A couple decide to buy some land in Vermont that local legend has deemed "haunted". They get a "discount".

Nate asks his wife, Helen what would make her "happy". She tells him that she dreams of a country life, away from the demands of the city. She wants land, a garden, chickens, goats, reminiscent of her childhood reading of the Little House on the Prairie.

Nate and Helen buy the land and begin building the home of their dreams. They are building it themselves and adding some pieces of local history to their master plans.

As Helen fills the house with local artifacts, she stirs some spirits from the past. Suspicious and unfriendly townspeople, strange noises in the night, paranoid thoughts, and a story from a century ago have Nate and Helen desperate to figure it all out.

A ghost story and a haunted house made this one an intriguing story with some tension and foreboding. Well-written with a unique spin that held my attention until the end. I really enjoyed this one.



Thanks to NG/ Pub for my review copy!

She came to believe that some objects were like that boomerang- they went out, then found their way right back where they started from.

Having grown up with a builder father Helen got her first taste of working on a house the summer before first grade, coming to the job site with her daddy. From there, she spent her weekends and summers learning his skills. Now, it’s her turn and she is caught up in her husband Nate’s enthusiasm to build their dream house, in the country. Trading their teaching jobs for the peace of forty-four acres in the woods of Vermont, it seems happiness is on the horizon until the land, and its brutal history, begins to speak. The land must have wanted them, seeking out the perfect place, they stumble upon a wooded area with a bog. It was ‘meant to be’. Land reputed to be haunted, if you believe in such things. Braving the rumors, they set up home in the old mobile home that was left behind by the previous owner. It couldn’t be more perfect, land that is exactly what they dreamed up, a place to stay while building… then night falls and nature gets noisy. The gnawing, breaking branches, the screaming, surely it’s just the animals, nature? Then Helen learns about Hattie Breckenridge, the witch that once lived at the edge of the bog! Is she the reason why everything is going wrong, for the strange things that feel like a haunting? Ridiculous to believe a woman from the 1900’s could curse land, it’s silly fantasy! Who believes in witches anyway?

The animals aren’t the only ones unhappy with their presence. There is local girl Olive, who watches them from her perch in an old maple tree. It can’t be, this destroys all her plans! “They’re ruining everything.” Flatlanders! Just what she doesn’t need, an obstacle in searching for the treasure that old Hattie left behind. She concocts a plan to chase them off, but she may not be the only being that is interfering. Olive’s story is tangled up in Helen and Nate’s, and ghosts aren’t as terrifying as the things living people have done. What is the true story behind Hattie? Was she truly an evil?

It’s not ghosts that terrify, its human beings and all their ugliness. People are haunted by more than apparitions, it’s the dark history that has tainted the soil. What makes a witch? Gifts can be curses when people decide to turn on you and a brutal tragedy of the past can echo for decades. This novel is more a heartbreaking story involving family, lies, deception and vengeance. Revenge is a slippery devil, what seems like a path to right wrongs, seek justice often takes more than one bargained for.

The Invited is a character driven novel, it didn’t come off as scary for me, but it is a well written story. McMahon always writes interesting characters who are neither ‘pure’ nor ‘evil’ but whose actions define them in the end. It’s all about choices, and how heinous acts can give birth to fury, leading to repercussions a long time coming. A solid novel.

Publication Date: April 30, 2019

Doubleday Books

What a great idea! Can't find a haunted house to buy? Build one! This was the perfect scenario to grab my attention and request to read the ARC. Thank you to Netgalley/Doubleday for allowing me to do so.
This was a good one. Helen and Nate are middle school teachers who leave their condo and careers to build a new home and future in the woods of a small town in Vermont. As they work to build it themselves they, especially Helen, are interested to know the history of their land. They learn the story of Hattie Breckenridge who owned the land in 1924. Declared a witch by the townspeople for her ability to see the future, she not only lived but died on what was now Helen and Nate's land.
Who wouldn't want to dig a little deeper into that story? And so Helen does. As she does, objects such as a wooden beam connected to Hattie's past are discovered and incorporated into their new home. Soon, Helen realizes these objects act as a conduit for Hattie's spirit to re-enter the physical world. Helen becomes obsessed with learning more and more about the Breckenridge history and uncovers so many more mysteries connected to the land and the people she meets who still live in the small Vermont town.

The unique take on a haunted house/ghost story captured me from the start. The atmosphere throughout the novel created such a sense of dread that I loved. It was easy to relate to Helen and feel what she was feeling. There is a point in the action when the reader needs to suspend disbelief. That is always difficult for me and why I don't read fantasy novels. However, because the atmosphere and progression of events was laid out so beautifully it was much easier to just be taken away when logic told you not to be.

The Invited is a very interesting suspenseful book. Helen and Nate move from the city to build their own house They leave their teaching jobs and everything they knkw behind. They move to a small town where it’s rumored to be haunted by the tragic life of Hattie.

I really didn't think this was going to be my cup of tea when I first started reading the first few pages. But I kept going and I am very happy I did. This turned out to be an awesome ghost story. Nate and Helen have their hands full. Thank you to Doubleday, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow! What a great story! Loved the whole work. Truly suspenseful, with bits of historical fiction and splashes of horror. I'm a new fan! Definitely a must get for library collections! Love!

Title : The Invited

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Genre:Adult mystery / thriller

Pages: 384

Netgalley

book synopsis

A chilling ghost story with a twist: the New York Times best-selling author of THE WINTER PEOPLE, returns to the woods of Vermont to tell the story of a husband and wife who don't simply move into a haunted house, they start building one from scratch, without knowing it, until it's too late...

In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate abandon the comforts of suburbia and teaching jobs to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this charming property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. As Helen starts carefully sourcing decorative building materials for her home - wooden beams, mantles, historic bricks -- she starts to unearth, and literally conjure, the tragic lives of Hattie's descendants, three generations of "Breckenridge women," each of whom died amidst suspicion, and who seem to still be seeking something precious and elusive in the present day



My thoughts

rating: 5

Would I recommend this : yes

Would I read any more by this author : yes

Buddy read it with Frishawn

The genre they have it list as is Adult mystery /thriller , but its more of a mystery then thriller. And its a most read if I do say so myself and I do , its one of those books that once you start reading it , it pulls you into the story and won't let go , you have to keep reading it because you want to know what's happening and why , and you can't stop until the very end. Its a story that has a touch of the paranormal ,but even as your read it , it makes you start to question every thing you know so far, like is there really a ghost , or is it someone dress up as one to scary Helen and Nate off their land and way, what really happened the night to Hattie and to her family , what secrets are going to come out and how is Helen, Hattie and the others connected, and how far will someone or something go to keep those secrets . It tells the story in a way that you get it told in many perspectives that help pull you in to the story , I'm so glad that my friend Frishawn enabled me into getting it to read , because if she hadn't I might have missed out on what turned out to be a great read for me. Now if I can enable my other 2 friends to read it , with that said I want to thank Netgalley and Doubleday Books for letting me read and review what might just become one of my top 12 books of 2019 , exchange for my honest opinion. What more could you ask for : dark secrets , ghostly hauntings , and a mystery all round in one story .

Good read...i felt the book tried too hard to have a surprise ending/twist at the end that didnt really seem to fit with the character you met in the book, but overall a good and intriguing book.

A multi-generational ghost story?? Yes, please!

The chills started early in this wickedly clever ghost story. The woods of Vermont are where Helen and Nate have decided to build their dream home. Leaving behind their teaching positions in Connecticut and taking a giant leap of faith in their own abilities and knowledge. Helen's father was in building and she is no stranger to building sites. There is even an abandoned trailer on the property next to a bog where they can live while they build a home.

But not everyone wants them there. The last woman who built her home here was hung as a witch and her daughter never found. As a history teacher, Helen is intrigued and soon obsessed with Hattie Breckenridge and her story. And when she begins scouting supplies for their home, she finds a beam made from the tree they hung Hattie from and brings it home. Along with Hattie. And she needs help. But will helping her endanger Helen and Nate?

Is Hattie's family cursed to all die violent deaths? Maybe a twelve-year-old girl holds the key to this mystery or maybe she will be the next to die.

This author never disappoints me. I was prepared to be scared out of my mind by the cover. And I was not disappointed. I also will not be taking walks in the woods anytime soon!

Well Done!

Netgalley/April 30th 2019 by Doubleday

Not sure what I was thinking when I got into this, I'm not one for paranormal novels. I stuck it out, and I'm glad that I did. There is a lot of backstory and information to take it, and I found that a bit longwinded at times. Overall I thought this was very well done.

Jennifer McMahon once again delivers a good old fashion ghost story & mystery all wrapped up in one great read! I love her books - they are the back to basics mystery!

The prologue chapter was intriguing. The next few chapters were filled with backstory with no mystery/thriller or action. I found it tedious. I'd skip this one.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great suspenseful, paranormal, ghosty read! It keeps you up all night! Perfect for around the fire! Highly recommend!

This unique ghost story blends specters and mystery as Helen and Nate build their dream home on the land once owned by suspected witch Hattie Breckenridge. Soon they are joined by their treasure hunting teenage neighbor and find themselves in danger they never imagined.

I loved the idea and execution of building a haunted house. As the house becomes more solid and Helen's marriage begins to fracture, we are given glimpses into the tragic past of a strong group of women. As the house becomes complete a mystery years in the making comes to a head in a surprising manner. I will be looking for more of McMahon's work in the future.

Loved this book. Mixes suspense with historical fiction, and throws in a splash of witchy paranormal. I didn't care so much for Nate, but otherwise the characters were well written, and it was an easy plot to fall into. I didn't want to put this down.

I don't usually love supernatural stories, but I have read McMahon's works before so I requested this thriller and I'm glad that I did. Super fun supernatural read about Helen and Nate who have uprooted their lives to build a home in the woods of Vermont. Helen is drawn to the land and as the story goes on, she finds herself drawn in by the spirit of a woman who once lived on the land and was killed there. The story is told through time, starting with Hattie's death and it alternates between characters. The story is also about a young girl name Olive, whose mother has gone missing and who is dealing with a lot of confusion about that loss. Her goal is to find her mother and to keep Helen and Nate away. Through some strange circumstances, Helen and Olive begin to find a common ground and their worlds become more and more twisted together. Overall this was a great mystery, I am grateful to netgalley for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

I enjoyed this book. It was unique. It was creepy and suspenseful. I loved the writing style. It really kept me entertained from the very first chapter!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Entertaining but not quite up to par with McMahon's previous novels.

The sense of atmosphere-normally so chilling and macabre in McMahon's stories-mostly felt flat. There were moments that touched on the spine-tingling thrill common to Gothic horror, but mostly what I felt was the book *trying* to achieve that. When you can feel the effort behind a novel it usually doesn't play well, and that was unfortunately the case here. The building dramatic tension felt more tedious than creepy.

The book alternates narrators, mostly using Helen, new to town ex-school teacher and wannabe 19th century cosplay enthusiast, and Olive, troubled child with a missing mother and some eerie family connections to the town in which the novel is set.

Olive is pretty convincing and mostly likable, but Helen and her husband oscillate between wooden and overly sincere, neither of which makes them particularly endearing or compelling.

Perhaps most disappointing, the villain feels fairly obvious almost from the moment you meet them.

The book gets a lot better once you pass the halfway point and has some good moments, but it's a lesser animal than what I normally expect from McMahon. I was reasonably entertained, but the book isn't a standout in the genre, or among McMahon's oeuvre.

Thank you to Netgalley for approving my request to read and review this book! 📖 it comes out in April of this year!
.
This is a novel about a woman and her husband who move to Vermont, and not only do they have a haunted house, but they’re building one from scratch. They abandon their jobs and home in Connecticut to live sort of “off the grid” and that’s pretty much all I want to tell you 🤓 (you of course can go read the rest of the synopsis somewhere if you wish).
.
Jennifer McMahon really knows how to write characters, and settings. It was beautiful, and the characters; I found myself loving each and every one of them. I especially loved our main characters, Helen, Nate, and Olive. At some point I wanted to smack each and every one of them, but I still loved them to bits.
.
I think this is a very unique story, it’s a very slow burn. Like very slow, but the slow burn seems very necessary, for the ending with the twist I only half expected.
.
Some parts did feel like it dragged and I found myself feeling a little bored, and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be, which was a little disappointing, but overall I still really enjoyed the book. I definitely recommend it.

If you enjoy a great ghost story, you are in for a treat. McMahon is a master at thrilling tales that involve the mystical and supernatural.