The Christmas Presence
Eva Pohler
This is the 14th book in the Mystery House series, this is the first one I’ve read; it stands well alone.
In this series we meet three old friends and business partners Ellen, Tanya and Sue. The women are around 50 years old. Their business is to remove spirits/ghosts from homes. The women received a request to remove someone from cabin the San Juan Mountains. The family that owns the cabin are having a terrible time with nightmares that seem real. They take on the job and move into the cabin where they find not one but two spirits living there. The women researched the history of the cabin and the surrounding area. They discover why the spirits want to linger in the cabin.
This tale was a little too paranormal for me. The circle stuff is too witchy, also there is the use of an OUIJA BOARD, I am not comfortable with summoning spirts! I liked the way the women went about researching the areas history in an effort to discover why the spirits linger in the cabin and terrorize the owner.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Overall, this audiobook was just ok. I was expecting more of a holiday vibe besides just snow and a present exchange at the end due to the title. This knocked it down a whole star for me because I was excited for holiday vibes. I did enjoy the combination of cozy mystery, paranormal, and historical fiction genres, as well as the dashes of humor and suspense throughout the story. This is the first Mystery House series book that I have read in this series. While I had higher expectations for this specific book, I would give another book in this series a chance before deciding if this series and author are for me or not.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had some really creepy supernatural moments and was pretty good. I enjoyed the supernatural elements as the women worked to solve this decades old murder mystery. The flashback dreams were terrifying and I would be terrified to have those dreams. This was a well done historical mystery.

This was such a fun holiday mystery! I really loved the setting since I’m quite partial to Colorado. I loved the friend group and I enjoyed that I was able to jump into this series with this book and enjoy it just as much as if I had read all the previous books. The audiobook was amazing too and I was surprised to hear that the author also narrated!

Even though this book is quite far into the series, I could follow it without reading the other books. The concept of Ellen and her group of friends investigating a haunting cabin at Christmas drew me in. I liked the historical aspect of the story as they delved into the history of their multiple ghosts and the nearby ghost town. What I struggled with a bit was the narration of the audiobook. I think I would have enjoyed the Kindle edition more which would have brought my review to 4 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Eva Pohler for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for The Christmas Presence coming out November 30, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoy this author! She has fun cozy paranormal books. This was a really good Christmastime ghost story! I loved that she narrated it, so it was how the story was supposed to be read. I loved the setting at the cabin. The characters were quirky and I enjoyed how they went about solving the mystery with their research. It was a short audiobook, but I loved it. I would definitely read more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys ghost stories!

The only way I can describe this, is that this was a terrible book. I read reviews saying it wasn't great, maybe more Scooby-doo, but that was fine, I can enjoy a meh-cozy mystery or a Riley Sager-style Scooby-doo situation. However, this was not that. This was, idk what it even was -- some group of women investigating ghosts in a house in Colorado that turns into a historical dive into mining, with a smattering of pointlessness about mascara, gross food orders at who-cares restaurants, and other extraneous things that truly did not provide anything. I'm surprised this is a 14th book, as it feels like a bad debut.

The audiobook wasn't great either - the voices were weird, just read the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC! This one is done by the author, which usually draws me right in as I expect they know better than anyone what they were going for, but this lacked a bit of professional finesse, and a lot of the dialogue lacked personality/inflection. This is book 14 in The Mystery House series, of which I have read one before (book 8) and I don’t recall seeing anything on NetGalley signifying the fact that it was part of a series, but that may be on the site.

While I may just be spoiled by reading two of the A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series at the right time and them giving me the exact feel I was going for—which is mostly why I requested this one, this lacked any holiday cheer, and other than the last five minutes featuring Christmas, it could have been really any month as there’s snow…but they’re in Colorado. So the name is quite the mislead.

And while I will say that I also have written a ghost hunting story myself and did some research, as well as countless hours watching the shows, that doesn’t make me any kind of expert. However, the characters here use a Ouija board and dowsing rods to communicate with the dead more than once, and aren’t those two of what’s considered to be the least reliable or “scientific” ghost hunting items? You’d think by book fourteen they’d be more professional? Oh and not that I am a believer, but with seemingly zero qualifications they attempt an exorcism?

I don’t know if the content in this book is historically accurate, but this is read much more like of a history lesson than a paranormal mystery. With its older cast and jokes, there’s probably a market for this with older readers or even those consistent with the cozy genres. Just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio!!

I LOVED this book! It was a bit slow in the beginning but then boom I was hooked!! I finished it in one sitting! My first by this author but will not be my last!!

Apparently this is book #14 in the series, but, it’s the first I’ve read…and it was just fine as a stand-alone!

Ellen, Tanya and Sue are all friends…old friends. AND, they have a business together. One where they attempt (and usually seem to succeed) in removing unwanted beings/ghosts from homes.

They receive a request to come to a beautiful home in the San Juan Mountains to try to remove a presence that has been haunting the family. Waking them from sleep with terrible nightmares, etc…but it all seems real while it’s happening! 😮

They accept the job and move into the home…and then the ‘fun’ begins! But they find out it’s not just ONE ghost. 😮😮😮

I’m going to end it here, as I don’t want to give anything away… but if you enjoy the paranormal, as well as beautiful townscapes, and ghosts and such…well then this one is for you! And the banter between the three of them is hysterical too!! 🤣

Oh…and don’t you just LOVE this cover??? ❤️

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

#TheChristmasPresence by #EvaPohler, and narrated nicely by the author too!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect, and the author for an ARC of the audiobook which is DUE TO BE RELEASED IN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS…on 11/30/24! So, look 👀 for it then!

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Book Title: The Christmas Presence
Series: The Mystery House Series #14
Author: Eva Pohler
Format: 🎧
Narrator: The Author
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery
Pub Date: November 30, 2024
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages 236

Yes this is Number fourteen in this series and my first.
I love Christmas and I do like paranormal stories – I guess started years ago with Dickins “The Christmas Story”.
Ellen is a recurring character. In this story

Ellen and her two best friends Sue and Tanya are a team and not only share having a mid-life crisis in common they share a company entitled ‘Ghost Hunters Inc.
In this story a Robin and her family needs the team to help with removing an unwanted ‘presence’ that is in the log cabin Robin she recently inherited.
The log cabin is located in the San Juan Mountains on the outskirts of Telluride, Colorado.
Only it is not a typical log cabin but a beautiful 5-bedroom home with a view that is magnificent.
and mountains and in pristine condition, the Colorado cabin looks like a paradise, especially in winter when it's surrounded by snow-covered fir and cypress trees. But there's an unwanted presence that has turned the cabin into a living nightmare.

The team does a lot of research and finds out more about what happened in this beautiful area many years ago.
In fact, I was looking forward to the author’s notes as I was sure there would be some things that really did happen. However, the ‘Author’s Notes” was not included with the
audiobook which isn’t unusual.

Story was a fun read. Love the descriptions of how inviting Telluride is during the Christmas season.

BTW -there is a teaser at the end regarding Book #15.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 30, 2024.

I expected this to be a thriller by it's description but it was actually a slow dive into the occult and the mununung industry. Not my jam.

I am sure there is an audience for The Christmas Presence, but, sadly, it doesn't include me. As an audio arc from Netgalley, I went into this one not realizing it was book 14 of a series. Good news is that according to the verbiage from author/publisher, it can be read as a standalone. The premise involves three women in their 50s with a particular set of skills to "clean" haunted houses. The description use the perfect line for the characters - Nancy Drew meets The Golden Girls.

It was a quick listen on audio and it kept me listening versus the sad DNF, but it didn't click with me. I was not drawn to any of the characters, the religious references or the supernatural. BUT, clearly, as book 14 the series has its readers. Give it a try if you like mature characters and quick reads.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a digital copy of the audiobook; I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This book is the 14th in the series, which was not indicated on NetGalley. However, this book can be read as a standalone without issue.

I think that the synopsis of the book is all wrong in how to describe this book. I was expecting a cozy mystery with some thriller aspects to it. Instead, I got a lot about the occult and seances and conjuring spirits (nothing wrong with that, just not my thing). Then there was a point where one of the characters prays out loud to God (again, nothing wrong with that, just not my thing).

There was some interesting historical information provided in the book when the characters read from found newspapers.

The audiobook narrator, the author, was good, but it really threw me for a loop when she said Jiy-Ro for gyro. Maybe it's a regional thing?

The narrator they picked for this wholesome and fun novel was perfect! I had a blast listening to this entire book in one go while stuck in traffic yesterday. It saved me. the union history was fun to learn more about too.

Writing is slow and clunky, story is fine. I would classify as a historical cozy. I will not read this author again.

I had high expectations from the synopsis and I was a little let down. I expected something more thrilling. It was cute and cozy. I did enjoy it but I was hoping for more. The author did a great job on the audio version.

Thank you net galley ARC

This short audiobook was not exactly thrilling. The premise intrigued me, an isolated cabin being haunted. Sounded perfect! Sadly, I think it was not for me. It was more of a quick scooby doo episode with ghosts.

I couldn’t really get into it, and felt the dialogue was odd and repetitive.

The narrator, who is also the author, was good! Very clear speaking and entertaining. I listened at 1.5x.

Had enough of sappy, hallmark movies, and Happy Ever After during the Christmas season? Then I have just the book for you. Read on to find out what happens to a young woman who inherits a cabin in the middle of nowhere that appears to be haunted. She and her friends descend on the property to try and uncover the truth