I love the cover and the synopsis, so I went in with high expectation.... and somewhat disappointed.
The writing felt flat. Too many dialogues and too little explanation of the surroundings. It was being pitched as "gothic romance", but actually I think it's not gothic enough except the setting. More like paranormal romance taking place in a gothic place. And even as paranormal romance, the characters fell short in delivering emotions. Lilian is a bit all over the place, and Nathaniel feels like an add-on. It was not spooky, gothic, and romantic enough for me, a big miss for me from what I have pictured in my mind while reading the synopsis. Which is too bad, because I love the initial idea but the book fails to deliver.

Where is that gif of David from Curb Your Enthusiasm where he is making that face of 'I don't know, I guess, I think?' Because this is what the book made me feel.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a go at reading this book.

I love gothic novels, and I am very, very hesitant when someone says they've written one and or I find one coming out with publicity. I feel most tropes have been done and made 'good' by other authors like Daphne Du Maurier and or Victoria Holt and co. So, seeing this pop up as a 'free' read so to speak on NetGalley, I decided to give it a go.

When I can polish off most of the book in a sitting, that's a warning to me. It's also a warning to me when chapters are super short and the character doesn't really do much. On top of that, there is so. much. god damn pointed remarking on the dress and how the girl is 'different;'. I must have found the girl a bit of killjoy when I see her getting dressed in gothic clothing and etc and then they chocked it up with 'oh that's my past life bleeding through'. Please.

Then, the love interest likes to touch the small of her back causing shivers down her spine... a lot. It happens a lot. Which is really funny because it almost seems like can't do anything else but touch her back and that's the only feeling that she needs to express. I get that he is the reincarnation of the past love (and also dresses like he is from a different time period - double yawn). But it was so. damn. extra.

I honestly found this a very juvenile book and the horror element was laughable and very... non existent. I've read better gothic romances and horror romances. Skip this and grab yourself some Clarissa Ross / Marilyn Ross / Dan Ross ... it's better and more fluid.

This book was…..disappointing.

I’ve read a lot of what Leanna Renee Hieber has to offer and have loved her previous work. I found her writing to be atmospheric, emotional, ethereal and haunting. She seems to be born to write gothic horror stories.

But this book wasn’t like that. It felt flat, rushed, preachy and weak.

What I enjoyed:
1. The initial ghostly story line was lovely. A rich heritage with a good background to it.
2. The settings. The Glacier and Denny mansions had character all their own and breathed along with the people inhabiting them. Glacier Mansion especially seemed to be waiting and expectant, wanting to be released from whatever hold the Denny Mansion had on it. The surrounding village being affected with winding streets held its own within the confines of the surrounding trees and rocks. It was very atmospheric and set the tone well for a good ghost story.
3. The pacing of the story was at a good clip. No lagging or waiting around much for a conclusion.

What I didn’t enjoy:
1. Flat characters and very little emotional depth. I’m not used to that from this author. I’m used to having an emotional attachment to the folks in Hieber’s books and I didn’t get any of that. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about Lillian or Camile or Nathaniel or William. Bethany and Carmen seemed to be just there but they also had no real substance.
2. Character relationships. I sorta could buy the instant relationship between Lillian and Nathaniel because of William and Camille although the whole idea of the latter reliving their lives through the former was a bit unbelievable. But anything else felt contrived and forced.
3. I’m not a fan of being preached at. I certainly don’t mind when a book includes LGBTQ+ characters when it feels natural and it makes sense to the story. This did not. The characters representing were preachy to the point of distraction. It felt more like the author was making a statement that felt forced instead of part of the story. Not a fan at all.

All in all, this was a good effort but I expected much more from this author based on past work. This didn’t cut it for me and I was left disappointed.

I love a gothic read and a gothic read that also has supernatural elements and romance elements - this book made me so excited. It was dark and atmospheric and I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to read it. I read the blurb and it was exactly the kind of story I like. Ghosts? Count me in. Mystery? Yes! Romance? Yesss! And we did have these things, except not in the way I hoped to.

This book tells the story of Lillian, a woman in her 30's whose life is going downhill because she lost her boyfriend and her job. Then she goes to Glazier's Gap, Colorado, and weird things start to happen.

Let's start with the good.
- I loved the concept of the story. A woman who can see ghosts? I'm always up to read a romance where ghosts are involved, and this story had a few. Then there was this mystery around the ghosts and I also liked that. I wanted to know more about the story and the characters.
- The romance. I liked the concept on which it was based on and it was believable, in spite of the fact that Lilian and her love interest hadn't known each other before.
- The setting. The place has an eerie and antique vibe of a haunted town and it was the perfect setting for a story involving ghosts.
- The Jane Eyre et all inspiration. Hey, I'm also an academic graduated in English Lit, so this was exactly what I love to read the most.

Now with the bad.
- Like I said, I loved the concept of the story, but I didn't like how it was executed. I didn't like the writing, it was too stiff and it didn't flow very well. It looked forced and mechanic, emotionless. And the dialogues too, they didn't look authentic but mechanical. They weren't believable. Perhaps the author was going for a Victorian style, but it didn't deliver.
- Mono dimensional characters. We had a nice array of characters, who had great potential because they were different and had different stories to tell. But their characterization was superficial, stereotypical, almost, and they appear all the same on the page, when they talked to each other. Like I said above, the dialogue didn't make justice to the interesting characters that the author had presented, and it fell flat.
- Because of the reasons above, I found everything very superficial and not well-developed, despite the great potential and the good foundation the author had lain.

When Lillian Anders gets an invitation to a writers conference in a mansion in Colorado, she needs it! Her boyfriend just broke up with her and she’s no longer employed because she’s being replaced by computers. While on a FaceTime call with the homes owner the strangeness begins and she sees an apparition of a man who seems to know her. Instead of the heating this morning Lillian packed her bags and goes to the riders conference. On the first night she meets the other riders into annoying social media “influencers“ and of course she gets a visit from the apparition. After this though it just gets stranger. She sees a fire in the fireplace and then when she looks again it’s gone and acts falls out of the hand of the statue of a night. The only solace Lillian has is the Bethany the homes owner sees them too. The ghost insist they know each other but she has no memory of it. Does Bethany know more than she saying? Is Lillian truly the person the ghost think she is or is he thinking she’s someone she only resembles? This book was so good and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened, the only problem was when I did the book was over. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like the paranormal you’ll definitely like this book. This is a Gothic novel that I highly recommend. I was given this book by net galley and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any Errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book especially since it deals with GOTHIC themes. I loved the atmosphere and the characters, especially the main character Lillian. The novel was so unconventional and unbending that anyone who finds delight in a gothic romance would surely love this one. I cannot wait to read the next book. This is highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

Things I loved about this book:
1. The setting of Glazier's Gap and the mansion. Especially the author's description of the mansion as a Dame of sorts, having lived through many time periods, making key design decisions likely while drunk. I laughed out loud, heartily.
2. The insta-love. When they met for the first time in the carriage house, the only way I can describe it was rapturous. It felt both carnal and sweet, as if a long time coming (lol), and I really didn't care that they had just met a few hours before.
3. The straight-up supernatural nature of this book. There's no beating around the bush—there's apparitions, demons, past lives, power in crystals and silver, the works! And to a degree, I appreciated everyone just rolling with it lol. I'd like to think I'd do the same...

Things I didn't love about this book:
1. The author's writing style. I was really hoping it would be more lyrical and fluid; her style is very choppy, sometimes airing on the side of too descriptive or too "telly" rather than "showy." I think this was most obvious with the relationships between characters; the friendship between Bethany and Lillian, supposedly so close so quick, felt really unnatural? Like the connection was being forced. Maybe if we had spent more time on it? But even then, I felt the same with Keri and she and Lillian were friends for years prior to the start of the novel. So yeah, something about the characterizations there didn't work for me.
2. The acceptance of the supernatural without blinking an eye. If you've just seen a ghost in a phone screen, you don't cross yourself and then let your good friend travel across the country and INTO the danger!? Or if you do, you put up a hell of a fight first. Keri was NOT a very good friend in that respect lol. And Bethany, upon seeing William's ghost, just rolled with it? That easily?? No, a "normal" person would freak the fuck out and THEN rationalize (and accept) it. Lillian is exempt from this critique due to the supernatural pull, but in reality, I would imagine a lot more hesitancy on her part...
3. The small town nature of the setting. Yes, Glazier's Gap is isolated and small, but there is NO WAY the town wouldn't be thrust into the national spotlight, at least for a little while, due to the death of a decently famous (2 mill. subs constitutes at least a little fame, no?) influencer. Even if it was a small article or quick mention on a major news outlet, it still would draw national attention; the situation is both tragic and mysterious—perfect for sensational news fodder. So the lack of reporters, inquests from the police, and zero connection with the outside world (besides a single call to Keri) felt so unrealistic for a book set in "modern" times.

Overall, with all those positives and negatives in mind, I had fun reading this. It kept me engaged and had a dash of that gothic atmosphere I love so much, and I probably will consider picking up more from this author in the future. Solid 3 out of 5 stars!

A interesting gothic mystery romance. I enjoyed this, there was a variety of characters and the setting was great, I love that it takes place in a eerie little town in Colorado. I liked Lillian and Nathan and loved seeing their mysterious pasts revealed. I’m looking forward to reading about future mysteries and romances in Glazier’s Gap, Colorado!

I enjoyed this book. I loved the gothic feel, the main character Lillian was a delight in all of her goth glory. I'm a huge fan of romance books and whenever I can find one that has an unconventional or paranormal couple, I will eat it up and this was no let down! Highly recommend for my paranormal romance lovers out there.

A sweet gothic hallmark mystery with both new and old loves. Reads slow, yet the story moves quickly. A range of interesting characters.