Dangerous mine shafts, an abandoned ski resort, families feuding for generations, and ghosts galore—the town of Glazier’s Gap has enough fodder for a whole string of Gothic novels. And that’s the idea. Ghosts of the Forbidden by Leanna Renee Hieber is the first book in the new Glazier’s Gap series published by Castle Bridge Media, which will include loosely connected novels that all feature a supernatural romance set in this unusual town. As the queen of haunting heartwarmers, Leanna Renee Hieber is the perfect author to start this series off, though this is her first foray into contemporary romance. But not to fear—while the story may take place in the twenty-first century, the lovers in Ghosts of the Forbidden are as stuck in the nineteenth-century as Leanna’s devoted readers are. Ghosts of the Forbidden comes out October 11.

Lillian Anders receives an offer she can’t refuse right at the moment when it seems like her life is crumbling apart: the owner of Persephone Publications is trying to relaunch their gothic romance line and looking for authors to come stay at the historic Glazier mansion for a writing retreat. With nothing to lose, Lillian sets out for the small Colorado town of Glazier’s Gap. From the moment she arrives, it is clear the mansion is haunted. A handsome ghost dogs Lillian’s footsteps, begging her to “remember” and giving ominous warnings about a curse. The carriage house in which she’s staying seems to occasionally revert to its nineteenth-century appearance. And the plot of the 1970s gothic Lillian has been assigned to read feels uncannily familiar. Things heat up when Lillian meets Nathaniel, a curious journalist who seems to be a living incarnation of the gorgeous ghost she met in the mansion. The town has clearly drawn Lillian to it for a reason. But is she here to live out the fulfillment of a passionate love story that was tragically cut short centuries before? Or will she become just another victim of the Glazier Gap curse?

The romance in this story is as delightful as it is unique. Lillian and Nathaniel fall hard for each other at first sight—due in large part to tantalizing memories of their past lives together that begin bubbling uncontrollably to the surface. But though at times they seem to be almost taken over by the spirits of star-crossed lovers Camille and William, our two protagonists strive earnestly to walk the line between honoring their past selves and asserting their own individuality.

As lovable as they are as a couple, I have an extra soft spot in my heart for Lillian. It’s not often that you get to see self-proclaimed goths starring in a Gothic romance. There are fun Easter eggs for readers familiar with the goth subculture, from mentions of Lillian’s favor bands to subtle references to prominent figures in the scene like Jillian Venters, author of Gothic Charm School. The story is peppered with lush descriptions of Lillian’s wardrobe choices, which tend to involve flowing black fabrics and silhouettes out of time with the twenty-first century. But more than just great taste in music and a killer fashion sense, Lillian’s gothic sensibilities and predilection for darker literature give her some self-awareness of the genre she’s inhabiting. Lillian is swift to accept the paranormal, and also not to be frightened of the spirits that don’t seem to mean her harm. And even when curses and malicious spirits threaten her safety, she still ultimately feels at home in this Gothic setting.

The novel also plays with a myriad of Gothic tropes. There are several iterations of doppelgängers in this reincarnated-lovers tale, along with the requisite scenes with old portraits and photos that bear an eerie resemblance to living characters. There’s also a local legend of a witch casting a vengeful curse over the town and a brief mention of a Faustian bargain.

If you love all things both goth and Gothic and want to see the mid-century-style Gothic romances brought into the modern day, you absolutely do not want to miss this first book in the Glazier’s Gap series.

A spooky, gothic, romance set in a creepy and haunted location were the details that made this book a must read for me. However, I found myself feeling disappointed within the opening chapters. It felt clunky and forced. It was difficult to connect with the main character and the details and dialogue didn't flow very well. The character's propensity to continuously refer to the unreliable narrator was a tad annoying for me.

I enjoyed the ghostly apparitions and the hauntings in this book. The tragic historical love story was a good hook. I especially liked the heartbroken William and I really wanted to see him and Camille reunited in the afterlife. Nathaniel and Lillian's instant relationship was more superficial and I wasn't very invested in them.

Overall, a quick read that I enjoyed over the Halloween season.

Once I saw the cover and synopsis I thought this book was just for me: scary gothic paranormal romance? Sign me up baby!

Well, this didn't go as planned, the book ended up not being scary enough or gothic enough, and most importantly not romantic enough. I was so disappointed.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Leanna Renee Hieber for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a short book but really good. You really get to know the characters and get involved in the mystery that is playing out. The love story is something to hope for with the passion and chemistry between the characters. Everything is really well written and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.

Ghosts and romance is a fun twist on the norm and I enjoyed. Thought the writing style could be better flowing? But loved otherwise

I really wanted to enjoy this one because the premise is so interesting but I thought that the writing felt a little bit childish and there didn't feel like there was a ton of character development.

I used to love those "women running from houses books," so this one intrigued me, then lost me just as quickly. It was categorized as horror, but it's really more of a paranormal romance. The few horrific events happen away from the narrator and are described to her after the fact. As a romance, it's pretty superficial. As much as I like the idea of the series, I didn't enjoy the writing style enough to want to read the next book.

Ghosts of the Forbidden is a haunting tale of a writer's retreat in a haunted mansion.
The main character, Lillian's life has hit rock bottom so an invite to Colorado is the opportunity of a lifetime.
If you're looking for a haunted mansion with fairly spooky but also handsome Ghosts and a plot with unexplained deaths then this is the book for you.
But, if I'm honest, this was not the book for me. From the start I struggled with the writing. I found things were overly described and I couldn't be immersed from the start. I definitely felt the location was creepy and it was eerie to read.
I found the character difficult to relate to aswell. I loved her background as a historian and writer but I found her to be a little bland and I struggled to connect with her.
The cover is gorgeous and I definitely see its potential I just struggled to feel immersed in the story and characters.
Thank you for the eARC :)

Ghosts of the Forbidden by Leanna Renee Hieber.
Glazier's Gap Book 1.
Newly unemployed writer Lillian Anders travels to Glazier's Gap, Colorado to participate in a writer's conference run by a reviving Gothic romance publisher, only to find her life eerily and dangerously reflecting the events of an early-'70s "women running from houses" book. A striking 19th Century ghost is sure Lillian is his second chance at love; his reincarnate betrothed. When charming journalist Nathaniel Lynd arrives in town, he forges an immediate bond with Lillian as they share memories surfacing from another time period. Evil forces that killed star-crossed lovers in the past seek to tear apart Lillian and Nathaniel in the present. It will take fortitude, ingenuity and unexpected help from the strange town itself to make sure the demons of the past don’t destroy a passionate future that could set an old wrong right.
A very good read. Creepy. Loved it. 5*.

3.5/5

I went in to this book with a lot of expectation, and I must say it did deliver on a lot of them but maybe not on all of them. The insta-love trope threw me off the story pretty early on, and the constant repetition of certain facts also ruined the enjoyment factor at times. Otherwise, pretty decent.

I picked up this book because I found the synopsis really appealing. A love story mixed with ghosts? Sign me up! The book lived up to my expectations, mostly. The concept of the plot was very fascinating, but I think the execution was off. I love when characters are not guaranteed to be safe because it adds to the intrigue of what’s going to happen.
On another note, I think everyone’s reaction to ghosts was very odd. When Lillian first sees William’s ghost, she freaks out, understandably. However, when her friend Keri comes over and sees it she is more playful about it. I feel like people who have never experienced paranormal activity like that would be more terrified, regardless of Lillian’s attraction to him. Additionally, I felt like a lot of the book was very rushed. Once Nathaniel shows up, things speed up quickly. The romance moves at a speedy rate, which can be explained by their past lives but still feels rushed. The action comes to a peak very quickly as well. There was just a lot shoved into the latter half of the book that I wish could have had more explanation and time to sink in.
Nevertheless, I think this was a good book. There were some definite things that I would have liked to see improved, but I will be picking up the next book in the series to see how the author incorporates another couple into the town.

2.5/3 stars

Although I had fun reading this and the ambience was great, i struggled with the writing style and the sometimes too unbelievable plot. And yes this a supernatural ghost story but i need to believe that at least the "human" character feel real and not a caricature of them. Still, the story kept me engaged and again I liked the gothic atmosphere so if you enjoy that then give this book a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

(ARC from NetGalley) I think this is a case of the vibes are right, the characters are questionable. We start off with 35 year old Lillian, who gets the opportunity to head to Glazier’s Gap for a writing workshop/conference. At the Victorian mansion she starts having ghostly dreams that impact her during waking hours. Very cool concept, incredible atmosphere BUT the authors writing style was tell not show. Felt like I was being fed emotions.

Everything about this book sounded cool. There was small town romance, old houses, mystery aaaand ghosts!
I liked the Insta-love. It was cute. However the writing was flat so it came across as emotionless. It was hard to form feelings for the characters because of this. The constant reminders that the mc is a goth got annoying and I found them unnecessary.

I’m not usually a reader of the paranormal genre but I liked the sound of this one and while I wasn’t totally disappointed, it wasn’t my favourite either. I did really enjoy the story, I just wasn’t a fan of the writing style and found it hard to follow at times.

The ghost sounded kinda cute though right?!?

I wasn’t very keen on this book, which was a shame, as I was really excited about the premise. I love a spooky romance and the prologue was really strong - it got off to a really solid, unsettling start, but once the proper story got underway, I really struggled with it.

For me, the writing style was a little stiff, and there was a fair bit of dialogue I found quite clunky and unrealistic. I also thought the way the supernatural aspects of the book were presented didn’t work for me at all. There was a general acceptance of the supernatural that was hard to believe; characters would see fully-formed apparitions on video calls and more or less brush it off, or talk about it as if this was something that happened everyday. It was all very casual. It sort of made sense from characters who lived in the town and were used to it being odd, but sometimes characters who had nothing to do with the place reacted the same.

The romance also didn’t work for me. Nathaniel was introduced way too late in the book and everything felt very rushed, even for an instalove romance, which this definitely was. I didn’t really feel their chemistry beyond being told they had it, and I didn’t really root for their relationship.

I will say that I thought there were some very good creepy moments in it; I think that when the author focused more on the horror aspect of this story it was quite good. The premise remains solid, but in my opinion the execution needed a lot of work. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Violence, blood, vomiting, death, heart attack, head injuries, drugging, hospital scenes, off-page sex.

Ghost of the Forbidden is the first in a new series by Hieber, this story is set in Glazier's Gap and is the spookiest part about this book. I didn't really connect with both Lilian and Nathaniel who just totally accepts what is happening to themselves with little to no freakout which I found to be a bit strange. It is a fast read and does have a whole ghost, demon, cursed town aspects. So if you want a quick, sorta spooky read for October give this a try.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lilian’s life is upended by different occurrences and she decides to find a new outlook on her life. She moves to a town and strange things start to happen. She discovers the history of this town and the town seems to be under a curse. This place just has the worse of luck and the strange occurrences seem to add to this. A suspenseful gothic ghost story with mystery and a touch of romance. An enjoyable cozy mystery story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Castle Bridge Media for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It was supposed to be a "breathlessly spooky gothic romance."
The setting was the best part and definitely gave the gothic feel.
The characters were flat. The romance was cringe. There was no edge of the seat spookiness.
I do appreciate the ability to give it a shot via NetGalley, but it's not a series I'll be continuing or recommending.

This book had so much potential. However, it ended up feeling more like a framework, than the finished product. There was a lot of telling, rather than showing & it left little room for the reader to get integrated into the story. The dialogue felt forced and unrealistic, ultimately distracting from the plot.

Again, the framework of the story had a lot of potential, but the story itself felt very two dimensional and really predictable, coupled with the faults of the dialogue, it made the story not enjoyable.

This was definitely a thrilling read! I was hoping for a little more scary horror, but I was engaged from the very beginning, the characters, the atmosphere, the haunting - well done. I look forward to reading more by Leanna Renee Hiber!