The secret of Hartwood Hall is that everyone has a secret! Lumsden has created a masterful gothic suspense that had me hooked from page 1. Mystery on top of mystery. A decaying mansion in the countryside that the villagers think is cursed, a lady of the house who leaves her sickly son for long periods, a governess who is running from someone or something and a wing of the house that no one is allowed to enter. Rest assured the secrets are all revealed in the end but what an enjoyable journey you take to get there. Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an early review copy.

This has to be the BEST book I have read in a while!
1852
East wing is forbidden at Hartwood Hall, but why?
Bumps in the night and dark figures lurk in the shadows...

Margaret is Louis governess at Hartwood - 10 year old Louis likes Frankenstein because he likes monsters.

Whilst I thought it would be a straight forward story of a governess, out in the country and doesn’t know anyone and possibly something bad was going to happen or she would fall in love with the master of the house, how wrong was I!? This book me on a journey of suspicious, love affairs, secrets death and then ending with a twist that even I didn’t see coming.

Fabulous book! I really hope Katie writes more books...

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton

I read an ARC of The Secret of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton.

This book is set in the past, with our main character an older governess who is a recent widower with a secret that means she’ll look over a strange place in order to keep her job. This balance of an older woman means she can stand up to the mother when it’s needed, but also stay when she starts believing that the mansion really might be haunted, and also not stand up properly for herself when one of the servants gets her hands on Margaret’s letter that hints that her former mother-in-law spread gossip that she killed her husband to the point that Margaret got nothing after he died so that Margaret first has to give the servant her watch and then start stealing for her.

And overall, the story was predictable, and I found myself not so much connecting with the characters as clicking off the various plot points in the story. There’s one thing that happens that is a content warning but is also a spoiler, so please check triggers before reading this, and I think it was the only thing I was surprised with because as much as this book wanted to comment on social issues, it honestly didn’t do it in a way that I found very impactful. The mystery and creepiness of the story just didn’t weave very well with the themes of the book.

Still, this is a gothic book that takes a look at women of that time, especially ones that don’t fit in conventionally but still try to live their lives as best they can.

From the publisher: It’s 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England. But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn’t quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis’s widowed mother. As Margaret’s history threatens to catch up with her, it isn’t long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall.

I love a good Gothic novel, and this is one of the best I’ve read recently. It opens with a one-page prologue that teases events that are to come. It’s hard to build suspense and mystery in a novel, but the author does a good job here.

Narrator Margaret is a bit annoying as she allows herself to be bullied by another servant, but as we find out as the book goes along, she has Been Through Things, so her fear and timidity are not out of character. She lost hearing in one ear as a young woman, and in Victorian England, for a woman with no family and no money, that physical imperfection is a concern.

The house is beautifully described – I could imagine it quite well inside and out – and overall the atmosphere is a great combination of haunting and ordinary. Of course there is a distrustful village. Of course there is a handsome gardener. Of course there is a closed off wing to the mansion. But I thought the author deployed the stereotypical elements of a Gothic novel very effectively. All in all, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is just a lot of fun. (And although it is definitely in the tradition of the Victorian Gothic novel, this book believably imparts messages about female strength and empowerment.)

I look forward to future works from author Lumsden. I read an advance reader copy of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall from Netgalley. The book is scheduled to be published on February 28, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it in multiple formats.

Following the death of her husband, Margaret Lennox takes up a governess post at Hartwood Hall, looking after 10-year-old Louis. She is hoping to escape a troubled past. Margaret soon begins to feel that things aren’t quite right - there are strange rumours from the village, an abandoned east wing and strange tensions between the servants.
This was a decent read, which engaged my interest and ensured I finished to discover the secrets of the house. It had all the typical elements of a gothic novel, and there were definite allusions to the Brontes.
The writing could have been improved with some literary devices to enhance the descriptions. For example, I did not spot one single simile in the whole novel. Otherwise, a good read which kept me guessing until the end.

This novel was a time machine to my early love of gothic novels; everything reminded me of DuMaurier and Bronte books yet with the more modern spin that I truly appreciate. There's not much more I can say other than "If you love. these authors, this book is for you". I felt The Secrets of Hartwood Hall a great mix of Jane Eyre, Secret Garden, Rebecca, and the modern aspect reminds me of Dodie Smith's It Ends with Revelations.

Well done Katie Lumsden.

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #NetGalley

I am always amazed when I read some historical fiction and the main character has a cook, a governess for the children, a gardener, and a butler. All this help just to keep the house running – and not even just for the wealthiest! It’s just so fascinating to me!

Margaret Lennox is a young widow and accepts the position as governess to an only child, Louis. The house where Louis lives is old and run down but kept going with a variety of household staff. As time goes on, Margaret begins to get a strange feeling in the house. She’s lonely and not sure she can trust anyone. As things from Margaret’s past threaten her current life, she can’t help but wonder if her secrets would be better be let to light versus staying buried.

This was a great Victorian historical fiction with gothic mystery vibes. felt for the most part the book was well written and researched for the time – though I do question the legitimacy of the relationship between Margaret and the gardener being normalized. For a debut novel you can sure see the potential with this author, and I look forward to reading more of her books. There is plenty of dicey characters and mystery in this book to keep you entertained. This one blasted me back to my childhood and gave off Nancy Drew vibes for sure.

I hope you give this one a chance! Its dark and moody, and kept me engaged. Check it out February 28th! Thank you to Penguin Group - Dutton, the author, and @netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for this honest review

I'm amazed. This book is such a gem. It's an extremely solid debut novel and Katie Lumsden knows what she is doing so I'm ready to read whatever she writes next.
The novel has every component that you want in a historical fiction novel set in the Victorian era. The ambiance, the beautiful descriptions, the shady characters full of malice, the mystery, the allegedly haunted mansion and the thick plot. I know the author is an avid reader of the genre and is evident that she learned and mastered the craft.
I strongly recommend this book and I will be following this author next steps.

A very early DNF for me @ 25%.

The plot was boring and predictable, the characters were boring and nothing about it made me want to finish this one, The writing was okay, the concept was good, it just was not for me. I found myself struggling to open this one to read it.

This book was easy to read and well written. However, it became predictable quite quickly. I still consider it a good book to read.

"The Secrets of Hartwood Hall" is a gothic historical set in 1852 in England. It had some very modern attitudes among the main characters, including Margaret having casual sex with a younger man. Margaret's offered marriage by the young man but refused because of how controlling and abusive her husband had been. She liked sex and wanted children but wanted no commitments to a man.

I had expected a mystery novel, but it's not. It's just odd things happening around the Hall and Margaret getting very jumpy despite being reassured by a long-time servant that there's no danger there. Frankly, I got bored after a while of how cowardly Margaret acted. Her way of dealing with fear and stress seemed to be to run to her lover and have sex rather than really trying to fix things. The characters also were very stiff and stilted. We're rarely told why people acted the way they did, and even Margaret's motivating past was only very, very slowly revealed. Since the characters didn't come across as real, I didn't really care about what happened to them. Sorry, but this book wasn't for me.

There were many intense kissing scenes followed by fade-to-black sex, then fond thoughts of it afterwards. There were only a few uses of bad language.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group and Katie Lumsden for the chance to read an ARC of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. This is my unpaid and honest review of the book.
First I’d like to say that as soon as I’d seen the cover and title for this book I was interested, then I read the synopsis I was crossing every finger hoping I’d get approved to read this ARC. It just sounded so good! As a kid I was a big fan of the old Nancy Drew series and despite the time era difference this was giving me similar vibes. Thankfully it was the much more grown up version of these stories with really wonderful characters that had much more depth, and a much more complex story. I also liked the detail of items used for the time period that added some authenticity.
What it did share in common was the same suspenseful building of a mystery with some spooky elements thrown in just to keep the reader on edge. I love it when a book keeps me up reading late at night. I will be watching for more books by this author in the future!

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall has more twists and turns than the spooky old mansion it takes place in. What's a gothic novel without twists and turns, creepy houses, ghosts real or imagined, and a romance thrown in for good measure? Add this to some strong women characters and a hunky gardener (got to have a hunky gardener) a particularly nasty villainess, plus the overthrow of the patriarchy. and you have Hartwood Hall. Did I forget anything? Oh, a sickly but sweet little boy.

Nothing is as it seems, including the kid's hair color. Oh, what tangled webs we weave. The family is isolating themselves but at what cost?

I read this in two days because it galloped along at brisk pace. So many secrets. So many dastardly deeds. (Victorian gothics have to have dastardly deeds.) So many meals of cold meat and cheese. Footprints in dust. And lots of mud. Mrs. Lennox spends a lot of time getting her boots and dress muddy. There's even a romantic encounter in mud and I don't even like to think about where that muck ends up.

Murder or not? Ghosts or not? Mistaken identity or not? Cold meat and cheese for dinner again?

I enjoyed The Secrets of Hartwood Hall even if almost every character bit their lips at some point. I had to get out my lip-bite-o-meter even though I put it away for the holidays.to make room for the tree.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for allowing me to enjoy and review The Secrets of Hartwood Hall.

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
by Katie Lumsden
Pub Date: 28 Feb 2023

A gripping and atmospheric debut that is at once a chilling gothic mystery and a love letter to Victorian fiction.

Nobody ever goes to Hartwood Hall. Folks say it’s cursed…

It’s 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England.

But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn’t quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis’s widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village.

Lonely and unsure whom to trust, Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But as Margaret’s history threatens to catch up with her, it isn’t long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall.

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #

I'm on the fence. It was atmospheric but it was also far too wordy. There is setting the atmosphere and then there is being obsessed with it. The story was decent, but it was just overly verbose in its telling. I felt like the book could have been half the length and told the same story.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
Pub Date: February 28, 2023

Book Review
This engrossing and so well-crafted novel is set in the East of England in the midst of the 19th century and follows Margaret Lennox, a young widow who is employed as a governess in the mysterious and isolated Hartwood Hall, a place full of secrecy and shadows.

The novel is very atmospheric and so beautifully-written, portraying very well Victorian Era society and politics. Also, it includes gothic elements and many eerie and suspense moments and its cliffhangers at the end of the chapters make it addictive and hard to stop.

I enjoyed so much reading this novel, it was unpredictable and surprising, maybe I was expecting a different ending but I found it so cleverly done and I loved the main character's development.

The language used resembles Victorian Era novels, its writing style is beautiful, elegant, and masterfully crafted and it was a perfect liaison between classic and modern. While reading the novel, it made me think about Mary Shelley, Willkie Collins, and The Brontë Sisters’ works.

Readers who like gothic and Victorian novels will love this, also historical fiction fans will find it very interesting.

I have followed some of the author’s book recommendations in her channel Books and Things and it was wonderful to know her writing in her debut novel.
Thank you, Dutton and Net Galley for the anticipated reading copy. I heard of it before on Katie’s YouTube channel and I am very satisfied and delighted with it.

I highly recommend it.
5/5 stars

This was absolutely unputdownable; I spent the last 48 hours either reading it or thinking about reading it. What a brilliantly written, gripping book!

After the death of her husband Margaret is left without resources and finds a position as a governess to a ten year old boy in a remote manor house. She quickly realizes that the house is nothing like the places she used to work at before she got married. The staff is scarce for such a large estate, on top of that the villagers spread rumors about the house being haunted and the mistress being a witch. Margaret doesn’t believe in ghosts but something is not right…

I am absolutely amazed by how atmospheric this book is. The tension is so well done that I almost heard eerie music and creaking doors in the back of my head. All the sounds at night, strange shadows.. Was that just a light or is someone there? All the whispers, mysterious letters… Why does everyone seem to be hiding something? Even her lover?

There is only Margaret’s pov so we see how the story unfolds through her eyes. Some of my suspicions regarding the mystery were correct but some turns of events I had not expected. I did not love the ending but I have to admit that it made sense (even if it broke my heart a little).

Highly recommended to all mystery and historical fiction lovers!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

In case the rehashed plot points and reused names don't make it clear enough, Jane Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Agnes Grey are specifically referred to or, in some cases, actually being read by the characters. I love the Brontës, but I did wonder when this story would start to feel original.

Well, the answer is never, because this book actually IS Agnes Grey's sad governess mixed with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall's runaway wife mixed with Jane Eyre's woman in the attic. Margaret would have been a fine narrator had she not been required to contort this way and that as the plot demanded. The romance comes out of nowhere, then comes unraveled, less from the feminist power move that was intended and more due to unkind assumptions.

I think this novel takes too much from the classics that inspired it and adapts very little. I would recommend those novels over this one.

A modern twist on a Gothic classic. Had it's own unique twists and suspenseful eeriness. Not sure if I had permission to do this but I read sections to students in a writers craft workshop as a contemporary introduction to Gothic Literature. They loved it and voted 4/5 stars

Thank you to Katie Lumsden and NetGalley