What do you think?
Rate this book
Thorns in the Hollow
Not yet published
Expected 26 Nov 26Tabitha would do anything to remain at her ancestral home of Reynard’s Hollow. So, while marrying her cousin Vincent isn’t an inspiring proposition, things could be worse. He doesn’t hold a candle to Kit, the gamekeeper’s son and her childhood friend, but nothing would ever come of that anyway; she’s the lady of the manor, after all, and he’s a servant.
Tabitha’s world is thrown upside down when her cousin dies in a hunting accident. He was her best – and only – chance to remain at the Hollow… so what will happen to her now? Why do his injuries look like the result of a brutal attack, rather than a bad fall? Is there something out there – some sort of monster, still lurking in the woods?
Meanwhile, Kit is wrestling with demons of his own. His mother is acting strangely, and the other servants’ mutterings about his true parentage are growing louder. The household, already under strain, reaches a breaking point as loyalties are put to the test and long-buried secrets are unearthed. And then Kit makes a discovery: there is something in the woods, although he doesn’t think it’s a monster. But at Reynard’s Hollow, things are not always as they appear. Sometimes it pays to look a gift horse in the mouth…
Tabitha’s world is thrown upside down when her cousin dies in a hunting accident. He was her best – and only – chance to remain at the Hollow… so what will happen to her now? Why do his injuries look like the result of a brutal attack, rather than a bad fall? Is there something out there – some sort of monster, still lurking in the woods?
Meanwhile, Kit is wrestling with demons of his own. His mother is acting strangely, and the other servants’ mutterings about his true parentage are growing louder. The household, already under strain, reaches a breaking point as loyalties are put to the test and long-buried secrets are unearthed. And then Kit makes a discovery: there is something in the woods, although he doesn’t think it’s a monster. But at Reynard’s Hollow, things are not always as they appear. Sometimes it pays to look a gift horse in the mouth…
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 22, 2026
About the author
Laura Purcell
16 books3,555 followersLaura Purcell is a writer of gothic horror and historical fiction living in Colchester.
Her novels have won various awards including the WH Smith Thumping Good Read (2018), Fingerprint Historical Crime Book of the Year (2022) and the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award (2023). They have also been selected for Radio 2 and Zoe Ball's ITV book clubs.
Laura's short stories have been published in a number of best-selling collections. She worked as lead writer on Roanoke Falls, a Realm horror podcast executive produced by John Carpenter and Sandy King Carpenter.
Her novels have won various awards including the WH Smith Thumping Good Read (2018), Fingerprint Historical Crime Book of the Year (2022) and the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award (2023). They have also been selected for Radio 2 and Zoe Ball's ITV book clubs.
Laura's short stories have been published in a number of best-selling collections. She worked as lead writer on Roanoke Falls, a Realm horror podcast executive produced by John Carpenter and Sandy King Carpenter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Want to Read
February 24, 2026yesssss Laura coming through with a halloween 2026 spooky read
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Tabitha is all set to marry her cousin to ensure she can continue to live at her family's ancestral home. But when her cousin is killed during a hunt, her entire future falls apart. She and her childhood friend (and servant) Kit set out to investigate his death, but the discoveries they make along the way cast doubt upon everything they've ever been told about Reynard's Hollow and the people who live there.
I had such a good time with this book. Dare I say I enjoyed this one even more than I enjoyed the Silent Companions?
Reynard’s Hollow initially seemed like such a beautiful, carefree setting, but it very quickly became ominous and suffocating as the true darkness of the story came to light. Definitely not the sort of place I'd want to hang about during a dark, cold winter - unless I'm just curled up with a blanket reading about it, then it's perfect. Sadly, I read it during a summer heatwave, but I think this would make for a perfect chilly winter read.
I loved Tabitha and Kit as main characters. Tabitha with her impulsiveness and constant urge to prove herself as worthy, and Kit, always easily swayed, with his gentle and caring nature. Watching them try to navigate their adult relationship as lady and servant after a childhood friendship with very few boundaries between them was painful and lovely in equal measure.
The story was incredibly twisty - and while I saw some of the twists coming, I didn't catch all of them, so it never felt predictable. I think my favourite part of the story was later on after a certain character's journal was discovered, once it began to alternate between present day and journal entries from the past. The reveals began to come in thick and fast and it worked so well - I was absolutely gripped and ended up finishing the whole rest of the book in one go from there. There's not really much more I can say without spoiling anything, but WOW.
Highly recommend if you're looking for something dark, mysterious, and just a little bit creepy. Thanks to HarperCollins UK | Magpie and NetGalley for the arc <3
I had such a good time with this book. Dare I say I enjoyed this one even more than I enjoyed the Silent Companions?
Reynard’s Hollow initially seemed like such a beautiful, carefree setting, but it very quickly became ominous and suffocating as the true darkness of the story came to light. Definitely not the sort of place I'd want to hang about during a dark, cold winter - unless I'm just curled up with a blanket reading about it, then it's perfect. Sadly, I read it during a summer heatwave, but I think this would make for a perfect chilly winter read.
I loved Tabitha and Kit as main characters. Tabitha with her impulsiveness and constant urge to prove herself as worthy, and Kit, always easily swayed, with his gentle and caring nature. Watching them try to navigate their adult relationship as lady and servant after a childhood friendship with very few boundaries between them was painful and lovely in equal measure.
The story was incredibly twisty - and while I saw some of the twists coming, I didn't catch all of them, so it never felt predictable. I think my favourite part of the story was later on after a certain character's journal was discovered, once it began to alternate between present day and journal entries from the past. The reveals began to come in thick and fast and it worked so well - I was absolutely gripped and ended up finishing the whole rest of the book in one go from there. There's not really much more I can say without spoiling anything, but WOW.
Highly recommend if you're looking for something dark, mysterious, and just a little bit creepy. Thanks to HarperCollins UK | Magpie and NetGalley for the arc <3
Review of advance copy
Read for a super secret project!
I wasn't really sure where the story was going, but I was enjoying getting to know the characters. By about page 100 a twist occured that I hadn't expected at all, but I think the signs were there if I was concentrating on that aspect, rather than the intrigue of the circus fire.
This was my first Purcell novel, an author I've been wanting to try for many a years and I found her writing style to be very atmospheric and lush with descriptions of the surrounding forest. The subtle mirroring of age and time was interesting to observe in this book. For example, Kit being 21 when he finds out some key information, mirroring Horatio being 21 when the birth of his sister was imminent and the contrast to both of their lives.
Near the end, a scene with Kit and Thorn really made me think of the Dullahan, but with the horse in power, rather than the headless horseman.
This had the fairytale quality of the good Vs evil, the gothic and the whimsy, but I had the overarching feel like this book didn't really know where it wanted to go. Despite enjoying my time reading this adventure and getting to know the lore, unearth the secrets, and fall in love with the characters, the story felt like it had too much going on and it felt a little bit messy in execution. It lost hold of some of the stronger threads in favour of adding in another aspect to the story, and so it felt like sturdy developments was forgone.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my time with this book and I look forward to eventually going through Purcell's backlist of books.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy!
I wasn't really sure where the story was going, but I was enjoying getting to know the characters. By about page 100 a twist occured that I hadn't expected at all, but I think the signs were there if I was concentrating on that aspect, rather than the intrigue of the circus fire.
This was my first Purcell novel, an author I've been wanting to try for many a years and I found her writing style to be very atmospheric and lush with descriptions of the surrounding forest. The subtle mirroring of age and time was interesting to observe in this book. For example, Kit being 21 when he finds out some key information, mirroring Horatio being 21 when the birth of his sister was imminent and the contrast to both of their lives.
Near the end, a scene with Kit and Thorn really made me think of the Dullahan, but with the horse in power, rather than the headless horseman.
This had the fairytale quality of the good Vs evil, the gothic and the whimsy, but I had the overarching feel like this book didn't really know where it wanted to go. Despite enjoying my time reading this adventure and getting to know the lore, unearth the secrets, and fall in love with the characters, the story felt like it had too much going on and it felt a little bit messy in execution. It lost hold of some of the stronger threads in favour of adding in another aspect to the story, and so it felt like sturdy developments was forgone.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my time with this book and I look forward to eventually going through Purcell's backlist of books.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book.
Thorns in the Hollow was an enjoyable, atmospheric read with an interesting plot, although I never quite found myself emotionally gripped by it.
The world-building is strong and there is a lot to like here, particularly the blend of grand-house drama, magic and horses. At times it almost felt like Downton Abbey with a magical, equestrian twist, which made for a really distinctive setting. The plot itself is good and became more engaging as the story progressed, with enough mystery and intrigue to keep me happily reading.
Where it fell slightly short for me was the emotional connection. There are moments that should probably have hit me quite hard, but I never became attached enough to most of the characters for them to have their full impact. Ironically, Thorn and Coquette, the horses, were probably the characters I was most invested in!
That said, I don't necessarily think this is a flaw in the book so much as a case of it not quite connecting with me on that level. I still enjoyed following the story, and it ended on a lovely note that left me satisfied.
Overall, a good, imaginative read that worked particularly well as a slightly gentler palate cleanser while still offering plenty of plot, magic and intrigue.
3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads & Netgalley
Thorns in the Hollow was an enjoyable, atmospheric read with an interesting plot, although I never quite found myself emotionally gripped by it.
The world-building is strong and there is a lot to like here, particularly the blend of grand-house drama, magic and horses. At times it almost felt like Downton Abbey with a magical, equestrian twist, which made for a really distinctive setting. The plot itself is good and became more engaging as the story progressed, with enough mystery and intrigue to keep me happily reading.
Where it fell slightly short for me was the emotional connection. There are moments that should probably have hit me quite hard, but I never became attached enough to most of the characters for them to have their full impact. Ironically, Thorn and Coquette, the horses, were probably the characters I was most invested in!
That said, I don't necessarily think this is a flaw in the book so much as a case of it not quite connecting with me on that level. I still enjoyed following the story, and it ended on a lovely note that left me satisfied.
Overall, a good, imaginative read that worked particularly well as a slightly gentler palate cleanser while still offering plenty of plot, magic and intrigue.
3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads & Netgalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As a longtime Laura Purcell fan who's read most of her backlist, I went into Thorns in the Hollow with high expectations, and honestly she delivered on the gothic front once again - nobody does big, sprawling, quietly sinister houses like she does. I'm still thinking about The Silent Companions years later, and this book scratched that same itch of slow-building dread. Tabitha made a brilliant lead, strong and sharp without feeling anachronistic for the setting, but it was actually Kit's arc that stuck with me most, watching him unravel his family history and change because of it was genuinely satisfying character work.
My only real gripe is pacing; the mystery and the twists were great and kept me guessing, but the middle dragged a bit for me and I think this could have been tightened up without losing any of its atmosphere. That said, Purcell remains the queen of subtle spookiness for me, and this book is still better than most gothic fiction out there. Recommended if you love a gothic mystery and don't mind taking your time getting to the payoff.
My only real gripe is pacing; the mystery and the twists were great and kept me guessing, but the middle dragged a bit for me and I think this could have been tightened up without losing any of its atmosphere. That said, Purcell remains the queen of subtle spookiness for me, and this book is still better than most gothic fiction out there. Recommended if you love a gothic mystery and don't mind taking your time getting to the payoff.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is just perfect for some autumn nights that might get spooky…
As a horse girl myself I loved to read about unicorns. I don’t know how but I rarely find any good fantasy books with them as a main mythical creature. And here we definitely don’t get the romance-virgin-kind of unicorn. Not at all. And I loved it.
The whole book gives historical fantasy but with mild Fantasy aspect. Very well done also that the romance was more of a subplot and not the main drive to the story.
Aspects of diary entries giving additional information on what was going on a generation before? Amazing idea.
And I definitely didn’t expect the story to take such a dark turn at some point. Like not at all. But on the other hand it matched the vibe and was absolutely fitting.
Definitely a huge recommendation for every unicorn hunter who doesn’t want to read the usual descriptions.
Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!
As a horse girl myself I loved to read about unicorns. I don’t know how but I rarely find any good fantasy books with them as a main mythical creature. And here we definitely don’t get the romance-virgin-kind of unicorn. Not at all. And I loved it.
The whole book gives historical fantasy but with mild Fantasy aspect. Very well done also that the romance was more of a subplot and not the main drive to the story.
Aspects of diary entries giving additional information on what was going on a generation before? Amazing idea.
And I definitely didn’t expect the story to take such a dark turn at some point. Like not at all. But on the other hand it matched the vibe and was absolutely fitting.
Definitely a huge recommendation for every unicorn hunter who doesn’t want to read the usual descriptions.
Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!
August 29, 2026
Thrilled to receive this latest historical novel from Laura Purcell, a favourite author of mine for gothic, magical, supernatural and often macabre thrillers. Absolutely adored the countryside setting, country pursuits, gamekeeping and most of all, the horses, which were major characters in this book. I could not put this book down, the ending was fantastic. This would make a fabulous movie!
Easily a five star read, prepare to be immersed. My favourite book of the year so far. Would love a copy of this with sprayed edges if there is a special edition.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this e -book prior to publication.
Easily a five star read, prepare to be immersed. My favourite book of the year so far. Would love a copy of this with sprayed edges if there is a special edition.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this e -book prior to publication.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews