**3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads**

I’ve had House of Ashes on my TBR since 2018 when I got it from NetGalley. But between 2018 and 2023 I also bought it from Amazon on my kindle lol. It was an enjoyable supernatural mystery in a quaint little fictional seaside town and house that I’d love to visit. I liked the main character. The mystery part was ok. But for me it was the ghosts and the setting that really sold this story.

There’s a second book in the series and I already have it on my kindle to read.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

As far as mysteries go, House of Ashes is well done, although somewhat forgettable within the pantheon of the genre. It has all the requisite hallmarks of a good mystery: small town, creaky house, connections to the local police and FBI, and a family curse with a paranormal twist. I appreciated the non-linear storytelling style. I feel that format works well for mysteries and thrillers. House of Ashes held my interest enough to make me want to continue the series. This novel wraps up the mystery of the book, and leaves enough threads dangling to make me want more. 4 stars.

House of Ashes by Loretta Marion

A decent but very slow paced Haunted house mystery.

I liked the switching from past to present aspects of the story.

I wanted the story to move faster.

A good book for a weekend read.

I would recommend it to people who like haunted house stories.

3 *****


Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Review posted at NetGalley, Goodreads, Wordpress and amazon.

I had a hard time with this one. I loved the premise but I could not finish.

Things I liked: The setting and the ambiance of the story

What I found harder to like : The slow pace. I felt I kept reading and never got anywhere with the story.

This of course can just be a personal preference for myself. I think there were a lot of great things about the story. I think it just needed to be edited down.

Cassie is a lonely divorcee who lives in her grandparents house on Cape Cod, and is struggling to stay afloat on her own. When a young couple happens into her life, she's happy to allow them to stay with her in return for help with maintaining the property, until one day the young couple suddenly disappears. Cassie is determined to get to the bottom of their disappearance, and in the process uncovers some family secrets of her own.

An intriguing story combining a family curse and a haunted house with a modern day mystery, I found House of Ashes to be an interesting story which kept me guessing until the very end. With an excellent twist which I didn't see coming, the conclusion felt complete and drew the story to a close in a satisfying way - whilst I do think the story could be easily continued across more books, it also stood up as a standalone story.

was a gripping thriller that took you to every aspect of trying to figure out what was really going on and what was going to happen next! This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to see what else is released from this author!

I found this mystery to be an intriguing read, though it did take me a bit to connect with Cassandra. Still, I enjoyed the journey!

It’s hard to classify exactly what genre this book is. It’s part cozy, part paranormal, part thriller. But what it is is very good.

Cassie Mitchell lives in the home made famous by the tragic ending of her great-grandparents’ life. But she’s about to lose the old house if she can’t come up with a wa to make some money after a messy marriage and a life of tough breaks. When a young couple move into the house to help her make some repairs to a potential income property, she’s thrilled. But then they disappear without a single trace. And the paranormal signs from her great-grandparents intensify. Can Cassie figure out what’s happening around her before she loses home - and possibly her mind?

The setting for this book, a charming Cape Cod town with a large home with a dark past, was fantastic. It really transported me and took me away to another place while I was reading. Plus, the paranormal elements were just subtle enough to be believable. It felt like this story could have happened easily.

The central mystery itself was great as well. I liked how the story depicted the events from both before and after the disappearance of Vince and Ashley so we could get a really good picture of why they were so important to Cassie and why she wouldn’t give up in trying to find them, even when others told her to. That was a great creative choice.

I wish there was a little more resolution to some of the personal storylines, like Cassie’s relationship with her sister. There was a lot of build up there, but the resolution felt weak. But that was the only soft spot in the story.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book, which combines many elements of some of my favorite genres - and does it very well. Fans of atmospheric mysteries and “beach read”-type books will devour this one.

I feel like New England and places like Cape Cod are so conducive to mysteries just because of the long history they boast. The twists and turns kept me guessing and like I said, the atmosphere was good too.

Catchy story that kept me awake in a wish to see what will happen on the next page.... in short it was a wild ride while trying to figure out what happened with the missing people. I enjoyed reading it and it wont be my last book by this author.

House of Ashes has Cassie trying to save her ancestral home while searching for missing friends and worrying about a possible family curse. There are several elements to this story, both in the past and present, and they will keep you guessing. I enjoyed the slightly darker feel of this mystery – almost gothic, but not quite. This was the first book I’d read by Loretta Marion, but it will not be the last.

This is the perfect mystery for a cold winters day . I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it .
A house by the sea in a small coastal village with mysterious happenings, a rumored ghost, a good mystery and strong charcters with well crafted writing made this the perfect read for a afternoon of escape.

Cassie lives at Battersea Bluffs, the house that has been in her family for generations. She takes in a young couple who soon disappears.. The gossip in the village abounds as do mysterious clues that may have to do with Cassie's ancestors and their own mysteries.
Cassie starts her own investigation, guided by the ghosts at Battersea Bluffs. The author does a excellent job of building suspense and all is reveled at the end.

House Of Ashes is a well crafted story, with likable characters , a paranormal edge and the beautiful setting. I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it for all that enjoy a bit of mystery and suspense.

I did enjoy this book, it had the right eerie background for a haunted house, a gothic type setting in Cape Cod. A lonely divorcee, Cassie, lives in the house and befriends a young couple who end up staying with her, until they disappear without a trace. A missing ring, tattoos of a phoenix, a mysterious "T" that keeps turning up. Not to mention an old curse cast against Cassie's family. All in all I found "House Of Ashes" to be an intriguing mystery, with clues and red herrings every time you turn the page. I also found the relationships between the main characters warm and realistic, which further enhanced the story. This book has a lot to recommend it, it holds the interest of the reader all the way through, and I found myself feeling for Cassie, annoyed at her sister Zoe's reluctance to tell her the truth, well, tell her anything really. Cassie finds herself unravelling secrets, not only the missing couples, but some of her family's as well. A worthy read!
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book, it was entertaining and engaging.
I was hooked since the first pages and couldn't put it down.
I love the characters and atmosphere, dark and atmospheric.
The characters were well developed and interesting.
A very good and enjoyable read.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Crooked Lane and Netgalley for this ARC

Cassie is in danger of losing her beloved house The Bluffs that has been in her family for generations thanks to the debts her ex husband left behind and the divorce, but then a couple Ashley and Vince turn up out of the blue and help her do up the coach house so that she can let it out, but then they mysteriously disappear........ is the house really haunted! Trying to find out what really happend to them she starts to uncover more of her own family history but why will the police and the FBI not help?

A great atmospheric book with intrigue and secrets going back for generations it is my first book by this author but I will definitely be looking for future ones

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has all the elements that make for a good story. It has romance, mystery and the setting is a huge Victorian house in cape cod that is rumored to be haunted. It is such a believable tale which is sometimes not always found when reading about houses that supposedly have ghosts. The author did a great job combining all the elements together. I highly recommend this book.

Suspense-filled and yet an easy read, this story set in Whale Rock on Cape Cod involves a young woman living in a historic family home on a bluff well known as Percy’s Bluff. Sometimes when we are vulnerable or maybe even desperate our judgement is not as good as it might be otherwise. Sometimes we just don’t want to see things as they might be. It doesn’t matter who warns us to be cautious. Is this the case with Cassie? Is she too dependent on staying in this beautiful old Victorian home of her descendants?

Really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Of course, I always like stories of seacoast towns and Cape Cod in particular and this one has a little mystique. While putting a little taste of the paranormal here, the author added suspense without going over the top. The characters were folk in a place where only locals really fit.
Just really a book I didn’t want to put down and was sad when the last page was read.

An interesting book in which the only fault I can find is…there aren't any more.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are definitely my own.

Ghosts, suicide, curse, disappearances, unanswered questions. This story had it all. Cassie loved where she lived, ghosts and family history included. It was great watching her grow stronger through the story. There were moments of confusion as the mystery unraveled, but I loved how Cassie stuck to her beliefs. I enjoy a good ghost story, and this kept me interested.

I heard about this book through Goddess Fish Promotions, and received an ARC of this story through Netgalley. This is my unsolicited review.

A curse and ghosts! This dual time line mystery/suspense novel finds Cassie trying to rebuild her life in her family home, the Bluffs, on Cape Cod but things seem to conspire against her. What's the back story on her family? Well, no spoilers but things weren't always pretty. Who are or were Vince and Ashley, who appeared one day, befriended Cassie, and disappeared another? No one knows- there's no record of them. Thanks to Netgalley fr the ARC. This isn't too twisty and there's some family melodrama but it's a good read.

The location, Cape Cod, made this a must read for me. I have spent a lot of time at the Cape and I can picture Battersea Bluffs and the surrounding area easily.

Cassandra’s great grandparents had owned the home and now it was hers, but she needed help financially and help fixing it up. Along comes Vince and Ashley.

It doesn’t take long and they come up missing. How? Why? Whenever a house is involved, I immediately think of ghosts and goblins, and we do have a curse with smells that can be pleasant one moment and not so much the next. We also have secrets. Secrets that are going to come to light because Cassandra is a caring and persistent person, and she won’t let the mystery of their disappearance end without answers.

Cassandra tells Vince and Ashley where the name of the town,Whale Rock, came from, I immediately thought of my family’s home on the Cape. When the tide goes out, there is a giant rock exposed. I love when a novel can tweak a bit of nostalgia from me. Makes it easier to relate to the story and the characters.

A haunted house, a mystery with secrets…I have some suspicions and I am having a great time trying to put all the pieces together. I didn’t do so well. There is so much more to the story and Loretta leads me on a wild ride to the very end.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of House of Ashes by Loretta Marion

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