A dark secret, a secluded island, and nowhere to run.
When author Daisy Dawkins hits a wall of writer’s block, she seeks out a retreat at the infamous Coyote Island, home of the reclusive publishing guru Greg Bregoli. Upon her arrival at Bregoli Estate, strange things begin happening to Daisy, but none of the other writers seem to notice the estate’s odder qualities. Before long, Daisy is caught between two worlds, the living… and the dead.
WInchester Mansion
In the small town of Black Bay, a vacant, forgotten house sits atop an overlooking bluff.
When Bailey and Bodhi Taylor move in and begin renovations, the house seems perfect. But things move on their own, screams echo from the basement, and Bailey sees a shadowy figure out of the corner of her eye. Is the house haunted? And if it is, what does the ghost want with Bailey?
Alexandria Clarke is a writer, cat lover, and all-around optimist. She loves to immerse her readers in mystery and intrigue, meaningful friendships, and the worlds of characters who learn by doing. When she's not writing, Alex enjoys playing guitar, watching Wynonna Earp, and spending time with her family. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida with her partner and their four pets.
The Haunting of Daisy Dawkins is a double novel, anthology collecting two of Alexandria Clarke's books, and selling them at a markedly low price. (They sometimes can be found for free or 99 cents.) Who doesn't love a great deal? Especially so, when stories are both strong and linked thematically by a ghost / haunted home trope where the inhabitant becomes aware of the spiritual presence of a previous tenant.
One novel takes place on Coyote Island, where a publishing house holds writer's retreats where they assist writers to find literary agents to help sell their work. There is a murder mystery that threatens to shorten the retreat, but there are always intrepid souls that are willing to risk harm for the sake of fame, or a few weeks of focused solitude. Too bad that there's a specter causing trouble or rescuing from trouble. Who knows?
The second novel is a lot more involved with subplots, intrigue, and insidious villainy. Bodhi and Bailey are a husband-and-wife team of house flippers with a blog. They lost their daughter early in their marriage and have channeled their restlessness into a mostly successful partnership that has become more perfunctory and less a marriage.
Their work on the Winchester House has underscored a marked imperative to determine the viability of a continued partnership or the dissolution of such. The house is a keeper of secrets, and there were questions about possible murder that have remained subverted in its detritus. Do Bodhi and Bailey have enough love left to not only investigate the house but reconstruct their marriage.
I enjoyed both novels very much. The characters were not always likeable, but they kept my attention. I felt various emotions. The plots reached me. There's a lot to like here.
Book one was a nice warm-up for the second offering, which knocked it out of the park for characters who were relatable, horrors that felt believable, and an ending that wrapped it all up while leaving the reader with much to ponder about life, death, and love that lives on.
I enjoyed reading this book so much. It kept my attention and flowed really well. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.
The Haunting of Winfield House by Alexandria Clarke
This book was the second story in "The Haunting of Daisy Dawkins Boxset" . It really was as riveting as it promised. I found myself still reading at 3:00 am and not wanting to put the book down although I could barely keep my eyes open. It was scary, sad, heartwarming and certainly unusual. I highly recommend it.
The Haunting of Coyote Island is a well written story filled with mystery, suspense, secrets and interesting twists. The writing is descriptive, the story is interesting and the characters are well developed. The Haunting of Winchester Mansion is a well written, suspenseful thriller and I could not put this book down until the last page. The story is descriptive, interesting and with so many twists and turns. Loved that Bodhi and Bailey are house flippers. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this box set.
I really enjoyed this boxset by Alexandria Clarke. Each book held my interest and I found well written with well written characters. I would recommend reading this boxset.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A great set of books! If you love ghost stories, this set is perfect! It's well written and the descriptive writing enables the reader to be fully engaged. Each story is gripping and entertaining. What more could a reader ask for? I received a free copy of this bookset via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Only 1st in set read so far, will update review later. Decent read, well written but story and characters lacked passion. I didn't care about them or what happened. I disliked the main character. Don't complain about being treated like a doormat but then continue letting people treat you like a doormat. It was not terrifying. It was not spooky. It was lame.
Fantastic book, Daisy Dawkins piqued my interest because she is a writer as am I. I loved reading her dilemma with writing a follow-up and going to a writers retreat. I loved the slow and detailed way the set up for the haunting was written. It made this story one which you could get lost in, a truly beautiful story.
This book could have benefitted from a good editor. Chapters should have been paragraphs, paragraphs should have been sentences. Good story but way too wordy.
Fantastic. Scary. Murder mystery. Love story(but not mushy!)
Another great read! Took me 3 days to read cause it was heart stopping all the way thru. Ok, so I'm a wimp! Big deal. Good characters, great story line. Alexandria Clarke can sure spin a great yarn. On to her next!💕
WOW, I am SO glad I chose this pair of books! So well written, great storytelling, and lots of thrills and chills. I can't choose which tale I enjoyed most. MUST find out if this author has other books. HIGHLY RECOMMEND Alexandria Clarke.
I loved both of the books in this set. They hold vastly different characters and plots, which makes them even better. Both move quickly and keep you engaged throughout.
In both books the characters were well developed. However the plot in the second book was good but moved a little slow in some areas. I would recommend to read.
The Haunting of Daisy Hawkins was a free book on Kindle and I often wonder about the quality of free books. This was a well written, and an engrossing story. I didn’t want to put it down.
Excellent story and narration Daisy has writers block and goes to the island of a publishing guru, getting a lot more than she thought. Have read these, and now with the audio added to the stories, the tension and character of Daisy came thru, well done. Given audio for my voluntary review