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Something Wicked This Way Comes
A workaholic teacher and a cranky blacksmith investigate a haunted orphanage in the remote Scottish Borders. What they find together might help them heal the wounds of their pasts… if they survive.
When the charity Leon works for inherits the orphanage, he travels north to see if the site is suitable for a new school. But Vainguard is a place of dark secrets, and Leon unearths a mystery about four children who died there in 1944—a tragic tale with an uncanny connection to the death of Leon’s parents.
Still bitter and guilt-ridden over his daughter’s death, farrier Niall joins Leon in uncovering Vainguard’s cruel history, including not just abuse but a tale about a vengeful spirit preying on local children. As the orphanage’s disturbing past comes to light, another child goes missing.
Niall and Leon know they don’t have long before the child falls victim to a legend straight from the Borders’ blood-soaked past.
When the charity Leon works for inherits the orphanage, he travels north to see if the site is suitable for a new school. But Vainguard is a place of dark secrets, and Leon unearths a mystery about four children who died there in 1944—a tragic tale with an uncanny connection to the death of Leon’s parents.
Still bitter and guilt-ridden over his daughter’s death, farrier Niall joins Leon in uncovering Vainguard’s cruel history, including not just abuse but a tale about a vengeful spirit preying on local children. As the orphanage’s disturbing past comes to light, another child goes missing.
Niall and Leon know they don’t have long before the child falls victim to a legend straight from the Borders’ blood-soaked past.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2019
7 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Amy Rae Durreson
34 books382 followersAmy Rae Durreson is a quiet Brit with a degree in early English literature, which she blames for her somewhat medieval approach to spelling, and at various times has been fluent in Latin, Old English, Ancient Greek, and Old Icelandic, though these days she mostly uses this knowledge to bore her students. Amy started her first novel a quarter of a century ago and has been scribbling away ever since. Despite these long years of experience, she has yet to master the arcane art of the semicolon. She was a winner in the 2017 Rainbow Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 28, 2019
It's hard to define this book - Ghost story? Yes. Horror? Absolutely. Paranormal? Yup. Contemporary M/M romance? Nicely done. Amy Rae Durreson layers a contemporary story of a man sent to the Scottish Border to assess an old orphanage for use as a children's school, and as he slowly learns of its horrific past and deaths in 1944, he also realizes the site has been a catalyse for evil for far longer. Durreson beautifully combines Celtic and older cultural legends and myths into a work that is definitely my favorite book of this year and any year.
The author does a magnificent job of pulling the reader in bit by bit. As Leon muses about the Scottish borderlands: "Every region had its dark history, of course, but here it still seemed close to the skin, like a bone fractured but not quite snapped, one that could puncture through into the modern world at any moment." There is an underlying tension throughout slowly building and ebbing, ever growing more terrifying, conditioning us like that poor doomed frog in the slowly heating water.
The tension builds as Leon realizes some unsettling truths about our place in the whole scheme of it all:
But always just at the edge of the page is the prevailing evil that has destroyed so many lives:
I received an ARC from DSP Publications / Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review at Gay Book Reviews..
Stop by my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
The author does a magnificent job of pulling the reader in bit by bit. As Leon muses about the Scottish borderlands: "Every region had its dark history, of course, but here it still seemed close to the skin, like a bone fractured but not quite snapped, one that could puncture through into the modern world at any moment." There is an underlying tension throughout slowly building and ebbing, ever growing more terrifying, conditioning us like that poor doomed frog in the slowly heating water.
The tension builds as Leon realizes some unsettling truths about our place in the whole scheme of it all:
Humans are strange creatures. We behave as if we're kings of the world, the ultimate predators, but put us alone in the dark and our instincts remind us what we really are when we lose the power to hurt others - weak, hairless mammals with brains too quick for our weak limbs. Prey.Against the backdrop of this steadily growing unease, Durreson gives Leon and Niall a wonderfully tender chance at love and while there's little in the way of on-page grappling, their relationship develops into a steady and solid love. Even the secondary characters are well-developed and charasmatic in their own right, and all the backstories are elegantly woven in the greater story.
But always just at the edge of the page is the prevailing evil that has destroyed so many lives:
At the time, I didn't think to wonder what it was. People talk about the banality of evil, use the word monster in reference to human beings casually and easily, as if it were an everyday word to use on a sunlit street. I know that sort of evil exists too, but the thing that was in the lightless chapel with me was something else - something ancient and vicious and hungry. Something wicked had come my way.Without giving away too much, the culimination of this story offers redemption and mercy and it is powerful and tear-inducing in equal parts. 5+ stars for "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and I highly recommend it.
I received an ARC from DSP Publications / Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review at Gay Book Reviews..
Stop by my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
November 4, 2019
3.5 stars
I went from being confused, to being hesitant, to liking this, to not liking this, to liking this again. It was quite a rollercoaster. I did end up liking it, but there were some parts I liked less.
Leon is a teacher for a charity that works with children with behavioral issues. He himself was such a child until Felix, head of the school, took him in and fostered him.
When someone leaves an old school building of the institute to the charity, Leon gets sent out to Scotland to see if it can be used to start a new school. The building has been empty for years and was last used as a school decades ago.
When Leon arrives he notices how the building and the forest around it feels wrong somehow. But he is still determined to empty the abandoned building to see of it can be salvaged.
When Leon is suddenly overcome with a panic attack when he’s driving down the road, he gets help from his neighbor Niall. Niall is a blacksmith who lives in a cottage next to the old school. He is a bit grumpy but also kind enough to help Leon when he’s in the middle of his panic attack.
The panic attack caused because when he was driving down the road he suddenly recognized where he was. This was the road his parents were driving when they crashed and were killed. Leon was only 6 when it happened, but has had panic attacks and flashbacks ever since.
When Leon discovers there have been a lot of strange deaths in the area for at least the last 70 years, he tries to find out more. It looks like almost all of the deaths have been of children and while they might seem like accidents, there are too many of them to feel like real accidents….
It was a while since I read the blurb so I basically went in blind. At first I couldn’t quite figure out if I was reading a historical or not. The beginning was a bit vague. I couldn’t quite figure out who the people speaking were in relation to the MC, Leon. Things got clearer once I read on, but I think I only got the whole picture of Leon’s family and how he grew up when I was halfway. I’m not sure that was deliberate because of the mystery of the way his parents died or if it was just me who was confused.
I was very intrigued in the ghost Leon kept seeing and the creep factor was high. I do have to say that I got a little less interested once it was clear who the culprit was and when the creep factor became too unrealistic for me te believe in.
And that’s when I was hoping the romance would pick up to compensate, and in a way it did. But I couldn’t help but want just a bit more from the relationship between Leon and Niall. I did like how things progressed between them, slow and easy. But I never felt the real spark once they did get together. Could also be because of the fade to black sex scenes. I often skim sex scenes when there are a lot of them, but I do need the physical expression of feelings in a book when I’m a bit hesitant about the connection the MCs have. And here I really needed it. But we didn’t get it…
Just as I was thinking that this was a mighty long book, things picked up. I liked the big showdown and how everyone banded together for this. I can’t say it was scary because it was so unbelievable, but it was good nonetheless.
So overall this was a book that had a lot going on. Sometimes a bit too much and it felt too long because of that. Some things could have been left out and the story would still have been fine. But I liked the atmosphere and it was a nice read for this time of year.
I went from being confused, to being hesitant, to liking this, to not liking this, to liking this again. It was quite a rollercoaster. I did end up liking it, but there were some parts I liked less.
Leon is a teacher for a charity that works with children with behavioral issues. He himself was such a child until Felix, head of the school, took him in and fostered him.
When someone leaves an old school building of the institute to the charity, Leon gets sent out to Scotland to see if it can be used to start a new school. The building has been empty for years and was last used as a school decades ago.
When Leon arrives he notices how the building and the forest around it feels wrong somehow. But he is still determined to empty the abandoned building to see of it can be salvaged.
When Leon is suddenly overcome with a panic attack when he’s driving down the road, he gets help from his neighbor Niall. Niall is a blacksmith who lives in a cottage next to the old school. He is a bit grumpy but also kind enough to help Leon when he’s in the middle of his panic attack.
The panic attack caused because when he was driving down the road he suddenly recognized where he was. This was the road his parents were driving when they crashed and were killed. Leon was only 6 when it happened, but has had panic attacks and flashbacks ever since.
When Leon discovers there have been a lot of strange deaths in the area for at least the last 70 years, he tries to find out more. It looks like almost all of the deaths have been of children and while they might seem like accidents, there are too many of them to feel like real accidents….
It was a while since I read the blurb so I basically went in blind. At first I couldn’t quite figure out if I was reading a historical or not. The beginning was a bit vague. I couldn’t quite figure out who the people speaking were in relation to the MC, Leon. Things got clearer once I read on, but I think I only got the whole picture of Leon’s family and how he grew up when I was halfway. I’m not sure that was deliberate because of the mystery of the way his parents died or if it was just me who was confused.
I was very intrigued in the ghost Leon kept seeing and the creep factor was high. I do have to say that I got a little less interested once it was clear who the culprit was and when the creep factor became too unrealistic for me te believe in.
And that’s when I was hoping the romance would pick up to compensate, and in a way it did. But I couldn’t help but want just a bit more from the relationship between Leon and Niall. I did like how things progressed between them, slow and easy. But I never felt the real spark once they did get together. Could also be because of the fade to black sex scenes. I often skim sex scenes when there are a lot of them, but I do need the physical expression of feelings in a book when I’m a bit hesitant about the connection the MCs have. And here I really needed it. But we didn’t get it…
Just as I was thinking that this was a mighty long book, things picked up. I liked the big showdown and how everyone banded together for this. I can’t say it was scary because it was so unbelievable, but it was good nonetheless.
So overall this was a book that had a lot going on. Sometimes a bit too much and it felt too long because of that. Some things could have been left out and the story would still have been fine. But I liked the atmosphere and it was a nice read for this time of year.
January 15, 2020
Tag team review with Ann!
3.75 stars
Amy Rae Durreson always manages to get the right mix of romantic and downright spooky!
Leon is sent to the remote Scottish Borders to explore an opportunity to open a new charitable school in the region. He receives a less-than-happy welcome from Niall, the local farrier.
But even more unsettling is the forbidding building, Vainguard, that Leon was sent to investigate - and it becomes even more so as the days pass.
I’ll admit that I don’t handle paranormal suspense/thrills that well. I will flail at jumpscares. But what really gets to me is atmosphere.
And this book nailed atmosphere with a dark and brooding tension that slowly builds.
Consider me appropriately creeped out!
The story follows Leon as he discovers the horrifying details of Vaiguard and the surrounding area’s past. And how it all connects to him, with past and present colliding.
I really liked Leon. He has some serious blinders on when it comes to his adoptive family, but his heart is always in the right place.
Niall, for his part, is a bit of a cranky asshat at first. But once he looks past his own anger and sorrow, he can’t help the gruff affection he develops for Leon.
This isn’t a steamy book at all, but the connection between Niall and Leon is palpable.
The romance between the two men builds gradually, with many ups and downs. They’re both skittish and have a lot of baggage.
Leon still deals with the anxiety and flashbacks caused by the childhood car accident that killed his parents, while Niall’s sorrow for his deceased daughter is more fresh.
And yet the draw is undeniable. They become each other’s shoulder to lean on, and heal together.
Their relationship grows in tandem to their discovery of the secrets of Vainguard. And with that discovery comes the realization that their own sad stories are intertwined.
I won’t give away the plot, but I will say that it was creepy enough to make my heart pound at times. Nothing like murderous spirits to really get the blood pumping.
The resolution was wildly entertaining, and gave Leon and Niall the happy ending they deserved!
If you’re looking for a paranormal MM thriller, I’d definitely recommend ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’!
3.75 stars
Amy Rae Durreson always manages to get the right mix of romantic and downright spooky!
Leon is sent to the remote Scottish Borders to explore an opportunity to open a new charitable school in the region. He receives a less-than-happy welcome from Niall, the local farrier.
But even more unsettling is the forbidding building, Vainguard, that Leon was sent to investigate - and it becomes even more so as the days pass.
I’ll admit that I don’t handle paranormal suspense/thrills that well. I will flail at jumpscares. But what really gets to me is atmosphere.
And this book nailed atmosphere with a dark and brooding tension that slowly builds.
Consider me appropriately creeped out!
The story follows Leon as he discovers the horrifying details of Vaiguard and the surrounding area’s past. And how it all connects to him, with past and present colliding.
I really liked Leon. He has some serious blinders on when it comes to his adoptive family, but his heart is always in the right place.
Niall, for his part, is a bit of a cranky asshat at first. But once he looks past his own anger and sorrow, he can’t help the gruff affection he develops for Leon.
This isn’t a steamy book at all, but the connection between Niall and Leon is palpable.
The romance between the two men builds gradually, with many ups and downs. They’re both skittish and have a lot of baggage.
Leon still deals with the anxiety and flashbacks caused by the childhood car accident that killed his parents, while Niall’s sorrow for his deceased daughter is more fresh.
And yet the draw is undeniable. They become each other’s shoulder to lean on, and heal together.
Their relationship grows in tandem to their discovery of the secrets of Vainguard. And with that discovery comes the realization that their own sad stories are intertwined.
I won’t give away the plot, but I will say that it was creepy enough to make my heart pound at times. Nothing like murderous spirits to really get the blood pumping.
The resolution was wildly entertaining, and gave Leon and Niall the happy ending they deserved!
If you’re looking for a paranormal MM thriller, I’d definitely recommend ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’!
November 7, 2019
Hard one to rate. I really enjoyed reading it though overall it didn't wow me. 3.5*
The intial set-up and relationship dynamic had strong echos of this author's A Frost of Cares (minus the epistolary aspect) which was an instant favourite of mine, all good - but unfortunately here it doesn't resonate. Possibly there's too much going on in the book.
Not sure I ever fully connected to the main character; Leon has a backstory but aspects of it felt skimmed over so I wasn't always clear on who certain people in his life were and never feel I had a complete image of him. I liked him, he carries the story, but the focus was torn. I'd feel at grips with him then another aspect would be revealed that'd throw me.
Then there's Naill the love interest, someone whose lost a young daughter and is struggling to continue with his life. To me that's a huge thing to come to terms with, especially given aspects of the plot; there needed to be a strong bond to pull through which I didn't feel. Off-page sex isn't the issue, I often skim those scenes. There's some tension to their meeting and it was a promising start but that seemed to leap ahead to a committed vibe. While I liked both men somehow them being together lacked something; that sense of connecting, of needing to be together.
The ghostly happenings didn't bring an immediate sense of chills it was more complicated and ever expanding with legends drawn in. Here again it went from low-grade creepy to full on everything, which was that step too much going on for me. Everyone and everything lined up to take a bow at the end. It's fascinating and well layered in but it also stretched my credibility to snap.
Personally I'd have prefered more low-key affair with a build of atmosphere and relationship. I enjoyed it, it's well written, but I think maybe the comparison to a favourite read is making this more negative a review than it deserves. It's really good, but I wanted it to be great.
The intial set-up and relationship dynamic had strong echos of this author's A Frost of Cares (minus the epistolary aspect) which was an instant favourite of mine, all good - but unfortunately here it doesn't resonate. Possibly there's too much going on in the book.
Not sure I ever fully connected to the main character; Leon has a backstory but aspects of it felt skimmed over so I wasn't always clear on who certain people in his life were and never feel I had a complete image of him. I liked him, he carries the story, but the focus was torn. I'd feel at grips with him then another aspect would be revealed that'd throw me.
Then there's Naill the love interest, someone whose lost a young daughter and is struggling to continue with his life. To me that's a huge thing to come to terms with, especially given aspects of the plot; there needed to be a strong bond to pull through which I didn't feel. Off-page sex isn't the issue, I often skim those scenes. There's some tension to their meeting and it was a promising start but that seemed to leap ahead to a committed vibe. While I liked both men somehow them being together lacked something; that sense of connecting, of needing to be together.
The ghostly happenings didn't bring an immediate sense of chills it was more complicated and ever expanding with legends drawn in. Here again it went from low-grade creepy to full on everything, which was that step too much going on for me. Everyone and everything lined up to take a bow at the end. It's fascinating and well layered in but it also stretched my credibility to snap.
Personally I'd have prefered more low-key affair with a build of atmosphere and relationship. I enjoyed it, it's well written, but I think maybe the comparison to a favourite read is making this more negative a review than it deserves. It's really good, but I wanted it to be great.
December 2, 2019
4.5 Stars
Oh wow. This book sucked me in at page one and made me neglect my Bingo reads...it was that good.
The setting was so vividly portrayed and I was legit scared at the beginning because we aren't clued in to the source of the haunting - or its origins - until more than half-way through...and it's the not knowing, IMHO, that really had my imagination in overdrive.
I loved Leon; he felt like such a well-rounded character. He wasn't perfect, as we see later in the story. He was trying, and had a lot of obstacles in his life to overcome - and I thought that background provided a nice parallel to the orphans of 1944.
And the "second chances" theme, while being interwoven into almost every aspect of the book, never got trite or heavy handed...even there at the end (where, had it been done by any other character it WOULD have been eye-roll inducing).
Niall was harder to warm up to, and there was one part where I was mad at both of them - you'll know it when you get there - but once the song/folklore became important, I see why it was necessary. Which also completely waved away any frustration I had at the sort-of Insta-Love. (If it wasn't love, it wouldn't have worked. Gah, brilliant!) Niall also explains his decision afterwards and it makes complete sense; indeed, who wouldn't jump at the chance to have just another hour with a loved one we've lost?
I should point out that the sex is fade-to-black (sort of) but because the romance is so detailed - the dating, the making out, the time they spend together - that I didn't even mind that much. Don't get me wrong, we get some hella UST and the ramp-up made it seem like the pay-off was going to be scorching...only, we don't get the details...and for a page or so I was disappointed, but it didn't last long because we're thrown right back into the mystery.
Also, while it's not tagged as such, I think this was verging on horror had the paranormal aspect not ramped up like it did. So yeah, color me surprised that I kept reading even when I thought it was horror with only a side of SPN. (Speaking of which, there is a reference and OMG I snorted so loud when it happened that I woke the dog.)
Oh wow. This book sucked me in at page one and made me neglect my Bingo reads...it was that good.
The setting was so vividly portrayed and I was legit scared at the beginning because we aren't clued in to the source of the haunting - or its origins - until more than half-way through...and it's the not knowing, IMHO, that really had my imagination in overdrive.
I loved Leon; he felt like such a well-rounded character. He wasn't perfect, as we see later in the story. He was trying, and had a lot of obstacles in his life to overcome - and I thought that background provided a nice parallel to the orphans of 1944.
And the "second chances" theme, while being interwoven into almost every aspect of the book, never got trite or heavy handed...even there at the end (where, had it been done by any other character it WOULD have been eye-roll inducing).
Niall was harder to warm up to, and there was one part where I was mad at both of them - you'll know it when you get there - but once the song/folklore became important, I see why it was necessary. Which also completely waved away any frustration I had at the sort-of Insta-Love. (If it wasn't love, it wouldn't have worked. Gah, brilliant!) Niall also explains his decision afterwards and it makes complete sense; indeed, who wouldn't jump at the chance to have just another hour with a loved one we've lost?
I should point out that the sex is fade-to-black (sort of) but because the romance is so detailed - the dating, the making out, the time they spend together - that I didn't even mind that much. Don't get me wrong, we get some hella UST and the ramp-up made it seem like the pay-off was going to be scorching...only, we don't get the details...and for a page or so I was disappointed, but it didn't last long because we're thrown right back into the mystery.
Also, while it's not tagged as such, I think this was verging on horror had the paranormal aspect not ramped up like it did. So yeah, color me surprised that I kept reading even when I thought it was horror with only a side of SPN. (Speaking of which, there is a reference and OMG I snorted so loud when it happened that I woke the dog.)
January 17, 2020
Creepy buddy read with Adam!
4.5 Stars
This book was full on atmosphere and a half, I got sucked into the world of wicked right away. I do love me a creepy ghosty story and Something Wicked This Way Comes delivered. There were MCs I connected to, a haunted orphange, likable secondary characters, some light horror and some optimistic romance.
The mystery that surrounds Vainguard is fascinating and not overdone. By that I mean, it’s balanced with good character development and a fully fleshed out tale beyond just the mystery of what happened to the orphans. And the author tied it all together in a way that made the story flow so well, I didn’t want to put it down. You know how sometimes, you’ll be reading a book and it shifts gears in either time or plot and you get a little bummed because you were just immersed in that particular plot point and you had to refocus? That doesn’t happen here, it just, well, it just flowed. The author struck a balance among all the elements that just plain worked from start to finish.
Leon and Niall are opposites on paper in just about every aspect, but they were the good kind of opposites that complement one another and appreciate their differences. I liked them both separately, even in Niall’s grumpiest of states, but I got even more out of my enjoyment when they started falling in more than just lust. They really brought the best out of one another and they showed me how they felt, I didn’t feel like I was being told about a romance.
The mystery was heartbreaking and just supernatural enough to keep me on edge, but not so much that the humanity was lost along the way. There was a hopeful air that made me look forward to keep on, keeping on to see what happened to the orphans, what the hell happened to Niall, and how was Leon going to make Vainguard work for the kids (being that it was haunted and evil and whatnot).
The resolution of all the things was satisfying and not so neat that it brought down the mystery that had been built. Niall and Leon deserved every bit of HEA they worked for.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
4.5 Stars
This book was full on atmosphere and a half, I got sucked into the world of wicked right away. I do love me a creepy ghosty story and Something Wicked This Way Comes delivered. There were MCs I connected to, a haunted orphange, likable secondary characters, some light horror and some optimistic romance.
The mystery that surrounds Vainguard is fascinating and not overdone. By that I mean, it’s balanced with good character development and a fully fleshed out tale beyond just the mystery of what happened to the orphans. And the author tied it all together in a way that made the story flow so well, I didn’t want to put it down. You know how sometimes, you’ll be reading a book and it shifts gears in either time or plot and you get a little bummed because you were just immersed in that particular plot point and you had to refocus? That doesn’t happen here, it just, well, it just flowed. The author struck a balance among all the elements that just plain worked from start to finish.
Leon and Niall are opposites on paper in just about every aspect, but they were the good kind of opposites that complement one another and appreciate their differences. I liked them both separately, even in Niall’s grumpiest of states, but I got even more out of my enjoyment when they started falling in more than just lust. They really brought the best out of one another and they showed me how they felt, I didn’t feel like I was being told about a romance.
The mystery was heartbreaking and just supernatural enough to keep me on edge, but not so much that the humanity was lost along the way. There was a hopeful air that made me look forward to keep on, keeping on to see what happened to the orphans, what the hell happened to Niall, and how was Leon going to make Vainguard work for the kids (being that it was haunted and evil and whatnot).
The resolution of all the things was satisfying and not so neat that it brought down the mystery that had been built. Niall and Leon deserved every bit of HEA they worked for.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
November 3, 2019
Great book fantastic ending
I love the atmosphere, and feel of this story. It felt grounded in the setting, and I really enjoyed how much history and folklore played into the supernatural parts of the story. The characters felt like real people, and the secondary cast was just a developed and nuanced as the main couple. The writing made me feel like I was there, and it was a hard book to put down, but it was the ending that made this book for me. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will only say that I never expected the ending to play out like it did, and that I lived it for that. Just what I was looking to read this Halloween season.
I love the atmosphere, and feel of this story. It felt grounded in the setting, and I really enjoyed how much history and folklore played into the supernatural parts of the story. The characters felt like real people, and the secondary cast was just a developed and nuanced as the main couple. The writing made me feel like I was there, and it was a hard book to put down, but it was the ending that made this book for me. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will only say that I never expected the ending to play out like it did, and that I lived it for that. Just what I was looking to read this Halloween season.
December 15, 2019
A workaholic teacher and a cranky blacksmith investigate a haunted orphanage in the remote Scottish Borders. What they find together might help them heal the wounds of their pasts… if they survive.
When the charity Leon works for inherits the orphanage, he travels north to see if the site is suitable for a new school. But Vainguard is a place of dark secrets, and Leon unearths a mystery about four children who died there in 1944—a tragic tale with an uncanny connection to the death of Leon’s parents.
Still bitter and guilt-ridden over his daughter’s death, farrier Niall joins Leon in uncovering Vainguard’s cruel history, including not just abuse but a tale about a vengeful spirit preying on local children. As the orphanage’s disturbing past comes to light, another child goes missing.
Niall and Leon know they don’t have long before the child falls victim to a legend straight from the Borders’ blood-soaked past.
WARNING CHILD ABUSE THEMES.
Review.
Dear Amy Rae Durreson,
I enjoy your writing, but I am scared of ghost stories and that's why I have not picked up any of your work for some time . Actually I avoid horror stories, horror movies, etc, etc. I can tolerate some horror elements if the story has other plot developments to keep me occupied with, so I decided to bite the bullet on this one hoping that romance will be prominent enough to make scary things less scary so to speak :).
I am happy I read this book and romance for me was indeed a major storyline ( for the first half of of the book anyway) and quite satisfying throughout the story. I am not even sure if I can call this book truly scary ( and as I said it does not take much to scare me ) where supernatural element is concerned.
I would say that the author wrote the suspenseful *atmosphere* very well - basically the sense that something scary is lurking behind the corner when Leon is investigating his surroundings. I was ready to jump from my seat couple of times. However I did not find ghosts scary in the slightest, and when we know what the evil supernatural element is I did not find it scary either. Probably because human born evil was much scarier to me.
I found both Leon and Niall to be incredibly appealing characters. They may have wounds from the past ( death of the parents for Leon and death of his daughter for Niall), but they both are doing their best trying to live their lives, even if Niall's wound is too recent and Leon just had a painful childhood overall when he became an orphan till the school he now teaches in took him and helped him to figure out how to move on at least somewhat from the past.
As blurb tells you Leon comes to the town to check out the empty orphanage the charity he works for inherited. He needs to see whether it will be a good home for a second school for the kids. Unfortunately, it turns out that the place just does not have a good feel and he has his own connections with the town he was unaware of.
The good thing is that he meets Niall. They snap at each other a bit when they first time, but really the bickering goes away very fast, because Leon sees that Niall's initial rudeness was caused by good intentions and recent death of his child and when it matters Niall helps him to get out of touch situation , pretty much saves his life.
““New owners,” he repeated, and then his scowl deepened. “You don’t want to buy Vainguard. There’s no good in it for anyone.” “We’re not buying,” I said and offered my hand out the window. “Leon Kwarteng of Becky’s Children’s Trust. And you are?” He didn’t take it, but snapped out, “Niall Forster. I live in the lodge. Why the hell would Becky’s have an interest in Vainguard?””
****
“So far in our brief acquaintance, I’d inadvertently taunted him about his dead daughter, provided him with a spectacular display of mental instability, then had a go at him after he rescued me. “What my brother means to say,” Kasia put in, “is thank you very much for coming to his rescue. He is profoundly grateful.” I groaned, dropping my head against the wheel. “Yes, yes. Of course. Sorry. And for earlier. Sorry. Shit.” “Believe it or not, he’s also an English teacher and usually more eloquent than that.””
I really loved them together and separately. I thought they were both decent people who were ready to help fellow human beings around them whenever help was needed. Really, their attraction to each other made sense to my brain, in addition to my heart. Note that all sex scenes are fade too black. We see kisses and some other foreplay but that's it. In all honesty I didn't miss sex scenes at all.
Second part of the book becomes more fast moving where suspense supernatural storyline is concerned and it made sense to me that their romance took secondary seat. What didn't made a lot of sense was a break up part. Oh they don't really break up and I thought that in the context of the story the author picked a perfectly good reason to keep them apart, but I guess I still felt that it was a little manipulative rather than organic to the plot unfolding.
Otherwise I quite liked it.
Grade: B.
When the charity Leon works for inherits the orphanage, he travels north to see if the site is suitable for a new school. But Vainguard is a place of dark secrets, and Leon unearths a mystery about four children who died there in 1944—a tragic tale with an uncanny connection to the death of Leon’s parents.
Still bitter and guilt-ridden over his daughter’s death, farrier Niall joins Leon in uncovering Vainguard’s cruel history, including not just abuse but a tale about a vengeful spirit preying on local children. As the orphanage’s disturbing past comes to light, another child goes missing.
Niall and Leon know they don’t have long before the child falls victim to a legend straight from the Borders’ blood-soaked past.
WARNING CHILD ABUSE THEMES.
Review.
Dear Amy Rae Durreson,
I enjoy your writing, but I am scared of ghost stories and that's why I have not picked up any of your work for some time . Actually I avoid horror stories, horror movies, etc, etc. I can tolerate some horror elements if the story has other plot developments to keep me occupied with, so I decided to bite the bullet on this one hoping that romance will be prominent enough to make scary things less scary so to speak :).
I am happy I read this book and romance for me was indeed a major storyline ( for the first half of of the book anyway) and quite satisfying throughout the story. I am not even sure if I can call this book truly scary ( and as I said it does not take much to scare me ) where supernatural element is concerned.
I would say that the author wrote the suspenseful *atmosphere* very well - basically the sense that something scary is lurking behind the corner when Leon is investigating his surroundings. I was ready to jump from my seat couple of times. However I did not find ghosts scary in the slightest, and when we know what the evil supernatural element is I did not find it scary either. Probably because human born evil was much scarier to me.
I found both Leon and Niall to be incredibly appealing characters. They may have wounds from the past ( death of the parents for Leon and death of his daughter for Niall), but they both are doing their best trying to live their lives, even if Niall's wound is too recent and Leon just had a painful childhood overall when he became an orphan till the school he now teaches in took him and helped him to figure out how to move on at least somewhat from the past.
As blurb tells you Leon comes to the town to check out the empty orphanage the charity he works for inherited. He needs to see whether it will be a good home for a second school for the kids. Unfortunately, it turns out that the place just does not have a good feel and he has his own connections with the town he was unaware of.
The good thing is that he meets Niall. They snap at each other a bit when they first time, but really the bickering goes away very fast, because Leon sees that Niall's initial rudeness was caused by good intentions and recent death of his child and when it matters Niall helps him to get out of touch situation , pretty much saves his life.
““New owners,” he repeated, and then his scowl deepened. “You don’t want to buy Vainguard. There’s no good in it for anyone.” “We’re not buying,” I said and offered my hand out the window. “Leon Kwarteng of Becky’s Children’s Trust. And you are?” He didn’t take it, but snapped out, “Niall Forster. I live in the lodge. Why the hell would Becky’s have an interest in Vainguard?””
****
“So far in our brief acquaintance, I’d inadvertently taunted him about his dead daughter, provided him with a spectacular display of mental instability, then had a go at him after he rescued me. “What my brother means to say,” Kasia put in, “is thank you very much for coming to his rescue. He is profoundly grateful.” I groaned, dropping my head against the wheel. “Yes, yes. Of course. Sorry. And for earlier. Sorry. Shit.” “Believe it or not, he’s also an English teacher and usually more eloquent than that.””
I really loved them together and separately. I thought they were both decent people who were ready to help fellow human beings around them whenever help was needed. Really, their attraction to each other made sense to my brain, in addition to my heart. Note that all sex scenes are fade too black. We see kisses and some other foreplay but that's it. In all honesty I didn't miss sex scenes at all.
Second part of the book becomes more fast moving where suspense supernatural storyline is concerned and it made sense to me that their romance took secondary seat. What didn't made a lot of sense was a break up part. Oh they don't really break up and I thought that in the context of the story the author picked a perfectly good reason to keep them apart, but I guess I still felt that it was a little manipulative rather than organic to the plot unfolding.
Otherwise I quite liked it.
Grade: B.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2023
This is one of the most terrifying ghost stories I've ever read: it gave me some bad dreams just shy of being nightmares. Also, the more ARD you read the more it becomes apparent that grief, suffering, forgiveness, absolution, and renewal are her writerly preoccupations. She tackles some seriously rough material in Something Wicked: child abuse, child death (mainly by murder), the traumatic death of one MC's parents when he was six, revenge and hatred ... you get the picture.
You might think that a ghost story with these themes pretty much has to trivialize them, but you'd be wrong. You might also think that the resulting novel would make miserable reading, but you'd be wrong in that as well (though yes, I'd consider holding off on it if I had recent or largely unresolved experience of the kinds of trauma it explores).
It's weird to think of a ghost story being realistic, but oddly enough this one is -- emotionally realistic, I mean. At the end, Leon and Niall, the MCs, have gone some way toward resolving their griefs, and so have the secondary characters and the people we might call extras, those who've been touched by the same evil. But the wounds they've suffered aren't All Better Now; rather, they've chosen to make their lives as good as they can in spite of them. The last scene in the book encapsulates that for me (for the avoidance of doubt, it is an HEA -- an, uh, realistic HEA): I'm not crying, you're crying, etc.
[ETA: I originally didn't tag for racism: although Leon faces racism at several points, it's not really a focus of the book. I changed my mind because I really like the way ARD addresses race. I didn't feel like Leon was a white guy with a good suntan, but also sometimes you read a white writer's depiction of a Black person that sort of reduces them to their Blackness, you know? The writer is trying so hard to demonstrate that they're sensitive to issues of race that the character never gets to so much as enjoy an omelet. As usual, ARD does it better. IMO, anyway.]
You might think that a ghost story with these themes pretty much has to trivialize them, but you'd be wrong. You might also think that the resulting novel would make miserable reading, but you'd be wrong in that as well (though yes, I'd consider holding off on it if I had recent or largely unresolved experience of the kinds of trauma it explores).
It's weird to think of a ghost story being realistic, but oddly enough this one is -- emotionally realistic, I mean. At the end, Leon and Niall, the MCs, have gone some way toward resolving their griefs, and so have the secondary characters and the people we might call extras, those who've been touched by the same evil. But the wounds they've suffered aren't All Better Now; rather, they've chosen to make their lives as good as they can in spite of them. The last scene in the book encapsulates that for me (for the avoidance of doubt, it is an HEA -- an, uh, realistic HEA): I'm not crying, you're crying, etc.
[ETA: I originally didn't tag for racism: although Leon faces racism at several points, it's not really a focus of the book. I changed my mind because I really like the way ARD addresses race. I didn't feel like Leon was a white guy with a good suntan, but also sometimes you read a white writer's depiction of a Black person that sort of reduces them to their Blackness, you know? The writer is trying so hard to demonstrate that they're sensitive to issues of race that the character never gets to so much as enjoy an omelet. As usual, ARD does it better. IMO, anyway.]
August 16, 2020
Atmospheric love story with a substantial side order of chills
Amy Rae Durreson's stories are automatic re-reads for me, and this is no exception. It's got all the ingredients I love in her writing:
· A really strong sense of place. Here it's the Scottish border (not a million miles away from where I live) and she's absolutely nailed the contrast between the scary openness of the windswept moors and the illusory comfort of wooded valleys. I like the way that her hauntings are always inextricably linked with the setting.
· A "proper" love story. Leon & Niall may not be big on romantic speeches or grandstanding gestures but they recognise each other early and don't lie to themselves or each other. When, later, Leon does "go large" & puts his own life at risk to rescue Niall, it's because he knows in his bones that he and Niall belong together, even though they've never said a word about love or ever after.
What draws me back to ARD's stories again and again is the feeling that the MCs are looking forward to living together: there's a full and rewarding life waiting for them past the end of the book. She doesn't do glossy HEAs (her books often end on a downbeat, in fact) but there's a settled certainty to her lovers that just works for me.
· Scaring the living daylights out of me. SWTWC isn't an out and out horror story, but there are 2 or 3 places where my whole body froze in terror. It's the same in A Frost of Cares, or A Distant Drum – even on re-reading, even knowing what's coming, my marrow chills. ARD doesn't go in for the "Boo!" school of terror: she uses small details to build up a sense of malevolent menace. Here, one of the scariest scenes takes place in broad daylight & involves ice-cream.
· Tolerance. The whole book's about forgiveness and second chances, sometimes shown in highly unexpected circumstances. Got to say I'm in favour of tolerance—when it comes to the Seven Christian Virtues, I'd swap out Chastity for Tolerance any day of the week.
If I've got a criticism of SWTWC, it's that it is just a bit too busy.
Real spoiler –
Overall, though, this is a cracking story, well-told and one I'll go back to.
Amy Rae Durreson's stories are automatic re-reads for me, and this is no exception. It's got all the ingredients I love in her writing:
· A really strong sense of place. Here it's the Scottish border (not a million miles away from where I live) and she's absolutely nailed the contrast between the scary openness of the windswept moors and the illusory comfort of wooded valleys. I like the way that her hauntings are always inextricably linked with the setting.
· A "proper" love story. Leon & Niall may not be big on romantic speeches or grandstanding gestures but they recognise each other early and don't lie to themselves or each other. When, later, Leon does "go large" & puts his own life at risk to rescue Niall, it's because he knows in his bones that he and Niall belong together, even though they've never said a word about love or ever after.
What draws me back to ARD's stories again and again is the feeling that the MCs are looking forward to living together: there's a full and rewarding life waiting for them past the end of the book. She doesn't do glossy HEAs (her books often end on a downbeat, in fact) but there's a settled certainty to her lovers that just works for me.
· Scaring the living daylights out of me. SWTWC isn't an out and out horror story, but there are 2 or 3 places where my whole body froze in terror. It's the same in A Frost of Cares, or A Distant Drum – even on re-reading, even knowing what's coming, my marrow chills. ARD doesn't go in for the "Boo!" school of terror: she uses small details to build up a sense of malevolent menace. Here, one of the scariest scenes takes place in broad daylight & involves ice-cream.
· Tolerance. The whole book's about forgiveness and second chances, sometimes shown in highly unexpected circumstances. Got to say I'm in favour of tolerance—when it comes to the Seven Christian Virtues, I'd swap out Chastity for Tolerance any day of the week.
If I've got a criticism of SWTWC, it's that it is just a bit too busy.
Real spoiler –
Overall, though, this is a cracking story, well-told and one I'll go back to.
March 4, 2020
This is what any great ghost story set high in the harsh bleak English-Scottish borderlands should be. The terrible evil looms large and stretches across the centuries of time. Both MCs have awful personal tragedies linked to the recurring deaths and disappearances - I really appreciated how the author drew out their conflict-attraction; it was way over the 55% mark before anything physical happened between them and even then - all bedroom dynamics are tucked away behind closed curtains. Which leaves the main focus on the marauding ghoulies, ghosts, specters and things that go violently bang in the night. I was hoping for more page-time for Niall's mother and Leon's foster brother ... both late-presenting characters were such interesting characters! The ending was totally unexpected (I was hoping for an OK-Corral showdown) but the author took a sudden divergent path altogether, unexpected but quite satisfying in the end.
October 16, 2019
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This review has been originally posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!
Leon, in his middle thirties, lost his parents in a traumatizing car accident when he was six, has lived in several foster homes, and was finally brought up in a charity institution specialized in educating kids with anger management issues and other behavioural problems. He works now as a teacher for the very same institution together with his foster father Felix, who runs it. Both hope to open a sub-branch for they have too little place for too many candidates. It looks therefore like a lucky strike when an old acquaintance of Felix’s, Martyn Armstrong, bequeaths an old manor in Cumbria to the institution upon his death. Summer holidays have started, so Leon accepts to drive up to the Scottish Borders to handle the paperwork and check out if the premises could be transformed into a boarding school. Things seem to look promising—the manor is, in fact, a former orphanage.
What Leon hasn’t reckoned with is his antagonistic encounter with the smoulderingly handsome, rugged, but surly blacksmith Niall, who lives and works in a lodge on site. What he hasn’t reckoned with, either, is that the place is too creepy for words. It looks and feels like eerie old legends come true, as if lived in by hostile ghosts. As if that weren’t enough, Leon starts to hear ghostly riders in the middle of the night. And he realizes that the accident that has cost his parents their lives took place in close vicinity to the manor. Mere happenstance, then, that he’s come back to this of all places? Mere happenstance that Niall seems to suffer from a painful past, too—he’s lost his daughter from a previous marriage in another car accident a couple of years ago? Mere happenstance that Martyn Armstrong seems to have been very interested in the disappearance and death of several kids over the last decades? Things get creepier and creepier, until… a young boy disappears. Leon and Niall, who have already started to build a friendlier relationship, start to investigate and discover not only that they’re drawn one to the other, but also that some legends are more than just legends. Unfortunately, it’s the ghoulish ones…
This book was a real treat, from page 1 to page 338. Exactly what the word “unputdownable” implies. I didn’t know the author, Amy Rae Durreson, before, but she’s now on my TBR. What a ride! The book is well-paced, revealing its eerie plot small bit by small bit, and had me on an emotional roller-coaster. Leon and Niall are both really cute, endearing characters, two full-blown adults out of real life, with real-life problems the author depicts with perfect psychological insight. Even the secondary characters, including the most unimportant ones, have that same real-life look and feel. Durreson certainly knows how to create likeable, authentic personae; she certainly knows how to write; she certainly knows how to build tension, how to satisfyingly describe the growing chemistry between two guys, how to give you goose-pumps, how to make you shiver with fright, how to fill you with horror. All that without the slightest hint of artificiality or superficiality. Her descriptions of the Border lands are awesome; she makes you smell the heather and moss, she makes you feel the summer heat and the chillness of a rainy night. You don’t believe in ghosts, you don’t do ghost stories? Read this, and you’ll change your mind.
What more can I say? It would simply be more praise. Very little typos (like, two or three, which goes to show it IS possible to publish books that are well proofread and edited), no real sex scenes but a lot of hot snogging and kissing, and, cherry on the cake, an exceedingly satisfying, sigh-inducing HEA… I loved this book. It’s one of those reads where you’re utterly disappointed when you reach the last page—not because the book should be longer or leaves you wanting, but because you don’t want to step out of the unique universe the author has created. I don’t say this very often, but I’d gladly give more then 5 stars.
This review has been originally posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!
Leon, in his middle thirties, lost his parents in a traumatizing car accident when he was six, has lived in several foster homes, and was finally brought up in a charity institution specialized in educating kids with anger management issues and other behavioural problems. He works now as a teacher for the very same institution together with his foster father Felix, who runs it. Both hope to open a sub-branch for they have too little place for too many candidates. It looks therefore like a lucky strike when an old acquaintance of Felix’s, Martyn Armstrong, bequeaths an old manor in Cumbria to the institution upon his death. Summer holidays have started, so Leon accepts to drive up to the Scottish Borders to handle the paperwork and check out if the premises could be transformed into a boarding school. Things seem to look promising—the manor is, in fact, a former orphanage.
What Leon hasn’t reckoned with is his antagonistic encounter with the smoulderingly handsome, rugged, but surly blacksmith Niall, who lives and works in a lodge on site. What he hasn’t reckoned with, either, is that the place is too creepy for words. It looks and feels like eerie old legends come true, as if lived in by hostile ghosts. As if that weren’t enough, Leon starts to hear ghostly riders in the middle of the night. And he realizes that the accident that has cost his parents their lives took place in close vicinity to the manor. Mere happenstance, then, that he’s come back to this of all places? Mere happenstance that Niall seems to suffer from a painful past, too—he’s lost his daughter from a previous marriage in another car accident a couple of years ago? Mere happenstance that Martyn Armstrong seems to have been very interested in the disappearance and death of several kids over the last decades? Things get creepier and creepier, until… a young boy disappears. Leon and Niall, who have already started to build a friendlier relationship, start to investigate and discover not only that they’re drawn one to the other, but also that some legends are more than just legends. Unfortunately, it’s the ghoulish ones…
This book was a real treat, from page 1 to page 338. Exactly what the word “unputdownable” implies. I didn’t know the author, Amy Rae Durreson, before, but she’s now on my TBR. What a ride! The book is well-paced, revealing its eerie plot small bit by small bit, and had me on an emotional roller-coaster. Leon and Niall are both really cute, endearing characters, two full-blown adults out of real life, with real-life problems the author depicts with perfect psychological insight. Even the secondary characters, including the most unimportant ones, have that same real-life look and feel. Durreson certainly knows how to create likeable, authentic personae; she certainly knows how to write; she certainly knows how to build tension, how to satisfyingly describe the growing chemistry between two guys, how to give you goose-pumps, how to make you shiver with fright, how to fill you with horror. All that without the slightest hint of artificiality or superficiality. Her descriptions of the Border lands are awesome; she makes you smell the heather and moss, she makes you feel the summer heat and the chillness of a rainy night. You don’t believe in ghosts, you don’t do ghost stories? Read this, and you’ll change your mind.
What more can I say? It would simply be more praise. Very little typos (like, two or three, which goes to show it IS possible to publish books that are well proofread and edited), no real sex scenes but a lot of hot snogging and kissing, and, cherry on the cake, an exceedingly satisfying, sigh-inducing HEA… I loved this book. It’s one of those reads where you’re utterly disappointed when you reach the last page—not because the book should be longer or leaves you wanting, but because you don’t want to step out of the unique universe the author has created. I don’t say this very often, but I’d gladly give more then 5 stars.
November 8, 2019
Excellent.
March 1, 2020
This is one of my favourite books this year! Set right on the border between Scotland and England, this book makes use of that region’s violent and bloody history to deliver a ghost story with a difference.
After the death of his parents, Leon was raised at a boarding school for orphans run by a well-established charity. Grateful and believing in the importance of the charity’s work, Leon devotes his life to furthering their purpose, which leads to him spending his holidays checking out an old orphanage left to the charity by a former occupant. But from the moment Leon arrives at the desolate Vainguard, he’s plagued by the sound of ghost riders in the night and the terrifying feeling that something evil is stalking him. As Leon digs through the fragments of history left behind by the hall’s previous occupants, he discovers a tale of child abuse and murder and demons that intertwines with his own history and that of the charity he has devoted his life to.
I loved this story on so many levels. The setting was marvelous, the author taking the time to ensure its exploration took up a fair sized chunk of the story, as the setting was one of the most integral parts of the plot. Fragments of actual history are cleverly woven through fiction that results in a horror story that seems credible, if only because the Scottish Borders have such a volatile and somewhat otherworldly past.
The ghost-story horror elements are softened by the love story that builds between Leon and Niall, a legit old-fashioned blacksmith who has also been touched by the evil that lurks close by. The relationship is gently nudged along by the author, with the story’s tension and uncertainty coming from the paranormal, history components rather that any lovers’ woes. This book is probably equal parts romance and ghost story, with the two parts balancing each other and allowing for a slow developing plot without the story dragging at any point. What I thought was really well done was the fact that in the end all of the story’s elements were linked together, the death of Leon’s parents, the death of Niall’s daughter, the fact that Leon ‘co-incidentally’ happened across the location where his parents died, and there was more but I don’t want to give too much away. Sometimes when an author pulls so many separate threads together the coincidences are too unbelievable to accept, but with this story the author took the time to provide absolutely justifiable explanations for how and why all of these things were connected. I definitely appreciated the care taken by the author to clear up any possible questions.
This story might not be for everyone. It was slow building but there was always a tension present as you just waited for the next bad thing to happen. Also, some readers might find the deaths of children to be too disturbing to read, but if you’re thinking about giving this book a try, I recommend that you do. It was different, but I loved it.
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/12/1...
After the death of his parents, Leon was raised at a boarding school for orphans run by a well-established charity. Grateful and believing in the importance of the charity’s work, Leon devotes his life to furthering their purpose, which leads to him spending his holidays checking out an old orphanage left to the charity by a former occupant. But from the moment Leon arrives at the desolate Vainguard, he’s plagued by the sound of ghost riders in the night and the terrifying feeling that something evil is stalking him. As Leon digs through the fragments of history left behind by the hall’s previous occupants, he discovers a tale of child abuse and murder and demons that intertwines with his own history and that of the charity he has devoted his life to.
I loved this story on so many levels. The setting was marvelous, the author taking the time to ensure its exploration took up a fair sized chunk of the story, as the setting was one of the most integral parts of the plot. Fragments of actual history are cleverly woven through fiction that results in a horror story that seems credible, if only because the Scottish Borders have such a volatile and somewhat otherworldly past.
The ghost-story horror elements are softened by the love story that builds between Leon and Niall, a legit old-fashioned blacksmith who has also been touched by the evil that lurks close by. The relationship is gently nudged along by the author, with the story’s tension and uncertainty coming from the paranormal, history components rather that any lovers’ woes. This book is probably equal parts romance and ghost story, with the two parts balancing each other and allowing for a slow developing plot without the story dragging at any point. What I thought was really well done was the fact that in the end all of the story’s elements were linked together, the death of Leon’s parents, the death of Niall’s daughter, the fact that Leon ‘co-incidentally’ happened across the location where his parents died, and there was more but I don’t want to give too much away. Sometimes when an author pulls so many separate threads together the coincidences are too unbelievable to accept, but with this story the author took the time to provide absolutely justifiable explanations for how and why all of these things were connected. I definitely appreciated the care taken by the author to clear up any possible questions.
This story might not be for everyone. It was slow building but there was always a tension present as you just waited for the next bad thing to happen. Also, some readers might find the deaths of children to be too disturbing to read, but if you’re thinking about giving this book a try, I recommend that you do. It was different, but I loved it.
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2019/12/1...
July 4, 2025
Amy Rae Durreson writes cracking ghost stories. This was so great! I loved it. It's super creepy and super atmospheric. I had to read it in the daytime! Lovely romance, too. There's some heavy themes here, but it's not a sad story; I would actually call it extremely hopeful. It's a beautiful story of healing and moving forward. I loved how the folklore and history of the Scottish Borders were incorporated. ARD's stories do always have a very strong sense of place and I love that. This was gorgeous.
I love Amy Rae Durreson's books so much, but unfortunately, she seems to have disappeared. This was the last thing she published and that was five years ago now. Here's hoping that she's still out there somewhere writing.
I love Amy Rae Durreson's books so much, but unfortunately, she seems to have disappeared. This was the last thing she published and that was five years ago now. Here's hoping that she's still out there somewhere writing.
November 13, 2019
https://optimumm.blog/2019/11/13/revi...
Leon is a teacher who helps children with special needs. When his charity, sends him to the Scottish border to evaluate the orphanage they inherited, Leon is welcome by a broody blacksmith, Niall Forster. The old building is more than what Leon expected. A lot of dramas have been done there—a lot of children had been hurt. When another child disappears, Leon and Niall know that something wicked may come to them, but they don’t know how to defeat it.
Something Wicked this way comes by Amy Rae Durreson, gave me the creeps. This book is what I expected—a scary novel with a good mystery.
Leon was an orphan. He lost his family when he was a little child, and after being moved from foster family to foster family, Leon was rescued by Becky’s, a charity that helps children with special needs, and gave them a second chance. Leon was then adopted by Felix and Valerie and became a teacher for Becky. He doesn’t have a lover or a life. When Felix sends him to the Scottish border to evaluate Vainguard, the orphanage, Leon realized he knew this place, and something terrible happened to him there.
Niall is a blacksmith. He’s grieving the loss of his daughter, Katie, who died a year ago in a terrible car accident. Niall is broody and rough, and he doesn’t like strangers either, but Leon touches him and awakes something inside him. When another child disappears, Niall must fight hard against his demons and pain.
Leon and Niall will not only try to save the missing child, but also each other.
I adored them. They were fabulous, sensitive, smart, and funny. Niall is broken by the loss of his daughter, but he tried to survive her, and meeting Leon is probably what Niall needs the most in his lonely life. Leon is a workaholic; he doesn’t have a life, and he feels indebted to Felix. Being at the Scottish border, far away from his family and his job, Leon will have to face his past and fears, but most of all, he will have to fight hard for Niall, and to have the life he really wants.
The plot is about what’s been happening to the children in the village since 1944 and how Leon and Niall are linked to it. The author has created a heavy and suffocating atmosphere. Vainguard, the orphanage, is a character by itself and it was brilliantly written. I was hooked by the story from the beginning. It gave me the creeps I won’t lie, and sometimes I had the feeling of hearing the voice too (no I’m not crazy). The ending was awesome. I didn’t see it coming, not all of it, at least. I adored this book; it was the perfect book to read for the Halloween season.
5 Stars for the teacher and his blacksmith
Leon is a teacher who helps children with special needs. When his charity, sends him to the Scottish border to evaluate the orphanage they inherited, Leon is welcome by a broody blacksmith, Niall Forster. The old building is more than what Leon expected. A lot of dramas have been done there—a lot of children had been hurt. When another child disappears, Leon and Niall know that something wicked may come to them, but they don’t know how to defeat it.
Something Wicked this way comes by Amy Rae Durreson, gave me the creeps. This book is what I expected—a scary novel with a good mystery.
Leon was an orphan. He lost his family when he was a little child, and after being moved from foster family to foster family, Leon was rescued by Becky’s, a charity that helps children with special needs, and gave them a second chance. Leon was then adopted by Felix and Valerie and became a teacher for Becky. He doesn’t have a lover or a life. When Felix sends him to the Scottish border to evaluate Vainguard, the orphanage, Leon realized he knew this place, and something terrible happened to him there.
Niall is a blacksmith. He’s grieving the loss of his daughter, Katie, who died a year ago in a terrible car accident. Niall is broody and rough, and he doesn’t like strangers either, but Leon touches him and awakes something inside him. When another child disappears, Niall must fight hard against his demons and pain.
Leon and Niall will not only try to save the missing child, but also each other.
I adored them. They were fabulous, sensitive, smart, and funny. Niall is broken by the loss of his daughter, but he tried to survive her, and meeting Leon is probably what Niall needs the most in his lonely life. Leon is a workaholic; he doesn’t have a life, and he feels indebted to Felix. Being at the Scottish border, far away from his family and his job, Leon will have to face his past and fears, but most of all, he will have to fight hard for Niall, and to have the life he really wants.
The plot is about what’s been happening to the children in the village since 1944 and how Leon and Niall are linked to it. The author has created a heavy and suffocating atmosphere. Vainguard, the orphanage, is a character by itself and it was brilliantly written. I was hooked by the story from the beginning. It gave me the creeps I won’t lie, and sometimes I had the feeling of hearing the voice too (no I’m not crazy). The ending was awesome. I didn’t see it coming, not all of it, at least. I adored this book; it was the perfect book to read for the Halloween season.
5 Stars for the teacher and his blacksmith
December 16, 2019
DNF @ 30% ... For such a long book this drags unbelievably slowly - a long book is wonderful, but when the pacing is drab, uninteresting, rambling, and info-dump-heavy, any book can become a burden! I just didn't reach for this one and it's a shame because executed differently, this book had the potential for being creepy and intriguing!! Add all that to a boatload of fade-to-black sex [though I haven't come across any yet, this is what I've heard happens in this book], and there's ZERO incentive to continue!!!
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"Humans are strange creatures. We behave as if we're kings of the world, the ultimate predators, but put us alone in the dark and our instincts remind us what we really are when we lose the power to hurt others - weak, hairless mammals with brains too quick for our weak limbs. Prey."
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"Humans are strange creatures. We behave as if we're kings of the world, the ultimate predators, but put us alone in the dark and our instincts remind us what we really are when we lose the power to hurt others - weak, hairless mammals with brains too quick for our weak limbs. Prey."
November 3, 2019
4.5 stars for this wonderfully creepy story. I loved Leon and Niall’s romance and I think the author found the perfect balance between the romantic elements and the scary suspense. What I enjoy most about the stories this author writes is the atmosphere she creates - I’m on edge the whole time I read her books and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
November 5, 2019
4 stars
January 1, 2025
First of all, I absolutely love stories that revolve around English and Scottish folklore. There's something fascinating about it that I cannot even put into words properly. I live in an "Old European" country myself that is just as filled with ancient castles as the UK, and we certainly have our fair share of ghosts, but there is something peculiarly romantic about a ghost haunting the Scottish Highlands or the ruins of an English castle.
So the blurb of this novel had me hooked immediately. But I wasn't prepared for the many layers of this story, which moved from drama to supernatural suspense to downright horror over the span of only a few days or weeks.
And—after reading the author's A Distant Drum—I should have been prepared for the way this story takes the supernatural element of the plot and makes it tangibly real, in the same way a serial killer would feel real in a murder mystery.
There are moments in this book that deliver some real horror movie vibes, which I don't usually experience in books. Ms. Durreson has a wonderful way of taking the reader’s hand and guiding us through the horror elements alongside the characters, making us feel as distressed as poor Leon does in that damn haunted orphanage that he keeps returning to, again and again and AGAIN!
But first things first:
Leon Kwarteng is a 36-year-old teacher at a school for children with special needs. Many of his students are orphans or come from the foster system and therefore have anger issues or other challenges that public schools are unable to address.
The school he works for is part of a charity organization that used to have several locations across the country. If I picked up this info correctly, there’s currently only one school left, where Leon teaches, but due to high demand, the organization hopes to find a second location to open another school.
I should also mention that Leon is an orphan himself. He was taken into the same school as a teen and later adopted by the charity’s founder, Felix. This is important because Leon feels a strong obligation to his foster dad, which explains why the book starts the way it does.
Felix asks Leon to travel north to the English-Scottish border, where an old man—who was also raised in the charity’s system back in the 1940s—recently passed away and left his home to Felix’s Eilbeck Foundation. That home is Vainguard, a countryside mansion that used to serve as the orphanage where the man spent his childhood.
Hoping to scout the property as a potential second location for their school, Leon arrives to find the site is the most rundown place imaginable. The mountains of garbage and broken furniture inside speak of decades of neglect, and frankly, the place seems better suited for a horror movie than a children’s home.
This is also the opinion of Leon’s reclusive neighbor, handsome blacksmith Niall, who lives right on the border of the estate. With his grumpy demeanor and ruggedly good looks, Niall flusters Leon while telling him in no uncertain terms that Vainguard is no place for children.
But Niall's reaction isn’t fueled by racism over Leon’s skin color or mere unhappiness about a school opening near his home.
Niall is a grieving, divorced father who lost his daughter in a tragic accident two years ago. His pain is still raw, and he’s coping with his loss on his own terms.
As Leon gets to work assessing Vainguard and cataloging its interiors (which mostly means sorting through decades-old trash), he finds himself distracted by strange events that lure him to the mansion’s sinister chapel room, where something evil seems to be lurking.
Luckily, Niall is there whenever the dark presence tries to grasp Leon in its ancient claws. Together, they uncover the horrifying truth: Vainguard’s demonic presence has been murdering children for decades, and its thirst for blood remains unquenched.
As Leon and Niall fight this evil, they realize their pasts are bound to the entity in ways they never imagined.
This chilling tale of horrors builds to an epic showdown that left me breathless.
The story is steeped in folklore, including the Wild Hunt, countless ghosts, and the legend of Robin Redcap, which some readers may already know.
It also made me reflect on the nature of evil and how cycles of injustice and revenge must be broken by forgiveness. Otherwise, evil will always hold the upper hand.
The ending carries a profound message that I found hard to digest, considering the unimaginable cruelty inflicted by the demonic creature on its victims.
I really wish this story could be turned into a movie or series. It has the perfect mix of suspense and hidden layers to fill many Netflix evenings—not to mention the beautiful romance between Leon and Niall.
To wrap things up, this is the first book I’ve finished this year, and it’s already on my list of favorite reads for 2025.
5 stars and a strong recommendation for anyone who loves their romances with a touch (or a bucketful) of the supernatural.
So the blurb of this novel had me hooked immediately. But I wasn't prepared for the many layers of this story, which moved from drama to supernatural suspense to downright horror over the span of only a few days or weeks.
And—after reading the author's A Distant Drum—I should have been prepared for the way this story takes the supernatural element of the plot and makes it tangibly real, in the same way a serial killer would feel real in a murder mystery.
There are moments in this book that deliver some real horror movie vibes, which I don't usually experience in books. Ms. Durreson has a wonderful way of taking the reader’s hand and guiding us through the horror elements alongside the characters, making us feel as distressed as poor Leon does in that damn haunted orphanage that he keeps returning to, again and again and AGAIN!
But first things first:
Leon Kwarteng is a 36-year-old teacher at a school for children with special needs. Many of his students are orphans or come from the foster system and therefore have anger issues or other challenges that public schools are unable to address.
The school he works for is part of a charity organization that used to have several locations across the country. If I picked up this info correctly, there’s currently only one school left, where Leon teaches, but due to high demand, the organization hopes to find a second location to open another school.
I should also mention that Leon is an orphan himself. He was taken into the same school as a teen and later adopted by the charity’s founder, Felix. This is important because Leon feels a strong obligation to his foster dad, which explains why the book starts the way it does.
Felix asks Leon to travel north to the English-Scottish border, where an old man—who was also raised in the charity’s system back in the 1940s—recently passed away and left his home to Felix’s Eilbeck Foundation. That home is Vainguard, a countryside mansion that used to serve as the orphanage where the man spent his childhood.
Hoping to scout the property as a potential second location for their school, Leon arrives to find the site is the most rundown place imaginable. The mountains of garbage and broken furniture inside speak of decades of neglect, and frankly, the place seems better suited for a horror movie than a children’s home.
This is also the opinion of Leon’s reclusive neighbor, handsome blacksmith Niall, who lives right on the border of the estate. With his grumpy demeanor and ruggedly good looks, Niall flusters Leon while telling him in no uncertain terms that Vainguard is no place for children.
But Niall's reaction isn’t fueled by racism over Leon’s skin color or mere unhappiness about a school opening near his home.
Niall is a grieving, divorced father who lost his daughter in a tragic accident two years ago. His pain is still raw, and he’s coping with his loss on his own terms.
As Leon gets to work assessing Vainguard and cataloging its interiors (which mostly means sorting through decades-old trash), he finds himself distracted by strange events that lure him to the mansion’s sinister chapel room, where something evil seems to be lurking.
Luckily, Niall is there whenever the dark presence tries to grasp Leon in its ancient claws. Together, they uncover the horrifying truth: Vainguard’s demonic presence has been murdering children for decades, and its thirst for blood remains unquenched.
As Leon and Niall fight this evil, they realize their pasts are bound to the entity in ways they never imagined.
This chilling tale of horrors builds to an epic showdown that left me breathless.
The story is steeped in folklore, including the Wild Hunt, countless ghosts, and the legend of Robin Redcap, which some readers may already know.
It also made me reflect on the nature of evil and how cycles of injustice and revenge must be broken by forgiveness. Otherwise, evil will always hold the upper hand.
The ending carries a profound message that I found hard to digest, considering the unimaginable cruelty inflicted by the demonic creature on its victims.
I really wish this story could be turned into a movie or series. It has the perfect mix of suspense and hidden layers to fill many Netflix evenings—not to mention the beautiful romance between Leon and Niall.
To wrap things up, this is the first book I’ve finished this year, and it’s already on my list of favorite reads for 2025.
5 stars and a strong recommendation for anyone who loves their romances with a touch (or a bucketful) of the supernatural.
November 3, 2020
4.5 stars
I love the opening, which is very properly gothic. And the combination of various folk tales is done pretty well. The only thing I'm not too happy with is the final part of the exorcising, which is a little messy. I like the whole concept of letting the spirit go, don't get me wrong, but the narration itself felt not as powerful as I expected. I imagine it could be more contagious emotionally should there be more depiction on the history of abuse and the madness of the evil lord.
I love the opening, which is very properly gothic. And the combination of various folk tales is done pretty well. The only thing I'm not too happy with is the final part of the exorcising, which is a little messy. I like the whole concept of letting the spirit go, don't get me wrong, but the narration itself felt not as powerful as I expected. I imagine it could be more contagious emotionally should there be more depiction on the history of abuse and the madness of the evil lord.
November 11, 2023
For the first 40% or so of the book I thought this would be a 4 star rating. The slowly building tension and the sense that something evil was lurking in the background were really well done. One scene in particular was so unsettling it gave me chills. The first few meeting between Leon and Niall promised an interesting romance.
Unfortunately, even though I still liked the story, around the halfway point it started to feel really slow and there were no more scenes that scared me liked that first one did. The romance was fine, but there was something missing for me. To be honest, I found Leon a bit boring.
There some really cool horror elements and I liked the setting, but at some point most of the mystery/hauntings stopped escalating and the focus was on Leon and Niall's relationship. Since I didn't find them that interesting, I started to get bored. Once the plot picked up again I had more fun, but I couldn't reach the same level of interest I had before.
Unfortunately, even though I still liked the story, around the halfway point it started to feel really slow and there were no more scenes that scared me liked that first one did. The romance was fine, but there was something missing for me. To be honest, I found Leon a bit boring.
There some really cool horror elements and I liked the setting, but at some point most of the mystery/hauntings stopped escalating and the focus was on Leon and Niall's relationship. Since I didn't find them that interesting, I started to get bored. Once the plot picked up again I had more fun, but I couldn't reach the same level of interest I had before.
October 14, 2020
A horror story about resurrected demons, ghostly horse riders, murder, mayhem, abduction as well as a bit of history, blacksmithing and romance.
Leon has his world turned upside down when his charity sends him to the Scottish Borders. The house is definitely haunted and there is a great build up of spooky tension.
Leon and Niall’s romance was good, with a twist on the misunderstanding plot.
Lots of action, quite a number of characters but easy to keep track of.
Leon has his world turned upside down when his charity sends him to the Scottish Borders. The house is definitely haunted and there is a great build up of spooky tension.
Leon and Niall’s romance was good, with a twist on the misunderstanding plot.
Lots of action, quite a number of characters but easy to keep track of.
September 30, 2020
4.5 stars
Leon was orphaned as a child, and was basically saved, in his opinion, by a school that deals with troubled children. When the school inherits an old building, Leon, as a teacher and the headmaster's adopted son, goes north to the border with Scotland to check it out and see if the building is a viable option to open another branch of the school.
Once there, Leon starts to experience things that don't really have a rational explanation.
It wasn't until about 70% in where I really started to enjoy the story. Well, not that I didn't enjoy it, but I kind of felt removed from it. Once it hit the 65-70% mark, though, I was all in with everything that was happening. Leon has a long way to go with regards to how he looks at himself and how he looks at his, um, foster father, but he does get to the point where he doesn't feel the need to be grateful all of the time for being rescued, and that his foster father isn't larger than life. This was an interesting story with well drawn characters.
Leon was orphaned as a child, and was basically saved, in his opinion, by a school that deals with troubled children. When the school inherits an old building, Leon, as a teacher and the headmaster's adopted son, goes north to the border with Scotland to check it out and see if the building is a viable option to open another branch of the school.
Once there, Leon starts to experience things that don't really have a rational explanation.
It wasn't until about 70% in where I really started to enjoy the story. Well, not that I didn't enjoy it, but I kind of felt removed from it. Once it hit the 65-70% mark, though, I was all in with everything that was happening. Leon has a long way to go with regards to how he looks at himself and how he looks at his, um, foster father, but he does get to the point where he doesn't feel the need to be grateful all of the time for being rescued, and that his foster father isn't larger than life. This was an interesting story with well drawn characters.
not-right-now
September 10, 2022Putting in my “maybe later” shelf. Lots going on, and I’m varying between bored, amused, irritated, enjoying it, and bored frequently enough that I think I’m just going to pause.
CW for historical child abuse in the abandoned orphanage that is being explored. This is a pretty big theme, so be prepared.
CW for historical child abuse in the abandoned orphanage that is being explored. This is a pretty big theme, so be prepared.
November 22, 2022
Supernaturally Fine Read
Love, love, loved this book! It was full to the brim with ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night. Such a well-written, well thought out story that was everything except predictable.
Love, love, loved this book! It was full to the brim with ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night. Such a well-written, well thought out story that was everything except predictable.
March 22, 2020
Wicked spooky!
July 26, 2021
4 stars for mystery/suspense/horror plot, 3 stars for romance. For a first time in a while I was somewhat annoyed by 1st person narrator. Overall it's a decent story though. 3,5 stars
October 31, 2022
4.5 stars
I wanted a spooky but romantic read for October and I knew just where to look, however having now read I think they last of this author's spooky romances I don't know where I'll look for my next one. Perhaps a reread. This was a heavy but very interesting book.
The characters were lovely men with a lot to cope with and the story was a heavy thing that went ever so much deeper than I had expected. There was a lot here, some vaguely fae lore, the worst of men, a little hint of Tam Lin (which I have a hard time ever resisting.) Overall to me it was a lovely spooky October read and not entirely what I expected which in its way was exactly what I wanted. Definitely 4.5 stars.
I wanted a spooky but romantic read for October and I knew just where to look, however having now read I think they last of this author's spooky romances I don't know where I'll look for my next one. Perhaps a reread. This was a heavy but very interesting book.
The characters were lovely men with a lot to cope with and the story was a heavy thing that went ever so much deeper than I had expected. There was a lot here, some vaguely fae lore, the worst of men, a little hint of Tam Lin (which I have a hard time ever resisting.) Overall to me it was a lovely spooky October read and not entirely what I expected which in its way was exactly what I wanted. Definitely 4.5 stars.
July 12, 2025
3.25
I liked this, but not as much as Frost as Cares, with which it shares similarities. This is the more ambitious book - in both books, both the MC and ML have a history of loss, but the magnitude of the losses here are basically tenfold greater. Throw in, also, the fact that Leon is black and the antagonist represents a much larger scale of evil.
The part I liked most, I think, despite it receiving relatively little screen time, was the relationship between Leon and Niall, and the choices that Niall make in the last third of the book with respect to the ghost riders. I really liked that Durreson chose to have the MC a POC, but that that felt underexplored, as did his slow independent from his foster father. I also wondered why it was only with Leon's arrival that re-forging the iron links was even considered, given that the evil entity had been a known quantity for a while.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, especially the relationship between Leon and Niall, and found a lot to be commendable, though it didn't ultimately cohere in a completely satisfactory way.
I liked this, but not as much as Frost as Cares, with which it shares similarities. This is the more ambitious book - in both books, both the MC and ML have a history of loss, but the magnitude of the losses here are basically tenfold greater. Throw in, also, the fact that Leon is black and the antagonist represents a much larger scale of evil.
The part I liked most, I think, despite it receiving relatively little screen time, was the relationship between Leon and Niall, and the choices that Niall make in the last third of the book with respect to the ghost riders. I really liked that Durreson chose to have the MC a POC, but that that felt underexplored, as did his slow independent from his foster father. I also wondered why it was only with Leon's arrival that re-forging the iron links was even considered, given that the evil entity had been a known quantity for a while.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, especially the relationship between Leon and Niall, and found a lot to be commendable, though it didn't ultimately cohere in a completely satisfactory way.
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