Whew, let me say that I have actually read this book twice and both times it held my interest from the first to the last page. Our protagonist had a rough start. She, after getting clean, decided to open a bed and breakfast in a house that was abandoned that like her, had a checkered past. Scarlet soon learns that something is not guide right. She begins to hear voices, see strangers appear and writings on the wall that she does not understand. Shenandoah Valley is just the place for her to be because of her memories. She did get better there with rehab and so why not “rehab” the abandoned house. As the reader I was so enthralled in the story that it felt as though I was part of it. ISO you wanted Scarlet to find a way to stop the nightmares and get rid of whatever she was battling. It soon became clear that she had a fight on her hands. The author is an excellent story teller with an uncanny way of bringing the characters together in a way that is dynamic and profound. If you enjoy scary stories that seem as though they are happening right before your very eyes, don’t wait…….. get this book. You WILL love it.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Although I had some issues with this book, overall it was a decent read. There was a good amount of suspense to keep me reading to see how everything would pan out. My main issue was with people's behaviour towards Scarletts drinking, nobody actively called her out or tried to stop her, the most we got was a disapproving look from the people around her but her closest friends seemed to even encourage it.

THE MEADOWS is one SCARY novel! The author finely tunes the tension, drawing the reader along to follow the feckless, definitely self-destructive, heroine, an acclaimed songwriter, as she battles her addictions, not very successfully. But the real question becomes: Is she hallucinating from alcohol and controlled substances, or are these apparitions, manifestations, sounds, voices, actually REAL? Is this property, the size of an estate, actually HAUNTED? Or has falling off the wagon after five months simply created sights, sounds, touch, in her mind? Either way, our protagonist is in deep trouble. DEEP trouble. She's sunk about $5 million into buying a property in the scenic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she studied for her undergraduate degree at Shenandoah University. She intends to renovate, then open the house as a bed-and-breakfast, and attract "leaf peepers," newlyweds, couples celebrating anniversaries, plus businesspersons and corporate "retreats." An admirable goal, one which will not be accomplished unless the house is cleared of its "other" inhabitants; and unless Scarlett can find a way to stop the rising death toll. The house is already notorious for mass murders occurring in 1986, including paranormal elements, and had been abandoned for over 30 years. Scarlett is trapped between a rock and a hard place, and possibly there may be no earthly solution.

Firstly, many thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having just finished another horror story, I was looking forward to feasting my eyes on this. As I read the synopsis I thought the book was right up my street. A haunted house. The main character fighting her demons. Yes, it definitely sounded like my kind of story.

Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. It felt overcrowded with scenarios and characters, most of whom I took an instant dislike to but the main character was my biggest bugbear. She annoyed me to the point where I had to turn my Kindle off and try again after I’d calmed down. If I hadn’t been gifted this by NetGalley and BooksGoSocial I wouldn’t have finished it. Sorry, not for me.

I waited longer than I should've to start this book, and I regret that. Once I started, I couldn't put it down and that was admittedly unexpected for me once I realized the subject matter. The mention of a cult in the bio is entirely what drew me in, but the horror and supernatural aspects are a little out of my usual realm. In spite of that, I was hooked and kept wanting more.

Like any thriller/mystery book, I had my suspicions about characters just as I was rooting for others. While a lot of my speculations were confirmed, it didn't come across as predictable, which I liked. I really can't praise this book enough. It makes me want to give horror books more of a chance. The only negative were quite a few typos and grammatical errors but that's likely to be expected in an arc copy of a book.

Future books involving these characters are a must have, and I love the potential of it revolving around Hunter's new life as well as another spin off involving Scarlett or Vera. The options are endless but all would be great tales.

Not my usual genre but I have to say that WOW this is one hell of a read.
A very old murder, a blood thirsty cult and more ghosts and demons than you can throw a stick at. The premise of this book has been done before but this one is so much more. Plenty of blood and gore, atmospheric and chilling and kept me reading late into the night. A ghost story that will have the hairs standing up on the back of your neck and checking for strange noises. I loved it, definitely one o f the better ghost stories I have read and almost five stars.
I would like to thank the author, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for giving an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for release of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis on this book is what drew me in. It did not let me down. It was a bit dark and almost creepy at times but I enjoyed it.

If you like a book with demons, vampires, and monsters, you will like this book. I suggest giving it a shot.

This book is a bit creepy and super fun to read.  If you like things that go bump in the night, this book is for you.  I enjoyed it! I love dark and spooky with little something different on the side.  A creepy house and so much more caught my attention in this book. I could picture parts of this book and house in my mind.  What a great mansion!  *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author, London Clarke, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Meadows in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has presented a very creepy and atmospheric read that keeps the reader hooked. Well worth staying up into the early hours of the morning to finish it. I certainly cannot wait to read more from this author.

I never read scary books, and I probably shouldn't have read this one. The Meadows is straight up creepy and menacing. Scarlett made a bad decision when she bought the house. I would be more like-I'm not buying that gothic manor house out here in the black forest! But she did buy it and the story unfolds all the sinister secrets of this place. Murder and mayhem and evil spirits. I felt like something was watching me every time I read the story. I did like the plot overall. I thought Scarlett was not well developed. If you want scary, I recommend this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy, atmospheric, lots of twists and turns - what more do you want in a book. Really good storyline and strong characters which kept it all moving. fab read

London Clarke, it seems, has a penchant for gothic. This one is about a professional singer with major drink issues who decides to go into real estate instead. She buys an ancient mansion in the middle of nowhere, at a bargain rate whilat at the same time, a loyal d friend Stella joins her as they wait for the house to be renovated in its full glory.....
Of course, it follows that the house is haunted, not just from chandelier rattling ghosts, but from demons, succubi and wannabee vampires. To say nothing of the odd murderer.
If that all sounds a little OTT, I would say that that probably is, but perhaps the author can be excused for pulling out all stops available to deliver a few real scares. It may well be difficult to squeeze much drama and danger out of a mere haunting.
The main characters all seem a bit silly, apart from the heroine's long-suffering best friend, Stella. Her musician mates arrive looking for the opportunity to party wildly, even as the things going bump in the night from sinister hidden trapdoors frighten off the wiring crew. Like children left alone for the night by the grownups, they guests want thrills, so of course they 'have' to have a seance. The teetotal house owner cannot keep away from the drink. Maybe they learn that ghosts have ravaged the new owner and left three scratches on their person, the demon's card according the lore of all this game paranormal, the others want one too.
This is part romance too, as the heroine finds herself attracted to more than one man, one of whom will prove to be the strong and true. It seems that those living in the provinces share many stories and talents they do not initially let on to and surprises await the reader in what does prove to be a fairly decent denouement, as the biggest villain's face is unmasked. It is all happily ever after too, with some lessons learned.
This novel should please those who runs like gothic entertainment with a the trimmings, though once again, I do feel that the tale could have done with a little less, in terms of woo-woo scares. Still, London Clarke does know how to ratchet up the suspense enough to keep the pages turning.

Horrifying read! I love horror reads and this one did not disappoint. It scared me so much that I refused to read it after dark. Definitely a four 🌟 read. I will look for other books by this author.

Wow, this is a gripping story. It is about the dark history of a mansion that is brought to life by Scarlett. Creepy enough for me.
Thank you Netgalley for this nice book.

I never thought I'd like this book, actually. It took me a while to finish it up but it's not like it was dragging me to read it. At first, I didn't like the wordings used for thirteen year olds:

<i><blockquote>"But Jason's little sister Laura was thirteen ... and th hottest thing Hunter had ever seen."</blockquote></i>

I think it would have been appropriate to use <b><i>"the cutest"</i></b>

It gave me the chill as I read this in my dark room.

<i><blockquote>"But there was something in the background - something materializing behind me as I crooned away. It began as a darkening of the screen - as though the lights faded out and the shadow swelled to fill the space."</blockquote></i>

Seriously. even as I type this review, I have to blast my sounds just in case I "hear" something I'm not supposed to>

<i><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/KupdfnqWwV7J6/giphy.gif" alt="description"/></i>

I like the story and the plot, my interest was peaked when Hunter came into the picture, relieving what happened to him and his friends a decade ago. I was both happy and a little disappointed that Hunter and Scarlet's relationship didn't materialize (I ship them!) but I guess I was happy to learn that Laura and Hunter got married and that he is caring for her after what had happened to her because of what happened to her brother. It was traggic and traumatic. But the story of how <spoiler>Hunter became a priest, maybe to find peace at what happened to them when they were young, found Laura again, helped her and then fall in love with her over again, and then quitting being a priest and pursue Laura. And even though Laura has never recovered from what happened to her brother, he was there to help her and continue to love her.</spoiler>

I thought that Scarlet would just leave the house and that will be the end of the story. Or that after Hunter and his friends shoed away the spirit that would be it. I liked how the author extended the story by <spoiler>making an incubus and succubi still staying in the house, and that the people involved were caught. And also, I liked how the house was a murder center of the area, it adds up that thrill in the story.</spoiler>

So far, I liked the story. It's a good read.

<i><img src="https://equity.guru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Closing-book.gif" alt="description"/></i>

Meet Scarlett. She’s a songwriter and she’s made quite a name for herself in the country music industry. She’s been in rehab but now she’s back on the wagon and determined to turn the page. She moves from country music capital Nashville, Tennessee, to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where she’s bought a mansion and surrounding grounds: The Meadows. Her plan is to restore the mansion to its former glory and turn it into a B&B, but what she doesn’t realise is that The Meadows has a rich history of violent events and ensuing deaths. I don’t have to tell you that the setting is particularly gothic; one look at the deliciously spooky cover should tell you all you need to know: an old gigantic mansion in the woods, now what could be more gothic than that?! Add a few shadows lurking in the dark, mysterious foul-smelling tunnels and a vicious vampire cult, and you’ve got yourself a perfectly creepy read.
I have absolutely nothing in common with Scarlett but I liked her anyway. She hit rock bottom and fought her way back up, only to be knocked down again by the events at “The Meadows”. Even when people are starting to get hurt, she stubbornly refuses to leave and she fights back as well as she can (Hmm, stubborn, eh? Well, maybe we do have something in common 😉).
This story has it all: secrets and mystery, a little bit of romance, ghosts and ghost busters, demons and a demonologist, blood-thirsty nutters. At times it scared the living daylights out of me.
So if you’re in the market for a good ghost story with all the trimmings, I can certainly recommend this one!

Thanks to London Clarke and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Before I begin, can I just say that I'm a newcomer to NetGalley but I am slowly becoming their biggest fan.  It is a great platform where avid readers can get free copies of ARC's and review them.  I've been a book worm my whole life and just recently heard of this awesome site.  So kudos to you NetGalley, keep being awesome.

Moving on...

I have been on a serious hunt to find a book that took scaring me to a whole new level.  I have come close in the past with "BirdBox" by Josh Malerman, "Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill and then recently "Penpal" by Dathan Auerbach.  These three books caused my anxiety level to rise a little because each one had that element of "the fear of the unknown," but I still did not get that feeling I get when watching a horror movie, where I need to cover my eyes until the cost is clear.  "I Will Be Gone in the Dark," by Michelle McNamara scared me to where I did not want to be alone in my house for a little while, but I'm not counting it in this post, because that book is true crime- hence it REALLY HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE.  Totally different situation.

Cue NetGalley.  I had just finished "Anonymous Girl" by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, which I had gotten an advanced copy both through NetGalley and St. Martins Press, and I was back to searching for a horrifying story to read.  Again, I know book lovers will say "never judge a book by it's cover," and though I am a huge culprit of doing just that, sometimes it works out in my favor.  I stumbled upon "The Meadows," by London Clarke, and the cover alone drew me to it.  It is a haunting picture of a girl with her back to the camera, staring at a large, eerie house, enveloped in woods and fog.  Then came the synopsis:

"A decades-old murder.  A strange, blood-thirsty cult.  And a house full of spirits..."

Oh, okay NetGalley, you got my undivided attention.

You continue to read on and find that the book is about a recovering drug addict, song-writer from Nashville, who moves to Virginia for a new start after a stint in rehab, and decides to try and run a B&B.  The story you get though is so much more then that.

Scarlett DeHaven is a 30- something recovering drug and alcohol addict who has made a name for herself in Nashville as a song writer and overall hot mess.  After almost drowning in a pool at a party, Scarlett completes a 5-month stint in rehab and comes out knowing she needs a do-over. She gets an email one day from a realtor she had contacted while high, with a listing for a beautiful gothic mansion in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.  Scarlett relocates to Virginia and begins to work on restoring this beautiful home to turn into a bed and breakfast.

From here things start to take a turn for the creepy and eventually the worst.  First Scarlett sees shadows throughout the home, or hears a noise here or there.  Mainly normal things that come with purchasing a home over 100 years old.  Scarlett's best friend from Nashville arrives at one point and you find Scarlett starting to fall off the wagon.  The story then questions whether the MC is actually seeing things or if she is hallucinating due to her addiction.  The author gets the reader to really question whether we can believe what Scarlett is saying and seeing is real or if it's all in her mind.

I read some reviews where the readers did not like Scarlett, but I kind of loved her.  You have a main character who is struggling with demons of her own, attempting to start a new life, and finds herself battling real demons as well (along with spirits and vampire cults).  She has awful characteristics: selfish, does not care about anyone but herself, continuously places herself in high risk situations.  But with those flaws, you find a woman who is trying to be this strong person and right the wrongs of her past, and I really bought into it.

This book scared the ever living hell out of me.  I read it in two days and found myself staying up until 2 am reading, for the first time in I don't know when.  What I loved was how I was utterly afraid to continue to read, but had to continue to read because I needed to know what happened next.  The words, from the page to my brain, played out like a supernatural horror movie and I could not get enough of it.  I constantly found myself saying "Get out of there!" or "No! Don't go in that room." and just praying that these characters don't die. All the while hoping I could fall asleep that night and not have nightmares.

I also had this undeniable fear that this really good book was going to take a turn for the worst and have an awful ending.  And although it was not the strongest of endings, I was thoroughly satisfied with it.

For this being London Clarke's second novel, I really hope she continues writing books like this.  I loved this emotional rollercoaster she took me on and it was exactly what I had been looking for.

-Britain
@callemarie- Litsy
@bookreader_craftbeerlover - Instagram

I thought this was quite spooky and I was impressed by the depth of the main character. Very well done and unique. I recommend this to any fan of horror.

This one initially attracted me with a mention of a cult in description. But then there were all these detractors…unknown author, unknown publisher, horrid choice of a name for the main character, (actually, having read this, all around questionable name choices), but ok, gave it a try. And it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I mean, yes, there are vampires, of course there are vampires, just look at the author’s photo, pure goth there, but the book itself was a lot of fun to read. The protagonist is the abysmally named Scarlett DeHaven (like something straight out of a bodice ripper, isn’t it), but then again at least it isn’t Angel. And, of course, she is no angel, she’s an addict and an alcoholic, straight out of rehab, who decided it’s time for a fresh start and sinks millions (lucrative career as a modern country song writer…yikes and generous daddy) into an abandoned derelict mansion (yes, a gothic mansion, naturally) with the idea of turning it into a B’n’B. The minute she gets there she energetically jumps off the wagon, but nevertheless proceeds with the renovations. But things get in a way. Because the mansion appears to be haunted, possessed and used for cult rituals. Yes, a triple whammy. Because apparently this is the sort of thing one might expect when buying a property on a whim without doing any due diligence. Initially Scarlett insists she doesn’t care about the place’s dark past, but very soon it gets to be too much and no amount of alcohol is enough and then it’s time to call the exorcist. So, ok, when I describe it that way, it kinda sounds silly, but it’s actually surprisingly well written, atmospheric and dynamic with the right degree of realism to the dramatic writing and, contrary to expectations, a surprising lack of vapidity when it came to the female characters. A great October read read a month too late. The author might have introduced entirely too many elements into the haunting of the Meadows Mansion, but she juggled it all nicely and wrapped things up nicely also. Although inexplicably there appears to be a sequel in the works, since this is subtitled as book one. So yeah, well done, London Clarke, for just about completely subverting expectations, pleasantly surprising and generally entertaining way more than anyone has any right to expect from a random book about vampires. Thanks Netgalley.