Jane has always been logical and self controlled.  Now, with her guardians moving on Jane makes the logical decision to marry. From a list she compiled, Jane has chosen to ask Dr. Augustine Lawrence to enter into what she considers a business arrangement.  She will keep his books and reside at his surgery while he resides at Lindridge Hall.  Despite their differences, an attraction forms.  Dr. Augustine agrees to the match with the caveat Jane must never enter Lindridge.  However, on the first night of their marriage, a mistake places the pair at Lindridge and Augustine becomes unhinged as the night progresses.  With each night Jane stays at Lindridge she watches Augustine change.  Jane also uncovers a bevy of secrets that open doubts in her union and begins to believe in the secrets of Lindridge herself.   As Augustine succumbs to the terrors surrounding him, he believes Jane is an apparition and he attempts to kill her.  In a desperate attempt for her life, Jane unleashes something she never believed she could do; but the consequences of her actions might be her undoing.  

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a highly atmospheric gothic romance.  From the beginning, I was transported into the alternate history of Great Beltraine where magic is possible.  Jane and Augustine fill the trope of a marriage for convenience.  I loved Jane's character with her persistent logic, pursuit of knowledge and willingness to open herself up to emotions and the supernatural. Augustine is a curious character from the beginning.  I enjoyed the care he took in his surgery, it was obvious that he truly cared for his patients and was skilled at his job; however, it was also clear that he was hiding something big. Jane and Augustine seem to fit together perfectly, even though they shouldn't.  Lindridge Hall is the biggest character, with locked rooms, mysterious shadows and plenty of secrets to uncover, Lindridge is the quintessential gothic setting. With the addition of magic a whole new world of suspense and possibilities opens up to Jane.  I was amazed at how well Jane took to magic her mind opened up to it.  With more magic, Lindridge opens more doors to Jane.  The writing took me on a wild ride and thoroughly explored LIndridge and the effects of magic.  With the creation of a truly unique setting and an even more interesting romance, The Death of Jane Lawrence is the perfect mind-bending gothic horror.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

For centuries, the ghost of Katrina Hamilton has tortured the four families responsible for accusing her of witchcraft and her subsequent hanging.  Now, each year after her death Katrina picks one descendant each from the Bell, Winthrop, Crane and Sewall lineage to toy with.  Katrina delivers a demon infested music box to one member of  each family, that family member then must return to Black River, Tennessee and enter the Witch's Wood, the ancestral home of the Bell family to find the key and lock the demon box.  The chosen are tormented every step of the way once they enter Katrina's woods.  While in the wood they might die, they might find their key and survive another year or they might not find their key and unleash a demon.  This year, Bathsheba Bell is entering the wood for the second time along with first-timer's, Willimina Crane, Cadwyn Winthrop, and Osgood Davis. 

I felt hooked from the beginning when Katrina was delivering the music boxes to each family member, preying on their unique fears and phobias.  Through the box delivery, the personality of each character was also brought out.  Cadwyn is physically tough with a heart of gold.  Mina is hyper focused and a skeptic of the Bell Witch legend. Bathsheba is demanding and intense and cares only about herself and her dog.  Osgood is trying to figure out who to put his trust in for survival.  Once the four chosen members enter the woods, the pace picks up.  I enjoyed seeing of the ways that Katrina came up to terrify the family, where their keys were ultimately hidden and the changing dynamics of the group in the wood.  The Bell farm was particularly grotesque as well as the location of Bathsheba's key. I definitely want to know more about Katrina, it seems that she was an actual Witch and tricked the Bell family even when she was alive and then got angry that they prospered anyway.  I would be interested in hearing more from her side of the story or seeing the four families finally getting revenge for the centuries of torture and deaths. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​The lives of four families are forever intertwined after the actions of their ancestors.  Now, centuries later, The Bell Witch chooses one family member from the Bell, Winthrop, Crane and Sewall lineages to bring back to Black River Tennessee and taunt each year, possibly to the death.  Now, the four participants who survived the last game want to head back to Black River, Tennessee and take care of the Bell Witch for good.  However, Black River is not prepared for Basheba, Cadwyn, Ozzie and Mina to be back in town together.  It's not just the Bell Witch that they will have to fight this time, but the entire town.  

Sacrificial Grounds is the second book in the Bell Witch series and I would highly recommend reading book one first in order to get to know the characters and what they went through.  Sacrificial Grounds dives right into the action as Basheba and Mina work out their relationship.  I was really glad that this book dove more into the characters, especially Basheba.  More of Basheba's family history is revealed along with the intense training she received from a young age that makes her a brutal warrior against the witch and the events of her past that have created her persona.  More of the history of the Bell Witch herself is also disclosed, along with the Witch's influence on the town of Black River.  This book is more of a fight against the humans who reap the benefits of keeping the Bell Witch happy; however, this does not mean that there is any less gore or supernatural activity.  Basheba shows off exactly how much of a killing machine she really is and while the Witch is not at her strongest, she is still able to send a message to the four descendants of her accusers.  I'm really interested to see what happens now that they have tried to end the curse.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Philomena, Osgood, Cadwyn and Basheba are the last four descendants of the Crane, Davis, Winthrop and Bell lines to be selected to go into the Witch's Wood and complete her challenges.  After surviving Katrina's challenges and going back into the Wood to try to stop her one and for all, the four have forged an unbreakable bond.  Now, the four have been training to go into the Witch Caves where they believe Katrina is buried.  They want to find her remains in order to stop the curse again.  However, the town cult finds out what the four are up to and now Mina, her brother Jeremiah,  Ozzie, Cadwyn and Basheba have to deal with a panicked Witch, crazy cult and the dangers of the Cave.

I really enjoyed the first two books of the Bell Witch series and would highly recommend reading those first in order to understand the Witch, her harvest and what builds the unwavering relationship between these four characters.  The Witch Cave amps up the intensity with the group trying to outwit both Katrina and the cult.  All of the characters are still wonderful and continue to grow.  I enjoyed seeing Mina stands up to her family once again and tries to learn everything she can about how to kill a ghost.  Ozzie uses his family's money for good and learns how to deep sea dive as he comes to the realization that he is not the weakest link in the group.  Cadwyn continued to amaze me with his levelheadedness, caring and medical skill.  I appreciated learning more about his time caring foris little brother, Abraham after his trial in the Witch Woods.  This gave a lot of insight into his character as well as showed Katrina's power as she transported Cadwyn back to the abandoned psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts where Abraham spent his last days. Basheba also continued to be a fierce powerhouse along with her dog Buck.  More of her history is revealed along with her families entanglements with the darker side of humanity and a creature called the Leviathan.  The writing continuously builds apprehension as fearsome creatures and obstacles created especially for each character get in their way.  The story ends with an unexpected bang and I can't wait to see what the next book brings. 



This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​A year after Basheba, Cadwyn, Ozzie and MIna defeat Katrina, the Bell Witch that has been terrifying their family members for generations, there are signs that she might be back. The quartet have been seeing strange things once again and the private investigator that they sent to Black River is missing. When Mina calls the estranged family members back together to discuss what might be happening, they learn that Katrina may have never gone away, just attached to a weaker link.  However, Basheba believes that  this entity might just be pretending to be Katrina and whatever this new thing is, isn't playing by the rules.

Spring Slaughter is the fourth book in the Bell Witch series and I would definitely recommend reading these books in sequential order to get to know the characters, their relationships and the history of the Bell Witch.  As the book opened, I was glad to see Basheba and Cadwyn's relationship enduring even if it is highly unconventional.  Mina and Ozzie have grown a lot since the first book and have proved themselves useful to the group in unexpected ways. The threat for this book isn't as direct as the other books.  It seems as if Katrina is back to her old tricks in a different way,  but the relationship with Claudia is confusing.  The suspense is masterfully built as with the other books in the series with the horror creeping in and then crashing down in gory glory.  I liked that we learned a little bit more about Basheba's Kraken as well as some of the feelings of the family elders. It was interesting to see Basheba and Cadwyn put at a bit of a disadvantage while the others had to come to their aid.  The ending might have taken care of the immediate threat but left everyone with a lot more questions than answers, I can't wait to dive into the next book. 

​Basheba, Cadwyn, Ozzie, MIna and Jeremiah have defeated Katrina, the witch that has been killing off their family members for centuries.  However, they are still being hunted by something.  They believe it might be the demon that Katrina would unleash upon family members if they failed her trials.  The group needs to find a safe place and according to Mina's research, Basheba's ancestral home of the Leviathan might offer enough ghost shielding to keep the demon at bay.  However, the Leviathan and the Kraken that Basheba's family built it around have other plans for the group. 


The Leviathan is the fifth book in The Bell Witch series and definitely needs to be read in order.  The Leviathan jumps right into the action with ghastly hauntings and gory minotaur attacks and doesn't let up as the group faces multiple demons, the wrath of the kraken, Basheba's grandmother's snake, demon dogs and multiple ghosts of the people offered up to the kraken over the years.  The Leviathan shows us a big dose of insight into the mysteries of Basheba's Allaway side of the family and her home.  I enjoyed exploring The Leviathan and it's hidden passageways even if each nook and cranny offered up another horror.  I was amazed at Basheba's secrets and her history with the kraken.  Through their trials at the Leviathan, the group strengthens in their dedication to one another as they have to make difficult decisions about survival.  With some big changes and new knowledge, I can't wait to see what is in store for them in the last book of the series. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.