Eyes of the Dark Manor : Curse of the Lost Orphanage

by Ciara Darkwell

Kicked out of her home and forced to start over, Braelynn finds herself suddenly drawn to an old abandoned orphanage. She envisions turning it into a hotel and has her placing a bid in the auction. A purchase that seals her fate.

Unsure if she slowly is losing her mind, or if the place is as haunted as the locals claim, she's glad she's not alone during the renovations.

Derek, the handsome mysterious stranger who lives out back in the garden shed, is there to lend a hand, which is good because the hotel isn't the only thing putting Braelynn on high alert. She comes to find she needs him more than she ever thought possible.

Come one, come all to the grand opening, checking into the Eyes of the Dark Manor is easy, checking out...well that something you're just going to experience for yourself.

This book does end on a cliffhanger and is slow burn.

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2024

Reviews

[Winter Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, haunting, unexpected, full of surprises, and a definite page turner. Definitely worth a read if you like dark and being on the edge of your seat.

[Caylee T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was definitely different & not what I expected.

Braelynn had been having an incredibly bad day when her roommate & friend decided to kick her out of their shared house. This causes a snowball effect with her then having to find a new job & new housing. Once she gets the new job she gets a huge sign on bonus that helps her buy the old orphanage in town.

But when she starts to renovate the orphanage & weird things begin to happen, she starts to question her sanity.

That is until her new friend Betty reveals a secret about herself in order to help her with the ghost issues she’s having.

This soon unravels more secrets about herself & her friends. At least two of these secrets you don’t find out till the very end of the book & leaves you shaking your head in definite confusion.

I am very curious though what release may happen after this because there were a few things that were left in limbo.

Good story though & I was definitely intrigued.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eyes of the Dark Manor
Ciara Darkwell
★★★


I loved the premise of the book and the blurb makes it sound like would be a great read. The book itself I think needs some more work and it could be really good. The flow and dialogue of conversation in the book was amateur and was to filled with rambling or disjointed with some repetitiveness. This was a horror/scary paranormal with some elements of a romantic relationship. The book with the suspense and mystery of the ghost pick up the book and makes you want to find out what is going to happen and I definitely didn’t see the villain being who it was or the love interest having that conclusion. The epilogue leaves the ending open leaving you wanting to find out what will happen next.

[Odessa Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's literally the best horror I've read in a long time. Not only was it written about the local abandoned orphanage, but it had so many twists and ttirns that i never expected. It kept me hanging on my seat the whole time. And the end 🤯🙋‍♀️ like i need more answers.

Kicked out of your house that youre sharing with your so called best friend, starting a new job with a BIG sign on bonus and next thing you know you're turning the abandoned orphange that everyone says is haunted into a hotel... little do you know everything everyone has said about that place is true. And dont forget the backstabbing "best friend" trying to take everything you worked for away from you.

[ShadowKissed · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an absolutley epic read. it kept me on my toes. you have hauntings, backstabbing best friends, a fun twist. when the fmc is stabbed in the back by her supposed best friend she must find a solution. but all is not lost for her because she lands the most epic job but the job has a twist. She also tries to fulfill her dream of running a hotel but little does she know the spot she picked has its own issues and not just the delapated building. this book had me constantly screaming at every turn in the best ways possible. i cant wait for book two i need it .

[Kyrie Mangus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Delicious

This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until the end! I was absolutely hooked. I couldn't put it down. It's dark, and there's backstabbing, betrayal, and haunting. The twists keep you second-guessing all the way till the end. We have the fmc who gets betrayed and backstabber by her best friend, and the friend takes more than the house. She goes and buys a haunted one. This is where all the unexpected turns happen, and the romance starts. There is also a horror plot within. I can't wait for book 2!

[Donna Zug · Rating 5 out of 5]

11-15-24 Eyes of the Dark Manor by Ciara Darkwell
Braelynn's life is in turmoil. Her roommate kicked her out so now she has to find a new place and a new job. This leads her to the old haunted orphanage. It seems like the perfect place to turn into a hotel, her dream. But is it really haunted, is she going crazy? With interesting plot twists, secrets, suspense and a bit of spice, this story is well done

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had lots of twists near the end. I guessed the bad man pretty quick. Some of the twists were surprising. I don’t usually say this but the one spicy scene between the main characters could’ve been left put cause it seemed like it was just thrown in in a rush. I liked Aiden’s sense of humor.

[Jessica Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐️
1/5🌶️

I’ll be honest I didn’t feel super attached to any of the characters, Im not sure if it was lack of character building or just me but when the poop hit the fan I wasn’t panicked about their well being. It also felt a little predictable. I did enjoy the read, I wanted to know what the twists and turns were going to be.

[Serena Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit of horror mixed with a little bit of smutt. Sounds like a perfect combination. Check the trigger warnings to make sure it's a good fit for you. Braelynn, the FMC is surrounded by new friends, and NO ONE is who they seem to be.

[Laura Beltran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Dark Romance

This story had me hooked right from start to finish.. There are many twists to this story. It was string on the horror elements but has humor to balance it out. There is a lot of spicy romance too. It does have a cliffhanger ending and in excited to see what comes next.

[Teresa Juckett (Love Dark Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good. Once I got started in it I didn't want to stop there was so many, many thing's on in here. All I know is poor Braelynn needs a break and some good to come her way thats all I'm saying. You'll just have to read it and find out what happens in here. Definitely recommend.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark horror romance that was captivating. The twists were amaizng and surprising. It really kept me on my toes. Braelynn has had a heck of time where she needs to catch a break soon. I enjoyed the mystery to her story.

[Alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

This story is so unpredictable, and it is so original! It was enjoyable. There are still mysteries at the end too!

[Ann Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable, chilling story with horror elements. A slow burn romance that had so many twists and surprises with intriguing characters and lots of hauntings. A great read.

[Ciji Jacober · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a roller coaster, you never know which way it was going to turn next! Kept me on my toes until the end, but I loved it!