Thank you so much Berkley for the free book and to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook!

This was the quintessential perfect mystery in my opinion!

This is my second book by Chanel Cleeton and after thoroughly enjoying The Cuban Heiress last year, I was stoked for her newest release!

A gothic mansion that was the site of mysterious murders across decades? Um yes, please!

Cleeton has immense talent when it comes to imagery. In the opening scene alone, I felt as though I were standing right in front of the mansion for the first time with our main characters as Robert gifts Anna the breathtaking estate on Biscayne Bay. The story jumps back and forth between Anna and Robert in the past and present day Carmen and her sister Carolina. The tension in both timelines continues to build at a steady pace until the surprising ending I didn't see coming! Two twists took me by surprise!

This was such a fun mystery that kept me locked in the whole time. Chanel Cleeton has excelled in this niche' of historical mystery and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

As far as the audio production is concerned, both narrators fit their characters so well and the distinction between the two of them was clearly evident so I was never confused which part of the story I was in at any given time! Highly recommend on audio if you can!

This will be available for purchase on April 2nd

How could a mansion with such a beautiful name - Marbrisa - be the scene of murders?

Peacocks screaming and dying and then construction workers and guests found dead.

1918 - Robert and Anna came from New York to Florida after the Great War, built an outlandish mansion, but it didn’t make them happy.

A drowning at their lavish party didn’t help with things. But was it an accident or murder?

1940 - Years later Carolina and Asher bought the house, fixed it up, and Carolina’s sister, Carmen, came to live with them after their parents died.

Another death happens and Carmen worries about her safety, especially since Asher controls her estate until she’s 21.

We follow both storylines as the mansion seems to be the center of attention and drama and as we meet characters that keep and tell secrets.

A marvelous Gothic-style read with undercurrents of menace that you can’t figure out if the menace is coming from a person, place, or thing.

Don't miss this one!!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is not for me. I stopped reading at 20% because I dod not care enough about the house or the characters to continue on.

I love Chanel Cleeton so I was excited to get this ARC. This is a mystery and we have two timelines, 1918 and 1941. In 1918, Robert is building this huge mansion for his wife, Anna, called Marbrisa. Many wealthy people are heading to Miami. Anna is not a fan of Florida and really wants nothing to do with the house. When the house is finished they have a huge party but a woman is found dead. Anna wants to believe it was an accident but she starts to hear things about her husband that are not good. In 1941, Carmen is being sent to live with her sister and brother-in-law at Marbrisa after the death of their parents. Animals keep being found dead on the property and people are calling the house cursed. When a person is found dead Carmen does not know what to do. Are the deaths connected from 1918 to 1941? I could not put this book down. I had to know how the timelines were connected and how it would all play out.

-That's what's missing here-everyone is chasing something, but I've come to realize that if you're always looking for something better, always waiting for the next thing to happen, for the die to roll, then you don't appreciate the things you have.

**Review will be shared release week on my site and socials!**

4.5 stars

LOVED THIS MYSTERY.

A fantastic historical mystery that kept me on my toes. I was in the dark (in the best ways) about how this entire plot was going to come together and it delivered. I love when I feel like shouting I KNEW IT because I’m enjoying the book so much that I can’t put it down, needing to know what happened next.

In classic Cleeton fashion, there’s history, intrigue and even a small subtle dash of romance. I looooved the setting. It was haunting and just the right side of creepy where I was wondering what was lurking in the shadows each evening. I loved the dual POV between Anna and Carmen. Each chapter begged me to keep going. The flow and ease of the author’s writing is one of the reasons I always have grabby hands every time I see a new book annoucement.

Highly recommend. Seriously a great book. Beautiful writing, the location and historical aspects are clearly well researched, and you’ll be hoping that your favorite characters make it out of the story in the end.

Overall audience notes:

Historical Mystery
Language: low
Romance: closed door
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, murder, loss of loved ones

This was a solid historical fiction mystery, with an interesting setting/time and place. I liked both timelines, as they both kept up the pace and were interesting enough. The first one is set during the construction and completion of an opulent mansion in post WWI Miami, with New York couple Anna and Robert Barnes settling into a new life, though Anna isn't as enthused about it, and the other being a couple decades later with new owners of the now notorious Marbrisa, with nineteen year old Carmen leaving Cuba after her parents deaths to join her older sister Carolina and her husband Asher, only to find secrets, deception, and a looming house with a tortured history involving death and possible murder. I liked Anna and Carmen enough, though I wasn't as invested in the other characters and found many of them to be a little flat. But I did like the uneasy Gothic vibes as both women through different time periods find themselves feeling trapped in this gorgeous house, and trapped in their own circumstances. The mysteries, however, weren't as interesting as the commentary on the lives that Anna and Carmen were living.

THE HOUSE ON BISCAYNE BAY was pretty okay. I think that as a mystery it was a little underwhelming, but as historical fiction melodrama it was satisfying.

I liked the house and the Miami setting in this book! The dual timelines are well done. I connected with two of the main characters, but I didn't love Carolina's character. I did feel transported to these time periods. Marbrisa, the home, is also a character in a book, although it sounds so over the top and not welcoming it is such an intriguing and important part of the story. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing group for the opportunity to read this book. This author always has books I enjoy!

I absolutely adore Cleeton’s ability to create wholly immersive stories that really drag you in and don’t let go until you’re finished, and this one was no different! I loved the suspense aspect of it and how the story unfolded between two different timelines told from two separate POVs. It was gothic and atmospheric and wonderful.

It's 1918 and Anna Barnes is not happy. Not happy with having to move to Florida and not happy with Marbrisa, the mansion that her husband had built to help solidify his fortune. She finds some happiness when she meets the architect, who builds in gardens to her specifications. Is the house marked by the death of a construction worker? After a party, where a young woman dies in the Bay also, Anna begins to wonder.

It's 1940 and Carmen Acosta is not happy. Her parents have died and she must move to Marbrisa with her estranged sister and brother-in-law, who is the guardian over her inheritance. After laying in ruin for years, Carmen's brother-in-law has bought Marbrisa with the hopes of restoring the house to its former glory. With several strange deaths and occurrences, has Marbrisa's curse been restored as well. Carmen must find out to live.

This historical mystery is set in the backdrop of swampy Florida during a time of real-estate booms and flops. I liked how the build-up developed between the two timelines to help the reader understand what was going on. I feel the epilogue was the cherry on top that wrapped all the information up neatly for the reader.

Thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher, and Chanel Cleeton for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book for my honest opinion.

_The House on Biscayne Bay_ by Chanel Cleeton is a dramatic historical fiction book that is character-centered and told from multiple points of view. Anna Barnes moves to Miami with her husband Robert after the Great War to pursue Robert’s dream of building a decadent house rivaled by no other in the area. Years later Carmen Acosta travels to the estate to live with her sister Carolina and husband Asher, and soon discovers a marriage in turmoil. Told interchangeably from both the perspectives of Anna and Carmen, life on the estate entails secrets and danger, and Carmen must solve the mysteries of the past to save her own life.

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton tells the story of the Barnes family and Wyatt/Acosta family set in different time periods but eerily connected to each other via Marbrisa. With the Barnes building Marbrisa, the house of their dreams they see themselves as being welcomed in newly burgeoning society…or so it seems. Fast forward to the Carmen Acosta, who has just suffered a great loss in the tragic death of her parents in Havana. She journeys to Marbrisa to stay with her sister Carolina Wyatt hoping for comfort but instead finds mystery and murder.

With a an easy to ready flow and quick time jumps, I fell in love with this novel that kept me guessing to the very end. So many interesting and intriguing diverse characters from all walks of life move this fast paced story of “whodunit” to its shocking conclusion. Just when I thought I had it all figured, a major plot twist happens and I end of searching for more clues. Plus, with a beautiful and vividly described home on the bay and colorful wildlife I was quickly transported to another time period. If you’re looking for a good hair raising mystery, The House on Biscayne Bay is the perfect choice.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

I unfortunately couldn't connect with the story. I had a hard time following it and getting into the plot itself. While I am a fan of Chanel's other books unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me.

When Robert Barnes and his wife Anna build Maribosa it is meant to be a new beginning for them, to help them immerse themselves into a new world and become successful in Miami...but in winds up being nothing but a nightmare to them. After a women is discovered murder on their property after a party it puts a black spot on their image... and things just continue to get worse from there. The house is not a paradise like it was intended to be, it's a house with many secrets, secrets that sometimes kill.

The House on Biscayne Bay is a thrilling page-turner that kept me completely enthralled and on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Page after page I fell deeper into this slightly off kilter world and the more captivated I became with it all. It was a suspenseful, riveting, and perfectly plotted masterpiece that I couldn't let go of... definitely one of my most favorite titles from this author to date! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, the Maribosa is full of secrets and who doesn't like a good secret every now and then?

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

We meet Anna Barnes when her husband first presents her with Marbrisa, a not yet finished massive estate on Biscayne Bay. As much as Anna enjoys fine things and the luxuries that her husband's wealth provides, she is shocked and fearful of this massive expense and change of lifestyle that her husband is fully embracing. She knows this isn't really a gift to her, a present she never would have wanted. This is her husband doing what he wants to do and then acting like he's doing her a huge favor. Still, after twenty years of marriage where Anna bows to Robert's wishes in everything, she has to accept this forced move as graciously as she has accepted everything else Robert does.

Years later we see Marbrisa through new eyes. Eighteen year old Carmen Acosta arrives on the grounds to live with her sister and brother in law after the sudden death of her parents. Never close to her sister, she's greeted with indifference by her. Having been thrust into adulthood so quickly and now hoping her only close relative will welcome her, she's perplexed by many of the things going on at Marbrisa.

There are so many parallels between the two timelines. Is it the house that causes similar events to take place? Is the house haunted or cursed? No one seems safe in either timeline and we go back and forth in time to get an idea of just how NOT peaceful life at Marbrisa can be. Carmen starts digging, hoping to find out more about the past of Marbrisa, especially after a tragedy makes the house a crime scene. But then, this house was a crime scene long ago, too. Are events from back then connected to what is happening in the present?

This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed the mystery and the gothic feel of the story. I also thought both timelines were balanced well. And I liked that Carmen gets called Nancy Drew a time or two, she's a tough girl, handling herself very well at a time when women weren't allowed to be so forthright and to the point.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

Secrets, twisty plot points, mystery and historical fiction combine for a successful story centered on a Miami mansion. Told from two time periods, I was hooked from the first page. I just didn't want this one to end. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Historical Florida provides the background to Chanel Cleeton's newest novel which is a departure from her more straightforward historical fiction works. Opening in 1918 with the flood of northern folks grabbing up real estate near Miami, we meet Anna Barnes and her wealthy husband Robert. Robert is determined to make a huge splash in Miami's society and constructs the biggest and most opulent home named Marbrisa. Anna doesn't care for the showing off of wealth and hates the Florida climate. But when a woman drowns at an extravagant party, suspicion of murder falls on almost everyone. Flash forward to 1941 and Carmen is visiting her sister Carolina who is now owner of Marbrisa following Anna and Robert's deaths. Strange things still occur as animals are killed on the property and the house's legacy seems to repeat itself. Cleeton has formed a nifty gothic mystery with mysterious noises, secret passages, odd workers who hide secrets to say nothing of financial greed. The old time Florida vibe fits the story including alligators, humidity and the ocean waves crashing near Marbrisa. Cleeton's fans will be satisfied.

4 gothic Florida story

I’m a huge fan of Chanel Cleeton, so I eagerly read this one. It’s got elements of historical fiction like her previous books, but this one adds some different things, too.

There’s definitely gothic flair, and a house plays a character in this one – Marbrisa. There are two storylines in this one, with Anna Barnes and her husband Robert in 1918. Then, we have the storyline with Carmen and her sister, Carolina, in 1940.

The house has some sort of presence and seems to be cursed or haunted, or maybe both! Peacocks and alligators seem to rule the grounds.

Robert goes all out, building the house for Anna. He’s found an architect who creates the luxury mansion with all the trimmings. He creates beautiful gardens for Anna. This storyline is set when lots of people are moving to Miami, and glamour is all the rage. A mysterious accident (or is it murder?) threatens Robert, Anna, and Marbrisa’s fate is up in the air.

Carmen leaves Cuba with the death of her parents and comes to Marbrisa, where her sister, Carolina, lives with her husband, Asher. Carmen wants control of her inheritance from Asher, who is acting as the trustee. Carmen is uneasy at the house, and strange things keep happening with the wildlife and noises in the walls. Another tragedy occurs, and Carmen is desperate to escape.

There’s a bit of a mystery to unravel, and I loved how this one ended. The different storylines kept me interested throughout the book. I’m not sure I’d like to be a guest at Marbrisa!

This is the seventh novel by Chanel Cleeton that I have read and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed this Gothic mystery with the estate, Mabrisa as a character in the novel. While the timeline involving Anna and Robert Barnes was more interesting, I enjoyed Carmen's as well. Although, I don't know that killing Carmen's sister, Carolina, was necessary, but it does add add to Carmen's isolation. And, I did not even guess the ending. While it did drag a little in the middle, overall I really enjoyed this novel.

This feels like a gothic murder mystery novel. I love how without seeing scenes the author can create a setting that just feels dark and creepy.

Here we are following the story of Anna and Carmen, both residents of the Marbrisa and both suspicious of the men around them and their surroundings.

Anna has just moved to Florida with her husband Robert upon the completion of their new home, when a woman drowns at the house warming party. Then years later Carmen moves to Marbrisa from Cuba upon the death of her parents to live with her sister and her husband, then a few days later her sister is discovered murdered.

Now they are both trying to solve a murder while also trying to avoid being the next victim.

Wow! What an amazing dual timeline historical gothic fiction that has elements reminiscent of Rebecca and Daphne du Mauier! The story timelines bounce between post WWI and 1941. Definitely a 5 star read! A fantastic atmospheric suspense full of intrigue and mystery! The House on Biscayne Bay will sweep you away! Another fantastic novel by Chanel Cleeton.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC opportunity.