The Curse of Penryth Hall Book Review- Gothic Mystery at it’s Finest

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Oh how I love a book with Gothic vibes. I don’t know what it is…maybe it is the extra atmosphere that comes along with them…or the spooky, haunting, mysterious factor…but I just can’t get enough. Throw a good mystery into the mix and I am all in. The Curse of Penryth Hall (publishing 12/5/23) is absolutely a Gothic Mystery at it’s finest. I loved this book and can’t wait to share a sneak peek with you! Let’s chat!

The Curse of Penryth Hall

The minute I saw the cover for this book and read the synopsis I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy. I am so thankful that the incredible publishers sent me an ARC to check out. Huge thanks to Minotaur Books and St.Martins Press for sending this my way.

The Curse of Penryth Hall is the debut novel of author Jess Armstrong…and a fantastic debut it is! It perfectly blends together mystery, suspense, folklore, romance…all with perfectly delicious Gothic vibes!

This is the story of Ruby Vaughn, an American heiress. After World War 1 Ruby has set up a life for herself in Exeter, England. She is running a rare bookstore with a lovely elderly gentleman. One day he asks her to run an errand for him…which is not an unusual ask. This errand, however, finds her delivering a box of books to a folk healer living in the countryside of Cornish. This delivery is forcing Ruby to head back to the one place she never thought she would find herself…Penryth Hall. Ruby has history at Penryth Hall…and history with its owner…her once dearest friend, Tamsyn. Ruby is invited to stay the night…and things suddenly go downhill rather quickly when Tamsyn’s husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth is found dead. The manner of his death (and oooh it is a nasty one…) brings up the subject of a returned curse. To the village…this curse is a serious matter. They believe the curse is back and that it will soon claim another victim…Tamsyn. Ruby must put aside her disbelief in curses to help protect her friend and get to the bottom of what happened!

My Thoughts

This book just oozed with atmosphere. It was dark, mysterious, and full of suspense. I loved the strong and feisty character of Ruby…definitely an excellent heroine for the story. Author Jess Armstrong did such a fantastic job weaving together the elements of mystery, suspense, and folklore. The book flowed so smoothly and kept my attention the entire time. There were so many twists and turns and I loved that I was still guessing right until the end! 4 stars from this book nerd!

If you are a lover of Gothic books full of mystery, possible curses, suspense, and some romance then definitely add The Curse of Penryth Hall to your TBR.

The Curse of Penryth Hall will be published on December 5th, 2023 and is available for pre-order!