The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

by Katie Lumsden

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Fiction, Historical, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

339 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2023

About the author

Katie Lumsden read Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen and never looked back. She spent her teenage years devouring nineteenth century literature, reading every Dickens, Brontë, Gaskell, Austen and Hardy novel she could find. She has a degree in English literature and history from the University of Durham and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines.

Katie's Youtube channel, Books and Things, has more than 29,000 subscribers. She lives in London and works as an editor.

Her debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, was shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award.

Reviews

[Katie Lumsden]

I listened to my own novel on audiobook, and it was a surreal and glorious experience.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is an atmospheric and compelling gothic mystery.

Margaret Lennox, recently widowed, has taken up a governess position at Heartwood Hall under the employ of Mrs. Eversham. Margaret quickly learns that the villagers avoid the house and its inhabitants. There are whispers that the house is cursed.

Margaret doesn’t believe in such superstitions, but she can’t deny the noises she hears at night, nor the flashes of something seen and then gone. However, she tries to get on with her work teaching Louis, her ten-year-old charge, who has immediately captured her heart.

But the past catches up with Margaret, and it becomes impossible to ignore the strange occurrences in the house.

This gothic tale is entirely from Margaret’s pov. It reminded me a bit of The Silent Companion and Jane Eyre. The characters were all well-developed, whether they were lovable or not-so-lovable. The eerie setting rounded out the gothic feel as well.

I thought it was going in one direction and was surprised when it didn’t. Perhaps if I had tried to work everything out, I would have guessed the twist, but I just sat back and enjoyed the journey.

There is also deaf representation. The main character is deaf in one ear, and it seems to be presented realistically without being a plot device.

Really my only criticism is that one of the characters allowed themselves to be gaslit so easily. They went from an intelligent, rational person to doubting what was right in front of them.

I’d highly recommend this book if you enjoy dark gothic tales. I am excited for future books by this author.

Thank you to Dutton for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[Dab · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Merry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern historical gothic mystery is the best way that I can explain it. I never connected with Margaret and spent most of the book either disliking her or amazed by her behavior. Her actions and emotions changed daily. The ending has everything including the kitchen sink and the way she treated her one true friend....don't get me started. Great writing...just not for me.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I was enjoying it a lot and wondering what was the 'ghostly' secret of the house and why there were so few staff in the place and why, why, why everything really.
Margaret, who is recently widowed and hired to be a governess to Louis, is the central character of the novel. She grows to love Louis very much and likes living at Hartwood Hall despite the local villagers treating everyone from the house with hostility and some of the housemaids acting strangely. Rumors abound that the place is haunted. There is certainly something not right within the walls of the house and Margaret tries to discover what it is.
The first part of the book is setting this up and we get to know Louis quite well and have a glimpse into the life of Mrs Eversham. There is also a character I really liked, the gardener, Paul. He and Margaret become very close.
Then it started to drag. Something happens and it goes on and on and could have been wrapped up sooner. The second part changed almost completely. Lots of things happened in a hurry and I wasn't sure how I felt when the truth was discovered.
Also Margaret disappointed me. She didn't have an easy life before she came to Hartwood Hall and found only kindness and happiness with Paul and I thought she treated him very shabbily at the end and it made her appear selfish.
It's written in the gothic style like novels of old and that certainly came through. The ending was very over the top and it needed a little more to satisfy me as a reader.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 4 stars, but I felt like the book was a little heavy-handed with the independent woman, I don't need a man thing. I just really think they did Paul dirty. Losing your job, your baby and dad on the same day is too much.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taken as a traditional mystery, The Secret of Hartwood Hall has many elements that recall many of the very best stories in the gothic genre without being too referential. I loved listening to the story, which unfolds slowly as Margaret Lennox arrives at Hartwood Hall to serve as governess to a lonely young boy. She's forbidden to enter the west wing, notices that there are very few servants for a house of this size, and is disturbed by her employer's refusal to let her young charge leave the grounds. But Margaret is also hiding secrets of her own.

This is one of those instances where I loved the narration by Olivia Vinall so much that I have to try to separate it from how I feel about the book. Overall, it's very engrossing, kept my interest throughout, has a lovely (and unexpectedly sensual) romance, and is well-written, especially in the sense that it feels like a story about a woman in the 1800s, without jarring anachronistic actions or thoughts. Margaret has a strong sense of self and questions much of what is dictated by society, but she doesn't behave in a cursory 21st-century-rebel kind of way.

Eventually, there were so many plot points and characters that quite a few of them didn't get developed enough, however. I wished we had felt Margaret's (and other characters') chafing at societal constraints more, that the overbearing and scheming villain(s) were more complex, that the mysteries of the house had been more detailed and even more emotionally laden, and that the themes of independence and autonomy were more unequivocally emphasized. This would have made the choice Margaret makes at the end something to celebrate even more; as it was, I admit that I applauded it in theory if not so wholly and unreservedly in my heart.

Still, such a wonderful listening experience and a beauty of a debut. I very much look forward to Katie Lumsden's next book.

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mysterious and intriguing debut inspired by the work of the Brontes!

I'm a big fan of Katie's booktube channel (Books and Things) and as a fellow booktuber, I'm all kinds of biased, but I truly had a great time reading this.

[Jessaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desiring an easy read, it was time to try a gothic novel. I did not like Jane Eyre 2 years ago because it was so much like all of the gothic novels that I had read in my 20s. This book sounded like a cross between Nancy drew, her ghost stories, and a Gothic novel. That it was. It was exciting as well but I did not like the ending, in fact I hated it and for that I deducted 1 star. The author is a very good writer and storyteller, so if she writes another book I will give it a try. But I really like happy endings.

England, I think. It takes place in the years of candlelight and wood fires. Margaret widdowed , gets a job as a governess in a very large mansion. She is to teach the owners 10 year old son How to Read, write, and do arithmetic. She loves her job, and she also loves the gardener, Paul. He is the perfect man. A man that Any woman of common sense with love.

But Margaret's job is not without difficulties. She hears things and sees figures walking through the woods at night. When she is outside 1 night she sees a candle in the window of the forbidden east wing. Then 1 of the maids steals a Letter from her and then black mails her. End of course she visits the forbidden east wing and get scared out of her wit's. And the story goes on like this until the very end.

[Brend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I smelled gay; don't ask me how, but I did

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gothic, chilling and full of secrets! Plus, that cover! Hartwood Hall - villagers say it is cursed. It is a great source of gossip and trepidation. Is it just a house? Or is it truly cursed?

1852

Margaret Lennox, a newly widowed woman, has taken a job as a governess at Hartwood Hall. She has been hired by Mrs. Eversham, a woman with secrets. Just ask the villagers who gossip about her and her home. Margaret has been told to keep a close eye on Louis and never let him out of her sight. A servant often mentions ghosts in the home. Margaret does not believe in ghosts, but she begins to see shadows...

When not looking after and teaching her young charge, Louis Eversham, Margaret begins a relationship with the Paul the groundskeeper. Her relationship is a secret as is the fact that Louis had an older sister who died away from the home. A sister no one is permitted to talk about.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall has a strong gothic vibe and I could see this book playing out like a movie. I could see everyone in the house walking around with candles at night in the dark rooms. The author's love of Jayne Eyre and nineteenth century literature shines through in this well written book.

This is a sense of unease flowing beneath the surface of this book. There is tension and the atmosphere is chilling. Secrets are the name of the game in this book! Everyone has them as do the characters in this book.

I look forward to reading more of the author's books in the future.

Atmospheric, chilling, gripping and Gothic!

#TheSecretsofHartwoodHall #NetGalley #KatieLumsden

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical gothic setting

What a great first book! It has a really nice feeling to it, and the place where the story takes place is described so well. I really liked how the beginning gave hints about what would happen later, setting the mood perfectly. The book was enjoyable to read and the writing was good. However, it became easy to guess what would happen next pretty early on, and it needed more suspense to keep me fully engaged.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"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 and two lesbian women living together without comment by the staff who knew about it. 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.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Holly in Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book I was loving. It had a great gothic vibes that started giving me the creeps. With the noises, the flickering lights, strange shadows…..it was great. Then the last 40/30 % went down for me. I didn’t like how Maragaret treated Paul after everything she supposedly felt for him & the ending left me dissatisfied. I guess with the buildup I was expecting something completely different than what was revealed. I liked this author’s writing, so I’ll definitely give her another try.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you had a character read "Jane Eyre" just five years after it was published, would you call that an "old" book? Because that happens in this story.

This is a strange mash-up of fairly well researched history and clunky anachronisms. (Ask yourself: Have I ever read an actual Victorian novel that uses the phrase "all right?" Because this story uses that phrase a lot.)

The mysterious house / mysterious servants / mysterious lights etc. are a decent setup but Margaret Lennox never makes the leap into likeable and all her actions are...questionable at best.

I hated the "relationship" between Lennox and the gardener Paul. The timeline is too compressed and the dynamics too implausible. He seems like a simpleton she takes advantage of. And do not get me started on the miscarriage as plot point. A woman having a miscarriage is not going to be running around within a few hours helping people escape from danger.

These stories hinge on having characters never ask the right questions at the right time. If you're going to have a modern heroine type (who chooses a non-conventional path for her life because she doesn't want what Victorian women wanted) then you have to be willing for her to look really dumb for not asking or seeking the answers to her questions.

Possible content considerations for some readers:abuse, blackmail, LGBTQ+ relationships, miscarriage, killing .

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author doesn't seem to know what kind of book she is trying to write. Much of the story is classic 19th century gothic, but then the whole thing takes a 21st century twist. The lesbian angle would never have been even thought of in the 19th century, let alone written about, and, culturally speaking, the events of the novel are, at the very least, entirely improbable, given 19th century culture. There is no way that two women living together with the kind of secrets they were trying to hide would have accepted into their home a total stranger--let alone all the staff, including a very tiresome blackmailing maid, who Lumsden had to kill off to get rid of. I am not sure what to make of the fact that the heroine doesn't marry the hero in the end--that is a total violation of the genre (maybe we are to think she, too, is going to become part of a lesbian menage a trois?). Certainly it makes the main character look bad: at best she led Paul on. At worst, she's an idiot who didn't see coming what anyone with half a brain and even a little empathy, would have seen coming. I'm thinking Lumsden was trying to update the genre for the 21st century, but she'd have done better to set it in the 21st century, if that is the case, and incorporate elements of the 19th century genre as homage. It would have at least been more believable.

[ThatBookish_deviant · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0⭐️

I’m always shocked when writers publish a debut novel that (in my eyes) is a four star, or greater, book. Katie Lumsden did just that with The Secrets of Hartwood Hall. Full disclosure; I have a weakness for gothic stories featuring sprawling Victorian estates, creepy kids, a governess, mystery, and atmospheric settings. This lovely novel checked off all the boxes for me and threw in some sapphic love as the cherry on top. I really enjoyed the main character, Margaret, who’s fiercely independent, clever and strong-willed. I’m anxiously anticipating what Lumsden publishes next.

[Kate Howe]

This book is written with such skill! Katie had me turning pages right from the start. I loved how immersive the world is and that I could picture everything so vividly. The nods to Victorian literature were also a fun bonus.
I kept making wild guesses as to what the mysteries were.

Unfortunately, I think I might not be the right reader to rate this which is why I haven't. There was just more sexual themes and content than I'm comfortable reading about.

[Donne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the books selected for the September group read for the Nothing But Reading Challenges group. While it wasn’t the one I voted for (I voted for Road to Roswell), but had I been allowed to vote for two books, this would have been my second choice. Having just recently read a historical fiction with a gothic, ghost story vibe to it, I thought this sounded similar.

From the prologue, Margaret reminisces about her memories of Hartwood Hall, the initial foreboding impression of the place, her fondness for Louie (the child who Margaret governs), her intimacy with Paul (the gardener), nights of fear from the sounds of the shadows and illusions that roam the place at night and then the gunshots one night that ends in a fiery blaze that blackens the night. Whoo hoo!!! That’s the way to prep the reader that they’re in for a good story about a creepy place that ends tragically.

The book summary introduces the primary storylines so I’m not going to repeat them here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is that Mrs Evershim (owner of Hartwood Hall) seems to be hiding something about her husband and his death seven years ago as well as the death of her daughter five years ago. She isn’t the only one keeping secrets either; there is clearly something that Margaret is also hiding about her husband’s death too. While a few of the servants have been there a long time, Mrs Evershim seems to be having a hard time keeping a full staff because the new staff seem to get scared off pretty quickly. Lastly, the village also holds very little regard for the Evershims and make no effort to hide it whenever someone from Hartwood Hall comes into the village.

The first half of the story focuses on Margaret acclimating to Hartwood Hall, which is long enough for her to discover that there is definitely something strange going on at the Hall and the townspeople DO NOT like the Evershims. When the measles hit the hall, and a couple of people become infected, they can’t get a nurse from the town to come and assist. Fortunately, a nurse is somehow found in a town further out, but the arrival of the nurse is actually part of the mystery of Hartwood Hall.

Well into the second half everyone’s secrets come to light. The end comes pretty fast after that, and the prologue of Margaret’s memories are played out to a halfway decent and satisfying ending. I started out listening to the audiobook but dumped it early in the second half because I couldn’t stand listening to it anymore; I just finished the story with the ebook. Unfortunately, poor narration can have a detrimental effect on my overall enjoyment of a story. Enough said.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what, back in the day, I would have called an airport book. It’s fine, if it’s the only thing interesting in a stack of books to grab; but if you have more available options then something else is bound to be better. See before e-readers many of us would buy a new book at the airport for a flight, but it meant you had very limited options. As today that is rarely the case it makes it hard for me to say The Secrets of Harkwood Hollow is a ‘good’ read. It’s not a bad read; but it’s surely not as good as Starling House, or even close to as good as Mexican Gothic (both stories featuring the house as a ‘character’).

The biggest disappointment here is how little relevance the house actually had on the overall story. Plus the ambience and atmosphere was lacking a certain gothicness. While the time period was Victorian it just didn’t have the creep factor, or the grittiness I wanted. It’s a long ways from Crimson Peak (that’s for sure) and barely qualifies as remotely creepy as it’s quite obvious what the logical answer is to all the ‘events’. It didn’t play out exactly as expected; I’ll give it that. But the official twist was not stunning enough or different enough to be anything special; and I was mostly correct about the final outcome.

Let’s talk about our leading lady. She drove me insane. Her choices to constantly lay with the main love interest over protecting her own safety were outrageous. And then, after all her poor decisions, she makes an even stupider one at the very end. It just didn’t add up for me. I suspect the author has a history of domestic violence and the ending choice for her characters was to help her leave some of the pain behind. Overall, given the time period, it felt too optimistic to think the chosen ending was a suitable life choice. Thats all I can say without giving away too much.

When I read a blurb that discusses possible ghosts, gothic house, and odd occurrences I have a certain expectation. It doesn’t have to be horror but it does need to be dark. There was very little about The Secrets of Harkwood Hollow that felt dark to me. Ultimately, unless you’re desperate for a read, this one is easily left on the TBR and no guilt need be exerted as (sadly) you’re not missing out on much. If you want a ‘lighter’ sort of gothic story this might be for you; but if you’re hoping for the grittiness of a haunted house I think, by the end, you’ll be disappointed.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Spooky-ish Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Gothic Tale of Haunting Atmosphere and Strong Heroines”
This was a well-written and enjoyable read with a strong, predominantly feminine cast, which I truly appreciated. While the pacing felt slow at times, the tension and dread it built were worth it. The haunting atmosphere and gothic charm kept me hooked throughout. Although the plot wasn’t quite what I expected, the immersive storytelling and resilient heroines made it a satisfying read!

[lonnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately it was a letdown. A gothic haunted house tale is normally something that would be right up my alley. The premise may not have been the most original in the world (young woman takes on a job as governess at a mysterious mansion and spooky stuff starts happening), but if executed well, it could've made for a good gothic story. But the flaws just kept piling up and the ending really brought it down to 2 stars.

For one, the pacing was slow and the repetitions were killing me (we had to live through several basically equal scenes of the main girl going to church and taking the ride home with this guy she was fancying, without anything important happening or moving the plot forward). And worse, for a supposedly creepy/gothic story, there were barely any thrilling/creepy moments... which is kind of a huge problem. There were some streaks of creepiness, but they were always like 'she saw a flickering light' or 'she heard a weird noise', which is honestly the bare minimum I expect in a gothic story (earlier this year I read A Dreadful Splendor, which I would definitely recommend over Secrets of Hartwood Hall if you're looking for a haunted house story). Now, I could've looked past these minor grievances, given this book 3 stars and called it a day... but then the ending happened and I hated it.

My biggest problem though was the main girl, Margaret. She wasn't likeable at a single point, acted irrationally throughout the entire story and ultimately hammered home my dislike for her when she also turned out to be hypocritical and selfish. Not a good combo for a protagonist we're supposed to root for.

[Spoilers ahead!]
I had no idea why the love interest, Paul, even fell for her in the first place. They had nothing in common except for sexual attraction, which is just not enough for me in a romance. She was acting immature as hell for a 29-year-old woman. Most nights she was sneaking out to sleep with Paul, then she would suddenly completely ignore him the next day because 'it had to stop'. Girl, make up your mind. You're 29 years old. Ffs why are you acting like a teenager? Then she had this strong wish to be a mother but when she finds out in like the last quarter of the book that she was in fact pregnant with Paul's child and had a miscarriage, she suddenly - for reasons I do not understand - falls out of love with Paul immediately and is awful to him. She is mad that he kept secrets from her (even though he had very good reasons for keeping those secrets and only did it to protect others) while she herself has also been keeping secrets from him all this time. Like... double standards? She doesn't show any understanding when he is devastated because she just lost their child and then when he opens up to her that he wants to marry her, she's like "well actually, I never want to get married and I'm not in love with you anymore - which happened in the span of a day! - and I will also move away and you will never see me again. Also, you will lose your job because I'm moving away with your employers. Bye." I mean?? HOW are we supposed to root for this awful, selfish person? Because I feel like it's a fairly reasonable thing for a man in the 1800s to assume that a woman who is in love with him would not be entirely opposed to marrying him. This was just like a weird "I don't need a man" slay that completely missed the mark (I'm saying that as a woman who also has no interest in getting married whatsoever. I'm all here for a woman wanting to stay unmarried and independent. I am, however, against said woman acting like a complete asshole about it). And it also feels extra weird because Paul is actually five years younger than Margaret, so I would expect from her to be more mature than to play with his feelings and lead him on.

And the last thing that really didn't work for me was that the mystery was resolved by the characters explaining it in a big reveal-monologue. It was all tell and no show. And the basic moustache-twirling villain that showed up at the very end of the book and had no personality at all was just... so dumb.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! Absolutely blown away by this incredible read!
This richly atmospheric Gothic debut, which takes place in mid-1800s Victorian England, gripped me from beginning to the very end! Set in a spooky, secluded, run-down, country mansion named Hartwood Hall, which is owned by a mysterious widow, Mrs. Eversham, who lives with a very limited staff and is in desperate need of a governess for her young son, Louis. Unable to fill the position locally on account of the estate’s rumored past, she places an ad in the paper. Enter Margaret Lennox, a young widow who is running away from a dark past of her own and very eager to accept the position, despite the pleas and warnings of local townsfolk.
Almost immediately, Margaret notices a peculiar tension among the staff, and is forbidden access to the entire east wing. Louis is never to leave Margaret’s side, and she’s unable to take him beyond the estate’s grounds. As the weeks fly by and Margaret becomes more attached to her young ward, she begins hearing strange noises and seeing shadows at night, but surely there is no such thing as ghosts, her mind is playing tricks on her, and she’s simply let the local gossip get the best of her?! Is something untoward amiss at Hartwood Hall? Is Mrs. Eversham actually the grieving widow she portrays herself to be? Or does her increasing paranoia have to do with the demons of her past?! So many secrets would be revealed as I feverishly turned the pages and the unpredictable revelations that came left me speechless! It’s been quite some time that I was this far off in my predictions, and I loved that aspect of this wonderful story.
I had an absolute blast reading this pacey debut and flew through this one! With such an incredibly spooky atmosphere throughout, this is a novel one should not read alone at night, that is for certain! This had elements of mystery, suspense, and even the paranormal, and the overall execution was perfection! This is a novel and a new talent you won’t want to miss!!

[Ivana - Diary of Difference · Rating 4 out of 5]

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The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden captured my attention from the very beginning. The errieness of the forbidden part of the house made for a spooky atmosphere. It’s the perfect read for Halloween!

Margaret Lennox is a young widow and she’s offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She is eager to start, hoping that this new place and work will bring her a healthy distraction from her reality. It’s 1852 and references are extremely important to secure a job. Although Margaret is afraid her hearing loss will prevent her from getting this job, she is soon proven wrong. Mrs. Eversham gives her the job to teach her son, Louis.

Despite Louis being a great pupil, Margaret feels quite uneasy in the house. There are strange figures in the dark and a forbidden east wing of the house. Also, the servants keep whispering and Margaret feels like they are keeping things from her. The town doesn’t trust Mrs. Eversham and they think the house is haunted and cursed. Margaret also starts a forbidden affair with Paul, the gardener, and inevitably starts to tangle herself in a lot of situations. As her past is trying to catch up with her, she now has current secrets also to try and keep.

I quite enjoyed reading this book!

It was so easy to keep the pages turning and dive into Margaret’s life. As we learn more about her, I admired her search for freedom, despite the curveballs that life has thrown at her. Her marriage was not one from love and she was being owned by a man who claimed to know what’s best for her. Imagine not being allowed to work if you wished so, to not be allowed to read your preferred genre, to engage with your friends. When Margaret becomes a widow, she’s rightfully excited to start teaching again.

On the other side of the story, we have Hartwood Hall and its residents.

Mrs. Eversham is a lady that keeps to herself and often travels away. Louis is a boy that doesn’t say much, but is hiding a big pain in his heart. Everyone is hiding something in this house, even the servants, especially the servants. The house screams of secrets and eeriness. On top of this, spooky things do happen, especially during the night. Food missing from the cupboards, footsteps that keep erasing themselves, candles placed in odd places and being moved… The servants don’t seem to know how to mind their own business, and Margaret ends up getting herself in the middle of a blackmail situationship.

"Of course I did not believe the house was cursed - but when people feared a place, there was usually a reason."

The ending was somewhat unexpected, but not as exciting.

It explained everything and tied up the story very neatly, leaving nothing unresolved. I just didn’t feel that wow factor when closing the book in the end. However, despite that, this book really impressed me. It was the battle for freedom, in a time when it wasn’t socially acceptable to do so that did it for me in the end. In the search for true happiness and standing up for love, for friendship, for loyalty. When a loss can cause us heartbreak, even though we know it’s the best thing for us. And when a loss can also ultimately secure our freedom and give us the relief we needed to be happy again.

The Secret of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden is coming out in March 2023 and I strongly recommend you give it a chance.

[Sarah Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was pretty good, but the second half…eh. It felt like the author forgot she was telling a gothic story & instead opted for a one-note, heavy-handed bludgeoning of “Independent woman needs no man, ROAR!!” And that…well, it just wasn’t handled well. 😶

(👇🏻 Vague spoiler paragraph 👇🏻)

I’m on board with a single Victorian woman finding her footing in an unconventional family, & even having an active sex life—I don’t find Margaret’s ‘merry widowhood’ to be anachronistic, as some reviewers have implied—but I dislike when this (or any) author equates female independence with being a total moo. In other words, she treats Paul like garbage, but we’re supposed to excuse that because she’s traumatized & ~InDePeNdEnT~. If the roles were reversed & Paul treated Margaret that way, the author would’ve been run off the internet with sharp sticks…but since she’s the one kicking him aside like a rusty tin can, it’s ok? Nope. 🙈 I didn’t particularly cotton to Paul—he struck me as uber-beta, timid, & spineless—but he in no way deserved Margaret’s bullshit. How the hell is he supposed to understand you & support what you want when YOU WON’T TELL HIM ANYTHING?? But of course she whines & moans about him not being supportive or understanding & uses that as fuel for her crappy behavior. Blech.

(/end spoilers)

Anyhoo.

The atmosphere, setting, & first-half ambiance was worth 3.5/4 stars, but my ambivalence toward Margaret + bland prose** combined with one-sided masculinity (why couldn’t there be any positive male presence who wasn’t a beta pushover?) + an incredibly rushed ending (seriously, don’t blink or you’ll miss it) keeps my rating at a flat 3. It wasn’t terrible, but I’ve read much better in the neo-Victorian subgenre.

I’m sorry to be harsh on a debut, because despite my gripes there were some scenes I enjoyed…but overall I wanted to like this much more than I did. ☹️


**Not every neo-Victorian fic needs to be ultra-pastiche, but if you’re deliberately riffing on Anne/Charlotte Bronte, Dickens, etc, your prose needs depth & personality to support such a literary background. This felt more YA than adult, as if the author didn’t trust her audience to sit through any chapters longer than 8 pages or scenes that held any sustained suspense.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peak gothic vibes. Immediately we have a woman showing up to this isolated estate with a whole wing closed off and a small staff of servants who seem very suspicious and tight-lipped about so many things. Our MC, Margaret has some secrets of her own that she keeps very guarded about but thinks about them all the time--so she's a haunted, tortured soul living in a new place with a new job and everyone around her seems like they're keeping secrets too. The author does a great job keeping important cards close to the chest until the reveal. I enjoyed the relationships and dynamics of all the people living at Hartwood.

The paranormal aspect is pretty light. It is spooky and eerie but never scary. Readers who don't like romance should avoid this one. But I loved the relationship between Margaret and Paul.

The feminist themes are powerful and threaded through the whole story. A full cast of women carrying the entire thing and there's never a dull moment. This is a debut, I'm excited to read more by this author!

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

West England. 1852. Katie Lumsden’s The Secrets of Hartwood Hall centers on a young widow who takes a job as governess to a young boy in a country house in an isolated part of west England. Margaret Lennox finds herself looking at a truly grand house when the front door opens, and she is admitted the ‘grand house’ which people she met on her trip to Hartwood Hall said was cursed. So begins the story of Margaret Lennox as she starts her new life as governess to Louis Eversham. The author uses elements of gothic fiction as well as Victorian England to set the story which becomes an atmospheric mystery which Margaret needs to solve, but why does it feel as though Margaret is running from something? As one may know, Victorian England had many strict rules, but one was never even mentioned because Victorian and other eras centered around it - a woman had no rights. She was considered property of her husband, if married. If not, she was under the control of her father, brother, or some other male guardian. At times I wonder why I enjoy reading stories set in the Victorian era and the medieval era as I very strongly believe in women’s’ rights, but I do. Possibly, I rationalize that a woman’s life may be good or bad depending on what kind of a man is involved in a particular woman’s life, but the fact remains a man “owned “ a woman. The author uses the Victorian era as a major part of this work, but she adds a modern twist.
Enjoyable, but not enough ‘gothic’ness for me. 4 stars.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am on a JANE EYRE trip…there is an abundance of gothic romances on my plate right now… Secluded mansions, hidden passages, never opened doors, a clueless female lead unable to trust her own eyes, and a romance in there adding the spice, the genre just plays with our nerves like no other and The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is an absolute treat to dive into.

The story begins with the arrival of Margaret Lennox to Hartwood Hall, to take charge of the 10-year old Louis, and the opening chapter is itself a perfect tribute to that gothic element so essential to feel the spookiness. The weather as she arrives in the village is bleak and the first person whose help is sought for directions to the hall is rude and harsh. The stage is set for the first impression of the gothic mansion and the author didn’t disappoint. In fact, I could imagine Margaret’s first impression of this house, so lonely beyond the woods with a handful of servants roaming the halls with candlelight and the creaks and the groans of the old woods. Honestly, the author serves the chills, no worries about that but what impressed me more is the story that unfolds thru Margaret. We plunge into Margaret’s life her disability in hearing with one ear, her encompassing love for the young boy in her charge, her worry for the secretive Mrs. Eversham, and above all, the subtle hint of a murder in her own past and her definite need to enjoy her freedom.

The author explores the problematic issues governing the era with respect to women and their rights, being controlled by husband or father, even forced to read what is dictated instead of what one wants, and being abused either physically or emotionally. The reader is made to emotionally connect with Margret and her decisions and even though I was not too happy about how she treats Paul in the end, it is easy to grasp her perspective. With that action, somehow Margaret came across as selfish without making the picture clear to Paul. YES, relatable from her viewpoint but not too likable scenario.

The author is talented, no doubt about it, the method with which she has captured the maid Susan, oh my just raised goosebumps on my skin each time she was shown. Without any overt attempts, the cunning and crafty ways she threatened Margaret by her simple presence was acutely felt and truth be told, I was thankful for that threat resolving in that way at least for the sake of my galloping heart.

Chilled!

This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

[Indieflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little conflicted on this one, I really enjoyed the overall story, the sense of time and place and the gothic elements, but some things annoyed me sooo much. The main character Margaret, initially likeable and sympathetic, steadily became more irritating, her constant toying with the affections of the gardener Paul, got really tiresome. One minute mad for him, the next giving him the silent treatment, then truly madly deeply in love with him, swiftly followed by kicking him to the kerb. Guess she didn't know that being an independent woman doesn't equate to being a cruel and selfish arseh*le. Contrary to the pace of the rest of the book, the ending tied up really fast, super melodramatic and a bit bonkers. I quite like a bit of melodrama in this kind of Victorian set story, it's almost expected, yet I found the ending unsatisfying and somewhat disappointing. Despite these problems however, it was quite the page turner and I flew through it in no time - a very respectable 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Scott Rezer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have about a hundred pages to go in reading this novel (I finished it now, and still my review holds true!), but, baring any crazy changes in the progress of this story, it is safe to say this is an outstanding and smart debut. The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is everything it is billed. An atmospheric and Gothic homage to the genre so popular in Victorian times.

I recently read Hester Fox’s The Last Heir of Blackwood Library, and while they both achieve a wonderful sense of time and place in a Gothic setting, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall kept my rapt attention, the former petered out for me. This book kept me coming back for more!

Ms. Lumsden’s creation of her main character is topnotch. Just the smallest addition of her deafness in one ear made her character stand out all the more and added to the suspense, never knowing was it ghosts and spirits she heard, or just her poor hearing. I found myself cheering for Margaret to succeed and cared about what happened to her. And I constantly kept trying to read between the lines to discover some secret, but the author artfully avoided giving out too much detail until needed, and then it would hit me, and I found yourself shaking my head in agreement to the added plot point as if I knew it was coming. I didn’t. And neither will you. Nor will you see the ending!

Quite frankly, I’m a little confused as the mixed reviews on Goodreads for this novel. It is well-written. It kept me deeply interested. I couldn’t wait to get back to it each time I set it down. The author expertly drops tiny snippets that spur the reader onward, turning one page after another. I’m not a fan of first person stories, and yet, I think the voice of the main character, Margaret Lennox, telling the story actually helped add to the building suspense of the novel. So why the slightly more than mid-range of ratings and reviews (as of the date of this review)? Ms. Lumsden has created a eerie—bumps in the night, the occasional creak of a floorboard, a glimmer of something not quite a ghost, but perhaps is—but not spooky story I enjoyed, so I’m not sure what the answer is.

Along that line, I have an admission. I came close to not reading this novel. Why? The ratings and reviews. They were all over the map. I usually look for key things in reviews and this one ticked all the right boxes for me. And yet, I added it to my future possible reads and ignored it. I almost deleted it a couple of times. But when I saw it at my library recently, I snatched it up. I groaned at first that it was first person. Have I mentioned my dislike for first person narration? But I gave it a try. Others recently worked for me that I’d read. Why not this one? As for those mixed reviews and ratings… Trust me. This is a fine example of why a reader should only take the reviews they read about any book at face value. Know the reviewers you read. Some hate everything; some love everything. Most fall in between. Everyone has different things they like. As with movies, I often like things others don’t. I almost missed this one, and it would have been a loss. Glad I went with my gut and read it anyway.

!⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️!