coates, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of House of Shadows in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I thought this book provided a good, creepy read. The storyline was well thought out and written. The setting was highly descriptive and captivating. I was hooked from the start. This author never fails to deliver a gripping read.

This book is historical fiction meets paranormal horror and it does that job very well. It is not what I expected going into the story. The main characters have a bad case of insta-love, which is not uncommon in YA, but it seems so out of left field for me. I expected it to take a lot longer with these two.

Overall, the story kept me interested and a twist that I expected to happen, didn't, so it kept me surprised. I'm heading into book 2 now.

*** I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

Immediately enjoyed this novel as soon as I started reading. I’m on a gothic/ historical kick right now as evidenced by all the Korean historical webtoons I’ve read lately, and really found this interesting to read.

The characters weren’t immediately annoying. The main female lead felt like a human - she is torn between doing the right thing and her suspicions about the family she marries into. She tries to become a part of her in-laws, but is presented with so many conflicting events and patterns, that something just doesn’t add up. I really enjoyed reading her as a character, because she felt like a real person.

The other characters grew as the novel continued, which drew me into being invested into the story.

Now, onto the horror bit: YES this has horror! And it’s good! And it’s scary and creeps you out! I felt satisfied at the end of the novel and not frustrated, unlike other horror books I’ve read recently that just have poor, disappointing endings. It was even better BECAUSE the author managed to get me invested in the characters and the setting.

This is a read that I would definitely suggest to someone who enjoys romance with a bit of historical fiction and horror and thriller.

At first I didn’t think I’d enjoy this book but by the fourth chapter I was hooked. Sophie selflessly marries a man to keep her father and sibling from poverty. When she arrives at her new home she realizes that there’s something wrong with the house. It was a book full of suspense and just enough romance to not make me want to gag!

This book exceeded my expectations, I love the combination of romance, mystery and terror, I loved how the author plasma the gothic setting and terror, in truth it is the first time I read this type of reading and I do not regret anything, I know that some situations are delicate for some people but I am some who like this .

'House of Shadows' tells the exceptional story of Sophie. Her father got into financial difficulties, and one of his connections sees his chance. Mr. Argenton asks for Sophie's hand. When she married him, it wasn't because of love. However, she slowly seems to fall for him. On the other hand, she didn't know what she was getting herself into. The Argenton house doesn't seem like the perfect home. It's harsh for her to fit in and understand what is happening in the house.

This is a rather sweet gothic romance story. It wasn't as haunting and scary as I expected it to be. The gothic romance is combined with the thriller genre and a bit of horror/paranormal. It was a very new way of reading to me. I hadn't seen this combination before and I must admit: I was hooked from the first page.
Darcy Coates was unknown to me. I hadn't heard about this author before, and it feels like such a shame because she is such a good writer. Her way of writing is ideal for this genre. It's dark, haunting and most of all it has such a formal feel to it. Her characters received a very spoken personality due to this. She used her words, to make theirs stronger.
Another thing which I liked was the setting. It was creepy and made the house exactly what the author tried to show. For real, I felt so sorry for Sophie to live there. It gave me the chills and I felt as if the house was alive. Really liked the atmosphere used to describe rooms.
Some characters were a bit plain, but it didn't bother me. The main characters were fine, could be rounder, to be honest. Sometimes I felt like they reacted very similar to earlier situations. As if they had a list of answers to give and not answering with their hearts. Overall, some scenes could have been a little more detailed to make it more interesting.

I truly fell in love with Darcy Coates' writing style and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Note to self: Do not start reading a Darcy Coates novel at midnight! For two reasons, I didn't sleep a wink: (1) I could not put this book down, and (2) I was so on edge that I was terrified of what could possibly be lurking in the shadows and couldn't stop listening for the things that go bump in the night.

It begins simply enough: Sophie encounters a dashing stranger at the opera and becomes mesmerized by his alluring eyes. On the surface, Joseph has it all: wealth, charm, and good looks. What else could a girl want? After Sophie's father suffers a financial setback, Joseph proposes marriage, and her father hopes this arrangement will save her from ruin. Soon, the two are wed, and Sophie is whisked away to Joseph's family estate. Here, the simplicity abruptly ends. The home is cloaked in mystery, and something sinister threatens Sophie's happiness and her very existence.

If a gothic horror novel somehow had a love child with a historical romance, this book would be that child. The result is something that feels very much like a fairytale for adults. Sure, it begins with a wedding and a promise of a happily-ever-after, but Sophie's experiences in the house catapult it to a whole other level. There are strange noises, eerie music, and vivid illusions. There are unsettling family member, dreadful bargains, and forbidden sections of the house. Something's not right there, and even animals sense the suffocating wrongness that surrounds the property. Will Sophie solve the house's mystery before it's too late, and will she escape the danger that jeopardizes her happy ending?

If you like your books with a dash of spookiness, definitely pick this one up. It's some fast-paced gothic goodness that will leave you wanting more from Darcy Coates. Enjoy!

House of Shadows by 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.