“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!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.
3.5 stars rounded down.

I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I have only read a couple of 'gothic' romances, one of which I completely forgot was gothic and the other I struggled with (I sort of want to listen to the audiobook to see if I enjoy it more a second time). There's also a chance I just liked this so much because the narrator did a really good job, and even if I wasn't absolutely taken by the secondary narrator, it was cool they had one for the female characters and one for the male characters.

Even if I could foresee the twist with Milli, it was still nice to see played out. I did find the end reveal a bit blah, not because it's bad, but because I really wanted it to go in another direction. More of a paranormal approach probably just appeals to me because I like fantasy stuff xD Either way, the book did a great job misdirecting you to think it'd go that way, to the point that I was extremely offset by one of the men when I didn't have to be.

Overall, a fun gothic read that I recommend, even if it not going in the direction I wanted did make it less enjoyable overall to me personally.

The audiobook "A Cruel Dark" was truly captivating. The narrator skillfully brought the characters to life, allowing listeners to deeply feel their emotions and immerse themselves in the intricate world of dark romance and mystery. The storyline was compelling and easy to follow, weaving together complex characters and a gripping plot.

3.75⭐️

1928, Boston: Twenty-six-year-old Millicent Foxboro quits her job at a bookshop in Boston to accept a position to assist widowed Professor Callum Hughes in his research, a position that would require her to move to his estate in Willowfield. Millicent lives with a big gap in her memories. She remembers her traumatic childhood and the tragic episode that destroyed her own family but is unable to recall the events of the years preceding her being admitted to the hospital. With this new assignment, she hopes to earn enough money to turn her life around. But after a somewhat cold reception and the strange behavior of the staff, Millicent begins to suspect that Willowfield and her new employer harbor deep secrets, the eerie occurrences and the journal of her employer’s late wife only adding to her fear and unease. Is the estate haunted or is she being targeted? Who would want to harm her and why?

Though the premise or the major plot points won’t strike you as anything you haven’t read before, as a whole I did find The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick to be an engaging read. The intriguing premise, the atmospheric setting, well-developed characters and the Gothic elements paired with a few surprising revelations (among the more predictable ones) kept me interested in the plot as it progressed. I loved the sections on Celtic mythology and appreciated how the same was incorporated into the narrative. The ending was exciting and overall satisfying, though I was left with a few questions. Overall, this was a well-written, absorbing novel. Fans of Gothic romance (with a healthy dose of spice) and mystery would definitely enjoy this one.

This is definitely a promising debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Madison Mitts and Theodore Zephyr, which made for an engaging immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to Northwick Books for the digital review copy Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The novel was published on Oct 31, 2023 and the audiobook was released on Apr 22, 2024

This was a pretty good debut, and the ending packed a lot in.

I found Millie a sympathetic character from the start, and Madison Mitts narrated her beautifully. I much preferred her narration over the male narrator.

The story was fleshed out and complex, but I felt the middle was very lacklustre in regards to plot. I wasn't a fan of the romance, so I skipped most of the intimate scenes - I don't think the male narrator helped, to be honest. It came across very creepy and almost predatory, but it got better.

The way the beginning knitted with the end was truly excellent. That's what saved it for me because up until that point, I was a bit bored.

The imagery and writing were quite evocative and kept me engaged despite the slow middle part.

Overall, it wasn't the best book in this genre I've read, but it was pretty good, especially for a debut.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bea Northwick for the ALC and ARC.

This murder mystery gave me the chills and kept me on my toes with all the suspense! I did enjoy the audio version better but the narrator for Callum was a huge no as he made Callum seem like such an old man compared to Millie and so that kinda made things off when it came to their chemistry.

3.5/5

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Victory Editing for the ARC. This was a great audio. I loved the narrators, especially for Professor Hughes.
This story was filled with ghost and mystery but it was the ending that made me gasp. A must read.

WOAH!! Stop right here and listen to me. This book was absolutely amazing!! The narrator was **CHEFS KISS** phenomenal.

Set in the 1920s, Millie is hired to work in a gothic manor house as an assistant to Callum, a professor of mythology.

Firstly the build up is intoxicatingly gripping. The storytelling was so expertly done that you could feel the creeping of the floorboards! I ignored my adult jobs to just sit and listen to this hostorical gothic thriller.

Millie has issues with her mental health. She has a tendancy to sleepwalk. An affliction that Callums dead wife also suffered with. There is something in the house that is trying to tell Millie something but she just doesn't know what and who she can trust. The closer she works with Callum, the more attracted to him she becomes but what really happened to his wife???

Its all well done. All the characters have that unreliable vibe to them. Everyone is keeping secrets and it was such a wild ride!

Loved the ending! It tied everything up well enough!

Excellent read 4.5 stars!!

The Cruel Dark has a lot going for it: fairy tale retelling, historical fiction, really spooky horror, a thrilling twist at the end, and the smuttiest smut to have ever smut!  Despite the book holding so many different genres, I would say every single one was incorporated really well.  This book constantly had me guessing which direction it was going to go next and once we got to the ending I found myself rethinking everything!  Why dock a star then?  I am not sure if 200 pages constitutes something as a short story but this felt too short to me.  The ending happened so quickly, with Millie running away so fast we barely process the final clues she uncovers.

I listened to the audiobook and while I loved the duet narration (same style as Butcher and Blackbird and Thank You For Listening), I could not handle the way the women narrator sex talked every single line.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting this to be a smut book based on the Goodreads description and genre tags so I was really thrown off.  The sexy times don't even start until a good chunk of the book, leaving Millie to breathlessly moan about her past trauma, new life in the castle, strange co-workers, and nightmare visions for the majority of the audio.  If the story itself wasn't so captivating, I'd have DNF'ed on the narrator's voice alone.

The was a perfect blend of romance, suspense and fantasy for me! The dark gothic, creepy and sinister vibes were intoxicating. Set in a progressive 1920s and in an old deteriorated mansion, Willowfield was perfection. This story definitely gave me a dark, beauty and the beast vibes and I could not eat it up fast enough! The fairytale/mythological history elements added to make this one of my favorite books of the year.

Millie, a young woman with a tragic history, is doing whatever she can to make herself a path in the world. After a stay in the insane asylum, she has thrown herself into work as an apprentice to a historian. When a temporary job opportunity comes up in another city, Millie jumps on the chance to start over in a new place where no one knows her as "mad Millie". As the apprentice to a Professor of Mythology, Mille will gain the money and experience needed to move on with her life.

Callum lost his wife a few years ago to madness. Since that time, he has allowed his beautiful mansion to fall into disrepair and the ghost stories for his property to flourish. His best friend decides bringing in an assistant will help be the first step in bringing Callum back to society.

Between the immediate visions Millie has, the sleep walking adventures, the sexual tension and the flashes of their backgrounds, this book was SUSPENSE all the way through! I loved the world building and was entranced by the eerie beauty of Willowfield. The plot twists and mysteries kept me glued to the page through the end. I can not wait to read more work from this author!

It's been a long time since I've read a gothic romance, but The Cruel Dark reminded me why I love them. The way Northwick weaves Gaelic mythology into the story is beautifully done and keeps the line between reality and fantasy intentionally fuzzy. I could feel the terror and trepidation in the writing and in the amazing narration from Madison Mitts. Theodore Zephyr did wonderfully with all the male characters and I immediately read Lover after I finished this book to ensure I had the full story. The ending felt a tiny bit rushed for me, but having the sequel/companion novella scratched every remaining itch I had. Wonderfully done, highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy.