DNF at 20%. I was intrigued by the premise - a couple gets an incredible deal and moves to Italy for a new adventure - only to start finding out once they arrive that something is off about the house they bought. Unfortunately it wasn’t drawing me in and after reading more reviews decided this one isn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden is one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2024.
It’s hard to find a good horror novel. But Golden does it with such ease.
Chilling, seething, atmospheric and compulsively readable.
The writing in this book is amazing, and it left me very impressed. I highly recommend this book for those who appreciate a well-crafted and haunting story.
This is my fourth title read by Christopher Golden and I’m ready for his next one.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A haunted house, Italy, Demons...what else do I need to say? I absolutely loved this book! I will admit, this book was my first read by Golden, but it definitely will not be my last! I loved the setting and the slow burn build up that Golden gave us, until about the last 30-40% where the story takes off like a rollercoaster and creeped me the eff out! What a fun read and definitely adding Golden to my list of authors to keep an eye out for!

Thank you to NetGalley, Christopher Golden, and St Martins Publishing group for giving me this ARC!

This book was NOT what I expected at all, but was good overall! It did take a lot of “world building” and build up essentially to really get to the horror/thriller aspect. But when you learned of the demons and the exorcism and that Tommy’s family was involved, WOW. Just wow. It definitely creeped me out but kept me wanting to read more and more! And also the Italian details, I could picture it all!

However! I gave it 3 stars because it took me awhile to get hooked, AND the ending. Kind of a cliffhanger? I need more. What happens to Tommy for the rest of his life? Do they stay at The House of Last Resort forever? Does he live his life like Nonno did? Do they have kids!? What happens?! I’m sure it is meant to be this way and end this way but DAMN I NEED SOME CLOSURE!

But all in all, a good book and would read more by this author!

This month has been so cold and miserable here in KC, it was nice to spend a few hundred pages in sun-drenched Sicily while reading Christopher Golden’s latest story.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. The premise is incredible and it has SO MUCH potential. There’s a really cool, super scary story in here but Golden just found it too late into the story. It’s such a slow burn - things don’t really pick up until about 75% of the way through.

BUT - and this is an all caps BUT - the last 25% is incredible. Seriously. Super scary with some very good action. It just takes so long to get there, it kinda loses its punch a little bit, but damn it’s good.

Ultimately, I would recommend it with the caveat that it will take some patience. But the end is worth it.

This one comes out on January 30th. A big Sicilian double cheek kiss to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the advance copy.

THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT
Christopher Golden

To Kate and Tommy 17 Via Dionisio was their dream come true. To everyone else, it was THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT and closer to a nightmare than a fantasy.

Kate and Tommy purchased a “Euro House” in Sicily. Euro Houses are part of Italy’s plan to invigorate their struggling economy. The hope is that if people move to these ghost towns, they will inspire business and tourism and the economy will be better for it.

When they move in, they find all is not as it was represented to them upon purchase. There is a creepy chapel inside and things that move when the lights go out. Struggling to make their new house a home they try to settle in only to be disturbed night after night.

Will their dream house be all that wanted it to be or will the secrets it holds be too much for them to live with?

The Euro House concept was interesting to read about. I saw a YouTube video years ago about the Euro Houses. I immediately wanted to know more about them but figured they were too good to be true, so I never followed up on it. Just another dream to pass me by.

But isn’t reading about it just about second best to living it?

THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT has a great atmosphere and setting. I loved the haunted house vibes and the connection between the house and the city. I think you are going to like this one.

THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT is out today!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! It was a good time!

THE HOUSE OF LAST RESORT…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

I have a theory that being an atheist takes a lot of shock and terror out of reading religion-themes horror novels and watching movies in the same vein. All my life I’ve never had a single issue watching horror movies or reading horror novels with religious themes because I’m an atheist. My mom is terrified of The Exorcist. Me? Not even a tiny grimace. I get more terrified of things like The Purge, because that actually feels like something that could happen.

That’s what I think happened while I was reading The House of Last Resort. If I was in any way scared of demons or interested in the concept of evil as anything else but a moral subjective then maybe this book would have rated higher for me. But I’m me, and I’m the type of person who says, “Evil is morally subjective and therefore doesn’t exist”.

The concept is definitely more high-concept than some horror novels and I actually really enjoyed it: I can’t say my kids and I haven’t seen those videos and articles online where you can move to isolated villages in France or Italy and purchase a home for x amount of dollars or even for free as long as you fulfill x amount of conditions and not thought, “That might actually be a great thing to do,” for some of the exact same reasons the characters in this book did it. I also enjoyed the general flow of the book, the dialogue, and the world-building.

In the end, it’s only me that’s got me not liking the book so much, and it’s just because we didn’t vibe well. I still say give it go if you like demons, ghosts, the evils of organized religion (especially the Catholic Church), and poorly-timed earthquakes.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Ghost Fiction/Horror/Paranormal Horror/Supernatural Horror/Suspense

A really interesting Gothic horror story set in Italy. It's supremely creepy (rats! catacombs! haunted houses! more rats!), while also weaving in small town attitudes, family history, and an extra dose of religious horror.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're into horror. The main couple have pretty appropriate reactions to what's going on. Kate in particular is pretty great. My only downside is that I think there is an unnecessary twist at the end to give more action in the climax, but I think it was working well without it, and it took me out of the book a little. But it got back on track very quickly, and I really loved the ending - which I did not see coming!

Kate and Tommy Puglisi have the opportunity of a lifetime, to purchase an abandoned Italian mansion for one Euro, the caveat, to live there at least 5 years and to renovate the home. The story opens with the loving couple excited about their new adventure, to live near Tommy’s Italian grandparents, and to start a slower paced life. Renovations begin and horrors of the past are discovered.

What I liked:
The setting on an Island off the coast of Italy, a crumbling, old mansion.

The promise of a new beginning, the descriptions of food and family.

What I disliked:
The repetitiveness of certain ideas that repeat in the story over and over.

While I enjoyed the characters, I didn’t feel connected to them.

The story meanders quite a bit through the middle, I felt bored.

The characters inner monologue took me out of the story quite a bit and may have contributed to feeling disconnected from the characters and story.

If you enjoy slow burn plots with lots of inner monologue within the characters, and a spooky house, give this one a try. Ultimately; this story wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up for the palatability of this “horror.” I’ve never read this author before and horror isn’t my go-to genre, but I actually enjoyed this book and ripped right through it. I loved the setting- this mostly abandoned Italian town - made me excited for our upcoming vacation - I though I felt like the mystery aspect was pretty obvious and the dialogue was really cheesy, the story overall was interesting and engaging. Maybe that’s the trick for horror? If it doesn’t take itself too seriously, I can handle it more. I’d recommend this one to someone wanting to dip their toe into the genre and ok with exorcism/possession stories.

If House Hunters International and The Exorcist had a baby, it would be this book. If that sentence right there doesn't convince you to read this book, I don't know what else will!

This book started out a little slow, as the main characters move their lives across the pond and get settled in to their new home in Italy. I loved the graphic writing and it made me feel like I was right there in Italy. While a few unsettling moments made you think that something wasn't fully right with their new lives, it wasn't enough for me. I wasn't thinking this book would get crazy from the get go, but there was nothing really there that made me scared for these characters. I was expecting something like Paranormal Activity and I got a few creepy rats.

Things started picking up the last quarter or so of the book and I started enjoying this one a bit more. The rats got creepier, more things went bump in the night, and finally the ghosts showed up. I don't want to give away more with the ending, but literally the last few chapters moved this book from 3 stars to 4 stars for me. I just had higher hopes for this one and was a little let down. When you say a book is horror, it needs to bring the horror!

I ended up giving this one 4 stars.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Slowwwww burn. The Italian setting was cool but besides that, it seemed boring to me and that says a lot coming from someone who loves stories about haunted houses

This was a fun spooky read that had demon-infested rats, a haunted house, ghost exorcists and creepy catacombs…all in a beautiful hillside Sicilian villa!

I read my first of Golden’s many horror novels in 2022. It was All Hallows and I thought it punched above its weight for the genre with some smart plot twists. This is my second, and it was also really fun!

You know how it’s a common dream to up and leave your life and buy a villa in Italy, fix it up and live an idyllic life? I’d never do it, but even so I’ve been known to look at Italian real estate now and again. Castles seem so cheap! Well, turns out there may be a downside: perhaps your villa will be haunted, and there will be scary village secrets that no one told you about when you bought the beautiful fixer-upper. And might there be scary catacombs below the town? Yeah, probably.

When American couple Tommy and Kate buy a villa on a hilltop in the Sicilian village of Becchina in a town scheme to sell real estate cheaply to foreigners who can revitalize the area, they think they’ve found their own slice of heaven. But this old house holds a lot of evil in its walls, and it’s going to be a demon-fest of horror soon enough.

This time around, I also felt that Golden’s writing was excellent. I liked the plot! I won’t spoil it, because there were some story elements that completely surprised me. I also want to add that the author absolutely refused to use the most annoying plot device ever: miscommunication. This couple always kept each other in the loop, even when they disagreed completely. So refreshing!

The story is spooky; I always find the priest-exorcist trope kind of chilling. But the horror is not gory for the most part and I didn’t find it overly scary: it was more interesting than truly frightening. But be warned! If you don’t like enclosed spaces and rats, this will present a challenge for you.

I read this in one enjoyable day, and look forward to Golden's next book.

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a gifted copy.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(3.5 rounded up to 4)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a #gifted copy of The House of Last Resort!

I very rarely read horror novels so this one was a bit out of my comfort zone. With that said, I did like it and I think it’s piqued my interest to continue to read more horror novels in the future! I went in blind, which was an also totally out of my comfort zone, but I actually recommend it for this one! It was so atmospheric and I actually liked the creepy haunted house vibes. I found it to be a slow burn until very close to the end (which I’m still not done processing!). It’s hard to share too much without giving away too many details, so if the description sounds like something you would like, definitely check this one out!

Posted on Goodreads on January 22, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 30, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 30, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Young married couple Kate and Tommy are leaving everything they have ever known behind and moving across the ocean to a small hill town in Sicily where Tommy's beloved grandparents live. They are participating in an incredible opportunity to purchase an abandoned house for 1 Euro in exchange for living in the town for 5 years and promising to spend money on updating the house.

The house in question? Not the cute row house they had originally looked at but a 15 bedroom mansion that the locals refer to as The House of Last Resort.

****** SPOILERS ******

Alright, first off... if it seems too good to be true then it probably is! You get a mansion for the same price as a tiny row house? You should do some research. This couple moves into this house without realising that there is an entire annex attached to the back of the house that the real estate agent didn't even tell them about. It's dark, and creepy, and has weird stains on the floor. I'd nope real hard outta there for sure.

So of course the house belonged to the church for centuries and was where people with serious demonic possession came as a "last resort" to save their souls. When the exorcisms failed, the bodies of the tortured souls were snuck down into the catacombs beneath the house and buried away out of sight of the sleepy town.

This concept of god and the devil was a new spin on our typical demon horror stories. I enjoyed the fast pace and the fact that our non believing couple kept trying to figure out what was going on.

The ending did fall a bit flat for me, just a stretch too far with the demon/rat monster chasing Tommy through the catacombs. It felt a bit cartoonish, where the possessed rats actually made me shudder.

The realisation that Tommy is now inhabited by a demon and the House of Last Resort will be reopened for excorsists to come and continue their work - creepily perfect. I kind of wanted more of Tommy's descent into the madness but I am weird like that so there ya go.

All in all - I would recommend if you like a horror book that will creep you out but not give you nightmares (at least it didn't to me)

I just finished The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden, I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Tommy and Kate Puglisi cannot wait to start their new adventure in Italy. They purchased a beautiful, sprawling manor house in the economically downtrodden Becchina, Italy for a single Euro. Even better, Tommy's family is originally from the area, and his Nonna and Nonno still live there. But when they move in, their dreams become a nightmare as the truth of the house comes to light-- and how it is entwined with Tommy's family history.

I really enjoyed this one; it was a slow burn horror. Golden's prose is beautiful as he juxtaposes the bright, sunny, vibrant town of Becchina with the dark, evil that lurks beneath it. The dread starts seeping in almost immediately upon Tommy and Kate's arrival to town, and the stakes just keep getting higher and higher. I really liked how Golden works in historical fiction, and doesn't shy away from the sins of the past. In some parts it's making us take a hard look in the mirror about exploitative tourism, and forces us to reckon with the humanity in tragedies of the past. Without any spoilers-- I also really loved the ending, I was frustrated with it in the moment, but if you let it marinate, it was just perfect.

What is the problem with the house Tommy and Kate bought in the Sicilian town where his family has lived for generations? They're determined to change their lives so the one euro deal and the ability to spend time with his uncle and grandparents seems just wonderful. But there's an earthquake even as they are still moving in, his Nonna is upset about the house, and Kate keeps feeling off. Golden has written a classic horror novel complete with an ancient curse of sorts and demons. And catacombs. I had a hard time visualizing the house and the annex (especially the annex) but the whole thing is very atmospheric. No spoilers from me for the twists, the first of which came as a surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Horror isn't my usual genre but I very much enjoyed Road of Bones, which I liked more than this but that's likely due to the setting. That said, the tension builds nicely and the end, well- it was a page turner for me.

After reading Road of Bones, I knew Christopher Golden was going to become an auto-buy author for me. I was ecstatic when I got an early copy of The House of Last Resort! I absolutely loved this book! A little town in Italy is offering houses for sale for 1 euro, with some stipulations. Tommy and Kate know this is the perfect situation for them, especially since Tommy has family there. But the house they buy has lots of dark secrets. And the town has catacombs that run underneath, filled with the dead. When Tommy's dying grandfather starts behaving oddly, that opens the flood gates for craziness! Ghosts, possessions, beautiful Italian town, and lots of secret exorcisms...it was an intense ride!

This was my first book by this author and it was definitely a wild ride. While I had no idea the turn this novel was going to take, overall I enjoyed the cliffhangers and fast pace of the story