My Thoughts
I had no idea this was a book presented as a serial until I started reading it. Thankfully, I was provided with the full book from NetGalley to read and review. Serialbox.com currently has the first part (or episode as they call it) available online with the remaining parts of the serial scheduled to be released between now and the end of 2020. Here are my pros and cons for The Haunting of Beatrix Greene:

Pros

1. This is written by three different authors. Each author was individually responsible for different chapters in the book. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not notice any abrupt style changes or continuity issues between chapters and authors. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I would have ever guessed different people wrote different chapters at all! To me that is a testament to the ability of the authors to write a cohesive story even though they were writing separately!
2. This book is full of typical haunted house tropes, even the ones I am generally tired of at this point in my life, but somehow it still worked for me. I was getting some strong vibes of The Haunting of Hill House (by Shirley Jackson), too, so I have to wonder if the authors were inspired by that book.
3. The scary parts were definitely scary! The atmosphere was well-defined and tensions were definitely high.
4. There was an interesting, but short-lived, appearance by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
5. Awesome Victorian gothic feel to the story.
6. The house was the best character in the book.
7. The book is written from different POVs and each new POV is clearly identified. I know some people dislike this kind of writing, but I think it worked very well in this story.

Cons

1. The whole romance plot line was weird and excessively fast… but very Victorian.
2. My main beef about the book is that it is never really clear what is haunting the house. I needed some “why”, “what”, and/or “who” questions answered and I never got satisfactory information.
3. Character development wasn’t strong for anyone. I wanted a lot more.
4. The title felt incongruous with the actual story. Beatrix wasn’t really haunted, but instead simply discovered she had a true gift as a medium (in the synopsis, so not a spoiler). I think The Haunting of Ashbury Manor might have been a better title… or even something that doesn’t start with “The Haunting of…” as that is starting to be overdone in my opinion.

Summary
This is a short and scary October read. Yes, I thought it had some issues and a few tweaks could make this a really great novel, but overall I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Serial Box for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Wonderful book to read! Thank you so very much for the opportunity. Looking really forward to being able and read more from this author in the near future. I recommend this to everyone and anyone. I would rate it a 4 and a half out of 5 stars

I want to talk about the characters first but I didn't quite found any specific traits or things that makes their whole character unique. I just think that Beatrix Greene is your typical "fake" medium in books like this one or James is that love interest being so "confidently walked the earth like it was his" type. I can't distinguished their characters if they will be put together with other typical characters in this kind of genre. But the good thing about this book is that there are "balanced" dynamics between this set of characters and their typical personalities fitted with one another.

Another thing, although I am rooting for Beatrix and James's chemistry (and I ship them) but what happened between James and Beatrix went downhill for me. It's not really necessary, and I was like "Is this really part of the plot or just to add in the drama?". I just don't see the importance of some romantic scenes between them, like "is this scene really necessary just to add the love tension between these two?".

Since I am starting off with what I don't really like in this book, i'm also going to talk about this book having constant changing of perspective between the two main characters. Which I don't mind because you can tell what the other character feel or thinking, but it keeps happening and happening until it's become annoying. Like this narrator will focus on Beatrix's perspective first but after 2 or 3 paragraph it will change into James's perspective, then after 2-3 paragraphs it turns back to Beatrix. Ugh. I just don't vibe with that kind of narrating different point of views.

Another flaw: I am having a hard time picturing or imagining some scenes because this book has a weird narrating style, it is not clear to me what the narrator meant when describing what's really happening. And i'm like "Wait, what?" then I will read it again to understand the scene. There are also so many deep words here that I need to search its meaning to fully understand what the narrator meant, but clearly understandable because this book is also a historical fiction.

The thing I love about the narrating voice is that it's steady and firm. Despite being a book with multiple authors, it has a precise narrator. Like they are almost feel like the writing was in sync, it feels like written by a single author.

The good side of this book is it has a really good way to deliver the ghostly atmosphere, when the narrator described a door suddenly close I feel like "shocked" or "startled" like i'm watching a horror movie. I know it's weird to describe but you will know when you read it. Lol. It has really good horror vibes and kind of spooky atmosphere. But despite this book having a spooky and grim atmosphere, it doesn't lack from funny things also that happens between the characters.

I rated this 3.5 stars. Even though I have issues with this book it still enjoyable to read and it had the ending that I want though. But it just feels so average for me, I still recommend it though to those who loves a book that has a horror movie vibes.

3.75/5⭐️

A Victorian haunted house story dramatised with episode like chapters + depths to characters + demonic relics/possession + a hint of ancient history!

Beatrix comes out of a darkness surrounding her that she never knew existed; hence the book title. Its so much more than a ghost story. James is the most eligible man every 19th century woman deserves. The language used is exquisite, so much like the old English. I mean I haven’t seen/heard anyone use words like “treacle” anywhere!! Last few chapters felt like a drag, but I’m excited to see what the authors have planned next in this series.

Thank you Netgalley, Serial Box & authors for the ARC in-exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serial Box publishing for an e-ARC of The Haunting of Beatrix Greene! I really liked this book. It was creepy, it was atmospheric and it was the perfect spooky season read. Beatrix is a spiritual medium who doesn't actually believe in ghosts... Until she gets to Ashbury Manor. James and the rest of the crew are just marvelous for this book. I loved the creepy atmosphere of the house, there's even a pit in the depths of the basement that holds probably my favorite scene... There's mystery, there's romance, there's ghosts and there is a shockingly pleasing amount of gore.

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was everything I expected and then some. It was a fantastic story of the paranormal, horror, fantasy. It held my attention from beginning to end. I do love a good paranormal story and this was a good one.

Beatrix Greene is a medium who communicates with the dead. Or so she tells her clients. She is a fraud. That is, until she is offered a payment to spend the night at Ashbury Manner to use her skills. There, she learns that her skills have been unveiled and she is caught up in a haunted house that is filled with pure evil.

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene isn’t my typical genre to read. The story is written by three authors. That being said the writing was well done and the style different but enjoyable. There was more romance than expected for this type of story. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene went were many haunted house movies have gone before and unfortunately did little else. This book wasn’t necessarily bad it just felt really underdeveloped and at points could have been mistaken for fan fiction.

This book is written with multiple authors, changing each episode, and it ended up effecting the overall feeling of the book. While the story remained consistent there was still a noticeable voice change that kind of took you out of it. I really liked the characters in the book and wished I’d had more on each of them, when something bad would happen to one you were kind of left shrugging your shoulders because they weren’t developed enough for you to care. There was a romance I wasn’t expecting and again felt sort of weird and unnecessary, you can want to help a person without being attracted to them, and I think it would have been better had the love story been left out.

If you enjoy horror this is a quick enough read that it might be worth your time, I think teens and young adults would probably like it more, the romance isn’t too spicy and cuts off before we get into rated R territory. There is described violence but nothing you wouldn’t see in a typical 80’s slasher.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A haunted house story based on spiritualism and skepticism. This book was fine, it just had more of a romance element than I expected.

Beatrix Greene makes a living as a spiritual medium but admits that she is a fraud, that she tells people what they need to hear in order to give them peace. James Walker is a scientist who exposes the "deceit and trickery of spiritualists and mediums." James is also heir to the haunted Ashbury Manor manor, where his mother killed his brother and committed suicide. James asks Beatrix to come to the house and perform a seance in order to prove her spiritual powers.

When the ghost of James's mother immediately materializes through Beatrix's body, Beatrix realizes that she does indeed have the ability to connect with the dead, and the story of the haunted house begins. This was a good, scary read to start off October! I'm not a connoisseur of horror stories, but I thought the haunted house trope was well represented here. A true good vs. evil war happening at the end. Without giving away too much, though, I am a little confused about the "evil" that exists in the house and what its ultimate motivation is. What is doing the haunting? I can see how a house could be haunted by the unfortunate spirits that inhabit it and want revenge, but this house seems to have such a specific goal of making sure James inherits the family curse, while the ghosts of the victims seem to want to help him and Beatrix. Maybe I'm just thinking too much about this and should just enjoy the creepy story and atmosphere.

I felt there could've been more character development and reference to the outside world. Victorian England itself (outside of the haunted house itself) would make for some rich imagery. But this is a short book, so it's understandable that things were not explored as deeply. Overall, I enjoyed this book, which had a sweet ending, very much!

Wow…I got so lost in this book that I finished it in one day! From the very beginning, I was drawn into the scene unfolding in England. Each author shares in writing different chapters and the flow of the story is flawless. Every page I turned I could picture the scene taking place and the main characters acting it out. It was as if I were watching a movie, and I could not turn it off until I reached the end.

Beatrix Green and James Walker are the main characters and James’ main goal is to disprove Beatrix as a spiritual medium. He lures her into performing a séance at Asbury Manor, the infamous haunted manor. There is just one thing…James is not who she thinks he is. Such an amazing twist in the novel when everything unfolds and does not stop until the very last page. I could not believe what unfolded at Asbury Manor. There is just one question…do you believe in ghosts? If you are looking for a book to read on All Hallows Eve…this is it.

This did not fit very well with me.

Although I can value the effort made by the authors, and that the best part about this book is that the main character is decently built, the story and setting could have been done better. By that I mean that the story lacked in depth, and at the beginning, we are thrown into it with barely any context or worldbuilding. Also, the story bounces between creepy, horror elements and sudden romantic parts, which can be a bit confusing at times.

Anyhow, since this is just the beginning, I hope that the story could get better in the future.

Not something I normally would have picked up. It was a short and fast paced read, that I think did decently, although with the compact length, I struggled to believe the rapid relationship and character development.

But all in all a decent short story.

I was very excited to check The Haunting of Beatrix Greene out, because I love ghost stories, seances and so on. At first I was super into it, I loved the premise and the cast of characters, especially Harry and Amanda. After a while, however, I started to enjoy the book less. My main problem was the romance. It was way too prominent for my tastes. Firstly, I didn't see any chemistry between Beatrix and James: their attraction was very insta-lovey. Secondly, I think the authors focused too much on it. Often, in a middle of a potentially creepy scene, there was a remark about the attraction between them which and I got pulled out of the story immediately.
The creepy scenes were quite good, and some parts were shocking, so overall it was an enjoyable read. But if the romance had remained secondary to the plot I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This was way out of my normal genre. I honestly dont think I've read a horror type book in over a decade. That being said this was a nice step back in. The story is set in late 1800s of London and at times this isnt apparent by the writing. It didn't bother me I just had to remind myself it is modern day. I really liked the main characters Beatrix Greene and James Walker. They had an immediate chemistry present that worked well through out the book.
The horror aspects weren't overly terrifying. There were moments when I would look around the room while reading, but no nightmares.
I dont like to give too much of the book away. I would recommend to someone wanting to try horror for the first time. It was a quick read that kept me intrigued.
*I received a free copy for an honest review

3.5 stars, I think. This was honestly a wild book. I loved it. There was just the right amount of spooky/creepy. I do wish some things had been a bit more fleshed out (the romance and Stanhope's storyline could have used more details) but otherwise I was pleased with this. I'm a scaredy cat, so the fact that this was not suuuuper creepy was great. I would love to see another book or two in this series!!

“Three knocks, and the devil will appear.” The Haunting of Beatrix Greene, Volume 1 by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, Vicky Alvear Schecter

4 stars. Started October right with this gothic, ghost story!

Set in Victorian England, Beatrix Greene is a medium who must outsmart James Walker, a scientist who regularly exposes mediums as fraud. He invites her to Ashbury Manor for a seance. With the guest appearance of Author Conan Doyle no less.

But what happens during the seance becomes too real and too frightening. So now, they must find a way to escape Ashbury Manor before they never get to leave.

Such a fun ghost story! I got scared, I started to read it too fast, I couldn’t read it at night, knowing how my imagination didn’t need extra fuel with ghost stories. It’s a rather short book, and I didn’t mind. With this being volume 1, dare I hope for a volume 2? Seems reasonable enough to expect yes?

Thank you so much Serial Box and NetGalley for this book. I really enjoyed it!

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was the perfect opening act for this year’s spooky reading season, and, dare I say it, my foray into horror historical romance. An ideal blend of creepiness, suspense, romance, danger and wit.

She may not be able to speak with the dead, but Beatrix Greene knows how to read the living. A self-made woman and a secret charlatan, orphan Beatrix built a life of her own as a successful medium in late 1800s England. When James Walker, scientist and self-proclaimed nonbeliever, offers Beatrix a handsome sum for a simple task—to tell him, once and for all, if the infamous Ashbury Manor is haunted—Beatrix thinks she’s struck gold. But James Walker is hiding a gruesome secret: he is Lord Ashbury, the only surviving son of the ghastly murder-suicide in his ancestral home,. Ashbury Manor...and Beatrix’s séance may have awoken more than they can handle.

The Likes
As far as haunted house stories go, this one checks all the boxes. Doors slamming shut? Check. Candles blowing out? Check. Seances and cold spots? Check and check. Creepy-ass cellar with a hellish pit full of demonic souls that feast on human bodies? Check. Maybe don’t read this one at night.

This book may have been my first horror historical romance, but not my first historical romance and I thoroughly enjoyed the subversion of romance stereotypes. Beatrix is a strong, clever female protagonist and James, while her superior in society, is her equal in intellect and temperament. The dual perspectives made what would otherwise feel like a rushed, love-at-first-sight type of romance feel more organic.

Even the secondary characters are fully developed—I loved Beatrix’s relationship with Haz, her half-Indian childhood friend, and Amanda, the no-nonsense feminist photographer from New York. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a surprise appearance!

The Dislikes
It would have been nice to see more world-building outside of Ashbury Manor, as it was a bit hard to pin down an exact time period or setting. Late 1800s is my best guess because of the modes of transportation, the mention of crinolines from a few decades prior, and the White Star Line ship.

The ultimate explanation for the haunting made some sense, but seemed a little simplistic and could have done with a little more detail.

Make no mistake about it—these authors don’t shy away from sickening violence and gore. Be prepared for blood, broken bones, burning. One scene is particularly gruesome (and detailed!), but there are a few moments stomach-turning descriptions throughout.

All in all, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene is a gripping read with the requisite spine-tingliness for a spooky October. The world and characters have a lot of potential and I hope this book is just the first installment in a series.

Overall I found this a fun, spooky supernatural mystery. I loved that this book was set in Victorian England. I think it gave the novel an extra burst of energy and atmosphere. I loved the main character of Beatrix Greene. She is a spunky character who is fearless and full of adventure.

I loved how this book was organized in an episodic format. I felt the mystery slowly build with each "episode" and I loved how the possession and haunting of the mansion grew with each episode.

I enjoyed this story immensely and recommend it to anyone who enjoys their share of scares.

Hmm, I think this just fell in the middle for me, there was nothing noticably wrong with it but nothing that really stood out either. I just never felt all that invested in the characters or story.