The Haunting of Styre House

by Amy Cross

AN ABANDONED ENGLISH COTTAGE... A BLACK CAT GLIMPSED IN SCORES OF OLD PHOTOS... A TERRIBLE MURDER, COVERED UP MANY YEARS AGO.

When Parker and her mother move into Styre House, they immediately notice that something's not quite right. They have no key for the garage, and any time they try to get inside they end up distracted. A mysterious black cat patrols the property, seemingly waiting for something or someone. And strange noises at night hint at a hidden presence that lurks in the shadows.

Soon, Parker discovers that Styre House has many mysteries. As she gets to know a local historian from the nearby village, she starts to uncover a horrifying web of lies, secrets and deaths, all connected to someone who lived in the house more than a century earlier. But is the past willing to stay buried, or is there some truth to the rumors of ghostly encounters and witchcraft?

The Haunting of Styre House is the first book in a trilogy about a remote, abandoned English cottage that still bears the scars of its terrifying past. Who is Smythe, where does he come from, and how far is he willing to go in order to protect the legacy of his mistress? This book ends on a cliffhanger.

Genres: Horror

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 19, 2024

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 2 out of 5]

Never mess with a demonic pussycat!

What a load of tosh that was. A spectral cat, a witch, a village with a secret, a moody teenage girl, her New Age mother and, oh, lots of gory horror. This was the start of a trilogy that I won't be taking any further. Very disappointing fayre from the 'Amy Cross' franchise.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

For god sake, find someone to edit her books.

Is no one editing these books before they’re published? This has been an ongoing problem with Cross’s books since day one.

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5🌟 rounded up

I wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately, I didn't. The premise of the book seemed intriguing, but the overall plot was weak; much of the story was predictable, while Parker and her mother were annoying and felt underdeveloped as characters. This meant that I wasn't invested in their story and I didn't care about what happened to them.

I loved Smythe the cat, but his actions were pretty unbelievable, and the story jumped around too much.

[Amy Oleary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was easy to read with relatively short chapters which I liked but I didn't really find the plot believable. Id also read reviews where they said it was a creepy. I get this from the book. But overall I did enjoy reading it.

[Michaelann Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! Creepy!!

This book creeped me out many times. The story was great and the characters are interesting but that cat... OMG! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys scary books.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but I'd say it's alright. Writing style is very easy to read and basic, there's no fluff that you might expect in a horror. Moments of gore, lots of typical horror aspects.

Feels like a familiar hug of a ghost story.

[Leah Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 but rounding up to 3.0
This was good, the story was interesting, but lots of points were repeated where other details could have been added.

[Eileanór Bláth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Team Smythe!
Because all the other characters are f*ing awful.
It's a good thing that the book opens with Alison getting what she deserves. LOL

This would have been a 3-star book with some thought about taking one out at times because, frankly, some of the things happening and some dialogues are pretty unbelievable, even in a setting like this.
BUT...
The four stars are based on the fact that FINALLY this kind of book ends well. I want to keep this spoiler free, but we're STARVED for this kind of ending. Enough with the Disney vibe, thank you.

I would also like to address something that was pointed out in another review: the editing. This isn't the first time I read a book by Amy Cross and I have to agree, I thought the same in the past: she needs an editor for the spelling mistakes. But the good news is that she apparently did get one (or did the work herself) before publishing the paperbacks. I'm not a huge fan of e-books so when I found out I could buy a physical copy, I did so immediately. I noticed almost nothing wrong on the spelling side. I just thought you should know.
Just one thing, though... new drinking game: take a shot everytime she writes "Before he could finish" 😂

Aaand I'm out ordering the next two books. 🐾

[Diana Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book went from "okay, I can maybe stretch to believe that" to "um, no, that doesn't make sense and why would the author do that?" to "oh, now that's just stupid." Apparently being sucked into the pits of hell isn't necessarily the end of a being. And while we're at it, let's just kill off the main character, with no hints that she might not be gone forever. To be fair, the book was mildly entertaining, and that's about as far as I'd go. I won't be reading any more of the series.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book had an eerie, gory, spooky vibe to it. For such a short read, though, it felt like it dragged at times. The ending, however, was really interesting. It doesn’t spell out exactly what’s going on with Parker, but it’s clear she’s possessed—especially with the cat coming back after all the chaos and the damage it caused to Parker’s mother. Parker’s energy at the end was completely off, and Colin definitely knows something’s not right. Trippy ending!

[Ted Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy cross has a talent

Amy cross did it again. How she thinks of these stories that holds her readers in suspense waiting to see what happens next is a talent she has developed with her writing. This story is great. I've ordered book 3 and eager to see what she has in store for us.

[Jane Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective or horror story?

Not sure how to review this. Sometimes, it appears to be a detective story, othertimes a horror story. Characters weren't quite developed enough. A great deal of potential for future projects seen though. Terrific plot, just needed a bit more detail. I did enjoy it, read in only two sessions. Will eagerly await the next book.

[Julie A. Powell · Rating 2 out of 5]

More Horror than Haunting

This book was full of far too much mutilation and gore than was necessary in a book described as a Haunting. The writing itself wasn’t bad but the constant inclusion of slashings and horrific deaths was not necessary. It is rare for me to dislike a book but this one was definitely a disappointment.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. It sounded like an interesting story but there was a huge lack of character development. The story just dragged with little to no action for the first half and a lot of annoying dialogue between mom & daughter. When the action did finally get going, it wasn’t scary or exciting. I definitely won’t stick around for the next instalment

[Miss Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm honestly not even quite sure what that was. It was short, which is in its favour, but the writing isn't good, the editing isn't good, the descriptions aren't good. It's just gory and needlessly violent. I won't be bothering with the rest of the trilogy.

[Dorene Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Disappointing

It was like a brand new writer trying out their first book. I was looking for a good mystery but this was just gore.
I think I will give up on Amy Cross as an author. I have given her a few tries and they have all been disappointing.

[Sherrel R. Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one CREEPY novel!!!

I hate that Amazon requires you to write at least 20 words to have your review accepted. It's just hard to do on my Kindle. So let me just say this...CREEPY, CREEPY, CREEPY!!!

[Pam F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put down

This book has many interesting twists that are totally unpredictable including the ending. The author left us with a surprise ending and great book. Very graphic but did not bother me.

[Rose Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly frightening

This was one bad cat. Mother and daughter had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they bought this venue.

[Martin Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good twist

An enjoyable read wondering where it will take you.? It wasn’t to flowery, over descriptive of people places etc focusing on the story leaving it to your imagination!

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do enjoy any cross books.

[Robin Renee Fischer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't even bother! It was the worst book I have ever read! It was very hard to get through and does not seem like a book written by this Author.

[Matthew F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, so

Too much of the story was not plausible. Character actions felt forced and awkward. Ending was seemed contrived just to end the story. Seems more of a young adult story

[Patty Rothing · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the stupidest, most disappointing horror novels I have had the misfortune to read. It is so difficult to find a well written book in this genre, but I keep trying.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boo

How dumb. You read the whole story and find out that in the end the whole thing they were fighting against has happened. Boo

[Richard Gilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

Slightly disappointing addition to an otherwise fantastic body of work. I will read the next book in the series to see if it regains my interest.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Amanda Castagnoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story. Sad parts. And when you think it's going to be ok, then bam it's not.

[Michelle Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book!

I did not care for the ending but, the middle was good. I thought they were going to be inseparable. I was a little disappointed at the ending.