There was a phase in my teens where I absolutely loved ghost stories. I remember zooming through anthologies of them in my school library. There is definitely something about cold winter nights which puts one in the mood for a spine-chilling tale. In this seasonal collection, various authors including Bridget Collins, Laura Purcell and Imogen Hermes Gowar have come together with suitable spooky tales for winter nights.

The various stories differ in topic and nature but all draw on themes of Victorian gothic melodrama. Each raise gooseflesh in turn. Unusually, there were no real 'duds' within the collection although the contribution from Natasha Pulley draws on her previous characters from The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and was thus a little confusing for me. Bridget Collins' "A Study in Black and White" was rich in forboding so I felt as though I was braced for impact throughout. It was fantastic to read something by Imogen Hermes Gowar once more after absolutely loving The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock and "Thwaite's Tenant" was very atmospheric. I found the build-up and reveal behind Laura Purcell's "The Chillingham Chair" utterly compelling. Elizabeth McNeal's "Monster" was deeply unsettling; I was not sure if I liked it but it was certainly hair-raising. Still, the one which left me with the greatest sense of unease was Kiran Millwood Hargrave's "Confinement", particularly with the closing author's note.

A sizeable percentage of the authors in this book have written books which have been hovering in my Kindle for longer than I would care to admit and The Haunting Season has definitely inspired me to dig them out. This was one of the more enjoyable anthologies from multiple authors that I can remember reading with an impressive unity in tone across the collection. I can see that they have issued another follow-up collection more closely related to Advent and it just may be worth taking a look. This was an easy read, simple enough to slot in among the chaos of preparing for Christmas and yet still manages to spirit away its reader.

Full review to be posted soonish. I'll update review with links to socials.
I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a ghost story. In this collection of wonderful authors, you’ll find an incredible variety of spooky stories that will certainly make your skin tingle and your heart pacing.
Stories are written by Bridget Collins; Natasha Pulley; Kiran Millwood Hargrave; Elizabeth Macneal; Laura Purcell; Andrew Michael Hurley; Jess Kidd and Imogen Hermes Gowar and each of them is as brilliant as the other. I loved how atmospheric each story was and how easily it would be to be sucked straight into their stories. Perfectly wintery and traditional Christmassy vibes and I was living for each of them. A lovely little easy to pick up read for these colder, grey and wet evenings as we draw closer to Christmas.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A suitable book for this time of year…and I have to say, these stories were - in the main - a delight.
A wonderful mix of writers, and the stories themselves evoke a sense of fear and wonder. Some were ghostly in origin, others explored the power of the mind and some were just plain strange. However, the book as a whole was a joy to read.
I’m grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for granting me access to this before publication.
My personal favourites were The Chillingham Chair and Confinement. Very different approaches, but terrifying in their execution.

An enjoyable short story collection.
As with any collection of short fiction some stories will stand out more than others.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for something quick and spooky for the October to December period, as a few of the stories took place around the Christmas season.

If you're a fan of Shirley Jackson or Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I think you'd enjoy the creepy and historical aspects of these stories.

Who doesn't love chilling tales for autumn nights? This short-story series was utterly delightful, particularly with tea as the nights turned cold. The authors did an excellent job, adding JUST the right amount of creepy to this cosy book. Thank you for the ARC!

Loved it. A good mix of paranormal and psychological horror, and not a single dud story in the lot, which is usually what anthologies suffer from. Sent shivers down my spine. Absolutely loved it.

Not being a lover Of short stories I was lucky enough to get to read this one on Netgalley. I was not disappointed as it contains stories by some of my favourite authors. Most of them are told in the depths of winter , some near Christmas and it adds to the haunting quality of them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves ghost stories told in the depths of a cold midwinter

The Haunting Season.

Brilliant short stories to give you the heebie jeebies !
I really enjoyed reading one a night before switching off the light. Sweet dreams !
I hadn't heard of some of the authors before but each one was equally as good.