The Wives of Herrick Hall

by Julie Lew

Herrick Hall doesn’t let anything go without a fight. Least of all its masters’ dead wives...

After a dalliance with another woman leaves her reputation in shambles, Josephine Carter is banished to the isolated manor to serve as lady’s companion to Herrick’s mistress. Lady Nora Blake is a headstrong, capricious woman, who spends her days convalescing from a mysterious illness—and her nights witnessing her imminent death over and over. Shackled to her side, Josephine is certain life could not get worse. But then she meets the Herrick wives. Ghosts veiled in shadow stalk the halls and trespass into Josephine’s dreams, trapped forever in the fury of their last dying to destroy Herrick and everyone beneath its roof. Josephine determines to escape by any means necessary.

Until she and Nora fall in love.

Together, Josephine and Nora must confront Herrick’s curse to battle their way to freedom. But Herrick has already claimed them as its next ghostly brides, and neither the house nor its vengeful wives will relinquish them without bloodshed…

Genres: Horror, Lesbian, Fantasy

Paperback

Expected publication May 5, 2026

About the author

Julie Lew loves all things fantasy and horror, the darker and queerer the better. Their adult gothic horror novel, THE WIVES OF HERRICK HALL, is forthcoming from Quill & Crow on May 5, 2026, while their YA fantasy mystery, DEATH IN VERSE, will be published by Union Square Kids later that year. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner, and when she’s not writing books about the magical and the monstrous, she’s likely playing endless games of fetch with her chihuahua-terrier mix pup Kody.

You can find Julie at julielew.com or on Instagram @_julielew_.

Reviews

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this so much. I think I am getting into more gothic books after reading this and a couple others. I’ve found as long as it is sapphic, I don’t care what the genre is.

I wish I was in school again, only to pick apart and analyze books like we did. I know I can do this on my own, but there was something about having to do it in school. The Wives of Herrick Hall is one of those stories you could easily analyze, in so many different ways, mind you.

I was worried that I wouldn’t like Nora and she was hard to like at first. But once you learn more about her and what she has gone through, it makes sense. Once you see the real her, you fall in love with her like Josephine did. I adored the nicknames they had for each other. It was so cute!

I was also afraid that it wouldn’t be a happy ending. It is a horror/gothic novel after all. But I was pleasantly surprised when it was a happy ending. I can’t wait for more people to read this!

[Sarah]

Thank you to Quill & Crow Publishing House for providing an ARC for review.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
💕
I think my issue is that, when I see “gothic sapphic romance” my expectations are so high, because I know it can be done well and thus I am always expectant that every gothic sapphic romance will be done well, and when it inevitably doesn’t reach those expectations I’m left disappointed.
TWOHH left me disappointed.
You know when you go to eat a piece of fruit that looks good but ends up being too sweet or too sour or the texture is off? That’s how this book felt.
The premise was promising. A disgraced lady sent to be the companion of a mad viscountess and ends up falling in love with her, all while being haunted by the ghosts of the previous viscounts’ wives. There’s a mysterious butler, a sort of friends to lovers romance, the husband who makes his return, and gothic ghosts who haunt a house that isn’t quite alive but almost feels like it is. All the ingredients to a story I would typically devour.
So, why didn’t I care for it?
The plot seemed shallow. The premise built it up to be this incredible story but it felt like the Temu version of the blurb. There’s ghosts? Okay. They didn’t do much and hardly added to the plot. In fact, I bet you could remove them and the book would still be able to progress. There’s a mysterious butler. And? What did he do? Nothing. The first half of the book draaaaaaaaagged. I mean, sure. Without Lord Blake there to advance the story, all Nora and Joseph could do was embroidery and go for walks and drink tea. That’s ALL they did for like 60% of the book. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I (an expert on all things gothic, trust me) don’t believe going to a frivolous party is…gothic? But that aside, nothing. Happened.
I’ll say it since I don’t think anyone else will.
Nora was a bitch.
“B-b-b-but she is mentally unstable!”
So? She’s still a bitch. She is horrible to Joseph for 80% of the book. Like, HORRIBLE. There’s no chemistry between them unless the chemistry is akin to NaCl. She is mean and bitchy and naive and honestly? I kinda hated her.
Joseph was a bitch, too, but at least her motivations were clear (escape the house, go home).

The ending was…bleh. Okay! Cool. Happily ever after.
What about Joseph’s father? What about her wish to go home? Also, how is the house suddenly normal now that the ghosts that were freed are back?

I don’t know. I wish I liked this book. I feel like every review I write for sapphic romances is negative and it sucks because I loooooove sapphic romance but they are all so boring.
If you liked this book, I HIGHLY suggest checking out the webcomic Nevermore.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this during an extra-cold snap in the middle of january felt like the absolutely perfect time. while josephine and nora were sequestered in the frigid north of england, so too was i sequestered on my couch while temperatures plummeted outside. there are few things i love more than cozying up with a good book while the weather rages outside! of course, i’m sure this gothic hit would be just as timely around october and november, when haunting season is at its highest. i would certainly recommend reading this at either time of year for maximum enjoyment.

i’ve gotten really into gothic stories lately – with titles like wuthering heights at the forefront so often lately, it’s hard not to! this book in particular really leans into the paranormal themes sometimes found in these gothic stories, and i enjoyed it a lot (to a point). i do feel like some of the paranormal events that occurred stretched it a little far, but that’s not always a bad thing. i just prefer my ghosts to remain more mysterious, usually, though i will admit i did like the sense of justice restored that i got from these spirits’ involvement. i’m always a sucker for classics turned sapphic, so it was really fun to read nora and josephine’s story in the gothic style!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC! The Wives of Herrick Hall is an extremely well done debut from the author that blends the supernatural into historical fiction with interesting characters and a haunting narrative. Nora, Josephine, and the wives are trapped, literally and figuratively, by their station as women in historical England, and must navigate making and living with difficult choices to try to carve out a space for themselves. This book weaves together love, tragedy, complicated emotions, and the supernatural into a narrative that is at turns joyful, intriguing, and haunting. Josephine and Nora are both complex characters whose emotional struggles with their life circumstances, social pressures, and relationship with each other feel very relatable. A quick and impactful read!

[wynnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wives of Herrick Hall is a thrilling, historical, sapphic, haunted house story that just kept me flipping pages.
I enjoyed the writing and thoroughly adored every bit of Josephine and Nora I got. The home itself being a villain was enthralling, and seeing Chambers' go from rude buttler, to much more, was so entertaining.
When we were first introduced to Nora I was skeptical, but by the end I was rooting for her and cared for her nearly as much as Josephine did. The last third of the novel had me biting my nails and eagerly reading page after page to see how their story ended, and I was not disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wives of Herrick Hall is a darkly atmospheric historical novel that draws you into the shadowed corridors of an opulent yet unsettling manor. Julie Lew masterfully weaves tension, secrets, and simmering intrigue, creating characters who are both compelling and morally complex. The story’s slow-burning suspense and moments of quiet dread keep you lingering over each page, though at times the pacing drifts, leaving some subplots less explored than they deserve. Still, the lush descriptions, eerie ambiance, and the simmering tension between loyalty, love, and betrayal make this a haunting and memorable read. Herrick Hall lingers long after the last page, whispering secrets you’ll want to uncover again

[Lealie Mae]

could this be my sapphic Mexican Gothic?? looking forward to its release!