A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself?Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and … town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.
As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales.
Hester Fox comes to writing from a background in the museum field as a collections maintenance technician. This job has taken her from historic houses to fine art museums, where she has the privilege of cleaning and caring for collections that range from paintings by old masters to ancient artifacts to early-American furniture. She is a keen painter and has a master’s degree in historical archaeology, as well as a background in medieval studies and art history. Hester lives outside Boston with her husband.
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Hester Fox does it again with this mesmerizing and spooky novel, perfect for the fall and Halloween holiday. The Widow of Pale Harbor is a thrilling and riveting novel that opens with an ominous tone that carries throughout the novel until the very end, keeping the reader at the edge. In this little town off the harbor, Fox does a brilliant job creating a spooky atmosphere with the description of the fog, rolling hills, and landscape that submerges the reader in the world.
The additional element of combining Edgar Allan Poe’s work into the piece to haunt the characters was well executed. Fox brings each selected piece to life with a literal interpretation, allowing the reader to see the unimaginative mind of the villain who is using the murders to taunt and haunt the protagonist. It is not apparent at first, but for readers who are fans of Poe’s work and familiar with his stories, they will be able to see the connection between the acts of crime and the stories. While literal, the allusions to the stories bring about a deeper meaning to the characters. It highlights the spook factor for the reader and raises the tension between the characters.
Along with the tension, the pacing is fantastic. The Widow of Pale Harbor is a story that relies on its even pacing to keep the tension engaging, and Fox has done that exceptionally well. Fox ensures that the character dynamics grow throughout the novel. Their dynamics shift and grow in realistic ways as the story progresses, evolving their relationships. The relationships help the characters see past the tragedies of their respective pasts and grow beyond them. It is realistic, and the way the story evolves keeps the narrative and plot grounded, working to make it even more compelling.
The Widow Of Pale Harbour by Hester Fox is a gripping historical murder suspense that had me glued and guessing from the start. I congratulated myself on working out who the guilty party was far too soon – I got it wrong again!
The novel is about love and jealousy, the passion and power to manipulate and control. A warped sense of entitlement provokes a horrific course of action.
In contrast there is a love that protects, a love that goes the extra mile and is prepared to sacrifice.
Fear and guilt imprison characters. We need to deal with our fear and guilt or we will imprison ourselves. The walls we build around us to keep us safe need demolishing before we become our own prison guard.
A series of gruesome events are clues left for characters and the reader to follow to try to guess the perpetrator. See if you can work it out. I failed miserably!
The characters are well drawn and the plot is well executed. I thought the book was written in the style of the Gothic horror tradition as the darkness of the elements mirrors the action.
I really enjoyed The Widow Of Pale Harbour. It was a departure from my usual genre and I look forward to reading more by Hester Fox.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
I was quickly engrossed in the storyline and didn’t want to put it down once I’d started it and I’d finished it in a day. The twists and turns were so cleverly woven into the plot. You didn’t know who the perpetrator was until the very end and I’m usually good at guessing but I never even came close. It’s a very gothic , eerily written piece that reminded me a bit of Henry James . It captures the imagination and the descriptive writing brought to life the small minded pettiness of the 19th century . I’m not that familiar with the works of Edgar Allen Poe or the religious aspects mentioned in the book so it was interesting reading too. Sophy character was so well developed and likeable. She has such an air of dignity even after years of being maligned by the town’s people. Gabriel.is the perfect hero for her. The chemistry between them simmers and their interactions together were beautifully written. I thoroughly recommend this book.
Favorite Quotes:
Tonight, she and Helen would eat a small supper in silence— they had few words left to say that weren’t old and stale, used up over the years…
If he was going to be an even half-convincing minister, he was going to have to curb his vulgar habit of cursing.
But then the conversation took an even more horrifying turn. “Are you married, Gabriel?”
Suspicion had followed her about like a cloud threatening rain…
My Review:
This clever wordsmith is exceptionally skilled at creating and maintaining an eerie and smoky atmosphere that was taut with tension and unease yet pregnant with an odd and incongruent mixture of hopeful anticipation and nightmarish dread. Strange incidents, ghastly crimes, and gruesome discoveries were occurring at an advancing rate, it quickly became quite clear that something vile and sinister was settling over the narrow and backward little hamlet of Pale Harbor.
The elements of mystery and suspense were well-crafted and exceptionally well-paced as the creepiness factor zigged and zagged unexpectedly with sudden leaps and abrupt interruptions. I was riveted to my Kindle. And amid all these alarming and bizarre occurrences, a romance blossomed between the new minister who frequently swore and delivered abysmal sermons – although not at the same time – and the town outcast and suspected witch/murderess. It was divine. In addition to an engaging read and a day’s worth of entertainment, I also gleaned new knowledge as I was compelled to consult Mr. Google about transcendentalism and Unitarianism, which apparently resulted in falling through a wormhole and losing track of a significant chunk of time, funny how that happens.
The Widow of Pale Harbor was the perfect atmospherically creepy read to start the fall season right!
I jumped at the chance to read this one because I enjoyed Ms Fox’s first effort, The Witch of Willow Hall so much, and I am happy to report it did not disappoint. Once again we have a spooky atmosphere rife with eerie goings-on, many specifically aimed at the misunderstood heroine, Sophy Carter, the widow of Pale Harbor. Both she and Gabriel, the hero, have some heavy duty pasts they need to work through, tasks made doubly difficult by the fact that bodies are actually starting to pile up.
I loved the coastal Maine setting (note to self: visit Castle Tucker next time we’re in Maine!) and the way Poe’s stories played into the plot (I often forget just how many stories he wrote, and really need to make a point read some of his less popular ones); both helped to add to the overall feel of the story. The romance was a nice addition, though at times it felt like it distracted them a bit more from the danger at hand than it really should have.
Just the title of Hester Fox’s next book, The Orphan of Cemetery Hill, has me eager to see what she has in store for us next!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I enjoyed The Witch of Willow Hall and was eagerly awaiting the release of The Widow of Pale Harbor. I am happy to say that this book did not disappoint. The Widow of Pale Harbor is an intriguing mix of an atmospheric Gothic mystery and a swoony romance. It’s also a perfect book to curl up with on a chilly fall night. I recommend it to all Gothic and historical fiction fans.
Sophronia is a reclusive widow. The towns people of Pale Harbor are sure she is a witch and she murdered her husband. Enter Gabriel. He is the new minister in the small town of Pale Harbor. He and Sophronia meet and become good friends…and of course this leads to a love affair…with the preacher no less! However, Sophronia is being blamed for all the odd activities around Pale Harbor. She knows she didn’t do it and she is determined to find out who is.
Give me an old house and weird happenings and I am hooked. This story bewitched me from the start. I enjoyed all the odd scenes from Edgar Allan Poe stories. And of course the mystery kept me guessing. Add in a little love affair and you have a good read! Don’t miss this one! Perfect for Halloween!
I received this novel from Harlequin for a honest review.
This is my first book by Hester Fox, and it’s only her second book. I hope there will be a LOT more from this talented author! This story, a gothic romance featuring a riveting mystery, Transcendentalism and the incomparable works of Edgar Allan Poe, kept me glued to the pages. What wonderful fun!
Gabriel Stone is the new newly arrived Transcendentalist minister in Pale Harbor, Maine. In actuality, he is there under false pretenses; he took the position when the expected minister died, in honor of his deceased wife who embraced this religious movement. Odd, spooky things are happening in this little town. The superstitious townspeople believe it is the work of Sophronia Carver (a most unfortunate name!). They suspect she is a witch and that she killed her husband. She is a reclusive woman who lives in Carver Castle with Helen, her odd maid and friend. Though the locals believe the odd goings-on are the fault of Sophronia, it’s apparent she is being targeted by someone obsessed with Poe’s work.
Gabriel’s not even a real minister, and it’s quickly apparent he’s not cut out for religious life. When he meets Sophronia he is immediately taken by her, making him feel guilty about his deceased wife. Sophronia too has a past she is grappling with. She is attracted to Gabriel and begins to venture out of her self-made prison. Helen, though, tries to stop that; she seems to want to keep Sophronia all to herself. The atmosphere of Pale Harbor is brought to life – you can feel the mist and desolation of the bluffs and beach of this little town. The romance between Gabriel and Sophronia isn’t particularly steamy, but feels honest as they both struggle with their pasts. The mystery kept me guessing the whole time and I was surprised when the villain was revealed. I do believe Ms. Fox has made me a fan of gothic romance! I look forward to many more stories by her.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
The Widow of Pale Harbor is my second experience with Hester Fox’s writing and I enjoyed it even more than when I read The Witch of Willow Hall. I really enjoy her Gothic touches to historical romances. The added touches revolving around Edgar Allen Poe and his famous works really added to the historical and Gothic feel of Sophronia and Gabriel’s story.
Hester Fox’s writing has a sort of enchanted feeling to it. She sucked me into the dark and mysterious town of Pale Harbor. I felt like I was right in the middle of everything, sort of an honorary townie. Even though I was able to guess who was behind all of the horrible things going on in town, it didn’t lessen the fun of the story at all.
The Widow of Pale Harbor and Hester Fox’s other books have a dark feeling to them that makes them perfect for a rainy day or fall read. Just curl up with a fuzzy blanket and whatever warm drink you prefer and enjoy the wonderful experience.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and there is a good possibility that it won’t be my last. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book based in the past. It was a nice change. This book was full of mystery and suspense with a little bit of romance. It kept me on the edge wanting more. I just kept turning the page finding it difficult to put the book down. There were so many unanswered questions that I just wanted to figure out. Who was terrorizing Sophronia, how did her husband die, why did Gabriel really come to Pale Harbor, and will Gabriel and Sophronia fall in love? Each one was eventually answered but not without keeping me guessing. It was like riding a roller coaster and looking forward to the next loop or drop. This was a ride that I enjoyed taking.
I loved The Widow of Pale Harbor. It’s full of wonderful atmosphere, a haunting setting, and characters who all carry secret burdens. Combined with a memorable romance and a murder mystery, it’s a terrific read!
The Widow of Pale Harbor is a truly magnetic gothic novel filled with twists and turns and characters the reader can empathize with. Alive with atmosphere and suspense, Fox’s writing calls to mind the evocative prose of Diane Setterfield with a nod to Victoria Holt’s grand gothic romances.
Ever since I read The Scarlet Letter in high school, I have loved the trope of the outcast woman living on the fringes of society. As the central character, the widowed Sophronia Carver is both vulnerable and regal. Living in solitude with only her loyal housekeeper as company (who has a delicious Mrs. Danvers-like personality) Sophy steadfastly ignores the local gossips while going on about her life as an independent woman and the publisher of an acclaimed literary magazine.
When Gabriel Stone comes to town to take on his role as the new pastor in Pale Harbor, he’s only hoping to escape his tragic past and the remorse that threatens to throttle any hope of future happiness…until he meets the enigmatic Sophronia. When Sophy is blamed for a series of mysterious murders based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Gabriel steps in as Sophy’s only ally, and together, they work to stop the killer and clear her name as sinister forces conspire against them.
Full of twists and turns and an atmospheric seaside setting, this is the perfect fall read to cozy up with next to a warm fire. I can’t recommend it enough!
This is the second book that I have read by Hester Fox, and I really enjoyed this one too. Great gothic-historical mystery. There is a fine silver thread that connects this book to the last one (The Witch of Willow Hall) being the first. The links being the dark, gothic nature, witchcraft, mystery, and the underlying romance. It’s rare to love a book as much if not more than the first, but If you forced me to choose between this one and the last It would be a struggle. I loved them both so much and can’t wait for the next book to come out. The narration on Audible was superb, perfect. Loved her voice acting, really pulled me into the story.
Darkness, murder, witchcraft, forbidden romance, and you just don’t know who is lying and who is telling the truth until the very end. It’s a real page-turner and wonderfully done. Smartly written and a fantastic read. I absolutely loved it.
A wealthy, reclusive widow is feared and despised by many of the towns people of Pale Harbor, Maine. They believe she and her housekeeper practice witchcraft, and that she murdered her late husband, a publisher of a magazine, featuring authors such as Edgar Allan Poe. A new minister arrives in town, and an attraction develops between him and the widow. Then, strange occurrences begin, symbolic of some of Poe’s work, followed by a murder. This story, with the harbor setting, had a gothic-like vibe. I wish I could have gotten more engrossed in the story as a whole.
I was expecting a mysterious gothic masterpiece and what I actually got was a historical romance with some mystery thrown in.
Nothing wrong with that at all but I felt the blurb here was a tad misleading.
So Sophronia Carver is a young widow who lives in Carver castle in the town of Pale harbor.
The entire town thinks her a murderer and a witch.
Gabriel is the new minister practising transcendentalism he has moved for a fresh start after the death of his wife in childbirth.
When these two meet they forge a strong connection further amplified by Gabriel’s protectiveness towards the young widow.
This is also has a budding romance a slow burn one, the whole story is quite clean in nature with one intimate scene and a couple of kisses.
So strange things are afoot in Pale Harbor and the whole town is pointing the finger in Sophy’s direction, after all, she is the local witch according to the town gossips.
But it’s not long before events escalate and it becomes clear that Sophy is the main target of this vendetta of hatred.
With a dwindling suspect pool, Sophy even suspects her long-time devoted maid Helen.
Helen despite her spells and charms claims only to have her mistresses best interests at heart and the more she tries to drive a wedge between Sophy and Gabriel the more she unintentionally pushes them together.
So I did find this to be a tad slow and plodding and it never really got off the ground for me hence my final rating.
So I had a few issues with this I think one of the main ones was I never really took to Sophy herself I found her to be quite self-absorbed and I disliked the way she treated Helen even referring to her as pathetic in conversation with Gabriel.
Helen was a bloody nightmare at times but Sophy has allowed and enabled this behaviour and the woman was only trying to look after Sophy in the only way she knew how.
I also thought Gabriel’s pedestal that he had put his dead wife on needed a sharp kick to the foundations.
When I learned her past actions towards her husband it just made Gabriel look like a complete and utter doormat, not understanding and decent like I think the author intended just please walk all over me.
Also, people here made the dumbest choices they deserved to be murdered in my opinion Sophy was a complete moron in that regard she did everything you are not supposed to and in real life, she definitely would have been a gonna.
The prose itself here was lovely I’ll say that but the rest for me fell flat and the ultimate mystery left me completely cold.
The writing itself here was fine but as I said earlier this was a bit of a miss for me which is a shame as I wanted so much to like this more than I did.
If you like the cleaner historical gothic romances this one might be a fit for you.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Widow of Pale Harbor.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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The Widow of Pale Harbor is marketed as domestic suspense, historical fiction, and gothic. I would certainly agree with the historical fiction and gothic labels, and while there is suspense, it is overshadowed by romance. The romance moves a little too quickly, and most times, it felt like the author’s focus was all about Gideon and Sophronia being so smitten with each other. On the mystery side of things, such as they are, I really liked the tie-in to Poe, although this doesn’t pack the same punch as Poe’s work. Despite getting so much romance when I expected a mystery, the story held my attention, and the characters were interesting. Helen, in particular, was an intriguing character to read. I suppose she technically should’ve been a secondary character, but she kind of stole the show for me. Hester Fox does weave a good tale – a little on the wordy side, but good nonetheless. In the end, this one had its positives and negatives, and for me, they balanced out, leaving me somewhere in the middle.
I wanted to really love this book, the blurb was super! However it seemed to drag for me, and I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to finish it. Finally we got to the ending where all the suspense was! Whew that was good! I did not see it coming.
One thing I had a really hard time with was her name! Sophronia is hard to read continuously, I kept having to stop and reread it.
Sophronia Carver moves to Pale Harbor with her husband. After he dies, the town doesn’t like Sophronia. When strange things start happening, the townspeople decide Sophronia is a witch. When the new minister moves to town, they tell Gabriel Stone their theories. Gabriel must get to the bottom of things before things really get out of hand! This was a great historical book. It is a dark creepy book and keeps you guessing until the very last page. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.