I strongly recommend, if you’re prone to nightmares or hearing bumps in the night, that you read this book in daylight – it’s dark and atmospheric, distinctly unsettling at times, the story laced with deception, filled with suspense, and with so many shocks and surprises. But it’s also an extraordinarily compelling read that will have you feverishly turning the pages, not knowing who to fear or trust – and I loved every single moment.

It’s 1885, and a young woman, desperate to get to London to have any chance of escaping the consequences of an accusation of murder, injures her ankle when she runs into Marcus Greybourne, the owner of nearby Ravenswood Hall. Her appearance is timely – his wife Luna is missing, and he’s willing to provide her with a temporary sanctuary if she’s willing to take her place and convince others of her identity. But the hall itself is far from a place of safety – its interior has been destroyed by acts of violence, there are signs of dark magic and witchcraft, and she learns that Luna’s behaviour and reputation has caused considerable mistrust and fear in the surrounding community.

And then there are the signs that she’s unwelcome and in personal danger – threats written in the dust, a voice in the darkness, reflections in the mirrors. The neighbouring wood is a particularly forbidding place – harbouring mysterious graves and a dried out well, and no birds or wildlife to disturb its stillness. There used to be ravens – and the only one who has managed to survive becomes her trusted companion when she’s increasingly unsure who she can turn to.

And if the new Luna has that uncertainty, so does the reader. The housekeeper, although lacking in the necessary skills, seems friendly enough – but her husband most certainly doesn’t. And as they grow closer, can she even trust Marcus himself – might he have done away with his wife? He’s keen that they gain the trust of the surrounding community – but why are there some that he warns her to steer clear of? And is the threat she feels from Luna’s restless spirit real or imagined? But equally disturbing for the reader is the very deliberate confusion about identity – layered and very cleverly done, with a few stunning twists to unsettle them further.

This is a book that rather defies description – it’s certainly deliciously gothic in feel, with elements of dark magic and the supernatural, and a pervading and creeping sense of evil. But there’s also an intriguing mystery at the heart of the story, facts that have been deeply hidden, truths that need to be uncovered. There are some very dramatic scenes – gripping, frightening, and wonderfully written – but also gentler moments as friendship becomes tentative romance, and particularly emotional and engaging. The storytelling is quite wonderful, perfectly paced for maximum impact – at times, things settle down and life takes a predictable course for a while, only for something to happen that throws everything off kilter once more.

I felt wrong-footed and unsettled throughout, often chilled to the core – but really couldn’t have enjoyed it more. It really would be the perfect choice for a Halloween read – but with considerably more to the story than you might be expecting – and, hoping you’ll manage to sleep soundly at night, I’d recommend this one very highly.

Such a lovely read especially during the autumn season. I found the writing to be amazingly gothic and atmospheric especially enjoyed the multiple points of view and the talented way that Kerr pulled it off.

Thank you Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel in advance in exchange for an honest review. This is the perfect fall read. Historical, witchy, plots, twists turns and even some hints of romance. This is a great novel and an amazing original story. Highly recommend picking up this fall!!

I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author.

The Ravenswood Witch was an intriguing gothic mystery/romance.

A young women is running for her life from the law, accused of a heinous crime, she is running for freedom, when she literally runs into Marcus Greybourne, the master of Ravenswood House. He persuades the constables that the young woman is his missing wife Luna. He takes her back to his house and then the gothic undertones start. The servants seem to have secrets, the house is in deterioration. There are signs of violence and possible witchcraft, what has our young narrator gotten herself into? She agrees to continue the charade of being the missing Luna Greybourne, but what really happened to the real Luna and was her husband complicit in her disappearance? Strange twists and turns reveal a surprise ending.

I enjoyed the book as it reminded me of the gothic romances I read as a teenager.

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

Gothic mystery romance. Excellent plot and atmosphere. The pacing could have been better and the ending wrapped up too quickly for me. Still, a pretty quick read great for spooky season.

This is a real treat to read and I loved the atmospheric feeling to this one.
The intertwined stories of the two women is so cleverly written. The house and the woods are a huge part of the story and provide a deeply unsettling vibe.
The mystery of Luna’s whereabouts is certainly intriguing and as more secrets are uncovered, we’re unsure who to trust.
Strange noises and markings - accusations of witchcraft- all add up to a spooky read perfect for this time of year.

Running away from a place she once loved and a crime that she did not commit, she stumbles over a stranger who saves her and gives her somewhere to recover.

As time passes, increasingly worrying things happen in the house as she is getting more used to being the mistress of the household. It is just for a little while until she can travel with her ancle, right?

I adore this story. There is something about a good historical novel, isn’t there?
Especially when we get hints of some strong, dark magic. Something is not right here. We have no idea who is friend or foe, shall we heed the warnings we get?

Our leading lady, Mrs. Ravenswood, has feelings developing throughout the story, from uncertainty as things start to happen, trying to brush it off, then scared, sceptic, unsafe, and wondering if she is hallucinating to paranoid and scared. Oh, and there is guilt too. It's a wonderful surprise for you when you figure things out.

The rest of the characters we get to know through her eyes we get to know the others a little better, not the things they are hiding from her, of course.

I can see the mansion; I quite like it. I added a white brushed fence, though.
It is not that I want or need a mansion or a house that big… however, a library? Now you are talking my language. Perhaps a conservatory? And a forest is fine, perhaps not as dense.😉

THE RAVENSWOOD WITCH by Jenni Keer is a historical paranormal fiction set in 1885 somewhere in Europe. Our protagonist is running away from the law and literally crashes into the main male lead. This man, Marcus Greybourne, gives her a chance at escape for which she must pretend to be his unstable wife who hasn't been seen in a while. Thus begin a series of mysterious events in the eerie (and possibly haunted) estate at the Ravenswood.

The book starts slow with more telling than showing, but that's remedied once we hit the halfway mark. The mystery surrounding the main characters and the missing wife holds the reader's attention. The descriptions in the later part of the story make up for a creepy atmosphere and keep the readers second-guessing the characters' intentions. It's hard to tell who is lying and who is trying to help the FMC. The main female character isn't someone the reader can trust either. This element pushes the story further. Great job by the author for keeping the readers confuddled until the very end.

Despite the thrill of the narrative. I found the ending to be a bit rushed and underwhelming. After so much build-up, the problems were resolved too quickly. This is my major issue with the storyline -- it's erratic pacing. Secondly, the incidents and the explanations given at the end of the story grossed me out a little. While I do get that the inclusion of witches and dark magic will entail conversations about fornication and such, in my opinion, it wasn't done tastefully. Nor am I convinced with the way justice was served in this book. However, it has more to do with my moral compass than the story itself. It's the author's discretion to choose appropriate closure for her characters.

This one's a well-written book similar to the vibe in the classic, REBECCA. I would recommend THE RAVENSWOOD WITCH to readers who enjoy creepy historical books about morally grey characters and despicable witches. (Rating is 3.5 rounded off to 4.)

It is a dark adventure that draws the reader into its suspenseful and suspicious world, full of gothic influences, witches, and superstitions from the onset. Despite the illusion and multi-faceted characters, a romance emerges from the shadows. The house and wood are intricately detailed, bringing them to life, and the dark sensory imagery is chilling. I enjoyed the vivid sensory imagery that adds drama and suspense to the story and believed in the characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A runaway girl collides with a man who is hiding a dark secret of his own.
Marcus Greybourne tells the Police that she is his wife of ten years, Luna, and he takes her back with him to his home Ravenswood. He lies to give her a second chance, he needs a wife in order to draw money from an inheritance, but where is Luna? The villagers believe she is a witch, is this connected with her disappearance?
The narrator needs shelter and protection from those who are chasing her down, so she can plead her innocence of the crime she has been accused of.
She agrees to continue the deception, but signs inside the house speak of dark magic and violence, will she be safe there?
A most intriguing start to a wonderfully dark and complex romance. Each page brings to light new secrets, suspicions, a wide host of characters, it is a puzzle to know who to trust. There is dark magic, spells, herbalists, the house is old, isolated and creepy, and a very protective Raven.
As romance begins to bloom, who stands to benefit the most from this arrangement? Will justice be done, or will they both be undone as this relationship develops?
This has been a great delight and joy to read this novel, it is a love story with thrills and chills. A feisty determined narrator, and an equally strong minded benefactor. Both are very easy to bond with, and you are encouraging them onwards all through this story. I found this to be immensely satisfying, and that Raven almost stole the book for me!
This is definitely on my to buy list for friends, and my various book groups will be recommended this as well. A perfect book for this season.
A five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Boldwood Books for my advanced copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

This was so perfect for spooky season, the story was so well written i was involved in a way that I couldn't even predict what was coming.. It was really well built and I just have to thank netgalley for this chance.
Seeing both perspectives, specially Luna and all the mystery involving everything.. it was amazing

In an era when anything unusual or unexplained was attributes to witchcraft and many people punished for happening beyond their control, a young woman must avoid capture or die. Her life is saved when Marcus Greybourne convinces the constabulary that she is his wife Luna. Luna has not been outside the Ravenswood Manor in many years so the lie is easily accepted. This is the backstory of how a stranger finds herself THE RAVENSWOOD WITCH and it's perfect. These two strangers must learn to live together as the Manor itself takes on the mystery of the past and gives voice to the present. This is an atmospheric story set in a Gothic period that was all too easy to become engrossed in as the characters wove their troubled pasts and the futures they hoped to have. Jenni Keer skillfully built the manor and it's influence in every chapter to th epoint readers are not sure where the manor ends and the characters take the story forward.

A gothic beautiful story; a Jane Eyre meets Rebecca dark vibe, with twists, suspense and wonderful atmosphere. Has everything: tormented hero, lovely but oh, not so innocent heroine, an unusual familiar, a looming presence, and some disturbing helps.
I guessed, and then changed my mind, and then changed again, and so on until almost last page.

Loved it.

Great story. The twist was so unexpected, I never saw it coming. The book is told is two different POVs.

In 1885 England, a woman has been running from the law, who will hang her for murder. When she's just steps away from the ferry, she collides into a man a breaks her ankle; missing her chance at freedom. But to her surprise, the man tells the constable that she's his reclusive wife, Luna.

Marcus Greybourne carries the woman back to his family estate, Ravenswood Hall, in return for her help in the charade, he'll make sure she heals from her broken ankle and leaves when she's well. She just needs to talk to the estate agent and tell them that she's Luna Greybourne.

But the house has secrets. And the housekeeper and her husband only tell her so much. The village is convinced that Luna is a witch. They blame her for all of their troubles. Who can she trust?

Has she left one bad fate for another?

A great read!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Ravenswood Witch by Jenni Keer is a well crafted spooky tale that is perfect reading as the nights drawn in and Winter approaches. This is a historical mystery with gothic vibes and a hint of the supernatural.
A young woman on the run from a mysterious and presumably dark past literally collides with a stranger, breaking her ankle in the process. Instead of handing her over to the police constable on her trail, he insists that she is his wife, a young woman who had not been seen in public for years due to illness. In pain and desperate, the young woman has no choice but to let the stranger, who has now introduced himself as Marcus Greyborne, take her back to his home. Once there she learns that he has reasons of his own for needing his "wife", especially since the real Luna Greyborne has vanished without trace. She agrees to maintain the charade until her injury heals but soon begins to worry about her safety and even her sanity as mysterious events and rumours Luna's other identity as the Ravenswood Witch start to reach her. Then there is also the mystery of what happened to the real Luna? Has she stepped out of the noose and into an even worse fate?
This is a well told tale that kept my intrigued and held my interest. The central character who we come to know as "Luna" is well crafted and the setting of Ravenswood Hall is deliciously creepy and atmospheric. There is a second POV character whose story is connected but that connection is not revealed until well past the midway point of the book. I had my suspicions about how that connection would play out and I was not wrong, but that did not spoil my enjoyment of how the story unfolded. The pacing never felt slow but I really appreciated the way the author built the tension through the book, I read with an increasing sense of dread which is perfect for this kind of story.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I do love a book that wastes no time at the start. By the end of the first chapter, basically everything you learned in the book blurb has come true which leaves the rest of the book as a surprise.

Parts of the book were a little predictable but the major twist I did not see coming. “Luna” is on the run when she literally runs into Marcus. In a blink of an eye (and with little explanation), Marcus claims her as his ill wife. As she recuperates, she is determined to find out what happened to the real Luna as rumors of witchcraft and murder abound. Overall a really good spooky book for the autumn!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC! This was my first Jenni Kerr book and I forward to reading more from her.

A perfect story for the beginning of the spooky season. Set in 1885, the story takes place in a small town and a gothic house full of secrets. The two main characters are two lost souls who find each other by pure chance. The girl runs away from a murder charge and collides with a stranger who breaks her ankle. The man, Marcus Greybourne, takes her to his home for treatment and healing but then offers her a deal to pose as his wife Luna. And so begins their story...
A gothic romance mystery full of intrigue and superstition. In which magic is mixed with reality. Marcus's wife is known as The Ravenswood's witch in the village, and "the new" Luna will have to face various prejudices in order to gain people's trust. I loved the characters of the two main characters, their relationship, their story. They both deserved or some happiness and found it in each other's arms.

The setting is fantastic, the big house full of mysteries and surrounded by woods, with crows protecting it and sinister noises being heard at night. The writing is harmonious and compelling. Allowing you to enter the story and remain intrigued from the beginning.
I highly recommend this book, especially in this season.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

"I have learned the bitter lesson that life is not black and white. We are none of us truly one thing or the other, but shades of everything in between."

4.25 ⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it had the perfect mix of a gothic setting, paranormal mysteries, suspense and romance. The protagonist is a young woman who is on the run from the police when she accidently collides with a young man, Marcus Greybourne, down at the river, breaking her ankle in the fall. And so starts their deception. He tells the pursuing constable that she is his wife, Luna, not the criminal they are searching for, and the two make a pact that if she pretends to be Luna until her ankle is healed then he will protect her and dissuade the police. But everything is not as it seems at Ravenswood Hall, spooky markings engraved in the wood and a haunted wood backing the house with a dried up, mystical well all add to atmosphere. Who can she really trust when even the kindest people seem to have dark secrets? How long will she be able to remain hidden here? Where is the real Luna Greybourne? And was she really a witch as so many people seem to think she was? We follow a number of POVs and timelines as the entire story unravels.

I loved the intricacies of this book so much, the way the mysteries are interwoven into every single part of the story is really amazing. I liked that the FMC never really knows who to trust and as the reader we are also kept in the dark for the majority of the time. These intersecting and overlapping secrets are handled really well, the writing is really well done, and even though there is a lot of subterfuge it never gets confusing - even when we don't actually know who the FMC is for quite a long time. I also really liked the romance, it was a nice, cosy love story that juxtaposed the eerie, thrilling paranormal mystery happening around them. One quote: "They were lost in their own troubles, but lost together." really stood out to me, as well as a few others later in the story. The way these two broken, flawed people with dark pasts and secrets came together to protect each other was so heart-warming. The side characters were also varied and interesting, my personal favourite being Bran the raven.

I did feel like the pace was a bit slow at times, there was just enough intrigue to keep me going and I love this type of historical fiction so it worked for me, as well as building up a good amount of suspense, but there was a lot in the middle of this story that felt a bit like fluff and dragged out the story a bit too much. The revelation at the end was also quite rushed. The story leads up to the climax happening on All Hallows Eve for a long time and then it wasn't until the 80% mark that the action really began, then everything seemed to be over just as quickly as it started. I was hoping that there would some real spookiness that had me on the edge of my seat but by the end I just felt a little bit disappointed. Regardless of that, the storyline was still really well done, I just think the timing of certain parts wasn't as punchy as it could've been and that would've made this a five star read for me.

Overall, this was a fantastic read, it is definitely one for people who love Jane Eyre and A Study in Drowning. It had an amazing gothic, creepy feel to it the entire way through and the mystery was well done. I will definitely be looking into Jenni Keer's other works as I really like the writing style and, for the most part, how the storyline was handled. A big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

I do love a witchy book : )
The story is set in 1885 and a young woman is running away and trying to get to London.
She collides with a man as she is trying to outrun a constable and badly damages her ankle. She is distraught as she knows she will now be caught and won’t make it to London.
Marcus sees her predicament and tells the constable that she is his wife and he needs to get her home as she’s injured.
When she gets to the house she is struck by the size of it, but notices it’s rundown.
The house holds lots of secrets and Marcus’ wife Luna is known locally as a witch, but she has disappeared. He asks the young woman he has just met to take on her name as she is hiding from the law, and she agrees.
Strange things happen in the house and Luna wonders if she’s done the right thing by agreeing to stay here.
This is a great story that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.