The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox @HesterBFox @HQStories #willowhall #thewitchofwillowhall #BlogTour #BookReview #Giveaway

HQ Stories October 2018

Book Description

Years after the Salem witch trials one witch remains.

She just doesn’t know it YET.

Welcome to Willow Hall, where deadly secrets and powerful magic reside.

1821.  When Lydia Montrose arrives at Willow Hall, she is haunted by her past and threatened by tragedy.

But her secret inheritance and long forgotten legacy are about to be awoken…

My Thoughts

A gothic romance with a touch of spook? Atmospheric historical fiction?  Yes! all of these and a lovely read.  Driven from Boston by scandal the Montrose family move to Willow Hall, where Lydia is immediately hit by a sense of disquiet.  Living with her parents and sister Catherine, the family strive to start afresh and escape the rumours that beset them.  Catherine has an agenda of her own, Mr Montrose is engrossed in his business and Mrs Montrose is still reeling from what came before and for this family tragedy awaits.

This book was a slow, mystical read, rich in description, with some haunting undertones.  It is Lydia’s story and this is a love story, she meets the enigmatic Mr Barrett and for her the attraction is immediate.  Living in her beautiful sister’s shadow,  it transpires both girls carry weighty secrets that continue to haunt them in their new life.

I enjoyed this book, set in 1821 the book captures the role of women and social norms of the time in relation to marriage and relationships.  The aforementioned scandal runs through the story and shrouds the family in shame, making them less acceptable in ‘polite society’, despite their wealth.

Told in the third person the narrative creates a spooky vibe fitting with the story.  The ‘witch’ aspect was nicely done without being farfetched and the result was an engaging piece of fiction with romance and history aplenty.  Making me want to read more about the Salem Witch Trials of days gone by.  An enjoyable read for Halloween and recommended by me.

Thank you to HQ Stories for my copy of this book.  This is a blog tour so please do support the promotion of this book on social media by sharing the reviews.

I am also lucky enough to be hosting a giveaway, to be in with a chance of winning a copy of this book simply comment below with your favourite Halloween read!  For more chances to win this book head over to my Instagram page and follow the instructions on how to enter, but be quick – giveaway closes 30th October at 10am.  UK only and winners must be prepared for me to share their address with the publisher HQ Stories.

Follow the Tour –

About the Author

Hester Fox comes to writing form a background in the museum field as a collections maintenance technician.  This job has taken her from historic houses to fine art museums, where she has the privilege of cleaning and caring for collections that range from paintings by old masters, to ancient artefacts, to early American furniture.

She is a keen painter and has a master’s degree in historical archaeology, as well as a background in Medieval studies and art history.  Hester lives outside of Boston with her husband and two cats.

The Witch of Willow Hall is her debut novel.