Thank you NetGalley and Aconyte for this ARC!

This book definitely gave off a Bridgerton vibe-just with less smut, and more monsters. Our heroine hit the right spunky notes, and the villains received the ending they so richly deserved (for the most part). Including a fantastic supporting cast of characters, even including a sweet and loyal dog, this was a fun read that didn’t make me think, which was just what I needed this week!

I'm not sure a novel should make you feel wistful for another story, and yet that's what's happened to me here. Long story short, I was in the mood for a Regency romance, but something fun and quirky and lovely rather than the standard. Secrets & Sacrifices didn't quite scratch the itch, so to speak. Despite having some solid bits, it ultimately left me wanting.

This book didn't strike me as anything groundbreaking, which is bizarre considering the nature of the plot, but as I said above, there's good in it. Lauria clearly knows the Regency romance subgenre and delivers the romance plot quite well. Thomas is precious. He's a wonderful love interest, and the fake dating subplot that Lauria uses to push him and Cassandra together is interesting. It's not overly angsty, which is certainly a common problem within this trope.

Cassandra is a great protagonist. She's headstrong, brave, clever, and charming. Through her, Lauria touches on the role of women in the landed class as well as the hypocrisies and prejudices of polite society in a way that's not annoying or overbearing. This I appreciated.

However, the Cthulhu subplot wasn't quite as strong as I wanted. It was all played fairly straightforward, which is fine, but I suppose I expected more twists from a book with such a quirky premise. There was such promise with the creature in the prologue, and I can't quite figure out why the author decided to change it to the Beast of Avon Gale (which, by the way, is really only glimpsed by Cassie). It's offhandedly explained by the Mr. Frasure, but eh... I can't help but feel that a monster masquerading as a man (at least in terms of being capable of speaking English) would be so much more compelling.

Secrets and Sacrifices by Cath Lauria is a beautifully written book, authentic to the era, but I will admit to going into it as a huge fan of Lovecraft and as such, having to stop and leave my expectations at the door. Complete disclosure, you put the terms, Regency, Cthulu and Eldritch Twist in a description and I am likely to be there faster than greased weasel shite off a shovel. However, I have no knowledge of the RPG this is based on (somehow missing that note in the description) and as such put the brakes on a bit as I don't usually do well with LitRPG

So to say that this set a high bar for me to get into this book is an understatement

However, no need to worry as the book was devoured! Yes, the themes are there and yes, the similarity is there, but that is where it ends. Lauria writes beautifully, taking the novel from LitRPG to a legitimate Lovecraftian Gothic Horror/ Thriller in its own right and in its own style. The elements are authentic, as is the language and writing, but that is where it ends as our protagonist Cassandra is as far removed from the usual type of Regency heroine as you can get (I am noticing a fantastic trend towards this type of heroine in Regency fiction and it is to be celebrated!)

I am not putting spoilers into this review, but I will say that the eldritch is substantial, not as I was expecting and is intended to leave the door open for the series (imho)

Cath Lauria is a skilled author whose writing is incredibly descriptive, fantastical and immersive and while the Lovecraftian element is there, goes above and beyond, an evolution of Lovecraft for a new era

Thank you to Netgalley, Aconyte Books and the author Cath Lauria for this engrossing ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

It's disappointing when a book takes two of my favorite hobbies - Regency romance and TTRPGs and it ends up being underwhelming. Secrets and Sacrifices is more style than substance, adding all of the feel of Regency speak and the darker Cthulu garnishes but fails in bringing the characters to life, or making the reader care for them.

When I started reading this book, it felt like diving into a whirlpool of feelings. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself thinking a lot about my own life while following the characters' adventures.

The writing was so beautiful. It made me feel like I was right there with the characters, experiencing everything they were going through. Their struggles felt so real, and their moments of triumph filled me with hope. This book really made me think differently about how I see relationships.

But sometimes, the story moved a bit slowly, and the conversations between characters didn't always sound natural. Still, by the time I finished the book, I felt really thankful for the people in my life. It made me want to hold onto every moment and appreciate the love around me.

Even with its flaws, this book left a big impression on me. It's a journey I won't forget anytime soon, full of moments that touched my heart and made me think about life in a whole new way.

eARC thanks netgalley

This book was absolutely amazing it took me for a loop the plot twist in this book was absolutely crazy to me. But I love how Cassie puts herself in danger just to find out the truth, but also seeing how far she was willing to go blew my mind it so good. And the writing was easy to keep up with but it did have you wondering what's going to happen next.

Regency romance meets Call of Cthulhu? Yes please! I’m already a fan of the Arkham Horror books but this one I absolutely loved. I read this almost all in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down.

In this book we follow Cassandra who after five years of fallen fortunes, travel to a village near the stately home of her father’s former friend with the intention of infiltrating his estate as a servant to learn the truth of her father’s death.

Cassandra is a brave and dedicated main character who it’s easy to root for. The romance was sweet and supportive and enjoyable without being the main focus of the plot. Her love interest is kind and these are two nice people who you want to be happy. Sometimes romances can feel forced but this felt so natural as part of this book.

The Lovecraftian mythos worked so well in the regency setting. It comes across initially as a murder mystery but one hindered by the restrictions of Georgian society. The progression and investigation felt so well paced and exciting!

I was excited for this combination of Regency and Cthulhu but I’m so delighted at how good this was!

I really enjoyed Secrets and Sacrifices. I thought that the blend of cosmic horror and historical romance was really well done. I was cheering for the romance and I thought that it was really cute. I also thought that the cosmic elements were handled well. Having played a Call of Cthulhu game before, I wasn’t expecting the ending that we got, but I was very pleased with it. I’m wondering if there will be more stories in this world because the ending does leave it open for additional books. I hope there are more, I would definitely pick them up.

Really fun horror novel with some very good use of mythos horror! Only thing is at points the stuff feels kinda game focused. Thanks for the arc

A big thanks to the publisher for this eARC!

Secrets and Sacrifices is the story of Cassandra, a Regency-era lady who was forced to find employment as a governess after her father's suspicious death and disgrace ruined their family. Now, years later, she is determined to exonerate him by infiltrating the household of his shady "friend" and patron, who she suspects may be involved in cult activities. Along the way she is helped by her old flame Thomas Griffith, who is staying at the house in order to hunt a mysterious "beast" that has been terrorizing the locals and killing livestock.

Tbh, this one had me at "Cthulhu regency romance." I have only a passing familiarity with Lovecraft (have read some of the classic short stories), but found that was more than adequate to understand this story—in my opinion, even a complete newbie to the Lovecraft mythos could easily follow the action. If you can understand the basic framework of "cult guy uses blood sacrifices to summon eldritch beings," you're golden (though I suspect there are some Easter eggs that went over my head which someone better-versed in Lovecraft would pick up on and enjoy.) My only real nitpick is with the marketing—"Cthulhu regency romance" makes it sound like someone is going to be romancing Cthulhu, when actually the romance in this book is very standard human4human and the eldritch being that appears isn't Cthulhu, it's Shub-Niggurath.

As someone who doesn't usually vibe with modern regency romance as a genre, I found this book a pleasant surprise! It's skillfully written, with decent attention to detail and no overly glaring anachronisms (what anachronisms there are are either lampshaded or are the sort of contrivances you expect to find in romance, mostly convenient excuses for men and women to be alone together.)

The horror elements were a refreshing backdrop to the more predictable, standard romance beats and tropes, and I found the scenes of Cult Stuff and paranormal action fun and decently suspenseful. This book definitely convinced me that romance is better with a side of gothic mystery and a pinch of creature feature. Overall, it made for an easy, enjoyable read in the tradition of books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available 4/2/24!

I honestly feel like you need to have a basic understanding of Lovecraft and a fully knowledgeable basis for the game which this book is based off of to even begin to understand it. I thought I could get through it as I have basic Lovecraft Knowledge but no you need to know the game.

That being said it was a pretty epic gaslight horror novel that had twists and turns and tension.