I am not really into ghost stories but I do enjoy romances and a good mystery. The romance was enjoyable, the ghost story was ok, and the mystery very easy to solve. You could tell the housekeeper was the villain from the beginning.

I LOVED THIS! So much gothic goodness that I was actually feeling all of the shivering from the Colchester’s frosty halls.

Our dashing Viscount Sterling has been widowed for two years and is ready to dip into the debutante market. Randolph has invited six ladies to his home, but only picks the “castoffs” of the season hoping to stave off potential infidelity on his new bride’s part. We come to find out many revelations about his past bride – some tragic and some woefully wrong.

Lady Angelica is attending this event only for her mother’s wish to find a suitable husband. She is much more interested in her books and her independence. Once they meet, there is an instant curiosity for her to explore further. Not a love at first sight, but definitely a peaked awareness as they converse. She catches his mind with her wit and straightforwardness and the fact that she is not tripping over herself to woo him. But she is really getting the “cold shoulder” so to speak from the haunted house and all its secrets.

For such a short story, all the characters are well written. The romance is somewhat of a slow burn, not an instant attraction, which was good. You can see their mutual fondness move to much more in only a week. And what an eventful week that was to be.

One of the cutest sidekicks is Angelica’s newfound friend Lucy. While they are competing for the hand of the Viscount, they are both not really into the whole thing. The other candidates are mildly a part of the story, but the main nemesis is the beautiful Mrs. Essex. She is constantly about and poking in at just the wrong times. Oh, and so much more in this tasty little novella. Pick it up and cozy down for an afternoon in Regency London.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting novella with a great storyline!
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Rating: 4 Stars
Steam: 1 flame
Genre: Gothic Paranormal Regency Romance
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This short gothic regency romance novella was quite entertaining. I haven't read very many of these so I was interested in trying a new genre and a new author (to me).

Viscount Sterling (Randolph), a widower, is looking for a new wife. He has invited 6 eligible ladies to his home in order to see if any capture his attention. All the women are quite different, and one does capture his attention. Lady Angelica.

Lady Angelica is bold, outspoken, and just a tad bit sassy. The banter between her and Randolph is entertaining. But there is something more going on in Colchester Hall. and could Angelica be lost in her active imagination? Or is there something more sinister afoot? Will history repeat itself?

This book had some interesting twists and turns. It was like an onion with many layers. It was an engaging Saturday afternoon read that kept me reading until all the clues were revealed. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more reads by Ms. Barnes.

This Angelica and Sterling’s story. She is invited to his house party as a possible bride. She feels like she’s being watched. He decides he wants. I found the story eerie and exciting.

After the death of his first wife, Randolph invites a group of ladies to his estate with the intention of choosing one as his bride. As soon as Angelica arrives, she sees shadows and feels chills in the air. If Randolph chooses her, she is not sure she will be happy in this creepy house.
Opinion
This was an interesting, quick read. Though I guessed the ending, I was still enthralled with the story. I’ve recently started reading historical novels but this is the first ghost story I have encountered. This was a fun read.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

If a book has Sophie Barnes name on it, I am automatically going to purchase it. This author has a way of inviting the reader into her stories and you cannot put the book down until you have turned the very last page. Angelica and Randolph are no different. I love the truly Gothic feel to this book. Readers will really enjoy.

Creepy, twists and turns, but the intrigue will keep you turning the pages! Lady Angelica and five other debutantes are brought together in a gothic style home to be promenaded for a bride position. Viscount Sterling has decided he needs a heir, so he has gathered the women like livestock to choose one for his lucky bride.

Angelica feels an evil presence or something lurking around her, but she doesn’t know how to explain what the feeling of disquieting that is surrounding.

The author takes a short story and turns it into a polished storyline with characters that you can like, the intrigue is interesting and the conclusion is not what you think!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily given and in my own words, for this ARC. Sophie Barnes does good work. Her writing style is consistently well done and her characters interesting. She also, as in this case, sometimes throws a bit of intrigue into the mix. Worth your time and money to read.

This was an enjoyable gothic romantic mystery - sensual and spooky and very easy to read. I absolutely loved the main characters and would even like to see some of the secondary characters with stories of their own. (Perhaps they already exist and I haven't discovered them yet!) Quick read - I got through it in one pre-bed sitting as it's novella-length.

This was an exciting book to read. There was mystery, suspense and love . The plot was quite complicated but kept me wanting to know what was going to happen. I do recommend that you read this book.

A quick mysterious romance with a little side of the spooky!

The Viscount Stirling has decided tat after 2 years of widowhood, he is ready to find a new wife. He has assembled six leftover eligible women form the latest London season to his home to select one to be his bride.

Lady Angelica has gone through few seasons and does not want to marry… she especially doesn’t want to become mistress of a home that literally gives her the chills and where she feels like she is constantly under watch… At first she chocks up her creepy intuition to her love of gothic novels, but as her relationship with he Viscount advances she becomes determined to get to the bottom of the spooky goings on at heal before she will consent to marry the Viscount.

This was a good gothic tale that had me interested in the characters and the mystery from the beginning. Sometimes a story with a gothic element can wan on my patience, but I found the gothic elements and their progression well done, especially in this shorter novella timeframe.

This was a fun, quick read and I highly recommend this book to fans of historical and gothic romance.

An Unexpected Temptation by Sophie Barnes is scheduled to release January 12th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from author Sophie Barnes through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheSecretsofColchesterHall #SophieBarnes #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

The Secrets of Colchester Hall is a light romance novella with a well developed romance and plot. The storyline is intriguing and the pacing is fast.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Will the shadows of his past doom their future ...

How fun this read is, the tension slowly but decidedly increases, like a gothic tale to read snuggled under a thick blanket with warm tea and a cat at close reach when it reaches its peak.
I loved how Mrs Barnes created the perfect atmosphere, I felt the chill like Angelica, my guys in knots not knowing what will happen but expecting something.
I do not know why but from the first lines, I thought of Rebecca.
For Angelica and Randolph It is not love at first sight but there is an instant connection between them, something that reaches them deep, drawing them to one another but something else lurks in the shadows and make them reconsider a relationship.
I loved Angelica’s bluntness, she is quite abrupt but she is true to herself, honest and never lie. Even more when she realizes why she was among the potential brides selection. Not enough attractive to turn other men’s head.
Randolph is leaking his wounds, thus his solution for the requisite heir, six lingering on the edges of the marriage market forgotten debutantes. Yet, unexpectedly he is attracted to one of his prospective choice, her liveness and frankness so refreshing. And despite his doubts, he listens to her, and sees her beyond her appearance.
5 stars for this to shriver tale.

I read this previously published novella in the Wicked Liaison novellas bundle.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed lovemaking scene.

A gothic story of a woman, Angelica, who travels to Viscount Sterling’s home to be among five other candidates to be chosen to be his bride. While Angelica and Sterling do feel an attraction, there are darker forces trying to keep them apart. I received an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher for my honest review.

Angelica and Randolph's story is a spooky one. Filled with mystery and ghost it is on the paranormal side.
I have read Sophia Barnes books before just not the paranormal ones.
It is a good book nevertheless.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

After the untimely death of his first wife, Viscount Sterling needs to remarry and produce an heir. He invites a number of young ladies for a house party at Colchester Hall hoping to find his next wife. None of the young ladies spark any interest until he meets Lady Angelica, a young woman who is quite outspoken in her honesty. Lady Angelica has no desire to marry the viscount especially after she feels a ghostly presence in the hall. Can she reconcile what this unusual presence wants with the lord of the manor she begins to feel an attraction to?

I enjoyed this story and the paranormal aspect of the mystery of what happened to the first wife was a good twist. The story is short, but moves along at a good pace to keep the reader engaged until the last page. Ms. Barnes teases out the clues and though I had figured out who the villain was, the way events happened in the past was engaging.

An interesting Bachelor/Gothic novella. Sophie Barnes is a great writer. Her characters are interesting and the plot is always intriguing. She kept the suspense up throughout this book and the romance was developed nicely. A great read!

I received an advanced reader's copy of this novella via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 / 5 stars -> rounded up because I know this genre is not typically my cup of tea and I probably have some bias.

The Secrets of Colchester Hall is a short, light novella encompassing the Regency-era romance of Lady Angelica and Viscount Sterling. The Viscount's home, Colchester Hall, is haunted by the spirit of his late wife who died under "mysterious" circumstances. Needless to say, the haunting places some strain on the courtship process.

This novel is well-paced and Angelica is overall very likable. Personally, I could take or leave Sterling. The romance is somewhat whirlwind, but this doesn't tend to peeve me as much in historical fiction compared to modern romance. Considering the circumstances, the protagonists share a fair amount of chemistry.

Unfortunately, the "twist" in this novella -- that Mrs. Essex, the jealous housekeeper, murdered the late Lady Sterling -- is rather obvious from about the halfway point. A touch more subtlety or complexity to the antagonist's character could go a long way. I was also oddly thrilled when Angelica was thought to be "dead" in the final chapter. I found the prospect of her haunting Colchester Hall for the rest of eternity to be a sad, but romantic idea, perhaps somewhat in line with the gothic novels she loves so much. I felt like a bit of a sadist when I was disappointed she lived.

Generally well paced, the length of this novella is perfect to convey the story. Some of the narration in the first chapter is awkward, but could be easily mended with some light edits. Unfortunately, I also really dislike the cover art. It comes across as cheesy and Angelica's dress is not period-appropriate.

Overall, The Secrets of Colchester Hall is a decent novella, but does not particularly stand out among the crowd, especially in a literary field dominated by writers such as KJ Charles whose stories have a bit more "bite" to them. If this is a genre you regularly enjoy, you may wish to pick it up as a comfy afternoon read.

The Secrets of Colchester Hall, makes me think of one of the Gothic novels that ladies read during the Regency period. When I first began it I thought it was going to read like The Bachelorette series. It did kind of start out that way though but not in the end.

This was an interesting story and it was a fun read with the horror backdrop. Well written so you could feel the chill that Angelica was experiencing. I loved Angelica: she was blunt, a little flawed, pragmatic, and friendly. She deduced that all the girls were invited for a husband hunt and she still tried to become friends with the rest of the girls. She stood up for others, and at times dismissed her efforts to be friendly with everyone when it wasn't returned. It made sense why she would be picked. And she was honest, she didn't fall in love with Randolph right away. Took a little time, even though it was clear he preferred her. Unfortunately, I didn't like the hero. He jumped to conclusions and his reasoning behind picking these particular girls was insulting. He was a little smug and too sure of himself.