I requested this based on advanced praise – 'Beautifully written, Stunning, Eerie, Compulsive'. I gave up at 20% failing to find anything stunning, eerie or compulsive. The writing was okay but I found it too descriptive and lacking plot.

Not for me, I'm afraid.

I found this a really hard book to read - gripping at times, atmospheric but so strange.

Gallondean Castle has a checkered past and a curse which haunts the owners. Jacob Beresford, after the unexpected death of his father, inherits and becomes obsessed by the history of the castle and its curse. This obsession drives him to delve deeper and deeper into the past aided by his father’s factor - a mad driven mad by the loss of his son.

Esther, a young widow and VAD nurse at a nearby convalescent home is fighting her own demons, meets Jacob and tries to help him to see a future for himself.

Interwoven in the story are various young men recovering from war wounds to body and mind including a soldier who served in Palestine whose story becomes intwined with Jacob’s - with devastating effects.

An interesting tale - if not wholly convincing.

A great read – lots of surprises and an excellent ending. A high-stakes domestic thriller that is utterly absorbing. Twists and turns abound. 4 stars.

I found this book a hard read, I couldn’t become invested enough with the characters which made it a struggle to read. The thriller/horror scene was there, but not as much as I originally thought. Sorry about that.

The Uncovered is a beautifully written and atmospheric tale that masterfully intertwines themes of war, guilt, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the gloomy fortress of Gallondean on the Scottish coast, the story unfolds with the chilling local legend that haunts the heirs of the house—if they hear the howling of a spectral hound, death will soon follow.

Jacob Beresford, the current owner, is thrust into this unsettling legacy following the unexpected death of his father. Until then, he had never set foot within the crumbling walls of Gallondean, and the ghosts of his past were more than enough for him. As the First World War lingers through its final months, Jacob uncovers dark and troubling details about his new home, and the shadows seem to grow ever closer.

The narrative takes a poignant turn when Jacob meets Esther, a young volunteer nurse working at nearby Roddinglaw, a country house repurposed as a hospital ward. Recently widowed, Esther harbours dreams of becoming a poet as she cares for the injured men around her, many of whom face life-altering challenges. However, it is a soldier with seemingly minor injuries whose life intertwines with both Esther and Jacob in chilling and unforeseen ways.

Phillips deftly explores the dangers that lurk in the surrounding woods and along the coast, revealing that the most significant threats often reside within the characters themselves. The book is rich in atmosphere, blending elements of adventure, love, and mystery that keep readers engrossed. The characters are well-crafted and relatable, making their struggles and triumphs resonate on a deeper level.

Overall, The Uncovered is an intriguing and multi-layered story that successfully combines suspense with profound emotional depth. I highly recommend it for those who appreciate tales steeped in history and rich with human experience.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

This book lured me in with the promise of a gothic manor house, a hospital full of war patients and something supernatural.

Whilst all of those things were present in the book... I just couldn't get into it properly. It started off well, and the promise was good, however as the book went on it just didnt deliver for me. There were a number of ways this book could have gone that i kept thinking were going to unfold, and sadly it didn't really go any of those routes, and towards the end it became a bit of a mish mash of ideas without ever really going anywhere, and i struggled through the last bit.

A great premise overall but sadly a little disappointing, apologies.

Thanks though to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read.

Strange one here. I found it hard to get into but was good overall
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Enjoyable.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

The description drew me in - Scottish Gothic castle, WW1, I didn't expect, essentially a story detailing a nurse's grim life in the convalescent hospital with all the associated horrors of physical and mental results from men who survived the trenches. This as coupled with the unwilling return of the heir of the gothic house, consumptive close to death and haunted by myths and legends of the house, his family background and death of his father. Add in a seriously mentally damaged soldier, PTSD although not called that then, and this becomes a 3-person gloom and doom book. The writing was good although the characters felt shallow. I found it hard to finish, not really being engaged and it was certainly a depressing read. The Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book had great potential and ticked everything I like in a book. I loved the setting and the back drop of the storyline. I especially liked the switching of pov's of the characters the view from the nurses was well written you can't help but fall in love with them. The view point from the MMC could sometimes be confusing but I got on with it. Not too bad a book should do well.

Sadly I have struggled with this book. It's just not for me I've given it to 20% and the volunteer nurse's story is dull. So I just need to stop now. I thought it was going to grab me after chapter 2 but it went back to the Nurse and that killed me off. I won't post anything on my Goodreads I don't think it would be fair to do this. Once again I apologise.

Thank you #netgalley and #Ravenbooks for giving me access to an ARC of #theunrecovered in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book expecting something quite different from what I actually got. I was hoping for a spooky, bumps in the night, ghost story but, instead, it was more of tale of individuals being haunted by their past experiences. Whilst that can make for an exciting and interesting read, I didn’t find this particular story all that easy to get into.

I felt like lots of characters were introduced in quite quick succession, and none of them ones I was immediately drawn to. I also felt that the story jumped about quite a bit at times, making it difficult to get a foothold.

There were certain sections of the book I enjoyed more than others, and found the use of language and descriptive phrases to be really well written. I liked the setting very much but don’t feel that its full, creepy potential was entirely realised.

All in all, this one was not quite my cup of tea in the end. However, the author can clearly write and I feel certain that this book will appeal to many readers. Particularly those interested in stories set in and around the First World War.

I was unsure about this book at first. Its allusive rather than direct style early on led to lack of clarity but it improved and I was glad to have read it.
Set during the first world war and in North Edinburgh (where I live so that places referred to were familiar) it deals with the horrors of war and the damage done both physically and psychologically. The actors are mainly in the present but the ancient castle harks back to the time of the crusaders and there are strong hints of crossovers.
This is an adventure story and a love story with an element of mystery and imagination. Overall it works well. It is well written and the characters are credible.

We are on the Scottish coast; Jacob arrives at the fortress he has inherited.
There is a myth around a howling hound, World War I has still not ended, mysteries unravel.

The prose was interesting. The author did a pretty good job of creating the atmosphere and I liked the intricate details in the myth that is at the core of this book and how it overlaps with historical circumstances.

This book has a lot of potential - 2.5 stars rounded up.

I just could not get into the characters in this story. I am familiar with Craiglockhart in Edinburgh which was a military hospital around the time of WW1. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon were both there. The story I think is loosely based on it. There are many similarities : seriously wounded soldiers, large house commandeered, extensive grounds, volunteer nurses, poetry. The narrative just did not grab me. Maybe I was making too many comparisons. This book will appeal to those interested in the timeframe and early efforts with PTSD.