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Bless the Mother
Time may heal all wounds, but time stands still for the dead.Twenty years have passed since the horrific night in the Whispering House. Now, Abigail lives a relatively normal life as an independent bookstore owner while her sister, Constance, struggles to navigate crippling physical and psychological damage.
But when Abigail inherits the house, old memories and childhood traumas are awoken.
Abigail becomes drawn to the dreamlike allure of the house, enticed by the potential of reconnecting with their dead mother.
Meanwhile, Constance’s dormant terrors return with frightening violence.
Will they finally connect with their dead mother and cleanse the house of the evil tearing their family apart, or will the house continue its reign of psychological horror?
One thing is certain…they will discover the unsettling truth of Constance’s connection to the house and a secret Abigail’s hidden since that fateful night in the fire.
Suspenseful and immersive, Bless the Mother is the second novel in The Haunting of the Whispering House paranormal horror series from author L.C. Marino.
But when Abigail inherits the house, old memories and childhood traumas are awoken.
Abigail becomes drawn to the dreamlike allure of the house, enticed by the potential of reconnecting with their dead mother.
Meanwhile, Constance’s dormant terrors return with frightening violence.
Will they finally connect with their dead mother and cleanse the house of the evil tearing their family apart, or will the house continue its reign of psychological horror?
One thing is certain…they will discover the unsettling truth of Constance’s connection to the house and a secret Abigail’s hidden since that fateful night in the fire.
Suspenseful and immersive, Bless the Mother is the second novel in The Haunting of the Whispering House paranormal horror series from author L.C. Marino.
- GenresHorror
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2024
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
L.C. Marino
10 books49 followersLucas writes thriller, suspense, and horror fiction. If he’s not writing, he’s reading, playing guitar, or enjoying time with his family. Lucas is also the host of The Suspense is Killing Me podcast. He is the author of The Haunting of The Whispering House series.
A military engineer by experience, he spent twenty-one years in the United States Coast Guard. He earned his Doctor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at The George Washington University.
He now lives in a pile of trees in Virginia.
A military engineer by experience, he spent twenty-one years in the United States Coast Guard. He earned his Doctor of Engineering and Master of Science degrees in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at The George Washington University.
He now lives in a pile of trees in Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 18, 2024
Twenty years later we follow Abigail and Constance as they navigate life and try to sell the whispering house before it can attempt to consume them again. There’s a HUGE twist in this one that had me floored. I’ll leave it at that because anything else might spoil for those who have yet to read.
We are getting another book though! Yay! I’m curious to see what happens where this story left us on yet another cliffhanger.
Psychological Horror fans need to add this series to their shelves. If you enjoy haunted house/ghost stories then this is right up your alley. Go give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.
We are getting another book though! Yay! I’m curious to see what happens where this story left us on yet another cliffhanger.
Psychological Horror fans need to add this series to their shelves. If you enjoy haunted house/ghost stories then this is right up your alley. Go give it a read. You won’t be disappointed.
January 15, 2025
Super creepy horror tale that follows up with Abigail and Constance from Burn the Girls, the first book in The Haunting of the Whispering House series.
Book 2 takes place 20 years later, as the girls try to build a life after the violence and trauma of their experiences in their childhood home. But the Whispering House begins calling to Abigail and a series of dreams, visions and hauntings entice her to return.
Whispering House is haunted by much more than the ghost of their mother, and as Abigail gets manipulated by dark forces and Constance fights to save her, the tension compounds and the plot twists are surprising and heart-breaking.
This is a story that moves with breakneck speed and has ghosts galore. But these ghosts all have questionable intentions and bad advice for the sisters. I teared up quite a few times, as Marino cleverly captures the love, despair and frustration of two sisters trying so hard to just LIVE and support each other.
I look forward to Book 3.
Book 2 takes place 20 years later, as the girls try to build a life after the violence and trauma of their experiences in their childhood home. But the Whispering House begins calling to Abigail and a series of dreams, visions and hauntings entice her to return.
Whispering House is haunted by much more than the ghost of their mother, and as Abigail gets manipulated by dark forces and Constance fights to save her, the tension compounds and the plot twists are surprising and heart-breaking.
This is a story that moves with breakneck speed and has ghosts galore. But these ghosts all have questionable intentions and bad advice for the sisters. I teared up quite a few times, as Marino cleverly captures the love, despair and frustration of two sisters trying so hard to just LIVE and support each other.
I look forward to Book 3.
December 31, 2024
Absolutely loved this 3rd book! I devoured this book in just a few hours. The plot twist is just crazy, I didnt see it coming. L.C. Marino is a very talented writter and I cant wait for the next book!
January 13, 2025
Wow, loved this!! Left me wanting more! Can't wait till the next book comes out!
April 18, 2025
I'm absolutely enjoying this series! With each successive entry, Marino both builds on the world and deepens the mystery.
He dropped a couple of bombs in this one that I truly wasn't expecting, that just made it that much more fun. I will, however, admit to being a bit hazy on the various states of existence. Near as I can figure, there's us, alive, in this world. There's the ghosts that hang around us, in this world. There's the afterlife, where the dead ultimately end up. And, then there's an in-between that exists between our world and the afterlife...
I think I have that right.
Regardless, I think, right now, BURN THE GIRLS is my favourite, but with what's been set up here, I have a feeling BANISH THE DEAD is going to blow me away.
He dropped a couple of bombs in this one that I truly wasn't expecting, that just made it that much more fun. I will, however, admit to being a bit hazy on the various states of existence. Near as I can figure, there's us, alive, in this world. There's the ghosts that hang around us, in this world. There's the afterlife, where the dead ultimately end up. And, then there's an in-between that exists between our world and the afterlife...
I think I have that right.
Regardless, I think, right now, BURN THE GIRLS is my favourite, but with what's been set up here, I have a feeling BANISH THE DEAD is going to blow me away.
November 23, 2025
Picking up roughly 20 years after “Burn The Girls” had ended, “Bless the Mother” by L.C.Marino is one of those rare novels that lures you in with its quiet tension and richly drawn characters and then, without warning, detonates a twist that completely blindsides you. I genuinely did not see it coming, and when it hit, it recontextualized everything in the most satisfying way. It’s the kind of reveal that makes you flip back through earlier chapters just to appreciate how skillfully it was planted.
Marino’s writing is sharp, emotional, and immersive. The atmosphere builds gradually, threading unease through everyday moments until you realize you’ve been holding your breath for pages at a time. The 2 main characters, Constance & Abigail, feel painfully real, and the exploration of family, trauma, and resilience is handled with both grit and compassion.
What impressed me most is how the story balances beauty and brutality without ever tipping too far in either direction. It’s gripping, heartfelt, and haunting in the best possible way.
All that being said, there were moments in this one that I struggled to push through. Some chapters felt a little like filler pages to me earlier in the story, and during the final contention there also felt like some over repetitious dialogue a’la “should I go” and “should I stay” that drug on in an otherwise slam dunk final confrontation.
Overall, if you love a novel that sneaks up on you, punches you right in the chest, and then leaves you thinking about it for days, “Bless the Mother” is absolutely worth your time. The twist alone is unforgettable, but the writing and emotional depth elevate it even further.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 🤩
Marino’s writing is sharp, emotional, and immersive. The atmosphere builds gradually, threading unease through everyday moments until you realize you’ve been holding your breath for pages at a time. The 2 main characters, Constance & Abigail, feel painfully real, and the exploration of family, trauma, and resilience is handled with both grit and compassion.
What impressed me most is how the story balances beauty and brutality without ever tipping too far in either direction. It’s gripping, heartfelt, and haunting in the best possible way.
All that being said, there were moments in this one that I struggled to push through. Some chapters felt a little like filler pages to me earlier in the story, and during the final contention there also felt like some over repetitious dialogue a’la “should I go” and “should I stay” that drug on in an otherwise slam dunk final confrontation.
Overall, if you love a novel that sneaks up on you, punches you right in the chest, and then leaves you thinking about it for days, “Bless the Mother” is absolutely worth your time. The twist alone is unforgettable, but the writing and emotional depth elevate it even further.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 🤩
November 16, 2024
we watch, because yes this story is weaved with such finesse that you are vividly watching from the pages, as the girls grow 20 years later and must make decisions about The Whispering House. Abigail returns. Will they still be there? Was it all real? Things begin to happen again. Abigail reveals secrets she has been keeping her whole life and a secret she’s kept from Constance. The girls find out maybe Adeline was really only trying to help them the entire time but they weren’t paying attention. Will they listen this time, will Abigail survive or is it her time for the house to take her?
I really don’t want to say too much because I don’t believe in giving away spoilers, you must do the work yourself - and it is that good I would hate to ruin it!
👻👻👻👻👻 - this series gets all the ghosts and darkness
🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀 - this book also gets 5 twisters for plot twists you wont see coming!
☠️☠️☠️☠️ - some people may be unalived
I really don’t want to say too much because I don’t believe in giving away spoilers, you must do the work yourself - and it is that good I would hate to ruin it!
👻👻👻👻👻 - this series gets all the ghosts and darkness
🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀 - this book also gets 5 twisters for plot twists you wont see coming!
☠️☠️☠️☠️ - some people may be unalived
December 27, 2024
This book takes place many years after book one and you MUST read book one to understand what is going on. In this installment, we come back into the lives of Abigail and Constance as they struggle with adult responsibilities such as what to do with the scary house that tried to kill them. This book is scary and thoughtful just like the ones that came before it. It also has a twist that will punch you right in the gut, even if you are expecting it. I will say no more because, well you know, spoilers!
November 8, 2024
Sinister, spooky, dark, and mysterious. I can't wait for the next book.
May 14, 2025
I love this series and this book did not disappoint!
October 27, 2024
Another compelling, emotional, and frightening book by LC Marino! Great depiction of family relationships and sister bonds, and of how trauma can follow us around. I really enjoy getting more layers of the mystery of the haunted Whispering House with each book, and I look forward to more to come!
February 26, 2025
Having read Book 1 (obviously!) and the prequel to that book, I became seriously invested in the characters created by Lucas Marino and wondered what would happen to those poor girls left traumatised, although apparently safe, at the end of Book 1.
Well, the family home still pulls at Abigail and Constance, and though they have kept their distance, they have to decide what to do with, and now it seems is the time to sell. Necessitating a return to the site of so much horror not only brings back awful memories but raises the ghosts that have lurked for so long. Well-paced and powerful, you keep reading to see how the girls resolve their relationship with each other and with the house and its past. BUT - there is a massive twist, one I did NOT see coming. And here Marino shows himself a master of misdirection turning the story on its head and questioning everything you read before. I can't wait for the next book to see how this story ends.
Well, the family home still pulls at Abigail and Constance, and though they have kept their distance, they have to decide what to do with, and now it seems is the time to sell. Necessitating a return to the site of so much horror not only brings back awful memories but raises the ghosts that have lurked for so long. Well-paced and powerful, you keep reading to see how the girls resolve their relationship with each other and with the house and its past. BUT - there is a massive twist, one I did NOT see coming. And here Marino shows himself a master of misdirection turning the story on its head and questioning everything you read before. I can't wait for the next book to see how this story ends.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews