For thirty years, Hathaway House has stood empty, ever since a tragedy that devastated a young family. When Craig and Becky Westcott died, their son Michael was left all alone in the house for several days until he was discovered by his uncle. But was he really alone?
Today, determined to bury the past, Michael Westcott moves back to Hathaway House with his pregnant wife. They set about renovating the building, even though Jennifer has reservations about the project. Soon, however, she begins to worry that there might be a presence lingering in the house, one that still remembers Michael. One that seems linked somehow to a mysterious old crib.
Michael and Jennifer soon discover that the past can't be forgotten so easily. Who built a hidden room beneath the house? What really happened to Michael's parents all those years ago? And whose faded, ghostly hand can sometimes still be seen resting on the crib's side?
The Haunting of Hathaway House is a ghost story about family, about the dangers of not learning from the past, and about an evil that has survived for centuries.
Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
Once again Amy Cross has written a great story, with relatable characters and an interesting plot.
However the lack of proper proofreading and editing somewhat spoils another one of her novels. This isn't the worst one, by far, but the continual errors such as the wrong name being used or entire words missing from sentences really does grate. This authors output rate is astonishing but that obviously happens at the cost of finishing each one properly. Unfortunately that takes away some of the pleasure of actually reading her work so it is us, the audience, that ultimately pays that price. Quality is absolutely more important than quantity.
I'm glad that I didn't actually pay for this, I had a trial for Kindle Unlimited, as I am tired of paying for promising premises that end up being rushed and feeling unfinished. I truly am a fan of Any Cross, especially some of her series of books, so I really hope that one day she is given good advice from a publisher who will be able to elevate her career and the quality control of her work.
Reminds me of Annabelle in a way. The haunted object story. But it does have a secondary storyline as well.
One day, I hope to give Ms. Cross five stars, which will mean she FINALLY had a perfectly edited book! All it will take is her reading it over before she publishes it because the mistakes are easily caught. Why she doesn't have a small group of proofreaders on Reddit or something helping her out is beyond me, as many authors do. I do need to say she's gotten a LOT BETTER since she first started though.
Her stories are always great, and I'm always excited to read them when they come out (except for some of the series she has as I'm not into werewolves or sci-fi, so I skipped those). And I was NEVER a fan of short stories, so those collections I skip as well - from all authors.
But any of her full length books I do highly recommend. Just be sure to take 5 pages off of the book length because instead of listing only the books in the genre that you're reading, she lists every book she's published at the end, which takes five pages to do (and then, of course, you have the intro, so the ACTUAL book length is about ten pages shorter in reality)
I said it once and I’ll say it again; I’m a sucker for a good ghost story even though I’m too much of a baby to actually stay in a haunted house. Even the fake ones on Halloween are scary; life as a horror fan who hates being startled has its moments.
The Haunting of Hathaway House is definitely one of the better examples of this genre that I have encountered recently. Author Amy Cross takes what can be an overdone trope and has given the story new life and makes it stand out among the rest.
You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
After his parents died a baby spent a few days of his own before being discovered by his uncle. Thirty years later and now a married man Michael and his wife Jen, who is expecting their first child, return to Hathaway House to set up home there. Neither know the horror they are walking into. Amy Cross has written a book that is impossible to put down. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to.happen next. The characters are well written and the story is taut and full of surprises right up to the very end. Highly recommended.
I admit that I was disappointed in this story, mainly because the characters were annoying and...no spoilers. It's a ghost story that spans decades and some of the elements were good; it was the lack of learning and gumption that were frustrating.
It was fast-paced with a few twists but, overall, it didn't surprise me, which is usual with this author's books.
However, it was enjoying in parts and it did make me wonder.
These days, I never know what to expect from an Amy Cross story. Fortunately, this was one of her better tales. It was spooky, with many twists and turns and reminded me of the film "The Shining" . I could be awkward and moan about numerous inconsistencies in the story but, overall, I enjoyed reading it.
This book was quite terrifying. It's about a sentient crib which in itself is very unsettling and the main ghost is a demented one. It was well written and I felt compelled to keep reading. Unfortunately, I found the story not to be complete, I really wanted to know what happened to Jen and it totally left me hanging.
A couple move into a creepy old house, with a history. Thirty years ago the husband father committed suicide in the house & according to records his mother had a heart attack and also died when finding her husband. A good ghostly story!
Ms Cross has done it again. Another edge of your seat thriller! I've yet to read a book from Ms. Cross that wasn't so compelling that I couldn't put it down. Bravo & 5 stars, again! :)
My heart pounds harder and harder for a few seconds, before suddenly stopping dead. The last thing I see, as everything turns black, is a pale and wizened hand reaching out to rest on the side of Michael's crib.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The ending to me was not complete and left me hanging , but the book itself was good. I could hardly out it down. Just know you will have to leave the ending to your imagination.
The ending was just a little annoying, yet somehow interesting. I really love the creepy factot of Amy Cross along with the brilliant story telling! I do wish that the story had an ending with a tad more detail but I did love the story if that makes sense?!
Great book was my first book by this author but will definitely read more. Certainly had me gripped from start to finish loved the ending but was a bit dissapointed to not know more of what happened to one of the main characters though.
Amy Cross does it again. She weaves a story with so many twists and turns. The past just can't stay there,. It haunts Jen and Michael about what happened to Michael s parent.
A nice break from thrillers, this is a spook festive read
I enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and the plot, well written and enjoyable to read. My slight grump is it didn't tell you how it ended with the characters but perhaps there is going to be a sequel?
An excellent book, thoroughly enjoyed the story. Well written and look forward to reading the next book. Thank you Amy Cross for filling my time with a great story.
3 1/2 stars: Although it starts out achingly slow (I almost gave up on it) when 'The Haunting of Hathaway House' by Amy Cross finally gets spooky it really delivers. I enjoyed it.