Member Reviews
Books that are set in old times with old places and things always makes the story better and creepier. This story will definitely give you the creepy vibes and leave you on the edge of your seat. If you love a good thriller this one is right up your alley!
Nightingale House has definitely been one of my favorites so far this year. It's creepy and keeps your attention pretty much the entire time. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Steve French!
Wow, what a creepy joyride!! I loved every minute and every sinister drip in this story!
“Nightingale House was not born with secrets, but they were made here. They were sealed into the walls and buried beneath the floorboards"
This is a creepy tale about a house full of secrets. Secrets it won't let you forget.
It's the story of a father and daughter who moves into Nightingale House after the mother died. They are trying to come to terms with her death but the house won't allow them any peace. The house is hiding secrets and the only way they can move on is by finding peace for the lost souls trapped inside.
I will definitely look out for more books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ digital for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Creepy, creepy, creepy.
That's what this book is.
The story was so dark and twisted, with ghosts infecting the beautiful Nightingale House, pouring anger and evil into the residents.
I felt for the family - so much tragedy in their own lives and then dragged into the horrors of the past. It was so deliciously dark and Gothic.
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ Digital in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good haunted house book and this is a brilliant example of the genre. Shortly after moving into the titular house, Daniel loses his wife and is left having to care for his daughter by himself. When she starts being slightly obsessive about her imaginary friend, he is prompted to find out about the history of the house and he starts to realise her friend might not be quite so imaginary...
There isn't much original to tell about the plot of this book but it doesn't need to be original. The strength of this book comes from two things: the characters and the atmosphere. The main character is very likeable and I feel how he deals with grief about his wife is executed very well. He had a great relationship with his daughter and your investment in these characters is what brings the haunted house genre to life.
The atmosphere is also great and it hits a neat tone for a haunted house story. Rather than featuring the ghost of the house doing creepy things, most of the hauntings are related to Daniel's dead wife. You get the horror tinged with sadness and emotion, and it creates a unique, enjoyable tone. I have spent most of this month reading ghost stories and Nightingale House stood out in this regard.
Overall, there's not much else to say about this one. If you love haunted house stories, this is worth checking out. It's an enjoyable addition to the genre, if not hugely groundbreaking.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars
I love when a author can write a good ghost story and this one is good.
Nightingale House is a seriously creepy read.. atmospheric, colorful with creepy whispers that put you in that mood that you thinking twice before switching the lights.
Thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. The synopsis kind of reminded me of some other books I’ve read but I soon found out that it isn’t. I love reading about old haunted houses so I knew I had to read this one. I liked the father- daughter relationship and the parts from the past with the journal. I thought this book would be scary or creepier but it wasn’t. Still really liked the story though and can’t wait to read more books from this author.
Steve Frech is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He can write a ghost story that draws you in and makes you feel things for the characters. I adored Dark Hollows last year, which was one of my favorite books of the whole year. I loved the back story of the characters in this book. He touched on topics of grief/loss and single parenting in a touching way. He creates such a spooky atmosphere with this old house, a found diary from 1900, and things that go bump in the night. His third book is in the works now and I can’t wait to read it!!
Nightingale House is a seriously creepy read! I started this one as my workout book, because I knew it would get my blood pumping, but let's be real... I don't work out enough to finish a book so I sat down with it today and refused to walk away until it was finished.
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I can definitely see the potential for nightmares with this one. I love that it wasn't at all gory, just really spooky! Books/movies involving children always get right under my skin, and the creepy little girls in this one are etched into my brain.
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I'm not sure how I feel about the journal entries that were included throughout the text. They give the reader great insight and help build suspense, but they feel sporadically placed and somewhat awkward, especially at the beginning.
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Overall, this is a great spooky read, perfect to fulfill your horror needs right before Halloween 🎃
If you are in the mood for a thrilling horror book, then this could possible be the book for you. This book did have some really good suspenseful and creepy moments that were made even creepier for me as I read the majority of it in the dark, but those moments were sadly short lived. It does some really good build up, but then it pretty much goes nowhere, letting down this book for me.
The overall disappointment for this book for me has got the be the layout and writing style of the book. How the book jumps from present time to the past, from the two different perspectives. Neither of which was a bad story or badly written, but you go from the present horror, thrilling and suspenseful portion, to the past, which is more of a starts as a romance, to a thriller and it takes you away from the horror mood you are in while reading the present chapters. Sometimes it’s nice to get that background information and to get that break from what’s happening, but I went into it just wanting horror! The creepy haunted house was all I wanted! I have simple needs and wants…
I really enjoyed the writing and I know that Steve Frech has written more books, which I am still eager to pick up and see if I am going to enjoy, or if his writing or stories are something that are not going to be for me. Once I started this book I did finish it almost the same day, that is how much I enjoyed the writing and how much I wanted to see how it was going to end, regardless if it wasn’t fully for me. It’s not a bad book, it just wasn’t fully for me and I just found that there was something lacking with it that just stopped me from fully enjoying it. There was lack of character development with other characters within this book and the overall story just could have done with some more depth and with being a little longer to have creating more and therefore to have improved this. Creating more story, more character development and made me care more about what happened in general.
Thank you Netgalley for and advance copy of this book..... it scared the hell out of me. Terrifying in all the right places...
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Nightingale house is a chilling horror stroke thriller which kept me up late at night!
Daniel and Caitlyn move in to The Nightingale House after a tragedy occurs and start a new life there but the house holds a dark past thats about to step into their new beginning.
Caitlyn suddenly has an imaginary friend and Daniel is having nighmares and vivid images when awake but thats just the beginning...
I loved how the journal was incorporated into the story and found the book ended well too.
Nightingale House by Steve Frech is a horror mystery novel featuring, wait-for-it, a haunted house. A novelist widower and his daughter come to live in a century-old house after the death of his wife. As they are trying to make a fresh start, the history of the house comes back to haunt them.
The plot is spread across two timelines - the present and the past. It follows the run-of-the-mill haunted house stories, but the execution is perfect. The plot turns creepy and scary at just the right places.
Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.
Verdict: Recommended.
Nightingale House is an unsettling, atmospheric, haunted house story, that will make you feel like someone is watching you, and make you think twice when you hear your house "settle". The story follows Daniel and his daughter on their journey to their new home, after the tragic loss of wife and mother, Nicole, and takes us back into the past through journal entries to unwind the mystery around Nightingale House. There are some truly chilling moments spread throughout the book, and at times you start to wonder how much of what Daniel is experiencing is actually happening. Could he just be driven mad by grief, or is there something more at play here? It's a fast-paced thriller, with some excellent horror elements. I received an e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review.
This book is your typical haunted house fare. There's really not much difference to any other story and it doesn't do anything new to the trope. It was also really predictable.
# Nighingale House # Netgalley
Daniel thought the house was ideal for himself and daughter Caitlin to start a fresh. Little did he know it would become the house of nightmares such a beautiful house it looked just perfect for what he and Caitlin needed. After having moved in. It wasn’t too long before Daniel heard strange noises that he just couldn’t put down to the house settling down on a night. With. Older houses. Eventually you get used to the house the wood and everything settling down as wood contracts and expands during different weather conditions heat and cold can effect how the house move and make noises. No this wasn’t the houses natural movement this was something more far more than he ever dreamed he decided to look into the history of the house. What he reads he realises what the noises could be and he felt a little fear. However Daniel starts on his way home telling himself it was just a unfortunate situation that can not effect him or Caitlin. It’s just not possible plus he’s a logical thinker. So in effect he dismisses what he’s just read and puts it down to grieve.. it’s quite a fast read novel with brilliantly told storyline that just literally gives you the creeps. It’s got a few twists and turns enough that’s needed to not just keep you hooked but enough to make you doubt what’s really going on. I personally can not say it’s actually frightening. I suppose it’s because it does take a lot to actually frighten me but I will definitely say it’s spooky rather much so I did feel myself shiver from time to time. Which for me showed the powerful way the writer can express in his actual writing. Now that in itself deserves a five star rating. alone to be honest. It’s not very often I come across many writers who have so much expression in there words to actually make me shiver. Or actually feel that strong kind of emotion. Overall it a damed good book good storyline if you like this sort of book. I think I went through my horror and hunting period some 35 years ago. As a reader I personally go through cycles. If different genders once I have spent a good few years on one genres I hit a point that no enough now it’s no longer catching me so I go onto another genre. Now please understand this is just me I loved the storyline. I absolutely loved the deep expressions in his writing it was a brilliant book it just wasn’t frightening to Me and Me only we are all different. So I do recommend you read this book it would be ashame not to and most of all you would be missing out. I do really mean that
I am sucker for a good haunted house book and this one did not disappoint! The story centers on Daniel and his 8-yr-old daughter Caitlyn, who move into historic Nightingale house after Daniel's wife Nicole passes away- the 3 of them decided to build the house together and both are having trouble coming to terms with Nicole's sudden death. Almost as soon as they get there, weird things start to happen- Daniel hears sounds he can't explain, has crazy visions and dreams, and hears Caitlyn talking to people that he cannot see. There are some alternating chapters from a journal written by Rebecca 100+ years ago, which ties the story together and explains what is going on with the house.
This book was creepy the entire way through- I literally read it in one sitting. The characters are well developed, and even the bit characters are likable and believable. The author did a great job of tying together all the loose ends so everything made sense. I did think that Daniel was a little slow on the uptake when all was revealed, but then again it's probably hard to get your arms around the idea that ghosts are trying to harm you.
If you like to read about haunted houses, you will not be disappointed- this book is creepy the whole way through and downright scary at parts. I'm a fan of Frech in general and think this one hit the mark!
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Daniel and his daughter move into a new house in hopes that it will be a new start for them after a tragic accident. But something seems off about this house and the more Daniel begins to uncover about its past, the more his nightmares seem to become real life.
I haven't read a lot of horror books and so I was really excited to jump into this one. I felt that the story line and the jump between time periods moved the story along quickly. I really enjoyed the premise of this book and loved the slow build though it really wasn’t that scary. I’m not sure if I had wrong expectations but it missed the mark for me in the end. However, It got me intrigued enough that I would definitely pick up another book by Steve French to give him another try!
Thank you to @netgalley and HQ Digital for this free E-Arc for my honest review
This was a very well written story, with phenomenal character development! I absolutely love ghost stories, so when I saw it, I had to have an advanced copy! I couldn’t give the full 5 stars, because it just wasn’t scary to me and the atmosphere was a bit of a mess; but it kept the higher rating because of the amazing character development and chills it did provide! Looking for a haunted house, grieving widow facing it type story? Then this is your book! I don’t think many will struggle finishing this one, so definitely give it a try! I’m hard to scare, so others may find it to be really scary!
I will make sure to buzz on platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!
The beautiful house on the cover drew me in and I was not disappointed. It's the usual tale of a haunted house and has a lot of tense suspenseful moments, but nothing too gory or over the top. The only reason I can't go with a full-on 5 stars, is that the story, which was told in a time past (1900's) and the present, but the "why" of it all was glossed over, as was the ending. There were a couple of things that weren't addressed or answered that would have fleshed things out a bit better, I think. Maybe that's another book?