I received this from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was something I just knew I had to read when I came across it. This book had has the chills I thought It would. An abandoned room. No key! Come on... This speaks of chills. It was a page turner for me. I would say, don't let them younger ones read it, if you think your child suffers from nightmares. This might get the imagination going. But I do however, think it is a good book to read.

Look no further for your next ghost story! The Nursery is the third book in the haunted bayou series, which includes Callie and Forgotten Men.

First, you have a single father with adorable twin daughters. The family moves to The Arbors, a beautifully restored mansion, once owned by an eccentric lady with terrible luck in husbands. There, the fun begins!

Who's killing people; not to mention causing accidents and other strange events? Is it the escaped sociopath, or could a ghost possibly do such things?

This ghost story will keep you turning pages long after dark. I highly recommend this title for lovers of cozy mysteries, and anyone who enjoys tales of bayou hauntings.

In the interest of full disclosure. I received a free digital copy of this title toreview from Net Galley.

I acquired this book for free in exchange for a review via NetGalley and Ascendente Books, which is part of Smith Publicity.

The Nursery is the third instalment of Bill Thompson’s Bayou Hauntings series about two reporters, Callie Pilantro and Landry Drake, as they explore alleged haunted houses for their TV show.

The Nursery is about a house which has been empty for 50 years, until Jordan Blanchard moved in with his twin daughters. The girls are delighted to find the house equipped with a nursery full of toys and games. It was as if the house was waiting for them to arrive. However, Jordan realises there may be something else – something sinister - waiting for them in the house too.

I like the idea of a haunted nursery full of old toys and creepy dolls with unsettling, glazed stares had hoped The Nursery would be a dark and Gothic haunted house story. Unfortunately, there were limited descriptions of the house itself, as the book jumps straight into the story. I think this was a missed opportunity for some wonderfully vivid, Gothic descriptions.

The most puzzling part of The Nursery is the depiction of ghosts themselves. Jordan’s daughters encounter the ghost of a woman who desperately wanted to become a mother, but was unable to before she died. Initially, I thought this was going to be terrifying, expecting the ghost to gradually take control of the girls and claim them as her own. However, to the reader, the ghost is presented in quite a friendly way; she talks to the girls cheerfully – who fondly call her “Cherry” - and plays games with them.

It would be much scarier if the reader was never introduced to “Cherry” and merely observed the girls playing, talking, or laughing with thin air. This means the reader cannot fully sympathise with Jordan – who cannot see “Cherry” and fears he is going crazy. This makes it seem as if everyone, including the reader, are sharing a private joke at Jordan’s expense.

Having said that, the tension does increase once it becomes clear that there is not only spiritual activity in the house but human criminal activity.

Overall, The Nursery isn’t really what I expected; I had hoped it would be a scary ghost story. Unfortunately, it is more similar in genre to a supernatural or crime thriller with elements of the ghostly added in.

The Nursery was a good creepy book. This was the third in the series and even though I didn't read the others it was easy to follow along. I will be reading the other two books since I enjoyed this one.

This book may have started a bit slow, but it ended with my mind blown! It was a twist a minute, deep and dark, and had me completely enthralled. I almost gave up, but I’m so very happy that I didn’t! Stephen King always said that a book is like a pump, you have to prime it to get anything back. He is definitely right, and rarely more so than with this book. Stick with it, you won’t be disappointed!

I was immediately drawn to this book just by the front cover. It looked spooky, eerie, and right up my alley! This was book 3 of the "Bayou Haunting Series". I have never read books 1 or 2 but felt that I didn't need to in order to start this book. I was captivated immediately by the first few lines; I knew I was walking into a twisting thriller and I was not getting out. If you love a good scare, this book is perfect!

I had great expectations of this book but unfortunately it didn't live up to them. I haven't read the other books in the series so maybe that was the problem.
It was a good story but I didn't experience the suspense or eerie atmosphere I expected. I found it read like an article in a magazine. So unfortunately it wasn't for me. Other readers might enjoy the style of writing better.

When I want some escapism, I want a good ghost story, and that is just what you will find in this book. I liked it from the beginning and the story just kept getting more interesting as I got further into the book.

There were a few moments when I wondered about the sanity of the characters, especially the father who owned the main house in the book, because it felt a little like he was ignoring all of the obvious signs that something was wrong in his environment, but then, I suppose this is an accurate portrayal of Skepticism. I wouldn't have believed the kinds of things that were happening in that house if they were happening to me, either.

In any case, this book has some truly terrifying moments, but it isn't graphic or brutal, and would be good for the kind of reader that enjoys uncovering old mysteries. I saw some of the end coming, but couldn't figure out everything, so there was still some nice surprises in store for me at the end.

I read this book during a snowstorm, when it was cold outside and the wind was howling, adding to the ambiance. This is a spine-tingling tale that kept my mind working from the first page to the last. I definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a good story that will keep you thinking about it when the book is finished.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The thrills start from the very outset with this and, by including enough facts and plausible characters, Thompson keeps you wondering whether the deaths and threats are due to the supernatural or evil actions of the living. The continuous threat to the young twins contributes to the anxiety of the reader as well as those in the story.
As the book develops the reader is made increasingly aware of another dangerous character and his involvement ensures the storyline remains interesting and less predictable.
A thrilling read that could make a really good film.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ascendente Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the setting of this story and the author did a great job of making Louisiana its own character. The book started off creepy but never quite delivered on the chill factor.

Honestly, what pulled me to the book was the cover! I am a book cover whore lol. Like I love beautiful covers and some of them just scream awesome book while others are just ehh.

For me this story was okay nothing spectacular really stood out to me on this book. Though one of my friends mentioned that it was a movie but I am not sure how true that really is.

I did love the setting where the ghost house was at. I love Louisiana and the fact that there are ghost houses there just makes it more beautiful to me. When Jordan and his twin girls move into this house things start becoming terrifying. The one condition that Jordan had when he bought the house was that he could not open the one door. Yet, that doesn't stop it when it is opened things start to become creepy and his daughters will be caught in the cross hairs. Not only will he have to deal with a ghost but there seems to be something else going on that seems out of the ordinary.

I did like the mystery surrounding the house and the reason the lady ghost of the house was the way she was. Though I would have like to have more backstory into how a ghost can take two human through a mirror, I do understand that is paranormal but a reason how would be nice. I didn't really connect with any characters no matter how hard I tried. For me, I felt that something was missing but I can not put my hands on it just yet. Maybe later on it will come to me.

Didn't realise this was the third book in the series. when requesting it from Netgalley. Turns out it didn't really matter that much as the plot was easy enough to pick on.

The Nursery felt very much like a cosy supernatural mystery novel, so it maybe suitable for someone wanting to read a ghost story but not be kept awake by it . The bare bones of the plot were intriguing enough to continue until the end. I felt, however, that the characterisations and dialogue really let the book down a great deal, although others maybe able to overlook it.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The initial grabbing point for me was the cover, I found it to be quite intense and thought provoking, and I’m always interested to read and good haunting story.
The first half of the book read really well. The story was developing nicely and the plot seemed to be going somewhere. I didn’t find myself at a disadvantage from not having read the first two stories in the Bayou Haunting series either – always a plus. What knocked it down to a three star review? The latter half of the story lost its way somewhat. It felt like it could have been wrapped up far quicker than it was. I found myself getting bored and wanting to skip to the end. I hate that in a book. I feel like I need to give a book my full attention, and I always feel dreadfully guilty when I am not enjoying the story.
As for the characters, Landry I found horrendously annoying – As I haven’t read his book, I can’t comment as to whether this is just ‘him’... But he was a pain in my side the brief times he appeared. The father of the twins, Jordan, I really couldn’t force myself to like him either. He just came across very contradictory. One minute nothing matters but his children, and the next, he is totally absorbed in work forgetting about them.
The setting, Louisiana, I found perfect. The descriptions of the area, that southern charm and atmosphere were there in the forefront. For me, sadly, that was the saving grace, it was well written and thought out. It seemed to be a combination of poor characters and a lazy plot that let it down for me.

More like 3 1/2 stars but I rounded up to 4 because I enjoyed the plot.

Heads up, you won't enjoy these characters. At all. Even a little bit. I didn't mind Lauren or the girls, but the rest of them? Had I not wanted to know what happened, my dislike for the whole bunch of them would have made me put the book down.

Jordan is a frigging idiot, he actually felt manic. Going from one extreme to the next with no understanding as to how or why. Callie falling in love with him after a few hours of real time spent together? Landry was a jerk of epic proportions. Was he purposely trying to be as unlikeable and arrogant as possible?

The only redeeming quality was the plot. The book didn't flow in any type of why, it could have been half as long as it was if not for all the unneeded fluff put in to make it longer. I also felt as though the time period was mixed up. She's described in an almost Victorian manner but she died in the 60s. Just another inconsistency in the book. The plot though, was engaging and the only thing that kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2705972651

# The Nursery # Netgalley

After the hose stood empty for 50 yrs, someone finally moves in. It’s erre chilling. Makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, so addictive

This was such a frustrating novel, because the story itself was very good, but the way the characters were written was terrible.

This third installment has a more supernatural element than the first two, and the story behind the haunted nursery was creepy and interesting. That's the main thing the book has going for it.

However, the characters who are supposed to be driving this story forward are dismal. Landry Drake, the deputy-turned-paranormal investigator from the previous novel, is an absolute jerk most of the time. He's supposed to be one of the "good guys," but spends most of his time antagonizing the people he's supposed to be helping and caring only about his obsessive investigation of the Arbors. He's condescending towards everyone he meets, thinking of one interview subject that he "didn’t seem to have the brains to make up a story on the fly." I couldn't get behind him at all, and the same goes for most of the other characters.

Part of being able to create fully fleshed-out characters is understanding how people act and relate, and I feel like the writing here was often tone-deaf. Characters start "screaming," "snapping," and "wailing" at each other out of the blue. They behave like theater actors, having to exaggerate their actions in order to reach their audience. For example: "He collapsed, sobbing and beating his fists on the floor." (Never mind that the character in question had one arm in a cast at the time). They also do very illogical things: Jordan doesn't want his daughters to appear on Landry's show, because he doesn't want their faces to be made public. Yet, at the end of the novel we're told that "Vi and Ellie often held tea parties in the nursery while tourists watched."

There are also frequent jumps in POV, sometimes from one sentence to the next, that make for disjointed reading.

I really wanted to like this book (and the series in general), because creepy building stories are some of my favorites in horror fiction. But the characters made this one hard to like, even though I wanted to know how the story would end.

I received this copy of The Nursery from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free e-copy of The Nursery (The Bayou Hauntings Book3) by Bill Thompson from Net Galley in exchange for my review.

I didn’t realize The Nursery is the third book in a series until after I received it, but there was never a time when I felt lost or like I was missing important information. However, I would like to read the first two books and see how the series is meant to be read!

I really enjoyed this book. It presents a twist on the traditional haunted house story, and brings something fresh to the family moving into an old house tale we’ve all read (and loved) before. There are moments throughout the book that are really unsettling, interspersed with non-supernatural happenings; that really allows for the tension to build. This is definitely a book I would recommend.

Sadly I don't think this book was for me. I found the writing style to be very simplistic, but instead of being easy to read it almost came across as badly written. Many words were repeated several times within the same sentence and the story jumped around a lot from past to present but it wasn't very cohesive.

I found the pacing of the story quite odd too, days would fly past but then other paragraphs were very slow and there is even a part were they are recapping the story to the paranormal expert which seems very unnecessary.
It also seemed very convenient, how Jordan just so happens to instantly fall in love with his friend who he has known for a while who has the ghost who ends up being the solution to everything, it just felt a little bit too neat and unrealistic (which is amusing to think considering this is a ghost story!).

Having said all this though, the plot itself I think was very clever and had huge potential, it just ended up falling a little flat for me and did not give me the creepy scare I was after.

Very interesting read ! I highly recommend!

Thank you netgalley for this opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Arbors has been empty for fifty years. Jordan who is an architect and father of twin daughters age eight decides to buy the three story house. He has repairs and some changes made in the house. When Jordan bought it, he was told that their was a locked room that was never to be open or used. His plans for the first floor is to use it as his office and working space for his employees. The second floor will be kept as it was when the house was first built and give tours to the public. The third floor was to be their home where he and the twins would live. His wife and the twins mother had died. When the twins have a dream about the location of the key for the locked room, they awaken and find the key. Jordan and his girls go to the locked room and unlock it. They discover it is a nursery. They can tell it’s never been used as everything is in excellent condition even though dusty. The girls fall in love with room and beg to be able to use it. Jordan decides to let them. A mysterious lady in black appears to the girls and plays with them in the nursery. Why? Who is she? There is another mystery of someone staying in the house but no one knows it. Who is that person?

The author has written a story that has many secrets to be discover about the house. While this is a mystery, it is also romance and horror. Reading this novel kept me reading up very late at night as it was full of intrigue and discoveries. I definitely enjoyed reading this novel. You will too!