he Witch of Willow Hall is the beautifully told tale of the Montrose family, who move to the countryside following a family scandal in Boston. The family take up residence at Willow Hall but as the family attempt to build their lives back up there are some strange sightings and a sense of dread that lingers in the house. When Lydia meets the previous owner John Barrett, she begins to suspect the house has a dark past, but will she be able to uncover the truth and confront the secrets of her own past before it’s too late?

The Witch of Willow Hall is an atmospheric tale, full of beautiful writing and captivating characters. I picked this one up on a whim and I’m so glad that I did – I ended up completely devouring this book. The mystery kept me hooked right from the very beginning and it was well-paced, keeping me intrigued right to the very end. There are some spooky, eerie moments in the book that definitely added to that tense, uneasy atmosphere. The Witch of Willow Hall is an impressive debut and I’m incredibly excited to read more from Hester Fox.

Lydia has a really strong narrative voice and I really liked her as a protagonist. The sibling relationships were really interesting – with Lydia having a really close almost motherly relationship with Emmeline and a strained relationship with Catherine. Fox does an excellent job with the characters and I loved the mixture of historical fiction, mystery, and a dash of magic. The Witch of Willow Hall is the perfect read for a dark winter night and if you’re a fan a historical fiction fan this one is a must-read.

The Witch of Willow Hall is a well written and haunting piece of historical fiction. Atmospheric and mysterious, I was immediately enthralled in the tale of Lydia, forced to move from Boston to a small town, Old Newbury, after her family suffered public scandal. Willow Hall is the name of the gothic mansion the family move into and it’s not long before Lydia starts seeing ghostly apparitions and the spooky goings on become more and more frequent. There are supernatural secrets that Lydia’s family are desperate to keep from her, until tragedy forces them out.

The faultless prose is rich in beautiful history and vintage romance, it’s almost like Pride and Prejudice meets Rebecca with a mystical edge to it. Although a slow-burner, The Witch of Willow Hall is expertly plotted and Hester Fox has clearly well researched this era as she paints an iconic picture of New England in the early 19th century; social standing, money, social engagements, family secrets and courtship, all playing a prevalent role.

The characterisation is strong, each individual multi-dimensional and varied. A lot of characters are not as they first seem, and I changed my opinions on them multiple times as another layer of their personality was peeled back to reveal something even more surprising. Some got under my skin so much that I was infuriated, and Lydia understandably earned a place my heart.

The Witch of Willow Hall is an entertaining and engaging novel, perfect for curling up with on a winter’s afternoon with a blanket and hot drink.

When I requested this book to read I was hoping for something a little bit different to what I normally read ... and I found the book to be a little slow at the beginning but as soon as I got to grips with, who, what and where I could not put it down ..... Each page had been turning the next ...

Great book for Halloween right around the corner ... The book is all about the scandal that happens to the Montrose family even in this day and age would still make the news ... so the family had to move and set up a new life where no one would know to save the family name ... With the main character not knowing her family heritage ... with magical potential sent in the 1800's I found the setting and time period fascinating

I loved the main character Lydia and would love to read more on this family ... to learn it was Hester Fox debut novel ... was amazing she has a tablet and I have already started to follow her on Amazon so I won't miss her next book hoping they will be another even to follow on the story or something different read the book in a day and can't wait for more !!!

I loved the mix of historical fiction, gothic and horror. This book's well written, the characters are interesting and the plot is enthralling.
It's at time atmospheric, eery and chilling and then you find yourself reading pages that remind you of Jane Austen.
The relationship amongst the characters are fascinating, the description of the emotion and feeling enthralling.
This was a great discovery that kept me hooked till the end, a real page turner.
I can't think about a negative thing as much as I liked this book.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to HarperCollinsUK and Netgalley for this ARC

Escaping from the scandal that surrounds their lives in Boston, the Montrose family take refuge in the imposing Willow Hall in a bid to start afresh. Quiet, bookish Lydia Montrose is well used to being eclipsed by her older, more glamourous and coquettish sister, but Lydia begins to learn that she may have different talents of her own, as the creeping feelings of dread and an otherworldly menace begin to take hold of their lives.


This debut novel was very solidly written and enjoyable. Such an ideal book for a winter read if you enjoy period novels with a supernatural twist. The author has come up with an excellent setting, this brooding mansion that is almost a character itself, and the grounds that hold such menace. The characters were interesting overall, although my one main gripe with the novel was the main character, the plain, bookish Lydia, who I feel I meet in a lot of books, but I enjoyed seeing how the sibling dynamic was going to play out in this clearly dysfunctional relationship.


Thanks to HarperCollinsUK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

The Witch of Willow Hall is a fantastic blend of romance, family drama and ghostly events set in the 1800's..

The Witch of Willow Hall draws the reader in from the first page and just doesn't let go. Hester's atmospheric writing makes you feel like you are in the middle of the story watching the events unfold.

It has so many fantastic elements that the reader may forger that it is part supernatural story so when the scenes come be prepared to feel a chill up your spine.

The family drama unfolds before the readers eyes and the relationship between the two sisters is one of the most fascinating elements of The Witch of Willow Hall. The romantic relationships were both heart breaking and heart warming at the same time.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an atmospheric read with equal parts family drama and supernatural events.

*thanks to Harper Collins for a copy, all opinions voiced are my own*

I completely fell in love with the cover for this, it is so alluring and beautiful, which is partly what made me want to read it. I admit that Historical Fiction is not a genre I read a lot of, but upon reading the blurb I decided to give it a try and suffice to say that I am so glad that I did.

I totally and wholeheartedly fell in love with the story, I was completely drawn in and captivated from the very beginning. The story was detailed and so very well written throughout and it literally grabbed a hold of me and sucked me in. I was gripped and sitting on the edge of my seat with ever chapter, right to the very end. I literally couldn’t turn those pages quickly enough so as to see how things would develop and what would happen next and how it would all ultimately end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and location of the story, all of which was so well described that you literally feel like you could just step right inside and become involved with the story. I thought all of the characters were very well written and completely believable/real, some of whom you automatically like and sympathise with and then others that you completely dislike.

It truly was a heart wrenching, romantic, emotional, haunting, chilling, spooky, gripping, full of family drama and entertaining read.

I've just realised that this is the author Hester's debut book, which I'm completely shocked by as its so very well written from start to finish. I will definitely be watching out for this author in the future.

I received this book from Netgalley for a fair review and the title attracted me to request it.

The book begins with an incident that involves Lydia as a young child and a young boy called Tommy Bishop. Tommy commits a hideous wrong against Lydia and she is so angry that she ends up injuring him badly.

The book moves forward to when Lydia and Catherine are young adults and they have a younger sister Emeline. They live with her parents and sisters and they have recently all moved to a large house Willow Hall in the country due to a scandal that the family were involved with in Boston.
Lydia has had a broken engagement as a result of the scandal.

Lydia and Catherine, the eldest of the three girls already have an uneasy relationship and this develops when the girls are introduced to Lydia's father business partner John Barrett and his acquaintance August Pierce.

Tragedy strikes the family and everything changes for Lydia and unexpected events start to take place and Lydia discovers that they are not the only ones living at Willow Hall and also uncovers dark secrets.

It was not what I expected and I felt that the start of the book was slower than I usually like, however the pace picked up quickly and the story of family secrets, tragedy and love soon start to develop quickly.
It was scarier than I would usually pick for myself but I really enjoyed it and I couldn't stop reading it at the end.
It's creepy supernatural page-turner with a romantic element to it..

What a tense atmospheric story this was, full of foreboding and mystery right from the first page.

The story starts in 1811 but moves quickly on to 1821, ten years later when the family have moved from Boston to Willow Hall. Straight away there’s a mystery as to why the family have moved, and what exactly the family scandal was that brought about this great upheaval.

The story is told from Lydia’s point of view which I really enjoyed and felt like I was very much part of the story as I was reading. I felt like I was discovering secrets about the family and the house at the same time as Lydia. I was never too sure what was going on with the family, especially with her sister Catherine, not a nice character at all.

There are lots of strange goings on throughout that even Lydia isn’t sure whether she’s imagining or not, so perfect for reading at this time of year.

Gothic and atmospheric, set in 1800's, this story is about 3 sister. There is a lot of mystery and romance elements being fed. Scandals, spooky events, have a nice balance and I found this a really nice October read. It's good and gripping, although for me falling a bit on the scary side, but still enjoyed it. Sister's relationships were very realistic and I enjoyed it.

I requested The Witch of Willow hall without knowing much about it. I went in blind and I can finally say...WOW.

What an incredible read. I devoured this book, mostly at night and I found it to be hauntingly addictive.

Right from the start, the author sets up the mystery. Leaving you wondering why Lydia and her family were driven from their home in Boston.

At their new home, we find Lydia struggling with powers and an ancestry that she doesn’t know how to process or handle. She wants to be normal, she wants to be beautiful like her two sisters- specifically Catherine- who seems to covet the attention of any man that visits the house.

The sense of foreboding comes from the characters, but also from the setting. I could feel the coldness from the walls of the old Willow mansion seeping through the pages. I could sense the eyes from the paintings as I turned the pages. Certain parts game me genuine chills as I read this at night in the dark.
I found all of the characters in the book to be so authentic and I was honestly sad when I finished the book.

I loved that even though Catherine’s life seems to be most idyllic of all the sisters, she has her own demons to fight. Even though I hated how she treated Lydia, I found myself feeling sorry for her. In fact, I think the backstory with her brother could have been explored more. It really seemed like she had an overly romantic view of what happened in her past.

Mr. Barrett - can I have one, please?

It was such an enthralling experience to follow alongside Lydia as she fights against her past and who she really is. To learn that if she wants to be truly happy she must accept ALL that she is.

If you’re looking for a witch read for autumn then move this to the top of your pile!

This is a perfect gothic, ghostly historical read for this time of the year, set in 1821 featuring elements of the supernatural. Hester Fox writes a family drama novel that just drips with chilling atmosphere. The well off Montrose family move to the small country town of New Oldbury after rumours and scandal drive them out of Boston. Willow Hall is their new home, infested with an unsettling and disturbing air, with a tragic history and ghosts that does not bode well for the family. The Montrose sisters are the beautiful and attention seeking Catherine, the plain Lydia endowed with powers that are beyond her comprehension, closest to her younger sister, Emeline. The brother, Charles, is overseas, the father is involved in negotiating business deals and the mother, is weighed down with and struggling to handle the misfortunes that have hit the family. The family are to discover that rumours and scandal follow them to their new home, and in combination with the harrowing local history that haunts Willow Hall, this spells danger and tragedy for the Montrose family.

There are hints that the scandal revolves around Catherine, although she shows little sign of any regrets for her past actions. In the oppressive heat, tensions and rivalries abound between a desperate Catherine and Lydia as the pair dance around the only two eligible men in the local area, the quiet and thoughtful John Barrett and the more lightweight August Pierce. Lydia and Emeline both see what others cannot, with Emeline becomes obsessed with mermaids and the local pond. Lydia had been engaged in Boston to Cyrus, a business arrangement organised by her father, but it was broken, collateral damage to the family scandal. Lydia had not been greatly disturbed by the loss of Cyrus, but the past comes to haunt her present and threatens to destroy her future. Catherine, spiteful, resentful, and jealous, is a dangerous woman determined to wreck any hopes that Lydia may have at happiness.

Lydia is caught between family loyalties and secrets, facing blackmail, trying to understand her powers, afraid for her future and for other people as her romantic dreams threaten to disintegrate around her. Her only hope lies in her grasping and utilising the powers endowed on some of the women on her mother's side of the family. Hester Fox's debut historical novel is beautifully written, capturing the social attitudes of the time, particularly with reference to the position of women. She creates compelling characters in Lydia and particularly in her scheming and manipulative sister, Catherine. The key highlight for me was the gloomy and menacing atmosphere that pervades the entire novel. This is gripping historical fiction that cannot fail to enthrall the reader. Many thanks to HQ and HarperCollins for an ARC.

In this book, we follow the Montrose family as they are forced to flee their Boston home after a scandal rocks their community and escape to the country to live at Willow Hall, a house that was only supposed to be a summer home for them. The family consists of a hard working and long suffering father, his flaky wife, and their three daughters; Catherine, Lydia and Emily. There is also a son but his whereabouts are unknown initially. Mr Montrose has invested in a mill owned by one John Barrett who soon catches the eye of both the two older girls. One for the right reasons, the other, well... she has her own reasons for wanting a husband. But it soon becomes evident that not all is right in the house and its surroundings and things start to take a more spooky path as tragedy strikes the heart of an already wounded family. But there is something from Lydia's past that also comes back to haunt her; literally.
As the title suggests, there are spooky goings on in this book. But, and I hasten to add, it is not heavy on the supernatural witchy stuff, there is so much more going on. There's the scandal for one, but I am not going to expand on that here, it's much more fun to find out as the author intended. I guessed some of it, but... well, the rest was a bit shocking! Then there's the sibling rivalry, and the reasons behind all of that. I though Lydia was a saint at times, I would definitely have been harder on Catherine for, well, what she put the family through. Spiteful little whatname!
And then there's the romance. Bit on the Austen side at times but very well adapted to the time and place, and indeed the characters themselves. I got a bit emotionally involved and invested with certain characters along the way. Did a bit of shouting at them too!
The atmosphere throughout the book was chilling and claustrophobic, totally befitting the Gothic feel to the whole thing. The author manages to introduce the more spooky elements of the book by showing rather than telling and that comes across very well indeed. Hard to believe that this is, in fact, a debut book! It was an easy book to visualise as I was reading it and I am not usually a visual reader.
All in all, a cracking read that kept me gripped throughout and left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

3.5 out of 5 stars! I'm a total sucker for historical fiction books, so when I saw the plotline for this one, I felt really excited to dive in! After the conclusion of the Salem Witch Trials, a young girl called Lydia moves into a new Manor House with her family called Willow Hall. Willow Hall has some dark secrets surrounding its walls that threaten to spoil the family's lives. After some strange paranormal experiences, Lydia decides to find the answers as to why these things keep happening, as well as the history of the Manor House. During this time, she meets John and also the man who wants to marry her called Cyrus. I didn't like some of the characters and their behaviour towards Lydia. The pacing was good and it was a scary read which I liked. The ending did feel a little rushed for me. Full review on my Goodreads profile!

This book is set in the 1800's when the Montrose family have moved to Willow Hall. It's a grand, secret house in the country. The family is trying to avoid scandals and rumours about them. However, Montrose daughters inherited the magical powers nonetheless.

I thought this book would be the perfect Halloween read with magic, witches and some scare factor. I was very excited. But, I'm a bit surprised it was more about the sisters' relationships and romance. So, unfortunately magic, supernatural abilities, the scary witches or secrets were rather a small part of this book.

Regardless, I liked the writing. It was a fun, quick read. There was still some spooky-ness in it. So, if you're looking for these, you'll enjoy it.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for the access to a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is well worth the read. A family beset with problems that are revealed as you get into the book, a selfish sister can cause so many problems that effect all the family, As the aspects of the 'witch' are made know the reader has every sympathy with her and can only wish her well. Jealousy, greed and desperation can lead to a wealth of problems. Easy reading, one that makes you keep reading well after well after you mean to put it down.

The Witch of Willow Hall follows the Montrose family who move from Boston to Willow Hall, after a serious scandal involving one of the daughters.
The two older daughters, Lydia and Catherine, then meet two local men who live nearby and this leads to jealousy and distrust between the sisters. I was under the impression that this would be a spooky read and although Lydia does hear and see some strange things both in the garden and in a mirror in the bedroom i feel that it took a long time before anything remotely started to happen that would draw me into the plot. It could have been so much better and i also found the rivalry between the sisters, grating at times, especially when after a tragedy,soon after they move into Willow Hall, they could have bonded together and helped each other in their grief.
For readers who love an early Victorian setting with lots of detail on etiquette and dialogue, this would be an enjoyable read but personally i felt the plot needed to move along with more suspense to keep the reader gripped. #TheWitchOfWillowHall #NetGalley

I picked this book up thinking ill read this for an hour before having a film night with the husband and ended up picking it up every time he left the room. Really good and had me wanting to not put it down. The characters and story was really well written and just the perfect amount of spooky ! .

Three sisters who move to the countryside to escape a scandal discover that the life away from town may be just the fresh start they need. The two older girls set their sights on their handsome neighbours, unfortunately the girls do not get on and are in competition. The main character, Lydia, we suspect has supernatural powers, and soon things start going bump in the night. Tragedy strikes, the scandal is uncovered and so is the family legacy of Witchcraft.

The premise of this story was better than the actual story unfortunately. It is a slow read, with minimal witchcraft. The characters aren’t especially well developed and their language and actions aren’t true to the historical setting (1800s in America). I did want to finish the book; it felt as though a big, exciting chapter was just around the bend, but sadly never came.

This is the authors debut book, I would be interested in reading further work by her as I feel she shows a lot of promise.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

#TheWitchOfWillowHall

If you know anything about me then you'll know that I adore halloween and all things witchy so naturally I had to request this book to review on Negalley. It's set in the 1800's when the Montrose family have moved to Willow Hall, a grand, secret laden house in the country to avoid more of the scandal and rumours they have escaped from in the city but scandal and the supernatural follows them due to the magical inheritance passed down to the Montrose daughters.

I thought this book would be much more magic and witch focused but it was mainly about the sisters hatred filled relationship with each other and their romantic interests which I wasn't expecting and I didn't want. The romance was sweet but I thought it would be focused on the characters abilities, magic and super natural elements but that was only a small portion of the book sadly. I also didn't like the frustrating relationship between Catherine and Lydia! Overall, I liked the writing, some aspects were supernatural and creepy (which I loved) and it was a very quick read but it wasn't what I was expected or wanted given the title and it was very predictable sadly.