End of Day is the second book in the Hode's Hill series by Mae Clair. I have not read the first one but I feel like this can be a stand-alone book. I for the most part like books that jump around in time frames. The author has a very visual writing style. The book is filled with expressive passages that let the reader immerse themselves in the world Clair has so perfectly created.

Clair is a talented wordsmith who sets a scene artfully. Her descriptions draw a reader in as much as the characters do, with the setting becoming a character itself. While nothing is too gory or horrific, there is a definite sense of eerie foreboding that increases with the tension of the story and culminates in a dramatic climax the reader won’t soon forget.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Mae Clair, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of End Of Day in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
OMG, what a chilling novel. I thought this book provided a good, creepy read.
The storyline was well thought out and written. The characters are well defined and the imagery was amazing. The reader could very well think that they were a part of the story.
Well worth a read.

If you want suspense and paranormal, End of Day is the book for you. It tells the story of the Hode’s Hill cemetery from two different time periods. It’s scary, has relatable characters, and the antagonists are just…awesome. Supernatural beings? Thugs? Grave robbers? Yes, please! I did not realize this is the second book in a series, but it can definitely be a standalone. Mae Clair’s vivid descriptions created one of the best suspense/supernatural folklores I’ve read in a while.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Group or this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Right spooky cover on the book. Drew me right in and I can’t say I was disappointed. Great fun to read

There are two parts to this book, the past and the present. In the past Gabriel is looking for a monster that is making people in the village sick and later die in the year 1799. Then we have the present. Jillian's family has always taken care of Gabriel's grave. But someone steals his body. She has to get the body back or bad things are going to happen to people in town. Jillian is reserved with taking care of her sister Madison. But Elliott a boy on her street and his uncle Dante become her friends.
I enjoyed this book, A mystery with a little bit of horror thrown in.

End of Day by Mae Clair is Book Ii of the Hode’s Hill series. It is told from two points of view, jumping from the past to the present, keeping the mystery from both perspectives alive throughout the story.

Gabriel Vane, an emerald, and…death.

Gabriel’s death…it is so terrifyingly horrific that it gave me the shivers and had the hair on my arms and the back of my neck standing up. Mae Clair does a wonderful job of showing, not telling, as the words bring the scene to life and I couldn’t help but picture it in my mind’s eye.

Jillian Cley is an empath and that explains why she is a loner. She works for herself, designing websites. She has Maya, her one and only friend, and Blizzard, her therapy dog. I love having critters added to stories, especially dogs. It adds a ittle something extra that I like to see authors do.

Her family is responsible for the upkeep of the grave of Gabriel Vane at Hickory Chapel Cemetery. The grave has been disturbed, but they cannot allow him to die…again, the Third Death.

Elliot, her neighbor and newfound friend is going to become super important to her and she to him.

Sherree had never gotten over Boyd, her boyfriend who was murdered and she never quit looking for the secrets locked in Madison’s head. Since Gabriel Vane’s bones had been disinterred, people are dropping like flies. No two deaths are the same, no pattern. she finds a friend in Dante. She doesn’t need to convince him of anything, he already knows.

Monsters are real in Mae Clair’s world. We will definitely see them raise their ugly heads.

For whom does the bell toll? If you hear it, it tolls for you…or someone close to you.

There is a subtle hint of malice throughout the entire book. I have a feeling of doom. When will it happen? How will it happen? Who will survive the meeting?

There is an introduction to Book III, but I am not going there. It will make me agonize over the wait.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of End of Day by Mae Clair.

"The past is never truly buried...

Generations of Jillian Cley’s family have been tasked with a strange duty - tending the burial plot of Gabriel Vane, whose body was the first to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery. Jillian faithfully continues the long-standing tradition - until one October night, Vane’s body is stolen from its resting place. Is it a Halloween prank? Or something more sinister?

As the descendants of those buried in the church yard begin to experience bizarre “accidents,” Jillian tries to uncover the cause. Deeply empathic, she does not make friends easily, or lightly. But to fend off the terror taking over her town, she must join forces with artist Dante DeLuca, whose sensitivity to the spirit world has been both a blessing and a curse. The two soon realize Jillian’s murky family history is entwined with a tragic legacy tracing back to the founding of Hode’s Hill. To set matters right, an ancient wrong must be avenged… or Jillian, Dante, and everyone in town will forever be at the mercy of a vengeful spirit."

A vengeful spirit? A family vow to protect a town? Just the Gothic goodness you need on a bleak January day!

This may have been book 2 of the Hode's Hill series but I would consider it a standalone novel. Lots of suspense and mystery. I loved the paranormal aspect to the story.

We learn the story of the Hode's Hill church and cemetery through 2 periods of time. The contents fluctuate between present day and historical time. That made things even more intriguing.

I felt a connection between Jillian and it being the case of the first man buried alive in the cemetery. Her family was to always care for that grave or death would come to the village. It was a very interesting book and I plan on reading more from this new to me author!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

I expected a mystery, but this is more of a paranormal dark story. Still, it's engaging from beginning to end. Fans of darker stories will enjoy this book.

Mae Clair brings us an excellent compelling story that bridges time between autumn of 1799 and the present time, peopled with interesting protagonists and an excellent dog, ghosts and goblins and monsters most fierce. A very small town, Hode's Hill, Pennsylvania is compact and isolated and most folks idea of an ideal place to live. We have the same core families that were prevalent in the Cusp of Night. I am hooked. Thank you Netgalley, for exposing me to Mae Clair. I can enthusiastically recommend this author to friends and family. She is one author very difficult to put down.

I received a free electronic copy of this second Hode's Hill novel from Netgalley, Mae Clair, and Lyrical Underground in exchange for an honest review. Only pages in, I was hooked and had to purchase Cusp of Night, number 1 in the series. This is a story to see you through a couple or three bitter winter days or a day at the beach.

Although there are some repeat characters from Cusp of Night, this installment in the series centers around Jillian Cley, her family history, and the troubles currently plaguing both Jillian and her sister, Madison. Jillian and her faithful therapy dog Blizzard take frequent walks together with one of the destinations being the Hode’s Hill Cemetery. Generations of her family have been tasked with watching over Gabriel Vane’s grave and ensuring that he is not forgotten. But when Jillian and the rest of the town learn that his body has been stolen, a sequence of events begins that is all at once terrifying yet motivating to Jillian and others to discover the truth about Gabriel Vane’s life and how it impacts current Hode’s Hill residents in the present.

Teaming up with Jillian to learn more about the town’s past is artist Dante DeLuca from Cusp of Night Hode’s Hill book 1) who is known for his sensitivity to the spirit world. Dante’s cousin Tessa lives next door to Jillian with her twelve-year-old son Elliott, who is a major part of this story. Elliott was truly one of my favorite characters with his intelligence, curiosity, and most of all, his desire to make friends. At one moment childlike, and then seemingly wise beyond his years, Elliott was a wonderfully complex character that enriched an already wonderful novel.

I must admit that I wasn’t crazy about Jillian for about the first half of the novel. She was unique and well-developed, but I found myself impatiently waiting for her to start coming out of her shell. As things begin to change with Madison and Jillian grew more trusting and open to friendship with both Dante and Tessa, I happily started seeing more spark to her character. But I also had to stop and remind myself that this slow revealing of characters is typical of Mae Clair, as well as, something that I love about her writing. Her writing focuses more on the events of the story, the mystery, and suspense early in the novel. As the characters learn more about their pasts and its connection to their current lives, more of their inner thoughts and feelings are slowly revealed. It’s like slowly opening a gift to build the excitement and anticipation.

I’ve touched a little on the plot of End of Day, and unfortunately, that’s about all I can reveal without spoilers. However, I can happily say that this novel is a must-read that us the perfect blend of mystery and supernatural elements. Mae Clair is one of my favorite authors and truthfully, the one that uncovered my love for this genre of reading. Her imagery is incredible, the characters are complex, and she never disappoints with her endless twists, turns, and surprises.

I highly recommend End of Day not only to fans of this genre but those that haven’t yet left the comfort zone of their preferred genre but are wanting something new and different to read. This novel can certainly be read as a stand-alone, but I strongly recommend reading Cusp of Night first to familiarize yourself with the current and former residents of Hode’s Hill. Once again, Mae Clair has left me in awe of her imagination and talent for sharing it with the rest of the world!

*Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'd not read Mae Clair before so I did not know what to expect of this but it was darn intriguing. Jillian is both guardian of the bones of Gabriel Vane and the woman who will untangle the complicated history of Hode's Hill. She's a bit of an odd duck but an interesting character. She teams up with Dante Deluca, a medium, to solve the mysteries. There's a dual time line here which adds to the creepiness. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Suspend belief and give this a try.

The past is never truly buried. Nor can history be changed, no matter how much you might want it remembered differently.

End of Day is the second book of the Hodes Hill Series but works well as a standalone novel. The main characters differ from those in book 1, but a common character thread runs throughout, giving the MCs from book 1 a more minor role in book 2 and bringing previously low-key characters to the fore in book 2.

The narrative switches back and forth between historical time and present day and is easy to follow. The story opens with a bang and keeps going at a good pace. It has a great first line: 'They were coming.' Which grabbed me right off the bat. The story has an excellent historical feel, and the writer clearly knows her stuff. On the whole, apart from overuse of sentences beginning with 'ing' ending words, the writing is clean with few errors and flows well. Another line that I loved was; 'Elation displaced anger, sweeping the vinegar of fear from the chapel.' The author comes up a few lines that stand out like this.

The plot and suspense are well laid out, and I didn't guess the origin of the plague or answer the other questions until the author revealed them.

This is a great supernatural mystery/thriller which I greatly enjoyed. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Mae Clair has an incredible ability to draw readers in and keep their attention. I’ve read several of her books, and like the others, End of Day kept my interest until the end.

The first of her Hode’s Hill Series, Cusp of Night, was the first book I had read with parallel storylines. Mae takes you back in time to tell the story of Gabriel Vane. His life is closely intertwined with modern day character, Jillian Cley, whom we meet briefly in Cusp of Night.

Jillian has a unique gift, and her family has been guarding Gabriel’s grave for hundreds of years. But when modern-day grave robbers unearth his remains, they unleash more than they bargained for. She enlists the help of Dante DeLuca to expose a long-buried secret to save the town of Hode’s Hill.

Clair’s vivid descriptions, her tales of supernatural folklore, and spine-tingling suspense make this book hard to put down.

I eagerly look forward to the third book of this series.

Mae Clair is on my “must read” list, and END OF DAY is an excellent example of why. She has an unparalleled ability to grab a reader’s attention with the very first word and keep it until the last. In this case, we’re back in Hode’s Hill. And by “back” I mean BACK. This is another dual timeline story (a device I find fascinating and engaging) and both present day and historical events are handled masterfully.

END OF DAY introduces us to new characters and allows us to visit familiar ones—and get to know them even better. Her portrayals are realistic and nuanced; these are not one-dimensional clichés but rather well-developed, multi-faceted individuals. The heroes are people any reader would love to meet in real life, and the antagonists are ruthless and frightening.

Clair is a talented wordsmith who sets a scene artfully. Her descriptions draw a reader in as much as the characters do, with the setting becoming a character itself. While nothing is too gory or horrific, there is a definite sense of eerie foreboding that increases with the tension of the story and culminates in a dramatic climax a reader won’t soon forget.

Clair has (once again) taken supernatural lore and made it believable, weaving legend through emotional character arcs, fascinating plots, and brilliantly-crafted description to create another remarkable story. And I can’t wait for the next one.

They said the first body to be interred in the Hode’s Hill cemetery would become the town’s protector against evil. Gabriel Vane’s burial was anything but being laid to rest peacefully and now, over two hundred years later, his grave has been desecrated, his remains stolen. Descendants of those involved in his death are now experiencing strange accidents and two “gifted” people must join forces to attempt to uncover the lies that have been hidden for centuries and truly put Gabriel’s soul to rest.

Superstition, greed and deceit shroud the mystery behind an innocent man’s death and Mae Clair will unearth Hode’s Hill’s ugly secrets in END OF DAY, but does she end the curse? Find out as past and present evils collide in this outstanding and intriguing tale as the paranormal and human worlds cross the veil of “beyond.”

Mae Clair NEVER lets me down with her rich and mesmerizing writing that brings another world to life as she weaves another masterful tale of fantasy with the perfect blend of light and darkness in her characters and each and every page!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Lyrical Underground!

End of Day was a good paranormal novel. If you are into grave robbers in the supernatural then you might give this book a try.

Not as expected.
The back and forth in time was distracting to read.
A much darker story than expected.

End of Day by Mae Clair – 5 Stars
Publisher: Lyrical Underground, Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 9781516107285 (ebook)

Excellent. I decided to read Cusp of Night, the first of the series just to ensure I didn’t miss anything that would have distracted me while reading this book. Because I was expecting much more mystique and horror from the first book, I was sort of turned off with what the first book offered. However, this book quickly captured my attention and kept it right to the end. The plot revolving around a belief that the first buried creature in a cemetery will guard the remaining deceased buried thereafter, coupled with an emerald that has powers to protect or destroy, is developed and supplemented by characters who themselves possess paranormal empathic or spiritual powers. The mysteries of the past need to be investigated in order to resolve present day catastrophic unsettling events. The alternating of past and present passages perfectly develops each story -- two interesting stories bound into one.

What I found interesting reading both books one and two is that the characters don’t overwhelm each other. For example, I didn’t expect Jillian to be the lead character in book two; whereas, Dante is a key player across both books. Now I’m wondering who will lead in book three. This is a different twist than in most serials where the main characters in one book maintain that role throughout a series. The employment of a “group” of empowered characters seems to provide endless variations in future books.

Expect supernatural events, mystique, mystery, and demons in a story that won’t let you down. Learn the answers to: Was Gabriel possessed? Where did the plague originate? What are the descendant relationships today and their importance? Why all the freaky accidents today and who were the victims? What force does the green emerald unleash?

Reviewer: Rich

I liked the premise of this novel especially with its supernatural elements but the writing felt a little choppy, and as it wove from past to present the segues did not feel smooth. I was surprised to find out this is the second book in this series. Thank you to Kensington for the advance copy.