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The Ghost Rider
Has Catherine Lacey been kidnapped by human hands or has the ghost of Lacey Hall ridden away with her?
1879 Sophie, Catherine’s sister, can’t answer that question. Catherine disappeared overnight. Sophie knows that Catherine had fallen in love with the ghost of the first Sir Giles Lacey, who in 1676 had won Lacey Hall in a card game. Not content with his windfall, he reclaimed land from the village to build a lake. The story goes he was murdered for it.
2019 Australian Kate Dalton reads her three times great-grandmother Sophie’s letter and travels to England to discover if Catherine had been murdered, kidnapped or whisked away by a ghost. At first, Kate isn’t welcomed at Lacey Hall, particularly by its owner. She is warned to stay away from Old Widcombe Woods and the dilapidated cottage in its midst. Then Kate sees the ghost rider. The old tale claims that every night he rides up to the house and then disappears into the lake, his destiny sealed for eternity. Kate is determined to see him up close but the present Sir Giles prevents her from going outside to him. At every turn, Kate is foiled.
After a series of accidents find Kate with head injuries and more, she starts to wonder if they are mishaps or does someone want to prevent her from discovering what happened to Catherine and, ultimately, from uncovering a mystery that has its seed planted by the first Sir Giles.
Kate doesn’t see the final danger approaching.
1879 Sophie, Catherine’s sister, can’t answer that question. Catherine disappeared overnight. Sophie knows that Catherine had fallen in love with the ghost of the first Sir Giles Lacey, who in 1676 had won Lacey Hall in a card game. Not content with his windfall, he reclaimed land from the village to build a lake. The story goes he was murdered for it.
2019 Australian Kate Dalton reads her three times great-grandmother Sophie’s letter and travels to England to discover if Catherine had been murdered, kidnapped or whisked away by a ghost. At first, Kate isn’t welcomed at Lacey Hall, particularly by its owner. She is warned to stay away from Old Widcombe Woods and the dilapidated cottage in its midst. Then Kate sees the ghost rider. The old tale claims that every night he rides up to the house and then disappears into the lake, his destiny sealed for eternity. Kate is determined to see him up close but the present Sir Giles prevents her from going outside to him. At every turn, Kate is foiled.
After a series of accidents find Kate with head injuries and more, she starts to wonder if they are mishaps or does someone want to prevent her from discovering what happened to Catherine and, ultimately, from uncovering a mystery that has its seed planted by the first Sir Giles.
Kate doesn’t see the final danger approaching.
349 pages, ebook
First published August 7, 2022
About the author
Ellen Read
32 books101 followersMulti Award Winning, multi genre author, Ellen Read, is the author of The Thornton Mysteries – cosy murder mysteries set in Australia. Ellen also writes ghost stories and thrillers. Her latest book is a fantasy, based on the Triple Goddess of Celtic mythology and soon to be published by Serenade Publishing.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, painting or taking photographs.
Ellen loves to read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She particularly loves history and stories of ancient myths and legends. Authors such as Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Robert Graves, Edgar Allan Poe, and Victoria Holt have influenced her work.
www.ellenread.com
https://linktr.ee/ellenreadauthor
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, painting or taking photographs.
Ellen loves to read fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She particularly loves history and stories of ancient myths and legends. Authors such as Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Robert Graves, Edgar Allan Poe, and Victoria Holt have influenced her work.
www.ellenread.com
https://linktr.ee/ellenreadauthor
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 15, 2022
The Ghost Rider is a story that grabbed my interest from the start and did not let go until I had finished reading. Kate and Charles with Raymond's story has suspense, drama, danger, villains closer than they realized, a Ghost, secrets that come to light, and romance. The story was well written, and was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 24, 2022
I neglected everything today and read the book in one go. Not able to put it down. I just needed to know, needed to know the secrets.
If an author can make me read a whole day, then it is certainly worth 5 stars.
The switching between the two era's made the whole mystery clear. A surprise at the end. Didn't see that coming.
All questions are answered in the end.
I liked a lot of characters in the book and sometimes they made me laugh out loud with their remarks.
I will read more of this author in the future.
If an author can make me read a whole day, then it is certainly worth 5 stars.
The switching between the two era's made the whole mystery clear. A surprise at the end. Didn't see that coming.
All questions are answered in the end.
I liked a lot of characters in the book and sometimes they made me laugh out loud with their remarks.
I will read more of this author in the future.
June 24, 2022
My initial idea for The Ghost Rider was, what if a ghost was trapped by it’s past and it’s death, to travel the same path for eternity. This ghost became the ghost rider himself. I also wanted a second more malevolent ghost in the story too.
Charlbury is a fictitious village in Wiltshire in the Cotswolds and is inspired by Castle Coombe.
I love flowers. I’d read about a few wildflower meadow projects that have been undertaken in the UK, and decided I wanted to bring one into the story. It became the Damselfly Meadow. I tend to bring things I love into my stories. So there is also Lady, the golden retriever, and Heru, a Peregrine Falcon. Birds of prey aren’t my favourite but I respect their power and there’s something majestic about them. When you see a wedge-tailed eagle fly, you have to admire and respect them.The peregrine falcon is an excellent falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability and it is easily trained. Their name comes from the Latin word peregrinus, which means "to wander." Peregrine falcons are the fastest-flying birds in the world and are able to dive at 200 miles per hour. I named my falcon Heru after the Egyptian god Horus, often known as Heru. The god had the head of a falcon.
Music is another great love of mine and usually at least one character plays an instrument.
I hope you enjoy The Ghost Rider.
Charlbury is a fictitious village in Wiltshire in the Cotswolds and is inspired by Castle Coombe.
I love flowers. I’d read about a few wildflower meadow projects that have been undertaken in the UK, and decided I wanted to bring one into the story. It became the Damselfly Meadow. I tend to bring things I love into my stories. So there is also Lady, the golden retriever, and Heru, a Peregrine Falcon. Birds of prey aren’t my favourite but I respect their power and there’s something majestic about them. When you see a wedge-tailed eagle fly, you have to admire and respect them.The peregrine falcon is an excellent falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability and it is easily trained. Their name comes from the Latin word peregrinus, which means "to wander." Peregrine falcons are the fastest-flying birds in the world and are able to dive at 200 miles per hour. I named my falcon Heru after the Egyptian god Horus, often known as Heru. The god had the head of a falcon.
Music is another great love of mine and usually at least one character plays an instrument.
I hope you enjoy The Ghost Rider.
August 23, 2022
I’m surprised to say, this might actually be my favorite of Ellen’s books. I do love those Thornton mysteries, but there was something different about this that just had me never wanting to put it down. There were so many strange and unique characters. Catherine drove me crazy but she created a lot of fun drama 😆 The modern love story was very sweet and engaging. So many mysteries going on - it was fun to keep guessing. The setting was lovely of course - an English manor and village, with all the wildflowers and birds? Yes, please. Even the paranormal “how would that happen??” was a lot of fun. Great story!
August 18, 2022
After reading Ellen Read's previous ghost story "Die For Love" I was looking forward to reading "The Ghost Rider". I was not disappointed and enjoyed this new book even more. The well written story switched effortlessly between 1879 [Catherine] and present day Kate [Katherine] It has a great story line with many interesting characters, and Ellen has once again included many descriptive passages that invite the reader into the story. Including Romance, Mystery, History and Drama, the story draws you in - and then hits you with a few twists and surprises. Can highly recommend this as a "Very Good Read". Can't wait for the next one.
July 4, 2022
Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. A fabulous ghostly story.
May 23, 2023
This story kept me engaged from the beginning. Love the dual timeline and the author's descriptions of the English village and its inhabitants drew me in. Thoroughly enjoyable.
August 30, 2022
Kate is a normal 26-year-old living in Australia when she unexpectedly moves back home with her parents. When she arrives home, she finds her old bedroom is full of her mother’s old things. Kate and her mother go through the ancient family treasures and find a diary that unveils an old family mystery. What happened to Kate’s missing great aunt? She went missing in the 19th century and while rumors are everywhere, no one knows what happened to great Aunt Catherine. Kate flies to England to solve the mystery of Catherine’s disappearance from Lacey Hall.
Author Ellen Read has done an exceptional job of turning this riveting romance novel into a nail-biting mystery. It has everything readers would want in a romantic paranormal thriller. I was engrossed with the setting of this novel, maybe because of the vivid descriptions of the scenes, or maybe because the locales are intrinsically fascinating. Who doesn’t like the English countryside?
The Ghost Rider is captivating right from the start of the book. I really enjoyed the methodical pace of the story. The mystery unravels slowly, ensuring the intrigue and suspense is consistently high. This is one reason I kept coming back to this book time and again; I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I was beyond pleased with the way the story came to an end. I feel like the author planned the ending well as it answered all my big questions. It’s always nice to have a tight mystery novel wrap up without needing to plan for a long series arc, but I still wanted more of the romance even after the mystery was solved.
The author’s ability to develop character arcs throughout the novel is phenomenal. I got so attached to Kate and Catherine, I just wanted them to turn out alright. The evolution of Charles is a great example of the skill Ellen Read has with developing characters and letting the story reveal their traits. As we see Charles transform from a gruff-looking man lacking manners to a well-established man of substance. This is an impressive feat to accomplish in so few pages. When I was introduced to Charles’s character I disliked him, but by the end I was in love with him. This ability to make me love and hate characters is what I look for in good supernatural romance novels.
The Ghost Rider is an enchanting ghost fiction story with a compelling female protagonist and a spellbinding storyline.
Author Ellen Read has done an exceptional job of turning this riveting romance novel into a nail-biting mystery. It has everything readers would want in a romantic paranormal thriller. I was engrossed with the setting of this novel, maybe because of the vivid descriptions of the scenes, or maybe because the locales are intrinsically fascinating. Who doesn’t like the English countryside?
The Ghost Rider is captivating right from the start of the book. I really enjoyed the methodical pace of the story. The mystery unravels slowly, ensuring the intrigue and suspense is consistently high. This is one reason I kept coming back to this book time and again; I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I was beyond pleased with the way the story came to an end. I feel like the author planned the ending well as it answered all my big questions. It’s always nice to have a tight mystery novel wrap up without needing to plan for a long series arc, but I still wanted more of the romance even after the mystery was solved.
The author’s ability to develop character arcs throughout the novel is phenomenal. I got so attached to Kate and Catherine, I just wanted them to turn out alright. The evolution of Charles is a great example of the skill Ellen Read has with developing characters and letting the story reveal their traits. As we see Charles transform from a gruff-looking man lacking manners to a well-established man of substance. This is an impressive feat to accomplish in so few pages. When I was introduced to Charles’s character I disliked him, but by the end I was in love with him. This ability to make me love and hate characters is what I look for in good supernatural romance novels.
The Ghost Rider is an enchanting ghost fiction story with a compelling female protagonist and a spellbinding storyline.
August 19, 2022
I enjoyed the Ghost Rider, my first dip into a ghost story for a good long while. I liked the change of perspectives between the Catherine of 1879 and the modern day Kate as the tale of the Ghost Rider unfolded, with the author cleverly recounting events and tuning into the emotions of both through Catherine’s journal. All the scenes were placed nicely with enough historical references and description to help me imagine what it was like, without going over the top with too much detail. The characters were believable – even the ghostly ones! – and there was tension built nicely in key scenes, sending the odd shiver down my spine without being out and out gruesome and terrifying (my preference, to be honest). I would have liked the overall plot to have moved on a little quicker – there were a couple of occasions when I thought we were going to get a big reveal, only for the author to tantalise us and hold us back for a little longer – but that is just personal preference, I guess. A lot of people out there would enjoy that teasing.
All in all, a super, well-told ghost story.
All in all, a super, well-told ghost story.
August 16, 2022
Ghost or Kidnapping ? . . .
Kate Dalton is troubled by stories, part of the family history, of how Catherine Lacey disappeared. No one determined whether she had been kidnapped or taken away by the ghost of Lacey Hall. So Kate travels to Lacey Hall, but the owner warns her to stay out of the Old Widcombe Woods that were cursed long ago. Kate finally sees the ghost rider, but Sir Giles will not allow her to go outside to see him up close. And then Kate sees a second ghost.
When accidents befall Kate, she wonders if these are instead deliberate attacks to keep her from finding the answer about Catherine’s fate. Is she putting herself in imminent danger by not heeding the warnings?
Kate Dalton is troubled by stories, part of the family history, of how Catherine Lacey disappeared. No one determined whether she had been kidnapped or taken away by the ghost of Lacey Hall. So Kate travels to Lacey Hall, but the owner warns her to stay out of the Old Widcombe Woods that were cursed long ago. Kate finally sees the ghost rider, but Sir Giles will not allow her to go outside to see him up close. And then Kate sees a second ghost.
When accidents befall Kate, she wonders if these are instead deliberate attacks to keep her from finding the answer about Catherine’s fate. Is she putting herself in imminent danger by not heeding the warnings?
August 14, 2022
I loved this . It had a lot to recommend itself to me. It had a great story line. A mystery with paranormal elements. Romance too. Wonderful narrative that really caught me and excited me until the very end. I loved the characters. I loved Kate. She is a wonderful character to follow. She has great curiosity and her journey in the story is fun to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 13, 2022
This is a great paranormal mystery with tons of suspense. The author does a fantastic job pulling you into the story and kept me glued to the pages. It's an intriguing ghost story switching between past and present with a mystery for Kate to solve. It's well written with detailed and descriptive scenes, moves fluidly and is a terrific story I loved reading! Highly recommend this book!!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
August 14, 2022
I really enjoyed this ghostly novel, it was what I was hoping for when I read this description. The characters were what I was expecting and really enjoyed getting to go on this adventure with them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 22, 2023
I've wanted to read an Ellen Read book forever, so The Ghost Rider sounded like a great choice for October, and was it ever!
I immensely enjoyed this dual-timeline ghost story, set in England in 1879 and 2019. The story follows two young women: Katherine, and her distant descendant, Kate, both of whom come to Lacey Hall for very different but not unrelated reasons. Two ghost stories separated by more than a century but related by circumstance.
The 1879 story reminded me of the first part of The Highwayman poem by Alfred Noyes... gothic and romantic, a woman in love with the dashing rider who appears at her window nightly, only with the requisite chills and mystery of any good gothic ghost story. The 2019 story was part cozy English travelogue, part mystery, and part horror story filled with malevolent ghosts, strange people, and the feeling that you're never quite sure who Kate can actually trust. I Loved this book so much, I will definitely reread it in the future and am looking forward to reading more of Ellen Read's books!
I immensely enjoyed this dual-timeline ghost story, set in England in 1879 and 2019. The story follows two young women: Katherine, and her distant descendant, Kate, both of whom come to Lacey Hall for very different but not unrelated reasons. Two ghost stories separated by more than a century but related by circumstance.
The 1879 story reminded me of the first part of The Highwayman poem by Alfred Noyes... gothic and romantic, a woman in love with the dashing rider who appears at her window nightly, only with the requisite chills and mystery of any good gothic ghost story. The 2019 story was part cozy English travelogue, part mystery, and part horror story filled with malevolent ghosts, strange people, and the feeling that you're never quite sure who Kate can actually trust. I Loved this book so much, I will definitely reread it in the future and am looking forward to reading more of Ellen Read's books!
May 16, 2025
Is The Ghost Rider a ghost story, a love story or perhaps both? This story has its beginnings in 1879 England and spans generations. The Prologue is ominous in setting the tone of this unusual love story. What if????
The Ghost Rider is a modern love story with roots into the past, transcending generations and bringing to mind other great love stories… those by Jane Austen easily come to mind except this one has a ghost or two. I was fully immersed into the story with the first chapter. Just like her other books, Read sets the tone drawing you in with descriptive passages of surroundings, architecture, paintings, furniture, music and nature. This is her literary trademark which I have come to expect and enjoy.
The characters are well defined and memorable, especially the twins. Catherine is strong and intuitive. Charles comes off standoffish at first but I liked him right away. Raymond! Loved Raymond. Nevaeh…easily the one I loved to hate. Then there’s Lady, a Golden Retriever! All in all, a well rounded cast of characters.
Everything played out as I read. I had my suspicions and I had my fingers crossed. I consider myself pretty good at figuring out the how and the why; but I didn’t see this ending playing out like it did. One more thing; do not skip the Author’s Note at the end.
A Ghostly Love Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Ghost Rider does contain some psychological and sexual abuse scenes. These are vital to the story and are not explicit. May be appropriate for the mature YA reader 16 and up.
The Ghost Rider is a modern love story with roots into the past, transcending generations and bringing to mind other great love stories… those by Jane Austen easily come to mind except this one has a ghost or two. I was fully immersed into the story with the first chapter. Just like her other books, Read sets the tone drawing you in with descriptive passages of surroundings, architecture, paintings, furniture, music and nature. This is her literary trademark which I have come to expect and enjoy.
The characters are well defined and memorable, especially the twins. Catherine is strong and intuitive. Charles comes off standoffish at first but I liked him right away. Raymond! Loved Raymond. Nevaeh…easily the one I loved to hate. Then there’s Lady, a Golden Retriever! All in all, a well rounded cast of characters.
Everything played out as I read. I had my suspicions and I had my fingers crossed. I consider myself pretty good at figuring out the how and the why; but I didn’t see this ending playing out like it did. One more thing; do not skip the Author’s Note at the end.
A Ghostly Love Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Ghost Rider does contain some psychological and sexual abuse scenes. These are vital to the story and are not explicit. May be appropriate for the mature YA reader 16 and up.
January 11, 2023
Ellen Read’s second ghost story, The Ghost Rider, is an enchanting mystery about an Australian writer who comes to England to explore a mysterious episode in her family history. There are two elements to the story, with Kate’s modern day attempts to solve the mystery of her ancestor Catherine’s disappearance set alongside the Victorian story of Catherine herself.
The Ghost Rider is a cosy paranormal mystery but there are plenty of dark moments, particularly Catherine’s abuse at the hands of her callous husband. And there are some positively creepy characters, including the twins who complete each other’s sentences and an enigmatic and capricious maid.
This author has a great passion and ability for describing place and I was particularly pleased that the book is set in the Cotswolds near where I grew up – with some of my favourite places including Warwick Castle and Stratford on Avon name checked! Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable novel, about the triumph of love over darkness and death.
The Ghost Rider is a cosy paranormal mystery but there are plenty of dark moments, particularly Catherine’s abuse at the hands of her callous husband. And there are some positively creepy characters, including the twins who complete each other’s sentences and an enigmatic and capricious maid.
This author has a great passion and ability for describing place and I was particularly pleased that the book is set in the Cotswolds near where I grew up – with some of my favourite places including Warwick Castle and Stratford on Avon name checked! Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable novel, about the triumph of love over darkness and death.
December 31, 2022
I am a tried and true aficionado of mysteries and thrillers. Don’t ask me to consider anything else. Don’t offer me sci-fi, romance, fantasy, paranormal. I just won’t read them.
Or so I thought.
Against my normal genre preferences, but because I enjoyed one of her mysteries in the past, I agreed to read The Ghost Rider by Ellen Read.
And? And I thought it was brilliant. Genuinely. Why? Well, for a start, if you love reading (which I do) and are confronted with superb writing allied to masterful narrative skills, you can only succumb, regardless of genre. Secondly, during my teenage years, I devoured the classics ... Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, Emily Bronte ... and many more. My affection for those old story-tellers never left me. When I found strong echoes of Jane Austen in The Ghost Rider – the same elegant prose, the same depth of character, the beautifully painted settings, and the added bonus of a tense, atmospheric mystery, what else could I do? I simply caved in and allowed myself to love it.
Has Catherine Lacey been kidnapped by human hands or has the ghost of Lacey Hall ridden away with her? One of Catherine’s descendants discovers an old family diary and is presented with this mystery. As a writer, Kate Dalton’s imagination is fired. She simply has to leave Australia and go to the stately old home in England to find what happened to Catherine. Is she going to find the answer she seeks or is she destined to suffer the same fate as her ancestor?
So what happened to ‘no ghosts’, ‘no fantasy’? Samuel Taylor Coleridge, when talking about fantasy writing, once coined a phrase ... “the willing suspension of disbelief.” In other words, the reader must be prepared to accept the unreal as believable and real. But what if the reader is not prepared to do that? Coleridge simply points out that the willingness to suspend disbelief depends on whether the writer is ... “ skilful enough to infuse human interest and a semblance of truth into the fantasy.”
Ellen Read passes this test with flying colours. Human interest? Truth? Try adding emotion, tension, suspense, hatred, fear, mystery, romance, a dual time line and a fantastic cover, and you have a book that you will not be able to put down. I know I couldn't.
I’d love to say you must ... read Read. But it sounds so corny I’ll just say, get your hands on this book and give yourself a real treat.
Or so I thought.
Against my normal genre preferences, but because I enjoyed one of her mysteries in the past, I agreed to read The Ghost Rider by Ellen Read.
And? And I thought it was brilliant. Genuinely. Why? Well, for a start, if you love reading (which I do) and are confronted with superb writing allied to masterful narrative skills, you can only succumb, regardless of genre. Secondly, during my teenage years, I devoured the classics ... Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, Emily Bronte ... and many more. My affection for those old story-tellers never left me. When I found strong echoes of Jane Austen in The Ghost Rider – the same elegant prose, the same depth of character, the beautifully painted settings, and the added bonus of a tense, atmospheric mystery, what else could I do? I simply caved in and allowed myself to love it.
Has Catherine Lacey been kidnapped by human hands or has the ghost of Lacey Hall ridden away with her? One of Catherine’s descendants discovers an old family diary and is presented with this mystery. As a writer, Kate Dalton’s imagination is fired. She simply has to leave Australia and go to the stately old home in England to find what happened to Catherine. Is she going to find the answer she seeks or is she destined to suffer the same fate as her ancestor?
So what happened to ‘no ghosts’, ‘no fantasy’? Samuel Taylor Coleridge, when talking about fantasy writing, once coined a phrase ... “the willing suspension of disbelief.” In other words, the reader must be prepared to accept the unreal as believable and real. But what if the reader is not prepared to do that? Coleridge simply points out that the willingness to suspend disbelief depends on whether the writer is ... “ skilful enough to infuse human interest and a semblance of truth into the fantasy.”
Ellen Read passes this test with flying colours. Human interest? Truth? Try adding emotion, tension, suspense, hatred, fear, mystery, romance, a dual time line and a fantastic cover, and you have a book that you will not be able to put down. I know I couldn't.
I’d love to say you must ... read Read. But it sounds so corny I’ll just say, get your hands on this book and give yourself a real treat.
August 9, 2022
The Ghost Rider is an exciting, romantic and eerie tale; classic in its concept and style, but the thrills of the supernatural most definitely haunt the present. Kate Dalton, a young Australian woman, and an only child, has just undergone heart surgery for a congenital heart defect. She will be fine, but this life threatening event has taken its toll. Recuperating for many weeks at her parents’ home, she is somewhat depressed and listless.
Her mother gets her interested in going through old family paraphernalia, and Kate comes across a letter from her three times great-grandmother, Sophie. It tells of the disappearance Sophie’s sister Catherine. Sophie knows her sister has been unhappy in her marriage and that she has fallen in love with a ghost, the first Giles Lacey of Lacey Hall. Sophie doesn’t know what has happened to Catherine. She fears she may have been murdered or kidnapped. Could she possible have left with the ghost? Kate, our present day protagonist, asks her mother about these ancestors, and it turns out there is also a journal kept by Catherine that was passed down with the letter. Kate now has the diary of her ancestor, Catherine Lacey.
Kate reads all of this and is captivated. She is determined to leave her home in Australia and go to Lacey Hall in England and see if she can find out what happened to her ancestor, Catherine. Kate is now full of purpose, excitement and energy. This is the background and set up for the adventure, love interests and terrifying events that Kate will experience in the here and now at Lacey Hall.
As Kate rereads the diary, in England, looking for clues, you are transported back into the past, to 1879, and begin to live in Catherine’s mind and understand what she is going through. Lacey Hall is known for its Ghost Rider, who is the first Sir Giles Lacey, a narcissistic man who won Lacey Hall in a card game in 1676. He then unscrupulously usurped additional land from the neighboring farmers to make a lake. It was said he was murdered by some of the angry farmers and drowned in the lake. His ghost rides each night and disappears into the lake. Catherine, depressed and heartbroken with her life, begins to see the Ghost Rider. From her diary, we realize the ghost is real to her, and she falls in love with him. One day, Catherine disappears. Her last entry in her diary is that she has made the final decision and is running away with the Ghost Rider. Her sister, Sophia, was the last person to see her.
The present day characters that populate Lacey Hall are wonderful. The younger Lacey brother, Lyle, is charming, flirtatious and flighty. He takes an interest in Kate. The older brother, Charles, the present day heir, is stormy and handsome and brings Heathcliff to mind. He runs the estate responsibly and is impassioned with gardening and creating the wildflower meadow. Attractions begin to simmer. Both brothers find Kate’s connection to the history of their home and family intriguing and she comes to live at the hall as a guest.
The Hall is opened to the public at certain hours and also boasts gardens, a tea house, the beautiful Damselfly Meadow and the Old Widcombe Woods, which Kate is warned many times to stay away from. The twins, Celia and Delia, work at the tea house and they are such unnerving characters, odd and oddly friendly in a peculiar way. There is the house manager, Mrs. Casey, elegant and elusive, but friendly to Kate. And there is the gentle, sensitive gardener and assistant to Charles, Raymond Forrest, who is socially awkward and has met with much rejection in his life. Charles has become his friend and protector.
Will Kate discover what happened to her four times great-aunt, Catherine? Much intrigue begins to unfold. There are family secrets, hidden corridors, and mysterious locations on the estate. What is being hidden? Who knows what, it is hard to tell, amongst the many people that Kate finds herself surrounded with. Each time she seems to get closer to an answer, she meets with an accident and injury. Is her life in danger?
This ghost story is filled with everything you could want in a ghostly tale: eerie descriptions, strange occurrences, beautiful settings, attractive men, and a beautiful and intelligent, though reckless female protagonist. There is romance, secret family histories, parallel histories, paranormal events, and yes, ghosts! The ending will really take you by surprise. I very much enjoyed my visit to Lacey Hall.
Her mother gets her interested in going through old family paraphernalia, and Kate comes across a letter from her three times great-grandmother, Sophie. It tells of the disappearance Sophie’s sister Catherine. Sophie knows her sister has been unhappy in her marriage and that she has fallen in love with a ghost, the first Giles Lacey of Lacey Hall. Sophie doesn’t know what has happened to Catherine. She fears she may have been murdered or kidnapped. Could she possible have left with the ghost? Kate, our present day protagonist, asks her mother about these ancestors, and it turns out there is also a journal kept by Catherine that was passed down with the letter. Kate now has the diary of her ancestor, Catherine Lacey.
Kate reads all of this and is captivated. She is determined to leave her home in Australia and go to Lacey Hall in England and see if she can find out what happened to her ancestor, Catherine. Kate is now full of purpose, excitement and energy. This is the background and set up for the adventure, love interests and terrifying events that Kate will experience in the here and now at Lacey Hall.
As Kate rereads the diary, in England, looking for clues, you are transported back into the past, to 1879, and begin to live in Catherine’s mind and understand what she is going through. Lacey Hall is known for its Ghost Rider, who is the first Sir Giles Lacey, a narcissistic man who won Lacey Hall in a card game in 1676. He then unscrupulously usurped additional land from the neighboring farmers to make a lake. It was said he was murdered by some of the angry farmers and drowned in the lake. His ghost rides each night and disappears into the lake. Catherine, depressed and heartbroken with her life, begins to see the Ghost Rider. From her diary, we realize the ghost is real to her, and she falls in love with him. One day, Catherine disappears. Her last entry in her diary is that she has made the final decision and is running away with the Ghost Rider. Her sister, Sophia, was the last person to see her.
The present day characters that populate Lacey Hall are wonderful. The younger Lacey brother, Lyle, is charming, flirtatious and flighty. He takes an interest in Kate. The older brother, Charles, the present day heir, is stormy and handsome and brings Heathcliff to mind. He runs the estate responsibly and is impassioned with gardening and creating the wildflower meadow. Attractions begin to simmer. Both brothers find Kate’s connection to the history of their home and family intriguing and she comes to live at the hall as a guest.
The Hall is opened to the public at certain hours and also boasts gardens, a tea house, the beautiful Damselfly Meadow and the Old Widcombe Woods, which Kate is warned many times to stay away from. The twins, Celia and Delia, work at the tea house and they are such unnerving characters, odd and oddly friendly in a peculiar way. There is the house manager, Mrs. Casey, elegant and elusive, but friendly to Kate. And there is the gentle, sensitive gardener and assistant to Charles, Raymond Forrest, who is socially awkward and has met with much rejection in his life. Charles has become his friend and protector.
Will Kate discover what happened to her four times great-aunt, Catherine? Much intrigue begins to unfold. There are family secrets, hidden corridors, and mysterious locations on the estate. What is being hidden? Who knows what, it is hard to tell, amongst the many people that Kate finds herself surrounded with. Each time she seems to get closer to an answer, she meets with an accident and injury. Is her life in danger?
This ghost story is filled with everything you could want in a ghostly tale: eerie descriptions, strange occurrences, beautiful settings, attractive men, and a beautiful and intelligent, though reckless female protagonist. There is romance, secret family histories, parallel histories, paranormal events, and yes, ghosts! The ending will really take you by surprise. I very much enjoyed my visit to Lacey Hall.
August 13, 2022
From the mysterious, dreamily suspenseful beginning to the heart-pounding-edge-of-your-seat-WHAT-is-happening end, “The Ghost Rider” by Ellen Read was a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery that unwound with this luscious slow-burn, allowing me to fully appreciate, get lost in, the artistry of Read’s lovely prose.
I loved the sweet, heartwarming, adversaries-to-lovers romance; it sizzled with chemistry. The settings, too, were vivid and breathtaking—even the more ominous ones. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, the way they inched slowly toward one another before flawlessly converging.
The characters were all great too, so fleshed out—even the antagonists. I loved Kate and Charles (and of course Lady), as well as Raymond and Heru. I also loved the bond between sisters Catherine and Sophie. The twins, Celia and Delia, were perfectly creepy. So was Nevaeh.
“The Ghost Rider” had me in its grip from the moment I picked it up, and I absolutely loved every second of it. If you like stories full of ghosts, romance, magic, and the kind of mystery that keeps you on your toes, this is the book for you. Highly recommend!
I loved the sweet, heartwarming, adversaries-to-lovers romance; it sizzled with chemistry. The settings, too, were vivid and breathtaking—even the more ominous ones. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, the way they inched slowly toward one another before flawlessly converging.
The characters were all great too, so fleshed out—even the antagonists. I loved Kate and Charles (and of course Lady), as well as Raymond and Heru. I also loved the bond between sisters Catherine and Sophie. The twins, Celia and Delia, were perfectly creepy. So was Nevaeh.
“The Ghost Rider” had me in its grip from the moment I picked it up, and I absolutely loved every second of it. If you like stories full of ghosts, romance, magic, and the kind of mystery that keeps you on your toes, this is the book for you. Highly recommend!
July 19, 2022
A pretty village with friendly people whose ancestors go back centuries, an ancient estate turned resort, and a curse is the setting for this tale. Ms. Read has a talent for spinning a mystery around events and characters that keeps you wanting to turn the pages as you're working out your theories. I had a good time trying to figure out all the questions that popped in my head. Who was evil? Who was good? I loved the use of local trees, flowers, and the different bird species in the aviary. These details gave a beautiful realism to the story. It would be a lovely place to visit except for some frightful paranormal occurrences. Gentle readers be aware. There are scenes of intimate spousal abuse. Those were too much for me. Once I got through that, I had a hard time closing this book. This is a gripping mystery in a grand setting. I recommend this book to paranormal mystery fans who like ancestral stories. I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 1, 2023
✍️Twenty Six year old Kate has moved back home and discovered a diary in her parents home of an ancestor in England that went missing in the 19th century. She decided to travel to England from Australia to solve the mystery.
This is the second book by Ellen Read that I read and once again I was simply MESMERISED by the Graceful and Beautiful writing style.
I haven't read read many Ghost stories but this one was Abounding with Atmospheric detail throughout and I was immersed in the world of Lacey Hall and its eerie and mysterious inhabitants.
The storyline was awfully unique with well developed and creative characters. The dual timelines of the narration was crafted in a way to convey a sense of mystique and emotion. I couldn't put it down
I delighted in the plentitude of themes in the story. Mystery, Romance, Paranormal and Supernatural content as well as more deeper topics such as Grief and Abuse.
Highly recommend!
This is the second book by Ellen Read that I read and once again I was simply MESMERISED by the Graceful and Beautiful writing style.
I haven't read read many Ghost stories but this one was Abounding with Atmospheric detail throughout and I was immersed in the world of Lacey Hall and its eerie and mysterious inhabitants.
The storyline was awfully unique with well developed and creative characters. The dual timelines of the narration was crafted in a way to convey a sense of mystique and emotion. I couldn't put it down
I delighted in the plentitude of themes in the story. Mystery, Romance, Paranormal and Supernatural content as well as more deeper topics such as Grief and Abuse.
Highly recommend!
December 25, 2023
What an enchanting read, intriguing, creepy-ish in some bits, painful in some and yet so poignant. I really did enjoy it very much. I liked the way the chapters change from Catherine's time in 1879 and back to Kathryn's 2019, almost as if there are two parallel universes, each offering some sort of reflection of the other. A what a satisfying ending it has too! Good read, more please!
June 27, 2025
This novella by one of my favourite authors is an engrossing and haunting read, split over two time periods. In the 1800s, Catherine, the new bride of the Lord of Lacey Hall, discovers that her husband is a cruel, arrogant and violent man. In the current day, Kathryn finds a journal written by her ancestress and is intrigued enough to travel from Australia to Lacey Hall to investigate what happened to Catherine. Did she really ride away with her ghostly lover as the old stories suggest?
In England, Kathryn meets the current Lord of Lacey Hall and his charming but feckless younger brother. Integrating herself into village life, Kathryn finds herself drawn ever deeper into the mystery of what happened to Catherine.
A tense and quick read that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. For fans of historical paranormal, this is a must-read.
In England, Kathryn meets the current Lord of Lacey Hall and his charming but feckless younger brother. Integrating herself into village life, Kathryn finds herself drawn ever deeper into the mystery of what happened to Catherine.
A tense and quick read that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. For fans of historical paranormal, this is a must-read.
August 29, 2022
This is a story that spans centuries, a modern day who done it with the added spice of ghosts! Kate Dalton is curious about her family history, mainly how Catherine Lacey disappeared. No one could find out whether she was kidnapped or spirited away by the ghost of Lacey Hall. So Kate travels to Lacey Hall to try to find out what actually happened back then, she was told not to venture into the cursed Old Widcombe Woods. Will Kate solve the family mystery? What will happen if she does?.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 16, 2022
I loved this book. It kept me engaged from start to finish with well-depicted characters, history, drama, paranormal elements, mystery, and romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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