Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. First Darcy Coates book down! Plenty more backlist to go! I knew a little bit of what to expect from this book simply from knowing what types of books Darcy Coates writes and this one did not disappoint. It was a slow-moving, suspense-building horror that is perfect for spooky times. I never got chills from the horror descriptions but there are a lot of them. I really liked the ending of this book a lot. I think it's hard to end horror books on a note that feels satisfying but this one managed to do it. The middle lost me for a little bit as not enough was happening but it was necessary to make the plot not feel rushed. I liked Margot as a character but I did feel a bit distanced from her as I only knew a small bit of her past and where she came from before ending up at Gallows Hill. I wish she had more of a connection to the world in general. All in all a good spooky book for spooky times and I am interested in checking out some of the backlist titles from this author.

Darcy Coates really does cosy horror super well. I enjoy her books and her writing and this one was a big step up from From Below, which just really wasn’t for me.

I’m not a horror fan, but I absolutely love Darcy Coates mainly because she’s a genius at describing scary, horrific situations most of us would be terrified to find ourselves in. She also manages to keep it clean in regards to language and romance. Gallows Hill is no different. (Think of being alone in a creepy old house or stuck in an underground tunnel and you hear dragging footsteps behind you.) The story is positively frightening. Yet, there were some things that were problematic for me which, unfortunately, made this book one of my least favorites of the author.

The story is an extra slow burn tale that immediately throws the reader into the unexplainable. When Margot was a young girl, she was given to her grandmother to raise despite her parents’ successful winery business. Now as a young adult, after no previous contact, she’s notified of her parents’ strange death and her inheritance of their home and winery that sits on top of Gallows Hill, a desolate place where in the past, criminals were hanged.

As she goes through the motions of the funeral, it’s clear Margot has no great affection for her parents and barely remembers her childhood. When she spends the night in her childhood home, from the get go, it’s creepy as heck. Bells mysteriously start ringing when she’s supposedly alone in the house, and without giving anything away, many other terrifying things start happening. The danger and suspense get progressively worse until she finally figures out the mystery behind her parents’ death and tries to break the curse on the property.

Margot was a difficult character for me to like. There are several reasons to sympathize with her: she was basically abandoned by her parents, she’s placed in an untenable situation inheriting this world renowned winery without having any kind of background to run the place, and the townspeople are downright hostile towards her. Despite all this, the decisions she makes and her reluctance towards curiosity deeply annoyed me. Her parents die in an unexplainable way and strange things happen in the house making it obvious there’s something terribly wrong, yet she won’t even open all the doors in the house. She refuses to ask questions until it becomes critical, and when she finally learns about the curse and what happened in the past, it’s seemingly too late.

The side characters were enjoyable and I loved Marsh, the golden retriever. The pacing at first was a little slow and it took me awhile to get into the story. However, after the bells start really ringing, the story picks up in intensity and pacing. The gore in the story was a little too much for me. I’m not a squeamish person, but it was more than I’m used to with this author. Also, the gross factor was pretty high. That ending!!! It’s definitely a dark story, yet surprisingly redeeming.

If you’re a Darcy Coates fan or love gothic horror, you’ll probably like this book. While Hunted is still my all time favorite Darcy Coates book, this book did have some definite heart-pounding suspense and moments where it’s best to read in the daytime! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Once again, Darcy Coates has delivered just the kind of creepy read I needed to kickstart spooky season.

Gallows Hill starts quite strong. The protagonist, Margot, is dealing with one of the most difficult things people have to face in life and that is grief and the loss of one’s family. I really enjoyed the way the author handled the subject and how Margot faced this situation with all its very complicated feelings and emotions. To me, it felt authentic, realistic and by the end of the book, there was a visible growth in the main character’s journey. Plus, Margot is quite pleasant and brave, which made it even easier to empathize with her.

Although Coates’ writing style is quite simple, she knows how to transmit emotions, sensations and thus, creates a great atmosphere. I admit the vibes and overall unsettling feel of this book are pretty well done. However, I wasn’t really scared while reading it. Yes, there are lots of creepy scenes thanks to the mix between paranormal and supernatural elements. But I don’t think they’re that scary. Hence the popular label this author’s books receive, cozy horror.

As for the story itself, it was gripping enough to keep me entertained but it’s nothing really mind blowing. The reveal was something I had already seen coming so unfortunately I wasn’t surprised. What I did like was the way Margot faced the curse on the land and the way she acted to make things right. I don’t think her sense of justice is something we see often in these types of books, so that was refreshing and gave me a sense of hope I usually never feel when reading horror books.

If you’re in the market for a haunted house story that will keep you entertained, won’t creep you out and wraps up in a fair way, then maybe Gallows Hill is the read you need!

Gallows Hill Winery, were creepy things happen. Margot goes back home after her parents mysteriously dies and encounter more than she bargained for.

This one started out on a great note and although it was a bit slow at some places it still kept me invested. Some really creepy factors and loved the tense building throughout the book. A good one for those that do Halloween reads. The story kept flowing with quick to know characters and that ending was epic.

Keep your lights on for this one as it might play on the mind a bit, loved it! Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

This was one of Darcy Coates’ best. While still within her haunted house “formula” it does bring in some new ideas.
I loved this story and she did a fantastic job of creating atmosphere and suspense. I loved all of the layers of the mystery of the winery and the ending topped everything off perfectly with no plot holes and everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow. My only complaint (and a very small one) was that in the effort to create tension and atmosphere, the description could get a little long in places that caused me to skim. But it was minor. 4.5 stars

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #darcycoates #gallowshill

I loved this book. It's perfect timing for the fall creepy vibe, spooky season. This was my first start Darcy Coates book. The author has another one coming out soon. I'm hoping I can get an ARC on that one. I think I found a new author to follow. I'm interested in doing any backlisted title the author written. Definitely recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates.
The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations. Their wine wins awards. Their business prospers. Their family thrives. People whisper that the curse has awakened once more. The sprawling old house has long been perched on top of a hill overlooking the nearby town, jealously guarding the estate's secrets. It's been more than a decade since Margot Hull last saw her childhood home. She was young enough when she was sent away that she barely remembers its dark passageways and secret corners. But now she's returned to bury her parents and reconnect with the winery that is her family's legacy―and the bloody truth of exactly what lies buried beneath the crumbling estate. Alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, Margot is forced to come face to face with the horrors of the past―and realize that she may be the next victim of a house that never rests...
Omg. Absolutely brilliant. Creepy and eerie and spooky. Even the cover looks spookily scary. 5*.

Darcy Coates is the newest name in my list of favourite writers. This is only my second book of her and need I say that I’m in love with this woman. Her writing is spooky, sensational and triggering (in a good sense). If I’m in the mood to read real horror - the kind that’ll not let me sleep at night, I would pick anything by Coates without a second thought.

Gallows Hill revolves around Margot Hull who was sent away to live with her grandmother at a young age and doesn’t get to see her parents for more than a decade until the news of their mysterious deaths arrive. She has to pack her bags and the life she has made to start over a new one with the family home and business she has inherited from her parents - a widely recognised and awarded wine business that goes by the name of Gallows Hill, a name given to it based on its dark history. As rewarding as that might sound, Margot learns that Gallows Hill is cursed and all the eleven generations of Hulls before her (including her parents) have perished in the most menacing and unnatural ways. Pick up the book to know more!

The writing, in true Coates style, is captivating and atmospheric. She does a great job of messing with your mind and making it feel all the jitters that her characters feel. This writer has cracked the secret to keeping the readers spellbound, even when it’s not an entirely fresh plot. Cursed homes and bloodthirsty undeads aren’t unheard of, but the way Coates presents it in a new shiny wrapper makes the experience totally worth the time. There are so many nail biting scenes which would tense up your whole nervous system. I was spooked out quite a few times and had to hold my husband a little extra tight while sleeping to prevent the horror stricken images from flashing in my deeply scarred mind (didn’t help, still had nightmares).

The story is a slow burn, but once it picks up pace, it’s all action and no peace. The climax did seem a bit extra to me, sort of Bollywood-ish (IYKYK), when the MC decides to break the curse come what may. I am not and will never be the girl who goes out of her way to fight ghosts. Nope, that’s not me!

Terrorising, action-packed and haunting!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.
Gallows Hill is now available for purchase.

4.5/5🌟 (Downgrading it to 4🌟 because From Below remains my favourite and this one doesn't come close to it. I might change my mind later though).

TW: Child abandonment, death of a parent, homicide, paranormal happenings and too many references to wine.

Coates is one of those Horror authors that I've heard so much about but never had the opportunity to read that when I got approved to read this ARC, I was ecstatic. And I wasn't disappointed!

Imagine inheriting a house from estranged parents, a house with a terrifying and morbid history. And boy, was this book terrifying!

Thank you netgalley and Darcy Coates for the ARC of this book

This was my first Coates book and it won't be my last. Extremely creepy and eerie setting, quick and easy to read chapters and a very entertaining plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates is a horror story about Margot, who has newly inherited the Gallows Hill Winery. She isn't sure that she wants to run a business, especially one that's located on a field where hundreds of convicts were hanged, But she decides to give the property a chance, and some creepy things start happening. This story was terrifying in parts, but I really enjoyed the conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

*Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Darcy Coates, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/gallows-hill/


“Either give me more wine or leave me alone.”

― Rumi

This is the first novel I have read where the house is the main character and all other characters are secondary. Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates is an atmospheric horror novel that will scare the pants off of you, complete with destructive ghosts, underground tunnels and ghost dogs. Don’t be surprised if you keep the lights on all night. This one is scary!

Margot Hull has lived with her Grandmother since she was a young girl. Her parents, having given her up when she was eight years old, have had no contact with her for almost her entire life. So it surprises her when she is summoned to their funeral two decades later. She doesn’t know her parents at all so she is shocked when she finds out from the caretaker that she has inherited the Gallows Hill Winery from them along with their house on the property, but she has a sense of foreboding when she steps foot in the house. Something is not right. The house is dark, very dusty and unkempt. There are hallways blocked off and a strange statue in the living room made from bits and pieces of buttons, string and metal parts. But the oddest thing Margot finds is that there is no evidence that she ever lived there. All pictures of her have been removed, and they cut the pictures she was in to remove her.

Margot Hull’s first night at Gallows Hill is not without incident. There are bells hidden all over the house. There are bells ringing in most of the rooms and a lightbulb explodes when she turns on the light. It forced her to navigate in the dark to find out why the bells are ringing. She can hear footsteps outside and she is terrified. When she wakes up, there are nooses hanging around the perimeter of the house. When she inquires of Kant, the long time caretaker of Gallows Hill, he doesn’t seem surprised. From him, she learns the deeply troubled past of the winery and the curses it places upon his occupants. I found the history that Darcy Coates created in her story fascinating and well put together. It made sense and was explained clearly by the caretaker. Margot knows now that she is stuck there, even if she wanted to leave.

The atmosphere surrounding the haunted winery is so dark and eerie, with a gray cast to it. Being claustrophobic, the scariest parts to me were the underground tunnels. When Margot falls into a collapsed tunnel, with no way out but narrow dirt filled passages, it is absolutely terrifying and anxiety inducing.

While I found Gallows Hill to be a wonderful and scary ghost story, I wanted more back story on Margot. What was it like growing up with her grandmother? Does she have friends? Boyfriends? Did she go to college? I have found with most of Coates’ books; she gets lost in the details of some things and gives no details on others. An example would be the flowery language involving a glass of wine but no description to the reader of what Margot looks like. In some scenes she is overly pale and in another scene it describes her dark skin. Consistently, her hair is curly. As the reader, I wanted more details on the character and fewer descriptions of grass or wine. Gallows Hill is a slow burn, but once it takes off, you cannot put it down.

Margot Hull returns to her childhood home for her parents’ funeral, having been sent away as a child to live with her grandmother. She has become to sole heir to the Hull family home and winery: Gallows Hill Winery, a small, but award-winning operation built on the site of the town’s old execution site, where hundreds of people met their fate. Immediately, Margot feels that something isn’t right at her parents’ old house, and the winery’s employees, while friendly and welcoming, aren’t giving her many straight answers. As Margot settles into the estate, she learns more and more about the secrets hiding up on the hill, and what she discovers is a terrifying situation indeed.

I’ve read several of Darcey Coate’s books before, so I know that she is THE go-to author for ghost stories, and this book is another great journey into darkness. I have to tell you, I really sailed through this book because I just had to figure out how it was all going to end. However, to me, this wasn’t one of her scariest. I like more of the stories that are filled with lore and built up story, so a lot of the action in the middle wasn’t necessarily for me.

HOWEVER, the last several chapters, OMG, I was so enthralled. I don’t want to give anything away, but I don’t know that I can ever go to a wine tasting without thinking about this book again. Just wow. She knocked it out of the park and then some. And that’s why she’s the queen of horror - because these stories stay with you long after you are done reading them!

Also, yeah, I’m never watching a VHS home movie I come across. Straight in the bin.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a good scare, check this one out. You won’t be disappointed, I sure wasn’t, even if I may prefer other books of hers more. This one was STILL packed with scares and a great story!

This is the first "horror" book that I've read in a long time that creeped me out. The story was definitely unique from other recent horror books. I loved the well thought out backstory and plot. I would definitely recommend this book to other and will be looking to read more from this author.

"Gallows Hill" by: Darcy Coates tells the story of Margot Hull who inherits her family's home after the untimely death of her parents. This book was an absolutely beautiful and terrifying journey into the supernatural. As an avid fan of horror, I find that there is very little that scares me these days but Darcy Coates did her job well. There are absolutely terrifying parts of this book; since it's a horror novel that is exactly what you go in hoping for. 

The writing in "Gallows Hill" was amazingly done. The picture that was painted was so vivid in all of its haunted glory I could not get enough. I loved some of these descriptions so much that I would go back and re-read a chapter. It has truly been a long time since I read a horror novel that was so well done. I cared about the characters, the town, the dark and disturbing things lurking about, and the overall story. 

I was worried about the pacing in the first chapter but honestly, after that, you are literally thrown right into the thick of things and it does not stop until the very last page. I really appreciated the thought and effort which went into this very well-planned out story. You can tell through reading it that Darcy Coates knew every inch of the story she wanted to tell and she did a great job of telling it. 

Without giving too much away I will say the thing that scared me the most and had the hair on the back of my neck standing up was the bells. The description of what they sounded like and when we found out what they truly meant made them even scarier. 

I wanted to race through this book to see what happened next, but I also forced myself to read it slowly. One because the descriptions were too well done to just rush through and two I did not want it to be over. If you are a fan of horror and a good old-fashioned haunted house tale with a twist "Gallows Hill" is the book for you!

I've been wanting to read Darcy Coates for awhile, and I was excited for the opportunity provided by NetGalley and the publisher to review this book. After reading Gallows Hill, I am definitely a Darcy Coates fan. The story was spooky, and Coates did an excellent job building the tension. Margot's tension was palpable when she was in the tunnels or hearing the warning bells ring in the house, and I loved the resolution at the end. Definitely plan on reading more by this author!

Easily another one of Coates books that has blown me away. I love the atmosphere that she creates in all of her stories and this one was not different. I had an amazing time and I can’t wait for the next one.

A perfect spooky season read! 🎃🍂 This slow-burn haunted story creeped me out!

Margot inherits a winery 🍷 (uh yes please!), built on a hill previously used for hanging criminals for petty crimes (maybe not). There's family history and secrets, along with hauntings and a cursed land. A town which avoids the people from Gallows Hill too, due to reputation (obviously smart), so it's isolating for Margot, with no family or friends.

A slow-burn, the suspense built slowly until it hit a fast pace in the middle. Margot, not raised by her parents, is trying to understand this haunting along with the reader. On top of just learning about this haunted family business/home, the haunting is worse than it's ever been. The stakes are life and death with this perfect spooky season read and Margot is a tenacious and brave heroine who pushes through her fears and discomfort. A great read!

First of all, Darcy Coates is my favorite horror author for a reason. She has a way of building a story that is so suspenseful and creepy that literally builds the whole time, leading to an explosive and terrifying ending. This book did just that. Margot was sent away from home to live with her grandmother at a young age, and never really knew her parents. When she learns that her parents both died on the same night, she must return home to claim her inheritance. Which happens to be a winery located on some seriously haunted land. This book is perfect for this spooky season and was released just in time. Anyone looking for a terrifying story that reads just like a horror movie, that keeps you glued to the pages and terrified to turn out the lights, this one is for you!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!