Haunting at Captiva Hotel

by Lois Lee Gates

Experienced ghost hunter Carter Sherman has been waiting for his chance to study the Captiva Hotel, a historic landmark surrounded with stories of murder, mayhem, and mysterious disappearances. A relic from a more opulent era, the hotel is wrapped up in a legal battle for survival and the eccentric owner needs Carter’s help.

Psychic investigator Bridget Hart has made her share of mistakes, but she’s sure of one Carter’s ghost hunting team is in grave danger. As the hotel comes back to life and the Captiva tightens its grip, there can only be one terrifying conclusion… Murder.

Genres: Ghosts

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to a viewer of an 80's horror film, as I raced through this scary Spooky Paranormal I mentally screamed "Don't go in! Don't open that door! Run! Run! RUN!!"


HAUNTING OF CAPTIVA HOTEL truly frightened me. The idea that an empty abandoned decrepit building could have SO MUCH POWER?? Terrifying! And as if I wasn't scared enough (WHY did I read alone at night in a gusting wind?), the denouement, involving one specific and particularly unexpected character, scared the living daylights out of me!! Needless to say, I highly recommend but please don't read at night alone.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written paranormal story with a cast of strong characters and an interesting story line. The author does a fantastic job keeping you on the edge with her vividly painted scenes as well as all the twists and turns throughout. I enjoyed the story and would recommend reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Catriona Lovett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Cold Spots in the Florida Heat

Lois Gates' earlier novel, The Ghost Sensitive, was an excellent read, so I wasn't surprised to find that her latest book is just as good. Her deft foreshadowing hooked me from the first paragraph. She's skilled at developing characters I can like, despite their flaws. She also knows how to set haunted places and haunted minds on an inevitable collision course.

At this point in horror fiction writing, it's difficult to find books that rise above or even approach the best-selling, modern classical examples of the genre. That being said, we devotees of horror hunger for more stories, even though it's impossible to deal with topics like a haunted hotel without inviting comparisons to certain other books.

I received a free copy of this book from HiddenGems, courtesy of the author and publisher. These are my own freely given opinions. The tale of this ghost hunting team and the Captiva Hotel is good, scary reading and I look forward to seeing where the characters (the ones who survive, anyway) go next!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of ghost hunting shows, or TV like The Haunting of Hill House, this is a good book. The story follows a group of ghost hunters near Orlando, FL, who are given the opportunity to investigate a notoriously haunted hotel. The main group of 4 plus a skeptic make the trip to an isolated hotel. And the hotel offers more than any of them can imagine.
The characters were flawed but likeable and the author did a good job of making you feel connected. I particularly enjoyed that you were initially drawn to one of the main characters but changes your mind on that connection by the end.
The story could have been developed a little more, but it was overall a good one. I could absolutely see the building of the characters for future stories. This is a series that I will be keeping my eye out for more stories in the future.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

[Darla Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter has waited for years to get inside the Captiva Hotel for an investigation and he's finally there. He's done a lot of research and believes that he'll find answers in the hotel. Bridget has a gift and answers Carter's call for a psychic on his investigation. But things may just be more dangerous than anyone knows.

I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems and this is my voluntary review. I enjoyed this book for the most part but there were some errors throughout and a few places that lost me. The last part of the book was gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat. There were also some twists and turns that will keep you wondering. I'll certainly give a second book a try and do recommend this one.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting at the Captiva Hotel is the first book in the Orlando Ghost Hunters series by Lois Lee Gates.

This was a creepy, scary book! I couldn’t put it down. The ghost hunting team was made up of interesting characters. The description of the hotel made it easy to imagine being there. It didn’t take long for the team to start experiencing odd things in the hotel. The ending was very suspenseful.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a draft from Hidden Gem just to try a paranormal story. While the psychic had much knowledge to study the Hotel Captiva, the information is about the real people rather than the ghosts. In the group investigation, each person has hidden motives. The writing is easy to read and just enough details to develop a sense of dread. Each of the characters are well created and fit well into the story. The haunting is not the problem, but the resulting murders is. The story is different and imaginative.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a new author for me and I look forward to seeing what is next. This is a story about hotel that is haunted and located on a deserted island. The characters really made the story for me. They are relateable and made the story entertaining. This is a fast paced story that is engaging to the end. Carter has waiting a long time to do research on this haunting. Now him and his research team is getting that chance. What happens next you will have to read this book to find out what happens next. This is a really great book which I highly recommend.

[ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked The Haunting of Hill House you’ll like this

The story is a slow burn at the start as it establishes the characters and the setting. The hotel is brought to life through fantastic detail and storytelling. The characters are fleshed out well enough so their reactions in the story make sense so nothing feels forced or out of place. I thought the ending was great and I’m looking forward to the next story in this universe.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the Captiva Hotel is sinister and vengeful, the characters in the story are complex and interesting. You really care about their wellbeing as they explore the grand, historic monument to a bygone era.

The Captiva Hotel offers the ghost hunters a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture hard proof of paranormal activity… but at what cost?

So many twists and turns--this is definitely NOT your cookie cutter ghost book!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love scary ghost stories and this one didn't disappoint. Non stop scares that will keep your heart pounding. The surprise twists will make you want to scream.....highly recommended. I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Jaimie Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

This book was great! It creeped me out and had interesting stories to tell! I would definitely recommend this book!