Category: Coffee & Thorn

Blog Tour ‘n’ Book Review – Echoes of Ballard House
blog tour · book review · Coffee & Thorn · historical · mystery · paranormal · series

Blog Tour ‘n’ Book Review – Echoes of Ballard House

Lynne FellowsLeave a comment

Book Information:

ECHOES OF BALLARDS HOUSE

BY E. DENISE BILLUPS

ABOUT ECHOES OF BALLARD HOUSE

Hidden secrets. Unearthed truths. Simone Doucet returns to uncover the sinister truth behind a series of murders within an opulent mansion in the heart of New Orleans’ Garden District.

Yearning to escape the confines of her New York City brownstone, Simone jumps at the opportunity to house-sit a gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian home in her cherished New Orleans Garden District. Upon her arrival, the walls whisper ancient voices, the owner’s parrot mimics an eerie nightly tune, and elusive footsteps echo through the floorboards. Simone quickly discovers she is not alone in this majestic house.

Tackling the afterlife alone, Simone becomes entangled in the stories of three tormented souls caught in a web of greed, hatred, and infidelity. Their deadly secrets converge in a bone-chilling tale of murder. Yet, within the grandeur of Ballard House, Simone is far from alone.

The peril she faces extends beyond the spectral world, and she will soon confront evil from both the living and the dead. What dark secret lies hidden within the walls of Ballard House?

PRAISE FOR THE SIMONE DOUCET SERIES

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Billups always packs a punch when the other worldly visitations appear, and I found myself eagerly switching back and forth from past to present day, learning of the connections between everyone involved. Watching Simone’s friendships and love interest evolve is a lovely side story, and the author’s depth of research about early 20th century American lifestyles is apparent and pays off in dividends. Toss in the early stages of COVID appearing in America, and there’s a realistic touch that grips readers until the end. What’s causing Simone’s friends to get ill, and is the ghost responsible for all the drama or an unknown illness beginning to spread around the world? I can’t wait to see what happens in a possible third installment. Thanks for making some magic happen, Ms. Billups. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is an intoxicating novel, one that you will not be able to set down. The novel is well written, and the world building is extensive and right in shape with the story. A story line of ghosts and paranormal adventures, a girl who goes on a trip with who roommates to New Orleans. She expects to have a wild weekend, only to find it complicated by witches and ghosts and all kinds of various paranormal events. This author is able to captivate you from page one. You find yourself hanging onto the edge of your seat, never being able to set the novel down. This is a complicated, nerve racking and wonderful all at the same time. I can’t wait to read the next one. I know it will be even better. Amazon review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

E. Denise Billups was born in Monroeville, Alabama, and raised in New York City, where she currently resides. She’s a former Financial Analyst turned writer. A multi-genre fiction author, she’s published six novels and several supernatural short stories. A skilled artist, she trained as a dancer (ballet, modern, and jazz dance) in her younger years and dabbled in writing, which she would not pursue until much later.

As an avid reader of many genres, she was greatly influenced by magical realism, mystery, suspense, and supernatural novels. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s running miles in the park, finding her inner calm with yoga, experimenting with vegan dishes, and enjoying time with family and friends.

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MY REVIEW

I’ll admit to not being a regular reader of paranormal books, and those labelled as “horror” tend to have me running for the hills, but I will always make an exception for E. Denise Billups, and in particular for the Simone Doucet series.

Why? Well, simply because this series is more than simply a story, it’s an experience. The author writes so eloquently, so evocatively that it’s impossible not to feel involved, included and in so deep you have no choice but to read till the end.

In this, the third book of the series, Simone is house-sitting for a friend, using the time to write up the story she uncovered during her last encounter with one of her ancestral spirits. What she is not aware of – and what her friend has kept from her – is the gruesome history of Ballard House. And it takes but moments for Simone’s sixth sense to alert her to something that will soon endanger her own life.

For Ballard House was the scene of an horrific crime one hundred years ago, and the victims still seek an acknowledgement of what happened, as well as a reckoning for the culprit, but more than that they seek closure. Within the walls of Ballard House lies a secret so sad, so haunting that Simone cannot ignore. The spirits need to be heard. They need someone to act for them. They need Simone to finish what was left unresolved.

As the story progresses, however, the spirits are aware of another evil, and this one threatens Simone’s ability to help, and even her life. They cannot allow evil to win again, nor will they. In telling Simone their stories, she is able not only to make sense of the events back in 1919, but also to understand that history has distorted the facts. He who was presumed guilty of the killings was not the infamous murderous axe-man that the city feared. And while revenge lay at its core, his was not the only act of vengeance that festered through successive generations.

Lies, secrets, jealousy and revenge blend together in this heady cocktail of death and devastation, and Simone – as the conduit to unravel the mysteries – discovers that her presence in Ballard House is the only way to bring peace the spirits and let the house become a home once more. But she has to survive the ordeal first.

Beautifully written, intoxicatingly immersive and hugely engrossing, Echoes of Ballard House will keep you engaged throughout. The spirits are determined to be heard, and for Simone, their stories run skin deep. The way in which the author weaves that final twist, the one that makes it so personal to Simone, seems effortless and yet inspired.

After reading this, the idea of house sitting – even for a friend or family member – may forever be off the cards, but if you must, remember to take notice of the parrot (other pets may be available)!

As always,

Amazon Reviewer Name
Blog Tour ‘n’ Book Review – What Happened at the Abbey?
Coffee & Thorn · dark · gothic · historical · Scotland · series · tense

Blog Tour ‘n’ Book Review – What Happened at the Abbey?

Lynne FellowsLeave a comment

by Isobel Blackthorn

Book Information

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY

When Ingrid flees a violent husband to become a housekeeper in the Scottish Highlands, she discovers the family she works for has a much darker history than her own.

Who haunts Strathbairn? Why are the adult McCleod children at each other’s throats? And why does the youngest sneak off at night? As Ingrid searches for answers, she grows ever more fearful that her husband will track her down.

Set in late 19th century Scottish Highlands, WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY is a gothic mystery brimming with intrigue, ghostly drama, and family secrets.

PRAISE FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed this story which seemed to throw up one mystery after another….

I loved this book which kept me enthralled and entertained to the very last page. Thoroughly recommended! 5 big stars. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

…Sinister goings on have happened there in the past and continue to the present day. Nobody can be trusted, and you, the reader will analyse each character with a critical eye. What is going on here? Can Ingrid unlock the mystery and save herself before her husband finds her, or has fate got something else in store? Goodreads review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of unique and engaging fiction. She writes gripping mysteries, historical fiction and dark psychological thrillers. Her Canary Islands collection begins with The Drago Tree and includes A Matter of Latitude, Clarissa’s Warning and A Prison in the Sun. Her interest in the occult is explored in The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey and the dark mystery A Perfect Square. 

Her dark thriller The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. Isobel’s  biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’ which forms the first chapter of Emma’s Tapestry was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019.  A Prison in the Sun was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2020 and the International Book Awards 2021. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Isobel writes non fiction too. She is the author of the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy.

Isobel’s first work, which she wrote in 2008, is Voltaire’s Garden. This memoir is set in the mid 2000s and tells the story of building a sustainable lifestyle B&B in Cobargo on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, which gained international attention when a firestorm razed the idyllic historic village on New Year’s Eve 2019.

Isobel’s writing appears in journals and websites around the world, including Esoteric Quarterly, New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Trip Fiction, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel was a judge for the Shadow Awards 2020 long fiction category. Her book reviews have appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Esoteric Quarterly, Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books.

Isobel’s interests are many and varied. She has a long-standing association with the Canary Islands, having lived in Lanzarote in the late 1980s. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa.

Isobel has a background in Western Esotericism. She holds 1st Class Honours in Social Studies, and a PhD from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking research on the works of Alice A. Bailey. After working as a teacher, market trader and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.

Isobel has performed her literary works at events in a range of settings and given workshops in creative writing.

British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, She has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands.

My Thoughts

Why would an educated woman leave a comfortable home in Hampshire with her daughter for the Scottish Highlands to take up the role of a housekeeper, having been used to having staff of her own? To escape the clutches of an abusive and tormenting husband, that’s why?
With the little savings she has amassed and a job arranged for by her bishop, Ingrid Barker and daughter, Susan head for pastures new, Ingrid having persuaded Susan to tell anyone who asks that her father is dead. It’s a big ask of a seven-year-old, but fortunately Straithbairn is so remote that they have few people to lie to. And, they’re not the most hospitable bunch either, certainly not the type to whom Ingrid would want to tell her life history, assuming they showed any interest in her anyway. In fact, they are some of the rudest and most inhospitable people she has ever met, both upstairs and down.
While Ingrid hopes she has made the right decision to flee Hampshire, Straithbairn is a difficult place in which to enjoy life. Her employer, a drunken bully; his children, three grudge-bearing, bickering and damaged siblings; the staff, wary and unrelenting. And everyone has a secret that they’re happy to scream at each other about, but no-one will enlighten Ingrid as to why nothing seems to make any of them happier. So much angst, so many secrets, so much moody tension.
The grim atmosphere of the outside is reflected inside and there is little light relief until another young man, Hamish, arrives as an unexpected party guest. With Hamish, Ingrid gets to explore the nearby abbey, take picnics and see the glorious sunsets. Could Hamish be the one to bring her the happiness she seeks? Or will her husband discover her whereabouts?
The dreary state of the big house, the miserable family and their arguments, mysterious letters and diaries, the murkiness of the surrounding bog and the abandoned abbey, and not forgetting the smell of sage in the attic… all make for a tense gothic novel filled with intrigue and drama.

I was initially caught out by the sudden change in point-of-view and recognising the switch wasn’t always obvious. It’s also a darker read than I’m used to when reading historical fiction, and a little too heavy on descriptive detail that I found myself skimming at times, but it gets full marks for creepiness and for the most dysfunctional family ever. Fans of gothic hist-fic will lap it up.

PS – to get a better of the chilling tone of the story, check out this brief trailer.

BLOG TOUR ARRANGED BY

COFFEE & THORN

As always,

Amazon Reviewer Name