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You can stay, but you may never leave…

For guests who spend a week at Arcania, a wellness retreat in the Outer Banks for those wanting to digitally detox, the gothic mansion is a welcome haven. Others aren’t so lucky.

When Lucy’s mother dies unexpectedly and a mysterious Viking tattoo reveals a link to Arcania, Lucy books a week at the retreat. Cora Medville, the owner, seems welcoming enough, but soon the creepy house and its inhabitants are urging Lucy to flee, or risk dying like some before her.

Four decades earlier, runaway Cora is smitten by Arcania and the dashing owner Harlan. Craving a sense of belonging, she finds it with her new family and their majestic mansion.

But when residents start disappearing and she learns the terrifying truth, who can she trust?

How far will she go to protect Arcania’s sordid secrets?

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2023

77 people are currently reading
2694 people want to read

About the author

Nicola Marsh

414 books1,443 followers
USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning Australian author Nicola Marsh writes page-turning fiction to keep you up all night.

She has published 86 books across genres, including contemporary romance, women's fiction, domestic suspense, and fantasy.

She's a Waldenbooks, Bookscan, Amazon, iBooks and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a 2013 RBY and National Readers' Choice Award winner, and a multiple finalist for many other awards.

She loves chatting on social media!

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5 stars
87 (27%)
4 stars
132 (41%)
3 stars
74 (23%)
2 stars
21 (6%)
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3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
Profile Image for Peter.
4,079 reviews808 followers
February 5, 2023
What an exciting read. Lucy, a New Yorker librarian, is trying to find out why her deceased mother hat a strange tattoo on the sole of her feet. It is a strange Nordic symbol, like that of a wellness resort she found on the internet. Did Ava (her mother) ever stay at a resort named Arcania? When Lucy books a stay at that place she find out the whole unsettling story. The chapters are alternating between Lucy and a woman named Cora. Who is Cora and why is her destiny interwoven with Lucy? Compelling Gothic novel with fine horror elements inside. Extremely page turning and to the point. Also the ending fully comes up with the expectations. Perfect entertainment and highly recommended!
Profile Image for Debra .
3,270 reviews36.5k followers
January 10, 2023
Gripping, Gothic, tense and hard to put down! I devoured The Retreat in one day. I enjoy Nicola Marsh's writing and I had a feeling that I would enjoy her foray into gothic suspense but had no idea just how much I would enjoy this book.

In the present:

Lucy's mother, Ava, has died suddenly and Lucy is left reeling. When she examines her mother’s body, she is shocked to see that her mother has a mysterious Viking tattoo on the sole of her foot. Lucy's mother always wore socks, and Lucy begins to wonder why. After researching the tattoo, Lucy finds that the tattoo links back to the Arcania, a wellness retreat offering digital detoxes on the outer banks. She takes time off work, and books her stay. The owner, Cora Medville, welcomes Lucy to the retreat. Will Lucy be able to uncover her mother's connection to the Arcania? As she begins asking questions, she is warned to leave by Spencer, one of the employees. Why? Is she in danger? A creepy an uneasy feel begins to take over the retreat.

Four decades earlier:

Cora ran away from home and found herself on the outer banks, befriended by a young man named Harlan whose parents own the Arcania. She accepts their offer of a job and begins her new life. Her future looks promising, there might be a thing or two she needs to overlook, but life will be better, wont it?

This book grabbed my attention from page one. I did not want to put this book down and time stood still as I was so absorbed in the Marsh's storytelling.

This book is full of tension, with an uneasy feel flowing just below the surface. That feeling of things not being right, but not being able to put your finger on it, shines through.

There were a nice number of twists and turns in this book with a shocking reveal at the end.

Fans of Gothic suspense and Nicola Marsh will be blown away by The Retreat!

Well written, creepy, dark and tense!

4.5 stars

Thank you to Nicola Marsh for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com









Profile Image for Auđur.
419 reviews42 followers
January 15, 2023
4,5*
Uffffff this was so good 🙃 read this one in one sitting 😊 highly recommend giving this one a try 😊
Profile Image for Melissa Borsey.
1,888 reviews38 followers
October 30, 2023
Lucy, a librarian, gets a visit from the Police who tell her that her mother was killed after being hit by a bus. This is a major shock to Lucy, especially since her mother was seriously agoraphobic. At the medical office when Lucy goes to make an official identification she notices a strange tattoo on her mother. Upon her investigation of the tattoo symbol, Lucy makes an appointment to stay at Arcania,a digital detox retreat so she can find out how her mother was connected to this spectacular spooky and gothic place. I very much enjoyed this dark and twisted page turner!
Profile Image for Helen.
2,910 reviews67 followers
January 18, 2023
Nicola Marsh has written a gothic tale set in a very gothic house on the water, there are lots of tales of missing people over the years and links to Vikings and Nordic curses, who are the family who started and continue to run it in all of its different stages, come along and find out.

Lucy Phillips is a librarian in New York, there is just her and her mother, Ava and they pretty much keep to themselves, but when Lucy’s mother dies after a road accident and Lucy discovers a strange Viking tattoo on the heal of her foot she is determined to get to the bottom of it, her mother was so quiet and loving, what has happened in her past?

Lucy discovers a link to a well –being digital retreat called Arcania she books a week to see what she can find out, the owner Cora Medville welcomes her with open arms but the house instantly puts Lucy on edge there is a creepiness about it like someone is watching you, should she stay or should she run?

Cora has been here for years after arriving in town with nowhere to go she is taken in by the good looking son of the owners of Arcania, Harlan and given a job, where she soon discovers that she needs some stability for her future and marries Harlan and has a family but is it the right family, what is happening to workers?

A twisty, haunting tale of long held secrets and a quest to find a Viking artifact that will make everything right, but will it? This one had me thinking and re-thinking throughout and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good haunting tale, well written with fabulous characters.
Profile Image for Nicola Marsh.
Author 414 books1,443 followers
Read
January 3, 2023


If you're a fan of my domestic suspense novels, you'll love this gothic suspense!
It's dark, twisted, and creepy.
Goosebumps guaranteed!
231 reviews6 followers
January 13, 2023
Here's a Friday the 13th treat for you! 😱

Such an intriguing read! I was absorbed in the mystery of the link of the strange tattoo Lucy identifies on the sole of her mother Ava's foot after Ava dies unexpectedly and Arcania, the gothic mansion, a wellness retreat where people go to digitally detox.

Lucy was also absorbed in the mystery between the tattoo and Arcania too after searching the internet and finding the link between them. She books herself in for a week at the retreat determined to find out how her mother is connected to this place.

What Lucy will find is a place where secrets are hidden and nothing is what it seems!

I loved the way suspense was upheld by the way Nicola weaved the story from past to present in multiple POV’s. Lucy in the present and Cora, the current mistress of Arcania in the past.

The twists that are revealed along the way keep you immersed in the story and just when you think you’ve read the final twist... another one comes along! I did have my suspicion with one of the plot reveals but it didn’t hinder the shock of it still!

Thank you to @nicolamarshauthor for the eARC .
259 reviews13 followers
January 6, 2023
A gripping storyline, whereby Lucy goes to a retreat to find out more about the tattoo she found on her Mum’s sole.

Lucy meets Cora and Spencer, where she finds some resistance by Spencer. She just wants answers and the reason for what she found.

Lucy is resilient by what is happening and surges forward to find out what she can. However, she doesn’t realise what is going ro occur.

A fabulous story, where the characters are not who you think they are or could they be!
Profile Image for Medina Muhaiudin.
168 reviews20 followers
May 29, 2023
I won the ebook through a Goodreads giveaway.

This was actually soo good! It has a lot of twists! I was able to predict a few things but it’s like the author kept adding more to it! Great story.. I would never want to stay a single night at Arcania.. the description of the whole place just seemed creepy..

A part of me felt bad for Cora but she definitely could’ve done more to protect her own daughter. I don’t blame her daughter for doing what she did but damn, the twist at the end??? WILD. You’ve got to read it.
Profile Image for Sallie Brown.
173 reviews5 followers
January 17, 2023
This was a fast paced mystery. I read it because it was set in the NC Outer Banks. There were supernatural elements and "bumps in the night". I feel like a bit more character development might have been good.
Profile Image for Amy.
50 reviews2 followers
January 3, 2023
After the sudden death of her mother, Lucy is on a mission to figure out what the mysterious Viking tattoo on her mother's body means. Her investigation leads her to the creepy Arcania, a digital detox retreat, where not everything is as it seems.

It's hard to believe that this is Nicola's first gothic suspense thriller! The tension is palpable and there is a constant undercurrent of creeping fear throughout the story. Nicola has expertly bounced between Cora's POV from the past & Lucy's present POV perfectly to add to the suspense.

I love that you’re drip fed information from the very beginning so that you think you know how it’s going to end, but in reality, no one was expecting THAT ending 👀

If you’re after an easy to follow suspense thriller, The Retreat does not disappoint!
Profile Image for Marissa Bryant.
6 reviews2 followers
January 26, 2023
4.5 Stars!

Very good short read! Took me about a day. I knew what was coming but I didn’t know what the Epilogue had in store.
796 reviews9 followers
February 21, 2023
suspenseful and shocking!

Haunting, suspenseful. This is a shocking story of the trails perpetrated through generations of family. Obsession that blinds, the obsessed person to everything. One focused, one purpose, and family ruined! You will be shocked, surprised, and left with your mouth hanging open!
Profile Image for Craig and Phil.
2,244 reviews134 followers
January 16, 2023
Powerhouse superstar author Nicola Marsh, who writes across many different genres and excels at them all, has added gothic suspense to her repertoire.
The Retreat is an intriguing, eerie, twisty tale that will keep you looking over your shoulder.
Welcome to Arcania.
A wellness retreat you go to, to digitally detox.
Come relax and get away from your busy lifestyle.
Once you enter, you can never leave.
Lucy Phillips books to stay a week.
But her intentions are to find out what’s happening behind closed doors.
Her mother dies unexpectedly and when identifying her body, Lucy finds a unusual tattoo.
After some research it takes her to Arcania.
Cora Medville is the mysterious owner.
Her past is full of secrets and the dark mansion is linked to her.
Soon residents start disappearing and Lucy will find out the shocking truth.
A gripping, haunting tale.
It’s carefully and cleverly plotted, the structure is smart and it’s creepy and intriguing.
Tense, dark and twisted and a nail biting ending.
One that should be read when you not alone.

Profile Image for Nancy W. (cabingirlreads).
194 reviews39 followers
January 13, 2023
4.5 STARS!

I have recently become a fan of this author’s work and I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of THE RETREAT.

Lucy, a lonely librarian, lives with her agoraphobic mother who mysteriously dies after a bus hits her. When Lucy goes to identify her body at the coroner’s office, she discovers a mysterious Viking tattoo on the sole of her foot. The tattoo is tied to Arcania, a digital detox wellness center. Lucy decides to book a week at the retreat to try and uncover the link her mother has to this center.

I loved the gothic setting of the book, including the history of how the old mansion became a wellness retreat. I loved the dual timelines and the alternating POV from Cora, the owner of the retreat, and Lucy. There are secrets galore throughout, and when they are revealed be prepared for your head to explode. And the epilogue! I LOVE a twisted epilogue, and this one rates high on my list!

THE RETREAT is a binge worthy read at only 254 pages and is available on Kindle Unlimited.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with an e-ARC and having me on her ARC team!
Profile Image for Jess.
95 reviews37 followers
August 11, 2023
Gives Frieda McFadden vibes

The Retreat follows Lucy, whose mother dies suddenly. Lucy discovers her mother has a tattoo that links her to a wellness center called Arcadia. Lucy had no idea about this tattoo and even less of an idea about her mother’s history so she decides to book a week at Arcadia. Arcadia is know for its digital detox, and also for its secrets.

40 years earlier, Cora is a runaway and finds herself at Arcadia being offered food, board and a job. Cora falls for Harlen who is set to inherit Arcadia but as the years go on Cora soon realizes there more to Acradia than meets the eye.

This was a really good short read with short chapters that gives Frieda McFadden / Nine Perfect Strangers vibes. I would say it’s a mild, paranormal, psychological thriller. I kept wanting to pick it up and continue reading it throughout the day. It has dual past and present POVs

Would recommend.
Profile Image for Leanne.
2,163 reviews43 followers
January 13, 2023
A most tense filled dark and creepy novel that captured my attention and left me with the hairs on my arms standing up. With a now and then timeline it is easy to follow and merges beautifully. Lucy's mother has a tattoo linked to Arcania . So Lucy books a trip to the retreat. But what she finds is a lot more than you will expect. The characters are superbly presented and the plot well thought out and super horrifying. With a shocking and surprising ending. I loved every minute of this suspense and didn't want to put it down. Well done Nicola!
Profile Image for Amanda babcock.
64 reviews40 followers
December 28, 2023
I won this book from Goodreads and I think it was a good read easy reading like the story line and how it told 2 point of views and thank you Goodreads for the giveaway can’t wait to read another book for her
Profile Image for Shelagh.
1,792 reviews25 followers
January 13, 2023
Questions start to arise from the first pages of The Retreat, a story told from the points of view of two women, Cora and Lucy. Cora’s timeline starts forty years before Lucy’s and yet it becomes clear very early in the book that these two women are linked in some way. Both characters are well drawn and believable.
The setting, a Viking-themed mansion called Arcania, which is both an organic farm and a retreat, is almost a character in its own right. The place is downright creepy and, with people apparently disappearing on a regular basis in Cora’s timeline, it’s clear that things are definitely not as they shoud be.
This story is a departure from the Nicola Marsh stories I am accustomed to. It’s dark, twisty and yet a compelling read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
24 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2023
Lucy travels to the coast of NC to find answers following her mother’s untimely death and finds herself in a mysterious Wellness Retreat where secrets abound. Every character seems to have a secret, including the house itself!
As always, Nicola Marsh provides plenty of suspense, and her dive into Gothic Suspense was no exception. There are twists at every turn, and just when you think you’ve gotten to the last one - there’s one more! I couldn’t put this ARC down. Read and enjoy!
Profile Image for C.A. Powers.
Author 2 books74 followers
January 23, 2023
This book had me so intrigued from the start! I could just imagine what the Arcania looked like and I actually wanted to visit it during Cora's early years. I loved the gothic vibe I got from this book! It was very well written and I enjoyed the dark and intense storyline. I really enjoyed Cora's character, mainly her growth. She had been through a lot in her life and it definitely makes you feel for her. I do have to mention that I fell in love with Spencer, just his character as a whole.

This book is a must read! I read it in less then a day!
Profile Image for Beth Barlow.
39 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2023
I was pleased to recieve an ARC of The Retreat because I quite enjoy Nicola Marsh’s books. This one had a bit of a ghostly gothic suspense feel to it. I was pretty sure of the storyline quite early in the book, but there were a few twisty gems along the way, and it was an enjoyable read. The alternate storylines were well defined along with the character development. It was a nice interlude to read something a bit different from the usual.
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,745 reviews53 followers
January 14, 2023
What a thrilling book! Full of bad history and a creepy house, the story will make you want more. It is told in multiple POV and dual timeline. I loved how the past filled in for the present at just the right time. Marsh has written a wonderful book that I was not able to put down.
240 reviews7 followers
January 21, 2023
Creepy Good

The story spans four decades. Cora leaves home at 18 for a better life. She meets a handsome guy who offers her a job at his family's orchard. Simultaneously Lucy's story begins 40 years later after her mother's sudden death. Lucy notices a tattoo on her mother's foot and she researches the symbol which ultimately leads her to Arcania, a retreat where strange things happen. It is a creep fest and I'd recommend it if you're into that.
Profile Image for Robin.
648 reviews22 followers
January 13, 2023
This story starts after Lucy's Mom,who is agrophobic, is hit by a bus. Why was she out? She rarely left the apartment. In the morgue , Lucy sees the tattoo on the bottom of her Mom's foot. She never knew she had a tattoo. So very not her Mom's thing. Doing research on the design she discovers it is an old Norse design and used as the logo for a cyber detox wellness retreat in the outer banks. Needing answers and having nobody to ask she decides to go there and see if she can find a link to her Mom.
The retreats in a dark creepy Gothic mansion although the newer section is more modern. Not revealing connection to her Mom she just signs up for standard cyber detox .
From day one Lucy is creeper out but sticks it out to find out if Mom is connected somehow.
Story does jump back and forth between generations so have to pay attention.Story definitely keeps you on your toes trying to figure out who knows what. Not my usual genre although I do try a book of this type once or twice a year to widen my " horizons". I definitely would recommend this story to others.
Thank you to Nicola Marsh for including me in her ARC team. This review is solely my personal,honest review.
Profile Image for Tanya Nellestein.
Author 43 books84 followers
January 22, 2023
so good!

I love Nicola Marsh’s domestic thrillers - I can’t put them down. The Retreat is a web of mystery and lies… and the twist in the bonus chapter is outrageously good! Make sure you sign up for it!!
392 reviews41 followers
May 14, 2023
Nicole Marsh writes a phenomenal Gothic suspenseful book that is full of twist, eerie and mystery. I could not put it down. I love the plot and storyline. Highly recommend
Profile Image for Suzy.
458 reviews3 followers
November 20, 2023
Great story, made you want to read #2!
Profile Image for Starzy .
82 reviews18 followers
October 20, 2023
After Lucy's mother dies unexpectedly, Lucy discovers her mother had a tattoo she never knew about that leads her to Arcania - a wellness retreat. Looking for answers about her mother, Lucy soon discovers more than she bargained for.

A truly enjoyable thriller that just takes you on a fun and twisty ride without needing to be anything more serious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews

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