A review by literaryland_livin
House of Secrets by Darcy Coates

4.0

Ghosts and Shadows series review

Sophie’s high Society life comes crashing down when her father reveals the secret of the families bankruptcy. Just as she is left reeling from this revelation her world is further rocked by the marriage proposal from a wealthy stranger, Mr. Argenton. The arrangement promises to help provide for Sophie’s family and siblings so yes becomes her only answer. Once in her new home of Northwood, Sophie begins to see haunting visions of blood dripping from the ceilings and inhuman beings stalking the manor’s grounds at night. Sophie now seemly trapped in her incredibly isolated home must not only fight to survive the ancient haunted halls, but also find a way to escape its deadly grasp forever.

I live for a haunted house story especially the ones of the gothic variety! From the moment poor ill fated Sophie steps foot on Mr. Argenton’s land I was feeling intense Crimson Peak vibes which is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time! The haunting solitude is painted perfectly in both of these novels which truly enhances the overall uneasy and creepy feel of the series. I read both works mostly at night which made every tense ghost field scene more frightening. What I hadn’t suspected going into the series was for it to have such a sweet romantic aspect to it. I was more than happy with this addition as again this truly helps the series fit into the gothic horror genre. The only complaint I have if one at all would have to be the cliffhanger ending of House of Shadows. As such I highly suggest having both works in your possession when beginning this series. Book 2 House of Secrets dives into the afflictions history that haunts the Argenton’s family and how to combat against it in greater detail than its predecessor which I truly enjoyed. Overall this series had all the old-fashioned ghostly horror I was looking for in a spooky read. I loved every second of these classic gothic haunted mysteries and recommend them to anyone who is looking for a quick, fast paced haunting period piece series that will leave you questioning all the creaks you hear in the night.