Victorian Gothic

"Joe Giampaolo has written the most helpful and informative guide to the Gothic genre. The Reader's Companion to the Gothic Genre is written in clear and understandable language, providing the student of literature and the faithful reader of Gothic novels with a guide to understanding the genre's origin and the elements that place a novel in this genre." ~ Readers' Favorite This essay is the third installment in the Reader's Companion collection and it is a brief analysis of the Gothic genre in British literature from its origins in the middle of the 18th century to the ghost stories and ...

A gothic mystery set in Victorian London during the late 19th century. Submerge yourself in the chillingly atmospheric streets of fog-shrouded Victorian London, where *Ghosts of River Hall* weaves a captivating tale of intrigue, love, and spectral whispers. This suspense-laden narrative follows the Craven & Son law firm, gripped by the haunting mystery of "The Cursed House," a property overshadowed by unsettling events and spectral presences. Embrace the relentless tension of a house torn between worlds—a beloved residence and an ominous ghost dwelling by the River Thames. The tale ...

Can a curse strike twice in a woman's life? In 1854, 17-year-old chambermaid Clara Crofton was dismissed from Gravesend Hall for having fallen in love with Richard Blackwood, the younger son of the house. Alone in the world, Clara found a tenuous position as a seamstress, but she always blamed the Gravesend curse for the disaster that had befallen her - and for Richard's death soon after in the Crimean War.

When a young journalist vanishes while investigating mysterious disappearances at an East End inn, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves drawn into a case that defies rational explanation. The Whispering Lantern, a decrepit establishment with an ancient secret buried beneath its foundations, holds horrors that even the world's greatest detective may not be prepared to face. As Holmes and Watson delve deeper into the mystery, they discover a former British Museum curator's terrible secret, ancient symbols that seem to shift and change, and whispers that drive men mad. When the walls...

As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another. Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?

As far as rash decisions go, it was formidable. But Lady Jocelyn Rathbourne's will remains strong. If the only way to save her family's estate and reputation is by aiming a small pistol at the Duke of Calydon, then so be it. For Lady Jocelyn demands satisfaction - and she will have it at any cost. Even if it means demanding the hand of the intense and foreboding Duke himself....

A Noble Hearts Regency Romance When danger entangles Maggie Winters and Maxwell Wilde into a treacherous game can they survive the darkness to embrace love’s light? A widow with a tragic past… Maggie Winters had everything she always wished for — betrothed to the man of her dreams, a loving home, and a new puppy. But it all changes when her parents die, and her new guardian sweeps Maggie from town and forces her to marry a stranger to pay his debts. When she suddenly finds herself a widow and free of an unhappy marriage, can she finally find the love she's dreamed of? A hero with a ...

A Duke haunted by the ghosts of the battlefield, a Lady who remembers the man he once was, an unexpected compromise, a call to courage in the face of despair, a love redeemed despite it all. ***** READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ***** Lord Devlin Vickery went to war eleven years ago, driven by a sense of duty, and the hope of glory. Now, he returns home a broken man, driven only by his sense of duty, to take up the title of Duke of Grimstoke after his father’s death. His experiences have left him haunted by the ghosts of death and destruction, detached from the real world, and certain that he ...

Forever untangling the branches of her strange family tree, Edwina Blackwood is at a turning point. Her parents’ disappearances still strike her as unaccountably odd. Her sister’s questionable life and untimely death have left her shaken. Spellfire has transformed her home and livelihood to ash. And now a devious stalker is on her trail. With supernatural detective Ian Cameron by her side, Edwina can’t get out of London fast enough.

"For the love of God, cut off my head." The last request in Uncle Silas's will shocks everyone speechless, everyone except his favorite niece, Anna. More than death itself, the claustrophobic Silas fears a premature burial. Will her elders carry out his request? Anna is certain they will not. It's up to her to do the right thing, even if it is a bit grisly. Armed with butcher knife and candle, Anna heads for the crypt underneath the church in the dead of night. All does not go according to Anna's careful planning.

The mysterious death of a Greek-born woman sparks eerie happenings in this nightmarish detective novel where the uncanny meets with science. England, 1848. When French Inspector, Maurice Leroux, arrives at Alexandra Hall to investigate two grisly murders, he finds superstition and fear rife among the servants and the new master of the house. And what of the mysterious man who once owned this isolated Berkshire mansion? A decade ago, Aaron Nightingale returned from the Greek islands with his bride-to-be — the gifted village girl, Calista. Now husband and wife lie dead and two other ...

To the world Mrs Copplefield is the epitome of Victorian propriety: an exemplary society lady who writes a weekly column advising young ladies on how to be better wives. Only Adeline has never been a good wife or mother; she has no claim to the Copplefield name, nor is she an English lady. Now a black woman, born in Africa, who dared to pretend to be something she was not, is on trial in the English courts with all of London society baying for her blood. And she is ready to tell her story.

The House on Thornhallow Moor (Book One of the Between Heartbeats Series) On the wind-swept cliffs overlooking Blackwater Hollow stands Thornhallow Moor—a house bound by secrets older than the sea. When Clara Wren returns to the neglected Victorian estate of her childhood, she expects memories, perhaps even closure. But the house has waited patiently for her arrival, harboring more than just dust and echoes of the past. Whispers drift through empty rooms, footprints glisten with seawater, and in the shadows stands Silas Vale—a ship’s captain lost to a storm over a century ago. Bound ...

Welcome to Winterhaven ~ Almost Nothing Is What It Seems... But the Sex is Real and the Secrets are Many! Down and out on her luck, Verity answers an ad in in a small country newspaper. The job offer sounds almost too good to be true and the salary is much more than she made in the city. Even with her doubts, though, Verity visits Winterhaven and falls in love with the rural area... but behind the lush green beauty of the countryside lies ugly secrets! Winterhaven Manor holds many secrets, and all those associated with the grand old estate seem to have secrets of their own to protect. ...

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive Doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed.

In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.

Destitute and desperate, Catherine Weston accepts the summons from her childhood friend Madeline St. Aubyn to attend her at Cairncroft Abbey. Madeline's health is in a poor state, and she is terrified of her cousin Gabriel. But Gabriel has quite a different effect on Catherine, stirring longings and desires she believed long buried. Then a young woman is found dead, and Madeline's ravings point to a link between this horrific crime and Gabriel - and Catherine must decide if he is a man worthy of her love or a sinister stranger determined to make her his next victim.

On his 59th birthday, Tyson Parks—a famous, but struggling, horror writer—receives an ornate antiquarian desk in the hopes it will rekindle his creative juices. Perhaps inspire him to write another best-selling book and prove his best years aren’t behind him… As Tyson begins to use the new desk, he finds himself writing copy at an unfathomable speed, becomes so focused on writing that he binges on all-night, all-day sessions that take a serious physical and psychological toll. Soon, Tyson begins acting strange. Violent.

In Victorian London, where traveling sideshows are the very pinnacle of entertainment, there is no more coveted ticket than Ashe and Pretorius' Carnivale of Curiosities. Each performance is a limited engagement, and London's elite boldly dare the dangerous streets of Southwark to witness the Carnivale's astounding assemblage of marvels. For a select few, however, the real show begins behind the curtain. Rumors abound that the show’s proprietor, Aurelius Ashe, is more than an average magician. It's said that for the right price, he can make any wish come true.

The year is 1898. Following the harrowing events that nearly destroyed London, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson set sail aboard the RMS Lucania, bound for America. A well-earned speaking tour awaits—or so they believe. But the Atlantic crossing is anything but ordinary. When a series of mysterious deaths shakes the ship’s crew, Holmes and Watson are drawn into a chilling investigation that points to something far more sinister than mere illness or accident. Whispers spread through the lower decks of strange cargo, locked holds, and shadowy figures that disappear into the night. As ...