Haunted

I have some complaints, but mostly I found this work to a very entertaining spin on the Haunted House story. The author takes plenty of time to develop the characters and although that can sometimes be tiresome or repetitious, it is worth it when the fun really begins in the end. I will be looking for more to read from this author.Summary: A successful horror writer buys the "haunted house" of his dreams and moves there with his strong willed daughter. They set about exploring the house, interacting with the quirky residents of the town and reacting to several mysterious happenings. Fortunately they meet a psychic who is able to help them understand what is going on and why. Much of the book is split between the ghostly manifestations and the romantic feelings and life of the horror writer. Sometimes the two are intertwined. When they start finding the spooky 'voodoo' dolls which resemble people who have died (horribly) in the house, the fun starts to begin. The author does not pull punches when it comes to either grisly outcomes or sexual encounters (and again, the two are often mixed), so this work is very adult without being gratuitous (or at least not too gratuitous). Many of the twists are both thrilling and entertaining.What I didn't like is the protagonist/writer. You really have to just grin and bear him sometimes and the same applies a little for the daughter. It is irritating how they both make fun of people who believe in crystals and channeling and other paranormal subjects while it is clear that they are of the same mindset. Its like meeting a guy who believes in Vampires but is insistent that people who believe in Werewolves are idiots. What is worse is that the hero constantly makes silly decisions which forward the plot but place both him and his daughter in obvious peril. It would be easier to believe the writer character if he were a college frat brother rather than a loving father.

Thorne serves up a “full meal of a plot” with several interesting angles, many well-rounded characters, numerous situations of captivating drama, and a compelling and chilling backstory. If I had to choose one word to summarize the story, that world would be “fulfilling.” Thorne’s accounts of cold spots are gripping, literally so; when her characters encounter them, they feel their chilling presences closing in on their bodies. First, there’s the drop in temperature, then there’s the gripping sensation, next comes paralysis and finally their bodies are vulnerable to possession! For a more in depth review visit my blog. The link is at my profile

"Haunted" by Tamara Thorne is, as one might guess, a story about a haunted house. I finished it today and I can easily say that this is one of all-time favorite books, and certainly the best haunted house story I have ever read. It's about a horror writer who purposely buys a storied haunted house, and moves in. A typical set up, but of course most haunted house stories require such a set up to work. It is set in a small town and most of the residents know the history of Lizzie and her evil daughter Christabel who lived there many years ago through tragedy and malevolence and supposedly do the haunting. The novel interjects a good bit of bawdy humor (pun intended) and had me chuckling in some scenes, tense in others, and without a doubt turning page after page (or I should say, clicking the "next page" button on my kindle). The characters were well developed and entertaining, and I could envision them interacting easily. Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to characters, or to dislike the bad ones, but that didn't happen here. I fell in with them right away. It's hard for me to find novels like this, and at some point I was even feeling nostalgic for horror of the past, like the old black and white movies. It had that feel at several points, with the big house and the hidden dungeon and panels. It really has a bit of everything. It's at once scary, funny, sarcastic, delightfully uncouth, fun, creepy, and even sweet in a few scenes. I can't recommend this one highly enough! Superb!

Tamara took a tired genre and made it her own with an original and compelling story. I enjoyed the main characters and the setting where the story unfolded. The old house is just great and I would recommend Googling the architectural style once you get into the book. Like any good book I was sad when I finished it.In several places of the book there were odd spacIng, periods, commas excetera. Not a big deal to me but I think she should have these errors corrected eventually. I would definitely recommend this book and have already.

I enjoy reading any good story and a scary one even better but have found that King, Koonz, etc. don't appeal to me. Strictly personal choice and no reflection on those great authors. So I was a little leary when I began this book but decided to give it a try due to several recommendations. I was hooked from the start and kept turning pages to find out what was going to happen next. The author (Tamara Thorne) writes with dry wit that I found highly amusing and she kept the spooky factor to a close to believeable level. I do not believe in ghosts but this story made me pause for thought. The whole voodoo plot with the mother/daughter struggle was spine chilling. Not one slow spot in the book. "Haunted" is a well written story with a creepy plot that never stumbles, contains dialogue that easily flows from scene to scene and has memorable characters. As soon as I finished this story, I ran out and bought another book by this author. Definitely a keeper!