The Bride of Ashbyrn House

by Amy Cross

Ashbyrn House stands alone in the English countryside, many miles from the nearest town. That's just what Owen Stone wants when he moves out of London and tries to start a new life. All he wants is the chance to be alone forever.

But while Ashbyrn House has been empty for many years, Owen soon discovers that he's not alone. Local stories have long claimed that a pale, dead face can sometimes be seen at the house's windows, waiting patiently behind a silk wedding veil. Many years ago, Katinka Ashbyrn was wronged, and she's been waiting a very long time for the chance to get revenge.

The Bride of Ashbyrn House is a haunted house horror story about a woman who's still searching for a husband, many years after her tragic death. This is the 2022 edition of the original 2016 book.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Historical, Thriller, Mystery

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2022

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky Skitters!

A backstory:

Owen Stone is wanting to get away from the city life and decides to buy an old house far out in the country away from everyone. Owen doesn't believe in spooks and ghosts, so when he finds out that there is a history attached to the old place, he just brushes it off.

Owen finds out the hard way that just because you cannot see it doesn't mean that it isn't there. Cold drafts, whispers on the wind, noises in the night, shadows stirring in the house brings everything to a heart stopping clarity as the Bride of Ashbyrn House has made herself known and she intends to make Owen believe in spooks!

Thoughts:

Author, Amy Cross has done it again with a mix of mystery and spooky chills that skitters along your spine! There was a slow start with a little bit of world and character building, but once the ghost bride makes an appearance is when the book escalates. Lots of creepy atmosphere that brought me inside the house and I could feel what Owen was experiencing as he finally was made aware of the ghost. Giving this one four Bride Boo Spooky stars.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some houses are never truly empty. Some brides never stop waiting. Seeking solitude and a clean break from his past, Owen Stone retreats to the crumbling isolation of Ashbyrn House, far from the bustle of London. The house is remote, abandoned for decades, and perfect for someone who wants to disappear. But the silence doesn’t last. Locals speak in hushed tones of a pale face seen behind the upper windows, veiled in lace and sorrow. Of a woman who once lived and died within those walls, her heart broken, her vengeance unfinished. Her name was Katinka Ashbyrn. And she still wants what was taken from her. As Owen begins to unravel the house’s dark history, he finds himself haunted not only by whispers and shadows, but by a presence that grows more determined with each passing night. A bride buried by time. A groom she’s waited far too long to meet. The Bride of Ashbyrn House is a chilling gothic horror novel about love turned to obsession, revenge that refuses to fade, and the dreadful price of being chosen.
If you like dark, creepy paranormal stories that will literally haunt you long after the last word is read and the book is closed.... this is YOUR book! It's a really dark, dark paranormal story.

Our bride is Katinka Ashbyrn. It doesn't matter that she's now well over 100 years old since she lived in the early 1800s....She's back. Well actually she never left and has absolutely no intentions of doing so. She died on her wedding day, those many, many years ago. It's now the 21st century and her ghost has made itself right at home in Ashbyrn House. She's on a search for something...actually, she on a search for someone... the man who was to be her husband...the man who had survived her.

Now Ashbyrn house has a new owner. A writer who only wants to have a little time to himself. He has no idea what lurks in the shadows of his house, or how Katinka plans to claim him as her rightful husband...oh...but he'll soon find out.

I discovered Amy Cross a few years ago and was instantly hooked. This author truly KNOWS how to write horror! Her characters are usually mostly clueless about what is awaiting them...until it's way, way, way, too late. At first, I felt rather sorry for Owen, the new owner. Poor guy only wanted to write his book...but as the story went on, I thought this man must be a few bricks short of a full load. To begin with his house is fill with gross, creepy, nasty eight-legged creatures that I found much more horrifying than any ghost...SPIDERS!! SPIDERS EVERYWHERE!!! (Spiders are the only animals in the world that I am horrified of.) Give me a ghost any day!

The bride was fodder for the "looney bin" even when she was alive. I was really convinced of that when we learned that her idea of the "ideal bridegroom" was a man "that resembled her father! She had killed her sister after finding out her sister and the fiancé were having an affair. An innocent man was hanged for it. On her wedding day, she killed the man's son...after other strange things happened to her...just know that NOONE is safe from her, and she's still looking for that "perfect wedding". If you receive an invitation...DON'T GO!

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you are thinking of reading this book and like dogs, you might want to think again.

Cross has really good plot ideas, it is just sometimes the writing needs to be better. I can understand the desire to constantly published as an Indie author, so I get that. But this book in particular would have done better with more development. If you are going to using dueling first person point of views, there should be a difference in tone and style between the two characters, this doesn't occur. Honesty, if it were not for the headings at the top of each section, a reader couldn't really tell the difference between when a woman from the 1850s is speaking versus when a modern man is speaking. This is a major issue.

Furthermore, to call the characters one dimensional would be generous. They are closer to types.
This makes the book less interesting - and it could have been interesting.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the first time I came across the work of Amy Cross. She could even become my favorite spooky storyteller in time. Who knows.

The Bride of Ashbyrn House is quite catchy. It’s spooky and dark, even a bit sad. Soggy English countryside, empty abandoned mansion seems to lay the bricks for the perfect gothic horror. The characters are extreme in their own way. Owen is an ignorant idiot, trying to live in his own bubble with a long carried guilt inside him. Katinka was the perfect psychopath who has been dead for more than a century yet lurks in the hallways of an empty house determined to have her own way. Perfect couple. Someone should make a movie out of this book; without raping it of course.

There indeed are few holes here and there, it also could be a little shorter. Some parts felt a bit draggy. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting little story. For those who likes dark, disturbing, gothic horror stories, this is a very agreeable book.


Book 67 of 2020

[Alfred J. Coscia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should Have Been A Short Story.... Sigh

I gave it 2 stars because there were some original and "spooky" parts. However, it the rest needed a LOT of work. The book seemed like a short story that was padded with more words to make a "novel".

The plot device with the spiders was ludicrous. Who, in any time or any level of monetary destitution would live in a place that was so overrun with spiders? Even if it is just to set tone, it's unbelievable to the point of silliness.

The characters are drawn with a ham-hand. There's no solid building. Many characters are so drearily pat and need to be fleshed out (a far better use for the extra pages ).The relationships have no subtleties and the madness is over-the-top in The Bride.

I could go on, but I am just going to move on with my reading time and hope for far better luck next time. This may be for some, but I am happy to close up and mosey along in search of a better book.

[André Mwansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whooo....Erie

This is a serious dark tale.  I swear this book will make you gag and have you screaming at the protagonist to please run!!! The story is darn well written, one I would literally recommend for anyone looking for a good scare.

The story is about a Bride (Katinka Ashbyrn) who lived in the early 1800s but, alas, died on her wedding day. It's the 21 century and her ghost haunts Ashbyrn House and up to now her search for a husband has survived even her own tragic death. Ashbyrn house has a new owner now. A writer who seeks a little time to himself. Little does he know what lurks in the shadows and how Kantika plans to claim him as her rightful husband.

4*

Great read 👏🏾

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, horror novels I do on different scale then regular books. Amy Cross has pumped out many books. They are good/ great stories. They are also creepy, gory, haunted, violent, some sex but not much. I find myself at night looking around to make sure no one is there. Horror fans will love these. My biggest concern is she needs another editor. Books are filled with many errors. Errors aren't a huge deal but they do stop the flow of reading which can kill horror. Why 3 star books. Stories 4-5 star.

[§amantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man runs away from London to be alone from everything. He buys ashbyrn house in hopes to write his book and to be left alone instead he finds something that wants him. The bride character is creepy and easy to hate. I liked how it switched between her story in the past and Owen in the now. Overall good read.

[Renee Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked The Woman in Black...

This was a good ghost story with a pretty satisfying creep factor. More gothic horror than gothic suspense. And though I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I care to, I enjoyed it well enough.

[Gomathy Subramanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder how can someone write such stories. The book was really spooky and left me staring at my ceiling for a while (after completing)

Owen is a writer who isolates himself after a tragic event. Despite, several warnings he buys the haunted house and pays back for his foolishness.

In my opinion, Owen is an idiot. But, I feel really sorry for Vanessa and didn't see that coming. The bride was spooky and scary as hell and I guess couldn't sleep well knowing that she still hasn't left ( I really thought that they will make her leave)
No justice served :(

Alas, I understand that every ghost story will not have a happy ending

[Inn Auni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so bad that it's actually good.

I don't feel a thing towards Owen. He's an idiot. So, he deserved what's coming to him. And crazy bride was another story altogether. Be alert when a female started comparing every male with her Father because you'll know she's cuckoo. No one should have a complex towards their family member. That's creepy.

I hated the ending. Where was the justice? Was that it? It's not fair especially to the father and son.

There were some that I never expected. 👍 for that plot twist. But, the ending could be better.

BEWARE of SPOILER

The bride was crazy even when she was alive. She wanted a perfect wedding with a man that resemble her Father. She killed her sister after finding out her sister and fiance were having an affair. An innocent man was hanged for it. On her wedding day, she killed the man's son. Her face caught fire and she fall in a pond. No one safe her. She haunted the house because her dream of a perfect wedding have to come true. It finally did when Owen married her. He wanted to safe both himself and his girlfriend. But later woke up in the house with his girlfriend dead body. He managed to escape the bride or is it his wife but, got prisoned for his girlfriend death. He return to the house later to find out that his 'wife' is still waiting for him. He decided to leave the place and let her haunted the house as long as it stand.

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“And while you're talking to him,” she continues, “do you always remember that he's a figment of your imagination? Or do you sometimes forget that he's been dead for six months, and instead you think he's really here?”

An aspiring write, Owen Stone finds himself craving a lifetime of solitude without the consistent human interactions he faced living in England. Following breaking off the wedding with Vanessa, he turns to this large scale manor in Cornwall, England to give him that change of scenery he's been wishing for. Not one of o guv in to ghost stories, he declined every offer to hear the rumors and lore that roams the halls of Asbyrn House. A malicious bride stalks the rooms and hides in the study waiting for her groom to finally commit to their vows.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another creepy story, this time taking place in a large house, which of course is haunted.

This tale centres around insanity and grief, swinging to and fro between the past and present. I always enjoy the writing style of this author, and though there are errors, it's fast-paced and a compelling read. I particularly liked the first-person narrative.

Believable characters with a good sense of place.

Great for horror lovers.

[John Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gothic horror at its best

Amy Cross is a ghost story writer of premier league status. This story had me enthralled and I couldn't put the book down until the very end. It was a truly scary story. Highly recommended.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twist of two intriguing tales of two unique and strange characters that convulges in an explosive horror that only Amy Cross could create. I loved this spooky and thrilling novel.

[Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the bride herself who seems to be as disturbed in the afterlife as she was while living, and the modern day protagonist Owen who seems, well...(dumb!)...I got through this with some minor issues. The Kindle edition had some missing punctuation, missing words and could have been a bit better but these things were minimal.

The story had some small holes in it every here and there; there are a couple parts of the story line that don't make sense and don't ever get explained anywhere in the book. Also, I found myself wondering why I should care about what was happening to Owen when he was so abrasive and unlikable in most scenes; but liked that despite his obvious shortcomings he was capable of taking in a soon to be homeless dog and would then proceed to talk to him regularly.

On to the things I liked about this story: the descriptions of the house and grounds, the action when it was taking place and the author's ability to keep a major part of the story somewhere around the middle hidden until it suddenly pops into your consciousness that this situation was definitely not what it appeared to be in the first part of the book. I'm riding the fence on this story, I wouldn't read it again, but I would recommend it to anyone who might be interested in the ghost story/supernatural easy read. As for Amy Cross, I can definitely see the creativity and ingenuity of her ideas shining through and will try another of her books sometime in the future.

[Rachel Friedland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did deliver on the creepiness, but it wasn't quite fear-inducing, and the climax was more...perplexing, and not in a great way, but not in a horrible way.

I did feel that a couple of the moments in the book, especially from Katinka's point of view, were more for shock value than anything else, and just made me really uncomfortable. But that seemed more to just deliberately discomfort the reader, but not enough that I felt it was needed. I know that's vague, but I don't want to give anything away.

The main character, Owen, was likeable; it was refreshing to have a male character whose personality was not 'alcoholic' in the horror genre. All the main protagonists in his part of the story were like that; they all had some depth going for them. That wasn't the case for Katinka's perspective, where all the characters felt like caricatures, and subtlety was a very foreign concept. I got the feeling the past story was written long before the more cleanly written and better structured modern story was added, kind of like an earlier and newer attempt put together.

Overall, it was creepy, really not for everyone, and probably will not reread.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could Be Worse

I chose this book because I thought the synopsis and title were intriguing. This book captivated my attention in the beginning, but then seemed to drag. However, I did finish it. I have read better, but I have also read far worse stories. Take note however there us profanity in this book, graphic death scenes, etc., so use your own discretion; this is not something I would want my fourteen-year-old reading. I also have complaints about some of the grammatical errors which got distracting.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good

This story had a lot of promise, but it was short on captivating the audience (or at least me). I didn’t like any of the characters, and that makes it hard to be sympathetic to anything happening. Everything in the story needed to be fleshed out more. Like EVERYTHING. All of these hints were made about certain events or even clearly stated but then no details were ever given. I just thought it was a very average telling of a ghost story with really bad characters and no character development.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've fallen in love with Amy's books and this is no exception I've read it on just over a day.
The only trouble is it's just before midnight and I have to go to sleep soon!!
This is a haunting story of a man running from his past and ending up at Ashbyrn House and not wishing to listen to the history slowly starts to hear noises and sees glimpses of a bride.
It all culminates to a thrilling conclusion please read it you won't be disappointed you'll just end up scared

[Glenys Higginbotham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horribly creepy

I am not usually squeamish, but found this book quite frightening, and one night read something else before bed, thinking it might give me nightmares. I haven't read anything by this author before, I chose it from Amazon Prime lending library, but will look out for her again. Although it was set in England, it read like an American book which I found a bit irritating.

[nora m malotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bride of Ashbyrn House

Evil is something that does not DIE. IT HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN. Evil is EVERLASTING! The people in the surrounding town no longer speak of it. But now a stranger has come asking about Ashbyrn House. And says he wants to purchase it. He will not acknowledge the EVIL ALTHOUGH he has been warned. Will the EVIL destroy him or will it engulf the surrounding town too. All who enter die! A GREAT TALE. I RECOMMEND

[Andrea Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but all of Amy's books seem to follow a formula, have a lot of the same elements. While scenes practically repeated in some cases.
And it's sometimes painfully obvious that she is a British writer... not that that's a bad thing! But when her books are set in the States, certain terms just don't fit in and may have some Americans scratching their heads.
That said, I still read quite a few of her books, as I said before, still entertaining!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Cross has a lot of books that she has written. She write in the horror genre, and I enjoy reading each book of her's I can get my hands on. I love a good haunted house story, and Cross is great at writing a good haunted house story. She weaves the history of the house to the present, using duel timelines and creating surprises along the way. She likes to keep the reader guessing until the final pages.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb Gothic horror. The story of the bride was more interesting than Owen's. The guy was too much in the state of denial but overall the 2 stories were well integrated. The character of the bride was powerful and very well developed. To me this story had a proper logical ending as compared to the last 2 novels i read by Amy Cross (16 Frames of the devil's face and Last wrong turn).

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was up there as one of my favourite Amy Cross books. It kept me intrigued & wanting to know more throughout. Eerie, creepy with a psychological twist. I'm too busy reading to be picking holes in the books punctuation like some are, who cares if there's a small blip your bmind can correct it if need be.

[Phyllis H. Pajka · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful weird book by Amy Cross. At times it's actually funny but the story goes along well and you are always wondering what will happen next. I really did enjoy it so you should try it. There are moments when things just don't go as planned and someone had to pay. You'll enjoy this book as much as I did.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I' m not really sure how to describe this one. I think I was expecting a little more of an old fashioned twist. It was just weird. I wanted to shake Owen for his stupidity, in that sense, he kind of deserved what happened to him. The bride was just plain obsessive and crazy. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but just seemed to lack something. ~~~~~~Strong language

[kathy bracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

A real old fashioned feeling ghost story. Owen wants to get away from London to continue his writing. He moves to Cornwall and cinema across the story of the bride still waiting for her wedding to take place.

[celene irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle of the road book

I did r enjoyed this book even though it was a little bit far-fetched . Apparently the character set for days on end writing on his laptop but he never once considered to get up to go to the toilet ha ha