Unfortunately I had to DNF this one - it just wasn’t for me. I felt like the romance and the pace was very unbelievable and while the writing was very descriptive, I found it to be too much. The way the main character was being built up made her actions seem unbelievable - it was completely opposite of who the author was trying to make her. I also found the references to the pandemic to be exhausting. This couldn’t really capture my attention and I didn’t find myself needing to know more.

I really want to like/get into this Novel but I got 40% through this novel and there is no hook yet. I’m did some more research on this novel and it appears that it is more of a gothic type of writing that leans more towards romance than thriller/suspense. This book definitely isn’t for me but I feel sure it has an audience somewhere!

"From the Helen Kay Chapbook Award-Winning poet Cassondra Windwalker, an unsuspecting librarian falls head-over-heels for a married man, but when she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance, she discovers her new husband’s past wives have all met early deaths - and some aren’t ready to let go yet.

Obsession never dies.

When librarian Sigrun falls head-over-heels for the sophisticated and very married Edgar Leyward, she never expects to find herself in his bed - or his heart. Nevertheless, when his enigmatic wife Octavia dies from a sudden illness, Sigrun finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance worthy of the most lurid novels on her bookshelves.

Sigrun soon discovers Octavia wasn’t Edgar’s first lost love, or even his second. Three women Edgar has loved met early deaths. As she delves into her beloved’s past through a trove of discovered letters, the edges of Sigrun identity begin to disappear, fading into the women of the past. Sigrun tells herself it’s impossible for any dark magic to be at play - that the dead can’t possibly inhabit the bodies of the living - but something shadowy stalks the halls of the Leyward house and the lines between the love of the present and the obsessions of the past become increasingly blurred - and bloody.

Mixing lyrical prose with simmering terror, Hold My Place is a modern gothic horror worthy of Shirley Jackson’s nightmares and Daphne Du Maurier’s dangerous lovers."

What was that about Shirley Jackson and Daphne Du Maurier?

This woman can write! This is a shortish, rather haunting tale of death defying love and obsession. Make no mistake, this is not some ordinary romance. Those who know me know I don’t do romance and I’m not a fan of steamy scenes. This is something altogether different. I am in awe of Windwalker’s writing.

When librarian Sigrun takes a cooking class with celebrity chef Edgar Leyward she feels an instant and visceral connection with him. He is married to Octavia. But they nevertheless conduct a rather chaste affair as he walks her home every night after the restaurant closes. And I mean chaste. They don’t even kiss but they utterly connect.

Then the pandemic strikes and Octavia quickly falls victim to covid. After an indecently short interval Edgar marries Sigrun. They have no secrets and Edgar gifts her a box which contains all the mementos of his past loves. In addition to Octavia, Edgar had a previous wife, Brigitte, who died very early of breast cancer and his first love, Devlin from his university days died of diabetes on a hike.

As Sigrun reads through their letters to him she feels a strange affinity with these dead women. Something dangerous is coiling in her gut. And that’s where I will leave this rather dark and ghostly tale. Many thanks to Netgalley and Black Spot Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

4.25 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Local librarian Sigrun attends a fundraising dinner and comes across local chef Edgar. When she sees him she is simply stunned and filled with longing for him. Almost as though they’d known each other before. Taken with him, Sigrun signs up for cooking classes he is teaching.

Sigrun may be a librarian, but she’s better known for her goth look and wicked sense of humor. Once she begins a relationship with Edgar, she starts to lose herself bit by bit, until she’s no longer the Sigrun she once was. Edgar encourages the changes in Sigrun.

Evan, Sigrun’s co-worker at the library notices these changes and doesn’t quite know what to make of them. He tries to engage Sigrun to be like her old self, but bit by bit it appears she’s losing herself completely. Sigrun, once so comfortable in her own skin, also feels as though she’s losing herself. Is it Edgar? Or is Sigrun just maturing into someone different.

This paranormal love story is nothing like the usual romance. There is a little bit of wickedness and evil in this relationship, which Sigrun unravels bit by bit over the course of the novel. Cassondra Windwalker is a master of ethereal writing, engrossing you with her words. It is very visual and stunning. As is the eventual turn where we realize what’s really happening.

Loved this one. I would read another book by this author anytime.

What a crazy book, 3 days spent reading it that i will never get back, It went on and on until the crazy ending, not for me

So going into this book I wasn't sure if it was going to be for me. The writing style is rather interesting. The main character is unique as well. I think about 1/3 into this book and I was absolutely hooked and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.

I enjoyed #HoldMyPlace it kept my attention & I liked the main character Sigrun (especially that she is a goth, there aren’t enough fiction). The ending was satisfying in most ways, I can’t really explain the part I wish was different as it would spoil the book for other readers.

Overall, an enjoyable read! Thanks to #NetGalley & the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

This was an interesting gothic style story, with romance, mystery. However I was distracted by the writing style which detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Rating edit: 2.5 stars.

Unpopular opinion, I know.
It's intriguing, mysterious and weird. It has a promising start, I liked the writing style and yet I can't say I enjoyed the book, mainly because of two reasons: 1. As the story progresses, it gets really slow, even though everything was happening too fast, if that makes sense. At some point, I thought it was going nowhere, which was disappointing, considering the genre. 2. I couldn't connect with the main character Sirgun. She's too nice, OK with everything, her thoughts sounded poetic sometimes but unrealistic. Plus, I didn't feel the love and emotion and pain, which was sad.

Thank you for the review copy.

HOLD MY PLACE is a gothic psychological thriller featuring a romance that’s colored by bluebeard and the paranormal. sigrun, a goth librarian in her 30s falls into insta lust-love with a married chef, edgar.

this was a firmly “okay” book for me. it had a relatively strong start but as the story progressed, i struggled to stay interested instead of just skipping to the end.

windwalker has gorgeous gothic prose, i was not surprised to see that she’s also a poet. the actual prose was the biggest strength in this novel and what got me to the end. however, this is a double edged sword as the language was really dated juxtaposed against the present day setting and i struggled with the way that worked with the first person narration and all the other characters speaking in a similar manner.

the pandemic setting was a big negative for me. it was exhausting to read the descriptions and essentially reread what’s been the last two years. these descriptions were also a big part of the pacing issue i had.

character-wise, i didn’t feel strongly towards anyone, including sigrun. she's the ‘not like other girls’ type but throughout the story does everything she finds at fault in the 'other girls'. insta lust-love aside, the actual relationship between sigrun and edgar lacks chemistry throughout the novel and generally felt far-fetched, even with the paranormal element.

overall, gorgeous gothic prose and an initially strong start is hindered by the dragging descriptions of the pandemic setting, stilted plot progression, and wishy-washy characterization.

if you enjoy atmospheric horror, gothic prose, and dark romance built on obsession, this might be a book for you. unfortunately, it didn’t do it for me.

I loved this book. The characters are well written and the story is evenly paced. The premise was really good and I believe the author explored it really well.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was one of those that kept me thinking long after I finished it. I enjoyed the fact that Sigrun was not your typical heroine. Windwalker's writing was absolutely brilliant, and I loved how subtle she was in describing the disappearance of Sigrun's identity. While the changes in Sigrun totally fit the flow of the story, I did find myself disliking her for a good portion of the book, which made it a little difficult for me to want to read more, but I'm glad I did. The ending was absolutely spectacular and really showcased Windwalker's talent as writer. This is definitely an author I will be keeping my eye on.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

When a librarian falls for a very married man. They stay as great friends, until covid comes and takes his wife but did it really, after all this would be the third time he has been widowed. Edgar it seems takes no time before getting Sigrun, the librarian, to move in. But is Sigrun safe or will she be number 4?

This book is a interesting take on the old black widow stories, and there of course is a lot more too it that will keep your interest. The characters are well developed and the story line moves at a good pace. All in all it was a good story and a wonderful book.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I requested this book because I follow Cassondra Windwalker on Twitter and love reading her lyrical, poetic short stories. It's not usually the type of book I'd read, but I enjoyed it.

The book's premise is unsettling and creepy, drawing to a satisfactory conclusion that I didn't see coming. The author stays true to her writing style, and at times the writing is dreamy and poetic, and it carries you along.

Hold My Place
Cassondra Windwalker

Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review:
Edgar is a renowned Chef and Sigrun is a goth loving librarian, they meet at a cooking class where he teaches. Sigrun slowly falls for the chef and his very presence becomes a drug to her! Their walks after class hour has become something Sigrun now looks forward to, they talk about everything and nothing under the sun. Sigrun knows Edgar isn't physically cheating on his wife but when it comes to emotions it's an entirely different story!! When Sigrun hears te Edgar's wife is sick she does what she can to help him but amidst the pandemic one can only do so much. When Octavia dies Edgar shatters and Sigrun picks up the pieces, she feels like he's not grieving much while compared to other people grieving their spouses. Too soon he proposes her to be his wife and as she's basically obsessed with him she agrees but that's when the plot starts to get twisty.

The author has written dramatically and poetically -a twisted love story which is slow paced and gives the reader a creepy almost hypnotic feel and oh the HORROR and THRILLER aspects of the book will keep you guessing and make you return for more!!

An intriguing read with a chilling ending. I was really engaged and it kept me invested.
Has gothic tones and I have not read a book like this but it was good.

The story had a very interesting premise and the author's storytelling style was very good and I really liked it, it was the aspect that prompted me to continue reading the novel. In general, the story is good, the mystery unfolds in a calm way but without neglecting the construction of the atmosphere in which it unfolds, although I have to say that the only thing I did not like and made my interest in the story decayed at one point is the introduction of the pandemic, I feel that this fact greatly limited the interaction of the characters and made the story more limited and the development of the protagonists was not fully exploited, personally I do not like to read novels that They treat what we're going through, it's not what I need to distract me. I think that history could take much more advantage of having gone the other way.

The characters, especially Sigrun (who tells us the story) I liked her, I was intrigued by how this attraction of her towards Edgar developed and how it was somewhat twisted, how they interacted with each other. The end I have to say that I was surprised, I really liked it.

It was a good mystery story and I would like to read more from this author.

I flew through this in two days. The writing, pandemic backdrop, and the general unease of it all kept me riveted to the end. A fantastic, thrilling gothic.