The Scandalous Star : The Haunting of Hexen House

by Rachel Graves

A Haunted House. A Murdered Star. Secrets Worth Killing For.

Widowed, evicted, and drowning in debt, middle school English teacher Gwen Flewellyn hits rock bottom when her overbearing mother-in-law threatens to take custody of her son. With no other choice, Gwen accepts a risky inheritance: Hexen House, a cursed home infested with ghosts and, maybe, hidden treasures.

One ghost is the glamorous spirit of an actress murdered decades ago. For years, treasure-hunters have tried to breach the house’s defenses to find the star’s missing diamond necklace. With nowhere else to live, Gwen agrees to solve the mystery in hopes of putting the ghost to rest and ending the attempted burglaries.

As Gwen digs into the past, she discovers a web of secrets, betrayal, and scandal. Desperate, Gwen must the solve the murder and uncover the truth to protect her family from the dangers lurking around Hexen House.

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 16, 2026

About the author

Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel's books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures. Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November. You can read short stories and learn more about her on her website: http://www.rachelgraves.com/.

Reviews

[Nikki Jordyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Scandalous Star by Rachel Graves, the first book in the Haunting of Hexen House series. This book delivered everything you would expect from a paranormal cozy mystery and more. The haunted house atmosphere, supernatural mystery elements, and small-town secrets made this such a fun and bingeable read.

Gwen was a strong and enjoyable main character to follow throughout the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed every character in this book. Not only that, I just found Gwen to be a super likable character. I really loved the balance between mystery, humor, and paranormal elements, and I also appreciated the ghosts, hidden treasure storyline, and the overall cozy-but-mysterious atmosphere woven throughout the story.

Overall, this was such an entertaining start to what feels like a very promising series, and I’m already excited to see where the ghosts and supernatural elements go in future books. I will say, this book delivers 100% on what you expect it to if you are a reader who loves:

✨ Cozy paranormal mysteries
✨ Haunted houses with secrets
✨ Ghosts looking for justice
✨ Amateur sleuth heroines
✨ Small-town mystery
✨ Hidden treasure legends
✨ Family stakes and found strength
✨ Historic scandals and long-buried secrets

Again, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stacy71 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Hexen House series, so it establishes the history of the town and people in it without feeling like it’s too deep. You learn that our FMC Gwen has just returned to town with her kids following a divorce. The kids are just learning about their magical heritage. They are dropped right into a boiling cauldron of town trouble.

I enjoyed the relationships between the family members. Who doesn’t love a momma bear? Gwen is someone who you root for and are happy when good things happen to her. I like the supernatural elements of the book and the mystery is intriguing. I am interested to see where this series goes in the future – with the characters, haunting, magic, and secrets.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review of Advance Copy – 2.5 Stars

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t the right fit for me. I found the plot very slow-moving and, at times, unnecessarily complicated, while the storytelling itself felt overly simplistic.

For a book of almost 300 pages, I didn’t feel there was much payoff for the reader. Very little seemed to happen, and I struggled to stay engaged throughout.

That said, if you enjoy cosy, atmospheric ghost stories with a slower pace, I can definitely see this appealing to you. Personally, I found myself wanting it to end and came close to DNFing it on two separate occasions.

I’m giving it 2.5 stars because, while it wasn’t for me, I can appreciate that other readers may enjoy what it offers.

[Reda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scandalous Star was my first book to read by Rachel Graves, and I really enjoyed it. It's the first book in a new series that crimefighters meets ghostbusters meets small town secrets. And the heroine is a recently widowed single mom just figuring it out. If it sounds off the wall, it totally is, but in the best way. The characters are fun and the story engaging. The characters feel like real people with real baggage, and this is the kind of mystery where there are clearly still plenty of puzzles to solve by the end. I'm certainly looking forward to the next one!

Many thanks to BookSirens for an ARC in exchange for my honest assessment of this work.

[Calley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very surprised and pleased with this blind pick. This was a fun read. I was trying to figure it out ahead and each clue gave me an ah ha moment but it held my interest and kept me up way too late reading. Ghosts is a new paranormal for me - enjoyed this authors take a lot. Buck is adorable! I hope his character continues to flesh out and we hear about testing and results soon! I would definitely be interested in reading book two as I am invested!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lorraine O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! It's perfectly written. Everything felt real with the characters. the plot was flawless. There were several openings for future stories. The other big Plus is it is a full length book, just like the ones we used to get in libraries. :) That being said this cannot be read in one sitting, so plan accordingly. I don't usually gush over books but this one is that good. Enjoy!
Read on 05/27/26.