I have tried and tried and I can't get into this - it feels like something I would like so I can't say why I just haven't been able to read.

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!

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:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

*** I received an e-ARC of this book from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op in exchange for my honest review***

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would say this book is gothic romance ghost story. “Mad” Millie Foxboro takes a job at Willowfield. The staff appear to be hiding something, Professor Callum Hughes is broody, and no one is I’ll tell her what happened to Mrs. Hughes. When things begin to go bump in the. Night, Millie has to remind herself that ghost aren’t real….or are they?
You will not expect the twist at the end of this story!

✨ Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

It was a very enjoyable read, it made the gears of my mind turn from the first chapters, with all the theories I came up with and i obviously fell into some of them although I wish I had fallen into the more far-fetched ones (the ones that had the element of the fantastic more intense!). As much as the author tried to mislead us the ending was clear from the beginning and I felt that - despite a touching love story with a gothic background - I have read/seen something similar before!! nevertheless as I said it was a pleasant read and a page turner !! I liked the characters but I expected a more complicated ending!



Thank you NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest review!!

If you are before the 30 percent mark and are struggling, just hold on!
I really struggled to even pick up this one for the first little bit but when I hit that 30-40 percent I was so invested. It turned around so fast that I read 70 percent of this book in one night. I couldn't put it down and not know what was going to happen.

Millie and Callum had such delightful chemistry and the spice was very well written. I don't normally read a ton of historical books (this one set in the 1920s) and I was a little worried the spice wouldn't hit the way it should because of that. Honestly, dumb thing to worry about on my part. The banter was also a lot of fun. The fact that Millie was so quick witted made me love her even more in context to the time period.

The setting was detailed so well and the vibes were absolutely dark gothic. I was questioning everyone and everything, it felt like I was playing clue except I didn't know a crime was being committed. Partly, I couldn't go to bed without knowing what we were dealing with, ghosts, myth, none or all of the above - it really could have gone any way.

I could have never in my life guessed the whole ending, the twists were twisting and I was inhaling it. Now that I have finished it, I could see all the signs pointing to the twist but during I was not guessing that at all which made me that much more surprised in the end. This was so suspenseful and absolutely memorable. I am very impressed with Bea's debut novel!!

The Cruel Dark is a gothic novel, full of dangers, missing persons, amnesia and possible murder with a hint ot the paranormal.

I love a good gothic mystery and The Cruel Dark fits the bill. Millicent Foxboro is a 26 year old who has amnesia. She has been working as a housekeeper for a bookstore owner, but has accepted a job from Professor Callum Hughes, a professor of Celtic myths ,whose wife has died under mysterious circumstances.. The house Willowfield is dark, depressing, dilapidated, and understaffed. Strange happenings with undertones of the paranormal keep people away. Millie finds herself being haunted by the ghost of Mrs. Hughes, or is it all part of her amnesia and madness? Strange accidents happen to her and Millie begins to wonder if someone or something wants her dead. This book reminds me of the gothic romances that I read in my teenage years and I really enjoyed the story and the mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I ended up really liking this. It was a slower read but kept me interested. The last 25% was WILD though, I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns floored me.

I really enjoyed this dark gothic love story that bordered on the horror side. The writing felt haunting and atmospheric and captured my attention from the get go. I felt like storyline was absolutely captivating because of a compelling mystery, fascinating and intriguing characters, and a great blend of romance and supernatural elements. Overall, this story was thrilling and everything aI was looking for from this book--Bea Northwick sure did deliver.

The cruel dark delivered on its promises I think. I finished it in like two sittings over two gloomy days, and I enjoyed it. I’d say just suspend your belief and hand yourself over to the brooding gothic romantic vibes. I rate it like a 3.5 plus? Just missing a little extra something for me, though I’d still recommend it.

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

I found Millie a sympathetic character from the start, and her 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 - Callum came across very creepy but I felt this improved as it went on.

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.

Whoa, this was a crazy read and I love the ride it took me on. This is a gothic romance (& spicy) where our FMC Millie is haunted by her past, missing years of her memory, and presently ghosts. Oh Callum. I am thinking I need to re-read this one right away because what an ending! Kudos to you Northwick as I will now be looking for more of works in the future. So, so good!

A quick, easy read. Nothing groundbreaking, but good for fans of Jane Eyre or Mexican Gothic. It lacked development of the relationship between the two MCs so it felt very rushed when things escalated. That can be somewhat explained away with the ending, but it would have been nice to see the relationship grow a little on the page.

I loved this one! Especially for a debut novel this is truly amazing and very well executed. The world building is very interesting and atmospheric and I’m a huge fan of the mystery part! The book took so many twists and turns and I didn’t expect all of them, which made it even better. Truly great, go read it!

Wow I never expected the book to take such a turn!
For a debut book it was amazing, the twists and turns and all the mystery was astonishing! It reminded me a bit of a “haunting of hill house” with some romantic twist to it.
The hauntings and stories of ghosts are what kept me really going, are they real? Are they the main characters imagination? Is she going crazy? Guess you’ll have to read and find out for yourself the truth.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

A little bit spooky. Gorgeous prose. An exhilarating romance. Amazing tension. Unexpected twists. A spooky manor house. An FMC who loves books and fairytales.

It was phenomenal.

The scene setting had me melting throughout. The descriptions of Willowfield were soothing for my soul (even with the minor horror element throughout). The plot unravels in a way I never saw coming, and I love how the author incorporates so many possibilities that it keeps you guessing.

I'm going to try to keep this review short because I think you should just read this book. If you love suspense, romance, some great spice, and/or gothic fiction, this is a wonderful read.

"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."

"You don't know the dangers of this game you're playing,
Millie."

"You shine a light in this dark house, Miss Foxboro. I pray you let nothing extinguish it."

What a wonderful book! Dark and complicated and gothic and spicy and addicting!! So so good!! I loved it!!! I don’t know if I loved the dark gothic vibes more of the complex shape the characters took while they were acting in the story. A young woman who becomes the assistant of a professor in an old house hunted by who knows which spirits inspired by the Gaelic folklore! This book was full of darkness, trauma, pain, suffering and also romance with some of my favourite tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, constant banter and undeniable attraction that won’t be easy to fight off. Millie was such a sweet and caring character and I instantly loved her and could emphasise with her. I honestly would have fallen for him too, in her shoes. And Callum … I don’t know if I liked him more as the “professor” or as the man who lost a wife he loved desperately and he has some secrets I can’t wait to unfold !! And the spicy scenes !!! Oh goodness me, how good they were !!! I have had the best time getting through this book and I honestly wish I could read more !!!

"I warned you not to start a war with me." He guided his thumb in an achingly slow arch. "I should stop right now to punish you for being impertinent."

"Keep watching, kitten."

"I've been trying my best not to give in to my worst impulses and defile you to within an inch of your life despite the many opportunities you've offered, and you're angry with me?"

Holy shit this was incredible. I love a mysterious, gothic romance, and this just might be one of my favorites. The twist at the end!! Some other reviewers said they saw it coming but I definitely did not. Also, the writing was absolutely phenomenal. I never would've guessed this was the authors debut. Easy 5 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

What a wild ride! This story had me absolutely captivated from beginning to end.

This story follows Millie Foxboro a quiet assistant bookseller with a mysterious past as she ventures to the enchanting but near abandoned Willowfield Manor to help Professor Callum Hughes with his work on the malevolent fae. When the stories of the deceased mistress of the manor begin to haunt Millie as well it's up to her to determine what's real and who can be trusted.

My first foray into gothic romance there were some parts that were a little spooky and I had to put the book down while reading alone at night. I couldn't help picking it right back up the next morning however!

I really enjoyed the writing style and storyline, there were so many twists and turns, and I can't wait to read the book again.

Thank you Net Galley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓾𝓮𝓵 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓴
𝒷𝓎: 𝐵𝑒𝒶 𝒩𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽𝓌𝒾𝒸𝓀

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒𝓈. 𝐼𝓉 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓂𝑒𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉𝑒𝒹, 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑒.”

This review is a little different because I simply cannot choose my favorite character! Once I finished the book it changed, and so I just don’t want to pick 🤷🏼‍♀️

I had no IDEA what was coming in this book! I thought we were dealing with all kinds of supernatural, and I truly could not pin point what it was.

The twists were fantastic, and I’m truly obsessed!

The flow of the writing, the mystery, the spice!!! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this EARC!

Posting this review on Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and anywhere else I can. Reviews linked now.

Thank you NetGalley and Bea Northwick for the ARC of “The Cruel Dark”!! I loved everything about this book!! From the beauty and the beast feel to the gothic overlay!! You’ll find mystery, slow burn romance, Spicceeee, tragic death and more in this book!! It is one I’d highly recommend to add to your TBR!!!