I love McMahon’s writing style and adored Winter People but this book just didn’t really do it for me. I didn’t like the jumping back and forth between time lines and found that several things were predictable for me. The story is also a lot more character driven than I thought it would be. The book was well written and their was definitely a very creepy vibe, which was more than enough for me, but I think horror fans will find it lacking. Overall it’s a good book, just not for me. I do think other reads will enjoy it.

Helen and Nate decide to change their lives by moving out of suburban Connecticut and into rural Vermont. They quit their teaching jobs and sell their condo and buy 44 acres of land, where they design and build their ideal home, based on the old saltbox style. They live in a tiny trailer that was on the land when they bought it while they start from the ground up.

Right from the beginning, they hear stories about the woman who lived on that land, which includes a bog, near the beginning of the 20thcentury. Over the course of a century, rumors and legends have built up, that Hattie was a witch, that she may very well be buried deep in the bog. And most potent of all stories is that Hattie still haunts the bog, even luring people to their deaths over the years.

Helen was a history teacher, Nate a teacher of natural sciences, so both have plenty to fascinate them in this new setting as they work hard to try to build their house. As time goes on, Helen digs deep into the story of Hattie and what happened to her and the daughter who lived with her at her little house, and Nate becomes particularly focused on catching a photo of the white deer he sees around the property. Helen even finds pieces of Hattie’s life to physically incorporate into their house, in the name of making their new home one that’s connected to the past and the authenticity of the area’s architecture, but she also finds that these elements (a beam of wood, a mantel, and so on) may be bringing Hattie’s ghost to the house. And as scary as that is, she’s feeling a compulsion to do so, that the woman who lived there needs her help.

Tragedy befell Hattie and her descendants, and it may be looming over Helen and Nate and a few others they befriend in their small town. Will this experience drive them toward obsession? Ruin their marriage? Even get them killed?

The Invitedis a ghost story and a mystery about old secrets. It has much the same feel of author Jennifer McMahon’s other book that I have read, The Night Sister, although this clearly has a supernatural element, while that one toyed with whether it did or not. It kept me reading and wondering exactly how things were going to play out, whether Nate and Helen would escape danger themselves and if they could protect others who might be threatened. Much of the mystery remained right up until the very last few pages. A solid read. Just not sure why there had to be quite so many instances of strong language; some spots I could understand why the characters uttered the f-word; many others, it just seemed unnecessary.

This is a well written suspenseful ghost story without the gore of horror novels. Helen and Nate decide to leave the city. They buy land in rural Vermont where they hope to build their dream house and live off the land. Most of the townspeople consider them outsiders but they befriend a young girl named Olive who lives nearby with her father. They soon discover the legend about their property and the bog on it. It was once owned by Hattie Breckenridge, who could see events before they happened and so was considered a witch. As they build the house, incorporating unique local item Helen finds in antique shops, Helen begins to be visited by the ghost of what she suspects is Hattie. What does Hattie want? What is she trying to tell Helen? The book is spooky but not terrifying. In addition to being the story of Helen and Nate it is a multi-generational saga of the people of the area. I found it very interesting. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I hope to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book. This book has been getting a lot of hype so I was excited to receive this copy, This has the premise of a ghost story. Hattie was hung for being.a witch. Flash forward you know have the intertwining story of Helen, a married woman who has just bought property in this small town and building a house, and Olive a 14 year girl who is trying to find out more about the disappearance of her mother. You can imagine with this type of book a lot ensues. This is a truly creepy book with a ending that I did not see coming. Good, fun read for this type of book.

The Invited by Jennifer McMahan was an interesting read. Nate and Emily want to build a new home for themselves. Yet they had no idea of the history of the land they purchased and what they were actually creating. It turns out the land was once owned by the Breckenridge family with a history of mysterious deaths. As they continue to build the house of their dreams, strange things begin happening. An interesting, quick and ghost filed story.

Happy reading.

3.5 stars. This was a decent ghost story with a mystery thrown in. Slightly creepy but not particularly scary. Good characters and descriptive atmosphere..

This is one of those books that started off with a bang (or is it a hang? sorry, that's terrible) and set up a creepy atmosphere with an intriguing ghost story. After such a promising setup, it quickly took a massive nose dive with a predictable story and so-obvious-you-couldn't-NOT-see-it-coming end reveal. As a personal opinion matter though, I prefer my ghost stories to be of the creepier and less explainable variety, and less of an always there presence sending the protagonists off on scavenger hunts. Speaking of our protagonists, even though chapters get into the heads of the primary characters Helen and Olive, neither is particularly fleshed out, living/breathing characters for me. I couldn't get a mental picture of either and found them at times irritating and shockingly ignorant. I really wasn't expecting this type of reaction to a McMahon novel, but this was a really big disappointment.

The Invited is a ghost story of multigenerational family drama rather the mystery I expected.

Helen and Nate decide to quit their teaching jobs and move to rural Vermont. They buy a large parcel of land and begin building their house. The land includes a bog where a suspected witch, Hattie, was hanged ninety-one years earlier. Hattie had told her twelve year old daughter, Jane, to hide in their house’s root cellar until she came back, which now she would never do.

Fourteen year old Olive lives next to Nate and Helen. Ostracized by the town, she wants the new neighbors to go back to the city. Olive is also haunted by her mother’s disappearance one year earlier.

The Invited has many plot threads that are conveniently, maybe too conveniently, wrapped up by the end of the book. While there are mysteries here, the book is really a ghost story that includes many characters that have precognition. If you are in the mood for an atmospheric ghost story, this book is a good choice. However, the mystery’s solution is easily guessed. 3 stars.

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars.

THE INVITED is the latest novel I read by Jennifer McMahon. I have previously read several of her other novels and am generally impressed with her imagination, characters, and twisted endings. The premise of this novel was one I found intriguing. Instead of your normal, "move into a house only to find out later that it's haunted" theme, our main couple is moving from the city with plans to build a classic "saltbox" style house of their own.

In essence, BUILD a house to be haunted.

". . . What people don't understand, they destroy."

Nate and Helen happen to buy a large property where a woman--once falsely accused of witchcraft--was dragged outside and hung from a tree in the surrounding bog. Her house was burnt to the ground, and her only child went into hiding far away.

This is where the story deviates from the "usual".

". . . What if objects didn't just hold memories, but held traces of the people who'd touched them, threads that connected them still?"

We're introduced to several different sets of characters--each with issues and secrets of their own. With all of these people brought in, I found it difficult to connect with any of them, really, as most of their personal agendas seemed designed to be obvious red herrings.

". . . it's a dangerous game you're playing. Blurring the lines between the past and present, the dead and the living."

The novel went back and forth from the present day, to various points in the past. These never bothered me, as they were clearly labeled chapters, and utilized to give a more in-depth description of some of the characters.

Most of Jennifer McMahon's novels leave me guessing right up until the very end. Unfortunately, this time I thought I had figured out a couple of the main mysteries very early on, and was "hoping" for some twists to make me realize I'd been wrong.

However, the twists never came.

". . . fury brought its own fire with it, tinting the world around you . . . "

Overall, I still love McMahon's writing style, but this book just fell flat for me. The few characters I did enjoy enough to keep reading about had some interesting parts to their backstories. Regrettably, since there were scarcely any characters that fell into that category for me, it made the more "subtle" clues feel all too obvious, in my opinion. While I was mildly curious about the situation, I never once felt that I was reading a "Horror" novel with this book, as it lacked any real scare factor. In the end, I feel that this is why I was ultimately disappointed--I had figured out the ending very early on in the story, and nothing about it seemed "horrific" to me. There is no question of McMahon's ability to write, just frustration that I was able to guess at the answers so easily, and did not feel like I was reading her usual genre.

**Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for providing a free arc of this novel. All opinions are uniquely my own.**

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book, which was kind of cool because the book kept surprising me at every turn. At times haunting and mysterious but always interesting, the story kept me riveted. The mood created by the author with the opening scene sets the tone for what is to come while making the whole story seem timeless. (The concept of a Salem, MA type of attitude in 1920s Vermont was genius!) It was a pleasure to be able to draw parallels and find connections as Helen uncovered information, and there were many “aha!” moments. This was a page turner that I cannot recommend highly enough. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for more details. This review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC provided by NetGalley.

**Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy**

This is a high 3 star. 3.75.

This is a slooooww mystery, thriller, horror novel. It’s a true classic ghost story and I really enjoyed that. I liked the characters a lot and the writing is really good.

The only reason it’s a 3 star and not more is because it was sllloooowww. I honestly didn’t even get fully invested and constant page turning until about 70%. I mean you get what the story is gonna be and some stuff happening from the beginning but it’s all just really slow.

Overall though this was a creepy, ghost story with a variety of characters and povs. I really liked learning all the family history that Helen learns as we go.

Nate can kiss my butt though, he’s a poo head... ok just saying. Like at first I liked him then I hated him!

Helen and Nate are looking for a simpler life so they abandon their teaching jobs and move out to the middle of nowhere Vermont in order to build the house of their dreams. Almost immediately after temporarily moving into an old trailer on their newly purchased property, strange things begin occurring. Nate doesn't think much of them in the beginning but Helen suspects there is something more sinister at hand. When they learn of the properties dark past, Helen becomes consumed by the legend of Hattie Breckenridge - a witch who was murdered on the property a century ago. Her research leads her to the startling discovery that both Hattie's daughter and granddaughter also met tragic ends. After acquiring items connected to those deaths, Helen convinces Nate to incorporate them into their new home's design. Unknowingly - at first - inviting the ghost's in.

The Invited is told through the alternating POV's of Helen and Olive - a teenager searching for her missing mother - as well as alternating timelines. I liked the glimpses into the past, the flashbacks were perfectly placed to blend seamlessly into the story. I may have had an inkling of how it was going to end but I still enjoyed seeing how everything played out.

While labeling this as horror is a bit of a stretch, it does pack a punch in the creepy department. I think what I liked best was that the main characters didn't move into a haunted house. They built one instead.

From a tragic family history, to hidden treasure, to a mysterious/haunted bog this makes for an eerie, atmospheric ghost story that you won't want to put down.

This was my 1st book by Jennifer McMahon and I loved it! It was well written and intriguing. I couldn’t put it down! This is a solid 4 Star book for me!! I highly recommend this one! Great ghost story with some tragedies and mystery. A great mix!

Thank you to Doubleday for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

I love a good ghost story, and that is exactly what this book it. There is a perfect amount of creepy and unhealthy obsession of trying to figure out the land's history. I like how this book focused on a couple that was building their house, instead of moving into a haunted one. That added uniqueness. 

I also really liked how the story built slowly. I think it added to the suspense. Nate and Helen both believe that they are right, but only one of them ends up being right in the end, and I like the conflict created between them that adds depth to the plot. 

If you love ghost stories, go pick this up. It's out now!

Reading any novel by this author is a sure ticket to adventure, and THE INVITED is one of her best (although I love them all). The character evolution of multiple individuals in THE INVITED is to die for (sometimes literally). The friction between the Skeptic and the Believer as trouble builds, each character begins to take on the stance and characteristics of the other, the many ongoing and historical mysteries, and the umbrella and foundation of the supernatural elements involved here, make for an extraordinarily compelling, can't stop reading, story.

Wanting to start a simpler life, Helen & Nate abandon their suburban lives to build their dream home on a plot of land in the woods of Vermont. Shortly after beginning construction, the couple learns the history of the original landowner – Hattie Breckenridge, who was hung on the land as witch. As Helen learns more about Hattie & her descendants, she begins to wonder if the rumors of Hattie’s haunting are really just rumors. Helen ends up befriending a local girl, Olive, whose mother disappeared searching for Hattie’s treasure. Helen begins looking into Hattie’s descendants, tying herself into Olive’s story.

This story is a little bit history, a little bit modern-day ghost story, & a little bit mystery. I loved the gothic atmosphere that McMahon created & the suspense that was creepy, but not scary. She seamlessly blends Hattie’s story with the present storyline. The characters are believable & likable – you root for them to figure out how to help Hattie’s spirit find peace. McMahon’s ability to write chilling, but not overly cliché, stories is quickly making her a favorite author.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Closer to 3.5 stars...

This books is more of a mystery/thriller than a ghost story (yes, there are ghosts). I liked the general storyline of Nate and Helen building their dream home on land where something tragic occurred and the idea of it being haunted. It is an interesting story but it is easy to see what is going on. So it is more of mystery of who and trying to figure it out and waiting for the climax at the end for the big reveal.

Happy Pub Day! This book was extremely creepy! I am terrified of creepy books, and yet I requested this one thinking it would be more of a thriller than a paranormal novel. But, despite being paranormal, this book makes you think and is wholly realistic. It's not a genre I'm comfortable with or will likely read more of in the future, but I recognize good writing when I see it and know this was a good book BECAUSE of the discomfort it caused.

This book for me, missed the mark. The beginning was quite boring and dragged on for far to long. I get that Helen wanted to make a huge life change and Nate wanted to please his wife. However it was over 60 percent of the book to me. Then things start to happen at lightning speed. I can say I didn’t see a few of the twist coming. And some of the characters surprised me. But I can’t say I loved this book. It was okay.

The beginning of this book is dreadful. I understand that Helen and Nate embarking on this adventure to live off the land, and build their dream house is instrumental to the overall plot but it could have been shortened quite a bit.

I feel like a lot of the early building stages could have been cut out, and instead gone right to the finding of historical additions. I really loved Helen’s desire to have parts of the towns history included in their house, I think a lot of times the history of a place is over looked.

That being said the last 25-30% of the book is fantastic. Events start to take place more rapidly, and we’re given more clues as to what’s going on. I can honestly say I was quite surprised at how a few characters turned out, I hadn’t seen that small twist coming at all!

The book, overall, was pretty decent. If you don’t mind a slow start, and enjoy a good paranormal read, you may enjoy this one.