The Wives Of Herrick Hall by Julie Lew

Blurb:

Herrick Hall doesn’t let anything go without a fight. Least of all its masters’ dead wives...

After a dalliance with another woman leaves her reputation in shambles, Josephine Carter is banished to the isolated manor to serve as lady’s companion to Herrick’s mistress. Lady Nora Blake is a headstrong, capricious woman, who spends her days convalescing from a mysterious illness—and her nights witnessing her imminent death over and over. Shackled to her side, Josephine is certain life could not get worse. But then she meets the Herrick wives. Ghosts veiled in shadow stalk the halls and trespass into Josephine’s dreams, trapped forever in the fury of their last dying wish: to destroy Herrick and everyone beneath its roof. Josephine determines to escape by any means necessary.

Until she and Nora fall in love.

Together, Josephine and Nora must confront Herrick’s curse to battle their way to freedom. But Herrick has already claimed them as its next ghostly brides, and neither the house nor its vengeful wives will relinquish them without bloodshed…

Review:

Herrick Hall is notorious for never letting its occupants go without a fight and is notorious for the number of its master’s dead wives. After an affair with another woman ruins Josephine Carter’s reputation and threatens to undo her life as well as her worth, she loses the man her father set her up to court. Banished to the countryside and into the folds of an isolated manor, forced to serve as a lady’s companion to Herrick’s newest mistress, she’s bought up by the master of Herrick Hall—the only person who will take her in after she was disgraced.

Determined to prove herself and someday escape Herrick Hall, Josephine is desperate to please and befriend Lady Nora Blake. But Nora isn’t the easy-to-please type of person. She’s headstrong, stubborn, intelligent, and private, spending most of her time suffering from an illness she won’t discuss with others…and dreaming of the way she’ll die on repeat at night.

Forced to work with her despite their differences, Josephine worries that her life will never improve from its current state, but that’s before she meets Herrick’s wives. Ghosts that stalk the corridors of Herrick Hall, they warn her of the fate to consume Nora and rage their fury in her dreams. They’re also determined to bring Herrick to ruination—as well as everyone around him.

As the ghosts grow angrier, Josephine is more determined to depart. Until she falls in love with Nora, and their forbidden romance prompts them to confront Herrick’s cursed halls in order to obtain their freedom. Even if it means fighting Herrick Hall—and its wives—to the shedding of blood.

I’ve never read anything of the historical paranormal variety before The Wives Of Herrick Hall, but let me tell you, I’ve been converted after reading this book. It was easy to read, easy to understand, and a delightfully horrific debut from a new author in the traditional publishing sphere.

Lew does a phenomenal job of making the setting itself seem like a character. It’s charming, alluring, and frightening, a perfect place to push a protagonist through their worst nightmares and see who comes out on top. I adore settings with a bit of uniqueness to them, and although this story is set upon the foundations of an everyday “the house is haunted” narrative, it’s unique in all the ways that make it stand out from other books like it.

I love myself a ghost story, and the sapphic twist on the hauntings that are occurring and the budding relationship between Josephine and Nora is to die for. As they got over their personal issues to befriend each other, I found myself growing ever more invested in their stories and where they would end up. Lew truly writes two characters who, on the surface, seem vain and selfish, but run deeper than the ink staining the pages of her novel.

My favorite aspect of The Wives Of Herrick Hall had to be the way I as a reader could feel there was something wrong with the house and the people within it. The commentary on how willing people are to suffer or to look away if it saves them from an imagined (or perhaps very real) pain is so profound and powerful. This concept, alongside the ideas of what people will do in the name of love, is delicately explored in the narrative while also not backing away from the tough realities regarding the consequences of sacrifice and suffering.

I can’t wait to see what Lew writes about next. If you love sapphics, historical fantasy, and horrors that keep you up at night—this novel is the one for you!