The Bachmann Family Secret

The Realm of the Vampire Council #2.5

by Damian Serbu

Jaret Bachmann travels with his family to his beloved grandfather’s funeral with a heavy heart and, more troubling, premonitions of something evil lurking at the Bachmann ancestral home. But no one believes that he sees ghosts.

Grappling with his sexuality, a ghost that wants him out of the way, and the loss of his grandfather, Jaret must protect his family and come to terms with powers hidden deep within himself.


Tags: clairvoyant, first romance, gay, ghosts, grief, magic, teens, warlock, YA.
Word Count: 82400.

Genres: Gay

ebook

Published July 27, 2020

About the author

Damian Serbu lives in the Chicago area with his husband and two dogs, Akasha and Chewbacca. The dogs control his life, tell him what to write, and threaten to eat him in the middle of the night if he disobeys. He has published The Vampire’s Angel, The Vampire’s Quest, The Bachmann Family Secret, The Vampire’s Witch, The Vampire’s Protégé, and The Vampire’s War, as well as Santa’s Kinky Elf, Simon and Santa Is a Vampire. Keep up with him at www.DamianSerbu.com

Reviews

[Alex Nonymous · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital ARC of The Bachmann Family Secret in exchange for an honest review.

While I appreciate this book's attempt to blend its protagonist coming to terms with his sexuality all while uncovering the secrets the ghosts in his family home hold, the pacing was just too off for me to justify giving a higher rating. This stories focal piece is definitely our MC's sexuality which is totally fine, but the book isn't long enough for any of that to not feel forced.

For example, our MC meets his love interest Steve, and within their first conversation the two are passionately making out. We find out it's both boy's first experience with another boy and that they're both pretty much closeted. Those two events do not compute.

The next time they talk they're calling each other babe and in love.

While this book definitely has potential, it lacks the depth necessary to tell the story it's trying to tell.

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 STAR ⭐

When I read the premise of this book I thought it was right up my ally and I couldn't wait to read it, but unfortunately for me I ended up not enjoying this one at all.

The romance if fleshed more could have been sweet, but since it was basically insta love it came out feeling cheesy and non believable.

Also with how it was written when the other major plot point in the story took a backseat to his sexuality, which in other circumstances would have been no problem, it actually ended up making everything feel forced instead of natural like it should have been. I guess what i'm trying is it was definitely lacking depth

In my opinion it had potential to be great, but fell flat in every way possible, and I can't help but feeling a bit disappointed by that because the premise made me think this would be a book I would really enjoy.

I received a digital ARC from NineStar Press
via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[E.M. Hamill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damian Serbu has written yet another creepy tale. This is a delicious little book with a YA feel to it. It’s a paranormal/coming of age thriller, and I read it over two nights (delayed only because of unimportant adulting stuff like work where I’m not allowed to read). It would be an excellent addition for high school libraries seeking own voices books for their catalogue—there is nothing explicit beyond some foul language.
The death of Jaret’s grandfather leaves a gap in the family in more ways than one. As everyone prepares to return to the Bachmann family mansion in Nebraska to say goodbye to their patriarch, Jaret’s emotions are already in full boil. He hasn’t told his family that he’s gay, and they already think he has issues. Jaret can see ghosts, and when the shade of his grandfather appears and tries to warn him against going to Nebraska for the funeral, he feels powerless to argue against his no-nonsense father. Once at the mansion, Jaret encounters another apparition who looks eerily like his grandfather but exudes a distinct aura of evil.
Missing family jewels, generations-old secrets, and a disastrous funeral throw the family into turmoil. The malevolent spirit has no qualms about harming anyone that threatens to get in its way. But Jaret’s uncanny gifts are only one link in a very special genetic legacy: one that could allow him to protect the family he loves from the demonic presence in the house.
Jaret’s struggle with a well-meaning mom who can’t understand why he doesn’t have a (female) date for the prom and his cautious, almost fearful respect and uncertainty for his father that keeps him from coming out are believably written and touching. The relationship between Jaret and his siblings are very true to life. The theme of this book is family, and ultimately, how love and acceptance can make someone stronger than they believe they are.
Jaret’s budding romance with small-town football player Steve is a sweet, innocent affair, both young men just coming to terms with being gay and reveling in each other with an adorable “no, you hang up first” kind of relationship. The utter horror of being walked in by a parent during a heavy make-out session is in full, gory display here, given humiliating weight by not having come out to the family yet.
The villain certainly enjoys monologuing and taunting Jaret, which got a little tiresome at times. There were a couple of dead end scenes I felt really weren’t necessary, but the story was compelling enough that even a little nitpicking didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. It’s a fun tale, and definitely recommended.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BACHMANN FAMILY SECRET is a well-written,  encouraging,  heartwarming novel about an eighteen-year-old whose beloved grandfather's passing throws the family into turmoil.  Jaret is further distressed when Gramps' ghost appears to warn him not to return to Nebraska from Colorado for the funeral. As is revealed,  Gramps' home, built by the original immigrant family members,  is badly haunted, and it's all tied up with (now missing) jewels. Jaret's twin secrets are heavily stressed: the secret that he has always seen ghosts (and is not insane) and the secret that he is gay. Throughout the author manages to maintain hope and encouragement and inspiration. 

[Rich Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I noticed as I started this one that it was a companion novel to a series (which I hope to start this year). I quite enjoyed it, and it reads well as a stand-alone novel. Jaret Bachmann is a protagonist who was easy to root for. The craziness of his family and their history keeps you reading, as does his budding romance. I definitely recommend reading this one!

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaret Bachmann is a closeted high school senior with an even bigger secret than his sexuality: he can see ghosts. He's been able to his whole life, but it's particularly poignant now that his dear Gramp's spirit is popping into his bedroom in Colorado to warn him against returning to the family homestead in Fremont, Nebraska. Jaret would love to be able to stop his family from returning there, but he doesn't have that power, and he's afraid if he tells his parents about his sight they'll commit him; previous experience did land him in counseling until he recanted.

In Fremont, the entire family is staying in the ancestral home, Jaret's family, and that of his dad's brother as well. THey have decided they want to sell the house instead of keeping it, because his aunt is terrified of the ghosts that live there. No one has actually seen a ghost, okay, no one by Jaret and he ain't telling. Still there's a lot of weirdness. Jaret's dad and uncle agree selling the house is a decent plan, but not before they locate the precious heirloom jewelry that Gramps had usually kept in some arcane spot under the floorboards--which is now empty. Everyone agrees that the jewels must be in the attic, because that the one place no one has looked--and the door is unable to be unlocked. It's also the spot that Gramps' ghost keeps warning Jaret away from...and he's stuggling to keep it together until the funeral.

One good thing about returning to Fremont is meeting Steve, a football player who is inexplicably drawn to Jaret on the night they meet as Jaret walks his dog (and comfort animal), Vader. Vader has been a super ally for Jaret, barking her head off whenever malevolent spirits amble past. Steve is a nice distraction, but his interest seemed way too quick, considering he's never found dudes that interesting, even ones related to the owner of the town's famous haunted house. The interest is enough to give Jaret some courage, however, and he finally confides his big gay secret to more than just Vader.

This story is centrally about Jaret coming out about this powers to talk with the dead, (and more) and his sexuality. There is a deeply held family secret at the heart and root of Jaret's abilities and if the family will only just listen and believe, he might just save the day. I thought Jaret's deductions about his powers, and how gaining access to the sacred family gems revealed even more power that Jaret was able to harness. The story behind the ghost haunting the Bachmann family is rather sad, and has led to innocents dying in the past. The ghost is sure that homosexuality is a perversion that must be eradicated from the family, but the WHY of that conviction is pretty melancholy. Jaret's a quick thinker, and great improviser, so he fakes it until he can make it--and that spunk made him more interesting.

On the whole, the language of the book was a bit lackluster, with lots of f-bombs and tired repetition of scenes giving the impression of laziness, instead of detail. How many times is the ghost going to accost Jaret? Or, send his mom to find him while he's canoodling with Steve? Spoiler: all the times. The pace could have been tighter, but Jaret did read like and immature kid, so there's bonus points for that. There were some weird plot situations that made little sense, like why Jaret's dad would ban cell phones on this trip? What parent does this? Also, I got WAY tired of the autocratic dad thing, with Jaret's dad and uncle making completely ludicrous plans and everyone going along because they were the "men". I was glad Jaret finally grew a spine, and his ingenuity in taking care of the ghost was cool. The way he and Steve fell into "deep love" in a matter of days was less cool.

In all, it was a cool ghost story, with a teen finding powers deep within himself that enable him to stop the horror his family had been suffering for a few generations. The writing wasn't as tight as I'm used to for YA, and the instalove was nearly more unbelievable than the paranormal magic thriller that served as a backdrop.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a teenager is hard under the best of circumstances, but for Jaret Bachmann the deck contains a few more jokers complicating his life. Damian Serbu’s The Bachmann Family Secret is a young adult, paranormal thriller with a sexual awakening that torments, as it lessens the struggle of one young man’s life.

Jaret has a gift; he communicates with the dead. Unfortunately, his parents refute his claim and seek therapy for him. Their actions only serve to isolate the young man from the support he needs, forcing him to navigate the spirit world with only the support of his fateful companion, Darth. Dread quickly settles when his deceased grandfather reaches out, warning him to stay away from the Bachmann family home, as his branch of the Bachmann family ventures to Nebraska for the funeral.

Jaret feels a whirlwind of emotions. His beloved grandfather has passed, he toils daily with spirts, and he has yet to tell his family he is gay. His emotions escalate when he and his family arrive at the Bachmann family mansion, where the grief alone would be enough. But his grandfather appears to be two different ghosts. The one Jaret remembers, as kind and gentle with his grandson. The other is pure evil and enjoys nothing more than taunting Jaret and his family.

‘The Bachmann Family Secret’ is a young adult, paranormal thriller with a sexual awakening that torments, as it lessens the struggle of one young man’s life.

The one bright spot is Steve, the small-town football player who Jaret meets on one of his jaunts to get away from the creepy grandpa at the mansion. There is an immediate attraction and insta-love between Jaret and Steve, that is somewhat hard to grasp for two young men discovering themselves. However, Steve is a foundation for Jaret as he keeps the oddity surrounding the Bachmann family concealed.

The Bachmann family is full of secrets that reveal themselves as they search for the infamous Bachmann jewels, before they sell the mansion, along with all its creepy vibes. There is plenty of strangeness, like an attic door that cannot be opened, rumors around town that the mansion is haunted, and Jaret’s encounters with the disparate grandfathers.

The Bachmann Family Secret is a decent ghost story derived from family secrets and sad unfortunate events melded with a first-time young adult romance. The family has its interesting quirks, but you can sense the familial bond that overrides it all.

[AMHH · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this novel, Jaret returns with his mother, father, and siblings for his grandfather’s funeral to a house haunted by his ancestors, both recent and remote. The plot has a lot of fantastic elements: the ghosts, the treasure hunt for the family legacy (jewels from the old country and/or magic powers) all add up to excellent drama.

The author does an excellent job of telling the story from the teenage protagonist’s point of view: it bounces back in forth from first lust (it’s too insta and too physical for me to call it love) to scary haunting to parents acting like irrational, homophobic twits. At times, the casual cruelty, deliberate stubbornness and just thorough unlikeability of the parents feels over the top— these are the worst people in the world. I particularly struggle with the way they ignore clear evidence of the supernatural, or acknowledge it and immediately backtrack in order to blame their sons’ sexuality for pretty much everything bad that happens, right up until the moment that they don't. As fantastic as the plot is, the writing can be quite uneven: Jaret feels real and authentic, but none of the other characters really do. There’s so much exposition— nothing is ever shown or left to a reader to intuit, it’s described and analyzed and even over analyzed in the moment of the telling. All that said, however, the story really is fantastic, and I was pulling for Jaret to get out of peril, supernatural and familial, every step of the way. Overall, a few rough edges but definitely worth the read.

*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily composed an unbiased review

[Romina · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 50%

English: I couldn't finish the book. Of the 50% that I read, nothing interesting happened, in fact it was super repetitive. I understand that the protagonist is a teen and the fact of being gay and not being able to say it scared him, but he repeated the same dilemma over and over again. The same with the fact that they did not believe him for seeing ghosts. And then the super insta-love was what made him quit.
Too bad because I love ghost stories, but this was definitely not for me.

Spanish: No logré terminar el libro. Del 50 % que leí nada interesante pasó, de hecho fue súper repetitivo. Entiendo que es protagonista es un teen y el hecho de ser gay y no poder decirlo lo asustaba, pero se repetía una y otra vez el mismo dilema. Lo mismo con el hecho de que no le creían por ver fantasmas. Y después el súper insta-love fue lo que hizo que lo abandonara.
Una lástima porque me encantan las historias de fantasmas, pero definitivamente este no era para mí.

Gracias a #NetGalley y a NineStar Press por el ARC.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia es interesante, Jaret me pareció muy llamativo como personaje, además de que los temas que toca son clásicos. Es un romance lindo, pero tan rápido que no hay oportunidad de desarrollo. Fue insta-amor sin mucho material en ese sentido, y esperaba algo mejor del villano en vez de diálogos interminables y repetitivos, pero es una novela juvenil entretenida que sirve para pasar el rato y sonreír más de una vez.

The story is interesting, Jaret seemed very striking as a character, in addition to the fact that the topics it touches are classic. It is a cute romance, but so fast that there's no opportunity for development. It was insta-love without much material in that sense, and I expected something better from the villain instead of endless and repetitive dialogues, but it's an entertaining young-adult novel that serves to pass the time and smile more than once.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this ebook & here's my review. This is an unusual book as it’s a realistic story of the intricacies of family relationships, an interesting, complex ghost story featuring both the friendly ghost of a recently deceased Grandfather and a definitely non friendly ghost in the family home. Jaret is the young teen who sees ghosts and while trying to deal with his Grandfather’s death is also trying to decide if he’s gay. An excellent read particularly for adolescent males wondering about their sexuality yet unwilling to come out to family and/or friends just yet. caution re some language

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect from The Bachmann Family Secret because Damian Serbu is a "new to me" author. It didn't take long for this book to draw me in. It had it's slow spots and a couple of little road bumps, but it ended up being a book that I really enjoyed.

Jaret is coming to terms with the realization that he's gay. Coupled with other things that set him apart from the rest of his family, it's not an easy revelation. He doesn't think his family will disown him, but he's also not hoping for total acceptance. They've been trying to "fix" him his entire life and adding his "gayness" to the mix isn't going to make things any easier.

Since he can't exactly tell his family that his dead grandfather doesn't want him to travel back to the family home, he has no choice but to go along and hope for the best. It doesn't take long for Jaret to realize that his grandfather's warning was warranted. There is most definitely something about the house that isn't happy with Jaret and the rest of his family - and it's not subtle about getting that point across.

The only bright spots in The Bachmann Family Secret for Jaret are his sister, his dog and Steve, who he meets in town. Meeting Steve is an unexpected surprise in many ways. He doesn't doubt what Jaret sees and gives him something he hasn't had before - someone to talk to with no judgement.

With the help of Steve, his sister and some other unexpected allies, Jaret has to solve the mystery surrounding the hauntings at his grandfather's home before it destroys them all.

I received The Bachmann Family Secret in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Clarissa Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I identified a lot with Jaret, and the tropes are all tried and true, some of my favorites. Missing jewels, murder, and parents walking in on make out sessions with a new boyfriend. Gotta love them. As others have noted, the villains monologuing is a bit lengthy and does get tiring. 4/5 stars!

[RACHEL REED · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaret Bachmann is traveling to his ancestral home to attend his grandfather's funeral with his family.
But no one believes that there is something evil lurking on the ancestral property or the fact that he can actually see ghosts!
I loved the idea on which the plot was spun on. The history of the ancestral Bachmann home along with the poltergeists gave a spooky vibe to the setting of the story.
Jaret coming to terms his sexuality, meeting Steve and having an instant connection was sweet.
I felt the plot had more potential but overall it was an enjoyable read with an absolutely gorgeous cover!
I recommend this book if you enjoy a sweet coming of age romance, insta love, a spooky ancestral home, family secrets and a discovery of hidden powers!

[TBHONEST · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bachmann Family Secret is an interesting read. It's a ghost story and a story about coming to terms with who you are and your sexuality.

While an enjoyable read, it feels slightly rushed in parts and certain bits could have been fleshed out more than they were.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if it's a bit rushed in some parts it was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the world building and the characters.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good ideas but they needed fleshing out more.