1837

The Haunting of Hadlow House #5

by Amy Cross

A new chapter begins in the history of Hadlow House, as the ruins of the old property are purchased by a wealthy family. Determined to create the perfect countryside retreat, the new owners set about restoring Hadlow House to its former glory.

But what dark secrets are hiding in this family's past?

Soon after they move in, the new owners start to notice something strange moving through the shadows of their home. Shocking home truths start bubbling to the surface, and a horrifying tragedy soon rocks every member of the family to their core. Can the latest occupants be saved, or is Hadlow House about to claim more victims?

1837 is the fifth book in the Haunting of Hadlow House series, which tells the story of one haunted house over the centuries from its construction to the present day. All the lives, all the souls, all the tragedies... and all the ghosts. Readers are advised to start with the first book in the series.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal

308 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2023

About the author

Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.

Reviews

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things that go bump in the night!

Although Hadlow House was, once again, at the centre of the story this tale put a slightly different slant on the saga. The ghosts of the past didn't reappear as such but a murderous new entity made up for their absence. Have the original ghosts gone for good or has their number just increased? An emotionally troubled family do the worst thing possible and relocate to Hadlow House. It isn't long before the malignant property begins to manifest its horrors on these new owners. There was a real twist in this particular story that I didn't see coming and I can't wait to see how this impacts upon the next instalment. The series just gets better and better..

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story about the house continues. This time a new family re-builds Hadlow House and moves in with a sickly daughter and a son. Soon the parents start to quarrel. What happened to Sophie, the younger child? Will Edward, the son, marry Elsa and move to India? What about the parents Thomas and Celeste? I think this part was a bit weaker than the previous volumes. Somehow the story on Sophie was a bit confusing and the constant quarreling here was a bit bothersome. Of course I will turn to the next volume but this wasn't as good as the previous ones. Recommended for fans of the series.

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series and the I like the creative idea of this series. The whole haunted house idea passed down through the ages. It's a cool concept.

But I had issues with this one and I feel as though I am being generous with three stars.

I've come to accept that Cross puts quantity over quality. I try to look past that most times. It was harder on this one. I have no idea how many times the phrase "in that moment" appears in this book, but I'm pretty damn sure that if you turned reading this book into a drinking game and took a shot every time you read "in that moment," you'd be pretty damn drunk quite early in this short novel. Might even be praying to the porcelain god(dess) by mid-way through. I know I would and I've got a hard-working, hard-charging liver! Point is, and I don't profess to be an expert or anything, but phrases like that strike me as kind of lazy writing.

Couple of other things bugged me: (1) the book goes on and on and on with so many references to how the dad Thomas has an empty eye socket that he just HAS to keep open and exposed; patches and artificial eyes, per Thomas, only caused him infections. I kept thinking there's got to be some narrative payoff for this. Why this is this way for him when any normal person would just put the damn patch on. I never got that payoff. Other than to make him a hermit, it had no role and that seemed pretty weak. and (2) There was no real connection to any of the other ghost but the barest of mentions? Where were they? Wouldn't they have been pissed that the Demeter family came and and changed a bunch of things with the layout, etc.? Where were they? Nowhere to be found as it turns out. Or if they are in there, the references are so oblique as to not really be noticeable.

I'll continue the series to its end but this one wasn't my favorite.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a little different from the past stories in this series despite Hadlow House being at its centre.

Time has past since the House was burned but a new owner has had it rebuilt and extended. The new family is odd in many ways and the balance of power is still with men.

I don't give spoilers so will just say that this was a good, atmospheric horror with a couple of twists.

Worth a look.

[Dieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "1837," Amy Cross returns us to the intriguing Hadlow House, a place that never fails to captivate. Throughout the story, there's a constant tension that keeps you on edge. However, I found myself missing the ghosts, especially Fanny, whose presence usually added an ominous feeling to the previous books.

Overall, a solid read, but I hope the next installment brings back the ghostly mischief ( and gruesome deaths!) in full force!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a while, but I have returned to Hadlow House for 1837, the fifth book in the series. I really like the series concept of following a haunted house through its various tenants, but the ‘OG’ ghosts and family line were getting a bit stale. Thankfully, we return to Hadlow House with some fresh blood in the form of the Demeter family, fleeing smog infested Bristol for cleaner air for their young daughter. Elder son, Edward, in the face of being shipped off to India to earn his fortune, falls for a local girl while worrying about his parents’ disintegrating relationship and mysterious happenings in the new house.

I was pleasantly surprised by this classic ghost story and felt it was a strong return to the first book’s promise. Unfortunately, typos, some glaringly bad, show up as well as this is a self-published work.

[Rodney Wiedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have a new family, but you get the same results. A new family buys Hadlow House, and they rebuild it after Patience destroyed most of it. The ghosts are still there, and Rebecca is waundering around lost because the house is bigger, and she is having a hard time finding her way around. Fanny is there, but she really doesn't make an appearance, but her presence is felt. You can tell from the beginning who is going to die because of their frailties, and it doesn't take long for the first to die, but you really don't know exactly what happens to her. Great story, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[María Maldonado · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning, I misjudged the book and thought it was too slow... But then the plot twist came and everything changed.
I loved everything about it. It wasn't as gory or graphic as the previous ones but it was rather heartbreaking and beautifully tragic.
Even if this was an entirely new story, I loved it.
This was the perfect ghost story for me 😍❤️🥰👌🏼

Something that I also loved was that I think this book can be read by itself
Oh, and even if their appearance isn't as significant as in the previous books, it was nice to see the ghosts again and some characters from the previous books 🥹👻

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Haunting of Hadlow series continues to be a fun and easy read. The stories, while similar, differentiate themselves enough for them to not seem repetitive or overly familiar.

This installment introduces an entirely new family to the fold and adds some interesting twists to the mix while also recognizing the history of the haunted home. It moves along rather quickly, though I do wish there was just a tad more to the story. Though, it did set up a larger plot that should carry into the next book at the very least.

[Cheri Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intense and interesting!

I enjoyed this very much! It had a few twists and turns that I didn't expect. I'm into the ghosts stories that are hard to put down and this series is right up my alley. Amy Cross is an extraordinary author! I've loved every book I've read of hers! I'm looking forward to continuing on to the next book in the series and to read more of her stand alone novels!

[Letícia Peregrino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the beginning here. Got very invested in this new family and was genuinely scared for them. In fact, this might have been the entry that unnerved me the most.

However, the ending... 🥴

It didn't ruin the book, but prevented it from being a 4 stars for me.

Still, it gives a new breath to the series and manages to keep things interesting. So I'd still recommend.

[Devon Maas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction of the wolf is confusing and much like the earlier installments of the series there are several proofreading errors. Which is disappointing because the plot of the book and the absolute PLOT TWIST was amazing. I loved how this changed the formula the previous books used. But with less confusion in the beginning and more diligent editing this could’ve been a 5 star.

[Traci Kaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, positively horrid editing.

You can definitely get lost in this book series except for the times of missed grammatical errors. This particular book even had plot errors which totally threw off the rhythm of the book. I honestly got tired of sending in errors.

[Kathryn Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 5th book is disappointing…

I have the entire series and this one took me some time to finish. I didn’t care for any of the main characters and I’m not sure it I will continue reading the rest.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hadlow House has been rebuilt and a new family has moved in. This time it is a new ghost, rather than that of Fannie, which causes grief for the new inhabitants of Hadlow House. Edward appears to have come out of this unscathed............ or has he?

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

It was a different situation than I was expecting but kept true to the story. I was wondering what was going to happen after the last book ended. Plus...I was totally NOT expecting what became of the ending! She got me good! Good job Amy!

[Adam Stanhope · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are really interesting books that are set through the years, one house that can be so dark and have a past but the past will always come back to haunt, I enjoy how Amy cross writes in a way that keeps you engrossed in the story

[Jimmy Harker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, a twist at the end i did not see coming!

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

lost a star because i literally counted 20 typos

[Nancy L. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky

I liked this one in the series best so far. I highly recommend that you read all and in order.

[debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting to Long

It was good the first 3 books but now kinda dragging out,like a movie that goes to 2nd,3rd, 4 th . Starting to get boring without a point. Just continues.

[Jessica Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all the books in the series so far, I really enjoyed this one! A few misspellings but I love how different this family was from the others.

[Rose Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Amy Cross caught me off guard a few times in this story. I can usually predict how a story line is going, but she put in some twists that were unexpected.

[Diane]

Love it!

I absolutely love this series! I was a little confused about the end of this one though. Hopefully the next book will clear that up

[Sam Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I really like how this started but I think it got a bit messy in the middle and the end left me with a lot of questions.

[Amandatory Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not foresee the big twist! Then everything started to make sense. So good!

[Jade Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word on why it took me so long. ✨Depression✨

[brii | brii (three months behind...) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5