Author: Rebecca James
Publication Date: 17 March 2020
Publisher: Minotaur
Page Count: 368
Reading Method: Physical ARC
Synopsis:
For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond. Enshrouded by fog and enveloped by howling winds, the imposing edifice casts a darkness over the town.
In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after twin children Constance and Edmund for their widower father, Captain Jonathan de Grey. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.
In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.
There is only one true mistress of Winterbourne. She will not tolerate any woman who dares to cross its threshold and call it home. Those who do will only find a reflection of their own wicked sins and an inherited vengeance.
Review:
This book was exactly what I needed! I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk lately and this one was fast paced, exciting, and honestly pretty creepy in parts! There was one scene in particular that I had to stop reading right before bed. A lot of times I don’t find myself being scared by books, but James’ writing really built up the suspense and painted the scene so vividly that I found myself pretty creeped out. The setting is haunting, the story riveting, and I would highly recommend The Woman in the Mirror to anyone looking for a creepy read. And that ending!
You can purchase a copy of The Woman in the Mirror here
