Peregrine Hill by Nina de Gramont takes place in Gilded Age New York and follows Mariah Bishop and her mother Isabelle in the wake of a family tragedy. When Isabelle's husband and children (other than Mariah) perish in a steamboat accident, mother and daughter must find a way to survive by making an advantageous marriage.… Continue reading Review: Peregrine Hill by Nina de Gramont
Oubliette by LV Russell is a short and macabrely "sweet" gothic tale about a young woman isolated in a crumbling manor with her mother. A mix of Victorian Psycho and a 1960s Roger Corman Hammer film (most on par with The Fall of the House of Usher), Oubliette follows Rue as she contends with her… Continue reading Review: Oubliette by LV Russell
Philippa Gregory's newest installment of British royal history follows Eleanor Cobham in the court of Henry V. I was not familiar with Eleanor before this book, but I have read enough Philippa Gregory to know I was in for a treat both entertaining and historically illuminating. Eleanor did not come from a particularly wealthy family.… Continue reading Review: Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory
At HNS 2026, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Essie Fox. I read The Fascination when it first came out and enjoyed Essie's dark and gothic aesthetic and writing style. As such, Dangerous and her newest novel, Catherine - a Wuthering Heights retelling, have been on my TBR since they came out.… Continue reading Review: Dangerous by Essie Fox
Synopsis: 1126. The Norman conquest grips Wales. Rebellion stirs. And one woman’s choice could ignite it all. Nineteen-year-old Angharad, the daughter of a Norman knight and a captive Welsh princess, arrives at Aberteifi Castle for her mother’s arranged marriage. But her new stepfather, the merciless Norman commander of the castle, has other plans. He demands… Continue reading Review: The Siren’s Daughter by Claire Fuge
The Making of a Witch by Judy Molland follows real life 17th century Alice Molland, the last woman to be hanged for witchcraft in England. I actually happened to take a picture of the historical placard when I was in Exeter in 2024: As you've probably surmised, Alice was an ancestor of author Judy which… Continue reading Review: The Making of a Witch by Judy Mollard
Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly follows Abigail Adams, Queen Charlotte, and Queen Marie Antoinette from the American Revolution through the French Revolution. Not to be confused with the twin release date book A Founding Mother, Three Queens has Abigail Adams take a bit of a back seat to the dramas unfolding for both Charlotte and… Continue reading Review: Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden follows Vasya in medieval Russia (Rus) as she contends with the intersection of the real world and the unseen world of folklore and magic. Born of a natural witch, Vasya can see what others cannot: house and stable spirits who must both be nourished with offerings to… Continue reading Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano (who I coincidentally once shared a cab with at a writing conference!) breathes life into real historical figure, Margaret "Maggie" Jones, who was the first woman to be tried and executed for witchcraft in Boston in 1648. The author note states how Catalano was adverse (and rightfully… Continue reading Review: The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano
Weina Dai Randel's The Master Jeweler opens in 1925 when 15-year-old budding artist and Harbin local Anyu discovers an exquisitely made Faberge egg in the snow (which turns out to be The Winter Egg.) She soon after meets its owner, Russian master jeweler Isaac Mandelburg, who has been tasked with protecting the egg in the… Continue reading Review: The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel
