The Haunting at Hawke's Moor

Gothics

by Camille Oster

Victorian London shows little mercy when divorce leaves Anne Kinelly destitute and abandoned by her husband. Her bleak future is avoided when the merciful actions of her solicitor results in a stroke of luck, finding a house forgotten and left in probate by previous generations. The desolate moors of Yorkshire is to be her home as she tries to revive an abandoned house where the wind whispers around the window sills.
Before long, Anne discovers that the warnings given to her by the people in the area may be more than the superstitious nonsense. As the brutal history of the house and its founder, Richard Hawke, reveals itself, Anne discovers that there may be more entities in the house than just herself and her maid.

Genres: Gothic, Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Ghosts, Paranormal, Fantasy

371 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2016

About the author

I've only been writing original stories for a few years, but I don't think I could live without writing now. I love historicals and the challenging structures of different times.

I live and work in New Zealand. Love travelling and wished I had more opportunity to do it.

I've got a bit of a backlog of stories and am currently writing a new contemporary series.

Reviews

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*
Camille Oster is a very talented HR (as also Gothic/ PNR) author
She always comes up with most novel of plots. But this one is something entirely else!

Our poor Victorian h is a neglected wife of a very selfish and cold man who divorces her to marry his mistress in the opening scene. She's discarded without a thought or care, or even token monetary help. Her beloved son, once an adoring lovable child, has turned out to be as insensitive as his father and is even ashamed of her.
The angst of all this quite unbearable. But then, Oster's hs always have some cross to bear.

In a fortuitous twist, the destitute and virtually homeless h learns that a manor has to come to her through an aunt of hers. She's relieved and happy at this unexpected windfall. And sets out for the wilds of the Yorkshire moors with Lisle, her sullen maid in tow.

On arriving, she gets several hints and insinuations from the locals about the unsuitability of the manor. But having no other choice and also unbelieving, she sets out to clean and air the closed up place. She buys a cow and also hires a young field hand, Alfie to do the outdoor jobs.
She's almost happy if lonely till things start happening.
Noises and scratches in the night that can only be ... mice?

Slowly, things turn more sinister and her control on things and the house start slipping. Both the mortals and the others begin to act up and create trouble. The lonely and dark, gothic setting adds to her helplessness and loss of control. The author ably creates a hair-raisingly eerie and menacing atmosphere. Only a talented author can keep the reader hooked with pages and pages of descriptive prose and inner monologue, with rare interspersing dialogue.
And this continues for half the book.

Before our 'H' makes an appearance.
Oh, he's been there all along but now he gets less phantasmic. With a more solid impression.
And then their conflict erupts into an all-out confrontation. As to who's the real owner of the place and also due to his burning hatred over past betrayals that he lays at her feet.
She'd have left if she had a choice but her only alternative is to fight it out.

Then these two lost souls (one literally) get into a truce of sorts. Almost becoming comfortable.
'This was how it would be with a husband, but he wasn't a husband. He was a ghost, to start with, who teased and toyed with her.'
AND
As different as Richard Hawke was from her, they are very similar as well. They had both been betrayed by the person who was supposed to love and honor them, both stuck in this house because they feared the alternative was worse.'

Coming to the souls, because there are actually eight of them whom Hawke lords over and refuses to let go. Their stories, fate and behavior are sad, chilling, immoral, shocking, outright absurd ... and humorous. This tone of book see-saws between all these moods - actually much like the h's life.

All good till here. But how's this will end?
'Would nature not try to force them apart?'
For a happily, technically one has to move to the other's realm. And here, most readers may have a differing preferences and opinions. Even a theological one. Although if you are reading a PNR book with ghosts, suspending disbeliefs is a must. And leave it to the author to know best.

Age: She's 34 to his 36 (at time of his death).
Her son is 17.
Her life period: 1876 and His: 1643.

[Kristiej · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be very short due the risk of spoilers. It’s a gothic romance and I haven’t read those in a very long time.

This a historical gothic. As the story opens, Ann Sands wretched husband has just divorced her on made up charges of adultery, meanwhile he’s living with his mistress. She’s left with nothing. Divorced women of that time have a terrible, terrible time of it and things are looking about as bleak as possible for Ann when she finds out she’s inherited a decrepit manor house in the countryside that hasn’t been lived in for years.

But there are bad stories told about this house, that tragedies happened in it and it’s haunted.

Ok, that’s all I’m going to say about the books outline. I’m giving it 5 stars which means I love it. I could barely put it down. It had an ending like nothing I’ve read before and it made me cry. But it worked and left me satisfied. I hope I have you curious enough to want to read this book as I highly recommend it. It’s very well written and the tension builds and builds. It’s available on KU so if you’re a member you’ve no reason not to think, “Hmmmmm, I think I just might try this one.”

Do it!

[Sometime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great gothic read that left me feeling swoony. Poor Anne has been divorced by her horrible husband so he can marry his mistress. Her 17 year old son isn't much better. This poor h has been crapped on left and right. (The author does a great job showing the limits of a woman of her time. Being divorced, she has no rights, no property from her marriage, and is shunned.) She is left with nothing except an old house in the middle of nowhere. She goes there with her maid and they discover the house is haunted.

I was a little creeped out with all the ghosts, bumps in the night etc. I was reading this in my bed, in the dark, and my imagination was getting the better of me. Luckily, things were resolved fairly soon and we discover the source of the trouble.

I don't want to say much more, except to say that this book was so romantic and left me floating on air, even the next day. I loved the resolution at the end, and Anne's revenge was perfect.

Safety This one is all safe. h was married, but her husband is of the cold, businesslike variety and their sex left much to be desired. I'm guessing it's been ages and ages since he came to her bed. The H was betrayed by his wife and has no love for any woman, until the h. No OW/OM drama.

[emtee]

When it came to deciding a star rating for this book, I went back and forth, around and around, and just couldn’t decide. So no rating, just a review.

In all honesty, how do you rate a book where the first 30% was a solid four stars? In true haunted house/ghost story fashion, the early part of the story disturbed me, unsettled me, creeped me out, had me feeling the oppressive weight of the house and what lie within, the desolate, forbidding moors, the strange, unfriendly neighbors, the utter loneliness and despair.

And a good chunk of the story, the vast middle pages, plodded and dragged, the pace almost non-existent, my eyes skimming while I flipped pages and struggled to stay invested?

And the last 20% captivated me, made me so glad I didn’t DNF, made me smile and swoon and cheer for Anne and Richard? I just knew Anne would make the choice she did (I would have made the same choice) but when it played out, it was immensely satisfying. Who would ever think a woman shunned and betrayed by everyone, utterly alone in this world, would find a truly gorgeous happily ever after with a vengeful, bitter ghost of a man healed by her love?

Her fingers gripped the cold mantelpiece as she tried to calm her mind. The varnish of the wood was smooth under her fingers, but she ached to touch something more giving than firm wood. A new sensation jarred into her consciousness—breath in the middle of her shoulder blades, then the softness of lips. Her lungs sharply drew breath with the sensation of the kiss, making her arch, as if trying to protect the vulnerable spot she couldn't readily reach. Hair was standing painfully on end along her arms and she stepped away, rubbing her arms to soothe them.

"Unfair," she said to the emptiness of the room.

Oh, for want of a good editor and a tighter plot…this absolutely would have been a five star read for me.

[Cheesecake · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
Well that was different...
But I still loved it!!!
(But I do NOT recommend the audiobook. The reader kinda monotoned and uninspired.)

CO walks us through the nitty gritty of divorces in the early 1800's. Apparently divorced women back then didn't live long...
But luckily for Anne, her solicitor is a kind man and manages to find an estate for which she is the closest relative to inherit. So at least she has a house for herself and her maid, a rather taciturn young woman.
BUT it turns out the house out on the lonely moors is haunted by some pretty mean assed murderous ghosts.

I sure did feel for Anne. She has had the shit end of the stick for years. Every time her teenage son was in the story I just wanted to cry for her breaking heart.

This story is big on ghosts and even does some world building for them. The atmosphere was visceral and the characters are anything but jollie. Just as it should be for a gothic romance.
At first Ann is dubious about the ghosts, but then I could really feel her fear and had to turn on more lights.

Not your stereotypical HEA but I thought it was perfect.
It would have been a 5 star read, but every time I think of her son, i feel sad.

safety is good she was married but there was no love and he didn't make an effort in bed. The H's sex life with his wife was much better, but he never loved his first wife either. So I didn't feel that Ann was second best at all.

[Daneesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our downtrodden heroine begins the book with "Oh my God! This ghost is trying to kill me!" Later, this changes to "Ohhhhh my God...Yesssss! This ghost wants me!" :)
I enjoyed this book very much. Poor Anne just couldn't catch a break, that is until she met Richard Hawke, our ghostly hero. The first few chapters after Anne moves into Hawke's Moor are super eerie. I was creeped out and found myself looking into shadows for spirits! OOOh..shiver!

[Kate Stjohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow that was certainly different...I definitely didn't see the ending coming.!! comes to something when the most erotic prose I have ever read was between the living and the dead.....takes suspension of disbelief certainly but if you can do that it takes escapism to a whole new level.

[SarieBerrie]

*DNF*
I was loving this spooky book for fall but sadly there’s a vulgar explicit scene and I’m really wanting to read clean fiction.

[Jennifer]

DNF @ 17%. I’m sorry, but this just wasn’t engaging. I felt for the h’s plight, but the telling of it lacked something.

[Nuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****Haunting Hawkes Stars*****

Loved it! Loved the originality of the plot and the buildup. Camille Oster certainly is a fantastic author & she's made her way to my Auto-buy Authors Bookshelf cos it it.

Will write a longer review later on.

Definitely recommend! But I advice reader to go into her work with an open mind & not logistizes between facts and friction. People are unpredictable and there's soo much in the universe we can't comprehend which is what makes life so beautiful. This is why I love fiction!

[Janet Welling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing paranormal romance.

This book was not quite what I expected but I was not disappointed with the story. Romance with a ghost! What a nice twist. A very easy read although I would have liked more character development. Perhaps that is easier said than done when dealing with the departed. There are some very, very unsavoury characters in this book and parts of the story were a little hard to swallow. The ending, however, makes up for a lot of the book’s shortcomings including the need for a good editorial review. If you are a fan of paranormal romance, you will enjoy this story.

[Miss · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow, boring, poor writing

[Deyanira C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 estrellas.
La trama: Anne tiene un esposo horrible que se divorcia de ella para casarse con su amante dejando a Anne a un paso de ser indigente, ella tiene un hijo adulto, pero su hijo no está interesado en ella y la ignora, sorpresivamente Anne hereda una casa en un lugar remoto de Inglaterra, la mansión es enorme, pero lleva siglos abandonada y ha sido testigo de muchas desgracias, pero Anne no tiene NADA MÁS, así que se muda a esa casa con la idea de poder rehacer su vida, como tampoco tiene dinero hace lo que puede, sembrando comida y comprando una vaca, pero no pasa mucho antes de que cosas fuera de este mundo amenacen con destruir lo único que tiene.......

¿Has escuchado la frase "Debes temer de los vivos, no de los muertos"? Bueno eso es un poco lo que pasa aquí, Anne es literalmente amenazada y maltratada por un fantasma, pero eso es NADA comparado con la forma en que su hijo y su esposo le destruyen el corazón, como la abandonan, y utilizan, lo cual hacen una y otra y otra vez, y no son solo ellos, ella ha vivido en la "buena sociedad" toda su vida, rodeada de gente "decente" pero nadie mueve un dedo por ella (con excepción de su abogado), a nadie le importa si se muere de hambre, o de frío, mujeres con posibilidad de ayudarla y que en teoría deberían entenderla, se burlan de ella y la critican ¿de verdad deberían darnos más miedo los muertos? NO, la historia de Anne muestra claramente que nadie puede dañarte tanto como la gente de la que te rodeas, y la gente a la que quieres. Este libro, más que una cuestión de fantasmas y una casa embrujada, toca temas muy profundos como la relación matrimonial en la época victoriana, el divorcio, la injusticia social, lo malos que pueden ser los hijos, la soledad, los prejuicios, nuestra relación con la muerte. No exagero de verdad el libro toca tantos temas de forma emocional y profunda que me dejo reflexionando por días, odie al hijo de Anne con todo mi corazón y ame a Elizabeth, la hija fantasma del héroe.

No recuerdo la última vez que leí un romance gótico, pero debió ser hace mucho y no es un género que me guste, pero wow con este libro, tiene toques de horror, hubo momentos en que me daba miedo seguir leyendo (y no soy miedosa), también hubo momentos en que me plantee muchas teorías, y sorprendentemente la autora lo resolvió de forma que nunca lo vi venir, ahora el romance tarda mucho en llegar (pasando el 70%) pero cuando llega es un bálsamo al corazón, es relativamente normal aunque a la vez tierno y agradable; sin embargo, y es la razón por la que no le doy 5 estrellas, como usualmente pasa con esta autora, no desarrolla bien la historia de amor, prácticamente el amor surge de la nada, no siento que los protagonistas lleguen a conocerse, ni a conectar más halla de la cama, y no pasan el tiempo suficiente juntos. Y no es que eso arruinara el libro, no lo hace y Richard como héroe me dejo suspirando, pero sí le falto desarrollo al amor entre ellos.

Richard es un héroe fantasma que tuvo una muerte trágica, pero en muchos sentidos no un final trágico, y me gusto verlo pasar de ser un ente endemoniado a un hombre enamorado. Anne no tengo mucho que decir, es una guerrera realista, una mujer con virtudes y defectos, pero heroína en toda la regla.

Ame muchísimo este libro, he leído a esta autora antes y solo compruebo que es realmente talentosa, desde el inicio la historia es muy enganchante, y en muchos momentos es casi imposible dejar de leer, como siempre las historias de esta autora son demasiado originales con personajes fuera de lo común, y escenarios realistas de la época victoriana, me gusto que aunque entrelaza el presente de Anne, con la historia de Richard que ocurrió en la guerra civil Inglesa la autora no entra en detalles históricos innecesarios enfocando esto en los sentimientos más que en contexto histórico.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I can only give it two stars. My gauge of a book rests on how eager I am to finish my day and get back to the book I'm reading, and I did want to continue reading this one. But on reflection now I'm through it, I can't recommend.

What I loved was the interaction between the heroine and her paranormal housemates, one dashing one in particular. Unfortunately, the book had too many problems to get higher rating off me.

First, editing. Many typos, repeat sentences or phrases, reef instead of wreath, etc. Hard to get past. A few anachronisms, too. I don't like that, it snaps me out of my time-period immersion.

Next, characterizations. What is so odd is that the character the heroine shows when she's with her love interest (witty, brave, feisty, irresistible) is Completely not who she is in the rest of the book! She is a total door mat who takes ridiculous abuse and bullying despite the clear intelligence, ingenuity and gumption she shows in other instances.

The character of her son could have been left out of the book entirely. Ironically the inclusion of this Awful person only made me question the heroine; how could she have raised such a horrible person? I think the premise had so much potential, she is destitute and has to cling to her inheritance, this last-chance wreck of a manor house, to survive. But the promise of a good setup didn't play out.

Finally, the ending was HUGELY unlikely.

[Deborah Whipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Anne Kinnelly’s husband divorces her so he can be with his mistress, she’s left destitute with few options as was typical in Victorian London. She inherits a haunted house from a distant relative and sets off with her surly maid. While I thought the writing was good, I had a few problems with the characters (none of whom I loved) and some of the plot. Anne is courageous and outspoken when dealing with a vengeful ghost, but spineless when dealing with her ex-husband and son, and even lets her maid and farmhand treat her with complete disrespect. One could argue that she had finally reached her limit when it came to her paranormal paramour, but it’s too bad she didn’t display a little more backbone earlier. I also found it difficult to reconcile how our heroine raised such a greedy, obnoxious, ungrateful son in the first place. The ghost sex scenes were a little odd in the sense that they were rather graphic and seemed out of place in what was otherwise an old fashioned gothic romance (in fact, there were quite a few frisky spirits floating around that house). For this style of book, I think the sex scenes should have been a little more subtle. The manner in which Anne seeks her final revenge against her ex-husband and son was interesting, but I didn’t find it particularly satisfying. It seemed a rather high price. All in all it was still a mostly enjoyable, quick read.

[❅ ❣ nahla ❣ ❅ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I stumbled across this author after reading a friend's review here, I love her writing style, her strong female characters, the development experienced by her male ones, and how human the MCs are.

I've only read two of her works so far but I've been quite pleased by the similar quality in which she writes a love story but how her narration and characters are distinguished. I know for a fact I'll be itching to read more of her works.

As to the story of this exact book, I liked the slow progression of the story and the late appearance of our MMC, it made for quite a relaxing read on a weekend morning. And once our heroes met and started talking their banter had a humorous tone to it that felt so natural, which in turn made the story a much lighter read than The Discarded Wife.

I also appreciate how the author doesn't fixate on certain negative aspects of a character's past, which -in this case- is the betrayal that got the MMC dead. She paints it in an important light, because it has some weight to it but then once the romance gets going she lets that negativity fade out.
It's honestly beautiful because once I thought about it, the focal point should be our heroes and their love not whatever it is that happened in the past.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It follows a woman named Anne Kinnely who’s ex husband divorced and leaves her leaving her destitute. She is abandoned and then gets a letter stating she owns a estate that used to belong to her great aunt. The estate is very large and very old sitting in the moors of yorkshire. It is very abandoned and nobody goes near it. She is just happy she gets to have a place to call home, so she goes there with her housemaid Lisle to make it homely and set it up, clean the dust off the furniture.

People who live far but around the mansion get mad at her why she’s even living there say that it’s haunted and she just ignores them and continues living there, soon they start hearing voices and scraping sounds in the house.

This book was so well written and slow moving that I loved it you can imagine everything going on in the story and the twists and turns. I loved the ending it really showed the people who didn’t really care about her in the end and what she does to stay there.

If you want a good Victorian gothic setting book enemies to lovers, slow burn, ghost romance, check out this book!

[Julia Peet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an unusual story, a little bit different from the usual "spooky" type tales that you encounter in a lot of "haunting" books. The heroine came across as a good, strong character with a wimpy spoilt son that needed a good slapping! The romantic element was a pleasant surprise. It was written in a very atmospheric way and one could almost see this ramshackle, deserted house in the wilds of Yorkshire. HOWEVER ..... no disrespect to the author, but the American "idioms" and indeed the spelling of British place names badly let the book down. The whole thing was littered with spelling mistakes and sentences that didn't make sense, which indicated a dire need for careful editing. May I suggest that if anyone writes about places in the UK, then they at least spell them correctly. One glaring and irritating error was that CORNWALL was spelt CORNWELL!! Come on, more research needed! Or a better editor/publicist!!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick read. I would term this a gothic story more than a gothic romance as the "romance" part didn't start until well into the book. The gothic part of it was very well written; I wish the romance part had developed sooner and developed more.

I also had a bit of trouble with the "rules" for the ghosts. One ghost is so powerful she has protected the heroine and presumably others before her against the most powerful ghost but later she seems powerless. The ghosts all seem trapped in the house and even relegated to specific rooms, but that's contradicted by one ghost who goes after the hired hand -- who lives in an outbuilding. If you're going to state specific rules for the ghosts, then they should be adhered to or an explanation of the exceptions should be made.

Still a decent story and I would consider others by this author. If you're looking for a similar feel with more romance, I'd suggest Chastity Bowlin.

[Facemaker01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well..........I certainly didn't see THAT ending coming!
This is the second Camille Oster book I have read and have enjoyed both of them immensely.
I agree with other reviewers on their asssessment of Stanford and Harry. Both needed their ears boxed soundly!
More interaction with the other ghosts would have been interesting and a resolution regarding the fate of Richard's wife was needed.
Anne's character takes a journey from down-trodden and unfairly labelled to taking a stand with the Hawke ghost then finally thwarting her ex-husband, his new wife and stupid son. On that journey, she is able to deal with reaching an understanding as to how her marriage really was.
Likewise, Richard's character takes his own journey from enraged to concilatory and finally to acceptance.

[The Bookish Vixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite good! I liked it a lot. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story. It started out pretty sad, and it stayed in the sad\creepy range for I’d say two-thirds of the book, with a couple of high points here and there, but it wasn’t until that last third that things started to change. I saw the end coming, so it didn’t surprise me, but I thought it was perfectly done. It reminded me of a slightly more depressing Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which is a favorite of mine. I’d definitely read more books by this author.

[Pamela Grow · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a tweenager, I loved nothing more than a good gothic. Dorothy Eden, Victoria Holt, and the like. Now, with fascism looming, I am finding myself returning to the more escapism, comforting reads of my youth.

This was a bizarre read, to say the least. Was it a statement on the treatment of women, particularly divorced women? Was it a paranormal novel, gothic fiction, or romance? Or even a Ghost and Mrs. Muir riff? Who knows. This book had its moments, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

gothic at its best

Anna was pushed aside by her husband left penniless. The scoundrel lied to get the divorce and she find out a great aunt left a house . Upon arriving there strange things happen until one night she confronts her invisible enemy. After betrayal and betrayal she tends to set them all straight while finding her own world of happiness

[Claudine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It started as a good old fashioned haunted house story, but then it turned into something else. I do not want to give it away, but you can expect to be surprised by the ending. This is the first book I have read from Camille Oster, and I plan to read more of them. Highly recommended!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a good gothic read, this author has hit it out of the ballpark.

Suspense, consequences that are very relatable, and situations that take the reader right into this book all make it a quite satisfying read. I read it in two sittings as it smoothly is laid out. Characters are expertly crafted. If you like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, you can't help but like this book.

[Christiane Span · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just a huge surprise for me. A friend recommended it to me cause she knows how much I love gothic romances bit seriously, this one went over all my expectations. I love the plot, I could relate to Anne from the start but could never imagine how things would develop into this hot and beautiful love story!

[Rissa Ballard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book and I feel like all the potential was there but the author spent to much time with nothing happening for three quarters of the book and then crammed everything in the last quarter. I, also personally wish there was more spices time with the ghost beau but again so potential for the whole story and it just doesn’t get there.

[Lulu Nichelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

This book was a perfect haunted gothic romance. Anne Sand of London, was put through hell with her family even her own son. She was casted away but was lucky enough to receive a home from a far aunt who had passed. She was grateful even though she was dealing with scornful ghosts. She figured it out in the end with ALOT of romance

[Billie Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Scary but with a happy ending.

Well written and with just the right amount of spooky. I recommend that you don't start the book too late or you will end up staying up to finish.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

This is my first reading a Gothic Romance and I must say I am impressed. The scary bits were pretty scary and the romance was very nice too. I absolutely LOVED the comeuppance at the end.