I wanted to like it, but it just didn't work for me. I felt bored quite often and just slugged through the story.

After reading the blurb and seeing some Instagram posts in my Suggested, I expected something very different. I thought it would be a paranormal romance, with haunted houses, nightmarish monsters, maybe even some horror, with the supernatural at the forefront. Instead, this book is about
- Dysfunctional families with horrible dads, pos moms and child abuse;
- Rapey ex;
- Eating disorder and low self-esteem.
The monsters here aren't paranormal (except for poor Hadrian), they're just regular humans, and the story focuses on them and the MCs' healing journeys. I'm not saying that’s a bad thing, these heavy themes are important to discuss, but if I'd known what it was really about, I wouldn't have requested it.

There were a lot of confusing, messy moments, the story dragged and the ending felt too rushed. I didn't like any of the characters except Hadrian. Landry was spineless, Emma was annoying, and Sayer felt pointless.

I did enjoy the melancholic atmosphere and Landry and Hadrian's interactions, especially their late-night talks, but that’s about it.

It's a solid debut (I see a lot of protentional) and definitely not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The setting and the atmosphere were great. The pacing was inconsistent though, and I just wasn't able to connect with any of the characters. And for a book being touted as a romance, it wasn't hitting. Maybe it's just me but I felt practically zero chemistry.

Love the cover and the idea but it just didn’t quite deliver what I wanted from it. The romance was definitely lacking; I really felt no connection between the characters and there was no spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the eArc!

The description really intrigued me and the premise felt a little bit unique to me. There are definitely some unsettling things occurring at the house. There is some good atmospheric horror that had me feeling tense on some occasions. I loved the eerie vibes and learning more about the house as well as the connection with Hadrian and his haunting history. I was pretty quickly pulled in once weird things started happening at the estate but what really pulled me in was when Landry dug deeper into the house and first found Hadrian.

Hadrian’s tie to the house was intriguing and I was really interested in his history and how he even got left in the house. Both Hadrian and Landry have experienced plenty of trauma and we get to see them work through that together. They have good chemistry and I really enjoyed their romance.

There are a few things that impacted my rating that includes the curse, the side characters, and the ending.

First, we learn that there is some sort of curse that is forcing Hadrian to be fastened to this house that would have been placed a century prior. While both characters try to investigate this curse through out the story, I don't think we ever really get a full explanation. They had come up with some ideas but then it's just left at that. I personally would have liked there to be more clarification on the curse or see the characters explore the curse further.

Sometimes side characters can add something to the story but in this case, I was not really vibing with Landry's friends and they lacked depth. Sayer was just there and he was pointless. There wasn't much background on him too. Emma, Landry's half sister, added something since there is history with them due to their parents and their childhood but I didn't like Emma's personality. I started to get annoyed every time Sayer and Emma made an appearance.

I am confused by the ending. To me, it felt more like a cliffhanger rather than the ending of a standalone. I’m left feeling like either something is unfinished or I just really overlooked something. I might end up doing a re-read after publication or wait for other reviews to see if anyone else can explain the ending lol

<i> "There is more than one way to injure a man's soul, dearest. And sometimes, it's more than what they deserve. It's what they need." </i>

Finished this ARC last night and it was... heartbreaking and beautiful. It has raw emotions, angst, lots of anger and heartache... I enjoyed reading this haunting story a lot!

I really enjoyed this book. It's not a horror but has more horror elements in it than I normally read but that didn't decrease my enjoyment. It's a slow-paced book and I would say less of a romance than a book about finding yourself and healing from trauma. As someone who hasn't suffered from the things Landry, the MFC, has, it was sometimes hard for me to reign in my impatience with her but it was also deeply moving to have insight into her healing process. I loved the two main characters together and the slow development of their relationship. I really wish there was more resolution at the end of the book though. I don't like having more questions than answers at the end of a book and wanted more information.

Gosh. I loved this book. Landry inherits a home from her aunt, that she often visited as a child, and discovers it's haunted by a creature. The method of haunting was unique and I loved how new this book felt - as someone who enjoys haunted books. There is also a romance element, but no smut.

Landry is a complex character to love and Hadrian is as well. I did feel at times that I wish I knew him better. He was made of memories more than current attributes shown to the reader. I think you have to have had some trauma in your life to love Landry - and so I get that it may not be for everyone. I loved the subtle hints at her issues, her control, her disorder. I think the author did an excellent job at showing us who she was, what had made her, without reading a dull background synopsis. I also enjoyed the side characters and wanted to know more about where things would take them in the future.

I loved the slow burn romance, but wish there was a little bit more... just more build up, small moments etc. Maybe I feel that way because this is a shorter read. Not to spoil anything, so I'll keep this vague - but right as Landry and Haddy contract their deal it's basically half fixed. I was hoping for more scenes in the closet (lol that sounds interesting). I also wish the interaction of Landry's own self in the closet could be more explored.

The ending really all collapsed so quickly. It was lovely, and interesting, and page turning, but then every. single. thing. got wrapped up in like 5 pages. I don't like filler pages but I don't love how quickly the haunting, search for the missing remains, mother, EVERYTHING was wrapped up all at once. There was also no exploration of the safety deposit box which just was another loose end that could've been more explored. I also occasionally got lost in understanding exactly why Haddy needed to be bound to the house and how it benefitted the house. I also wish there was a little more to explore about the house herself. You know from the prologue she's a being but not much else. And WHY is she like a moody teenager in need of Haddy back in the day? Those types of questions were left underdeveloped to me.

And to wrap it up - THE ENDING??? THE EPILOGUE?? SAY WHAT?? I had just come to terms that the ending I thought might happen, happened, and I could live with the fact that it was necessary for Landy's eternal growth and happiness and then WHAT?? That made no sense to me. Like YEAH it's what I initially wanted.. but it felt a little wrong and also just made no sense, again.

So yeah, I loved this book, but I needed more. Also there were issues with the formatting on my Kindle and some spelling mistakes - words exchanged for other words.

This book was supplied to me in exchange for a review by Net Galley and the author.

First thing first, I want to emphasize the importance of reading all the TW before diving into this book!

That being said, it was a slow read but so pleasant. My first thought starting this book was that it gave some Belladonna vibes, it's mysterious and a tiny bit scary (if you're not an horror fan, you can still read it), slow burn with gothic horror. At times, it keeps you on your toes.

I really liked that the main characters, both in their early 30's, dealt with broken families and more importantly heavy family matters. They beautifully helped each other on their healing journeys.
I also liked seeing the progression of the whole lack of dialogue storyline between Landry and her cousin, Emma.

I didn't know where most of the plot was going, I kinda guessed how it would end but I was helplessly hoping it was not the case.
Some details were a bit left out at some point and I feel like it wasn't exploited to their fullest, including the romance and horror tropes. There were some confusing moments as well: Hadrian's "looks" and the ending, which was rushed.
The last chapter should have been longer, I wanted to know more about the friendship between Landry, Emma and Sayer and about the family situation. But most of all, the last scene of the book needed more explanations, I didn't understand where the author was getting at. Like how and why did this happen? I desperately need to know!

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an e-arc of A Heart So Haunted

When I saw that this author writes gothic horrormance I knew I NEEDED this book. I started it at 10:30 pm and at 3am realized I needed to go to bed, clearly I was invested. I will say… make sure you check out the CW/TW before heading into this, because there is a lot of things that could be triggering so definitely be aware.

Landry has a hard past herself, which she is confronted with on multiple fronts; now that she is back in town and also the new owner of Hartwait, a haunted and sentient house. Hadrian, our resident monster, also has past full of pain. Together they are able to navigate the painful pasts that they have been forced to face and find a little peace, all while slowly falling for one another.

I would definitely recommend this for people who are looking for a slow-burn, romance with an interesting twist of gothic horror added in.

Now on that note…. the last 6-ish% had me reeling! I went from sad to WTF very quickly. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but damn if I didn’t want to know more! I wish we got more in the end, but also I kind of love how we were left. How often am I left silent screaming because it’s late and I can’t yell about it to anyone. LOL

Now while I did enjoy this book, there were a few things that I wish were flushed out a bit more (don’t wanna spoil for anyone so this is gonna be vague). It felt like there was missing info, or things were just glazed over. However, this didn’t take away from the enjoyment of Hadrian and Landry falling for each other.

Thank you to the arc gods for letting me read this one early.

It was a difficult read for me, it had all of the elements individually that would make it a great book but they just didn't all go together like I'd hoped. I wanted more from the romance since it was marketed to be a romance after all.
I just found it very confusing and I have no idea what the ending means!! But that might just be me lacking understanding.

Sometimes it was a really beautiful book but in the end it didn't wrap anything up and I wanted more closure about the mum and dad.

So in the end I wanted a bit more from this book but I did enjoy it and think that it was well written. I just didn't vibe with it the way I thought I would.

It a beautiful story about monsters and love. There was a lot of surprises that made it very interesting to read and hard to put it down. Some of the spooky things in the story made my skin crawl in the good way.

A Heart So Haunted by Hollie Nelson is a dark and eerie gothic romance with all things spooky and unsettling.

It was giving major Monster House vibes at parts with added suspenseful and thrilling attributes. There were spooky elements that had my skin crawling and my nerves going haywire! As a thrill seeker and lover of all things unsettling, this was one I enjoyed quite a bit! I enjoyed the trauma and healing aspect of the book, but I felt there was more that could have occurred to give more closure to the reader.

The ending was a tad bit confusing to me as I wasn’t entirely sure what it was insinuating, but that could have just been my personal incomprehension. LMAO Overall, it was an entertaining read and I would recommend it for lovers of the genre!

Thank you NetGalley and Hollie Nelson for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

A Heart So Haunted by Hollie Nelson was an easy read — but unfortunately, it just didn’t deliver for me. The pacing felt off; nothing significant really happened until around the last 70% of the book, and by that point, I was already losing interest. The buildup dragged on far too long, making it hard to stay invested in the story.

As for the romance, it fell completely flat. The connection between the characters lacked chemistry, and to be honest, I found both of them more annoying than endearing. It’s hard to root for a couple when you don’t care for either person.

Overall, this one had potential, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When her aunt died, Landry is left her aunt’s home and belongings. She plans to renovate, sell, and get back to her life. But things don’t go as planned. Past trauma comes a knocking and there’s something wrong with the house. A quick and easy read, but it wasn’t my favorite. I feel like nothing really happened until the last 1/3 of the book and then it was just over. I expected it to be more haunted, more of a love story, more drama.

3.5 stars/5 stars

Thank you so much to Alcove Press and netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one took me a long time to get into (nearly 70%) however, once I did get into it, I was hooked. I appreciated the concept of the story and felt the story touched on concepts which are important and emotional. I also loved how portions of this novel reminded me of Beauty and The Beast (house, creature, etc.), as I'm a huge fan of that story/movie.

With that being said, I wanted to feel more draw and tension between the main characters and love between them and because I didn't, that made the romance fall a bit flat for me. I also didn't feel as satisfied with the ending as I would've liked, and this could possibly be attributed to the reason I stated before with not feeling the romantic connection between the two as I wanted and still feeling as though there were answers I still would've liked that could've enhanced the overall story and made the type of ending given that much more powerful/impactful.

I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future as I did enjoy a lot about this book and feel like I could feel the same about future ones by this author.

The story revolves around a haunted house, a ghost named Hadrian, a human named Landry and a secret door just like Narnia. It was a slow read, with little happening until about 77%. So if you like those dragged out stories this one might be for you, just not me.
I wouldn’t even call this a romance. It was such a slow burn that I never really felt it.

Was so excited to read this, but ended up DNFing at 35%.
The start of this book was just a whole heap of backstory. Every time I thought the plot was about to move forward it would focus again on her ex or her mum. The characters were annoying and unlikable. The prose made it feel like a first draft. There were lots of strange metaphors, many of which didn’t make any sense. This book is marketed as a romance but even 35% in I couldn’t even see a hint of a romantic plot line. I really wanted to like this but just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this eArc to review.

This will hit the spot for your modern gothic romance needs! Landry inherits her aunt's large estate and aims to renovate before selling. Little does she know that there's a door tucked away leading to a version of the house filled with memories past and a creature curiously linked to them. Hadrian, a yellow-eyed eloquent beast harbors a curse of sorts and Landry and he begin to bond and look for the secret to his freedom. Both these characters throughout the story begin to unlock pains of their past, some quite dark. But I the darkness, they find understanding, and for Landry especially, she finds healing with Hadrian's help.

The magic elements and rules of his condition I did find confusing at times. Though, I enjoyed the visuals immensely, particularly with the varying visages of his form. Landry and Hadrian's late night talks are some of my favorite pieces, real scenes with a beauty and beast-type learning about each other and opening up in a way the other never has. Hadrian being self aware and vulnerable of his form with her were especially heart clenching moments. Two broken, lonely souls that we truly root for.

Once I reached the end, I wished there was a bit more to the epilogue, it felt it ended too fast and wanted to see their wrap up a bit more explained. I really didn't want to leave them. Hadrian in particular was just that perfect t gothic romantic hero, he had faults, but also pain and transformation and I LOVED him. Very much anxious to read more from this debut author and highly reccomend this for modern gothic lovers.

This is both adorable and haunting. We have traumatized characters, a house full of monsters in a world full of worse monsters, and a love that shouldn’t be but works magically.

Sometimes the “monsters” are the only ones who really understand the way that you feel, and in this case, the “monster” is the one that makes Landry feel heard and seen.

The reason for my three star review is because this book wasn’t really for me. It was cute yet haunting, and full of surprises, which was just enough to keep me entertained. However, it was not my favorite read of the year.

Thank you very much to Alcove Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.