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The Haunting of Rachel Harroway
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway: The Lost Orphans / Haunting of Rachel Harroway
An unputdownable Paranormal mystery with a brilliant twist!
Best-selling Mystery author J.S Donovan brings you the complete collection of the highly-rated "Rachel Harroway" Series. These stories have accumulated over 300 five-star reviews and have been boxed together for the first time! That's TWO COMPLETE BOOK SERIES totaling 6 NOVELS!
The Lost Orphans
A murder twenty-five years forgotten, a female detective with the ability to communicate with the dead, and a killer without boundaries clash in the heart of winter.
It's Christmas, and there's been another murder. Rachel Harroway, a homicide detective gifted in the arts and communication with the dead, tracks a serial killer lurking in the shadows for the last twenty-five years. The closer Rachel gets to solving the mystery, the more the unforgiving Appalachian winter weather and supernatural energies push back, forcing Rachel to decide how far she'll go for a man society has forsaken.
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway
In 1983, a family of four was murdered in their nineteenth century Queen Anne manse. There were no witnesses, no real investigation, and no survivors.
Over thirty years later, the house is suddenly back on the market. Ready to settle down, a young married couple moves from New York City to their dream home in the quiet town of Highlands, North Carolina. However, as past secrets come to light and unpredictable strangers violate their privacy, the couple's hope for a fresh start twists into the fuel for their darkest nightmares.
Best-selling Mystery author J.S Donovan brings you the complete collection of the highly-rated "Rachel Harroway" Series. These stories have accumulated over 300 five-star reviews and have been boxed together for the first time! That's TWO COMPLETE BOOK SERIES totaling 6 NOVELS!
The Lost Orphans
A murder twenty-five years forgotten, a female detective with the ability to communicate with the dead, and a killer without boundaries clash in the heart of winter.
It's Christmas, and there's been another murder. Rachel Harroway, a homicide detective gifted in the arts and communication with the dead, tracks a serial killer lurking in the shadows for the last twenty-five years. The closer Rachel gets to solving the mystery, the more the unforgiving Appalachian winter weather and supernatural energies push back, forcing Rachel to decide how far she'll go for a man society has forsaken.
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway
In 1983, a family of four was murdered in their nineteenth century Queen Anne manse. There were no witnesses, no real investigation, and no survivors.
Over thirty years later, the house is suddenly back on the market. Ready to settle down, a young married couple moves from New York City to their dream home in the quiet town of Highlands, North Carolina. However, as past secrets come to light and unpredictable strangers violate their privacy, the couple's hope for a fresh start twists into the fuel for their darkest nightmares.
768 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2017
1628 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
January 4, 2018
Great books, rotten spelling and grammar.
I gave this book four stars for the storyline, I would like to give a negative one for spelling and grammatical errors. I really did not want to put the book down.
I gave this book four stars for the storyline, I would like to give a negative one for spelling and grammatical errors. I really did not want to put the book down.
April 29, 2018
Note: in the kindle edition, these stories do not appear in chronological order, the first three books in the super book are actually the last three chronologically. If you don’t want spoilers to the character development, I’d recommend reading them in chronological order.
Otherwise this was an interesting series, a little on the dark side, with a couple of books being written in two parts.
Reading order:
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway: The Beginning
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway Book 1
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway Book 2
The Lost Orphans: Book 0
The Lost Orphans: Book 1
The Lost Orphans: Book 2
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Otherwise this was an interesting series, a little on the dark side, with a couple of books being written in two parts.
Reading order:
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway: The Beginning
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway Book 1
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway Book 2
The Lost Orphans: Book 0
The Lost Orphans: Book 1
The Lost Orphans: Book 2
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
November 5, 2020
I read this as one of my Halloween books. It is a series of books, about a woman, who sees ghosts, or as she calls them orphans. They are ghosts of people, who have been murdered, and they can't move on, until their murderer has been brought to justice or killed. Rachel had been a married artist of very dark paintings, that she was commissioned to paint. She went from being an artist to becoming a police detective, and a divorced woman, in order to help the orphan's return home.
The author needs a good editor. There are so many mistakes in these books. The murderers are very evil people, with very sick ways of killing people.
I'm glad to be through with these books, and now I need to get on to books, with positive messages. I don't know why I committed to read all of this series.
The author needs a good editor. There are so many mistakes in these books. The murderers are very evil people, with very sick ways of killing people.
I'm glad to be through with these books, and now I need to get on to books, with positive messages. I don't know why I committed to read all of this series.
Read
May 7, 2020Well, the stories are good
But every single one of them need to be returned to the author for editing. I don't think ANY of them were edited before they were published.
For anyone who actually PURCHASED this or any of the stories, Amazon DOES refund your money for quality issue if you return books within 3 days of purchase.
If you're like me though, you probably load up and buy a bunch of books a month and can't get to them all in 3 days. Since this one it's a collection, there's no way too finish it in that timeframe. But, just letting you know. Thankfully it was available as kindle unlimited or I'd be very unhappy
But every single one of them need to be returned to the author for editing. I don't think ANY of them were edited before they were published.
For anyone who actually PURCHASED this or any of the stories, Amazon DOES refund your money for quality issue if you return books within 3 days of purchase.
If you're like me though, you probably load up and buy a bunch of books a month and can't get to them all in 3 days. Since this one it's a collection, there's no way too finish it in that timeframe. But, just letting you know. Thankfully it was available as kindle unlimited or I'd be very unhappy
September 15, 2018
Good style, interesting plots
While I enjoyed the storyline, l have some serious complaints with the truly pitiful editing! In addition, the grammar, double negatives, and misused words about drove me nuts! By the time I’d finished the last story, I was about to give up, which seems a shame as the author has some serious talent.
While I enjoyed the storyline, l have some serious complaints with the truly pitiful editing! In addition, the grammar, double negatives, and misused words about drove me nuts! By the time I’d finished the last story, I was about to give up, which seems a shame as the author has some serious talent.
October 17, 2020
Five good books by J.S. Donovan
April 16, 2020
An unputdownable Paranormal mystery with a brilliant twist!
In 1983, a family of four was murdered in their nineteenth century Queen Anne manse. There were no witnesses, no real investigation, and no survivors.
The discovery of a serial killer's burial ground rocks the peaceful town of Highlands, North Carolina. Rachel Harroway, a tragic detective with the ability to see the dead, and her brilliant atheistic partner, Jenson Peak, are put on the case. Only through the use of their unique talents can the orphaned dead find rest and the reinvigorated killer be brought to justice.
Includes:
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway
The Lost Orphans
The Highland Murders
The Orphans
The Silent Ones
This is a brilliant set of reads to keep you going!!!
Wonderful well written plot and story lines that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In 1983, a family of four was murdered in their nineteenth century Queen Anne manse. There were no witnesses, no real investigation, and no survivors.
The discovery of a serial killer's burial ground rocks the peaceful town of Highlands, North Carolina. Rachel Harroway, a tragic detective with the ability to see the dead, and her brilliant atheistic partner, Jenson Peak, are put on the case. Only through the use of their unique talents can the orphaned dead find rest and the reinvigorated killer be brought to justice.
Includes:
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway
The Lost Orphans
The Highland Murders
The Orphans
The Silent Ones
This is a brilliant set of reads to keep you going!!!
Wonderful well written plot and story lines that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 10, 2023
Interesting read
I really liked this series but the themes started to repeat themselves. Most of the novel was very predictable. One thing that bothered me the most was that there are a ton of spelling mistakes, names get switched around alot (character names that aren't even relevant to the story), repeated words in sentences, sentences that don't make sense, etc. Most of these basic mistakes could have been avoided if the book was looked over at least once before publishing.
Other than that, I did enjoy the series. I liked the idea behind the story. Kind of reminds me of a written form of Ghost Whisperer. Really interesting ideas I just wish some things about Rachel's and Mallory's gift was revealed more. Also what the heck happened to Owen? Rachel had such a hard time trying to get rid of him and then in the next book he is just not there. No explanation except maybe a sentence halfway through the book about his absence. Where did he go? How did Rachel get rid of him? It just didn't make sense!
It was a very interesting read it just left me with a lot of questions. It has a very open ended ending and that may be due to the author still writing the series?
I really liked this series but the themes started to repeat themselves. Most of the novel was very predictable. One thing that bothered me the most was that there are a ton of spelling mistakes, names get switched around alot (character names that aren't even relevant to the story), repeated words in sentences, sentences that don't make sense, etc. Most of these basic mistakes could have been avoided if the book was looked over at least once before publishing.
Other than that, I did enjoy the series. I liked the idea behind the story. Kind of reminds me of a written form of Ghost Whisperer. Really interesting ideas I just wish some things about Rachel's and Mallory's gift was revealed more. Also what the heck happened to Owen? Rachel had such a hard time trying to get rid of him and then in the next book he is just not there. No explanation except maybe a sentence halfway through the book about his absence. Where did he go? How did Rachel get rid of him? It just didn't make sense!
It was a very interesting read it just left me with a lot of questions. It has a very open ended ending and that may be due to the author still writing the series?
April 19, 2018
The Audio performance on this was pretty good for the first half, but the second half was terrible. The narrator Aundrea Mitchell pronounced the lead characters surname incorrectly through the entire novel and included spelling and grammatical errors in her performance. It seriously put me off the entire story, but I continued because I’d already paid for it and had nothing else to listen to.
As for the actual story, the idea was good but it really wasn’t portrayed well. For a start the main character is a police officer who sees the dead and her work partner’s name is Jensen and they drive an impala - that doesn’t remind me of a popular television series at all (please note sarcasm).
The characters, while having a good background story, lack depth and likeable characteristics. I felt nothing for any of the characters. There wasn’t even a dog to like.
I don’t want to shoot a novelist down, the story idea was very good and had loads of potential, but the complete manuscript needed a LOT of work that the author neglected to give it.
As for the actual story, the idea was good but it really wasn’t portrayed well. For a start the main character is a police officer who sees the dead and her work partner’s name is Jensen and they drive an impala - that doesn’t remind me of a popular television series at all (please note sarcasm).
The characters, while having a good background story, lack depth and likeable characteristics. I felt nothing for any of the characters. There wasn’t even a dog to like.
I don’t want to shoot a novelist down, the story idea was very good and had loads of potential, but the complete manuscript needed a LOT of work that the author neglected to give it.
June 9, 2020
SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW - It was a bit hard to give this book a 4 star rating because there was so much about it that I had a rough time with.. First and foremost Rachel is a horrible mother to her adopted daughter - during the time she had Mallory - the child was left alone 95% of the time in an old house - where past villains and dangerous "Orphans" had been - and almost everyone in the town knew the address. The other 5 % , the child was with rachel's father or a babysitter. At one point - Peak and Rachel left their young girls with a complete MALE stranger while they went off solving murders. Just not a lot to admire about Harroway.. Peak is by far a better parent and much more sensible. I think Peak could be a very interesting lead character.
Also, the last Book was FULL of typo's -even referring to Rachel as "Haley" a few times. But I am the typo queen so I can get over that.
WITH THAT SAID - I did enjoy the stories and the book as a whole. I do hope the author continues the story.
Also, the last Book was FULL of typo's -even referring to Rachel as "Haley" a few times. But I am the typo queen so I can get over that.
WITH THAT SAID - I did enjoy the stories and the book as a whole. I do hope the author continues the story.
April 2, 2020
You really need two rating systems for this collection. One system should rate the content, while the other rates the non-existent editing and incorrect reading order of the books that end up disappointing the reader by inadvertently giving “spoilers”.
The content of the story itself was good. The plot easily holds the reader’s attention. The focus is on Rachel’s “gift” which allows her to see the dead and to help them “cross over” in peace by finding their murderers, either because the dead person can help directly or because Rachel can extract enough information from them to discover the clues or figure it out for herself.
I enjoyed the paranormal nature of the books. If a good editor can clean this collection up, it would draw many more readers who would no doubt get a delicious thrill and chill over the scary feel of this ghostly tale!
The content of the story itself was good. The plot easily holds the reader’s attention. The focus is on Rachel’s “gift” which allows her to see the dead and to help them “cross over” in peace by finding their murderers, either because the dead person can help directly or because Rachel can extract enough information from them to discover the clues or figure it out for herself.
I enjoyed the paranormal nature of the books. If a good editor can clean this collection up, it would draw many more readers who would no doubt get a delicious thrill and chill over the scary feel of this ghostly tale!
April 30, 2020
I enjoyed these books. I have the series 4 stars due to what I believe to be editing flaws. I think the author had a lot of information they wanted to give out in certain parts of the book. But may of rambled, or got a little confusing or whatever. But instead of allowing for a decent rewrite they unedited the part down to fit the book. Then the book story line got somewhat confusing to follow, it seemed to jump around. I noticed it in a couple of the books. All in all I enjoyed the books. Great characters, good story line, great plots, interesting twists. Though for a supposedly isolated setting there were a lot of dead people floating around. That I found hard to believe. I look forward to more stories about this pair of detectives.
August 3, 2019
fascinating and suspenseful series
The author crafted a series that combined a good detective story with just enough paranormal slice to keep it believable. The series
Kept me interested through all the books and though there could be more in the future, I felt OK about it being done. The author manager to.capture the backwoods character of Appalachian culture and multiple mysterious criminals. All in All, they are
not the type of books I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed them and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys mysteries, detective stories and the paranormal.
The author crafted a series that combined a good detective story with just enough paranormal slice to keep it believable. The series
Kept me interested through all the books and though there could be more in the future, I felt OK about it being done. The author manager to.capture the backwoods character of Appalachian culture and multiple mysterious criminals. All in All, they are
not the type of books I normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed them and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys mysteries, detective stories and the paranormal.
May 8, 2020
2 1/2 stars (and I’m in a generous mood). So let’s talk about the rave reviews here in Goodreads land. I’m stumped. This book, for example, does not meet the requirements for a 4-5 star read. Fact 1: as many reviewers have already mentioned, the editing here is nonexistent. I don’t mind the occasional typo or oddly phrased sentence but this book has WAAAAAYYY too many mistakes. Fact 2: the characters are poorly fleshed out. Fact 3: our intrepid heroine, the titular Rachel Harroway, is a flat, insipid idiot who really is TSTL. Sadly, she does L. I will give the author some credit for the occasional creepy/spooky scene but beyond that, utter rubbish. Frankly, not worth your reading time.
March 13, 2018
Cops and ghosts
I read all six books as a whole. I found the concept intriguing, and the story moved well. I'm not sure if the author wrote the first three and then decided to do the prequels. That was confusing at first, as I waited for characters to show back up. There are some editing issues throughout the books, but they don't impact the story too much. If you're a fan of paranormal stories, you will probably enjoy these.
I read all six books as a whole. I found the concept intriguing, and the story moved well. I'm not sure if the author wrote the first three and then decided to do the prequels. That was confusing at first, as I waited for characters to show back up. There are some editing issues throughout the books, but they don't impact the story too much. If you're a fan of paranormal stories, you will probably enjoy these.
January 30, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed the Lost Orphans books. I haven't read the Haunting of Rachel Harroway books yet, but I will in due time. I was very impressed with these first 3 books and would highly recommend them to anyone interested in murder/mystery with a bit of horror.
One thing I wish was that I could find a timeline for these books. I believe there is another set of books with Rachel as the character, and I will try those next.
One thing I wish was that I could find a timeline for these books. I believe there is another set of books with Rachel as the character, and I will try those next.
April 12, 2020
Spooky Suspense
Not my usual type of book, but I will say it kept my attention and was often hard to put down. I liked the characters and the relationships. I was not a fan of the child neglect that was treated so casually. There were too many proofreading issues which had been sprinkled through the collection but increased a great deal in the last story. Still I would consider it a good creepy whodunt.
Not my usual type of book, but I will say it kept my attention and was often hard to put down. I liked the characters and the relationships. I was not a fan of the child neglect that was treated so casually. There were too many proofreading issues which had been sprinkled through the collection but increased a great deal in the last story. Still I would consider it a good creepy whodunt.
May 5, 2020
This author has a vivid imagination and good storytelling ability. What J.S. Donovan needs, and needs in the worst way, is an editor. There are so many grammar and syntax errors in this book the list is longer than my arm. Gross misuse of words, misquoting of phrases, etc. run rampant. PLEASE hand your work over to an editor before you publish. You could be one of the best authors out there IF you do.
May 8, 2020
Good storyline
These books were different from my usual read. I enjoyed reading about Rachel's ability to see the dead and to help them move on. There were some serious editing errors causing me to only give three stars. Words were left out entirely, or replaced with an entirely wrong word. Several times, the main character,Rachel,had her name replaced with Haley, who isn't even a character in the books. I was interested enough to finish the series though.
These books were different from my usual read. I enjoyed reading about Rachel's ability to see the dead and to help them move on. There were some serious editing errors causing me to only give three stars. Words were left out entirely, or replaced with an entirely wrong word. Several times, the main character,Rachel,had her name replaced with Haley, who isn't even a character in the books. I was interested enough to finish the series though.
September 8, 2020
Too long
I enjoyed these books until the last two where Rachael really went off the deep end, forgetting about her child,her father who had a stroke and then her saying she wanted to spend time with her daughter, what a joke. Also, the last two books were full of mistakes, calling people by the wrong names,lots and lots of misspellings. It was a shame because its such an interesting subject
I enjoyed these books until the last two where Rachael really went off the deep end, forgetting about her child,her father who had a stroke and then her saying she wanted to spend time with her daughter, what a joke. Also, the last two books were full of mistakes, calling people by the wrong names,lots and lots of misspellings. It was a shame because its such an interesting subject
September 11, 2023
I love this series. This was my first by the author and it truly left me reading and interested from the beginning of every story.
Detective Rachel Harroway has a sight which is a curse and also helpful in solving murders. Her partner Jensen Peak is the only one who knows about her “gift” of seeing and talking to the dead.
Each story was harrowing and unique in its own way.
Can’t wait to read more by this author.
Detective Rachel Harroway has a sight which is a curse and also helpful in solving murders. Her partner Jensen Peak is the only one who knows about her “gift” of seeing and talking to the dead.
Each story was harrowing and unique in its own way.
Can’t wait to read more by this author.
December 17, 2017
Great Reading
This set of books was great! I really enjoyed them and couldn't put them down. I highly recommend this set to anyone who loves mystery with a little bit of fantasy thrown in. I gave it a four because there were a lot of spelling mistakes, but it didn't take away from the story at all. All in all, great set of books.
This set of books was great! I really enjoyed them and couldn't put them down. I highly recommend this set to anyone who loves mystery with a little bit of fantasy thrown in. I gave it a four because there were a lot of spelling mistakes, but it didn't take away from the story at all. All in all, great set of books.
May 13, 2018
I devoured this series
I got this on Kindle for dirty cheap, and I figured even if only one was enough it would be worth it. Little did I know that I would chug through these so in less than a week. Each story had good continuity, the plots were well thought out and most of them kept me guessing! Now to find more books!
I got this on Kindle for dirty cheap, and I figured even if only one was enough it would be worth it. Little did I know that I would chug through these so in less than a week. Each story had good continuity, the plots were well thought out and most of them kept me guessing! Now to find more books!
May 19, 2018
Great Stories - Horrible Grammar
I truly loved Donovan 's books. The plots are engrossing and the characters are extremely interesting and engaging. The caliber of the books deserves much better editing than they were given. I have these books 5 stars because the stories Donovan presented were very good and just decided to ignore the rest.
I truly loved Donovan 's books. The plots are engrossing and the characters are extremely interesting and engaging. The caliber of the books deserves much better editing than they were given. I have these books 5 stars because the stories Donovan presented were very good and just decided to ignore the rest.
June 21, 2018
Perfect box set to binge on! I couldn't put it down.
This set has all the things that a paranormal enthusiast would want. It has shadows and secrets that do not reveal themselves til the very end. I would recommend this series to my friends who binge on all the ghost shows on Prime video and Netflix.
This set has all the things that a paranormal enthusiast would want. It has shadows and secrets that do not reveal themselves til the very end. I would recommend this series to my friends who binge on all the ghost shows on Prime video and Netflix.
August 7, 2018
Murder mystery/detective novel with a paranormal twist. Loved every book in this set and was sad when I finished it. I am not the best reviewer, but the characters seemed like real people. And I loved the twists and turns in the plots of each book. It was definitely difficult to put this down. Wonderful.
October 30, 2018
This series of books delves into a woman who can see ghosts similar to the "Ghost Whisperer" television show. I enjoyed most of the books but found that I was rereading some of the book from the previous one to refresh the readers mind on what happened previously. I found this series on Amazon and used my Kindle Unlimited status to read these books.
January 15, 2019
Great stories!
The books in this boxed set all reflect an excellent imagination and the ability to spin a good yarn. Unfortunately, spelling errors, grammar errors, and incorrect words make the reader stop, if they know the difference. For young readers, every error is burned into their memory. If the author is agreeable, I would be willing to proof read, free of charge.
The books in this boxed set all reflect an excellent imagination and the ability to spin a good yarn. Unfortunately, spelling errors, grammar errors, and incorrect words make the reader stop, if they know the difference. For young readers, every error is burned into their memory. If the author is agreeable, I would be willing to proof read, free of charge.
April 3, 2020
The Haunting of Rachel Harroway Complete Collection by J.S Donovan is such an amazing story that I have read. I fell in love with this amazing box set from the very begining. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about thrillers, mysteries and horror.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 17, 2020
I had trouble putting the book down, it was so good. The grammar was horrible. Every time I read her and Peake I shuddered. Then there was amazed instead of amused. The proofreading on these books was horrible. The author deserved better. Great story line, and interesting characters. I tended to believe most of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews