I really enjoyed this book! This mystery novella was a great quick read that you can read in hours. I definitely recommend it to mystery and romance lovers. I will definitely be reading more from this author! Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for a great experience.

I read this book in one sitting. The book opens with Helena having a recurring dream about a staircase and a man who reaches out to her. In present day her on again off again boyfriend has planned a trip to Paris and given her an ultimatum. Either they plan on getting married or he is moving to the US and leaving forever. While in Paris they find a Da Vinci sketch that looks just like her. Together they set out to solve the mystery and travel to the Loire Valley. When they visit the Chambord Chateau she sees the staircase from her dreams. She breaks into the Chateau at night and travels back in time. There she meets many figures from history and understands what the dream means. Since this is a short book there is not enough character development. The book starts off promising and the premise is interesting but the shortness leaves more questions than answers. The time travel romance did not work for me. I found it creepy, esp since he fell in love with her as a child. The ending gets wrapped up quickly and did make sense. Overall it was an enjoyable quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I love this author's novellas. They are truly mesmerizing. Although a short read, it lingers in my memory and I want more. This is a historical romance which spans centuries, I loved the story and the way it was told. I was left with questions, in a good way, that I pondered and answered with my own thoughts. It has a gothic feel to it and I will definitely be looking into more books from this author.

I'm quite sad really, since this started off so nicely. In fact, all the parts where our MC, Helena, is in the present, were quite good. I love time travel stories, and I really liked the dialogue between her and her childhood friend Hal.

It was when she got to the 1500's things started to go wrong for me. Helena was written as a strong woman to begin with, someone who wouldn't be pressured into anything. But that seemed to fly out the window when she met Etienne - Who by the way was distinctly charmless to begin with. I appreciate that this is a novella and that there is less time for character development, but it was hard to see why Helena fell in love with him so quickly, apart from the connection she felt in her dreams. The real version was just, meh.

In fact, Etienne was what let this book down for me. The idea they had seen each other in dreams for years was really intriguing. It's been done in other stories like this to great affect. But it turns out Helena had been seeing him her whole life, and he'd witnessed her life span within a year. So, not only is it creepy that he always called her 'Little one', even when she was a grown woman, it was creepy that he'd fallen in love with her because he'd watched her on the staircase since she was a baby. He wasn't the same age as her throughout this, which might have made it more bearable. He was a grown man. And he says "I've been in love with you since you were fourteen."

What...the fuck. Seriously, any romance in between them was just ruined with that line. It made me so uncomfortable. They could have just said he fell in love with her once she grew up into an adult. They did not need to include this line where he literally states that he fell in love with her AS A CHILD!!!! I feel it must be repeated: WHAT THE FUCK. Not romantic in any way. Then he says he summoned her there to be with him, and it all feels a little too predatory for me, thank you very much. And like I know some girls were married off at similar ages during that time period, but it wasn't as common as everyone thinks and it certainly wasn't romantic.

Helena apparently has no problem with this, even when she realises she wants to return to her own time and be with Hal. I was hoping she'd forget Etienne and that this would be her moving on and realising who she really wanted to be with, but nope! She's still in love with the creep and Hal at the same time. The creep that calls her a fool and tells her she 'got herself drugged'. Uh, ok then...

This little novella had potential. It had all the elements I liked. But the execution of it, Helena losing her independence when she's back in time, the creepy love interest just ruined what could have been a great time travel romance.

This story just didn't work for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

The Staircase is a haunting, mystical, historical romance novella that spans centuries. The dream-like atmosphere sets a chilling, surreal tone throughout the story. Helena's sleep is disturbed repeatedly by her eerie dream of a dark, handsome man in eras-past clothing standing at the top of a staircase in what appears to be an ancient castle. His dark, compelling eyes beckon her to come to him, and her body wholeheartedly responds. At the same time, she is issued an ultimatum by her "boyfriend" Hal to commit to marriage or let him go. They agree to take a week-long romantic trip to France to explore historical sites and their relationship, and after that, Helena will have one week to give him her answer. Little does she know that magical forces beyond her control are at work, and what she discovers in France will change her life forever. Is it her dream come true? Or her worse nightmare?

A spooky, eerie tone settles over this story early-on and continues through the ending. I found the writing and story to be compelling and, much like Helena, I found myself hypnotized and drawn in by the mysterious stranger on the stairway. The story that unfolds is a vivid historical journey through time, spanning five centuries as it introduces several famous historical figures. But are they real or a dream? The author does a beautiful job with descriptive passages throughout and easily transports readers inside the mysterious Chambord Castle in France alongside of Helena. I wish the author had chosen to write a longer story, giving readers a more in-depth introduction and understanding of the main characters, but I think Lake does a nice job given the book is only 80 pages long. I did note a few errors in the book which is always disappointing, but even so, they didn't distract from my reading pleasure. All in all, I found The Staircase to be a good, haunting novella with beautiful descriptive passages, compelling characters, and an unique, intriguing plot line. A Must Read!

Hal has given Helena an ultimatum, marry him or the relationship must come to an end. Helena agrees that the time has come for her to decide but first she must make an effort to find the man who awaits her at the top of the staircase in her dreams. I must admit that I wasn't too sure about this book when I first started it and wondered if I would put it down but I'm glad I stuck with it because I ended up breezing right through it in one afternoon. A very interesting historical romance. Well worth the read!

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I am truly on the fence with this book. The idea was great. Even a bit original. The characters were just well boring. They had no well…. Character.

Nothing seemed real with the characters. But the story was a bit intriguing.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book , well worth reading it. It had it all loved it

A short read (takes about an hour) but quite satisfying. The writing was good and I found myself lost in France for a while. A nice little escape from reality.

Very interesting paranormal romance. Lots of interesting twists. The characters took a bit for me to get into but after I did I liked them a lot. This was full of such great descriptions and brought it all to life so you could actually see yourself there. I could feel everything that happened to the heroine and it wasn't about sex or action but the mystery of it and the suspense. I was very happy with this book and would definitely recommend it.