If you’re looking for a fun, dramatic and smutty read with Jane Eyre vibes, this is for you. Utterly compelling and very enjoyable. And I say this as someone who would not normally read this sort of book.

𝟺.𝟻 ⭐️
ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ:𝟻⭐️

-ɢᴏᴛʜɪᴄ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
-sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ
-sᴘɪᴄʏ
-sɪɴɪsᴛᴇʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛ
-ʜɪsᴛᴏʀɪᴄᴀʟ

“𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒻𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓈𝓎 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝑒. 𝐸𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝓊𝑒𝓁 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀.”

ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ. ᴅᴀʀᴋ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs. ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ɢᴏᴛʜɪᴄ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ. ᴄᴇʟᴛɪᴄ ғᴏʟᴋʟᴏʀᴇ. ᴍʏ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs ᴀɢᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡs ᴀʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ! ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀs ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ɪs ᴘʜᴇɴᴏᴍᴇɴᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴏᴏᴋʏ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀᴇ . ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴡɪsᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ!

ᴍᴀᴅɪsᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴀɴ ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ ᴊᴏʙ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴏ ʟɪғᴇ. ɪ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴘɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴜᴘ !

This was a fun gothic romance read for someone who is in the mood for an atmospheric tale. Well performed as an audiobook, probably a more exciting read for myself in this format. If you're on the fence about the genre, for sure pick up the audio. A nice twist in the tale but no spoilers here.

I swear I am not great at guessing endings. I swear! But every time there's a book that tries to do a twist, I know it from like page 3. I don't know how, or why, but for some reason I can spot them in books a MILE away.

So, no, this did not shock me at the end.

THAT. BEING. SAID.

This was a blast. Weird, creepy, ghostly. It had big The Haunting of Bly Manor vibes to it and the whole time it's like, oh who do we trust, who do we not trust, can we trust ourselves??

Millie has taken a job at a creepy old mansion to assist a professor. It's like 1928, so she has to hide the fact that she previously was in a mental asylum and cannot remember like 4 years of her life. When she gets the the mansion, everyone is nice, but also not nice...it depends on the day really. And pretty quickly she starts to experience visions of ghosts. She thinks they're of the former lady of the house, but what is she trying to tell her?

She's trying to not lose her mind, or maybe it's already lost, all while slowly falling for the dashing, brooding, widower of a professor.

There's quite a bit of spice in this book, so get ready for that.

All in all, this was an interesting, fun, and quick listen.

So this book was so much more than I expected, but also I'm still processing everything and not sure what I just read, lol. That's what I get for going in blind for a gothic historical romance.

I liked the spooky, gothic, ghostie vibes, but just didn’t connect with the romance. It felt very rushed to me. Like at one point I was literally thinking “omg when the heck is the romance happening, idk if they have really interacted?!" Then like 0.5 seconds later, they started banging , and all the ‘drama’ with the ex-wife seemed so weird, like, why did Millie not really care about the professor and his wifes story at all?! They the side characters all were more interesting to me than the main couple.

But I did enjoy the ending! The last 35% of the book was so exciting and I couldn't stop listening because so much unraveled so quickly.

Reading the other reviews for this book, I may be the outcast by enjoying both of our narrators. I loved the accents used, and while Madison's bedroom voice could have been different for other points, I still really enjoyed her work.

Final Rating: 3.75⭐, 2.5🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editting Co-Op for an ALC/ eARC of Cruel Dark, by Bea Northwick (narrated by Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr). This is my honest and unpaid review!

The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick and narrated by Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr is a deliciously dark gothic novel based in 1928

Madison Mitt was a great choice for this novel and matched the era and writing flow perfectly. I had difficulty consolidating Theodore Zephyr's narration production settings with this particular title as although a competent performance, did not quite mesh for my taste.

The story follows Millicent Foxboro as she starts a new job in a manor where things are not as they seem. There was a lot more to this novel than I was expecting and as such, I will likely get the eBook to go through it again. The writing was awesome, the storytelling and character development was on point, there was just that one tiny aspect of the audiobook that didn't quite work for me in the landscape of a very good novel

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Bea Northwick and the narrators for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

"The Cruel Dark" by Bea Northwick is a twisty gothic romance that totally hooked me! Set in 1928, it follows Millie, who moves to a creepy estate and uncovers dark secrets with her mysterious employer, Professor Hughes. The setting is eerie, and the plot has some surprising twists, even if it drags a bit in the middle. The romance is hot and adds a lot to the story. Overall, it's a fun, spooky read for gothic romance fans!

5/5 stars
Thank you to the author and netgalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

The story was a bit spicier than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed the story. It took an amazing twist at the end. I would love to read more from this author. The narrators also did amazing with the characters.

I was bothered by the narrators voice so much that I couldn’t finish this. I will try rereading it as an ebook.

WHAT ON EARTH WAS THIS AUDIO BOOK

I can't get into the book itself before addressing my main issue here, even before the pseudo-gothic plot or the barely-researched historical setting: What what what happened to the male audio narrator? I listened to this until the very end to make sure I had not misunderstood, because for a good while I thought the female narrator used editing to deepen her voice and speak all of the available roles, but I checked and there is a male narrator. And his voice was artificially distorted in order to deepen it for almost every single role he took up, but especially for the MLI, to the point where I thought my audio file was damaged. For real, that didn't sound like a "sexy male voice" anymore, that sounded like a bug flying into my ear. Whose idea was that???

Not that the female narrator served up a brilliant performance, exactly... her breathy bedroom voice was used for every single scene. Even for descriptions of a cup of tea. I wanted to scream.

To keep the rest short: The historical setting is interchangeable, the writer pretends the automobile was an entirely new invention in 1928, the diaries of a dead woman are mostly ignored for the sake of fast-paced smut, no mansion looks like that, the romance is a case for HR, the villain has the flimsiest of motives, and only the little twist at the end could be called a saving grace for this plot, if at all.

But even ignoring all that... an average rating of 4,2 stars? Alright. I could be very generous and return my third star to the rating, but the audio mess just goes against all of my believes. Two stars, go home.

“The Cruel Dark” by Bea Northwick begins with a captivating Gothic atmosphere and a promising storyline but ultimately stumbles due to sluggish pacing and lackluster character development. The eerie manor setting is intriguing, yet the plot falls into predictable patterns.

Millie, the protagonist, has a compelling backstory, but her character feels underdeveloped in the present. Her romance with Professor Hughes lacks the chemistry necessary to make their interactions engaging, resulting in forced and awkward moments. The pacing falters as the middle of the story drags, leading to a rushed conclusion that doesn’t offer satisfying closure.

The villain's motivations are weak, failing to create a satisfying payoff, and the supernatural elements, including Fae lore, are not fully explored and add little to the narrative.

I appreciate NetGalley for providing the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So addictive, I couldn't turn it off. I loved the complexity of the story and the structure of the plot. The characters are rich and unforgettable. It was an excellent read

This was a delicious and creepy Gothic mystery. I loved the setting and how it added nuance to the unsettling story. The characters were varied and interesting, the romance was a whirlwind of passion and confusion on the part of our main character. I loved listening to this book as much as I loved reading it. I was an arc reader when the ebook was first on netgalley, and signed up for the audiobook because I enjoyed it so much.

I loved this book it had Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre vibes set in the early 1900s. A professor hires an assistant and she quickly finds the mansion she has been hired to work in isn't all it seems and has a dark side that puts her on edge. Finding out the professor has many secrets sets the MC on a journey of discovery that may unearth the unexpected. So good, major creep factor and kept me on my toes

The Cruel Dark a debut novel by Bea Northwick is a captivating gothic historical romance set in 1928.
This story is centred on Millicent Foxboro, who is recovering from traumatic amnesia. She lands an assistantship with the enigmatic Professor Callum Hughes at his mysterious estate, Willowfield.
Which was once a place of grand parties, it now harbors bitter memories and dark secrets.

As Millie delves into her new life and - the professor's world of flowers and folklore, she uncovers dangerous truths, including her own hidden past.

Bea Northwick masterfully weaves a dark love story with gothic horror, (I have not read many of these) she throw's in unexpected twists that keep you hooked. Personally, I think It's a must-read for fans of haunted tales and romance.

Unfortunately - but in honesty, the narration didn't do it for me. It felt like it was trying too hard and was difficult to listen to, which was a bit of a letdown.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the Audio ARC.

Now, I’m not a thriller or mystery reader. But I guess I’m now a mystery romance reader because this story was so satisfying I now want to read more 😍😍 I’m not going to tell you the plot because you should discover it for yourself. All I will say is that there is an old haunted (or not?) mansion, a cast of characters you will love (or fear?) and the most beautiful love story full of twists and drama. The plot was very engaging, and when the last twist hit I almost jumped from my seat in the bus! Yes I often look like a deranged person in public due to my love of audiobooks 🤷‍♀️

Both narrators were amazing, they created the perfect atmosphere for this gothic mystery romance!

The ending was so satisfying I still feel giddy thinking about it. And the writing was 🤌😘 — atmospheric and lyrical, just what this story needed. I can’t wait to read what else Bea Northwick has in store 😊😊 which means I’m definitely reading Lover — a companion novel to The Cruel Dark from the point of view of Callum, our MMC.

All in all, I recommend the book to anyone who loves dark gothic stories, scorching hot romance, and gripping mysteries that will tickle your nerves and tug at your heart ♥️ Even if you’re not a mystery / thriller / horror fan like me, please give it a chance! I assure you the romance is front and centre in this one, and all other aspects only add to the enjoyment 🤩🤩

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Maybe I’ve read too many dark, atmospheric, gothic books lately, but this was just slow and boring to me. The twist was actually pretty interesting but just felt like too little too late. The motives of the “bad guy” also felt sort of watery and arbitrary.

The narrator was ok, I don’t remember anything sticking out as being terrible or wonderful just ok.

Memories, Mysteries and Murder?

I will be transparent and say that I did almost dnf this book at around 30%. But then I had seen a review from a mutual who said that the beginning kind of dragged but that once you got past 30% it picked up and that they thought it was worth it, so I picked it back up! And they were right, the plot picks up from there and then it is a whirlwind of mysteries and scary ladies roaming the halls at night.

I thought the characters where entertaining and had a believable chemistry, I even enjoyed the secondary characters but I feel like they weren’t really fleshed out and we don’t get a good idea of who they are and why they’re there.

There was a pretty surprising twist towards the end and while I was shocked by it I think that was mostly because there was practically no information that would have made me suspect that was coming. It just felt like it was out of no where, I am all for the misleading narrative but I think there could have been some more details throughout the book that make the end make sense and give it some realistic motive.

I did enjoy the book after I got past the 30% mark and I was able to finish the book in only a couple hours. The spice was 🌶️🌶️ to 🌶️🌶️🌶️ on the spice scale but that’s not really my thing so it didn’t bring the rating up much in my personal opinion. I give 3 ⭐️’s!

Thank you to the Author Bea Northwick, and the Narrators Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr for sharing their work with us!

Big thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for my free audiobook copy of “The Cruel Dark”.

I received this advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I liked many of the ideas in The Cruel Dark but the execution was extremely lackluster. The plot was very formulaic. Every step was predictable. That isn't necessarily a bad thing since random twists with no build up are a sign of poor writing. But the plot also shouldn't be stale.

Looking at the overall rating, I'm obviously in the minority. So this novel works for many others. So if you're looking for a spicy, Gothic romance set in the 1920s, this book is worth giving a try.

Thanks NetGalley, Bea Northwick and Victory Editing for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Haunting, disturbing and extremely chilling with a smidgen of hope and destiny. I really got into this book as it over took my mind with the twists and turns along the way. Heroic performances and wistful heart rendering sentiments make for a story worthy of telling!