To me, this was a modern take on the gothic novels from the 1960s and 70s.
I'm happy to see gothic books coming back. This would be a good introduction to them.

I had such high hopes for this one. A scary gothic paranormal romance? Yes please.

That is not what I got. Not at all.

This ended up not being scary enough, not being gothic enough (no, telling use the mc was so goth does not count), and not being romantic enough. It does end in a HFN so at least that part was done correctly. Oh and it is FTB. Did I mention the overuse of the dash (-)? It was everywhere and sometimes doubled, so you saw -- in between words.

I will be spoiling this one, so fair warning.

In this one, we have Lillian, who was having a really bad day, who got an invite to a writers retreat in a mansion that used to be a publishing house. She sees a ghost during the facetime meeting that was going on.

She gets to the retreat and instantly sees the ghost of William, who thinks she is the reincarnated love of his life. Things happen and she meets Nathaniel who just happens to be the reincarnated William. These are not really ghosts, but more like echos of the emotions that were left behind.

They have an instalove connection and more things happen, then they finally fight and eradicate the evil echo that has been killing people for years and years.

The writing was clunky when it came to conversations, I mean, it was not smooth. I did like the town, but I literally cringed at the bar scene and the spontaneous singing that happened. That was just awful.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The cover of 'Ghosts of the forbidden' was the first thing that caught my attention, and then when I read the synopsis, I said: I have to read this book.

I found the premise of past lives, ghosts and a town where strange things happen very interesting. However I was not completely satisfied with the way it was developed in the book.

I didn't like the author's way of writing, at first it was difficult for me to get into the story.
About the characters: I liked them but I think the author could have developed them more, especially the secondary characters.
As for the romance, I felt it was somewhat forced and it was not what I expected.


Final thoughts: it is an enjoyable book that can be read fast. I highly recommend it if you like ghosts and the concept of past lives.

I have mixed feelings on this book, I loved the concept but I didn’t like the way it was executed. I feel like the characters could have been better developed and that would have really knocked it out of the park. It’s a good story for spooky season, but I wished it would have gone that extra length to be even better.

I enjoyed this book. I can not wait for more by this author! Thanks to publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

I thought the cover of this book and the title was utterly intriguing. I love the pictures eerie feeling and was excited to get started. I feel it set the mood.

I was curious as to how the ghost scenes were going to play out and I thought it was done very well! I was into the book from the very beginning and was happy to keep picking it up to continue. I really enjoyed it and would like to say thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The setting and the mansion of the book were really vivid and I was so intrigued. The characters had so much chemistry right away and I found myself wondering if they had met before. The spooky part of this book were spot on, I love a good supernatural story and there were apparitions, demons, past lives, power in crystals and silver, the works! I loved how it was just an accepted thing in this book too. The author's writing style was a little choppy, sometimes airing on the side of too descriptive. Though once I got into it, it didn't bother me as much and the small town vibes were great.

Leanna Renee Hieber and Castle Bridge Media bring you the return of the breathlessly spooky gothic romance.

She should run. But can she?

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.

I enjoyed the love story and the paranormal elements of this haunted book. I did think there was a lot of buildup to finally get into it. At times, the story dragged a little bit as if it was unsure whether it was a romance or a mystery, but I liked the way it came together in the end.

A horror book should be scary, right? At least a little creepy? If not the reader, shouldn’t the characters be scared?

I don’t typically read horror, I missed that tag when this book caught my attention. I was expecting a mystery thriller with a little romance. Seeing as this was my mistake I was ready to give this book a pretty generous review even if it wasn’t my cup of tea. Unfortunately, this is as generous as I can be.

If I was not reviewing this book, I would have put it down at 18% (after we are introduced to the one dimensional caricatures attending a writing retreat). The introductions at the table read like a checklist of diversity boxes to tick off. None of the characters seemed real. They were all completely unlikeable. The main character, Lillian, is a stereotype of a goth girl who wears “110 proof sunscreen”.

The romance, though instantaneous, makes sense and seems realistic. Even the supernatural plot lines are fine, however, the characters do not seem nearly as concerned about death and weird things happening as they should be. They accept it and move on with little inner turmoil. Hence the book not feeling suspenseful, scary, or creepy. The characters seem unconcerned so why would the reader care?

The closest thing I have read that I can compare this to is Layla from Colleen Hoover. Layla was infinitely better in terms of suspense and feeling the fear and worry that the characters are feeling. Pass on this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Castle Bridge Media for providing this ebook for review.

I'm not sure why people hated on Ghosts of the Forbidden so much, I thought it was brilliant. I loved the premise, characters, the haunting and atmosphere of the book. I'd definitely recommend this!

The cover and the blurb had me interested from the start but i was abit confused by the story. I loved the descriptions and the characters, i found them interesting. The author is really good at setting the mood and the scene and give you Goosebumps. It felt like a gothic romance but the romance was what disappointed me. The dialogue felt forced and too much. The love story was too insta-love and it's my ultimate pet peeve in romance books so i couldn't look past this. If the book didn't feel so rushed and short the author may have had time to flesh out the characters and dialogue a bit better so the romance wouldn't be a disappointment

Thank you to Netgalley and Leanna Renee Hieber for this ARC.

I really liked the gothic theme, really enjoyed the vibe of the book and I loved Lilian and Nathaniel. I just found the writing style hard to follow.

This book is out 11th October 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Castle Bridge Media and, of course, the author for this ARC.
Much appreciated.
#NetGalley #CastleBridgeMedia #GhostsoftheForbidden #LeannaReneeHieber
This book was right up my alley, Ghosts, creepy mansions, books and writing…sign me up!!!!
Lillian Anders is invited to a gothic, crumbling mansion to attend a writer’s retreat. Immediately, the resident ghosts become very active. One of them is convinced that she is his reincarnated lost love. When a journalist shows up comes to town and begins to fall for Lillian, problems arise and Lillian and Nathaniel begin to experience their own star-crossed lover situation.
First, the good parts of this book. This story wasted no time in getting down to the ghosts and horror. I love how quickly the action starts. The characters are very likable and real. The ones that were supposed to be unlikable were just likable enough. The setting was just delightful! Old crumbling haunted mansions are like catnip to me. Delicious!!!
Second, the less good parts. The story definitely could have flowed better. The writing seemed a little forced and the author didn’t seem comfortable with the storyline. Also, as much as I liked the characters, they could definitely have been more established and fleshed out. I would love to see more writing from this author when she becomes more comfortable!
All in all, I think this book was good, but with some improvements, it could really be great.

This was a quick read! There is a lot going on in the book, but It was well-written! Romance, mystery and ghosts! What more could you want!? I definitely recommend.

Enjoyable, and kept me entertained throughout. Not my usual fare of books, but it was fun trying something new.

Seeing the description and cover art, requesting this arc was a no brainer!

Definitely pick this one up if you want a haunted romance in a macabre setting.

The only downfall would be that the characters didn’t really “click” for me. I wasn’t able to invest in their stories and arcs (or lack thereof). The author could work on their writing style and flow as other reviewers have also noted.

Thank you to NetGalley, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Castle Bridge Media for a copy.

This book was such a new take on gothic romance - where our protagonist, Lillian, encounters a ghost who believes she is his second chance at love. Reading the summary/blurb, I thought this book was going to be a romance between a living being and a ghost but it's actually a little more aligned with reincarnations and fate instead.
The characters were likeable and it was an overall fun read, except that it felt a bit rushed. I'm generally not a huge fan of insta love, and this book is the ultimate insta love since the two leads are influenced by their past selves to pursue one another and everything happens in the course of 2-3 days. I did appreciate that the characters outside the relationship acknowledged how quickly they were moving and helped them realize they need to not listen to their ghost selves too much.
A little corny but a lot of fun and I read it in a day. Rated 3.5 but rounding up to 4.

3.5/5
**This top portion of the review is spoiler free! I have sectioned the secondary half so that if you do not wish to spoil yourself, you can simply ignore the rest of the review!**

Trigger Warnings:
-This book references the paranormal and the occult, please be forewarned if exorcisms and the mention of ghosts/spirits are an uncomfortable subject matter.

In Glazier’s Gap Colorado, everything is just a little bit…off. The streets are endlessly curving, winding paths, the trees all lean in a bit too close, and sometimes houses have more occupants than you’d expect.

Lillian Anders is a writer who happens across a retreat being offered by the revived Persephone Publishing house in Colorado, which is perfect luck as she’s just been fired from her job at the museum and has finally broken up with her manipulative on again/off again boyfriend…for real this time. With nothing holding her back she packs up her few belongings and makes her way to Glazier’s Gap.

Upon arrival, Lillian gets to work assisting the owner, Bethany, in the publishing house archives. With her museum background coming in clutch it shouldn’t be a problem, however she finds out that some of the authors suffered mysteries fatalities on the dates their books were released, and she finds herself the companion to a very handsome—but very cryptic Victorian ghost named William.

Quickly, Lillian finds herself having memories that aren’t strictly her own, but the memories of Camille Denny, William’s former lover who fell to her death after being locked away to keep the lovers from being together. Lillian being the reincarnation of such a spirit, finds more and more oddities as she continues her life in Glazier’s Gap. If she, Lillian, is a reincarnation of Camille Denny, though, shouldn’t there be a reincarnated William in this time too?

Enter Nathaniel Lynd. Nathaniel arrives in Glazier’s Gap looking for ghost stories, and boy does he find one—more so that he finds himself IN one. Lillian and Nathaniel’s attraction to one another is instantaneous and all-consuming. As they try to piece together all of their signs from their past selves, they can’t ignore the dangers happening around them. Lillian and Nathaniel feel obligated to stop the curse plaguing this town, if not just to avenge the lover’s tragic deaths, but to protect the town from more accidents and travesties occurring every day they don’t find out how to right these wrongs.



**Spoilers ahead. Stop here to avoid detailed descriptions of plot points and character arcs**

I really enjoyed this book. It was very much like “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson, if you’d ever seen one single ghost manifest itself in that novel. I found the plot fairly predictable for this type of story, while still enjoyable.

My concerns rest in the second half of the novel, though. Right after Lillian and Nathaniel meet, I find the author rapidly expedites the pace of the writing. It’s very quickly discovered what needs to be done, when a centuries old ghost escapes, and that it should be an exorcism of the home where the ghost resided in life.

This is made doubly obvious, as Lillian is a goth and the author doesn’t let us forget it even for a second. This seems like a plot point of convenience, assuming that she has any idea regarding what to be done in an exorcism just because she’s been able to see the ghosts in question. I did appreciate that the Reverend who came to assist our heroes was LGBTQ+, being married to another one of our side characters Carmen (the manager of the historic society/the old Denny Mansion where the ghost of Camille’s father is residing).

I feel the storyline should have held out just a bit longer before resolution, to add more suspense and tension to the characters and strengthen their resolve in saving the town, rather than fleeing form it. I hope that the next books in the series will take more time in the major plot points and final conflicts, as they did in the beginning exposition and laying the groundwork for the setting and the characters.

I look forward to reading more of Renee’s work, and picking up an physical copy of Ghosts of the Forbidden during its’ October launch!

Great gothic fun. Long lost ghostly romance in a spooky town with a tongue-in-cheek wink at the pulpy gothic novels of the 1960-70s