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Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
Penniless, shunned, and marked forever by her mother's descent into madness, Lucy makes a desperate choice. She slips uninvited into London's most lavish masquerade ball, to secure the one thing she can't live without
Marriage.
When a masked stranger sends her heart racing, he draws Lucy into a dangerous dance that ends in public ruin and a forced marriage neither can escape.
When the masks come off, the man who broke her heart years ago stands before her. Now Lucy must risk it all to be with the man she never stopped loving, but once Lucy arrives at Blackthorn manor, her dream becomes a horrid nightmare. Footsteps echo outside her door. The servants watch her too closely.
And her husband appears where he should not, says things he swears he didn't, and a Raven named Poe croons riddles about shadows, bones, and divided minds. Is her new husband plotting her destruction? Is the manor haunted by her husband's former betrothed? Or is Lucy unraveling just as her mother had? Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Once Upon a Midnight Dreary is a dark psychological Gothic Romance steeped in obsession and macabre desire.
Marriage.
When a masked stranger sends her heart racing, he draws Lucy into a dangerous dance that ends in public ruin and a forced marriage neither can escape.
When the masks come off, the man who broke her heart years ago stands before her. Now Lucy must risk it all to be with the man she never stopped loving, but once Lucy arrives at Blackthorn manor, her dream becomes a horrid nightmare. Footsteps echo outside her door. The servants watch her too closely.
And her husband appears where he should not, says things he swears he didn't, and a Raven named Poe croons riddles about shadows, bones, and divided minds. Is her new husband plotting her destruction? Is the manor haunted by her husband's former betrothed? Or is Lucy unraveling just as her mother had? Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Once Upon a Midnight Dreary is a dark psychological Gothic Romance steeped in obsession and macabre desire.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 6, 2026
I understand what the author was trying to accomplish here. But this fell far short. I also did not find this to be an original story, it is similar to others in the gothic romance genre, following along the similarly told Jane Eyre, Rebecca and other reimaginings of that same vein.
But I found this so predictable and the FMC so thoroughly weak, that it was not possible for me to enjoy this book. The FMC is reprehensibly naive from the beginning. When she finally makes it to Blackthorn, this girl is getting drugged left and right, even noticing the odor of her drugged tea, etc. but still refuses to believe it until later. She supposedly had a mother that was crazy, ergo, she is crazy. This is just too easy of an out.
Then we have the husband. Is he lying? Is he protecting her? Either way, by the time you get part of the way into the story, it became apparent that there were two of them (at least for this part of the story). I mean, if the damn bird didn't make it glaringly obvious, everything else should have raised the question.
Then the ending and the alternate ending. Both were remarkably unsatisfactory.
My biggest issue is this is far too similar to another book I have read, which was published before this book was. It was giving me deja vu, if I could just remember what book it was....and after looking at my previously read books, I figured it out. The Cruel Dark.
And this version was trying too hard to give you twists and turns that just didn't flow.
But I found this so predictable and the FMC so thoroughly weak, that it was not possible for me to enjoy this book. The FMC is reprehensibly naive from the beginning. When she finally makes it to Blackthorn, this girl is getting drugged left and right, even noticing the odor of her drugged tea, etc. but still refuses to believe it until later. She supposedly had a mother that was crazy, ergo, she is crazy. This is just too easy of an out.
Then we have the husband. Is he lying? Is he protecting her? Either way, by the time you get part of the way into the story, it became apparent that there were two of them (at least for this part of the story). I mean, if the damn bird didn't make it glaringly obvious, everything else should have raised the question.
Then the ending and the alternate ending. Both were remarkably unsatisfactory.
My biggest issue is this is far too similar to another book I have read, which was published before this book was. It was giving me deja vu, if I could just remember what book it was....and after looking at my previously read books, I figured it out. The Cruel Dark.
And this version was trying too hard to give you twists and turns that just didn't flow.
April 4, 2026
This was such a strange, gothic little fever dream.
What really worked for me was the madness running through the whole book. The atmosphere was genuinely unsettling in the best way: the house, the noises, the constant feeling that something is wrong, the speaking raven, the Edgar Allan Poe references woven through it all… deliciously unhinged. The house honestly carried a lot of the book for me. It felt alive in that deeply cursed, “am I haunted or just losing my mind?” kind of way.
So overall: atmospheric, sexy, eerie, and properly insane. Definitely a fun gothic ride if you like your romance haunted, obsessive, and just a little bit feral.
What really worked for me was the madness running through the whole book. The atmosphere was genuinely unsettling in the best way: the house, the noises, the constant feeling that something is wrong, the speaking raven, the Edgar Allan Poe references woven through it all… deliciously unhinged. The house honestly carried a lot of the book for me. It felt alive in that deeply cursed, “am I haunted or just losing my mind?” kind of way.
So overall: atmospheric, sexy, eerie, and properly insane. Definitely a fun gothic ride if you like your romance haunted, obsessive, and just a little bit feral.
August 7, 2026
Wow that was brilliant!
This book was a wild, twisted tale from beginning to end! I loved that you never quite knew what was true—every chapter seemed to shift my perception of the story and kept me questioning everything. The constant sense of uncertainty made it impossible to predict where it was going.
I also really enjoyed all of the Edgar Allan Poe references woven throughout the book. They added so much atmosphere and were a fun treat for fans of his work. If you enjoy Victorian gothic settings, psychological mysteries, unreliable narrators, and a touch of dark romance, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read.
This book was a wild, twisted tale from beginning to end! I loved that you never quite knew what was true—every chapter seemed to shift my perception of the story and kept me questioning everything. The constant sense of uncertainty made it impossible to predict where it was going.
I also really enjoyed all of the Edgar Allan Poe references woven throughout the book. They added so much atmosphere and were a fun treat for fans of his work. If you enjoy Victorian gothic settings, psychological mysteries, unreliable narrators, and a touch of dark romance, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read.
May 7, 2026
Madness is an easy verdict and society has always found it convenient—particularly when a woman speaks too much, remembers too well, or dares to insist upon her own version of events
4.75 ⭐️
** This book was easily the most twist venture I have ever read, I wasn’t expecting how this story unfolded. Having the back and forth from the perspective of the writer in the diary to the current events was intriguing. Needless to say I really enjoyed the dynamic of the story, the twists, the dark gothic atmosphere and elements of the story! **
4.75 ⭐️
** This book was easily the most twist venture I have ever read, I wasn’t expecting how this story unfolded. Having the back and forth from the perspective of the writer in the diary to the current events was intriguing. Needless to say I really enjoyed the dynamic of the story, the twists, the dark gothic atmosphere and elements of the story! **
June 21, 2026
If you are a true Poe fan, I cannot recommend this book enough!!! It's dark, Gothic, beautifully written, vivid imagery, twists and turns and a narrator that speaks directly to you via letters...but can you trust her?? It's fantastic.
When something is advertised as "Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe" I usually groan bc I already know I'm going to be disappointed. Not this time!!!!! Couldn't be more impressed!!
I already knew I loved Cora's writing after reading Necromance, but this one shows her growth as an author and as a gripping story teller. Cannot wait for her future books!!!
When something is advertised as "Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe" I usually groan bc I already know I'm going to be disappointed. Not this time!!!!! Couldn't be more impressed!!
I already knew I loved Cora's writing after reading Necromance, but this one shows her growth as an author and as a gripping story teller. Cannot wait for her future books!!!
March 18, 2026
truly poetic
Honestly for someone who adores Edgar Allen Poe this was such a fun read with twists and turns at every corner at every turn of the page
A book that truly keeps you guessing
Honestly for someone who adores Edgar Allen Poe this was such a fun read with twists and turns at every corner at every turn of the page
A book that truly keeps you guessing
March 21, 2026
Very dark and so many twists!
Omg! Unlike any book I have ever read! Was so caught up in it, finished it in one sitting and still thinking about the ending!!! This is going into my library of books to re-read!!!
Omg! Unlike any book I have ever read! Was so caught up in it, finished it in one sitting and still thinking about the ending!!! This is going into my library of books to re-read!!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews