Hearthstone Cottage was a horror novel that felt very monotonous and lacking any real horror feel to me. The characters were very bland and dry and the gore wasn't what I was hoping for I suppose in a horror kind of way. It all felt rushed and thrown together. I couldn't seem to have it in me to continue after about halfway through. I was hoping for more and I was disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy, make sure you read this book with the lights on.

In Heartstone Cottage we find - Mike Carter and his girlfriend Helen, along with their friends Alex and Kay traveling to a remote loch side cottage for a post-graduation holiday.

But their celebrations are short-lived when they hit and kill a stag on the road.

Alex’s sister Meggie awaits them in the cottage, adding to the tension when her dog, Oscar, goes missing. Mike becomes haunted by a disturbing presence in the cottage and is hunted by threatening figures in the highland fog. Reeling from a shock revelation, Mike begins to lose his grip on his sanity.

As the dark secrets of the past conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship, Mike must uncover the terrifying truth dwelling within the walls of Hearthstone Cottage.

Hearthstone Cottage is the kind of classic ghost story that I love full of ancient lands and sacred stones, legends, witches curses, and mysterious happenings that cannot be easily explained. Frazer Lee brings them together beautifully.
Mike and his friends travel to a remote cottage in Scotland for a celebration/vacation after graduation. After hitting a stag in the road on the way to the cottage, Mike begins to sense an evil presence and to lose his sanity.
I found the book to be enjoyable and the kind of haunted story that is perfect to read by a warm fire on a cold Autumn night with a cup of tea by your side (and a blanket).

Mike, Helen, Alex and Kay are traveling to Alex's family cottage in the Scottish highlands, they're having a post graduation celebration and look forward to relaxing with some beverages.

While driving up they hit and kill a stag on the road, there's nothing they can so to save it and Mike decides to take a 6 inch piece of the antler with him (probably a very stupid bloody thing to do and not exactly the best idea but no matter how much I shouted he did not listen).

When they get to the cottage we are introduced to Alex's sister Meggie, and her dog Oscar, who are there because why the hell not and they all start to settle in.

Shit soon starts to get creepy and Mike starts losing his mind and going bat crap crazy.

Loved the setting of this and the slow breakdown of the relationship between Mike and all the sane people, him not realizing what he's doing, the lines between reality and insanity blurring more and more as it ramps up to it's conclusion.

*Huge thanks to Frazer Lee, Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

I'm afraid this book didn't appeal to me after the first third of the story. The characters were predictable and there was nothing about any of them to keep my interest and I thought the lot of them were terrible people. Rather than write a negative review, I can simply say that I was not the right reader for this book.

Wonderfully atmospheric, the book spirals ever more into twisted nightmares. A little disorientating at times (at one point I was sure I'd missed a chapter) it is nonetheless a highly intriguing and hard to put down.

3.5

I think the majority of this book can be summed up with this quote from chapter 15-
"Mike felt the fevered grip of madness clawing at the inside of his skull. He no longer knew what was real and what wasn't."

Mike, his girlfriend Helen , Amy and her boyfriend Alex are all on vacation at Alex's family cottage. They arrive unhurt after hitting and killing a stag. Almost immediately things begin happening to Mike. He's not really a likable guy so whatever Mike! Whatever is in the cottage really has it out for him. His dreams are nightmares, he sees and hears things his friends don't. For most of the book I had no idea what was going on. It wasn't until the last 20% things are explained. The setting for this story is beautiful. I loved the cottage on the loch. There is some folklore bits in here that i really loved. The characters were ok. I would recommend this book to friends and i would read more by this author.

Goodreads Synopsis: Mike Carter and his girlfriend Helen, along with their friends Alex and Kay, travel to a remote loch side cottage for a post-graduation holiday. But their celebrations are short-lived when they hit and kill a stag on the road. Alex's sister Meggie awaits them in the cottage, adding to the tension when her dog, Oscar, goes missing. Mike becomes haunted by a disturbing presence in the cottage, and is hunted by threatening figures in the highland fog. Reeling from a shock revelation, Mike begins to lose his grip on his sanity. As the dark secrets of the past conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship, Mike must uncover the terrifying truth dwelling within the walls of Hearthstone Cottage.

All around us we hear the sound of children’s playful laughter, that same laughter that comes before the nightmares. Together, let's stare into the black scry mirror and see the truth of this book. Hearthstone Cottage is the first folk horror book I’ve read and what a great introduction to the subgenre. The story maintained the perfect pace, keeping me entertained the entire time. Every chapter represented a new horror for the protagonist as he delved deeper and deeper into madness. Frazer Lee is fantastic. I found myself constantly wondering about the state of reality for the main character. It made for a very engaging reading experience. The thing about this book that bothered me was the characters, they drove me nuts. As much as they agitated me I knew the author likely had something in store for them which ensured my resolve. You could pretty much count on some new terror lurking around every corner waiting to strike.

This book has the perfect flow. Scene-after-scene the tension wound tighter and tighter on the brink of snapping, much like the protagonist’s sanity. I like consistency, it makes for an exciting read and Hearthstone Cottage was a real barrage of terrifying scenes that kept pace with the narrative. Every chapter I could count on some new horror that the protagonist had to try and escape from. You could almost feel bad for the guy, and then he would ruin it by talking but more on that later.

I loved the constant state of unknowing. I mean, you knew but you didn’t know. Real but surreal at the same time. Frazer Lee left lots of little bread crumbs for the reader so they could try and determine what were hallucinations or real life but at a certain point the nightmares blend with the main characters realty and that's when things really take a turn for the worst. I found that the guessing game made for a very engaging reading experience. I became a detective in a way for the protagonist’s hellish dreams. Or were they dreams...

“... Don’t you see? You’ve made the world from your own Id, all the lust and paranoid fantasies from your fragile male psyche. It’s been a thing of beauty, Mikey, really it has, to watch your fears and desires unfold. Never knew you had the half of it in you. But the cottage did. The cottage gave you the power to project it all, to make it real. All it wanted was to show you. Show you who you really are. And now the cottage wants something in return. Word to the wise from someone who knows about these things. It’s best not to refuse it."

Ok, so the characters in this book just irritated the hell out of me. They just did stuff that pissed me off. Their attitudes and relationships were annoying to say the least, annoying but relatable. I have been in a relationship with my wife for over fifteen years now stretching all the way back to our high school years. I’ve learned from many, many mistakes and they were mistakes I had to relive through the guys in this book. It wasn’t just the guys though, The woman in the story weren’t much better in a slightly different aspect. They just happened to possess all the attributes of people I don’t like. This is one of those things that are good and bad. The goal for a lot of writers is to ensure that the reader forms an emotional connection with the characters. Well, the author surely did that and although I didn’t like the characters I did have that emotional connection. The emotions just happen to be anger and irritation.

I rate Hearthstone Cottage by Frazer Lee 4/5 stars. I recommend this story if you haven’t had a chance to explore the folk horror subgenre, this will be a great book to start with. The steady injection of terrifying scenes will be sure to keep the pages turning while engaging the reader to discover what is real and what is not. This was an excellent read for me and I think most anyone that is a fan of horror fiction will enjoy it all the same. Now, let’s break our gaze from the black scry mirror and explore what awful truth awaits us in the dark and murky loch at the Hearthstone Cottage.

After graduation Mike and his girlfriend and their friends Alex and Kay go to the Scottish Highlands to take a break. When they almost get to the cottage they hit a deer with their vehicle. They are shaken up but get to the cottage and find Alex's sister Meggie staying as well. Mike keeps getting wild vibes. He starts hearing and seeing things but no-one else encounters these things.
A good old ghost story. I really enjoyed it.

Mike and his friends stay at the remote lochside cottage, Hearthstone Cottage, for a holiday to celebrate their graduation. But the celebrations don't last long as disaster strikes and Mike becomes haunted by a disturbing presence in the cottage. He begins to lose his grip on reality and tension strains the bonds of friendship to breaking point.
What terrible truths hide within the walls of Hearthstone cottage?

Hearthstone Cottage is an engaging and spooky horror story written by Frazier Lee. I found this to be a classic horror story. A group of young people stranded in a remote location when strange and disturbing things start to occur. This could have been a little dull and unsurprising but I didn't find it read that way. Many times I found the writing to be creepy and atmospheric, building up the chill factor. There were times, especially during the frequent, in-depth descriptions of Mike's hangovers, (I am never drinking whisky now!) that it felt a little flat.
However, I really did enjoy the creepy, atmospheric scenes and loved reading a horror story in its classic, horror film style.
I look forward to reading more by Frazier Lee in the future.
Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

ally’s reading corner
#BlogTour Hearthstone Cottage
Allys_reading_corner Book Review November 16, 2019 2 Minutes

Thankyou to Anne Cater for my spot on the blog tour, and to flame tree press for my copy of the ebook.
AUTHOR – Frazer Lee
PUBLISHER – Flame Tree Press
PAGES – 288
SUBJECTS – Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Horror

Mike carter and his girlfriend Helen, along with their friends Alex and Kay, travel to a remote lock side cottage for a post graduation holiday. But their celebrations are short lived when they hit and kill a stag on the road. Alex’s sister Meggie awaits them in the cottage, adding to the tension when her dog Oscar goes missing.

Mike becomes haunted by a disturbing presence in the cottage and is haunted by threatening figures in the highland fog. Reeling from a shock revelation, mike begins to loose his grip on his sanity. As the dark secrets of the past conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship, Mike must uncover the terrifying truth dwelling within the walls of Heartstone cottage.


The story follows Mike Carter in his creepy journey at Hearthstone Cottage, after a bad start to the post graduation holiday, things start to get a lot worse for Mike a few days into staying in the cottage when he starts hearing weird noises, seeing visions and having hallucinations.

The further and further you get into the book, the more Mike’s dreams become more and more vivid. I swear I was actually scared to go to sleep at one point because I all I thought about when closing my eyes was the creepy laughter of a child. It sent chills down my spine.

… and of course there is Oscar, please let us just take a moment to remember him. Meggie’s beautiful collie. I knew as soon as Kay was reading about animal sacrifice, something sinister had happened to Oscar. Being in animal rescue and dealing with dogs a hella lot, this part of the book hit me so hard, I actually had to put it down and have a break. Poor Oscar.

This book is a great read if you enjoy being on the edge of your seat, it was very creepy and suspenseful…. I would have liked it to be even more scary but it was still a great read. I would definitely recommend to any horror/thriller fan.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A little weird and odd, not for everyone.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thanks,Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

Creepy, Eerie and Not For The Sensitive Reader!!

The story takes place in Scotland and surrounds two couples who have just graduated from their universities and want to enjoy a vacation before beginning their new lives. As they near the cottage (small mansion) in their rented 4×4, they see a large stag in the road and sadly they do hit the animal and cause great damage to their vehicle as well. All four of the young people are banged up and feel very bad for the animal but unfortunately their cell phones won't get a signal in this desolate part of the town where the cottage is located and cannot get any outside help.
From the moment they arrive at their residence, strange things begin to happen especially to one boy in particular, but he just continues to come up with plausible excuses to assuage his concerns and fears. The couples were the best of friends but as each hour goes by they begin to feel as if they really don't know or trust one another and realize (Just maybe) they should never have come in this trip!

This was a wonderfully creepy and fun story and really had me guessing what was behind all the possibly supernatural events that were happening. Lovely Scottish, atmospheric storytelling and locations. I will definitely read more by Frazer Lee and recommend this to many horror readers!
I will have to take off 1 star though because "Chapter 11" was missing in my ARC copy. Sadly, this was an important chapter because there was a character brought forward and I just didn't know who they were talking about in the future chapters and I would keep rereading previous parts of the book trying to make sense of who and what the other characters were referring too. This was very disappointing for me because I was enjoying the story but I was very confused before I finely realized a chapter was missing. (Long chapters also).

WARNING! Not for Vegans or very Sensitive readers! Horror readers can't be too sensitive though, Right?



I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this deliciously, dark novel!

I definitely recommend and have given a rating of 3 1/2 Terrifying 🌟🌟🌟✴ Stars!!

Mike, Helen, Alex and Kay have just graduated and so are off on a trip to Hearthstone Cottage in the Scottish Highlands, to relax.

Just as they are about to arrive, they hit a stag in the road, killing the poor animal, writing off the 4 x 4 and really shaking them all up. They arrive at the cottage finally and find Alex’ sister, Maggie is there already with her dog, Oscar.

They get settled but then things start to get weird…..Mike starts to hear a child laughing, he has horrific nightmares and hallucinations…then a crow hits the cottage window, Oscar goes missing and tragedy strikes….

Beware of past sins, they may just catch up with you one day……

This is a fantastically creepy tale, with a sense of gradually building menace. All set in beautiful surroundings which really added to the atmosphere. Gripping, spooky and thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you to The publishers, the author and NetGalley for a free ecopy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

Thanks to Anne Cater @Things through my letter box tours and Flame Tree Press for my spot on the blog tour and a copy of the book. All thoughts are unbiased and my own. Hearthstone Cottage just made me crazy – in a completely amazing way. I seriously wish I had a brain that was as capable of such genius. I mainly stick to thrillers or fantasy but when I do pick up a good Horror, I usually become so immersed in the world I usually question why I don’t read more. This is one of these times. Book hangover central over here! Flame Tree Press have released some of my favourite books of the year. Be prepared for a suspenseful, creepy and raw read. Thank you, Frazer Lee, for scaring the crap out of me!

Outstanding writing, intriguing layers, the tension and suspense was edge of your seat stuff, relatable characters that I could see myself getting along with and the twists and turns left me aching for more. The author certainly has gained a new fan.

This book is so full of suffocating intrigue it makes you palpate trying to figure out the next bad thing that’s going to happen. This storyline seems extremely plausible especially is you know the little villages and cottages like I do that reside in the Highlands. Having stayed fifty miles north of Inverness, I know the eerie little cottages, the wilderness feeling claustrophobic at times, the air feeling stale with evil promise. These little places are great to escape everyday life, but it does feel like eyes are on you at every turn. You know you are in for a ride when the events happen before you even turn up.

The first chapter is threatening. It sets the tone straightaway, haunting and panicky. I knew this was going to be a book that I wouldn’t put down until it was finished. Boy was I right, no toilet breaks, no phone breaks…I was engrossed. It is a story of two couples Mike and Helen, Alex and Kay and Alex’ sister, Meggie. They were all excited to be spending some time at Hearthstone Cottage, Alex’ fathers’ property. They had finally got through their finals and had graduated. The hard work was over, they could finally relax and what better place than Hearthstone…right? It was in a prime location, surrounded by a loch. No tv, no internet no wi-fi, no phone signal. Escapism. Before they even get there however, they hit and kill a stag. The symbolism of the accident will come back and haunt them. The description of the dying deer had my blood pressure steadily increasing. The cottage is pregnant with a sense of impending doom. Frazer Lee has the ability to conjure fear and anxiety from his narrative alone.

Things move on from bad to worse quickly. Meggie’s dog, Oscar seems spooked and runs away. Mike starts seeing disturbing things in the loch, the fish they catch turns his stomach. Is this all happening or is the houses’ presence impacting Mike. Events take eerie turns, at night Mike seems to have scary experiences but they all turn out to be dreams. Why hasn’t anyone else experienced these things? The author uses the human psyche as a weapon. We are scared of the things that we don’t understand. Our fear can’t be explained because we can’t explain the supernatural.

Why is Mike having these experiences? Is it the weed he smokes daily? Is it the fact that he doesn’t know where he fits in the world anymore? His relationship with Helen? I didn’t understand any of it, but I was compelled to keep going, to find the answers no matter how terrible they may be.

Why didn’t they just leave?

Towards the end things just get crazier and crazier. The story is building to a crescendo. True colours become revealed. One thing this book leaves you with is questions, it makes you question even your sanity. This is a story that you can’t just forget about, you won’t come out of it unscathed.

Hearthstone Cottage is a twisty and claustrophic read. Its taut with tension and fear. Do you self a favour and add this to your TBR.

I like books with a scary theme, but I just don’t read enough of them. When I saw this one, it intrigued me enough to slot it in amongst all the thrillers, romances and historical books that I do read a lot of!! It certainly gave me a break from the norm, and right from the beginning of the book I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck and my heart beat just that little bit faster!

I loved the premise of four friends heading to Scotland for a break. You just knew that as the cottage is out in the middle of nowhere there was going to be trouble! The four friends – Mike, Helen, Alex and Kay – are joined unexpectedly by Alex’s sister, Meggie who is already at the cottage when they arrive. Having already been involved in an accident on the way, which wrecked their hire car, the group’s nerves were already set on edge. I found Alex’s sister, Meggie a very strange character and didn’t really take to her. She had some very strong views on topics which were obviously going to cause tension between her and the others, and to be perfect honest I think I would have struggled to stay in the same house as her for any length of time!!

Whilst there were 5 characters, the story mainly revolved around Mike. Since he arrived at the house, Mike seemed to be suffering from hallucinations, both auditory and visually. I couldn’t think of anything creepier than to hear child’s laughter in a house where there were no children!! The hallucinations he was experiencing (if they were indeed hallucinations!!) were scary and really made me feel uncomfortable for him! It certainly gets you thinking though what on earth was happening – was Mike genuinely experiencing these things or was he simply suffering from a severe psychotic episode? The story builds the tension at a good pace, leaving plenty of time to contemplate what was happening, but not too slow where you began to lose interest.

The location definitely added to the whole unease of the story. I could imagine a cottage out in the middle of a Scottish forest, one road in one road out, trees as far as the eye could see and ample opportunities for all sorts of things to be lurking in amongst those trees waiting for you. Add to that patchy phone signals, strange noises and dark shadows and you have a story which is worthy of being on the big screen!! Oh, and don’t get me started on the Stag….!!!

All in all, I’m glad I broke from my normal genre, and if anything, this book has given me a taste to want to read more horror type books. A few days too late for a Halloween read, this book could be read at any time throughout the year. Full of tension, suspense and good old-fashioned heart-thumping scary bits. Would definitely recommend!

I needed a good horror book after all my Christmassy reads. And this book had the most exciting premise.

2 couples going away to an isolated cabin high up in Scotland, beyond city and mobile network coverage, wanting an idyllic time was the beginning. They killed a stag in an accident, and things started happening at the cabin. Dog disappeared and visions of horror were seen by the main character Alex. Everything unraveled.

My first book by author Frazer Lee, I felt dread creeping on me as I turned the pages. The atmosphere was eerie like a horror movie. I could almost imagine the weird background score in my mind, raising my fear to a high level. But along with fear, I felt a strange thrill of wanting to be scared by the scenes as well as dreading it. I got the thrill, didn't get the fear.

The author's writing surely and certainly built up the eerie factor with visions and hallucinations, hauntings and creatures, witchy stories and old folk lores. I loved how every chapter showed me Mike's deteriorating mental health at the face of this extreme confusion. I really wanted to scream BOO at him. Lines of reality and nightmares were blurred soon. I eagerly awaited the final reveal. Twists in the path soon followed me. Tapping the kindle went faster.

Overall, I would say a fun, creepy read. Read it at twilight, neither night nor day!!

Two couples head off for a celebratory post graduation stay at Hearthstone cottage. Their vacation starts off with a bang when they have a car accident near their destination, totaling their car and leaving them without means of escape should there be any spooky happenings, and there will be! There is something very wrong with this cottage and with the village itself.
After that literally smashing beginning the pace did slow down quite a bit, but rapidly accelerated at about the halfway point when Mike explores the village on his own after his girlfriend is gone for an unusually long time in a borrowed car. At was at this point that the spooky atmosphere really kicked into overdrive.

I've already read The Jack in the Green by Frazer Lee, so I knew that I was in for a horror novel with a somewhat surprising ending. Hearthstone Cottage is a gripping read with a creepy plot and storyline. The atmosphere and setting is eerie. The characters are well written and interesting.

Two couples and one younger sister. An isolated cabin in Scotland near a loch. No cell phones. No internet. Just peace. A celebration of college graduation. Perfect getaway, right?

Wrong.

Mike Carter knows something is very, very wrong almost from the start. Hearthstone Cottage is beautiful, but has a strange vibe. Something doesn't seem right. Visions of a dead stag. Meggie's missing dog. Hallucinations and nightmares. Strange creatures in the woods. An eerie circle of stones. Local legends about a witch's execution. Surprise revelations. As Mike feels his grip on sanity ebbing away, their trip only gets worse.

I love stories like this! As I read, I kept visions of the story playing in my head like a mental movie. This would make an excellent late-night film! Has most of this story been done before in one way or another? Sure....vacay in isolated cabin gone wrong is a popular horror book and movie plot. Why not? Don't we all have a fear of being pursued by evil we can't escape or don't fully understand? A mix of our own secrets and a dark presence.......that's the stuff of nightmares. Makes for a great story!

I read most of this book sitting out on my porch after dark with a coffee and a fuzzy blanket. It just sets the perfect atmosphere for a horror story. Woods across the street rustling in the breeze...a few snapping twigs...sounds of night creatures scurrying....the velvet darkness. About halfway through the story, I had to come inside. It was creeping me out to read this tale in the dark. I love it when a horror story creeps me out enough to go running back inside! :)

Great creepy story! I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is the first book by Frazer Lee that I've read. I will definitely be reading more. I like his writing style. This story builds suspense and creepy vibes from the very start. Well-written, entertaining and definitely creepy!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Flame Tree Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**