Winterly

This is a Gothic historical paranormal book about a young woman who is a wallflower while her sister is the belle of the ball. This gave me Jane Austen meets paranormal romance. This is truly about a young woman coming into her own.

I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next one. However, I grew tired of Emma's waffling when it came to Markus - the whole "he's bad and I should leave him alone, but I don't want to leave him alone" was the constant theme for the majority of the book. It got to be old because you knew how it was going to play out. I'm glad that got wrapped up in the end so we can hopefully move on from it for the next novel and focus more on the plot.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jeanine Croft has a very poetic way of writing and made Winterly more elegant I think, which was nice as it gave you a better feel for the period. Overall this was a good paranormal romance, it has a twist in it that I loved but there was a few times I had to stop to look up words, which also made me chuckle because I’m always telling my kids they need to learn new words. The ending ties up nicely, which I love because I hate cliffhangers especially in a series. I looked forward to reading Emma’s and Markus’ adventures in the future installments.

A book worth a read if you are a sucker of gothic romance. The book is an exotic blend of historical fiction with mystical characters, yet another reason to devour the book once you lay your hands on it.

The author takes you in the Victorian era, from the dark filthy streets of london to the bone chilling dark majestic castle where the secrets spill drop by drop leaving the reader hungry for more. The story unfolds furthermore keeping the protagonist, Emma Rose jumbling between her judgement for good and evil fighting her conscience for her heart yearns for evil. By the finish line of climax, Emma is graced with the supreme truth of the extreme importance of dark.

By the end, the author leaves the reader wanting more to relish.

Spoilers!!!!!

Imagine Darcy but with fangs and a very dark secret.


I read in a couple of reviews how the book was long or dragged on, which the book is over 500 pages, but if you think about the time it is written in and the style/tone/descriptions that would have been written, it is understandable. After I surmised it was basically a dark and sexy Jane Austen novel, I wasn't mad at the length, because it was NEEDED. Emma gave me huge Lizzie Bennet vibes while Milli was pretty like Jane yet acted more like Lydia.

“I see you are trying to make out my character,” he said.
“Yes, but it is hard to do so in the dark.”
“Some things are best done in the dark, Miss Rose.”
“That is just what a wicked monk would say.”

“The fog swirled around his tall frame for only a moment, lapping at his heels like hell hounds (alliteration), before it closed about him. Hades himself could not have looked more frightening vanishing into the underworld mist than did that last glimpse of Markus Winterly.”
These quotes are only from the beginning of the book, but I was motivated to continue reading after the little tête-à-tête and description of Winterly.

A lot of thoughts at once when he revealed who he really was. I don't think I've read such a book with so much overlapping of mythology and supernatural myths.
By the second part of the book, I was happy I was getting all the information that was needed without things being left out. I appreciate waiting for the characters to have some semblance of getting to know each other more, because I do tire of an overnight romance, an “I love you” after a week of knowing each other. It feels…right, the way these characters fell into step with one another.

Th big reveal to Milli and Emma? Amazing.

We have a LOT of Greek mythology in the mixing bowl.

And now the wolves…as I see the ending of this book as sort of the list of ingredients for the next book, I am not truly overwhelmed as I know there will be more to come and have come to terms with a lot of information in this part of the story so we can just (hopefully) move along in the upcoming books.

I do want to see more of Milli’s upcoming story in the next book, how she deals with what has happened and see her grow from the woman she started as into someone stronger… I most definitely want to see her kick some supernatural butt.

I did not expect that end scene in the churchyard and I felt so many emotions. I was sad, angry, and shocked, but also relieved? I don't know if the last of the book was a total resolutions per se, but I am excited to see how things are picked up in the next book!

If you want a slow burn with vampires set in history then this is the book for you. I have to warn you this book is chunky which makes the burn even better. Who doesn't love a gentleman vamp who speaks in a sophisticated tongue? I got the chance to read this an an Arc but I highly recommend you go buy it and read it!

If Jane Austen wrote Dracula it would be Winterly by Jeanine Croft.
It contained Regency Romance Without the Stuffiness - Emma and her sister Millie are great comparisons to the beloved sisters of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. However, unlike the careful modesty of Austen’s characters, Emma and Millie are far more human feeling in their longing. That very same longing is given into, sending them tumbling to the road that fate has laid before them.
It was Dracula as it should have been! We all know who we really wanted to win in the end of Dracula. Croft doesn’t leave us wanting with a love interest like viscount Markus Winterly. He is every bit the immortal tragic hero complete with lost love and centuries of angst. Dark eyes, a knowing look, and a love for bookish maidens with glasses – be still my heart.
The two balls in the book – the themed Full Moon Ball and the Masquerade on Midsummer – have all the feelings of Labyrinth’s dance scene. These scenes will leave you day dreaming for days with their romantic details. The romance doesn’t stop at the parties. The gothic settings could make a lady swoon even omitting the story. Castles, crypts, inns, and more complete with howling wolves, guttering candles, nightmares, sleep walking, and beds covered in red.
I loved its Steamy Love Scenes With Flowery Language - I get this might actually be a turn off for some people, however, I loved it. It was romantic and poetic without being gross with euphemism. Lines like “the swollen peaks that caged her maddened heart” and “With a mighty roar, the denouement came.” Y’all, I am weak for this sort of thing.
Then there were the villains I loved to hate! Trickery, lies, poison, and plot twists. Croft’s villains are good at what they do – event he reader is twisted about wondering who the real good guys are until the truth becomes clear. Even after we know who to direct our hatred towards, these heart thieves continue to twist the tale and lead our beloved couple apart. They make for a story I didn’t want to put down! I had to know what was going to happen to poor Emma, Millie, and Winterly!
This book was perfection. I'm left wondering what to do with myself until book 2 comes out. Nursing a book hangover is worth the cost though.

Okay this book was exactly what I needed right now! I can already sense that this is gonna be my comfort read.
The story follows Emma, a young lady who is secretly a supernatural enthusiast *wink*. The story begins when we meet the swoon worthy Lord Winterly, who is just the wicked monk that Emma has always dreamt about *winks and blushes*.
The relationship dynamics and characterization were the main highlights of this book. I easily connected with the characters and felt drawn to read more and more. It is a bit slow paced in the beginning but that doesn't stop you from being absolutely hooked!
If Jane Austen wrote a vampire novel, it would be this. And you all need to read it.


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Winterly is unlike any other Vampyre book I have read. Initially, I found it very hard to get into, the language is fitting for the time period it is sent in, but it found it really difficult to decipher some of the terminology - so much so that I found myself having to check a dictionary to find out the meaning of some words.
However, this aside, I soon settled into the book and I was utterly engrossed.
Without divulging a lot of the plot, Emma and Milli are visiting their Aunt and Uncle when Emma encounters strange characters - mainly the one of the protagonists of the story - Viscount Winterly and this is where the tale unfolds.
Although there are a lot of characters that you may recognise from previous novels, all of the characters have been given a twist - they themselves are not instantly recognisable.

I really enjoyed Winterly and will definitely read the sequel when it is available, I need to know how Emma, Milli and Winterly's

Winterly was a beautifully written piece. At first I was hesitant due to story line starting off a bit slow and dry. As I pushed past the first chapter or two I got pulled into the story and loved the character development. The authors ability to write characters in a way that almost seemed they were real, characters you got attached to and sat on the edge of your seat to see how they grew and what path they followed.

The book was a decent length but the chapters were short and the story flows beautifully. The story itself was a lovely surprise since how you think it would go was different then how it did. Which is always great since many books in this genre tend to hold similar ideas and paths.

This is a book I would highly recommend anyone to read who enjoys historic romance with a dash of supernatural and a sprinkle of spiritual things thrown in. Or even someone looking to get into this style of book. The authors writing style is great and totally made this longer book fly by. I am hoping for a second book with that ending tho!!

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Loved this
A new author to me and I'm not normally a goth kind reader but absolutely loved it

The writing style was different to the norm and all the better for it. Made me pay attention where sometimes it drifts if the storyline is a bit predictable.

Part of a series, can't wait for the next one !!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Winterly is one of the BEST books I have read this year!!
This book has so much depth to it and atmosphere -its absolutely amazing!

Winterly is a gothic, historical fiction book which is dark, spooky and delicious at the same time. Fans of vampires, twilight and stalking Jack the Ripper, will absolutely love this new series!

The Rose sisters become cleverly embroidered in a game of cat and mouse between two different types of supernatural beings - Vampires and werewolves, and witches. But who should they trust and who should they fear?

This book has many dark subtle twists and kept me reading way past bedtime. I am so excited about this new series and can't wait to read book two.

It definitely is a mix of North hanger Abbey and Penny dreadful with touches of other myths and legends thrown into the mix.

At times a bit slow and dull, however the descriptions and vocabulary bring the world of this novel to life. I throughly loved Emma she is, like me, a glasses wearing bookworm who can't see without her specticals. She is practical and quick witted.

The moments between her and her sister are fun and light and totally believable.

A wonderful dark romance.

Settle in for Winterly. It's a long, slow burn. But overall, it's worth it. This book is filled with beautiful prose and interesting characters. Vampires, werewolves, and angels... Violence, vengeance, and love... Winterly has it all. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Well, this was a fun read and I'm glad I finished it entering October. I have a soft spot for vampires and Victorian aesthetic, so I knew from the start that I was going to enjoy it, but the prose is so beautiful that I absolutely loved it.

Set in the dark streets of Victorian London, we meet Emma, an almost-spinster that lives with her aunt and uncle, and her younger sister. One evening, she meets the misterious Markus Winterly, and her life is torn appart forever. Love and blood intwine in this dark tale, when the call of the darkness is stronger than the light.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

I like to read fantasy, I like to read romance, but period historical fantasy romance?.....this genre has not really interested me......So why am I now reviewing this book?....I loved the cover!!!

Anyway.....I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the darkness and atmospheric descriptions. I found myself completely involved in the whole story, almost like a movie, but in my head.

The characters are well developed, interesting and annoying! I found myself raising my eyebrows in disbelief at some of the things that happened, laughing at some of the humour and mentally shouting at some of the characters.

The old fashioned language was off-putting to begin with, but once I got used to it I think it just added to the feel of the story........(I read this on a kindle so it was easy enough to look up some of the words if I could not make out what they meant.)

If you like "old fashioned" type vampires, werewolves, witches and other fantasy creatures, you will love this.

I would absolutely recommend this and I can't wait to read the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review!

This dark and Gothic vampire tale is a bit of a climb to get through but oh so worth it! I loved the characters and the writing style kept me entertained.

i never ended up downloading this, i've been reading other reviews on this and it sounds pretty good, so i might go get it~

This was probably my most surprising read of the year. My expectations were for a vampire-romance, heavy on the romance, light on the vampire. What I got was a novel wonderfully reminiscent of Anne Rice, full of fun allusions to the very best of hysterical gothic literature, and possibly the sharpest heroine around.
It's not a short book, but I breezed through it - the writing is easy, confident and well paced, the dialogue is never less than engaging, and more often than not, brilliantly witty (several of the earlier scenes had me grinning like a loon on public transport, so thank goodness for masks).
I must admit that I preferred the first half to the second. The story as it opens is faux-gothic, entirely clever. Our heroine is the (sometimes literally) ink nosed Emma Rose, part-time spinster, full-time obsessed with the best/worst gothic novels ever written. Chaperoning her younger sister's Season in London, she is intrigued from the first moment that she meets the Viscount Winterly.
Its all very Pride & Prejudice as he is smitten and she easily rebuffs his every move with a suitably casual and hilarious manner. And all around them the atmosphere grows darker and more strained, as a series of grisly London murders unfolds.
I was entirely here for it. By the beginning of part two I was ready to call this my top read of 2020. But the second half-
Without dropping any spoilers, it takes a bit of a left turn. And then keeps turning left. And then just starts going in some circles. It's not that it's not still well-written, but the plot loses the initial tension that was built. As more and more elements were added, the more convoluted it became, the less invested I felt. It's a shame, because what is good is really, really good. And what's less good is still very good. Just perhaps not the story I wanted it to be.

If Elizabeth was a goth girl and Mr. Darcy had fangs this is your book. I cant wait until the next book comes out but I am hoping for 90% less angst. All in all a solid historical/paranormal/dark romance add it to your spooky TBR in October.

Can I give this one a billion stars? I adored this book! Winterly is one of the best books I've read all year. I fell in love with the characters the moment I met them. Emma is such a smart and sarcastic character. Milli is the adorable marriage obsessed propped young lady. And Markus is just wow. Forget Prince Charming or Christian Gray, I need a devil like Markus in my life! Winterly has the perfect amount of macbre and romance. There's vampires, witches, weres, and fallen angels and a host of other genuinely creepy characters to keep you on your toes. The ending just about killed me. I was left wanting so much more. I can't wait to see what happens next for Markus, Emma, Milli, and the rest of the characters.

The cover intrigued me and the synopsis sold me, Penny Dreadful meets Northanger Abbey.
I really enjoyed this book and it delivered what it promised.
I loved the gothic romantic vibes. Enjoyed the witty letter entries at the beginning of each chapter and the relationship between the Rose sisters.
The romance was a slow burn, which is exactly what I love.

The only con is that I had a difficult time with the verbage. I felt that some of the word choices were a bit too archaic. Totally appropriate for the time period, but just a bit challenging to read.
I also wished Chapter 15 would have been placed later in the book. It's the first time we hear that Winterly is a vampire. I already figured he was, but I wanted to find out when Emma found out and let the build up continue until then.
Overall, I adored this book, the characters and the gothic romantic vibes.

Follow your heart and blood into ancient England, lose yourself in the devilishly arms of a viscount and get ready for adventure.
***
In the beginning, yes, it was hard to find myself into the story, to fully meet Emma and Milli, to understand the world they live-in. But the more and more you read, the more fascinated you become with historical London, society and most of all the Winterlys.
As the story is more slow-paced, you get enough time to meet them, choose gowns and jewlery with the sisters and explore the city by night. But beware, there are things lurking in the shadows you might not want to see.
I did love the fact that you get to read mainly from Emmas pov (although written in third person) but you will also get glimpses from the Mister himself or the mysterious three sister.

During the story, I also was trying to figure out what everyone is, and some things seem so logical but then you will be surprised! The romance was a slow-burn, especially in the beginning, but in the end - omg, Lord Winterly *hmm*

Only in the second half some parts were a bit too long for me, especially the history of some characters, that I scrolled through it more quicker.

The end was just crazy, and even though you are not left with a real cliffhanger, I kind of need book 2 now :)
The writing was great, although I would recommend to only read if you are more confident in English, not for beginners of the language.
I really do hope that the second book will arrive soon!

xxxxxxxxxx

Folge deinem Herzen und dem Ruf deines Blutes in das alte England, verliere dich in den Armen des teuflischen Viscount und mach dich bereit für ein Abenteuer.
***
Ja, am Anfang hatte ich ein paar Schwierigkeiten, in die Geschichte zu finden. Der Schreibstil ist anders, das Englisch in alter Schreibweise und Satzbau, aber auch die Schwestern Emma und Milli waren neu.
Je mehr ich jedoch gelesen habe, umso mehr war ich in der Welt gefangen und wollte unbedingt wissen, was es mit den Winterlys auf sich hat.
Mit der Zeit hab ich mehr und mehr Theorien aufgestellt, was denn eigentlich hier so passiert, aber wurde doch eines Besseren belehrt.
Die Geschichte wird aus Sicht von Emma in der dritten Person geschrieben, aber man bekommt auch Einblicke in Milli, den Lord selbst oder aber auch die geheimnisvollen drei Schwestern.

In der zweiten Hälfte gab es dann ein paar Stellen, welche mir etwas zu mühsam waren, aber da hab ich einfach bisschen drüber geblättert.

Das Ende war dann mehr als verrückt und verglichen zur bisherigen Geschichte auch sehr schnell. Und obwohl das Ende selbst nicht wirklich ein Cliffhanger hat, freu ich mich auf Buch 2.

Vom Englisch-Level her sollte man hier schon fortgeschritten sein!

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 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.

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.

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.