ARC Review: The Widow Of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox

Shelly's Book Corner received a review copy from NetGalley and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.

A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?

Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.

But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.

As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales.

Review

After reading and loving “The Witch of Willow Hall” by Hester Fox I couldn’t wait to read this book. I had two people in mind as the suspects but I was wrong. So wrong. I didn’t expect that twist at all and definitely didn’t see it coming. I liked Gabriel and Sophronia as they both have been burned and they are just trying to move forward. At times I felt their relationship was moving too fast and it I would have liked a slower burn between the couple. Overall, this was a strong and well written sophomore book by Hester Fox that kept my interest and had me eager to see how everything would unfold. I highly recommend this story if you’re a fan of gothic novels.