As always, I love a multi-layered story and the layers in this story are amazing.It starts with Hattie being hung for being a witch, but you also get to hear from Helen and Hattie descendants as well.Anyone that knows me know that I love a good ghost story, an while this novel wasn't scary per say, it definitely had a creepy nature in the thought that something weird is going on and Helen must race to find out what it is.At times this was a slow read for me, which is the only reason this book gets a B instead of an A for me. However, as the story wore on I became nearly as obsessed as Helen at figuring out the story of what was going on with her land - and the story of a girl named Olive that Helen comes to befriend.This is a great book to read late into the night - but maybe keep some lights on just in case!

I was looking for a good ghost story. In many ways this was it. But not always. I went back and forth the entire time I was reading it. At times I this book was intriguing and I was thinking that I was finally getting into it. And then it would just meander again for me. On the surface, I should have loved the premise and the story. I found it dragged a little and was sometimes a little predictable. The inconsistency, for me, took away from me truly becoming engrossed in the world the author was writing. If I could have just read about 2/3 of the book, I might have enjoyed it more.

Helen and Nate have searched everywhere for the perfect house for them, finally deciding to build it themselves. The land they purchase has a dark history, however, as Hattie Breckenridge was burned as a witch in the early 1920s. Meanwhile, a fourteen-year-old neighbor of Helen and Nate is also interested in the land they have purchased. Her missing mother told her a treasure was hidden in the bog and Olive wants to find the treasure- and discover where her mom went when she left her and her dad. What answers will they find hidden in the bog?

I love ghost stories and thoroughly enjoyed one of Jennifer McMahon’s earlier books, THE WINTER PEOPLE. I’m afraid my high expectations somewhat skewed my enjoyment of THE INVITED, which is a solid book in its own rights but is nowhere as creepy as THE WINTER PEOPLE. THE INVITED is more eerie than it is scary.

Jennifer McMahon weaves THE INVITED seamlessly between past and present, crafting a tale that slowly engages the reader. The pace is a bit leisurely, but the vivid descriptions and strong character depictions push the plot forward. If you like ghost stories that are more atmospheric than creepy, then give THE INVITED a try.

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

***3-3.5 Stars ***
Expected Publication: April 30th, 2019

I went through a lot of ups and downs with this. Helen and Nate, middle school teachers, decide to quit their jobs, leave the city, and move out into the country side for a simpler life. I'm intrigued and get it. They plan to build their own home by hand and receive a great deal on a piece of land that they are told is haunted. Now I'm thinking no thanks. From there becomes a ghost story with a haunted area which definitely was spooky. Helen becomes obsessed with this witch Hattie who was killed on the property and continuously researches and tries to connect with her. Here is where I felt like the story line got a little drawn out and wasn't coming along; undoubtedly I lost some interest. However, the ending redeemed itself and therefore I increased my rating. I did like the writing style of alternating past and present time to tell the story but I didn't really connect with any of the characters therefore that is why I think I lost interest. I would read another story from Jennifer McMahon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly atmospheric, but it just fell a teeny bit flat for me. I loved the idea of haunted land instead of a haunted house! I would definitely give it another try, though.

Delicious! This book is straight-up fun. McMahon—a successful author, but new to me—takes an old school ghost story and drops it into a contemporary setting, while providing alternating glimpses of what happened in this same place long ago. My thanks go to Net Galley and Doubleday for the review copy. You can get this book Tuesday, April 30, 2019, and I don’t know how you can stand the suspense until then.

Helen and Nate are ready for rural life. Using recently inherited funds, they purchase a chunk of land in Vermont, quit their jobs, sell their Connecticut condo, and head for the hinterlands. They will build their own house. They will get chickens and sell eggs on the side. They will grow their own food and be almost self-sufficient. Just smell that fresh air! Oh, aren’t they adorable.

Meanwhile, Olive, who has recently lost her mother and whose father is unraveling, is channeling Wednesday Addams, lurking in trees nearby and wishing these new people gone. “I banish you,” she says quietly. No one hears; well, nobody alive does anyway.

Nate and Helen are hurt and perplexed by the local residents’ reception. Why is everyone so surly? Why are they looking at them side-eyed all the time? Turns out the locals don’t want them upsetting Hattie’s ghost. Everybody knows that Hattie is in the bog that is part of Helen and Nate’s land. The last owner, an elderly man that fled to Florida and won’t talk about it, apart from advising the new owners to get out of there also, saw some things. Not everyone does, though. Hattie chooses who will see her, hear from her. And Hattie isn’t happy.

At first, Nate and Helen are oblivious. Their belongings disappear, but that turns out to be Olive, whom they will befriend. But the more Helen learns about Hattie—who reveals herself to Helen and Olive both—the more distracted she is by her. Time and money that should be directed toward the house and improvements to the new property are instead spent on deep research, and on carrying out Hattie’s wishes. It becomes an obsession; first she procures a hunk of wood from the tree on which Hattie was hanged, thinking it will be perfect to frame the doorway she and Nate are building. Hey, who wouldn’t want something like that in their new home? Next, she finds old bricks from the mill where Hattie’s daughter died. And Nate can see this is just nuts, and he tries to talk her out of it, but she won’t let him in. She is lying to him now. But Nate has an obsession of his own: he keeps seeing an albino deer that visits him, and then leads him into the swamp.

A man could get lost in there. Nate wouldn’t be the first.

Olive is on a mission of her own. She wants to find the treasure that Hattie buried somewhere near the bog. She is sure it is there, and it was a project that she and her mother worked on together. She secretly hopes that if she can find the treasure, her mother will come home to her.

The mystery of where Olive’s mama has gone segues in and out of the ghost story, and the plotting is deft and surefooted, never slowing, never inconsistent, and relentlessly absorbing. Helen is obsessed with Hattie; Nate is obsessed with the deer; Olive is obsessed with the treasure and her mama; and I am obsessed with this story.

The typical way for a book like this to end would be with the discovery that some sketchy character has somehow created all of the events that seem otherworldly in order to profit materially or achieve revenge. Although I am impressed with McMahon as we near the climax, part of me is expecting this. But this writer doesn’t use tired plot points or tired characters, and she sure as hell doesn’t end this tale in a way that is trite or expected. I guessed one aspect of the ending, but by the time I saw it coming, we were closing in on it, and I can’t help but believe the author means me to see it just before it’s revealed. And this is a hallmark of an excellent thriller: there aren’t brand new characters or plot points tossed in at the end that make it impossible for the reader to have guessed what’s going on. McMahon is a champ, and her respect for her readership is evident in the way she spins the climax and conclusion.

The book’s last paragraph is masterful.

Highly recommended to those that enjoy a classic, well turned ghost story. As for me, I’ll be watching for this author in the future, and….oh hey. Did you hear something just now?

When Nate and Helen purchase land in Vermont in order to build their dream home and escape the hectic life in the city, they have no idea that they would also be stepping into a ghost story. The property was once home to a woman, Hattie, who was accused of being a witch. Her spirit supposedly still haunts the area. As the house begins to take shape, Helen’s interest in the ghost story grows, until she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking down Hattie’s descendants.

The characters are interesting and well-developed. The story is well-plotted. And, the setting is perfect: a bog, a small town with suspicious residents, dark moon-lit nights, a variety of wildlife, and ghosts. Even though I figured out the ending fairly quickly (unusual for me), I still enjoyed this book. The Invited is deliciously creepy, spooky and quite a lot of fun.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

I was as a fan of the characters and writing but struggled with the plot. I recommend this book to those who enjoy thriller mixed with ghost/horror elements.

*4-4.5 stars

I love a good ghost story; don't you? The story begins in 1924 with the good townspeople of Hartsboro, VT, hanging Hattie Breckenridge as a witch after a fire at the school kills several of their children.

Now in 2015, Helen and Nate, both teachers from suburban Connecticut, dream of building a house in the country. They find the perfect property in Hartsboro, VT, not at all concerned when they are told the property is haunted by Hattie's ghost. But the problems start almost as soon as the foundation is laid: a tied little bundle is left at their door. Is it a blessing or curse?

One person who wants them gone is Olive, the fourteen-year-old daughter of their closest neighbors, the Kissners. Olive's mother has disappeared and she believes if she can find Hattie's buried treasure, her mother will return.

Helen, who is a history teacher, is drawn to the secrets of the past she begins to uncover. Is Hattie reaching out to her? And for what purpose?

The pacing of this suspense novel is perfect, keeping you guessing till the exciting conclusion. The setting is very atmospheric with the bog and mists, strange sounds in the night and mysterious sightings of an elusive white deer. Creepy! Is it any wonder Helen and Nate each seem to be going a little crazy?

The townspeople are oddball New Englanders, unwelcoming to strangers in their midst. Can you believe they'd be hanging a witch as recently as the 1920s? A-yup!

I received an arc of this suspenseful thriller from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Jennifer McMahon never disappoints!

The Invited, by Jennifer McMahon

Short Take: Why you should never, ever watch HGTV and get ideas.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

I hate home repairs. Everything is always more complicated than it looks, more expensive, more frustrating, and something else inevitably gets broken when you’re trying to fix the thing that’s already broken. I’m hopeless with tools, and anything remotely mechanical is some kind of voodoo magic as far as I’m concerned.

And can we, just for a quick second, talk about the giant bowls of limes that appear in EVERY SINGLE home makeover show? Like, why limes? Why not mangoes or canteloupes? And what do they do with the limes? Make 50 margaritas? Let them sit there looking fresh & green until they don’t, then throw them out? So many questions!

Sorry, got sidetracked. The bowl of limes thing just really bugs me.

But, enough of home renovation. I try to avoid most of that stuff because instruction manuals are a) just the manufacturer’s OPINION on how something should be done, and b) not nearly as exciting as a good horror novel.

Which is why I had such fun with Jennifer McMahon’ The Invited.

When history teacher Helen inherits a chunk of money from her father, she and husband Nate decide to build their dream house in a remote part of the Vermont wilderness. But you see, it’s not just ANY patch of forest they choose - it’s the spot where Hattie Breckenridge was hung for witchcraft many years ago.

Would it be a spoiler to say that their DIY dream becomes a nightmare? (OK, not a spoiler, but totally a cliche and I really should be better than that.) (I’m not.)

As they are building their home, from the ground up, all by themselves (!!!), history-obsessed Helen decides to incorporate pieces of the area’s past into her design, and starts with a beam from the very tree where Hattie was hung.

I don’t know about all of you, but this superstitious nerd considers that A Very Bad Idea.

As Helen continues collecting other items with a Dark Past, strange and super-creepy things begin happening to her, and Nate isn’t exactly himself either. Throw in Olive, a thirteen-year-old neighbor girl who befriends them (and whose mother has disappeared under Mysterious Circumstances), Olive’s quirky aunt Riley, and a whole pile of suspicious locals, including the gun-toting leader of the local ghost-summoning group, and, well, there’s a lot going on here.

Without giving away any more of the plot, I’m going to just say that The Invited goes down some familiar paths, but also takes some unexpected detours. I was able to figure out one major twist early on, but I did NOT see the other one coming, which is always great. And I loved, LOVED the way that the historical side of the story grew and took on so much more than just Hattie’s tragic demise.

And the characters! Olive, in particular, is a delight. She’s a Lost Girl: vanished mom, inattentive, distracted dad, ostracized by kids at school, and more than a little obsessed with Hattie’s story for reasons of her own. Ms. McMahon outdid herself with Olive.

My only major gripe was with the pacing. I liked the way the parts of the story were broken down to correspond with the phases of the house being built, but it felt like there was a lot of exposition, a lot of Helen doing research, and it felt draggy at times. I get that it was all leading up to the final reveal, but there were a few times that it just got too crowded, with too many characters and historical events.

Overall though, definitely a fun little snack for fans of haunted house stories.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and a couple of limes. What? It’s margarita-time somewhere, right?)

This book reads as if it were written for a much younger audience. I feel as if I would have been mesmerized by it when I was maybe in middle school, but as an adult, I've read things like this so many times before. It doesn't bring anything new to the table, the dialogue is clunky and expository, and everything falls into place too neatly at times for the characters. They don't have to really strive for anything because everything is laid out in front of them from the beginning. If I didn't know the author was already established, I would have guessed that this was a first time writer who maybe hadn't ironed out all the kinks in their writing yet. That makes this book's failings even more egregious: an experienced writer should know better. Another thing that drove me crazy about this book was the constant mention of Hattie Breckenridge's hidden treasure. Every time I read the word "treasure" I pictured pirates and I felt like I was reading (once again) a YA book or something. I cannot take hidden treasure seriously! All in all, even though this book was readable, it just didn't spark anything inside me that made me love it. I'll probably forget all about it tomorrow...

The Invited is a very enjoyable thriller, particularly if you enjoy paranormal tales and things that go bump in the night. All of the characters are relatable and each is unique from the others in terms of voice and personality. Olive was an absolute joy despite the absolute mess (literally) she was living through. I was pretty on the fence with Helen in the beginning chapters but I came around as the reader learns about her. The secondary characters are also well-done, not flat but they don't take over the story either. This is particularly impressive with those minor characters you only meet for a chapter; even those characters were realistically and fully made.

I thought the setting was particularly well done and I would consider it one of the best parts of this story because of how fully fleshed out it was. The town and its folk were just the right amount of standoffish and the bog was both haunting and alluring in its own magical way. I didn't actually like the first few chapters (minus the first), for some reason they just didn't pull me in, but it was the setting of where the house is located that convinced me to keep reading. The house itself is almost a character in this book and I love when an author can do that well.

My favorite thing though is the timeline jumping. McMahon expertly jumps between characters and time periods without any feeling of confusion. The generational aspect of the story is so enjoyable, particularly in the last half of the book as all the threads start to come together. I did guess the climax but not the person who made it happen so I would consider that successful as a writer since guessing thriller who-dun-its is one of my favorite things to do. Definitely would recommend this book to other readers of the genre, especially if they like ghosts.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Doubleday Books, and the author Jennifer McMahon for the opportunity to do so.

Suburbanites, Helen and Nate, seek the simple life by relocating to Vermont. Striking an impassable deal on a vacant plot of land, they move forward with building the saltbox home of their dreams. What they did not know, but soon will find, is that the land is rich with history and hold many secrets to share. Are they alone and who will be invited in?

The spirit world has alway been an area of great fascination for me—much like how it has peaked in Helen—so there is no surprise that I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Jennifer has a distinct writing style that has the ability to grab ahold of her reader and led them to visualize each and every word. She has the ability to make an erie subject seem so believable. The manner in which she describes the presence of the ghosts—or any moment that would similarly make a person’s skin crawl—was so well executed that you will feel it in your bones and look over your shoulder to what may possible be there lurking in the shadows.

To that end, I would label this as a cozy horror mystery. There were many moments throughout this book where I felt a pricking of my skin. While it didn’t keep me up at night, I couldn’t help but wonder if I truly was alone those nights I lain on the couch cuddled beneath a blanket with my nose in this book. I live just over the border from Vermont, and I always love having an understanding of the lifestyle, setting, the whole package that is delivered in Jennifer’s books. She definitely is very true to her roots and outlines rural living in these two states (VT/NH) very well.

I’ll put it simply, I adore Jennifer McMahon’s writing! I would pick up anything she penned in a heartbeat. So, if you are looking for a eerie yet cozy mystery, this one is definitely for you.

As a native New Englander transplanted elsewhere in the country, I always jump at the chance to read just about anything set in my old stomping grounds, especially if it takes place in my beloved Vermont . . . and bonus for horror stories!


This however, is not your typical horror story. McMahon deftly blends the thriller genre with horror and arrives at something that feels fresh and new. Let's face it - both the thriller and horror genres lend themselves to yawn-worthy "been there, done that" deja vu, where every twist and jump scare seems like it was laid down on railroad tracks and you find yourself skipping entire pages just to save your brain the need to read the same thing over and over.

The Invited is not that. Yes, we have an isolated farmhouse in rural Vermont, one sitting on land that seems likely to be cursed. Yes, we have a troubled teenager at the center of some weird stuff. Yes, we have a husband and wife who are keeping secrets from one another . . . but bringing all this together amplifies the slowburn creepiness of the setting, the pathos of a couple looking for a fresh start and only finding more trouble than before, and the trials of teenage life, especially when the adults around you aren't even trying to live up to the title.

Helen and Nate want to start over. Helen's father has recently died and left a significant inheritance for Helen. She and Nate move to Vermont, to build the home of their dreams.

Over 100 years prior, on this same land, Hattie Breckenridge lived in her little crooked house with her daughter Jane. She was the town outcast - a "witch". After a tragic school fire, the townspeople hung Hattie from a tree - and the town has been haunted since.

This is a fabulous book - there's a few flashbacks - to Hattie, Jane and other characters lives - and then in the present day, the narrator alternates between Helen and Olive. This is a mystery, a horror story, a drama and just...really good fiction. Jennifer McMahon creates an environment and such rich characters that it's easy to picture every single person, every single location and every single creak in the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Because of you...

What a fun, spooky, atmospheric story! Ghost stories are typically pretty hit or miss for me, but The Invited was most certainly a win. Beginning in the year 1924, we're introduced to Hattie Breckenridge, a beautiful young woman with special "gifts" her fellow townspeople find disconcerting. After a community tragedy occurs, one which was foreshadowed by Hattie, her neighbors turn against her, creating a domino effect which continued through to present day.

I found the characters to be interesting and well fleshed out, but the setting is the star of this novel...44 beautiful, rural acres in Vermont, filled with mountains, bogs, fireflies and lily pads, Lady Slipper orchids, a variety of wildlife, and a very creepy ghost. After reading this book, I suddenly had a hankering to move to New England.

My one and only gripe was how easy the crime was to solve...I literally figured it out at the moment that particular character was introduced. A bit of a bummer, but not enough to dim my enthusiasm for this story. Recommended for lovers of mysteries and paranormal fiction.

3.5 spooky stars

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday, and Jennifer McMahon for this ARC.

Helen and Nate buy 44 acres near Hartsboro, Vermont to build their dream home. A mile outside of the nearby village, it's the country setting they envision for their life together. But....the property comes with a violent and haunted past. Almost a century before, Hattie Breckenridge was hanged on the property, accused of being a witch. Helen becomes obsessed with the story of Hattie, and the two generations of Breckenridge women since the hanging. The story evolves into a gothic ghost story with a bit of an unexpected twist.

This is the first book by Jennifer McMahon that I've read. I have read a short piece, Hannah-Beast, from Amazon Originals by McMahon. I like how this story doesn't just develop into a formula story about a haunting. The past wraps itself around the present as the story of Hattie and her descendants unfolds. It makes for a much more complex...and creepy....story.

I enjoyed this book. The characters and plot developed in ways I didn't expect. I love it when I expect a formula story and get surprised! I've added several thrillers by McMahon to my TBR list. I like her writing style and hope to find her other books as enjoyable as this one.

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

The Invited, by Jennifer McMahon is, in my opinion, a really good scary book and it was pretty much the perfect story to get me back into horror. It's a classic ghost story with an excellent twist and I had a hard time putting it down.

Creeping sense of impending doom throughout the book? Check. Well-written characters that you occasionally want to throttle, but mostly want to root for? Check. Excellent setting and original plot? Check and check.

Fans of Stephen King will like this one, I think. I certainly did and he's in my top 3 authors of all time. Now that I've read The Invited, I have big plans to check out McMahon's other works. Who knows? Maybe she's top 3 material as well.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how the twists and turns of this book all wrapped up, in the end, in a neat package. The author does a nice job weaving the characters together in ways the reader doesn't always know. I had a hard time with the ghostly images some of the characters repeatedly see, but that is due to my own unfamiliarity with the paranormal. The fact that these ghosts cannot be explained in the end with actual facts is the only negative I found with this book.

The main thing wrong with Jennifer McMahon’s The Invited is that I believe if you had an AI read the first 20 “The Haunting of” books on Amazon and then write its own based on those parameters you would end up with this book. One of my fellow reviewers dubbed it My First Horror Story© and that sums it up much better than any review I could write. Out of a handful of us reading the book at the same time, only two of us managed to actually finish the read.So there’s that as well.

The problem isn’t that The Invited is badly written, per se. It’s obvious that McMahon can put a story together. The first part of the book I didn’t hate. Yeah, it wasn’t original, but it was competently told and was the sort of shut-your-brain-off-and-read book we all need on occasion. There were several scenes scattered throughout the book that I actually enjoyed. It’s that when you combine the by-the-numbers plot with the fact that the main characters are absolute idiots and the assumption that you can learn to do anything - including doing the electric wiring for your whole house - via a few hours spent on Internet tutorials you end up with a mind-blowing combination of utterly boring and yet completely ridiculous. I had to finish it just to see how it would end.

But she can write! I can see it in there. When I wasn’t groaning and checking another box in the “List of things a book including ghosts must include” I was caught up in the story. We are planning to read The Winter People for a group read in May and even though this book has few redeeming qualities I’m still somewhat looking forward to reading The Winter People. That says something, right?

I know this review was a bit harsh sounding, but I’ve never been particularly good at beating around the bush. I think McMahon can write, and I’m hoping this is the exception rather than the rule to her books.