⭐️3.5 stars⭐️This had me at ‘haunted estate’ and ‘Celtic folklore’ but as the storyline unraveled, it was the eerie twists and unanswered questions that hooked me the most.

I also feel like it’s my duty to note that I’ve read a lot of spicy scenes in my day and these were among the superior. 🌶️🔥

The first person narrative felt quite wordy / diary-like at times which isn’t generally my preferred style but I was able to overlook this for the story.

Would recommend to anyone who wants to get out of a book slump with a quick gothic romance. There were many unexpected surprises and my first thought upon finishing is I need a re-read— immediately.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Northwick Books for the ARC! Here I leave my honest review.

I didn't have any expectations of this book at the beginning. But later on I found this is a perfect book for October. From the beginning, I can feel the gloomy, gothic feel from this book. Old house, library, garden, death of the madam of house and all things that make this book feel so dark and eerie.

Millie is full of mystery since the beginning. I thought she has a dark secrets but turns out she doesn't remember her past. One point that make me curious about how this will change in further book. The book focus on the mystery of the house, the things Millie saw and heard and her relationship with Callum. I love how the author successfully makes me afraid to read this book at the middle of the night. I can feel the horror and imagine these "things" that bother Millie.

At first I can't explain how I feel toward Millie and Callum relationship. They didn't interact that much at first but surely has some interest toward each other. Feel like insta love but not really. But later on everything feel make sense. The plot twist surely change everything in this book and I really love that! I can't predict at all how this book will turn out. The conflict itself is so great and well written. I feel content when I finish the book. Really recommend this book if you want a fast read and suitable for this month!

The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick is a fantastic read! It's a gothic thriller set in the 1920's. It's full of twists and turns that took me on a spooky, dark, mysterious rollercoaster ride with some adult sizzle. I loved the profound and, very satisfying ending. This is definitely in my top five favorite books of 2023

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘 by Bea Northwick @beanorthwick

5/5 stars

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“𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓. 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆."

"𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.“

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Mille has made her way to the Willowfield estate on the heels of an incredible job offer to assist Professor Callum Hughes with his research on the Fae and Celtic mythology. When she gets there, however, something isn’t quite right. The manor itself is crumbling, frozen in a state of disrepair after the death of the Professor’s wife.

As she spends more time within Willowfield, Millie becomes convinced that the manor is haunted. It’s clear the Professor is keeping secrets, and she intends puzzle them out. But Mille is also haunted by her past, and she has secrets of her own.


The Cruel Dark blends romance and horror in a way I’ve never experienced before, and I don’t know that I will ever fully recover or forgive Bea Northwick for the ordeal she just put me through with this book. But I’m also convinced she could give me her grocery list to read and I would devour it.

There were moments within The Cruel Dark that sent shivers down my spine. It was genuinely creepy and consistently surprising. I never really knew where the story was heading next, and I loved that.

The characters were phenomenal. I loved Millie so much, I definitely related to her nervous tendencies.

I cannot recommend The Cruel Dark enough. It’s the perfect spooky season read, full of passion and terror in equal parts.

PThank you NetGalley and Northwick Books LLC for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.
The Cruel Dark is a gothic romance book with ghosts, folklore, and secrets from the past coming to light in the present day. I enjoyed this book it was the perfect October spooky read. I’d never read a gothic romance before but the eery dark vibes of the haunted mansion of Willowfield drew me to give it a try. It was a slow start for sure with detailed descriptions of the mansion, area, and snippets of Millie’s history to set the scene. The world building is spot on and well written. I found myself wishing for more action and plot movement but by the middle of the book, things quickly began to accelerate. The sudden relationship between Millie and Callum seemed rushed and driven more by lust than love (at least on Millie’s end). It was certainly spicy and intense. By the end, I saw it was purposeful. The ghost and fae folklore aspects were so intriguing to me and added to the mystery but when the folklore portion became more like a red herring, I was equal parts disappointed and eager to find out the truth.
I felt the overall character development for all the characters could have been stronger. This was probably due to Millie’s amnesia and the overall mystery aspect but it would have been nice to know more about the characters on a more personal level.
The end was a very surprising twist and I was in awe as the pieces began to fall together. It will be definitely be a story I’ll be still thinking about in the days to come.

4.5/5 Stars + 3/5 Spice

- Dark, gothic, paranormal, historical fiction, romance
- First Person, Single POV
- TW: abuse, attempted SA

“He looked like a god, ferocious and celestial, and he was pledging to bleed for me with grave sincerity.”

Eerie. Exquisite. Enthralling.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, Northwick Books, and the author, Bea Northwick for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book initially left me speechless, but now I need to rant about how utterly fantastic this book is. And it is, fantastic.

“He could have asked anything of me, and I would have mindlessly obeyed, a servant to the longing he was building in me.”

This book is stunning. It’s set in 1928, and follows our FMC, Millie as she embarks on a journey to become the assistant to a Professor. Millie also has a two year gap in her memories.

“Strange things bloom where grief lives.”

This book is a gothic, paranormal, fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, romance with just the right amount of spice and a twist ending. So many times I thought I knew what was coming, what would be revealed at the end, I was completely wrong but I was not disappointed.

This book was a delightful surprise. It exceeded all my expectations and it is a book I will think about often and will recommend numerous times to as many people as will listen.

This book was haunting, terrifying, and completely exciting. I was drawn in from the very start, and brought to Willowfield with Millie as she embarked upon this new chapter.

The darkness was done so well in this book, hidden secrets and motives. Hidden character traits and agendas. I loved watching Callum fall for Millie, and her for him. The entire house made everything feel so sinister, and I couldn't decide whether to root for Calllum or not.

I did not expect things to unfold the way they did in the end, holy wow!!! So good though!!!

Millie, who is hired to work with Professor Callum Hughes involving the world of the supernatural. Her responsibilities include organizing his extensive collection of papers and books. Yet, Millie grapples with her own haunting family history, overshadowed by dark memories and a harrowing past that includes a stay in a mental ward. Her reluctance to engage with Callum is out of fear of what he might think of her past. Although all her instincts scream at her to flee from what appears to be a dark and intricate past that Callum harbors, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. As if the odds were not stacked against them enough, the malevolent spirit dwelling within the home seems equally averse to their union.

“The Cruel Dark” by Bea Northwick gave me Jane Eyre feels. Similar to my conflicted emotions towards the characters of Jane and Mr. Rochester, I found myself torn in my sentiments for Millie and Callum. Throughout the narrative, I questioned whether they should truly be together, but it was only towards the conclusion that I began to piece together the reasons underlying my unease. I liked the sexual tension and the mental illness and trauma aspect of the book. 3 out of 5 stars.

2.5 stars
This read gave me Verity vibes.
It's long for my taste. The first 50% of the book is quite slow. Overall there is very little plot and action to pull you through the many pages. However, there is a twist at the end. The atmosphere was a touch creeping but definitely won't keep you up at night (and i'm really a scaredy cat).

The connection between the MFC and the MMC did not resonate with me. I found their encounters a bit disturbing and I did not see his charm. I was defs routing for the grounds keeper. There are multiple open-door sex scenes. The quality of this was mediocre. It didn't land well for me.

I kept reading because I knew a twist was coming - which it did in the conclusion.
I saw the main half of the twist coming from a mile away. There was a lot of good foreshadowing and I liked the story. The other half caught be completely off guard - however I take this as a weakness because there was no foreshadowing whatsoever for this. Being blindsided without foreshadowing is just not as interesting for me. I think this is much more easily achieved that a well devised plot twist. I think the main half I predicted was more towards this. (Writing without spoilers so sorry for the vagueness!)

The writing at a sentence level was good (not excellent but good). Some of the dialogue was awkward - especially when the two main characters were connecting more.

I would have liked more setting descriptions and more of the 'fairytale' and content they were researching.

If it was shorter, more descriptive and I believed the chemistry between the two main characters more it could've been a higher rating. I would give Bea Northwick another read when she comes out with another book!

Spoiler free quotes:
"He chuckled, kissing my temple so gently that any lingering part of me not belonging to him surrendered."
"There was silence, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong, but then the laughter poured through the room, lighting every shadowy corner."
"I pressed it like a flower int he pages of my memory."
"My words echoed around the cavernous space like unanswered prayers."
"hours passed and a headache marched in time behind my weary eyes."

"Strange things bloom where grief lives."

I really enjoyed this book!
It was a solid spooky season read. It was scary and a little spicy and I was genuinely creeped out at some parts.
This book is very well written and the plot was great, I couldn’t put it down.

Full review is on Goodreads and will also be posted to Instagram on 21/10/2023

The way I loved this book is completely unmatched!!! I’ve been in a bit of a book slump and this absolutely pulled me out of it!!

5 Hauntingly Beautiful stars!!

I was so excited that I was able to get an ARC through NetGalley. When I read the blurb of this book I knew right away I had to read it. If you enjoy Gothic Romances set in old mansions that have lots of secrets hidden in the walls, and maybe a spirit or two, this book is right up your alley! It’s the perfect fall/spooky season read with a good dose of spice!

The best part was I did not guess the plot twist which doesn’t happen often and probably why it pushed it to a 5 for me. It’s a relatively quick read that had I not started at 9 at night I absolutely would have finished it in one sitting!

I don’t want to share too much else because this is definitely a book you want to go into without spoilers!!

4 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley & Bea Northwick for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
• Creepy, shocking twists, & love Bea’s writing style.
I read this book in one day, I could not put it down. Perfect for spooky season - Bea does a great job with the horror aspect. I could literally picture the woman skittering on all fours, I’m still creeped out. 😂 The first few chapters could be a bit slow paced for some, but I was quickly hooked so the slow spots were easy to get through. The detail when describing the house, the characters, everything, was amazing. I love Millie and her progressive attitude, considering the time period. The ending was so twisty, I was honestly shocked, but one downside was the “main” ending character was pretty insignificant except for a few pages, more could have been built on this character throughout the book with how important they are to the ending. Overall, a great book. Please write more books Bea! I can see her becoming one of my favorite authors.

The Cruel Dark is the absolutely stunning debut book from Bea Northwick.

Atmospheric, with intriguing characters and interesting Celtic folklore, there was nothing about the book that I did not like. A beautifully written gothic tale set in the 1920's, I didn't want to put the book down as it was so compelling, slowly building up to a satisfying twist at the end. (Sorry, no spoilers!)

Highly recommended if you enjoy gothic romance and the supernatural and Bea Northwick is an author I think we will be hearing a lot about in the future. 5 stars all day long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Northwick Books for the ARC.

“I enjoyed the excitement of facing a beast on the safe side of the page, where defeating it meant only closing the cover.” -⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Gothic romance - This was so terrifyingly beautiful. The perfect Halloween read!
It’s 1928 and Millicent Foxboro has been offered an assistantship to a Professor of mythology with an undeniable salary. But this position might be more than she bargained for with the eerie estate of Willowfield now nothing more than a ghost town.

I can’t wait to read this one again!
Thank you netgalley and author Bea Northwick for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review 🩶 release date: Oct 31st.

Solid 4. There were moments where I wanted to rate a 5 as well as moments when I considered it a 3 star book. Overall the concept and plot were incredible. It was an addicting fast paced read. Although the romance moved way too quickly... This book could have dramatically benefited from a slow burn buildup!!!
That ending though… wow! Not what I expected at all. I’ve never felt so happily fooled!

I was instantly hooked from the first page, the authors writing is so beautiful as they weave this gothic captivating tale of enigmatic characters, haunted tales, the spooky/scary allure of the unknown set within the a crumbling estate and Celtic lore incorporated, this certainly a great read for this time of year.

I devoured it so quickly and part of that is because I connected instantly with Millie she was such a relatable character and I found her so captivating, her relationship with the professor who’s the owner of this crumbling estate she has gone to work for was so intense and their chemistry was just right for this gothic tale, the added element of the decaying grandeur setting of Willowfield with its own whispers of ghosts and eerie atmosphere just adds so much more to this story. The ending even though a little bit predictable was still fitting for this wonderful debut.

The authors writing is beautifully descriptive and Bea Northwick skillfully balances it all to make the perfect read for anyone who loves a gothic romance with a intriguing and captivating fmc a mysterious brooding love interest and the supernatural allure, I definitely recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the chance to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I loved about this book is it just puts you straight into the story. Incredible for those in a slump! I really liked the beginning of this book. It was poetic and beautiful!
There’s everything you want from a gothic romance; a little mystery, preternatural experiences, references to a psychiatric hospital, dilapidated manor & garden, etc. It’s spooky and spicy!
I loved Millie’s character and the way her mind works so much. The banter between Millie and Professor Hughes was delightful. There were characters that I loved and hated throughout the whole book which is always a fun dichotomy.
BUT THE ENDING?!?! That was the most insane, beautiful, mastermind of an ending I have ever read. Everything was wrapped up – even things that I didn’t KNOW needed to be wrapped up. It was a whirlwind that left me speechless, but also needing to obsess over it with someone.
Oh and the epilogue made me tear up a little.

Thank you to Netgalley and Northwick Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect book for spooky season! Read if you’ve previously enjoyed Gothikana or anything by Keri Lake. This is one of those that are SO hard to review with out revealing things but let me say that ending was wild. I’m so glad I got to enjoy this gem during October - 10/10 recommend to anyone who likes gothic romance or wants to give the genre a go!

LOVE IS MADNESS
LOVE IS OBSESSION
LOVE IS DEATH
LOVE IS LIFE

The Cruel Dark a Gothic Romance
Out on Oct 31
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Strange things bloom where grief lives"
Our story takes place in Willowfiled (a small historic mansion) year 1928 in the middle of nowhere. There lives Professor Callum Hughes a bewitching widowed man grieving the loss of his wife.

Millicent Foxboro a 26 years old woman in desperate need for money to start a new life away from her haunting past. So, when she is offered a job in Willowfiled as the professor's assistant she couldn't say no even though the rumors surrounding it are not comfortable at all.
There awaiting her a world full of secrets and darkness that will flip Millie's world upside down.
If you love haunted mansion, ghosts, dark romance then this story is perfect for you and it will also make a great read for the spooky season.
It's fast-paced with short addictive chapters and that mind-blowing ending OMG I was like this 😳 so so good.
Loved the vibes. The author described the setting in an excellent way making you immersed in it and feeling every little detail.
The love connection between Callum&Millie was ✔️♥️ with just the amount of spice that will burn you alive with passion.
Highly recommend you don't want to miss it.
Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #TheCruelDark in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo💋