Name: Katharina Hoffmann's review of The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood
Item: The Curse of Morton Abbey
Rating: 3
Author: Katharina Hoffmann

Clarissa Harwood

“Clarissa Harwood's latest is Jane Eyre meets The Secret Garden. A resourceful heroine, a gloomy manor, and a dark secret to uncover—who could ask for anything more? The Curse of Morton Abbey is a terrific gothic romp of a novel!” - KATE QUINN, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code Solicitor Vaughan Springthorpe knows perfectly well that Sir Peter Spencer’s offer of employment seems too good to be true: he hires her sight unseen, offering a suspiciously large salary to prepare the sale of Morton Abbey, his crumbling Yorkshire estate. But few people in late-Victorian England will entrust their legal affairs to a woman, and Vaughan is desperate to prove herself. Once at Morton, Vaughan discovers that someone is determined to drive her away. An intruder tries to enter her bedroom at night, gunshots are fired outside her window, and an eerie crying echoes from the uninhabited second floor. Even Netherton, the nearest village, seems odd: the picturesque houses and perfect-looking families are haunted by dark secrets connected to Morton Abbey itself. To complete her work and solve the mystery at the heart of Morton, Vaughan needs the help of Joe Dixon, the handsome gardener, and Nicholas Spencer, her employer’s irascible invalid brother. But with her questions diverted, her progress thwarted, and her sleep disrupted by the crying, will Vaughan escape Morton Abbey with her sanity intact or be cursed by the secrets within?

The Curse of Morton Abbey

Kaylee Z

Katharina Hoffmann

The Curse of Morton Abbey is a quick and lowkey gothic tale that managed to keep me entertained though it failed to leave a lasting impression.

Look, I'm not your biggest gothic literature reader. I haven't even read Rebecca (shocker, I know!) or Jane Eyre (yes, yes, I'm aware of my shortcomings). Being a relatively inexperienced reader in gothic tales meant that I didn't have any expectations when it came to this book. I knew a friend of mine read it and rated it five stars, so I gave it a try!

1897: Vaughan Springthorpe is nearing her 30th birthday, and even though she's a trained solicitor and worked in her father's office up until his death, she doesn't have much more to show for. Unmarried and without a permanent position, she takes up Peter Spencer's offer to organise the sale of his crumbling estate of Morton Abbey. The offer seems too good to be true, and sure enough, as soon as Vaughan arrives at Morton, strange things are starting to occur. Gunshots in the night, eerie crying echoing through the walls, and even Netherton, the nearby village, seems too perfect, too beautiful to be true. Together with the handsome gardener Joe Dixon and Nicolas Spencer, her employer perfectly irritable invalid brother, Vaughan sets out to solve the mystery of Morton Abbey.

The novel wastes no time in throwing you head-first into the plot. While the first chapter is spent telling the readers how conceited Vaughan's sisters are and that her mum's a bully who thinks that the best for Vaughan would be to marry and forget about all her professional ambitions, the second chapter already sets the mood with Vaughan's arrival at the Abbey.
I enjoyed how fast-paced the beginning was. Given that the main character's mother and sisters don't play a role in this story, I think it was wise that the author decided not to waste any more time on them and instead shifted the narrative to focus on the Abbey, its inhabitants and immediate inhabitants surroundings. 

The cast of characters in this book is minimal. It's easy to keep track of them though I wish that because there wasn't an extensive cast of characters, they had been more fleshed out and less one-dimensional. When Vaughan arrives, she learns that her employer isn't actually at the Abbey but overseas. Living or working at Morton are only the butler, the cook, the gardener Joe Dixon and Nicolas Spencer, Peter Spencer's brother and a sick man who mostly keeps to the confines of his bed. While Joe and Nicolas were given space to develop, I found the characters of the butler and the cook very bland. They could have been much better developed.

The gothic elements themselves were present, and there was enough of a mystery to keep me hooked. I did want to find out what was going on and find out the solution to all the mysterious things that were happening. Still, gothic tales should be as much about atmospheric writing as about mysterious happenings. Sadly, the book lacked the gothic atmosphere I was hoping for. It just didn't give me the haunted, weird, creepy, spooky vibes I was looking for. The book was a bit too stale in that respect.

I also agree with Chevy in saying that the novel could have done much more regarding visuals. I wish we had had a more extensive description of what Vaughan and the others looked like.
Vaughan's lame leg/foot was often mentioned, and I appreciate the representation. I'm not disabled, so I can't speak for or on behalf of the character or the disabled community. Still, I think the author was quite good in describing how Vaughan's disability affects her, how she sees herself and how she perceives others based on their reaction to her disability.

What annoyed me most, however, was the romance. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for slow-burn romances, but I detest enemies to lovers. The first part of the book makes you believe that Vaughan will end up with one character, while in the second half of the book, it becomes clear that she is interested in another character. I don't read haters to lovers, uh, enemies to lovers, so I can't really comment on whether it was well done or not.

However, I can comment on the slow-burn relationship introduced between Vaughan and that one other character. As soon as she realises his feelings for him, she's suddenly "so in love", can't stop thinking about him, and even though it's Victorian England and she was raised as a lady who should know better, she's not only ready to (view spoiler)[become his mistress but sleep with him as soon as the chance arises (hide spoiler)]. I'm not a stickler for historical accuracy but this grated on me. Suddenly everything between those two happened really fast, which was a bit of a buzz-kill. There is also the fact that this was (view spoiler)[an age-difference relationship (12 years, I think) (hide spoiler)] which I don't mind in real-life but loathe in fiction.

If I were someone to rate books alone on enjoyment, this novel would have probably bagged 4 stars. I just couldn't see past all the above issues, and I'm certain I will forget about this read in due time. Despite all this, it's not a bad book, and given that I read the first half within a single afternoon, I was still entertained.

Kaylee Z &
The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

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Kaylee Z &The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

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Kaylee Z &
The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood