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Saving Grace Devine
Can the living help the dead...and at what cost?
When Alex Fletcher finds a painting of a drowned girl, she's unnerved. When the girl in the painting opens her eyes, she is terrified. And when the girl appears to her as an apparition and begs her for help, Alex can't refuse.
But as she digs further into Grace's past, she is embroiled in supernatural forces she cannot control, and a timeslip back to 1912 brings her face to face with the man who killed Grace and the demonic spirit of his long-dead mother. With such nightmarish forces stacked against her, Alex's options are few. Somehow she must save Grace, but to do so, she must pay an unimaginable price.
When Alex Fletcher finds a painting of a drowned girl, she's unnerved. When the girl in the painting opens her eyes, she is terrified. And when the girl appears to her as an apparition and begs her for help, Alex can't refuse.
But as she digs further into Grace's past, she is embroiled in supernatural forces she cannot control, and a timeslip back to 1912 brings her face to face with the man who killed Grace and the demonic spirit of his long-dead mother. With such nightmarish forces stacked against her, Alex's options are few. Somehow she must save Grace, but to do so, she must pay an unimaginable price.
- GenresHorrorParanormal
226 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2014
72 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Cavendish
41 books425 followersHello, my name's Catherine Cavendish and I write suspense novels, novellas and short stories of the ghostly, haunted, creepy kind that include supernatural, paranormal, Gothic and other, related themes.
THE STONES OF LANDANE is out now from Flame Tree Press - When Jonathan agrees to accompany his girlfriend, Nadia, on a trip to Landane, he imagines a short relaxing break in the countryside, but he quickly discovers that Nadia isn’t just drawn to the ancient Neolithic stone circle, she is obsessed by the megaliths. One in particular holds a fascination for her. Within hours, her personality begins to change, and it isn’t long before Jonathan starts to fear for her sanity. All too soon he realizes, it isn't only Nadia who is in danger
My other novels from Flame Tree Press are:
THOSE WHO DWELL IN MORDENHYRST HALL - Evil runs deep at Mordenhyrst Hall… When Grace first sets eyes on the imposing Gothic house, she is struck with an overwhelming sense that something doesn’t want her there. Her fiancé’s sister heads a coterie of Bright Young Things whose frivolous lives hide a sinister intent. Simon, Grace’s fiancé, is not the man she fell in love with, and the local villagers eye her with suspicion that borders on malevolence.
Her friend, Coralie, possesses the ability to communicate with powerful spirits. She convinces Grace of her own paranormal gifts – gifts Grace will need to draw deeply on as the secrets of Mordenhyrst Hall begin to unravel.
THE AFTER-DEATH OF CAROLINE RAND - Alli is caught between fantasy and reality, past and present, in the life of a famous singer from the 1960s and soon learns that evil infests the once-holy building she called
home. Before long, Alli's fate will be sealed, and she will learn about her role in the after-death of Caroline Rand. It begins with a chilling greeting: "Welcome to The Columbine, Miss Sinclair. You are expected."
DARK OBSERVATION - is published by Flame Tree Press. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet has more to fear than bombs. From deep within the Earth, demonic forces are rising.
IN DARKNESS, SHADOWS BREATHE. Carol and Nessa are strangers with one thing in common, they are in the hands of an entity that knows no boundaries and crosses dimensions - bending and twisting time itself - where danger waits in every shadow
THE GARDEN OF BEWITCHMENT. Historical haunted Gothic horror set in the wilds of the Yorkshire moors - pure Bronte country - with a Bronte theme.
And - THE HAUNTING OF HENDERSON CLOSE. Ghostly horror set in Edinburgh's Old Town.
THE CROW WITCH AND OTHER CONJURINGS is my first short fiction collection and is out now from Weird House Press.
My novellas THE DARKEST VEIL, COLD REVENGE, MISS ABIGAIL'S ROOM, THE DEMONS OF CAMBIAN STREET, DARK AVENGING ANGEL, LINDEN MANOR, THE DEVIL INSIDE HER and THE SECOND WIFE are published by Crossroad Press.
My novels THE DEVIL'S SERENADE and SAVING GRACE DEVINE have also been released in new editions by Crossroad Press, as has my novel of the Lancashire Witches - THE PENDLE CURSE.
I live with a long-suffering husband and a delightful black cat who has never forgotten that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason why that practice should not continue. Who am I to argue?
When not slaving over a hot computer, I enjoy wandering around Neolithic stone circles and visiting old haunted houses.
THE STONES OF LANDANE is out now from Flame Tree Press - When Jonathan agrees to accompany his girlfriend, Nadia, on a trip to Landane, he imagines a short relaxing break in the countryside, but he quickly discovers that Nadia isn’t just drawn to the ancient Neolithic stone circle, she is obsessed by the megaliths. One in particular holds a fascination for her. Within hours, her personality begins to change, and it isn’t long before Jonathan starts to fear for her sanity. All too soon he realizes, it isn't only Nadia who is in danger
My other novels from Flame Tree Press are:
THOSE WHO DWELL IN MORDENHYRST HALL - Evil runs deep at Mordenhyrst Hall… When Grace first sets eyes on the imposing Gothic house, she is struck with an overwhelming sense that something doesn’t want her there. Her fiancé’s sister heads a coterie of Bright Young Things whose frivolous lives hide a sinister intent. Simon, Grace’s fiancé, is not the man she fell in love with, and the local villagers eye her with suspicion that borders on malevolence.
Her friend, Coralie, possesses the ability to communicate with powerful spirits. She convinces Grace of her own paranormal gifts – gifts Grace will need to draw deeply on as the secrets of Mordenhyrst Hall begin to unravel.
THE AFTER-DEATH OF CAROLINE RAND - Alli is caught between fantasy and reality, past and present, in the life of a famous singer from the 1960s and soon learns that evil infests the once-holy building she called
home. Before long, Alli's fate will be sealed, and she will learn about her role in the after-death of Caroline Rand. It begins with a chilling greeting: "Welcome to The Columbine, Miss Sinclair. You are expected."
DARK OBSERVATION - is published by Flame Tree Press. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet has more to fear than bombs. From deep within the Earth, demonic forces are rising.
IN DARKNESS, SHADOWS BREATHE. Carol and Nessa are strangers with one thing in common, they are in the hands of an entity that knows no boundaries and crosses dimensions - bending and twisting time itself - where danger waits in every shadow
THE GARDEN OF BEWITCHMENT. Historical haunted Gothic horror set in the wilds of the Yorkshire moors - pure Bronte country - with a Bronte theme.
And - THE HAUNTING OF HENDERSON CLOSE. Ghostly horror set in Edinburgh's Old Town.
THE CROW WITCH AND OTHER CONJURINGS is my first short fiction collection and is out now from Weird House Press.
My novellas THE DARKEST VEIL, COLD REVENGE, MISS ABIGAIL'S ROOM, THE DEMONS OF CAMBIAN STREET, DARK AVENGING ANGEL, LINDEN MANOR, THE DEVIL INSIDE HER and THE SECOND WIFE are published by Crossroad Press.
My novels THE DEVIL'S SERENADE and SAVING GRACE DEVINE have also been released in new editions by Crossroad Press, as has my novel of the Lancashire Witches - THE PENDLE CURSE.
I live with a long-suffering husband and a delightful black cat who has never forgotten that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason why that practice should not continue. Who am I to argue?
When not slaving over a hot computer, I enjoy wandering around Neolithic stone circles and visiting old haunted houses.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 2, 2023
I am in the process of re-sharing books I’ve loved that I read years ago that still stick with me. This is one of them…
Love a good ghost story? Yes, me too and I loved the ghost story in this book. A decent Gothic ghost story can be hard to come by these days, one that has all the elements in it that you want. Catherine Cavendish captured my imagination and made sure I was suitably on edge and in awe whilst reading her novel. I absolutely loved this book.
What's the book about?
Can the living help the dead...and at what cost?
When Alex Fletcher finds a painting of a drowned girl, she’s unnerved. When the girl in the painting opens her eyes, she is terrified. And when the girl appears to her as an apparition and begs her for help, Alex can’t refuse.
But as she digs further into Grace’s past, she is embroiled in supernatural forces she cannot control, and a timeslip back to 1912 brings her face to face with the man who killed Grace and the demonic spirit of his long-dead mother. With such nightmarish forces stacked against her, Alex’s options are few. Somehow she must save Grace, but to do so, she must pay an unimaginable price.
My Review:
Where to begin? So much happened in this book and I loved every word of it. Alex Fletcher comes across a portrait of a drowned girl (Grace Devine, see the book cover for imagery) in a museum, from the moment she finds it her life is never the same again. She's standing alone in the museum looking at the painting, when the girl in the painting opens her eyes and looks right at Alex, creepy right? It gets so much better from there. I was riveted to this book, reading it until I could squeeze not one more word from it.
Alex develops a burning desire to help Grace (from the picture) and find out her story, find out what happened to her. As she opens up doors to the past she unwittingly becomes a target for things beyond the grave, supernatural happenings begin to be an everyday thing in her life. Meanwhile her husband is concerned, thinking it's her mental health, himself a sceptic of all things supernatural. She begins to hide what she is doing from him, knowing she won't understand.
As voices from the other side speak to her and she she's ghostly specters and amorphous shapes, the need to find answers and help Grace Devine gets stronger. For me this is the point where the book got really good - we get a taste of a time slip, yes, she travels in time. It's written so well and I absolutely loved this element of the novel, ghosts, murder, secrets, time travel.
The book is excellently written with the right amount of atmosphere and creepy moments, it's chilling and at times quite melancholic, it's how a good ghost story should be written. Alex's character was done really well, I loved her zealous passion, enjoyed watching her struggle with being part of two sides of the coin - in the now and in the spirit world.
All of the other characters from the past and present are very well presented also. The character of Adrian Devine both as a child and as an adult sent chills down my spine. He is a true sociopath, if not a psychopath and I enjoyed watching his character in all it's darkness develop from child to man with clever writing.
The plot is excellent, the book is intriguing, chilling, and full of secrets for you dear reader. I had quite a few surprise moments reading this book, twists and events I did not see coming. Reading with raised eyebrows and eyes wide open.
The descriptions of the ghostly encounters are brilliant, suitably horrible and ghoulish.
This is true Gothic style ghost story stuff, not horror. It was so entertaining. I loved so many elements of this book and am keen to read more of Catherine Cavendish's ghost stories. She has a real talent for writing this style of novel.
The ending is the only thing I did not like too much, it felt too sudden and I was left with questions still unanswered, aside from that the whole book was a favourite.
So grab a copy, curl up somewhere cosy, keep the lights on and mind how you go. If you see anything in the shadows just ask if her name is Grace Devine..
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher, Samhain, via Netgalley in exchance for an honest review.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
You can also find me on
Twitter @bookishcats
(I follow back) and on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer as Booklover Catlady.
Love a good ghost story? Yes, me too and I loved the ghost story in this book. A decent Gothic ghost story can be hard to come by these days, one that has all the elements in it that you want. Catherine Cavendish captured my imagination and made sure I was suitably on edge and in awe whilst reading her novel. I absolutely loved this book.
What's the book about?
Can the living help the dead...and at what cost?
When Alex Fletcher finds a painting of a drowned girl, she’s unnerved. When the girl in the painting opens her eyes, she is terrified. And when the girl appears to her as an apparition and begs her for help, Alex can’t refuse.
But as she digs further into Grace’s past, she is embroiled in supernatural forces she cannot control, and a timeslip back to 1912 brings her face to face with the man who killed Grace and the demonic spirit of his long-dead mother. With such nightmarish forces stacked against her, Alex’s options are few. Somehow she must save Grace, but to do so, she must pay an unimaginable price.
My Review:
Where to begin? So much happened in this book and I loved every word of it. Alex Fletcher comes across a portrait of a drowned girl (Grace Devine, see the book cover for imagery) in a museum, from the moment she finds it her life is never the same again. She's standing alone in the museum looking at the painting, when the girl in the painting opens her eyes and looks right at Alex, creepy right? It gets so much better from there. I was riveted to this book, reading it until I could squeeze not one more word from it.
Alex develops a burning desire to help Grace (from the picture) and find out her story, find out what happened to her. As she opens up doors to the past she unwittingly becomes a target for things beyond the grave, supernatural happenings begin to be an everyday thing in her life. Meanwhile her husband is concerned, thinking it's her mental health, himself a sceptic of all things supernatural. She begins to hide what she is doing from him, knowing she won't understand.
As voices from the other side speak to her and she she's ghostly specters and amorphous shapes, the need to find answers and help Grace Devine gets stronger. For me this is the point where the book got really good - we get a taste of a time slip, yes, she travels in time. It's written so well and I absolutely loved this element of the novel, ghosts, murder, secrets, time travel.
The book is excellently written with the right amount of atmosphere and creepy moments, it's chilling and at times quite melancholic, it's how a good ghost story should be written. Alex's character was done really well, I loved her zealous passion, enjoyed watching her struggle with being part of two sides of the coin - in the now and in the spirit world.
All of the other characters from the past and present are very well presented also. The character of Adrian Devine both as a child and as an adult sent chills down my spine. He is a true sociopath, if not a psychopath and I enjoyed watching his character in all it's darkness develop from child to man with clever writing.
The plot is excellent, the book is intriguing, chilling, and full of secrets for you dear reader. I had quite a few surprise moments reading this book, twists and events I did not see coming. Reading with raised eyebrows and eyes wide open.
The descriptions of the ghostly encounters are brilliant, suitably horrible and ghoulish.
She opened her mouth in a wide grimace that showed toothless, rotting gums. All around her, reptilian hissing mingled with the moans and wails of death throes. I clapped my hands over my ears. "Stop. Please stop."
This is true Gothic style ghost story stuff, not horror. It was so entertaining. I loved so many elements of this book and am keen to read more of Catherine Cavendish's ghost stories. She has a real talent for writing this style of novel.
The ending is the only thing I did not like too much, it felt too sudden and I was left with questions still unanswered, aside from that the whole book was a favourite.
So grab a copy, curl up somewhere cosy, keep the lights on and mind how you go. If you see anything in the shadows just ask if her name is Grace Devine..
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher, Samhain, via Netgalley in exchance for an honest review.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
You can also find me on
Twitter @bookishcats
(I follow back) and on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer as Booklover Catlady.
July 3, 2014
A good haunting mystery!! Gothic and horrifying! I love time slips too and the evil power that causes so much turmoil. The ending was shocking. Didn't see coming. 4.5 stars
Review on my blog:
I had the terrifying opportunity of reading her book and it is excellent for all the many Gothic and haunting paranormal lovers, with an eerie mystery and a time slip to 1912.
Her premise, “can the living help the dead?,” had me curious. I am not usually just a straight haunt story reader, because those stories scare me more than anything and I can’t sleep, but with her Gothic style (for those familiar with Victoria Holt and Daphne Du Maurier style of European or Victorian Gothic) I knew I’d love it.
Her protagonist, Alex is a modern woman, set on a vacation to an isolated island with her husband, Greg. She does feel as if she has a specter near here, but she’s never been sure what it all means. She likes to explore and sight see and visit museums and when she sets foot in to a small, local museum near where they are staying she discovers a family history and a painting that she is familiar with. It seems her specter has followed her….or maybe led her….and need her help. Slowly, she beings to unravel the mystery to the sordid and evil family history, being propelled back in time to 1912 by a family member with demonic powers.
It seems that the case is true, to break a curse sometimes deals are made with the devil with after effects you’d never think will come. At the moment you may think you have no choice, and in the end you pay the price.
I loved the mystery she incorporated into her novel. I loved her character development of Alex. I thought differently about one section of it, like who needed to do the forgiving, but I can’t say much or I’ll spoil. It was only because I cared so much about the characters though that I even had that emotion. I think her book was contemporary and yet she switched easily to the past creating an eerie environment just right in Gothic literature. I could picture both the modern and the past as separately. She offered just the right details at the right time.
I loved the time slip part the best and the ending, yet I was so saddened by the ending. It really did shock me quite more than I expected it too. She wrapped it up nice and neat, then she tore my heart out. Ah, I still can’t believe it. Quite unnerving and terrifying. Then the book came full circle back to the beginning.
On the front half of the book, it was a delightful summer spooky read, but on the back end it left me unsettled and quite sad, which is what it was supposed to do. She messed with my emotions and now she owes me wine and scones!! I can’t wait to read more of Cat’s work. If you love Gothic literature, Cat’s the new author on the prowl you should be reading.
Review on my blog:
I had the terrifying opportunity of reading her book and it is excellent for all the many Gothic and haunting paranormal lovers, with an eerie mystery and a time slip to 1912.
Her premise, “can the living help the dead?,” had me curious. I am not usually just a straight haunt story reader, because those stories scare me more than anything and I can’t sleep, but with her Gothic style (for those familiar with Victoria Holt and Daphne Du Maurier style of European or Victorian Gothic) I knew I’d love it.
Her protagonist, Alex is a modern woman, set on a vacation to an isolated island with her husband, Greg. She does feel as if she has a specter near here, but she’s never been sure what it all means. She likes to explore and sight see and visit museums and when she sets foot in to a small, local museum near where they are staying she discovers a family history and a painting that she is familiar with. It seems her specter has followed her….or maybe led her….and need her help. Slowly, she beings to unravel the mystery to the sordid and evil family history, being propelled back in time to 1912 by a family member with demonic powers.
It seems that the case is true, to break a curse sometimes deals are made with the devil with after effects you’d never think will come. At the moment you may think you have no choice, and in the end you pay the price.
I loved the mystery she incorporated into her novel. I loved her character development of Alex. I thought differently about one section of it, like who needed to do the forgiving, but I can’t say much or I’ll spoil. It was only because I cared so much about the characters though that I even had that emotion. I think her book was contemporary and yet she switched easily to the past creating an eerie environment just right in Gothic literature. I could picture both the modern and the past as separately. She offered just the right details at the right time.
I loved the time slip part the best and the ending, yet I was so saddened by the ending. It really did shock me quite more than I expected it too. She wrapped it up nice and neat, then she tore my heart out. Ah, I still can’t believe it. Quite unnerving and terrifying. Then the book came full circle back to the beginning.
On the front half of the book, it was a delightful summer spooky read, but on the back end it left me unsettled and quite sad, which is what it was supposed to do. She messed with my emotions and now she owes me wine and scones!! I can’t wait to read more of Cat’s work. If you love Gothic literature, Cat’s the new author on the prowl you should be reading.
July 1, 2014
Open the cover. Step into the mind of a Alex. You will find yourself in her skin, waking to moment when she is just about to commit suicide. “My left foot trembles as it hovers over the edge.” In the end, having gone full circle, you will find yourself at a moment before the beginning, stepping over to reach the edge, praying for mercy. I love it when the end coils over onto the beginning. What a gipping moment it is, when you straddle a decision, hoping—perhaps in vain—to find a safe place for a foothold, or failing that, to find grace.
In between these two moments, which happen in the present, Alex reflects on the past, on the events that brought her to this state: the onset of insanity and the unravelling of her 10-years marriage to Greg, who tries as best he can to help her get well. “He had come come one day to find the dining room curtains in shreds because I couldn’t get them off their hooks to wash them.”
It all starts with a visit to a museum.“My footsteps echoed as I trod the creaky polished floorboards in the empty room. I couldn’t overcome the feeling of being watched.” By some strange time slip, the haunting figures in the portraits come alive, at least in Alex’s mind: Jonas Devine (the museum benefactor), his bride Margarita, who died at childbirth of their second son, his second wife Agnes, who has a daughter named Grace. It is her portrait, found rolled up in a drawer, that stirs the heart. “Her hands floated next to her and her light brown hair flowed loose around her.” It is the mystery of her drowning that stirs Alex into further exploration. What price would she have to pay for daring to change her fate?
Margarita becomes a shadow, a haunting hiss. “Kill him…” She wants Alex to kill someone—anyone—because then Alex’s soul would be as damned as hers. Before long Alex becomes a danger to herself, and to others. “In saving Grace Devine, I had lost myself.”
If you like taunting yourself with fear of what is coming up behind you, this book is perfect for you.
Five stars.
In between these two moments, which happen in the present, Alex reflects on the past, on the events that brought her to this state: the onset of insanity and the unravelling of her 10-years marriage to Greg, who tries as best he can to help her get well. “He had come come one day to find the dining room curtains in shreds because I couldn’t get them off their hooks to wash them.”
It all starts with a visit to a museum.“My footsteps echoed as I trod the creaky polished floorboards in the empty room. I couldn’t overcome the feeling of being watched.” By some strange time slip, the haunting figures in the portraits come alive, at least in Alex’s mind: Jonas Devine (the museum benefactor), his bride Margarita, who died at childbirth of their second son, his second wife Agnes, who has a daughter named Grace. It is her portrait, found rolled up in a drawer, that stirs the heart. “Her hands floated next to her and her light brown hair flowed loose around her.” It is the mystery of her drowning that stirs Alex into further exploration. What price would she have to pay for daring to change her fate?
Margarita becomes a shadow, a haunting hiss. “Kill him…” She wants Alex to kill someone—anyone—because then Alex’s soul would be as damned as hers. Before long Alex becomes a danger to herself, and to others. “In saving Grace Devine, I had lost myself.”
If you like taunting yourself with fear of what is coming up behind you, this book is perfect for you.
Five stars.
September 6, 2016
Any story from Catherine Cavendish ought to be packaged with a warning notice:
PREPARE TO BE TERRIFIED! PREPARE TO BE CAPTIVATED!
I have been reading Ms. Cavendish's work for the last few years and not once was I not both terrified and enraptured; she delivers 100% every single time. Hers is the gentle Gothic style of my childhood cherished author Victoria Holt, yet never did Ms. Holt hold the power to frighten me so and keep me awake at night, as does Catherine Cavendish. Her characters are so deeply and preciously defined that I close the book knowing them.
SAVING GRACE DEVINE will frighten you from the very beginning, and continue nonstop. Keep all the Lights on--and whatever you do, don't look toward the Shadows in the corners.
PREPARE TO BE TERRIFIED! PREPARE TO BE CAPTIVATED!
I have been reading Ms. Cavendish's work for the last few years and not once was I not both terrified and enraptured; she delivers 100% every single time. Hers is the gentle Gothic style of my childhood cherished author Victoria Holt, yet never did Ms. Holt hold the power to frighten me so and keep me awake at night, as does Catherine Cavendish. Her characters are so deeply and preciously defined that I close the book knowing them.
SAVING GRACE DEVINE will frighten you from the very beginning, and continue nonstop. Keep all the Lights on--and whatever you do, don't look toward the Shadows in the corners.
February 3, 2017
This book sucked me in from the beginning, and I honestly couldn't put it down. A ghost mystery that seamlessly transitions between past and present and included several twists I never saw coming; and that's saying something. So beautifully written and original in so many ways. I'll undoubtedly read it for years to come.
August 18, 2014
Catherine Cavendish has given us another delightfully creepy tale of ghosts and evil tangled around the heartache of a murdered girl. I don't know who I felt more for -- Grace for being murdered when she was barely more than a child or Alex for being drawn into something that extracted such a terrible price from her.
Either way, the events both women experience are chilling.
But let's talk about Alex. Frankly, some of the things she went through were horrifying. And that was before she got tossed back in time and forced to live as the wife of a man who had no compunctions about killing a young girl simply because he was jealous. Creeptastic, that was. Also terrifying to think that she could have been locked away at any time for telling the truth if her husband wanted it. *shudder*
And Grace. Poor girl. Trapped and endlessly searching for forgiveness. Not an enjoyable afterlife, if you ask me. Plus, there was that whole drowning thing. She didn't have a good time of it. Not at all.
Wonderfully creepy (seriously, the thought that a man could have his wife committed in that day and age for anything gives me the shivers) and nicely dark, the ending alone was worth the price of admission. No good deed goes unpunished, right? Right!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Either way, the events both women experience are chilling.
But let's talk about Alex. Frankly, some of the things she went through were horrifying. And that was before she got tossed back in time and forced to live as the wife of a man who had no compunctions about killing a young girl simply because he was jealous. Creeptastic, that was. Also terrifying to think that she could have been locked away at any time for telling the truth if her husband wanted it. *shudder*
And Grace. Poor girl. Trapped and endlessly searching for forgiveness. Not an enjoyable afterlife, if you ask me. Plus, there was that whole drowning thing. She didn't have a good time of it. Not at all.
Wonderfully creepy (seriously, the thought that a man could have his wife committed in that day and age for anything gives me the shivers) and nicely dark, the ending alone was worth the price of admission. No good deed goes unpunished, right? Right!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
September 14, 2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Samhain Publishing and NetGalley.)
This was another one of those books that wasn’t horrible, but just couldn’t keep my interest.
Grace was a bit of an odd character. Why she didn’t see how nuts she sounded when she was going on about seeing ghosts I don’t know. I really didn’t blame her husband for thinking that she was mentally ill, as she seemed fairly happy to tell people that she had seen ghosts!
The storyline in this dragged for me, and it really couldn’t hold my interest. Even the bits that should have been creepy were bogged down in the rest of the book, and I got really bored.
There wasn’t really much romance in this one, but I didn’t really expect this to be an adult book, and I didn’t expect the main character to be married. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to reading YA books, but this did put me off a bit.
The ending was a little unexpected, but to be honest I was just glad that the book was over!
Overall; not for me,
6 out of 10.
This was another one of those books that wasn’t horrible, but just couldn’t keep my interest.
Grace was a bit of an odd character. Why she didn’t see how nuts she sounded when she was going on about seeing ghosts I don’t know. I really didn’t blame her husband for thinking that she was mentally ill, as she seemed fairly happy to tell people that she had seen ghosts!
The storyline in this dragged for me, and it really couldn’t hold my interest. Even the bits that should have been creepy were bogged down in the rest of the book, and I got really bored.
There wasn’t really much romance in this one, but I didn’t really expect this to be an adult book, and I didn’t expect the main character to be married. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to reading YA books, but this did put me off a bit.
The ending was a little unexpected, but to be honest I was just glad that the book was over!
Overall; not for me,
6 out of 10.
September 14, 2014
(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Saving Grace Devine wasn't a very enjoyable read for me unfortunately.
The main character wasn't awful, but she wasn't a character that i liked or could connect too.
There wasn't a character in this that i actually liked. They were pretty odd, boring, or just hard to like.
This one just couldn't keep my interest. The first few chapters were pretty slow, and the rest of it dragged quite badly. I wanted the book to end by the time i got halfway.
Overall, Slow and dull.
Saving Grace Devine wasn't a very enjoyable read for me unfortunately.
The main character wasn't awful, but she wasn't a character that i liked or could connect too.
There wasn't a character in this that i actually liked. They were pretty odd, boring, or just hard to like.
This one just couldn't keep my interest. The first few chapters were pretty slow, and the rest of it dragged quite badly. I wanted the book to end by the time i got halfway.
Overall, Slow and dull.
July 30, 2014
loved it and couldn't rest until I finished it.
February 24, 2019
Fantastic read. Loved the spooky ghostly goings on in Scotland with the back and forth of the story keeping me gripped... Then it flipped... and then right at the end... it flipped again!!!
Catherine has done it again with this one. Only the second book of hers I have read, and it won’t be my last!!!
As I said at the beginning... GREAT READ
Catherine has done it again with this one. Only the second book of hers I have read, and it won’t be my last!!!
As I said at the beginning... GREAT READ
April 3, 2015
‘In saving Grace Devine, I had lost myself’—on the surface, words that don’t seem too bad. Not if you’ve just read the preceding pages though, in this Gothic horror story from Catherine Cavendish. Don’t expect slasher, or blood and gore on every page, Catherine is far too subtle for that. Saving Grace Devine is that rare thing, a valuable addition to the traditional horror catalogue.
The opening is a terrific soupcon of horror in the ordinary. Why is the heroine edging towards that train and will she jump? Sorry. No spoilers here. Alex Fletcher is a haunted woman, driven to help the dead in an unusual premise. Grace Devine isn’t a vengeful spirit. Meanwhile, to say the stepbrother whose forgiveness she seeks is hellish, is an understatement.
The settings are marvellous. Arnsay is small town, isolated, ideal for a spirit to linger. Edinburgh—just the place to house hell behind the antique lace curtains. Add to this a disbelieving husband, a woman the spirits won’t leave alone, and the hellish Margarita who makes Mrs Danvers look like a pussy cat and you have all the ingredients for a spine tingling read.
Now, where’s The Pendle Curse?
The opening is a terrific soupcon of horror in the ordinary. Why is the heroine edging towards that train and will she jump? Sorry. No spoilers here. Alex Fletcher is a haunted woman, driven to help the dead in an unusual premise. Grace Devine isn’t a vengeful spirit. Meanwhile, to say the stepbrother whose forgiveness she seeks is hellish, is an understatement.
The settings are marvellous. Arnsay is small town, isolated, ideal for a spirit to linger. Edinburgh—just the place to house hell behind the antique lace curtains. Add to this a disbelieving husband, a woman the spirits won’t leave alone, and the hellish Margarita who makes Mrs Danvers look like a pussy cat and you have all the ingredients for a spine tingling read.
Now, where’s The Pendle Curse?
October 18, 2014
Another great read from Catherine Cavendish as we follow one woman’s encounters with spirits of the dead in a small Scottish town. What starts as a paranormal mystery snaps into a horror thriller midway through. Be prepared, because after that you won’t be able to put the book down. I’ll spare you any spoilers, and just say that all the characters, good and evil, living and dead are well drawn and the locations described with guidebook perfection. Cat’s second work from Samhain Horror is another winner.
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