Quick Synopsis – Helen and Tyler were soulmates, a couple with a storybook beginning and an enduring bond, until Tyler’s sudden murder shattered her world. Numb with grief and desperate for escape, Helen impulsively marries Wade—a near stranger—and goes off-grid with him to a farmhouse in rural Washington.

Trading her polished Seattle existence for a tradwife life of canning vegetables and sewing during the day, she battles insomnia, PTSD, and haunting memories of Tyler at night…until Wade’s brother Isaac shows up. The problem: Isaac died years ago in a farm accident, and Wade insists they’re now in danger.

Helen isn’t sure what to believe. Is Isaac back from the dead? Is Wade manipulating her? Or is Helen’s mind unraveling? As her suspicions close in from every side, Helen must navigate a maze of secrets, grief, and uncertainty—where trusting the wrong person could be fatal.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Crooked Teeth by Zach Bryan

Publication Date – Sep. 22, 2026

Bookshop Link – Call Off the Dark by Hallie Shepherd
(I receive a commission if you use my link to purchase)

Content Notes – There is open door sexual content in this book, but it’s not really what I would consider a romance. There is death of a spouse on page, violence, stabbing, blood, and death of a raven. There is also a description of a farming accident that happens of page. The main character also struggles with grief, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5

Review – If you’ve recently lost a loved one and are struggling with grief, this is probably not a good book for you. The main character, Helen, loses her first husband in a very violent manner. A few months later she basically marries the next man she meets to escape her grief. Which, you know is a bad coping mechanism. The book alternates between Helen’s present day and her past with her first husband Tyler. Her current husband Wade is kind of a an emotionally stunted potato and Tyler was her soul mate. In all honesty I thought the flashbacks were really intriguing. It not only showed the contrast between Helen’s past and present, but also really builds the dread. You, as the reader, know this absolutely terrible thing is going to happen, but before we really see what happens to Tyler, we get to learn their love story.

To escape the pain of losing her person, Helen decides to give up her life in Seattle, remarry, and move to an isolated forest farm with her new husband Wade. Wade does all the lumberjack stuff and Helen does the tradwife stuff. Which she hates. She doesn’t even get to go to town with Wade. Also, for some reason she like really takes care of this man. Like runs his bath for him and he gets irritated if it’s not done when he gets home from the woods. This actually bothered me. I get that Wade and Tyler were supposed to be very opposite and Helen is dealing with depression, but it felt a little too far. When Issac, Wade’s brother, shows up two bombs are dropped: Wade has a brother to begin with and surprise he’s also dead.

I did like the majority of this book. Being in Helen’s head was isolating and claustrophobic, which is how grief feels. Like you’re the only one in the world who has ever felt this empty. I did think some of the choices she made were unrealistic. I also felt like the lore of Isaac could have been fleshed out a little more. I wouldn’t really say this is a horror book though horrific things happen; it’s more of an erotic thriller. I know it’s a ghost story and there are some jump scares, but it just feels more like a thriller with some sexy times.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.