The secrets of Colchester Hall by Sophie Barnes

A reasonably good gothic romance with suspense going on. Scary castle strange even stranger housekeeper, a bit of page turner very descriptively written Miss Barnes has an art for drawing you into to her tales. Nice to have been a little longer but still an enjoyable read

This was a nice historical gothic romance.
It was small but good at giving me some chills.
I wish it had been a bit longer. I also wish it had also explained why the housekeeper did what she did,
I know she wanted Randolph but I wished that we got more information about why and how.

"I am in need of a wife and your daughter could be a suitable candidate for the position. Please join me at my estate from Sept 10th-24th to determine suitability." Thus Angelica and her mother had arrived at Viscount Sterling's home, Colchester Hall. So had 5 other ladies who received the same invitation!

It seemed that Lord Sterling focused on Angelica, but there were strange happenings going on.. She could feel something or someone watching her, feel cold air coming over and shadows coming out. What was happening? A thrilling story that had me on the edge wondering what would happen!!

This was part of an anthology I read previously!

A spooky/dreary castle makes this book enticing. Add to that wonderful characters, suspense, a few twists and turns and you have one heck of a great story! I loved this story.

The hero of the story invites some ladies that are not considered top shelf picks. Will he be able to find someone that he can accept and possibly love? Read this awesome book and find out. You will love it!

I couldn't put it down! Hang on, immersion is imminent! Sophie has a way of getting you hooked into a story from the get go. You get the romance we all love to read with some added sinister eeriness that will keep you guessing. A definite Must Read.
Thank you Sophie Barnes and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

This is a very enjoyable story. Sophie Barnes does a wonderful job creating chilly gothic atmosphere. This book was hard to put down.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley, but it’s not my first experience reading a book from Sophie Barnes. In fact, it’s not the first book from this series that I’ve read. This book focuses on Lady Angelica Townsbridge and Randolph Benedict Scott Trevarian, Viscount Sterling. The story is told in third-person, past-tense from the opposing POVs of Randolph and Angelica.

Viscount Sterling invites a number of eligible women to his castle to determine who might make the best wife for him, having lost his wife two years prior. With a touch of paranormal and a gothic twist, this story focuses on Colchester Hall and the uneasy feeling Angelica gets while staying there. She becomes convinced that Randolph’s first wife’s spirit is haunting the place and she is trying to convey an important message. Angelic believes she is the only person aware of the presence of Katrina, but that’s not quite true.

I felt that the revelation toward the end of the book was a bit over-the-top. The solving of the mystery surrounding Katrina’s death did not need to be quite so dramatic, and had it been less so, the story would have been better. Unfortunately, the series of events made the story less believable, and I say that about a story that has a ghost (that part was more credible).

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I probably would have given it five stars, if not for the melodramatic and inconceivable events near the end.

Wonderful story development, rich characters, and a plot that hooks you and never lets you go. I love it when I can immerse myself within a book and just forget about real life for awhile and “become” a part of the story. This book totally delivered!

The plot of the story was very well written. The author really draws the reader in as you read. I felt like I was an unnamed character in the story.

A gothic tale that lives up to its genre. There is a deary castle, deary weather especially when Angelica, our heroine first arrives, secrets, a villian, and of course, a required ghost. Randolph, Viscount Sterling has sent out invitations to young ladies who have been deemed unmarriageable. He makes it clear that he will chose one of them to be his wife. His first wife died under curious circumstances after betraying him. Although, he did not expect or want to feel anything for any of the young ladies, he is immediately attracted to Angelica. Enter Katrina's ghost. Is she trying to tell Angelica something or is she there to prevent her growing relationship with Randolph. The tale holds the readers interest, even though the villain is pretty obvious very early on. I do love a good gothic.

The Secrets of Colchester Hall is a standalone novella from Sophie Barnes. I typically enjoy reading novellas from Sophie Barnes as they are a quick read but still have a good and captivating romance. This one is unfortunately not one of my favourites.
Lady Angelica has been invited to Colchester Hall as one of six ladies vying for the affections of Viscount Sterling over a weeklong stay at the Manor. Sterling is a widower who lost his wife in a tragic incident and is now ready to find another women to take his place. For me this sounds like such a weird situation as its basically a 19th century Bachelor episode with six women fighting for his attention. On meeting Angelica and Sterling have an attraction and Angelicas honest tongue does not discourage his affections. But when Angelica is woken in the night with a weird cold feeling and is alerted to a presence that leads her through the Manor stuff starts to get weird and Sterling gets angry.
I did enjoy the unravelling of the Secrets and mysteries of the place but it was super predictable. I did not like Sterling at all though. I understand his reaction is partly to do with what happened in the past but it was also just plain rude and entitled.
It was interesting to have the paranormal aspect in this novella which I don't often see in romance novels.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Sophie Barnes for my complimentary eARC copy.

Liked the fast pace. Yes a bit of paranormal and dramatic. A little predictable but enjoyed it nevertheless.

I love a good Sophie Barnes' book! This novella is no exception. It felt a little like the Bachelor meets the Scooby gang! Due to the fact that it was a novella, it was of course short and moved at a faster pace, but it was still an excellent read. The characters were fleshed out and I never felt like something was missing or it was moving too fast.

Viscount Sterling has been a widower for a few years now and decides it's time to find a new wife in order to get an heir. He invites six women to his manor and can't find one who sparks his interest. Until... that is, he meets Lady Angelica.

Lady Angelica is smart, honest to a fault, and ready to take on anything. But she quickly finds that even as her interest in the Viscount grows, his manor is definitely giving her a creepy feeling she can't shake.

A ghost, a gothic manor and a love story all wrapped up in a novella is a big undertaking, but Ms. Barnes handles it easily! Definitely a worthwhile read!

My opinions are my own and freely given.

The story wasn`t that interesting sadly. He choose the woman he wanted to marry very quickly without thinking about telling her about the secret that was there. It was over so fast i didn`t get to care much about the characters and let them build and develop before the story was over.

Widowed for two years, Randolph Benedict Scott Trevarian, Viscount Sterling, is hosting a house party to find a new bride. He has invited six young women, including Angelica Florence Northbridge, and their chaperones to this party. As soon as Randolph decides he will choose Angelica, strange things begin to happen. In a perfect Gothic setting, cold spots and vaporous visitors makes Angelica sure that someone does not want her to wed Randolph. Is it the ghost of his first wife or someone among the living who’s causing trouble and trying to prevent a happily ever after? A quick entertaining read with interesting characters, including a ghost. I enjoyed and recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

A Gothic Regency Romance story that kept me turning pages. Lady Angelica and Viscount Randolph Sterling's story of suspense, drama, danger, evil closer than he realizes, murder, and romance. A story that was well worth reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Widowed Viscount Sterling, still needs an heir so after an appropriate amount of mourning he invites six women of good standing to his home for a house party, with the intent of picking one of them as his next bride. Among them is Lady Angelica. She feels something eery in the house as soon as she arrives and can't get over the feeling that she is being watched. Sterling is attracted to Angelica, and she is attracted to him. but she can't get past the weird feeling she has. Then she encounters the ghost of his previous wife who is trying to tell her the truth of her passing. Was it an accident, as everyone claims or was she murdered. Angelica knows she will never find peace with sterling until they unravel the mystery. and is willing to risk her own life to do it.

I’ve so enjoyed Sophie Barnes books and while this one is a bit different it was a pleasure to read. If you love gothic stories this is the one for you. While it’s short, it’s fulfilling and grabs your attention from the start.

Randolph Trevarian, Viscount Sterling Has invited six passed over ladies to his home in search of a bride to begat an heir. Angelica Florence Northbridge Was reluctant to go but her mother insisted. Right from the start Angelica felt something cold and sinister was there but she was drawn to the handsome Viscount. He in turn found her blunt and outspokenness refreshing.

This is a great story that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Randolph and Angelica were well suited to one another but he was somewhat of an angry man who felt guilt that could stand in the way of his happiness.

Sophies imagery was captivating and as well written story. The dialogue was befitting the characters and her character development was just wonderful. I was happy to see Randolph and Angelica find their way to one another. This was a great story to read and you can feel Angelica’s trepidation throughout, a credit to the author.

Thank you so much Sophie for such an entertaining tale and romance.

I received this book from Netgalley. Randolph Benedict Scott Trevarian, Viscount Sterling, a widower, decides that inviting 6 wallflower debutantes, and choosing one from among them is the best way to choose his new wife. He is immediately attracted to Angelica Florence Northbridge. Unfortunately,  she has no desire to wed him as she feels super uncomfortable at the castle due to  a cold air, possibly a ghost that is constantly around her. Sophie Barnes has done a commendable job in writing her first supernatural story.

It’s not illogical that the result of a man discovering that his late wife was unfaithful would be for him to ensure that his next wife wouldn’t be tempted. Or in the case of Viscount Randolph Sterling’s search for a new bride, wouldn’t be tempting to others.

The problem is that his next viscountess really does need to be tempting to him.

It’s a conundrum that he intends to solve by inviting six women who are “on the shelf” to his home, with their chaperones, in the hopes that one will strike his fancy – even if it seems that the entire ton has labelled them as unmarriageable for one reason or another.

Three are shy to the point of paralysis, which explains their lack of previous offers. One is a bit shy, but is mostly disqualified because she’s already in love with someone else, who of course doesn’t seem to notice that she exists. (I really liked Lucy and wouldn’t mind seeing her story!)

One of the eligible ladies has the personality of a narcissistic velociraptor. And I might have just insulted velociraptors. It’s clear upon first meeting that the reason no one has offered marriage to Lady Seraphina is because she’s a vicious bitch. And again, that’s an insult to both vicious people and bitches. She’s a piece of work.

That leaves our heroine, Lady Angelica. She’s not shy. In fact, many might say that her lack of shyness, certainly her lack of what was considered decorum and proper behavior for ladies, was the reason that no one – at least so far – had wanted to marry her. Angelica speaks her mind, to the point where she is considered to be blunt to a fault.

Angelica is exactly what Randolph Sterling has been looking for. Over the course of a week where he “interviews” all of his prospective brides, he already knows that he has made his choice.

If Angelica will agree. And if the malign spirit that seems to haunt Colchester Hall will let her live long enough to reach the altar.

Escape Rating B+: For a surprisingly short book, The Secrets of Colchester Hall manages to encompass some seriously creepy Gothic chills while solving the mystery of those titular secrets and leading to a satisfactory – and heated – romantic happy ever after.

Of course, the protagonists need the heat of that HEA to get over the chills induced by those terrible secrets.

The Secrets of Colchester Hall is billed as a gothic romance, and was originally published as part of an anthology of gothics. Gothic romances are a subgenre that isn’t as popular as it was once upon a time, so it was fascinating to read one that invoked some of the classics of the genre.

There are hints of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, to the point where that story is deliberately lampshaded in the bookstore when the hero recommends the book to the heroine. A heroine who is a fan of such gothic romances, as is the heroine of Northanger Abbey herself.

But it feels like the real inspiration for this foray into those secrets at Colchester Hall is Dame Daphne du Maurier’s classic creeper Rebecca. The story has several similar elements, enough to let a reader predict at least some of the outcome. But it stands more than well enough on its own to keep the reader shivering and turning pages to the very last.

What makes this one stand out is the character of Angelica. Her bluntness and plain-speaking make her easy for contemporary readers to identify with, and her willingness to say what she really thinks, no matter the social cost, provides the story with many of its best and most lighthearted moments – as well as providing Sterling with all the reasons he could ever want to ask Angelica for her hand.

Like most gothic romances, there is more than a bit of willing suspension of disbelief involved. The actual villain of the piece is flesh-and-blood and certainly among the living, and that person’s machinations are plausible. Sinister, murderous, manipulative, but still plausible. But there’s an element of paranormal woo-woo involved in most gothics and this one was no exception. Angelica is receiving messages from the beyond and those messages are getting her attention – as well as the attention of the villain. That the story requires her to believe those messages and for the hero to believe her and not have her committed, is a bit of a stretch.

A stretch that works, and chills the reader right to the bone.