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Housewarming
They thought it was their dream home...They were wrong.
Kara Tameson and her family have found their dream home: a new, two-story French country house on a wooden lot in idyllic Gracie Town--it's perfect.
But now that they've moved in, it doesn't seem so perfect. At first, they're small things: Kara's calling four-year-old Lilah by someone else's name; the playroom door won't stay shut; and someone's playing Ding-Dong Ditch on them...When a statue is found on the property, Lilah is instantly attached to the creepy "dolly."
Soon after, Kara's dreams turn bizarre and she begins to wonder what's real.Her son is seeing things too, but he's not telling anybody.
Does someone (or something) mean the Tamesons harm? Are they being pranked, or are they being haunted?
"Housewarming": ©2019
Prologue
Kara Tameson and her family have found their dream home: a new, two-story French country house on a wooden lot in idyllic Gracie Town--it's perfect.
But now that they've moved in, it doesn't seem so perfect. At first, they're small things: Kara's calling four-year-old Lilah by someone else's name; the playroom door won't stay shut; and someone's playing Ding-Dong Ditch on them...When a statue is found on the property, Lilah is instantly attached to the creepy "dolly."
Soon after, Kara's dreams turn bizarre and she begins to wonder what's real.Her son is seeing things too, but he's not telling anybody.
Does someone (or something) mean the Tamesons harm? Are they being pranked, or are they being haunted?
"Housewarming": ©2019
Prologue
Hands held her down, forcing her just below the water’s surface. If she could just roll over and push up a few inches, she’d be able to breathe. But the hands were too strong. When she was first shoved downward, she had flipped right-side up and almost saw the face. But the water rippled each time she jerked against those hands, so she could never see it clearly.
Let me go! she screamed, the cry a gurgle letting water in, filling her mouth and throat.
She struggled, but she was growing weak. Her heavy eyelids drooped, pushing against the water as they started to close, exhaustion overtaking her. She stopped the fight and stilled, her hair fanning out around her. The hands relented too, easing their grip until they finally released. Her body drifted, sinking, close to the sandy bottom. She gasped, but there was no more oxygen left.
Her eye wiggled at something black ahead. She watched it stupidly. Her brain was dying. The blob rolled in the water, lolling along the steadying waves. It neared her pallid face and then shot suddenly for a brief moment before dying there in front of her wiggling eye. She saw what it was.
Feeling returned to her limbs then and she jerked away, screaming.
“Mommy!” she cried, tearing her eyes open. The little girl sat up, flinging her legs over the side of the bed.
Chapter One
“Grace Township,” Desmond Howard nodded, clearing his throat for the tenth time in the last three minutes. “It’s a beauty of a town. The simple life, that’s what you’ve found.” He cleared his throat again, making Kara Tameson grumble inwardly, If this guy doesn’t stop doing that…
As he paused to wipe sweat from his forehead with a tissue, Kara glanced at her husband, John. But John’s focus was on the printout in front of him: a black-and-white photograph of the house they were buying with its property description and a crude drawing of the boundary map below.
“I like to encourage folks to buy when the opportunity presents itself. Owning property has been the American dream since America began.” Desmond’s wormy lips curled before he cleared his throat again.
Eleven, Kara counted, trying to keep her smile in place.
Desmond continued, his voice too loud for the boxy conference room, “I could go into facts about why purchasing is wiser than renting, but now, ahem, that you’ve settled on the house on Seter Lane…” He wadded up the tissue and dropped
AUDIO LENGTH: 11hrs. and 9mins.
©2019 Jennifer Bowen (P)2019 Jennifer Bowen
- GenresMystery
Audible Audio
First published June 10, 2019
12 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 6, 2020
It's your typical suspense story I guess. Something that would be popular in the 90's.
A family of four decided to take the economic situation and bought themselves a french farmhouse further away from their big town, almost an hour drive away. The house was located on acres of land that of course came with it. It's the best deal even though the house itself wasn't 100% completed.
But, things started to go awry even on the first day they moved in. Their bell ringing without anyone at the front door and what's up with the white cloth tied up to trees surrounding their property.
Then Kara started having nightmare; her husband John, finding an ugly doll buried near their house and their son Jack, seeing glimpse of blonde hair.
When I said typical, I do meant it. Everything happened to Kara. Her husband on the other hand was busy with work. Even at home, work came first. His solution was to tell her to face her ghost. Their first daughter passed away years ago, deal with it.
When the twist finally rolled in and whatever loose end tied up, it wasn't awed enough. Kara's nightmare and whatever happened didn't add up.
It's like, okay your house is haunted but you're dreaming about your neighbor's home that is also haunted and now the ghosts in your neighbor's home are helping you deal with the ghosts in your home. And to tie the loose end, your house used to be on the property owned by the same person owning the other house.
Even though it has been done, but in my opinion the story will work better if we're given two timelines, one with Kara and the other with Elizabeth. Both should be living on the same land albeit different house. And towards the end, readers are smack with the reality that one was the past and the other was the present but, both collided when villains started harrasing Kara.
Like I always mentioned, cliche if done well, will be a masterpiece instead of a mediocre original.
A family of four decided to take the economic situation and bought themselves a french farmhouse further away from their big town, almost an hour drive away. The house was located on acres of land that of course came with it. It's the best deal even though the house itself wasn't 100% completed.
But, things started to go awry even on the first day they moved in. Their bell ringing without anyone at the front door and what's up with the white cloth tied up to trees surrounding their property.
Then Kara started having nightmare; her husband John, finding an ugly doll buried near their house and their son Jack, seeing glimpse of blonde hair.
When I said typical, I do meant it. Everything happened to Kara. Her husband on the other hand was busy with work. Even at home, work came first. His solution was to tell her to face her ghost. Their first daughter passed away years ago, deal with it.
When the twist finally rolled in and whatever loose end tied up, it wasn't awed enough. Kara's nightmare and whatever happened didn't add up.
It's like, okay your house is haunted but you're dreaming about your neighbor's home that is also haunted and now the ghosts in your neighbor's home are helping you deal with the ghosts in your home. And to tie the loose end, your house used to be on the property owned by the same person owning the other house.
Even though it has been done, but in my opinion the story will work better if we're given two timelines, one with Kara and the other with Elizabeth. Both should be living on the same land albeit different house. And towards the end, readers are smack with the reality that one was the past and the other was the present but, both collided when villains started harrasing Kara.
Like I always mentioned, cliche if done well, will be a masterpiece instead of a mediocre original.
November 8, 2019
Things that go bump in the night
This book gave me the willies right from the start because I was never quite sure what was happening. Is Kara being gaslighted? And if so, who's behind it? Or are malevolent spirits at work?
Kara and her husband find a bank-owned property in a small town for a great price. She's excited about the fresh start and the fact that the town will put some distance between herself and her estranged mother. Add in various quirky characters, a half-finished house, and a spouse that works 24-7, and you have one strung-out main character.
The writing is very descriptive, and I had no difficulty picturing the various scenes. If you are looking for a tension-filled ride, and a book that is hard to put down, this is a story made for you. Just don't read too late at night.
This book gave me the willies right from the start because I was never quite sure what was happening. Is Kara being gaslighted? And if so, who's behind it? Or are malevolent spirits at work?
Kara and her husband find a bank-owned property in a small town for a great price. She's excited about the fresh start and the fact that the town will put some distance between herself and her estranged mother. Add in various quirky characters, a half-finished house, and a spouse that works 24-7, and you have one strung-out main character.
The writing is very descriptive, and I had no difficulty picturing the various scenes. If you are looking for a tension-filled ride, and a book that is hard to put down, this is a story made for you. Just don't read too late at night.
February 19, 2020
So boring and stupid! I couldn't even make it through half!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews