Member Review

Zeb Wyckham was tricked out of his inheritance by his older brother and now flits from job to job as he keeps losing them due to his ADHD. When he's summoned to Lackaday House, a wealthy relative's remote Gothic manor, he has no other option but to go. A decision he regrets when he arrives to find everyone who has treated him poorly his entire life, including his disapproving brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover, Gideon Grey. When the purpose of the house party is explained to be a challenge to see who will marry the innocent, 17-year-old ward of the master of the house and inherit the family wealth and holdings, Zeb is quick to try to bow out of the running. But there's more to Lackaday House and the gathering than meets the eye, and Zeb will have to figure it out before there's no one left to tell the tale.

A first-rate psychological thriller set in a faux Gothic mansion and full of interesting characters. I spent the majority of this book unsure of all the characters, even Zeb sometimes, but I was always sure that Charles was taking the story somewhere original. It has all the trappings of a Gothic tale of old, with a more modern sensibility and a very sweet queer romance that balances out the fear and paranoia of the plot.

I really enjoyed how Charles starts the tale, seemingly heading in one direction, then starts dropping hints that more is going on, only to veer everything into a twisted yet satisfying conclusion that sees everyone get what they deserve.

The fact that we get Zeb and Gideon finding each other again and getting the chance to express and explore their feelings while everything is going on around them made their moments even sweeter. I particularly love the ending and epilogue, but I'm not talking about those because I don't want to ruin them.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the twity read!