Cassie Mitchell is 37 and in trouble. She lives in her family's historic Victorian house on Cape Cod...but the house comes with ghosts. Literally. Or bad memories. Or a curse. Whatever you want to call it. Three generations of her family have met with sadness and death because of a long-ago curse placed on the family by an unhappy lover...a lighterman named Robert Toomey. 80 years ago Toomey supposedly started a fire in the house, killing Cassie's great-grandmother Celeste. Percy Mitchell then jumped from the nearby cliffs clutching his dead wife's body, yelling that he was not yet finished with Toomey. Flash forward 80 years....the house is in need of repairs, but Cassie is out of money, in the midst of a divorce, and despondent. She loves Battersea Bluffs at Lavender Hill -- or just The Bluffs as modern residents of Whale Rock, MA call it now -- and doesn't want to lose the house, or the lovely vanilla and caramel scent reminiscent of baking cookies that means the ghosts are about. Mysteriously a young couple and their dog show up one day asking about the house and the legend of the curse. Cassie instantly befriends them. Vince and Ashley start helping renovate the carriage house. Cassie can rent it out and bring in some money to start paying off the debt her ex-husband racked up before leaving. She comes to love them as friends. Then one day Vince and Ashley head out on a biking excursion and never come back. The bikes and picnic basket are found abandoned. She files a missing person report but it seems law enforcement really doesn't want to solve the case. Where are her friends? And why did they just disappear?

I love a good haunted house story! And this one fit the bill perfectly! House of Ashes is a nice mix of mystery and supernatural. The house clearly has a mind, or spirit, of its own. And as Cassie works to find out what happened to her friends, she learns more about the background of the house, her family, and the curse. She also has to battle small town gossip. Nobody really wants to find the young couple. The residents of Whale Rock don't trust outsiders and seem glad they are gone. The local police are pulled off the case by the FBI. And the FBI doesn't seem all that interested in solving the matter.

I enjoyed Cassie as a main character. She is intelligent and learning to stand on her own and fight for what she wants in life. She's creative -- a very talented painter. Plus Cassie is loyal and determined. She isn't just going to let this go and forget about the two people who stayed with her for four months and helped her at her lowest.

On the front cover of House of Ashes it says "A Haunted Bluffs Mystery'' so I'm assuming this is the first book in a series. I will definitely be reading more books by this author -- and more books about Battersea Bluffs, if this does turn out to be a continuing series. This story was perfectly paced and nicely suspenseful. There were plenty of twisty developments to keep me guessing what the final outcome would be. I binge read this book in one sitting -- I couldn't put it down. I had to know how it ended!

Loretta Marion is the author of another unrelated suspense novel, The Fool's Truth. I've added it to my tbr stack! I like her writing style and will definitely be watching for more by this author.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

From the book's haunting cover design to the intriguing synopsis, I was instantly captivated and could not wait to delve into this one. Now after having spent an enchanting adventure along the Cape, I cannot wait to see where this series takes me next!

From the opening chapter to the final sentence, I was completely immersed in this intensely atmospheric story made even more so by the fact that I read it during the Halloween season. It's been quite a while since I've been so completely awestruck after the first chapter alone! Read it and you'll quickly understand why it will be so hard to put down afterwards!

Generations collide in this incredibly nuanced mystery that seeks to discover the secrets behind a family's paranormal history and the current disappearance of two missing people. The story unfolds from both past and present perspectives, which the author is able to seamlessly interweave to create a truly poignant narrative. The addition of journal entries and the sleuthing itself make this story even more multilayered and engaging. This isn't a twisting thrill ride, but rather a slowburning untying of knots that reveals a satisfying end.

Overall, there is a little of everything for a lot of different readers to enjoy. From history and romance to mystery and the supernatural, Battersea Bluffs has so much to offer.

Cassandra Mitchell is the great-granddaughter of Percy and Celeste Mitchell who built the gorgeous Battersea Bluffs mansion in Whale Rock, Massachusetts, Cape Cod where she now lives alone. She is 37 years old and tenaciously clings to the family Victorian despite its history, local folklore, and apparent supernatural experiences. There is an apparent curse that has followed them from England affecting their male descendants. Cassie has weathered a disastrous marriage and impending divorce and is presently facing foreclosure. She refuses the idea of selling.

Sinking deeper into the funk that has enveloped her in the situation, she meets a young couple, Ashley and Vince, on her property accompanied by a German Shepherd, and impressed with them and taken by the moment invite them to stay with her for a while in exchange for their work on the carriage house.

The author flips the chronological timelines as she brings in further details of Cassie's family, both current and 80 years ago. Chapter headings clearly tell in which timeline the narrative is heading and it doesn't take long to get into the rhythm.

The couple suddenly disappears without explanation which sets off a chain of investigations that begin with local law enforcement and extends to the FBI. There is an attraction to the FBI agent, and Cassie appears to be in full rebound mode, but is consumed with the problem of figuring out what happened to the kids. Happy with having the couple around, they had created in her the urge to paint again and she is facing a large gallery showing by a friend and local art gallery owner.

The protagonist has that artist's aura about her, tormented but talented. Headstrong and smart, she seemed to make less than informed decisions while craftily planning her next move toward solving the mystery of the couple. I received this ebook download from the publisher and NetGalley for this book tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Recommended for any who enjoy a mystery, supernatural or paranormal qualities, thriller and suspense, and strong women sleuths. 4.5/5

See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2018/11/09/house-of-ashes-by-loretta-marion-blogtour-bookreview-giveaway/

I’m not really sure where to begin. There are parts I really liked ad parts I hated. I have to confess, I didn’t read it word for word. I found myself skipping throughout. I loved the setting and gothic feel. The disappearance was very intriguing but the main character, Cassie, not very much. She had no backbone. She was so gullible. I really liked the cop who had known her her whole life. He really looked out for her, or tried to. After seeing how dysfunctional her family was, I see why she was like she was. She has been beaten down psychologically over the years. I would’ve been a recluse also. I read one review where they didn’t get through it because of Cassie being so gullible as far as the missing couple. If the reader feels this way, be sure and read on or skip ahead as I did. The answer to the disappearance makes all the sense in the world and was ingenious. This would’ve made a big 5 star with me and would’ve been a great movie if it weren’t for the back and forth in different time frames. And also how they were written. This took my focus off the story. However, there is enough mystery to keep ones interest if you like this sort of thing. The mystery keeps getting more bizarre and hard to figure out. I would’ve never guessed it. That’s a good thing. The revelations about the past and the fire were a little much, they were great, but almost paranormal in a way it almost didn’t fit the story. If there would’ve been more ghost like stuff, this would’ve been ok. I’m sure others will love it and I think a sequel would also do great. I’d like to say congratulations to the author on the release. She has a brilliant mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to review this

This is not a book that I generally am lead to. With that said, I was entertained throughout the story. There is an old house that is haunted (maybe), there is mystery and a bit of romance.

Thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced readers copy.

HOUSE OF ASHES by Loretta Marion
The First Haunted Bluffs Mystery

Cassandra Mitchell has been in a dark place. A failed marriage resulted in near bankruptcy along with the possibility of losing her family home. While her sister won't come within a hundred miles of the place, Cassie has always felt a kinship with The Battersea Bluffs and feels the presence of her great grandparents who built the home. Desperate to keep the house, Cassie allows the two strangers she meets to become tenants. The young couple will work on turning the carriage house into a rental unit as well as keep Cassie company. Everyone in the small town is more suspicious than welcoming to Cassie's new friends, however, and when the young couple goes missing Cassie realizes she doesn't know them at all.

HOUSE OF ASHES is an interesting book which is comprised of a few stories. Not only do we get the story of Cassie Mitchell and the mystery of her disappearing tenants, we follow the history of the original owners and discover the beginnings of the family curse that may currently be plaguing Cassie. The manner in which the stories are intertwined is disconcerting, however. It's not that there are two timelines with which the author trades back and forth, instead she goes back and forth within those timelines as well. This lack of chronological progression slows the pace and disconnects the reader. Rather than getting caught up in the story, the reader constantly has to readjust perspective and so never is fully immersed in Cassie's world.

The first Haunted Bluffs Mystery is a book of secrets. Everyone has them and some are more dangerous than others. Cassie is an extremely flawed character, but she has an intrinsic sense of goodness and loyalty, sometimes much misplaced. Other characters, even those readers inherently know are "good" have their own share of secrets. The teasing out of these secrets is what gives the book its depth.

HOUSE OF ASHES is a layered mystery that combines the past and the present. Family history, strength, and flaws combine with a world of secrets. The hint of the paranormal adds a gothic touch creating a unique tinge to this modern mystery.

HOUSE OF ASHES is a wonderful cozy mystery, set in a glorious scenic location, that strongly tugged at my heartstrings. I found myself involved with the characters--past and present--from the beginning. It was simple to care about them, which is one of the hallmarks of good fiction. Grieve when they grieve, rejoice, worry, puzzle out mysteries. The beautiful family heirloom residence, set high on the bluffs near Cape Cod, won't remain in the family unless Cassandra can construct a way to save it. But her chosen solution, appearing so serendipitously, only results in puzzlement and intrigue.

There are some days I want to read a suspense filled book and this one did the trick. There were so many stories to unravel, personal histories to understand, and a mystery to solve that I had a hard time putting this book down each night.  I also can't discount the descriptive words of the town, Battersea Bluffs, the residents in the town, and the area in general.  

The story starts off 80 years in the past with the deaths of Percy and Celeste, Cassie's Great Grandparents that came to the US from England.  Throughout the book we get glimpses of the past which helps us understand the spirits in the home and Cassie's quest to find the truth about her ancestors, her sister, and her newest friends that have disappeared.  The crux of the book focuses on Cassie's new friends, Ashley and Vince, who have suddenly disappeared.  Is there foul play involved?  Did they leave on their own accord?  Are they even who they claim to be?  Cassie formed a bond with Ashley and Vince, even if she really doesn't know the truth about them and their past, so when they vanish she is concerned about them and their safety especially since they left their dog behind.  As a dog lover, I would have thought exactly the same as Cassie, that something has happened because they loved Whistler and wouldn't leave him behind.

The book moves at a somewhat slower pace which is good and bad.  Good because it layers of the mystery are peeled back like an onion, but bad because I wanted to know what the heck happened to Ashley and Vince!  There are several other minor mysteries encapsulated in this book - why Cassie's sister Zoe won't come back to Whale Rock?  Who is behind an art purchase?  Is the house haunted or are the spirits friendly?  What is the real story of the supposed curse on the family?  All of these play a minor part in the story and some even tie in to the disappearance.

There is a little bit of a romance too between Cassie and FBI agent Daniel, but she also has a past with a deadbeat ex-husband and a high school love that she has a fling with when she realizes the marriage is dying.  There is also Brooks, aka Chuckles, who has a thing for Cassie but also dated her sister in high school.  That kind of makes him off limits in Cassie's mind.

I will admit that Cassie does not have her life together at 37.  Sometimes you just have to wonder how people like her make it this far in life, but at the same time wonder if there is an underlying psychological issue that is the root cause of her actions.

Many questions are answered in the book with some twists I didn't expect and we might not have known if Cassie didn't push for the truth from those she questioned about her family and the past, and about her missing friends. 

We give this 5 paws ups for keeping us in suspense for the whole book!

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an advance digital copy of House of Ashes by Loretta Marion in exchange for an unbiased review. I had some difficulty getting started with this novel. It shifts from present day and eighty years in the past, however even in the present day the time shifts over several months time. While the time period of each ensuing section was clearly labeled, initially I found the constant shift to create a choppy, less cohesive story. As time went on and I read further into the book, this became less of an issue, however it did make it a longer read for me overall, possibly because it was easier to put the book down between sections and become involved in other things.
The sections of present day are narrated by Cassie, current owner and resident of the mansion known as Battersea Bluffs, her family home. The home has a sad past, including having been partially burned with Cassie’s grandmother, Celeste dying in the fire and her husband, Percy taking the body and plunging to his death from the cliffs where the house was sitting.
Percy and Celeste haunt the premises, making their presence known through either the author described pleasant scent of burning sugar or an unpleasant odor which goes undefined throughout most of the book. The idea of a house filled with the scent of warm sugar is delightful, however, the description of it burning does not convey quite the same pleasant idea. With a little effort I was able to put this seeming conflict of ideas aside and come to recognize when the scents were pleasant and supposedly trying to convey approval and when the opposite was true through the opposite scent.
The tale Cassie tells is not only about the house and her ancestors, including the curse that is supposedly on the male members of the family, but of two wandering young people who take up residence with Cassie and live at her home in exchange for working to renovate the carriage house on the property. The plan is that Cassie can then rent it out and hopefully retain ownership of the property through the income producing rental.
The introductions of chapters occuring in the present are all titled as so many weeks before or after the disappearance, so it is never in doubt that Ashley and Vince have or are going to disappear. What is in doubt is who they are and what has brought them to Battersea Bluffs. Cassie takes an immediate like to them, based on nothing that is presented in the narrative, and although she is cautioned by everyone around her to find out more about the couple she insists they are fine young people who are helping her out of a tough financial spot.
In addition to the local people, Cassie has a sister, Zoe, who lives on the west coast and calls from time to time, primarily to state her displeasure with the choices Cassie is making. Zoe refuses to come home, even when Cassie, a previously unsuccessful artist, is recognized for her talent and an art gallery owner decides to mount a showing of Cassie’s work. Zoe’s refusal to return home, even for the gallery event, deepens the rift between the two sisters, with Cassie left in the dark about Zoe’s reasons for failing to visit.
There are several other secondary characters of interest, including an FBI agent who is a possible love interest, the local sheriff, former boyfriend to Zoe and perhaps love interest to Cassie, a former housekeeping employee with an important clue that may shed light on Ashley and Vince’s disappearance, a wealthy man who offers to buy all of Cassie’s remaining art work after the show as well as a few old and new friends.
Overall, the novel is an interesting story that seems to be told in fits and starts. Toward the end of the book, the reading was much smoother, perhaps because I had become accustomed to the style of the book by that time. It also took awhile for me to become interested in the characters, so I wasn’t drawn back into the book on a rapid pace. Cassie came across as not any older than Ashley and Vince, although she was described as being somewhat their senior. Other characters, particularly the sheriff, the FBI agent and Cassie’s sister had the beginnings of some depth, but didn’t seem fully fleshed out. For anyone considering reading the book, I would recommend they read a sample, if possible, to get a feel for the time shifts and how they, as a reader, will be affected by this writing style.

2 stars for the book. 1 star for me for finishing it.

I tried to enjoy this book. I really did but from the very beginning, I knew this book would not be something I would enjoy. The narration did not work for me and there was way too much going on that didn't make any sense.

Full review/rant on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2575422837?book_show_action=false

A Haunted Bluffs Mystery

Cassie Mitchell is living in her great-grandparents beautiful home overlooking the ocean. Battersea Bluffs is a house with a past. Built by her great-grandparents, Percy and Celeste Mitchell who died in a fire brought on by a curse.

Oh, and they still live there. Just in a different form.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here because the summary tells the entire story.

One thing I did not like was the jumping back and forth of timelines and characters that seemed to have an importance to the story were glossed over. I am not a fan of hand wringing helpless female leads. The entire book I was screaming, "Don't you have a computer? Google?"

It read more like the outline for a story rather than a completed work. As much as I am a fan of Crooked Lane, this one was a hot mess.

Netgalley/November 13th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

A house by the sea with an artist in residence is all it takes to get me curious. Add a good mystery and a bit of paranormal activity and I'm game.

Cassie lives at Battersea Bluffs, the house that has been in her family for generations. In return for some maintenance work she takes in a young couple, without paying much attention to their backgrounds. When they don't return from a short outing, Cassie worries for their safety and gets the cops involved. With hardly a clue to cling on to, the search for the two missing friends is set in motion.
Throughout the story the reader is introduced to the many village characters, the gossip machine, the failing law enforcement and the history of Cassie's ancestors.
The mystery deepens and Cassie starts her own investigation, guided by interventions from the ghosts at Battersea Bluffs. The truth doesn't surfice until the very end.

Moving at a pleasant pace, House Of Ashes is a well crafted story, with plenty of likable characters throughout and enough happening to keep the reader entertainted.

House of ashes has so many different elements of romance , heartbreak mystery and the paranormal. House of ashes begins with a horrible tragedy against percy and his wife Celeste and Percy blames a horrible curse gainer them by a scorned Robert Toomy. Fast forward 80years later and descendant of Percy . She’s in danger of losing bluffs which is her family’s historic home on the cliff side. She’s going through a horrible time. Along comes Ashley and Vince with their dog whistler this young couple offer to help her save her home. Soon Cassie starts to feel like something isn’t right and the more she starts figuring things out the more questions she ends up with. When Ashley and Vance disappear this causes Cassie to vow to figure what happened to them and stop and nothing.

I tried three different times to give this book a chance. Unfortunately I just didn't get into it and quit about a third of the way through. The protagonist irritated me. From the blurb, the plot sounded intriguing and just like my type of a good read. In reality, the pacing was too slow and it just never managed to pull me into the story.

House of Ashes is a mystery of the past along with a mystery of the present. Combining it all together is Cassandra (Cassie) Mitchell a 4th generation member of the Cape Cod community who resides in the family home Battersea Bluffs. Cassie’s fear as the story begins is the possible loss of her family home due to a financial conundrum caused by her soon to be ex-husband. The past is the story of her great grandparents Percy and Celeste who died the same day years ago and the curse brought on the family by an old mentor of Celeste’s. Cassie’s house seems to be haunted with strange happenings and smells, both good and bad, plus Cassie is haunted by dreams and nightmares of fire. The author travels back to the past to tell the family story bringing it back to the present throughout the book doing a wonderful job of tying the stories together. The present mystery revolves around a young couple Ashley and Vince who give Cassie the idea to turn her carriage house into a rental. Over time, their help and discoveries add much to Cassie’s life. Then suddenly they disappear and worries abound that something terrible might have happened and Cassie seeks the truth working with the local law and FBI. It’s a quiet mystery, one that you’ll find hard to put down as you seek the answers to the questions that come to mind of what happened then and what’s happened now.

I’m sorry to say it, but I gave up somewhere around the 3/4 mark of the book. I’m a sucker for ghost(ly) stories that take place in gothic environments—like this one, “majestic home on Cape Cod’s craggy coast”—add spirits, curses, and things that go bump in the night, and this book has them all.

As the book description reads, “thirty-seven-year-old painter Cassandra Mitchell is fourth-generation to live in the majestic Battersea Bluffs, a brooding Queen Anne home originally built by her great-grandparents,” The house is “still standing despite tragedies that have swept the generations. Local lore has it that a curse was placed on the family and the house is haunted...opinions are divided on whether it's by malicious or benevolent spirits. Cassie believes the latter―but now she stands to lose her beloved home to mounting debt and the machinations of her dream-weaving ex-husband.”

Here’s why I gave up. I cannot abide protagonists without a backbone, and if they don’t come with one at the outset, I don’t want to wait for more than half the book for them to grow a spine AND brains. So a heroine who’s let herself be taken in by a loser husband to whom she’s handed her $1 million plus inheritance to squander on his pipe dreams; who then offers a “charming young couple” (whom she doesn’t know from Adam and Eve) she meets on a walk by her house to live with her in return for remodeling work... things are not looking up for that protagonist, in my view. When said couple disappears without a trace, “leaving behind no clue to their identities, Cassie is devastated...” Nope. Annoyance over the protagonist’s stupidity is something I don’t need; there’s enough of that in real life. I have to be able to identify and emphatize with the protagonist, female or male, to root for them (also the reason why I don’t like books told from multiple POVs).

If you can look past this, then this might be an OK story for you.

House of Ashes is a mystery book that isn't quite sure which mystery it wants to solve.

There are a lot of strange and mysterious things happening around Battersea Bluffs, an old and historic home located in the Cape. Local resident Cassandra is intent on solving all of them - the mystery of why her sister won't visit her or the home they grew up in anymore, the mystery of whether her grandmother's house is haunted, the mystery of what happened to her tenants that disappeared without a trace, the mystery of the man who wants to buy all of her art from her recent art exhibition, the mystery of why the dog has the name it has, and on and on and on.

Honestly, there is too much going on in this book for it to be fully effective. This book wants to be all things at once - a supernatural ghost story, a whodunnit investigation, a cozy small town story, a love triangle romance, a suspense thriller, and historical fiction. As a result of this scattershot approach to so many different themes and styles, I never really felt settled into a rhythm of reading this book. I think that had one direction been chosen, this could have been a compelling read, but as it is, it was too muddled for me to enjoy.

I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Loretta Marion, and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Loretta Marion develops a story that straddles time and geography to bring the reader into the centre of numerous mysteries that come to a head in an energetic ending. The small Massachusetts community of Whale Rock has been home to the Mitchell family off and on for over eight decades. When one of the largest homes in the area caught fire eighty years ago, the fallout created a curse that permeates the region to this day. Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Mitchell’s great-grandparents perished in the fire that some believe was part of a larger curse they brought from England. At present, Cassie has an issue of her own, as her two tenants have recently disappeared into thin air. Could this be part of the ongoing curse or some other nefarious act? Leaving behind a few odd clues, including a piece of rope tied with unique knots, Cassie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. However, she also has a gallery showing booked and must finish a number of paintings, some of the bucolic community of Whale Rock. With the authorities turning up nothing and the FBI admitting that Cassie’s tenants never existed, at least by those names, the mystery only thickens. With a parallel storyline exploring events leading up to the aforementioned fire, additional backstory and knowledge about this Mitchell Curse come to light, which could explain some of the present-day anomalies. An interesting tale that will pique the interest of some, though I found myself less than committed throughout the reading experience.

This is my first experience with Marion’s writing, which left me curious to see what sentiments came to the surface. Her attention to detail and nuanced placement of clues is second to none, as is her seamless ability to write in both past and present while keeping both stories poignant. I remain baffled as to why I could not grasp the entirety of the story. I did not feel the connection to the characters or plot, though both seemed to be well grounded. Cassie Mitchell proves to be an interesting woman, who has struggled finding her niche as she seeks to rebuild a bridge with her older sister. Cassie’s determination to get to the bottom of the mystery while also living her life at present is something that Marion develops throughout with a strong narrative and decent dialogue. I’m left to wonder if I was just not in the proper mindset to tackle this book, as there are many characters who pop up and serve to push things in a forward direction. The premise was decent, using a past curse to explain away some of the issues taking place, without getting too supernatural with the entire plot. Still, I needed something more that shook me in my seat as I flipped the pages of this book. Perhaps others will find something stellar in this book or with the author and to them I offer my complete support. It just did not come together for me.

Kudos, Madam Marion, for a decent piece of writing. While I may not have been captivated, I do not feel that I will be in the majority.

I really enjoyed House of Ashes by Loretta Marion. From page one until the very last, I had a hard time putting it down. That being said, I am not sure exactly WHAT about this story pulled me in. It's not exactly full of suspense. We know from the very beginning of the book the tragedy that befell Cassie's great grandparents. We also learn early that Cassie's friends have gone missing. The first half of the book is just back story, and then her tireless search to uncover the truth: warnings from local police and FBI be damned. I did not feel a deep sense of closure by the end either. There were so many secrets alluded to throughout the book, I felt like those should have been revealed. All negativity aside though, the actual story is engrossing and I really enjoyed it. Would recommend if you like a light mystery with a dash of paranormal activity added in the mix.

I honestly couldn't finish this book. I'm not one to give up on a book easily. I tried to get into it, but it just wasn't exciting. I got to the halfway point and just had to call it. The plot sounds really intriguing, but it just wasn't executed well in my opinion.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.