Book picks similar to
Dark Cypress by Edwina Noone
gothic
horror
governess-nanny
historical-fiction
The Unforgetting
Rose Black - 2020
Her death was foretold. Her past is about to be unforgotten...1851. When Lily Bell is sold by her father to a 'Professor of Ghosts' to settle a bad debt, she dreams of finding fame on the London stage. But Erasmus Salt wants Lilly not as an actress, but as his very own ghost - the heart of his elaborate illusion for those desperate for a glimpse of the spirit world . . .Obsessed with perfection, Erasmus goes to extreme lengths to ensure his illusion is realistic. When Lily comes across her own obituary in the paper, and then her headstones in the cemetery, she realises that she is trapped, her own parents think she is dead, and that her fate is soon to become even darker . . .A spellbinding story of obsession, the lure of fame, and the power of illusion.
Black Rabbit Hall
Eve Chase - 2015
Amber Alton knows that the hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall, her London family's country estate, where no two clocks read the same. Summers there are perfect, timeless. Not much ever happens. Until, of course, it does. More than three decades later, Lorna is determined to be married within the grand, ivy-covered walls of Pencraw Hall, known as Black Rabbit Hall among the locals. But as she's drawn deeper into the overgrown grounds, half-buried memories of her mother begin to surface and Lorna soon finds herself ensnared within the manor's labyrinthine history, overcome with an insatiable need for answers about her own past and that of the once-happy family whose memory still haunts the estate. Stunning and atmospheric, this debut novel is a thrilling spiral into the hearts of two women separated by decades but inescapably linked by the dark and tangled secrets of Black Rabbit Hall.
The Architect of Song
A.G. Howard - 2016
Now, she’s at risk to lose her sanctuary to Lord Nicolas Thornton, a twenty-seven-year-old mysterious and eccentric architect with designs on her humble estate. When she secretly witnesses him raging beside a grave, Juliet investigates, finding the name “Hawk” on the headstone and an unusual flower at the base. The moment Juliet touches the petals, a young English nobleman appears in ghostly form, singing a song only her deaf ears can hear. The ghost remembers nothing of his identity or death, other than the one name that haunts his afterlife: Thornton. To avenge her ghostly companion and save her estate, Juliet pushes aside her fear of society and travels to Lord Thornton’s secluded holiday resort, posing as a hat maker in one of his boutiques. There, she finds herself questioning who to trust: the architect of flesh and bones who can relate to her through romantic gestures, heartfelt notes, and sensual touches … or the specter who serenades her with beautiful songs and ardent words, touching her mind and soul like no other man ever can. As sinister truths behind Lord Thornton’s interest in her estate and his tie to Hawk come to light, Juliet is lured into a web of secrets. But it’s too late for escape, and the tragic love taking seed in her heart will alter her silent world forever.
The Wrong Girl
C.J. Archer - 2013
Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn't that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl's daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she's lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping.Taken by handsome Jack Langley to a place known as Freak House, she finds herself under the same roof as a mad scientist, his niece, a mute servant and Jack, a fire starter with a mysterious past. They assure Hannah she is not a prisoner and that they want to help her. The problem is, they think she's the earl's daughter. What will they do when they discover they took the wrong girl?
The Horror of Devil's Root Lake
Amy Cross - 2016
An actual, real monster, like you hear about in stories. And this monster killed children. Hundreds and hundreds of children.” When her son Charlie is killed in a tragic accident, Emily Carter sets out to discover the truth. Convinced that Charlie's death is linked to other supposed accidents, she's determined to prove that someone or something targeted her son. But as she continues to dig for the truth, Emily starts to realize that the explanation might be darker and more horrific than she could ever have anticipated. The Horror of Devil's Root Lake is the story of a woman who refuses to accept that her son's death was an accident, and of an ancient evil that waits impatiently in the forest for its next victim.
Saurian
William Schoell - 1988
Something calls Tom back to the ruins of his boyhood home, to the scene of the devastation that almost destroyed him.
Nocturne for a Widow
Amanda DeWees - 2014
But when he dies on their wedding night, she finds herself a penniless widow. Her only legacy is Brooke House, a Gothic revival manor in the wilds of the Hudson River Valley. However, the eerie mansion comes with two tenants. One is a hostile ghost. The second, and far worse, is former violinist Roderick Brooke--the most insolent, dangerous, maddeningly gorgeous man she's ever met.As Sybil and Roderick engage in a battle of wills--and wits--she finds herself increasingly drawn to him despite her growing suspicion that there is a connection between him and the spirit that haunts Brooke House. But soon an even greater threat arises: the mysterious queen of local society, Mrs. Lavinia Dove. For reasons that Sybil can't imagine, Mrs. Dove is determined to have Brooke House and Roderick for herself... if necessary, by deadly means.
Four Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; The Monk; Frankenstein
Horace Walpole - 1994
Crammed with catastrophe, terror, and ghostly interventions, the novel was an immediate success, and influenced numberous followers. These include William Beckford's Vathek (1786), which alternates grotesque comedy with scenes of exotic magnificence in the story of the ruthless Caliph Vathek's journey to damnation. The Monk (1796), by Matthew Lewis, is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest, set in the sinister monastery of the Capuchins in Madrid. Frankenstein (1818, 1831) is Mary Shelley's disturbing and perennially popular tale of a young student who learns the secret of giving life to a creature made from human relics, with horrific consequences.This collection illustrates the range and attraction of the gothic novel. Extreme and sensational, each of the four printed here is alos a powerful psychological story of isolation and monomania.
Major Tales and Poems
Edgar Allan Poe - 2006
Dupin is unrivalled."H. P. Lovecraft, a master of the modern horror story, wrote in 1932 that the perfect writer should have "the sheer genius of Poe."Tributes like these coming from such different writers indicate the widespread reputation for excellence enjoyed by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). During a short life shot through with personal tragedy, Poe managed to write virtuoso stories of detection, nightmarish tales of the macabre, brilliant poetry, and incisive criticism. In the totality of these achievements, few other American writers are his equal.Includes the following tales:The Tell-Tale HeartThe Black CatThe Fall of the House of UsherThe Pit and the PendulumThe Cask of the AmontilladoThe AssignationThe Masque of the Red DeathThe Premature BurialWilliam WilsonA Tale of the Ragged MountainsThe Gold-BugThe Murders in the Rue MorgueThe Mystery of Marie RogetThe Purloined LetterThe Facts in the Case of M. ValdemarThe Oblong BoxMS. Found in a BottleThe Oval PortraitBereniceMorellaLigeiaEleonaraThe Domain of ArnheimA Descent into the MaelstromIncludes the following poems:Spirits of the DeadSonnet-To Science"Alone"To HelenIsrafelThe City in the SeaLenoreTo One in ParadiseDream-LandThe RavenUlalume-A BalladThe BellsA Dream within a DreamThe Valley of UnrestAnnabel Lee