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 ...

Clara Penrose was not looking forward to her society debut, but she never imagined it would be interrupted by murder. The murdered man is a pushy suitor who wouldn’t take no for an answer and suspicion quickly falls on Clara. The man’s father, an influential member of high society, holds Clara responsible and is pushing for a fast resolution. As the clues pointing to the culprit being intimate with the Penrose Household pile up, Clara can almost feel the noose tightening around her neck. Unable to trust the police, she turns to her best friend and neighbour, Roland Fisher. The two ...

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...

"Hampshire Stories by Joe Giampaolo is a stellar collection of short stories” (Literary Titan, 2020) - "A delightful story brimming with sophistication and charm" (Indies Today, 2022) The Hampshire Stories Series, Deluxe Edition is an award-winning anthology of selected short stories set in 19th-century England. This collection includes twelve short stories divided by genre (Previously published). -- 2020 Literary Titan Book Award, Gold Medal, (Hampshire Stories) -- 2022 Global Book Awards, Bronze Medal, Historical Romance, (Hampshire Stories) -- Readers' Favorite, Five Star Seal, (The ...

A Devil’s Bargain – A Gothic Tale of Love, Curses, and the Shadows That Bind Us There are houses that whisper. Houses that breathe. Houses that remember every soul that ever dared to cross their threshold. Ravenshade Manor is one of them. When Evelina Harrow arrives at the decaying estate, she believes she’s simply settling a family debt. But from the moment she steps inside, the house knows her name. The walls shift when she isn’t looking. Shadows move where no light should be. And then there’s Lucien D’Armand—the cursed and enigmatic lord of Ravenshade, a man who walks the ...

Sassy socialite Grace Stotesbury has plans for her future. None include marriage, murder or blackmail. Nor do they include the dashing, ex-naval commander, Lord Lexington—now a charismatic Private Investigator who sets her heart pumping and skin tingling. The nerve of him. She is the last person to see the murder victim alive—in an argument in a ballroom full of witnesses. Her situation worsens when she becomes the latest victim of an audacious blackmailer, someone who is privy to her most damning secrets. Can she work with Lexington to clear her name and catch the blackmailer? Will ...

Strange and terrible creature... Inez came to Stark Island to catalog the library in Stark House, a rambling old mansion of field-stone and brick. Thus began her ordeal of terror, and her encounter with a madman's curse. She was taking a moonlight swim in Deepdene Pool, when she saw the creature watching her. As a wave of terror paralyzed her, she was saved by a young painter who lived at Stark House. From him she learned the legend behind the sinister creature, and the curse that followed the Stark family down through the centuries. Then came a moment of jolting horror in the family ...

The Governess by H. Wilhelm Starkweather is a captivating psychological fiction novel set in the eerie, atmospheric world of Victorian England. This chilling tale explores themes of isolation, supernatural encounters, and the unraveling of the human psyche, all within the confines of a mysterious country estate. Step into the shadowy corridors of Bly Manor, where secrets are whispered in the dark and every creak of the floorboards tells a story. Discover the unsettling experiences of a young governess as she navigates the eerie halls of Bly Manor, where not all is as it seems. Follow the ...

Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series continues with a dark and sinister Auckland City at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector... Qualified physician? A menace to society? The next Chief Surgeon? Returning to life in the Antipodes has not gone quite as expected for Dr Anna Cassidy; an axe hangs over her head. With no sign of her nemesis in Auckland City, Anna finds herself holding her breath. But a gruesome surprise awaiting her in her home surgery one morning changes all of that. Puppet...

When one man's scheme to create the Greatest Freak Show on Earth leads to an insane obsession that can only end in devastating tragedy. The ghoulish proprietor of a Victorian arcade specifically designed to showcase the myriad of freaks, outcasts, and oddities that abound in old London town is a man driven by his own dark desires. Rodney Thompson is an emotionless, sadistic person who craves glory above all else - at least until the beautiful Violet wafts into his world. From the very day when Violet first takes a dainty step inside the arcade, Rodney is determined to make her his own. A ...

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.

Bubble, bubble, toil, and murder... When a woman is found dead near her village in Norfolk, the verdict is suicide. Not everyone agrees. Detective James Simpson is ordered to investigate and he brings Agatha Aston, Betty Simpson and Talleyrand the hound, with him. They stumble across a tale of murder that stretches back two centuries. Part occult story, part murder mystery - this creepy tale is steeped in witchcraft and strange rural festivals where everything is not as it seems. The second Agatha Aston murder mystery is full of laughs, twists and things that go bump in the night. Golden ...

Fall in love with this fantasy romance! It is perfect for the fans of Spellbreaker. London, 1896. Emmeline Hill is a young woman at a magical school. She wants to steal a power orb to help her uncle, a spell thief. Aided by dryads and shapeshifters, she fights with the evil who guards it. She also clashes with two wizards, one of whom she grows fond of. The book features a slow-burn romance. It concludes in the third book in the series. Don't miss out on this captivating tale of adventure, magic and romance! You can buy the book stand-alone or the whole series. Indulge yourself and buy the ...

Nestled within the rugged North York Moors lies Ashford Manor, a grand estate shrouded in secrets and cloaked in Victorian elegance. Here, the sudden and mysterious death of Lord Reginald Ashford sets the stage for an enthralling narrative woven with intrigue, betrayal, and hidden desires. As the esteemed inhabitants of Ashford Manor mourn the loss of their patriarch, the arrival of Inspector Hargreaves and Constable Barkley marks the beginning of an intense investigation that promises to unearth more than just the cause of Lord Reginald’s untimely demise. Set against the evocative ...

Step into the heart of Victorian London with “Mirror of the Damned,” a thrilling gothic horror story set in the hidden corners of Notting Hill. This tale revolves around the mysterious and cursed Mirror of the Damned, found in the peculiar shop of Mr. Abernathy. Here, the wealthy Sir Reginald Harcourt becomes obsessed with uncovering his future, leading him down a path of madness. Will the curse consume him, or can he break free from the mirror’s dark grip? Join the adventure in “Mirror of the Damned,” where the power of the human spirit is tested against the backdrop of time, ...

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 ...

1851, Angel Meadow Asylum. Dr. Rutherford, principal physician to the insane, is found dead, his head bashed in, his ears cut off, his lips and eyes stitched closed. The police direct their attention towards Angel Meadow's inmates, but to Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain the crime is an act of calculated retribution, rather than of madness. To discover the truth Jem and Will must pursue the story through the darkest corners of the city.

The Winter Rose of Northumberland A love tested by scandal. A past shrouded in whispers. A place she never truly belonged—until now. When Eleanor Whitmore’s father, the village parson, dies, she is left with nothing but a tarnished name and a town full of whispers. Langmere has never fully claimed her as its own, and when rumors of her mother’s mysterious past resurface, Eleanor is faced with a choice: stay and fight for her place, or leave behind the only home she has ever known. Nathaniel Grahame is a man forged in war, tasked with rebuilding the estate of a noble family that has ...

An 18th century castle full of mystery and dark secrets is the setting for murder and forbidden romance in this captivating Gothic historical romance novel by Sophia Queen. What would you do to escape an arranged marriage to a ruthless lord? Karina Rouelle must flee her uncle's home in the night and hide her true identity from society by becoming an undercover spy with an elite, all-female investigative agency. Her first assignment, posing as a governess at Westford castle in order to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, quickly becomes complicated when she finds ...

He needed a clever woman to rule his home, reach for her papa, and lie ravished in his bed with a whimsical, sated smile. In return, he would bind her to him and release her spirit. Rosemary Thayer, suddenly alone in America, could finally do as she wished. It was the most frightening and exciting thing that had ever happened to her. She intended to capitalize on the opportunity by getting away from the man who wanted to marry her, avoid homelessness, and prostitution. Marriage would come eventually, but in her limited experience, men were trouble. If her secrets were out, no respectable ...