The Magic Cottage - James Herbert

Amazon Blurb

A cottage was found in the heart of the forest. It was charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful--a magical haven for creativity and love. But the cottage had an alternative side--the bad magic. What happened there was horrendous beyond belief.

My Review

This started out as a nice ‘magical’ story of a couple moving into their dream cottage.  After you get comfortable strange occurrence’s begin, leading to a crescendo of magic, fear and evil.  I don’t recommend reading this in the middle of the night with low lighting…..scary.  I kept sneaking looks into the shadows……

A real page turner.  A few twists and turns, although I had suspected them it did not ruin my enjoyment.  This is the first James Herbert novel I have read (by recommendation) and was surprised and how readable it was (not full on horror as I would have expected from Herbert).  I would read more of his work in the future.

Briefs Encountered

Amazon Official Brief (sorry had to throw that in)

Noel Coward meets Julian Clary in this dark and wickedly funny ghost story!

Goodreads Blurb
Whoever said the afterlife would be easy?
Noel Coward is the toast of twenties society..... A brilliant playwright, composer and entertainer whose witty songs and pithy lines don't quite tell the full story. Goldenhurst, his house in Kent, England, provides a place where he can be himself and more importantly where he can be with his lover, Jack, without fear of arrest or judgement....
But their romantic idyll is ruined, first by the arrival of Noel's demanding relatives and then a mysterious death...

Many years later, film star and Coward fan Richard Stent buys the house from it's current owner. But Richard has problems of his own. Goldenhurst is supposed to be a respite from all is worries but this is a house with a very rich and not always pleasant history and more than one thing is about to go bump in the night...
A haunting tale of love, obsession and a house full of spirits, not all of them blithe...

MY REVIEW

Enjoyable little romp around a cottage in England, with two main protagonists, Noel (Coward) and Richard.  It was easy enough to imagine Noel’s voice and mannerisms in my head when reading his sections of the story but It took a little while to get Julian Clary’s voice out of my head when reading Richard’s sections, not helped by Julian’s name on every other page.  Once I had a well known 50ish Gay (but not camp) Holywood actor in my head I was able to push Julian aside. 

That being said I really did enjoy the premise of the story set over two time periods and revolving around the lives and loves of the two successful thespians and a house with a character all of it’s own.  Not to mention Julian popping in now and then sending himself up as only he can.  Oh and a few ghosts.     

As you would expect from Julian it is full of double entendres. Although there is sexual activity it isn’t overly explicit and romance features strongly.  Julian has produced a clever little ‘play’ in and around the central character (the house), this could easily translate to the stage in Noel Coward tradition.  The action really heats up towards the end with a few unexpected (to this reader) twists and turns.  I found it humorous and full of wit and would recommend this as a light entertaining read.  I would certainly read more of his work.   

          

The Mill - Mark West

Official Blurb

Michael struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife. He has visions of her calling to him, inviting him to the beyond.

At the Bereaved Partners’ Group, he learns that he is not the only one left behind who can hear the departed beckon them… to the Mill.

This Greyhart Press eBook is a novelette: longer than a short story but brief enough to read in one sitting. At 16,000 words, The Mill would be about 64 pages in paperback.

MY REVIEW

I was hooked from the first page......  This short story hits the ground running - I couldn't put it down and didn't until I had finished it.  My mistake was reading it in the middle of the night....creepy.   A very human story of loss and loneliness told with a supernatural element.  A very atmospheric, good old fashioned ghost story with an ending I wasn't expecting.   

*I received a copy free in exchange for an honest review and I have no hesitation in highly recommending this if you enjoy a good haunting.    

Lowcountry Ghost Stories

Official Blurb

Lowcountry Ghosts haunt the maze of marshes and ancient rice fields along South Carolina's Coast . . .

• Does lovely Alice Flagg still live in The Hermitage at Murrells Inlet more than 100 years after her death?
• When ghost ships appear far out in the marsh, do they represent lost fishermen? pirates? Confederate blockade runners? 
• Are threatening spirits haunting Miss Genevieve's beads taken from a long-forgotten grave?

Find history, mystery, and romance in these three gentle ghost stories (10,000 words, nine illustrations--about 40 pages if it were a paperback) from Lynn Michelsohn's longer work, Tales from Brookgreen: Folklore, Ghost Stories, and Gullah Folktales in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

My Review

Interesting little collection of 3 ghost stories and the history behind them set in South Carolina, I particularly enjoyed the history of the Confederate blockade runners. Short introductions to the authors' other works are also included.  If you like this sort of forklore storytelling check out Haunted Lowcountry Website for other ghostly tales.

 

Amador Lockdown - Coral Russell

Official Synopsis
Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.

My Review
A hauntingly good paranormal ghost story holding the tension from start to finish. Although less than 100 pages in length it had plenty of content and good characters.   Intriguing read leaving a desire for more ghost hunting adventures with the Paranormal Posse (the main protagonists).  The relationship between father and son, the glimpse into the spirit world and the twist at the end create more depth to the narrative.  If you like a good old fashioned ghost hunt then this is for you.  Great title.

Spirit of the Titanic - Nicola Pierce

A lovely gentle read. Beautifully understated writing re-telling the Titanic story but from a slightly different perspective, that of the ghost of Samuel a fifteen year old boy.

An emotional, descriptive and engrossing read.

Dark Matter - A Ghost Story

Just finished reading 'Dark Matter' by Michelle Paver, the free book I received from Newbooks magazine.  I read this in two sittings, that's very fast for me. 

Wow, a really creepy, disturbing good old fashioned ghost story.  It is not often a book haunts me (pardon the pun) but this one actually entered my dreams for a few nights after reading it.  Very descriptive and atmospheric.  I'm almost reluctant to say this (spoiler) but it has a completely unexpected twist at the end.  

 * * Highly Recommended * *