I received with thanks an ARC copy of Gothic Love Stories from Webmotion and Netgalley.

This is my review of Gothic Love Stories by Erica Ridley. This was published on 23rd August 2019
One of the queens of historical romance is back. This time she is back with gothic romantic tales. I was lucky to receive an invite to read all 4 of the magnificent tales by one of the truly best historical romance authors of her generation. These stories are told well and make you want to dive from book 1 to book 4 all in one sitting. If you love the historical romance then these books are for you.

Would recommend if you love a Historical Romance.

I have to say that Erica Ridley certainly knows how to spin a love story and keep the readers' attention from the beginning to the end! Gothic love stories aren't my typical stories I go for, but, I am not sorry I chose this set. I highly recommend!

Grab your favourite hot drink, a windy stormy night (or your imagination), and snuggle in with these latest stories from Erica Ridley. Utterly delicious, Enjoy.

This collection contains 3 full length novels and 1 novella, all are part of the Gothic Love Stories series, each are standalone, happily ever after, no cheating, gothic, sometime fairy tale romances with some sizzle.
Too Wicked to Kiss, Book 1 has the darker appeal of the gothic romance, including gargoyles, ravens, stormy weather and a dark manor house. Throw in a murder and the hero as the main suspect makes for a great page turner. This is Evangeline Pemberton and Gavin Lioncroft’s tale, well told, with well fledged characters, lots of secrets, action, and some romance. 4 stars.
Too Sinful to Deny, Book 2, is Susan Stanton and Evan Bothwick’s story. I was not a fan of this story, it has well fleshed out character, however, I wasn’t in love with either of the H and h. The romance wasn’t there and the story was too convoluted to be enjoyed. Sorry only 3 stars.
Too Tempting to Resist, Book 3 is a novella; Rebecca Bond and Daniel Godwin, Lord Stonebury’s story. Although it is short story, the author is able to pull out all the emotions from the characters and make them work. Rebecca is a strong woman and makes Daniel work to get back in her favor. 3.5 stars because of the brevity of the story.
Too Wanton to Wed, Book 4 is Violet Whitechapel and Alistair Waldegrave’s story. A very odd malady affects Lily, the daughter of Alistair and causes the townspeople and Violet to distrust what goes on in his abbey. This was a well developed gothic romance, mass hysteria amongst the townspeople, a dark abbey, fear of sunlight, a murder to be solved and a bit of romance that works in the end. 3.5 stars.
I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Gothic Love Stories by Erica Ridley contains all 4 books in the series. I love her writing and these books didn't dissapoint.

Gothic Love Stories is a set of 4 standalone novellas with a touch of the paranormal which Eloisa James, a NYT bestselling author has described as “sensual, witty and a delicious, dark Gothic treat!"

In a nutshell, the stories are:

Too Wicked To Kiss: Straight out from the game “Clue,” clairvoyant Evangeline Pemberton finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when one of the guests at the Blackberry Manor house party was killed. A case of whodunit, Evangeline has to race against time to find the real killer other than Gavin Lioncroft who was the main suspect.

Too Sinful To Deny: If you love “The Sixth Sense,” then you will enjoy “Too Sinful to Deny,” a supernatural Gothic story with a romantic twist. When disgraced socialite Susan Stanton found herself exiled in a creepy manor infested with ghosts and pirates, her isolated life did not seem so isolated at all. Between unmasking the secrets of the manor and the company of the rakish dark-haired smuggler Evan Bothwick life could be worse. But, what if, it did get worse?

Too Tempting To Resist: Previously released as “Romancing the Rogue,” this novella is about an orphan who has to ask the help of a rakish lord who had broken her heart in the past. You can find my original review of the book here.

Too Wanton To Wed: A woman on the run, Violet Whitechapel finds shelter in the home of Alistair Waldegrave whose daughter is allergic to UV light. Their home is kept in darkness, which was alright with Violet since she is also harboring a dark secret of her own. Acting as a teacher/tutor to the child, Violet was thinking that she can find a life with the Waldegraves. But, when her past catches up with her, that quiet and bucolic life can easily be shattered.

Erica Ridley is an amazing Storyteller! Every single book I read of hers is great! Can't wait for her next book!!

Too Wicked to Kiss (Gothic Love Stories #1)
This is a newly revised re-edited and remastered edition of a previously published book.

Erica Ridley is the master of giving us something different. This is a historical romance with a twist. There is a paranormal element to the heroine in that she gets visions when she touches someone. The only person who doesn't trigger her gift is the hero.

Evangaline is running from her cruel, murderous stepfather she puts her fate in the life of her mother's childhood friend, Lady Stratford. Unbeknownst to her Lady Stratford is aware of Evangeline's gift and wishes to use this to her advantage by having Evangaline help to trap Lioncroft into marrying Lady Lioncroft's daughter.

When one of the guests is murdered at the house party, all eyes turn to Lioncroft as the suspect, but Evangaline has her doubts. There is more to the enigmatic man than meets the eye, and she finds herself enlisted to track down the actual killer.

This was an excellent read, full of twists and turns with a slow-burn romance that develops beautifully. I'm excited about where this series will take me, and knowing Ms Ridley's skill, I'm sure I will enjoy the ride.

I enjoyed all the books in this series. Each one was well done with interesting characters and interesting stories.

Erica Ridley always delivers well thought out stories with characters that you don't quickly forget. This book was no exception. I loved the gothic element. I am looking forward to reading her next book.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

These were kind of ridiculous in the best way. If you love reading dreary Gothic tales but prefer your heroines bold, the romance steamy, and the gore fun, these are a perfect way to pass a few dark, stormy nights.

The stories in this boxed set are set in Regency times and contain romance and intrigue. There is also a bit of the mystical entwined within each story which makes for a very enjoyable reading experience.
These are not your typical Regency HEA stories. Our heroines and/or heroes have mystical abilities that make for a different turn in the story.
Follow Evangeline & Gavin, Susan & Evan, Rebecca & Daniel and Violet & Alistair as they meet for the first time, or again as is the case with Rebecca & Daniel.
The road to love is never easy, as evidenced for all of the couples in this set of stories.
After many trials and tribulations, our couples will find their "Happily Ever After". Will it be with each other?
I recommend the purchase of this boxed set to my fellow historical romance readers. You will not be disappointed.

TOO WICKED TO KISS
TOO WICKED TO KISS is the first book in the Gothic Love Stories series. Each will stand on its own, but I have loved all four in the series.

I loved this old style upper-crust society house party solving a case of who murdered one of their own. All of the best characters are there: the innocent, the tormented, the conniving, the drunkard, the mean, and the misunderstood. I will only say that it was not Miss Plum in the Kitchen with a candlestick.

There is more than murder afoot; Ms. Evangeline has a special gift… a gift that, at times, has been the source of her torment and torture, intimidation and extortion. I loved how she wants to use her gift to help. It is only when she is being forced to use it that she balks. (Like an artist who will only paint sad landscapes if he has been denied the joys of his life.)

While solving the murder, friendships bloom, trust is tested, and love grows. All together, it made for a wonderful story that I never wanted to leave, but I still wanted to know it ended well. The plus side is knowing that the second book in this series is about Evangeline’s new friend, Susan Stanton and her HEA.

TOO SINFUL TO DENY
TOO SINFUL TO DENY is the second book in the Gothic Love Stories series. Each will stand on its own, but I highly recommend all four.

An old gothic manor on the cliffs of a beach town filled with smugglers and those who enjoy the goods being smuggled into their town. What could go wrong?

Did I mention ghosts? Susan started seeing them after she temporarily died in the Thames River. Moreover, a captain that wants to do more than smuggle – piracy sounds like even more fun to him! Conspiracy and abuse are being hidden in this small town as well.

Susan has to decide who to trust, who to believe, and if her own heart will lead her astray. I have to say, I loved Susan. She’s an absolute brat with a new paranormal talent to figure out while banished to a boring seaside village with no outlets for a society miss. Her answer seems to be to make as much trouble as possible to entertain herself and those around her!

This was a fantastic read with a proper amount of paranormal fun, teasing, passion, and romance. Speaking of romance, let’s mention Evan Bothwick. He is a smuggler with an offer to become a pirate. Is that a line he wants to cross? There is a difference between adventure and murderous greed! He’s also handsome, a gentleman at heart even though he’ll deny it, and a loyal brother. Another character with whom I have fallen deeply in love.

Together, they are fire. They are steam. They are volcanic!

TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST
TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST is the third book in the Gothic Love Stories series, formerly released as Romancing the Rogue. This is a stand-alone gothic novella with no tie to the previous two books in the series, but there is mention of at least one character from the Dukes of War series.

My heart went out to Rebecca – orphaned twice – by her parents and now by the old earl, her guardian these last five years. I wanted her to find friendship, companionship, and true love. Enter Daniel – a young man who has allowed title and family to come between them before – will he make the same mistakes again? Add in a few ghosts in the castle and it was totally my cup of tea!

I loved that in this story both of our main characters have been shown to mature and learn from their pasts. They each long for the other, but are reluctant to dive in too quickly. They each have a fear of rejection that must be laid to rest. Ms. Ridley does a wonderful job of building their past and their present to allow them to regain the trust that is needed to bring them to where they both always wanted to be.

This was a feel happy story that had me smiling for hours after I closed my Kindle.

TOO WANTON TO WED

TOO WANTON TO WED is the fourth book in the Gothic Love Stories series, but was originally released as a stand-alone novella, DARK SURRENDER.

Violet was born to nothing, not even a real name of her own. Through luck, she is taken in at the Livingstone School for Girls in Lancashire. Because of her talent, she later became an instructor in art. Unfortunately, for those born with nothing, bad luck becomes normal and expected. When the school is closed and one of her students is attacked, Violet finds herself on the run with only the clothes on her back, a few coins, and her wits. When she falls on the doorsteps of Waldegrave Abbey, Alistair Waldegrave instructs the staff to provide her with bath, food, and a night of rest. One night as a Good Samaritan recipient becomes a temporary position for Violet as governess to Alistair’s daughter, Lillian.

There are many avenues of passion in this story – art, parental love, and romantic. All are well written and all consuming. The story is well paced and continually moving forward. I never wanted to put it down to deal with real life. This was definitely a book to get lost within the pages.

Who should read it? Anyone who likes romance, a touch of crime novel, and a hint of paranormal activity.

A great set of stories each one different from the other well written and a set I will read again. The stories are TOO WICKED TO KISS, TOO SINFUL TO DENY, TOO TEMPTING TO RESIST, and TOO WANTON TO WED. This set looks like it is no longer sold but the books are sold separately. I received a copy through NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I absolutely loved this series of Gothic Love stories! Each of them held my attention and made me want to keep reading ALL NIGHT. It was fun change of pace and really well done. The darkness of each of the stories seep through and you begin to wonder who the good guys really are. Definitely give these a try. This time of year is perfect for reads like these!

To say that I'm a big fan of the author it's just a tiny bit unfair because i just love her writing and each story that she writes for us to enjoy.
I loved each couple, so different and so perfectly matched, with flaws and feelings that can't deny the love they share and even if they have to go through some dangerous situations, love will always find a way to bring them back together and never let go.
Just love.

These are the first Gothic stories I've read from Ms Ridley. They were quite wonderful. She does such a beautiful job of bringing the characters to life. I would highly recommend.

Another excellent set of stories by Ms. Ridley. Good plost and such an interesting assortment of characters. Enjoyed

Really enjoyed this collection of exciting adventures filled with danger, intriguing charters and thrilling emotional ups and downs..... excellent reading!

I absolutely adored this set of books. The stories were all standalones but each one heaved you firmly and wouldn't let you go. If you enjoy romances with amazing characters and happy endings these books are for you