You can always depend on Darcy Coates to deliver a terrifying story full of curses, ghosts, and flawed characters. She surpasses her best with Gallows Hill, which is one of the best horror/ghost stories I’ve read this year. Snap this one for gifting to your horror-loving friends this holiday season.

Recommended.

This title and the description caught my attention. The residents and workers Gallows Hill are held prisoner due to decisions made by the ancestors who built the business there. The characters are well developed, and the situation they find themselves in slowly reveals itself. This is a slow building story that travels to an inevitable outcome. The author set the atmosphere wonderfully, drawing the reader in and on the hook until the very end.

A copy of Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates was provided to me by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an honest review.

This was my first Darcy Coates read and I absolutely loved it! I will be reading more of her books in the future! It was scary, thrilling, and mysterious with a light romance arc thrown in. I will definitely be recommending it anyone looking for a fun and unique paranormal horror book!

I have to say, Darcy Coates is one of my absolute favorite horror authors out there. So I may be a little biased, but this is one of her scariest stories so far. I have read all kinds of horror books but haven’t found many that make me feel so connected to the characters and the story. I find myself thinking about her books for a while afterwards and this one was no different. This storyline was so good and completely horrifying! All those claustrophobic moments, the isolation, and the terror it was all so well done! There were also many feel good moments, which only set the scene for when the creepy stuff starting happening too! This book impressed me, by actually scaring me a few times and the ending was unexpected which says a lot about a book nowadays when so many are too predictable. I love a good surprise or two and an unexpected wrap-up. Read it you won't regret it!

Thank you #NetGalley and for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Like most other books from Darcy Coates, this book is a creepy and super atmospheric read, perfect for spooky season or a Halloween read. I think the author does an excellent job of writing the spooky scenes and trust me, when you read this you will want the lights on because there are a few scenes in moments that really got me and were pretty creepy:

In the beginning, at about the 25% mark, so much is happening and it's so good! But once you get past that, the pace really slows down and it's basically just Margot continuously running around the house and most likely without her phone. I have made it to 52% but it has been a struggle to get that far.. I keep trying to give it another chance, but I've been reading this for over a month now.., so I think its finally time to dnf unfortunately.. I think the book could of had 100 pages taken out of the middle just to keep the pace. There's a lot of telling as well. Just wish the pace was a bit faster..

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for my honest review.

Why have I not read Darcy Coates before now!? Gallows Hill has a bit of a gothic feel to it, which I loved. The writing is atmospheric and immersive with excellent character building.

Great spooky read! I can't wait to read more by this author now.

One more spooky read to close out the Halloween season and WOW, this one was atmospheric!!

I can't remember the last time I felt a visceral reaction to a horror book, but this one gave me goosebumps and had my heart racing.

The Hull family has owned Gallows Hill Winery for decades. Unfortunately, the current owner's suffered a very unfortunate demise, and their estranged daughter was called in to take care of the property and settle the estate.

But, the land's history have led some of the former inhabitants to come up from the ground and seek revenge.

A definite ghost story!

I toyed between 3⭐️ and 4⭐️ because there were several great parts that carried great, fast-paced suspense!

However, this book was almost 400 pages, yet read like 800 pages. This was a bummer for me, so I'll settling on the former.

But, if you are looking for a good, atmospheric, spooky book, this could be right up your alley.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

Available now.

I am a big Darcy Coates fan and was so excited for this book because haunted houses and wine - PERFECT. I saw so many people DNF this as I was reading it.
Darcy writes a particular way. Her books are typically a slower burn-we are just waiting for something spooky to happen. This book was suspenseful right from the start. We got a lot of actions after about 50% (false ending) and then the MC does something and we have a very eventful ending and resolution. I personally guessed a part of the ending within the first half of the books 🍷 But I was very annoyed at the ending-if you want spoilers DM me. I felt creeped out and on edge by the story and thought the mystery was interesting. The big plus that pushed it over for me to 4 star instead of 3.5, the golden retriever

Thank you @netgalley & @poisonedpenpress for the E-Arc of Gallows Hill. @darcybooks
The opinions are my own. The book is available now.
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I cannot remember the last time I read horror or a ghost story last, maybe in high school. This book was beyond creepy, descriptive enough to make me feel like I was there and atmospheric to the point of me gasping at every turn.
I picked it up thinking it was a page turning thriller but the ghosts, the land and the creepy old house reminded me it was horror.
Margot is one strong protagonist but without giving spoilers, I felt like the cinema goer screaming at the heroine not to venture down a particularly ominous path. Nail biting, hair raising and definitely terror inducing is how this book made me feel. Mind you, the book takes off a bit slowly but the horror starts from the beginning. The house was very atmospheric, I honestly found myself sitting there with Margot and shared her terror. The plot builds up to a nerve wrecking climax, a clever twist to keep the reader engrossed.

I read the last quarter of the book late at night and my cats scratching at the bedroom door did not help. I was terrified enough to have lost my voice and did prefer daytime reading.
This is a perfect #spooktober read for horror fans.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

If you’re looking for a spooky book to wrap up your October, Gallows Hill by @darcybooks delivers a fresh perspective to your traditional ghost story.

Margot Hull returns to her childhood home, Gallows Hill, after the disturbing deaths of her parents. She hasn’t seen them, or the estate, since she was a small child, and immediately you are filled with questions and dread.

The atmosphere of this book is fantastic, the slow burn and perfectly timed reveals build the story and the scare factor at the same time. As Margot learns the truth about her family, their history, and the curse of Gallows Hill, she must battle to not only save herself, but to bring justice for those who suffered before her.

I loved this book, the build of the story and use of imagery was very well done. I think Coates took a lot of traditional horror elements and combined them in a way that felt new and refreshing, and I can’t wait to read another of her books!

Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for an advanced copy of this book that was perfect for spooky season

This was a wonderful read. It’s been a long time since I had a book scare me and make me anxious while I was reading. I read so much I gave up
A Saturday to finish , I just could not put it down. This book was suspenseful and had a great plot and was well written. It was the perfect spooky time read!

Just in time for spooky season Mrs. Coates has brought us one masterfully written spine chilling, heart racing tale of greed and revenge. I have to commend the author for writing one amazing book, I instantly found myself lost in the story and completely invested in each of the characters. So if you want to read a book that will get you in the Halloween spirit but also provide you with a story full of history and suspense this I highly recommend this book to you. Yet you might want to stick to reading this book during the day otherwise you might just be checking the shadows for pinprick eyes.

It’s undeniable that Darcy Coates has a gift for setting books in some of the eeriest, creepiest, and most isolated of locations. Gallows Hill follows this same model, but this time with a winery, home to a dark and disturbing past. I absolutely loved this location and the way that Coates made it come to life. Our main character, along with the reader, has no idea what they’re getting into, which opens the door for a series of unsettling events.

While I loved everything about the premise and even where the direction of the story ultimately led, I struggled with the pacing. After reading several books from Coates, I know that she loves a slower-paced story, but this one just didn’t work to keep my attention. Once it started to feel overly repetitive, I knew I needed to either DNF or switch to audio.

Out of curiosity for what was left to happen, I went the audio route and it helped so much! The action really starts to kick off after the halfway point of this story and the narration of the audio helped to keep me captivated, while bringing to life the strange events of this story. I highly recommend the audiobook route if you’re interested in picking this one up!

A huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for my gifted copy!

DNF at 43%, I'm sorry I just couldn't get into this book. As soon as I started putting it off or skimming through it I knew this wasn't for me.

Although the writing is atmospheric and intriguing, the story was such a slow burn I couldn't get into it. To this point there's still nothing creepy or scary happening. The main character is annoying and makes stupid decisions. I needed more.

Scary, atmospheric and haunting. Margot's estranged parents suddenly die and she has to leave her life and return to Gallows Hill to takeover the family business. what lies beneath the family business is creepy and unsettling. Read This in the daytime

Margot parents die under unusual circumstances. So after more than a decade, she heads home to attend the funeral only to find out that the family is cursed and she is the sole heir to their estate, Gallows Hill along with the winery that sits on the property.

This was a perfect read for spooky season! The first part of the book is a slow burn, but the second half really picked up. The book has plenty of atmosphere, tension and provides creepy scares. I would recommend this to readers looking for horror with supernatural scares.

I want to thank NetGalley, Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this book, from the first page this book had me hooked. Darcy Coates is the the queen of creepy, atmospheric books and she knows how to write a great horror read.
The characters were realistic and relatable and the story was well written with a solid story line.
All the spooky stuff that happens to Margot is believable, as we have all looked into a dark room and thought something was standing there staring at us. Or we have heard strange noises and think someone is in our hime.
What I really loved was the amazing back story of how the winery started and the tragedy that befell the family.
This would be a good halloween read for October.

This was such a scary, creepy read. I love Darcy Coates books and this one does not disappoint. Margot inherits the Gallows Hill family home and wine business after her parents pass away. As she was sent away as a young girl to live with her grandmother, she does not remember much about Gallows Hill. However, upon her arrival she learns that the land has been cursed for the last 250 years and was once used as a spot to hang criminals who have all been buried on the property. As she learns more about the land’s history, her parents, the wine business, the workers, she is horrified by what has walked into. This had a really good storyline and was so creative. I liked Margot’s character and all the characters for that matter. It’s dark, atmospheric, and so creepy! Some scenes really scared the heck out of me. I enjoyed this quite a bit and definitely recommend it. A perfect read for October. 4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.