WINTERSET (PROPER ROMANCE REGENCY), by Tiffany Odekirk, Shadow Mountain, Oct. 7, 2025, Paperback, $17.99 (young adult/ new adult/ adult fiction)
An unlikely ghost and a man seeking to make the most out of his life cross paths in Tiffany Odekirk’s new gothic romance, Winterset.
A hidden past. A house with secrets. And one chance for two wounded hearts to find love together.
Northern England, Late Fall, 1820
Katherine Lockwood is hiding for her life in the most unlikely of places: the forgotten priest holes in the abandoned Winterset Grange manor house. When Kate learns that Winterset’s long-absent owner, Mr. Oliver Jennings, is about to return, she is desperate to find a way to make him leave, even if it means “haunting” him from behind her protective walls.
After a grand tour of the Continent, Oliver returns home to England determined to make the most of his inheritance. But from the moment he arrives, nothing is as he expected. His manor is in disrepair, the steward hired to care for his estate is a thief, and to top it all off, Winterset is haunted. Undeterred, Oliver resolves to reclaim his life, piece by piece.
When Oliver discovers the hidden rooms, he’s shocked and pleased that his “ghost” is actually a beautiful young woman. Captivated by Kate and her story, he invites her to stay at Winterset under his protection.
Yet, danger persists as the man who threatens Kate’s safety learns of her ruse and attempts to exact his revenge. Kate and Oliver find themselves ensnared in a perilous game of cat and mouse against a powerful opponent while also trying to untangle their blossoming feelings. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
Winterset is the sequel to Tiffany Odekirk’s Summerhaven, which follows Oliver’s older brother as he courts Oliver’s best friend. But while the books take place in the same “world,” and there are references to Summerhaven in Winterset, the books do stand alone.
The story unfolds from the alternating viewpoints of Kate and Oliver. Kate is determined to hate Oliver, and rightly so, at least in the beginning. And Oliver is confounded by the “ghost” living in his walls. But once met, the two quickly develop an affinity for one another, and the rest plays out as you would expect in a romance such as this.
Both Kate and Oliver are likeable, although Kate’s simultaneous anxiety and daring sometimes feel at odds with each other. Both Kate and Oliver experience growth throughout. But if you’re going for something deep and nuanced, this probably isn’t for you.
Winterset is part of Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line, which features chaste romances that often are similar in format but deliver when it comes to a sweet story.
Winterset is a fast-moving, chaste romance that is appropriate for young adults as well as the indented adult fiction audience.
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