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Ravynne Sisters #1
A Haunting at Hensley Hall
Pragmatic Charlie Ravynne never imagined she would find herself falling in love with a house of all things, let alone the deserted, dilapidated Victorian mansion she found on the Internet. Her sister, Meg, on the other hand, was not nearly as enamored. In fact, she seriously doubted her sister's sanity, when she suggested they enter the contest that offered Hensley Hall as the prize.
But Meg's curiosity was piqued when she learned the previous owners had died in the old mansion. As a self- styled "ghost magnet" whose interest in the paranormal dated back to her childhood, she became more and more intrigued with the notion that HensleyHall was haunted. If they won the contest, she could have her very own ghosts! Though, admittedly, she wasn't all that sure what she'd do with them!
Soon the contest had hooked them both, though neither really believed they had any chance of winning. They had never won anything in their entire lives (except in grade school when they'd won first prize for the most unusual Halloween costume due to a freak accident neither ever wanted to mention again!)and so, they were both amazed when a registered letter brought the good news. They were now the new owners of Hensley Hall and its occupants.
Arriving at their new home, they were horrified by the monstrous mansion that seemed to be waiting for them with malevolent intent. Imprinted by old tragedies…hates…forbidden loves, and a bloated evil that fed on fear, the derelict mansion they had hoped would be their dream house some day, quickly, turned into their worst nightmare as, bit by bit, they uncovered the dark history surrounding its past.
Almost forty years ago, three schoolgirls had been brutally raped then murdered by the Stoneman, whose signature was a black river rock sealed in the mouth of each victim. Then seventeen year old, Breanna Hensley, vanished and was never seen again, except when night falls and her restless spirit roamed the halls searching for? Is it Devon, her twin brother, and the 'person of interest' the police were about to arrest when he fled the scene and died in a train wreck?
As Meg and Charlie Ravynne struggle to solve the mystery surrounding Breanna's disappearance and find peace for her restless spirit, they begin to believe that Devon is not the one buried in the family mausoleum…that the murderer and rapist the police were looking for is very much alive and somewhere close. Perhaps way too close!
Could he be the darkly, beguiling, Zack Mallory, the mysterious boarder who rents the tower room? Or is he, Adrian Adams, their youngest sister, Rayne's, new love interest? There are more than skeletons rattling around in the cupboards at Hensley Hall…far more…in this paranormal thriller laced with romance.
But Meg's curiosity was piqued when she learned the previous owners had died in the old mansion. As a self- styled "ghost magnet" whose interest in the paranormal dated back to her childhood, she became more and more intrigued with the notion that HensleyHall was haunted. If they won the contest, she could have her very own ghosts! Though, admittedly, she wasn't all that sure what she'd do with them!
Soon the contest had hooked them both, though neither really believed they had any chance of winning. They had never won anything in their entire lives (except in grade school when they'd won first prize for the most unusual Halloween costume due to a freak accident neither ever wanted to mention again!)and so, they were both amazed when a registered letter brought the good news. They were now the new owners of Hensley Hall and its occupants.
Arriving at their new home, they were horrified by the monstrous mansion that seemed to be waiting for them with malevolent intent. Imprinted by old tragedies…hates…forbidden loves, and a bloated evil that fed on fear, the derelict mansion they had hoped would be their dream house some day, quickly, turned into their worst nightmare as, bit by bit, they uncovered the dark history surrounding its past.
Almost forty years ago, three schoolgirls had been brutally raped then murdered by the Stoneman, whose signature was a black river rock sealed in the mouth of each victim. Then seventeen year old, Breanna Hensley, vanished and was never seen again, except when night falls and her restless spirit roamed the halls searching for? Is it Devon, her twin brother, and the 'person of interest' the police were about to arrest when he fled the scene and died in a train wreck?
As Meg and Charlie Ravynne struggle to solve the mystery surrounding Breanna's disappearance and find peace for her restless spirit, they begin to believe that Devon is not the one buried in the family mausoleum…that the murderer and rapist the police were looking for is very much alive and somewhere close. Perhaps way too close!
Could he be the darkly, beguiling, Zack Mallory, the mysterious boarder who rents the tower room? Or is he, Adrian Adams, their youngest sister, Rayne's, new love interest? There are more than skeletons rattling around in the cupboards at Hensley Hall…far more…in this paranormal thriller laced with romance.
Nook
First published July 12, 2011
31 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Merabeth James
36 books27 followers I began my actual writing career as a journalist and then a TV scriptwriter, but loved putting words together to form images/thoughts/feelings almost as soon as I could grasp a pencil.
There are six things important to me...well, most important to me: To love unconditionally, to always keep a sense of 'wonder', to always be kind, to find joy in simple things, to never take myself too seriously, and to make sure I don't leave this earth with a list of "if only I hads" trailing behind me.
I've taken many 'leaps of faith' in my time and, so far, have landed on my feet or, in one case, on a dilapitated houseboat with my dog, and a lot of enthusiasm. I named her 'Sanctuary Annie' and hoped for the best. I knew nothing about boats, couldn't swim and wondered how long she would stay afloat.
In the middle of the night, when my dog jumped up to join me on the antique Victorian bed I had moved on board, I would check to see if he was wet, knowing, if so, we were both in big trouble. But Sanctuary Annie hung in there, even surviving a hurricane, when others around her were not so fortunate.
Living in the small marina, with the sea as my back yard, I found a profound sense of peace..and the love of my life....my Jim, captain of 'Wings', a beautiful racing sloop that flies across the water, when the wind fills her sails.
I often think how much I would have missed out on, if I hadn't taken that leap of faith and followed my heart. Life is meant to be lived and I intend to keep on doing just that.
There are six things important to me...well, most important to me: To love unconditionally, to always keep a sense of 'wonder', to always be kind, to find joy in simple things, to never take myself too seriously, and to make sure I don't leave this earth with a list of "if only I hads" trailing behind me.
I've taken many 'leaps of faith' in my time and, so far, have landed on my feet or, in one case, on a dilapitated houseboat with my dog, and a lot of enthusiasm. I named her 'Sanctuary Annie' and hoped for the best. I knew nothing about boats, couldn't swim and wondered how long she would stay afloat.
In the middle of the night, when my dog jumped up to join me on the antique Victorian bed I had moved on board, I would check to see if he was wet, knowing, if so, we were both in big trouble. But Sanctuary Annie hung in there, even surviving a hurricane, when others around her were not so fortunate.
Living in the small marina, with the sea as my back yard, I found a profound sense of peace..and the love of my life....my Jim, captain of 'Wings', a beautiful racing sloop that flies across the water, when the wind fills her sails.
I often think how much I would have missed out on, if I hadn't taken that leap of faith and followed my heart. Life is meant to be lived and I intend to keep on doing just that.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 25, 2011
This book has potential. The author can tell a story, and I liked her main characters, but...
1) She needs an editor. There were continuity problems, characters mentioned for the first time as if the reader should be familiar with them, quotes assigned to the wrong character that should have been caught, and the story needed overall tightening up and smoothing out.
2) Spell check is not enough. I saw very few words misspelled but the book was full of grammatical errors. Also, she put quotes around pretty much any word or phrase she (evidently) considered colloquial - not necessary and in fact downright distracting 99% of the time.
1) She needs an editor. There were continuity problems, characters mentioned for the first time as if the reader should be familiar with them, quotes assigned to the wrong character that should have been caught, and the story needed overall tightening up and smoothing out.
2) Spell check is not enough. I saw very few words misspelled but the book was full of grammatical errors. Also, she put quotes around pretty much any word or phrase she (evidently) considered colloquial - not necessary and in fact downright distracting 99% of the time.
July 24, 2011
I was both an older sister and a younger sister being the oldest of four children but having an aunt only 5 years older than I was, I was also treated to having a big sister relationship. I can relate completely to both Charlie and Meg. Their relationship rang true and I loved how they dealt with the situation they stumbled headlong into. This is the third Marebeth James book I've read and I have absolutely enjoyed all three. As in her previous books, the location, in this case a haunted house, is very much a leading character and the ghosts which add that paranormal spice to the story add just enough to make the story scary but not completely out of the realm of possibility. Like many people, I've had my own paranormal experience, so, like the cowardly lion, I do believe in ghosts! Not all of the ghosts in this story are evil and not all the ghosts are ghosts!
I look forward to reading more of Marebeth's books. They are a delightful treat and a great way to spend some quiet time enjoying a paranormal adventure in my favorite chair.
I look forward to reading more of Marebeth's books. They are a delightful treat and a great way to spend some quiet time enjoying a paranormal adventure in my favorite chair.
February 26, 2013
This is one story that I literally had to force myself to finish. The story made no sense and too many details randomly thrown in of the sister's background that had no relevance. Was like a bunch of half thought out ideas thrown together.
October 31, 2022
Liked it Very Much
The sisters are a lot of fun. The supporting characters are well thought out. Not too many English mistakes to detract from the story. Hope you enjoy it too
The sisters are a lot of fun. The supporting characters are well thought out. Not too many English mistakes to detract from the story. Hope you enjoy it too
May 2, 2013
Charlie and Meg Ravynne each have their own secrets, Charlie has a secret past involving a man named Paul and Meg seeing ghosts. Together they enter a contest, winning the Hensley Hall mansion in a small town. With this mansion comes two ghosts, haunting the place. Soon Charlie and Meg is trying to learn if the forty year old murder of three young women are linked to the hauntings and what truly happened to Devon Hensley. Annie, the cook and Zack, the writer also has secrets. As another seventeen year old goes missing, the search is on to find her. When Meg goes missing, Zack and Charlie join forces to find her and uncover the truth about the Hensley and their dirty little secrets. The characters are interesting as their secrets are slowly revealed and the story slowly unravels until the truth is told about the Hensley.
December 11, 2012
The story started out slow, but the Ravynne sisters Charlie and Meg do grow on you. Through out the story each sister's 2 dimensional personalities becomes more 3 dimensional. Charlie the tough sister and Meg the sensitive sister decide that their life has to change. Change it does when Charlie decides to enter a contest to win an old victorian house. Surprise they win and with it an old unsolved murder and a few ghosts; good and bad.
The story is set in the present day and the storyline involves present day issues as well as past ones. I enjoyed the banter between the two characters and other characters that eventually find themselves entering the story. So get ready for some night time under your blankets reading. Nothing like a good ghost story on a cold winters night.
The story is set in the present day and the storyline involves present day issues as well as past ones. I enjoyed the banter between the two characters and other characters that eventually find themselves entering the story. So get ready for some night time under your blankets reading. Nothing like a good ghost story on a cold winters night.
October 26, 2011
This was cute and creepy with more than one red herring. There were so many places where it gave me the creeps that I thought I heard a noise while I was finishing it and woke up my husband so he could go catch the burglar...
Charlie & Meg Ravynne win a dilapidated Victorian mansion and renovate it into a B&B complete with ghosts and a 40 year old murder mystery.
This is supposedly the first in a series and as a series shows some promise. Ms. James has a real ability to develop a ghostly scenario appropriately creepy as opposed to the campy alternative so many ghost stories end up being. There is real potential here.
Charlie & Meg Ravynne win a dilapidated Victorian mansion and renovate it into a B&B complete with ghosts and a 40 year old murder mystery.
This is supposedly the first in a series and as a series shows some promise. Ms. James has a real ability to develop a ghostly scenario appropriately creepy as opposed to the campy alternative so many ghost stories end up being. There is real potential here.
July 27, 2012
Interesting story. I really enjoyed it , though parts got a bit cheesy at the end, a sort of Lifetime movie of the week with a Syfy channel feel to it.
I did find the characters a typical extreme...Charlie being the brawny and enforcer role to Megs meeker and then the brief encounter with the overtly sexual tones of the youngest sister was a bit overdone and expected.
The story and plot I really enjoyed and some of the twists and turns were a surprise, where others not so much....maybe too many episodes of Criminal Minds and those types of shows has me too jaded, but some of the plot lines were thin and obvious in parts.
I did find the characters a typical extreme...Charlie being the brawny and enforcer role to Megs meeker and then the brief encounter with the overtly sexual tones of the youngest sister was a bit overdone and expected.
The story and plot I really enjoyed and some of the twists and turns were a surprise, where others not so much....maybe too many episodes of Criminal Minds and those types of shows has me too jaded, but some of the plot lines were thin and obvious in parts.
July 20, 2012
Enjoyed this book. I would put it behind "For Sale: Old Manor House" which I loved. Perhaps because of the setting. But this book was great, especially the sisters relationship. I liked the ghost mystery. It was quick, easy reading. A good book to spend reading on a hot summer day on the back porch with a big glass of iced tea.
I bought the 2nd book and I'm starting it now.
I bought the 2nd book and I'm starting it now.
February 27, 2012
Story was fun. Editing was bad. I would read more of her stuff, though. I find that self-published ebooks seem to have a lot of issues with bad editing, but this was one of the worst I have seen. But I loved the story! The characters were great! And I loved the twists!
November 28, 2014
Excellent read! This was really a good book! I liked the characters and story line. The mystery part was great! kept you guessing! I have already read the 2nd book which was good as well! You won't be disappointed!
March 14, 2016
The Haunting at Hensley Hall
This was a great read, even the second time around! Charlie and Meg are well developed characters and entertain as well as give great goosebumps. You'll never guess the ending! Whodunnit indeed!
This was a great read, even the second time around! Charlie and Meg are well developed characters and entertain as well as give great goosebumps. You'll never guess the ending! Whodunnit indeed!
November 6, 2011
Enjoyed this story though at times it moved a bit slow. But it was still entertaining and had a good ending.
April 14, 2012
Really enjoyed this novel and the second novel in the series. I truly hope more are written. It is good to have some novels with more mature women as the main characters.
January 22, 2013
Definitely a guilty pleasure.... While I liked the relationship the sisters shared, some paranormal aspects verged on farce.
April 1, 2014
Love this book, could not put down.. Read from 11pm to 5 am, it's THAT good!! Totally recommend this fantastic story.. Amazing read, going to start the next in the series now
May 12, 2015
Fascinating
Very spooky ghost story with a mystery to solve . The characters were likeable and story kept me reading. Scary in parts
Very spooky ghost story with a mystery to solve . The characters were likeable and story kept me reading. Scary in parts
November 19, 2017
A clever read
The sisters did not catch my interest. The plot was good in spots but the ghosts were more interesting than the main characters.
The sisters did not catch my interest. The plot was good in spots but the ghosts were more interesting than the main characters.
March 25, 2016
One of the best
This one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I've read a lot of them. I'm glad I have found another great series. I can't wait to get to the next book.
This one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I've read a lot of them. I'm glad I have found another great series. I can't wait to get to the next book.
October 29, 2016
Great paranormal story, interesting twists. This writer needs an editor though because all those quotation marks and exclamations everywhere are distracting.
September 28, 2011
an amazing book and all for the price of .99 cents
March 6, 2013
A fun read...the storyline captured my attention and kept my interest.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews