Fun book keeps you wanting to know what happens next. I liked the premise of this book. It's dark and fun definitely should read this one

At the beginning it was a little difficult to get into the story initially in the time period of the book. The writing style was nice but a little more challenging than in other books. But I was glad I continued because once the writing got on it got really interesting and characters was very well made.

I tried so hard to like this one. The synopsis had me hooked, however, that ended quickly. Some things were interesting, but I couldn’t get invested. The story and characters for that matter were a bit dull. I didn't really care about the romance either - there were some Twilightesque vibes.

I tried really hard not to be bored while reading this book, but it was impossible for me. Everything was very monotonous and slow and obvious. Twenty years ago I read romance and thoroughly enjoyed it...but lately that has not been the case. While I am reading a romance novel that I am mostly enjoying, it is set in the modern world. I keep trying to like Gothic romance, but I guess I just don't. Or rather, I haven't met one that I like yet.

Found a new favorite author. I’m looking forward to the next part of the story.
Winterly is a dark story, full of twists that will keep you reading. It’s the kind of book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next, and second guessing the characters and their intentions.

A good sort of gothic romance, the plot had me hooked though it was sort of predictable in the end.
Also good writing style.
Would recommend.

Liked the gothic, romance of this story, but some parts were slightly predictable and could tell where it was heading which slightly let the story down. Thought it was really well written though and read all in one go.

I enjoyed this gothic paranormal romance. The writing was wonderful and the characters were all fully fleshed. The world was complex and somewhere deliciously dark and atmospheric. I would recommend this and plan to read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book .it was different from my normal book choice but the cover and description sucked me in and I never regretted that. The writing was well crafted and engaging and kept me wanting more. I can’t wait to read the next from this author.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book had everything I love, goth, vampires and Shakespearean language. I loved it. I loved the letters. I loved it all.

This was hauntingly, enchantingly, lusciously DIVINE!

The first couple chapters, you're trying to get your bearings like wandering through a fog of night, but then you're sucked in (all the puns intended) into a magical, mysterious, historical fantasy story. I absolutely completely loved this story. The contrasts of Markus' fierceness and softness, Emma's challenging nature and her faith. Though many tried to decieve her, she always trusted her heart.

This is the start of a series and if Jeanine Croft would like to send me the pages as she writes them I would absolutely devour them. I want to know more of Markus and Emma but I imagine Milli will get her time to shine, too.

I feel as though I've been on a journey, discovered a whole new world and I am completely satiated. This is a story I could treasure and make a spot for a beautiful hardcover on my bookshelf, to recommend to anyone wanting a bit of adventure in their life.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I know I'm a little late on this, but I finally had time these past couple of weeks to knock off some books on my shelf. I have to say I found myself quite enjoying this book. It has a very nice, encompassing atmosphere to go with the dark, gothic tones of the novel. Between witches, werewolves, and vampires-- where could you go wrong? The subtle twists and turns kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the story. For the most part, I enjoyed Markus and Emma and the romance was just what was needed to add the extra element of goodness for me.

On the other hand, this just seemed overdone to me a bit. We've seen this same story play out, with the same tropes, in SO MANY YA and classical books (I'm talking to you Twilight and Pride and Prejudice). It felt very unoriginal at times, and although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't consider it a favorite. I quickly became irritated with the constant back and forth between Emma's feelings and her desires when it came to Markus... we get it he's bad and you shouldn't like him?? But you do. It kind of made the ending predictable in a way that you knew how it would go down between them. Although, I am glad they got it all wrapped up and figured out in the end, so hopefully in the next book we can focus more on plot and character building.

This was a good take on a gothic version of the “he’s bad but I just can’t stay away” type of romance. In spite of the sometimes tedious internal dialogue as to why she should stay away from the guy, I liked the protagonist and thought she was an appealing and engaging character. I think the writing style was a real treat - it didn’t tip the balance towards almost being a caricature or trying too hard to be dark.

I don't think this cover fully represents this book. Based on the cover, one might suspect the main character is a weak girl at someone's mercy. For the biggest art of the novel, that's not true. Emma makes her own decisions (even though sometimes I don't understand her choices) and she's an agent rather than an object. So even though this is a paranormal romance, the author avoided using that trope of a teenage girl falling in love with a dangerous, centuries-old vampire. And, despite what you might think based on that cover, the book isn't very explicit or racy.

There were also other things I liked about it: the use of old-timey language (it's happening in the Victorian times, so...), the witty banter between Emma and Markus and the elements of humor, and how very traditional the mythology was. The author borrowed heavily from Dracula (and from The Beauty and the Beast as well), and clearly knows enough about the vampire myth to know that things like vampire venom / sparkling sound ridiculous. What we get instead, are unnamed, centuries-old creatures that claim their origin is of biblical nature.

What I disliked about the book was the pace. It was so slow. Sure, there were faster moments, but not often. Another thing I disliked was the inconsistency of Emma's feelings in the middle of the novel. At one point, she changed her allegiances every chapter, depending on who convinced her to trust them.

All in all, it's a decent three-and-a-half read. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and appreciated how decently it was written.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I tried. I tried so hard to fall in like with Winterly. I will admit that some things were pretty interesting and entertaining but I just wasn't completely invested. For some odd reason, I was getting Twilight vibes and honestly - I hate Twilight. The movies. The books. The characters. You name it - I hate it all. Anything that reminds of Edward or Bella is just not for me. Sorry, definitely not sorry.

The characters were just so dull to me. Heck, the whole story was. I didn't really care about the romance and honestly, my bottle of wine was a lot more interesting and entertaining to me. That being said, I would like to thank that bottle of wine for helping me get through this book. Again, I tried to find something likable but ugh, it just wasn't meant to be. I guess.

In the end, I'm glad that it's over. Maybe I'll try another book by this author... maybe.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Winterly: Dark Creatures Book One by Jeanine Croft.

Vampires, and witches, and werewolves, oh my! This book has a little bit of them all. The story has touches of fairy tale element to it (a bit of Beauty and the Beast in places), and it’s slathered in adjectives. No disrespect intended, but there were times that it seemed the author must have googled “100 most obscure Victorian words” and then determined to use every one at least twice. The narrative was trying so hard to remind us what time period it was set in, sometimes to a fault. Having said all that, it was an interesting twist on a story trope which can often be unoriginal and now I’ll have to wait for Book Two to find out what happens to the characters I have actually grown to like a little!!

Firstly, I think this book had awesome potential. It sounded like it was right up my street, and delivered.

The setting was great, the tension high, and the mystery was fun to watch unfold.

I will say that there were times where the dialogue and writing style pulled me out of the book. I have read many classical books, so am not unaccustomed to reading of a different era but the way this came across was disingenuous at times: which was a real shame because at other times that wasn't the case at all.

There were also a lot of moments where I was screaming at our main character. She is a clever woman and yet wasn't getting there as quick as I would have liked.

Other than that I found the cliches charming, the characters intriguing and the plot wicked.

It was definitely a page turner and great for those who like a historical romance with a sprinkling of the paranormal.

Main reason I was so excited to read this book was the synopsis!! No I wasn’t fooled, the book delivered exactly what it should deliver according to the blurb. This book is a love child of goth and supernatural which was interesting at first. But, I had problems with some parts of the plot. Main takeaways from the story were - the author has tried to mimic Victorian England which I loved & Marcus is a SOB!! (Pardon me but I hated him to the core). Emma, oh how much I felt sorry for her. Also the pacing is slower than a gothic novel, which made me loose interest, especially around the middle. This would’ve been better as an audiobook IMO.

Thank you Netgalley, Booksgosocial for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion!

I felt like if Bram Stoker and Jane Austen got a baby it would be this book. Cause the style of the book reminds me of older books.

I had high hopes for this book, it sounded really good but I had to get 25% into it before something actually happen that was just a litle bit interesting. And this made it hard for me to get through it. It wasn't a book that spell bound me, but more made reading a chore then fun. So I was utterly bored and even after the 25% I was still bored of it, and only now and then it got a litle bit interesting. So I was not entertained, even tho I love this genre but this book and me wasn't a good match.

So all in all this will have an impact o my rating on this book.

Not really for me, felt a bit all over the place , plot and writing, characters felt a bit flat for me, so not my cup of tea

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion