First things first: Steve Frech is a writer to watch. I've previously read his Dark Hollows and it was one of my favorite books of the past year. In this novel, he is just as good at coming up with a compelling (and genuinely creepy!) storyline. This is a no-holds barred ghost story. It follows a man who has just hit it big with his first bestseller and, at the pinnacle of his success, endures an unbearable loss--his wife is killed in a drunk driving accident. Plagued with grief and survivor's guilt, he and his little girl move into the dream house he and his wife had just bought prior to the accident.

I enjoyed this a lot and it kept me turning the pages. If I had one criticism it is that it simultaneously wasn't as tightly executed as his last novel (especially with some of the dialogue) while also feeling a bit rushed. This novel could have been teased out a bit, letting the tension build and build as the hauntings become more malignant. As it is, the hits come quick and furiously--not necessarily a bad thing, but I think this wonderfully conceived novel would have been more impactful with some release from the tension from time to time, which would allow some of the truly frightening sequences to pack more punch. I also think the way Frech oscillates between the literal hauntings and those in his protagonist's haunted mind deserves more time--it was a finely drawn narrative with well-developed characters; I'd have liked to spend more time in this story.

But overall, I highly recommend Frech. He has an older book I'd love to get my hands on, but until then I'll anxiously look forward to his next endeavor! Read this author--like the protagonist in The Nightingale House , he deserves to be on the bestseller list!

This isn't Stephen King horror, it's a lighter read. It deals with a grieving father and his daughter who move into an old house. He's a writer and his daughter is known to have an overactive imagination. Within days of moving in his daughter has an imaginary friend, or so he thinks. He finds himself unable to sleep and has writer's block, as things get worse he stumbles upon a long forgotten secret.

There is a dual narrative to this novel, the past is told through a journal but the characters in the present are unaware of this journal, only the reader knows. It's an easy read that keeps you engaged.

I love a good haunted house story. This does include a haunted house but it is about much more than that. It is about grief and loss. Recently widowed author Daniel and his daughter Caitlyn move to a new home. Amongst other things he is haunted by the loss of his wife. There is a mystery from the past tied in with journal entries from more than 100 years ago. It does has some creepy elements but I certainly wouldn’t categorize it as horror.
Thank you to NetGalley, Steve Frech, and HQ Digital for the arc.

Nightingale House by Steve Frech is a light horror story about a recently widowed writer, Daniel Price, and his young daughter, Caitlyn, who move to a beautiful historic house by a lake in the hope of starting a new life. Soon after their arrival, strange and terrifying things start happening to Daniel. It's obvious to him that something sinister is going on at Nightingale House, but what?
This was a thoroughly creepy and addictive read. It is told from the perspectives of Daniel and a young woman named Rebecca, with Daniel's story being in the present and Rebecca's story set in 1900. The writing flowed effortlessly, and I thought the author did a fantastic job of creating a foreboding atmosphere and keeping the reader on their toes. I loved the characters of Daniel and Caitlyn and their father/daughter relationship was very heartwarming. This story left me feeling unsettled at times, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it was scary. More than anything, it's a story about coping with grief and trying to heal after a loved one's death. Overall, I thought Nightingale House was a classic ghost story, and I highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading more by Steve Frech.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was amazing!! From start to finish I loved it.

Steve French has done it again! This book is amazing. I loved Steve's first book "Dark Hollows" so much and didn't know if Nightingale House could live up to my expectations and it did so and more. I think I loved Nightingale House a little bit more than Dark Hollows, only because I love a good ghost story. This book tells the story of a newly widowed author Daniel Price and his daughter Caitlyn moving to a new home, that was his wife's dream house. Little do they know the horror that is waiting for them behind those doors. I loved how he handled grief almost like a haunting, because it can really feel like that in real life. In the book you are also reading a journal from the early 1900's by a young girl, Rebecca that tells the story of what happened in the Nightingale House that created the negative energy. I appreciated how this was a "scary" story but not frightening, there were moments when my heart was racing waiting to see what would happen next but nothing that left me too scared to keep reading or lose sleep. Great job, Steve!

This book was alright. I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as horror, though. I expected it to be scarier and for there to be more ghosts, based on the summary. However, the book is more of an exploration of grief that just happens to take place in a haunted house. I enjoyed reading this novel, but it wasn't 100% what I was expecting.

Nightingale House is supposed to be a place where Daniel and his daughter Caitlin can start over. The death of his wife has left Daniel gutted, but after months of wallowing, he hopes that a change of scenery will be good for both him and his daughter. As in any good ghost story, Nightingale House is filled with creaks, groans and other things that go bump in the night. And there is also a spectacularly creepy back story that will convince the new home owners that the house and all who live in it are cursed. Creepy stuff

This is a ghostly tale about a recently widowed writer and his young daughter who move to a house by a lake in the hope of starting a new life.  Nightingale House, on the banks of Willow Lake in Maine is a lovely old property, but it has a sinister past, as Daniel and Caitlyn soon begin to realise.  Caitlyn has an extremely vivid imagination, as many 8 year olds do.  She likes to make up stories about people and when she doesn't get off to the best of starts at her new school she pins the blame for her bad behaviour on her new 'imaginary friend'.  Meanwhile, however hard he tries Daniel is unable to spend the night in his bedroom due to disturbing visions and ghostly apparitions.  The best he can manage is a couple of restless hours of sleep downstairs on the couch in the livingroom, often with the help of a slug or three of whiskey.  Their new life is not turning out as well as Daniel has hoped, but he puts the issues with the house and Caitlyn's behaviour down to their grief at the recent loss of his wife.  
In a second timeline the book intersperses journal entries from 1900.  The journal writer was the teenage daughter of the town Pharmacist who was given the journal as a birthday gift by the then owners of Nightingale House, the Carringtons.  The girl became obsessed with Thomas Carrington, a seemingly charming man, if you ignore the rumours about him.  Through these journal entries unfolds a disturbing train of events that happened more than a century ago, but which go a long way to explaining the why Daniel and Caitlyn cannot move on happily in their new home.

Several elements of this story actually reminded me of Stephen King's Bag of Bones.  That book is also set in Maine, but I won't list the other similarities as I wouldn't want to spoil this book for any potential readers of this or the Stephen King book for that matter. 
I usually like more scares and suspense from this kind of book but I still enjoyed Nightingale House and readers who like their horror or ghost stories to be on the lighter, less visceral side will probably rather enjoy it too.

Review to come to blog/goodreads June 5th.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was definitely interested when I saw this book on Netgalley, a haunted house? OH sign me up. I am always on the look out for new and spooky haunted house books to read. And this one, oh man was just so spooky that at times (it was night) I wanted to just turn on all the lights (but with a hubby next to me, asleep, one cannot do that).

Yes, I read this book when I couldn't sleep. Maybe not the best time to read a very scary book, but it was definitely worth it in the end because this book was GOOD. It is about a family, a father and his daughter, who are about to live in a brand-new home, which they picked out with their wife/mom.. who died very soon after they bought the house. The father especially has a hard time with being in the home. It was a needed move, but I could very much imagine that living in the home your spouse was so enthusiastic about isn't going to be easy. And it gets tougher when your wife is there as a ghost and you see her. Sometimes when she is still beautiful and whole... other times when she is broken and bloody. And then I didn't even name all the other things that haunt this house and make it a house were one just cannot take a break. There is always something happening. A drip here, a voice there, thunking in the library, your kid talking to something that you don't see, your kid staring at a corner of your home, seeing things in reflections, and more. I felt sorry for the guy that in the end he just slept on the couch as that was apparently a safer option over the bed upstairs.

Along with spooky going-ons we read the story about the house, or more specifically the people who lived there and the girl from the village who is very much interested in the man of the house (and he in her). I loved that the diary parts were added. It gave a bit of a reprieve from all the scary stuff. Plus, gave a fun insight in what may have happened here. I loved Rebecca, though I did think she was very naive. Plus, again, I am not a fan of people who cheat or who date men/women who are in relationship. I loved seeing how the man she loved turned out to be quite a violent, psychotic man and how we saw bits and pieces here and there of it already but nearing the end it was all there.

I did think it was a bit weird that the family who lived before our father daughter didn't seem to have any bother with it? I guess maybe because they didn't bring a ghost along with them, nor a kid who was apparently able to see dead people.

The book got more and more creepy and spooky as the story continued and in the end I was just snuggling in my way too warm bed. Especially near the end when our MC decides that enough is enough and goes full out to fix what is wrong. Oh man, that part where the bad ghost is standing in front of him.. with dead eyes. NOPE.

I can imagine that in the end they picked to do that. It is a big change again, but definitely needed for both of them.

All in all, a book that will keep you up, a book that won't let you go, and hey what is that behind you? Recommended to all.

Recently widowed author moves into new home with a murky past with his young daughter.
Fairly average story that throws in the occasional shock to keep you interested.
It's a story that's been done before,and this time it's been done pleasingly enough.

I was given the opportunity to read and review The Nightingale House in exchange for an honest review. This book is bone-chillingly good (think The Whisper Man mixed with a sweet father/daughter relationship). The story begins when thriller writer Daniel Price reaches the peak of success with his first novel. His wife Nicole and daughter Caitlin decide it’s time to invest in a new home and find the charming and historical Nightingale House. After a quick spin through the house, they know THIS is their house. The excitement is short lived when all three are struck by a drunk driver on the way home and Nicole is killed. Fast-forward to months later and Daniel and Caitlin begin life without Nicole and make the move to Nightingale House. It isn’t long before Daniel begins having hallucinations in the house and Caitlin develops a relationship with an imaginary friend. Daniel begins to think there’s more to this house than meets the eye and a trip to the historical society in town yields even more clues. Woven into this story are excerpts from a 1900’s era journal written by Rebecca, the local pharmacist’s daughter. Rebecca has been making regular visits to Nightingale House and has her own story to tell. This book was enthralling and just what I needed for a Saturday afternoon. The relationship between the father and daughter is absolutely charming and I also loved the historical elements. I’m not typically a fan of supernatural stories, but this was really well done in a fashion similar to The Broken Girls, Sundown Motel. This book will be released on June 19th. Grab your copy!!

I don’t read many novels with haunted houses, so often are they cliched. Not this one!! This is a really creepy read that I could easily see as a film or TV Series. I couldn't read it at night, such is the quality of the writing.

First of all, thank you, @netgalley , for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed “Dark Hollows” by Steve Frech, so I was thrilled to get to read this one. “Nightingale House“ is a perfect ghost story. It’s about a father, Daniel, and his daughter, Caitlyn, who move into a beautiful, old house after a tragic accident takes place in their lives. Strange, unsettling things start happening when they arrive at their new home. Daniel won’t stop until he figures out exactly what is going on. This was a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. It wasn’t unbearably creepy; however, it did give me the chills here and there. (I was thankful I wasn’t the one in that house!). More than anything, I believe this story is about dealing with grief, finding closure, and trying to move on as best as you can. If you’re looking for a quick read that will keep you tearing through the pages, this is it! ⁣
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"Nightingale House was not born with secrets, but they were made here. They were sealed into the walls and buried beneath the floor boards."

Daniel Price has just lost his wife in car accident. Forced to move on with his life and raise his eight-year-old daughter Caitlyn as a single parent, they move into Nightingale House. Daniel and his wife picked out Nightingale House together and were exciting to start their new lives there.
It doesn't feel right for him to be living in that grand house without her, and it's haunting Daniel.
But is that all that's haunting him? Pretty soon after moving in, Caitlyn develops an imaginary friend and strange things start happening to Daniel. Nightmares of his wife's death engulf him, he sees shadows in the dark and hears whispers and dripping noises. Sleep deprivation and grief are weighing heavy on Daniel's shoulders, and those things can play tricks on the mind. But is that what's happening? Or is there something really haunting the halls Nightingale House?

This story is told through a dual timeline. The present timeline focuses on Daniel and his daughter while the past timeline takes place in 1900 and is told through diary entries.
The present day timeline was well done. I loved the father/daughter relationship and the grief Daniel felt was palpable. However the 1900 story line, while it did give insight into the house's past, was lacking depth.

I found this to be a story more about grief and coming to terms with it rather than a haunting house story. This was definitely light horror fare. Nothing that scary or nefarious happens.
If you like supernatural tales without all the dark storytelling, over the top scares and gore, this is a perfect book for you. It's a light horror novel with nice character development.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly one of the creepiest books I've ever read. I was genuinely terrified. Brilliant. Well written and creepy setting x

Wow, this was a really good read - I couldn't put it down! I liked the creepiness of the house & the slow build, and I thought the ending was well done. Can't wait to read more by this author.

#NightingaleHouse #NetGalley
An ice pick of a novel. A chilling read of 2020. Highly recommended.
Daniel Price, a not so successful author with his daughter Caitlyn comes to The Nightingale House which is a historical place. He's a widower. His wife, Nicole is dead a few months ago. He's is writing his next novel but can't be able to write it because of some kind of voice, whispers. Someone is saying that " I can't sleep".
His daughter Caitlyn tells him that there's someone there in The Nightingale House who is her friend. Daniel ignores her by thinking that his daughter is telling a fictional story. But soon he has to believe her because of some things that happens with him too. He sees a strange figure when he closes TV, he sees his wife Nicole.
Something is wrong with The Nightingale House but what? Who's that figure? Give this novel a read to find out.
I loved the main characters of Daniel and Caitlyn, other supporting characters like Denise, Caitlyn's principal, her teacher were good too.
Narration of the story is brilliant. I finished it quickly.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for giving me an advance copy of this awesome psychological thriller horror book.

Omg what a book. A really good thriller scary in places but a really good page turner. Keeps you on your toes. Just another chapter is all i kept saying then all of a sudden the book was finished. Cant wait to read more by this author