Absolutely brilliant! Dark and intense with mysterious, devastating and passionate characters amidst a stunning backdrop that’s both opulent and ancient. It pulses with primal sentience and I’d read it all over again right now.

This book is the perfect Halloween/fall read. A gothic historical romance set in the 1920’s that has ghosts, a haunted house and lots of mystery. Oh and let’s not forget spice!

I’m not gonna go into to much detail about the summary because I think you’ll enjoy this book more if you go in blind. But I’ll say this book is beautifully written and very intriguing. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery throughout the story. There’s a lot of twists that I never saw coming and THAT ENDING! I got a lot of creepy vibes and some parts actually freaked me out a little bit.

Bea Northwick did an incredible job with this book. It’s very atmospheric and will have you completely hooked. I’m excited to read more from her in the future! This beauty releases on October 31st so make sure to grab a copy!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶🌶🌶/5
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Celtic folklore
Slow burn
Dark secrets
Twists & turns
Atmospheric estate
Haunted heroine
Gothic romance
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I’m speechless!!!
It’s a perfect read for spooky season with its eerie atmosphere. It’s a perfect mix of mystery, romance and supernatural. It kept me on the edge the whole time. I really enjoy haunted mansion stories although this time the haunted one isn’t the mansion, it gave a similar vibe and I loved it!
The story follows Millicent Foxboro who had a traumatic amnesia and desperately seeks for stability. Professor Callum Hughes offers Millicent a well-paid job as his assistant at Willowfield. His research focuses on celtic folklore which Millie has been drawn to for years. While Millie lives and works there, the dark secrets Willowfield have slowly unravels.
I was lucky enough to be on the ARC team of this wonderful story! Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review!
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“The pull of this place, that man, was powerful, and I struggled to recoil against it.”

“Don’t ever apologize for your passions. I would happily bleed again if it brought you pleasure.”

“We know they’re better than us in so many ways. They’re all the strength and beauty and power humans could never hope to have for themselves, so we crave their love despite their abuses because their love means we are unique. To be favored is a worthwhile danger because it means that among the masses of mortal life, we’ve been singled out and are, in some way, special. That’s what most of us want, isn’t it? To not feel so small and inconsequential in this vast world.”

“All that burdens me could be solved with one decision , but it’s a decision I can’t make in good conscience as it could either repair the problems at hand or destroy everything.”

“I’m afraid I’ve become a person who wouldn’t miss an opportunity for good even if the chances of evil were equal. I’d rather know I’d opted to give myself happiness and failed than live always guessing what might have been.”

“You’re stubborn and odd-tempered. You’re obstinate and snappish and nosy. But you’re smart, disarmingly romantic. Everything about you vexes and beguiles me. I think you’re bedeviled by your temper and your secrets and all the passions you’re terrified of. Furthermore, your face gives away everything, and I know you’re lying, Millie, when you say you believe any word Margaret has said against me. As for my suggestions, they were all promises that I fully plan to fulfill. I am a gentleman, Millie, but not always, and I certainly don’t intend to be one right now.”

“He’s doomed”
“All men in love are.”

“Do you still think I’m a beast?”
“You are, but I don’t mind anymore.”“Good, because it was very hard pretending not to be.”

“You must stop always thinking the worst of me. And yourself . You’re a force of nature, and despite your trials, you’ve survived with a spirit worthy of its own folklore. Up to now you’ve made your way through hell all alone, but you’re not on your own anymore, Millie. Never again.”

Received this is as an ARC via NetGalley.

Dark, hunted and spooky read. Tragic love, hunted home, ghost prefect for this time of year.

Story takes place in 1928. Millie Foxboro gets a job as an assistant to widowed Professor Callum Hughes and moves to his estate, Willowfield. While there Millie experience that the creepy manor lives it's own live. She is being hunted by the Woman in White, a ghost of late Mrs. Hughes. With ghost out the secrets of the place and what happened to Callums wife are slowly being uncovered. Will Millie lose her sanity? Will she find out what happened? Will Millie and Callum act on their feelings? Will the ghost of the late wife be a problem?

I know so many questions!? This books keeps you guessing until last chapters, when we finally after a crazy twist we find out more.

The whole books is so detailed and so beautifully written. Hunted home in 1928 gives me creeps for sure! It kind reminds me of movie Crimson Peak. I guess the whole creepy manor, ghosts made me think of it.

Spice wise - I would say they are some good scenes but nothing over the top.

The TWIST - i kind of saw that coming... But I did quest wrong on who the villain was ...

This is sold 5 stars for me.

⭐️3.5 stars⭐️This had me at ‘haunted estate’ and ‘Celtic folklore’ but as the storyline unraveled, it was the eerie twists and unanswered questions that hooked me the most.

I also feel like it’s my duty to note that I’ve read a lot of spicy scenes in my day and these were among the superior. 🌶️🔥

The first person narrative felt quite wordy / diary-like at times which isn’t generally my preferred style but I was able to overlook this for the story.

Would recommend to anyone who wants to get out of a book slump with a quick gothic romance. There were many unexpected surprises and my first thought upon finishing is I need a re-read— immediately.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Northwick Books for the ARC! Here I leave my honest review.

I didn't have any expectations of this book at the beginning. But later on I found this is a perfect book for October. From the beginning, I can feel the gloomy, gothic feel from this book. Old house, library, garden, death of the madam of house and all things that make this book feel so dark and eerie.

Millie is full of mystery since the beginning. I thought she has a dark secrets but turns out she doesn't remember her past. One point that make me curious about how this will change in further book. The book focus on the mystery of the house, the things Millie saw and heard and her relationship with Callum. I love how the author successfully makes me afraid to read this book at the middle of the night. I can feel the horror and imagine these "things" that bother Millie.

At first I can't explain how I feel toward Millie and Callum relationship. They didn't interact that much at first but surely has some interest toward each other. Feel like insta love but not really. But later on everything feel make sense. The plot twist surely change everything in this book and I really love that! I can't predict at all how this book will turn out. The conflict itself is so great and well written. I feel content when I finish the book. Really recommend this book if you want a fast read and suitable for this month!

The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick is a fantastic read! It's a gothic thriller set in the 1920's. It's full of twists and turns that took me on a spooky, dark, mysterious rollercoaster ride with some adult sizzle. I loved the profound and, very satisfying ending. This is definitely in my top five favorite books of 2023

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘 by Bea Northwick @beanorthwick

5/5 stars

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“𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓. 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆."

"𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.“

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Mille has made her way to the Willowfield estate on the heels of an incredible job offer to assist Professor Callum Hughes with his research on the Fae and Celtic mythology. When she gets there, however, something isn’t quite right. The manor itself is crumbling, frozen in a state of disrepair after the death of the Professor’s wife.

As she spends more time within Willowfield, Millie becomes convinced that the manor is haunted. It’s clear the Professor is keeping secrets, and she intends puzzle them out. But Mille is also haunted by her past, and she has secrets of her own.


The Cruel Dark blends romance and horror in a way I’ve never experienced before, and I don’t know that I will ever fully recover or forgive Bea Northwick for the ordeal she just put me through with this book. But I’m also convinced she could give me her grocery list to read and I would devour it.

There were moments within The Cruel Dark that sent shivers down my spine. It was genuinely creepy and consistently surprising. I never really knew where the story was heading next, and I loved that.

The characters were phenomenal. I loved Millie so much, I definitely related to her nervous tendencies.

I cannot recommend The Cruel Dark enough. It’s the perfect spooky season read, full of passion and terror in equal parts.

PThank you NetGalley and Northwick Books LLC for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
The Cruel Dark is a gothic romance book with ghosts, folklore, and secrets from the past coming to light in the present day. I enjoyed this book it was the perfect October spooky read. I’d never read a gothic romance before but the eery dark vibes of the haunted mansion of Willowfield drew me to give it a try. It was a slow start for sure with detailed descriptions of the mansion, area, and snippets of Millie’s history to set the scene. The world building is spot on and well written. I found myself wishing for more action and plot movement but by the middle of the book, things quickly began to accelerate. The sudden relationship between Millie and Callum seemed rushed and driven more by lust than love (at least on Millie’s end). It was certainly spicy and intense. By the end, I saw it was purposeful. The ghost and fae folklore aspects were so intriguing to me and added to the mystery but when the folklore portion became more like a red herring, I was equal parts disappointed and eager to find out the truth.
I felt the overall character development for all the characters could have been stronger. This was probably due to Millie’s amnesia and the overall mystery aspect but it would have been nice to know more about the characters on a more personal level.
The end was a very surprising twist and I was in awe as the pieces began to fall together. It will be definitely be a story I’ll be still thinking about in the days to come.

4.5/5 Stars + 3/5 Spice

- Dark, gothic, paranormal, historical fiction, romance
- First Person, Single POV
- TW: abuse, attempted SA

“He looked like a god, ferocious and celestial, and he was pledging to bleed for me with grave sincerity.”

Eerie. Exquisite. Enthralling.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Northwick Books, and the author, Bea Northwick for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book initially left me speechless, but now I need to rant about how utterly fantastic this book is. And it is, fantastic.

“He could have asked anything of me, and I would have mindlessly obeyed, a servant to the longing he was building in me.”

This book is stunning. It’s set in 1928, and follows our FMC, Millie as she embarks on a journey to become the assistant to a Professor. Millie also has a two year gap in her memories.

“Strange things bloom where grief lives.”

This book is a gothic, paranormal, fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, romance with just the right amount of spice and a twist ending. So many times I thought I knew what was coming, what would be revealed at the end, I was completely wrong but I was not disappointed.

This book was a delightful surprise. It exceeded all my expectations and it is a book I will think about often and will recommend numerous times to as many people as will listen.

This book was haunting, terrifying, and completely exciting. I was drawn in from the very start, and brought to Willowfield with Millie as she embarked upon this new chapter.

The darkness was done so well in this book, hidden secrets and motives. Hidden character traits and agendas. I loved watching Callum fall for Millie, and her for him. The entire house made everything feel so sinister, and I couldn't decide whether to root for Calllum or not.

I did not expect things to unfold the way they did in the end, holy wow!!! So good though!!!

Millie, who is hired to work with Professor Callum Hughes involving the world of the supernatural. Her responsibilities include organizing his extensive collection of papers and books. Yet, Millie grapples with her own haunting family history, overshadowed by dark memories and a harrowing past that includes a stay in a mental ward. Her reluctance to engage with Callum is out of fear of what he might think of her past. Although all her instincts scream at her to flee from what appears to be a dark and intricate past that Callum harbors, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. As if the odds were not stacked against them enough, the malevolent spirit dwelling within the home seems equally averse to their union.

“The Cruel Dark” by Bea Northwick gave me Jane Eyre feels. Similar to my conflicted emotions towards the characters of Jane and Mr. Rochester, I found myself torn in my sentiments for Millie and Callum. Throughout the narrative, I questioned whether they should truly be together, but it was only towards the conclusion that I began to piece together the reasons underlying my unease. I liked the sexual tension and the mental illness and trauma aspect of the book. 3 out of 5 stars.

2.5 stars
This read gave me Verity vibes.
It's long for my taste. The first 50% of the book is quite slow. Overall there is very little plot and action to pull you through the many pages. However, there is a twist at the end. The atmosphere was a touch creeping but definitely won't keep you up at night (and i'm really a scaredy cat).

The connection between the MFC and the MMC did not resonate with me. I found their encounters a bit disturbing and I did not see his charm. I was defs routing for the grounds keeper. There are multiple open-door sex scenes. The quality of this was mediocre. It didn't land well for me.

I kept reading because I knew a twist was coming - which it did in the conclusion.
I saw the main half of the twist coming from a mile away. There was a lot of good foreshadowing and I liked the story. The other half caught be completely off guard - however I take this as a weakness because there was no foreshadowing whatsoever for this. Being blindsided without foreshadowing is just not as interesting for me. I think this is much more easily achieved that a well devised plot twist. I think the main half I predicted was more towards this. (Writing without spoilers so sorry for the vagueness!)

The writing at a sentence level was good (not excellent but good). Some of the dialogue was awkward - especially when the two main characters were connecting more.

I would have liked more setting descriptions and more of the 'fairytale' and content they were researching.

If it was shorter, more descriptive and I believed the chemistry between the two main characters more it could've been a higher rating. I would give Bea Northwick another read when she comes out with another book!

Spoiler free quotes:
"He chuckled, kissing my temple so gently that any lingering part of me not belonging to him surrendered."
"There was silence, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong, but then the laughter poured through the room, lighting every shadowy corner."
"I pressed it like a flower int he pages of my memory."
"My words echoed around the cavernous space like unanswered prayers."
"hours passed and a headache marched in time behind my weary eyes."

"Strange things bloom where grief lives."

I really enjoyed this book!
It was a solid spooky season read. It was scary and a little spicy and I was genuinely creeped out at some parts.
This book is very well written and the plot was great, I couldn’t put it down.

Full review is on Goodreads and will also be posted to Instagram on 21/10/2023

The way I loved this book is completely unmatched!!! I’ve been in a bit of a book slump and this absolutely pulled me out of it!!

5 Hauntingly Beautiful stars!!

I was so excited that I was able to get an ARC through NetGalley. When I read the blurb of this book I knew right away I had to read it. If you enjoy Gothic Romances set in old mansions that have lots of secrets hidden in the walls, and maybe a spirit or two, this book is right up your alley! It’s the perfect fall/spooky season read with a good dose of spice!

The best part was I did not guess the plot twist which doesn’t happen often and probably why it pushed it to a 5 for me. It’s a relatively quick read that had I not started at 9 at night I absolutely would have finished it in one sitting!

I don’t want to share too much else because this is definitely a book you want to go into without spoilers!!

4 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley & Bea Northwick for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
• Creepy, shocking twists, & love Bea’s writing style.
I read this book in one day, I could not put it down. Perfect for spooky season - Bea does a great job with the horror aspect. I could literally picture the woman skittering on all fours, I’m still creeped out. 😂 The first few chapters could be a bit slow paced for some, but I was quickly hooked so the slow spots were easy to get through. The detail when describing the house, the characters, everything, was amazing. I love Millie and her progressive attitude, considering the time period. The ending was so twisty, I was honestly shocked, but one downside was the “main” ending character was pretty insignificant except for a few pages, more could have been built on this character throughout the book with how important they are to the ending. Overall, a great book. Please write more books Bea! I can see her becoming one of my favorite authors.

The Cruel Dark is the absolutely stunning debut book from Bea Northwick.

Atmospheric, with intriguing characters and interesting Celtic folklore, there was nothing about the book that I did not like. A beautifully written gothic tale set in the 1920's, I didn't want to put the book down as it was so compelling, slowly building up to a satisfying twist at the end. (Sorry, no spoilers!)

Highly recommended if you enjoy gothic romance and the supernatural and Bea Northwick is an author I think we will be hearing a lot about in the future. 5 stars all day long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Northwick Books for the ARC.

“I enjoyed the excitement of facing a beast on the safe side of the page, where defeating it meant only closing the cover.” -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Gothic romance - This was so terrifyingly beautiful. The perfect Halloween read!
It’s 1928 and Millicent Foxboro has been offered an assistantship to a Professor of mythology with an undeniable salary. But this position might be more than she bargained for with the eerie estate of Willowfield now nothing more than a ghost town.

I can’t wait to read this one again!
Thank you netgalley and author Bea Northwick for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review 🩶 release date: Oct 31st.

Solid 4. There were moments where I wanted to rate a 5 as well as moments when I considered it a 3 star book. Overall the concept and plot were incredible. It was an addicting fast paced read. Although the romance moved way too quickly... This book could have dramatically benefited from a slow burn buildup!!!
That ending though… wow! Not what I expected at all. I’ve never felt so happily fooled!