The lush Gothic drama of Crimson Peak meets the murderous intrigue of Knives Out with an LGBTQIA+ love story to die for from award-winning author KJ Charles.

WHO WILL SURVIVE LACKADAY HOUSE?

When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative’s remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family―but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there’s no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house’s shadowy depths…

Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House―and live to tell the tale?

This wasn’t quite the book I expected it to be, and that ended up being both a strength and a drawback. I went in ready for a gothic ghost story: something moody, maybe a little supernatural, with a haunted family estate hiding generations of secrets. What I got instead was a gothic-light mystery wrapped around a second-chance romance. The atmosphere was there, but the scares never really materialized.

The story follows Zeb Wyckham, who’s summoned to a gloomy Dartmoor manor by a wealthy relative. Waiting for him inside are all the people he least wants to face: his estranged brother, his awful cousin, and his ex-lover, Gideon Grey. From there, things get claustrophobic fast. The family’s patriarch announces a twisted contest: he’ll leave his fortune to whoever marries his young ward. Naturally, chaos and scheming follow. The setup is pure gothic drama, complete with inheritance games, fog, and locked gates. And while there’s talk of something lurking in the shadows, most of the tension comes from the characters themselves, not the supernatural.

That’s where my expectations and the book’s intentions started to drift apart. It’s less about ghosts or curses and more about old wounds, betrayal, and whether love can survive when everyone around you is terrible. The writing is solid, the dialogue sharp, and the sense of setting is strong, but the tone leans more toward mystery and angst than horror.

The romance between Zeb and Gideon takes up a lot of space. Too much, I think. Their chemistry is believable, and there’s an emotional payoff if you’re invested in them, but I found myself wishing the mystery had more bite. The family drama is intriguing, yet it often gets buried beneath the emotional push-and-pull of the lovers’ reunion. From the get-go I knew exactly where their story was headed, and that predictability dulled some of the tension.

The “something unnatural” teased in the synopsis is barely there. It’s more atmosphere than apparition. The horror elements never quite commit, and that left me a little underwhelmed. I kept waiting for a reveal or a moment that would pull everything together in a chilling way. Instead, it settles for emotional closure.

That said, it’s not a bad book. Just a mismatched one. If you pick it up expecting a gothic mystery with strong romantic angst, it delivers. If you’re hoping for a creepy ghost story, it’ll probably leave you wanting more like it did with me. If you’re in the mood for a moody, slow-burning mystery with a queer romance at its center, it’s worth the read. Just adjust your expectations before stepping into Lackaday House.

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