Well I went into this thinking I would have found a new ghostly tale to scare the beejus out of me...I didn't but what I did find was a very addictive read and one with a shocking ending I didn't see coming...

A tale of a house that is so evil that no one is safe. I felt so connected to Laura and the turmoil she was going through. The book most definitely gave me Amityville thrills with the possession side and the anger -so much anger.

I was hoping for more with the TV crew as it's mentioned in the blurb, and I was hoping the TV crew would play a huge part and it would be almost Ghost Adventures ish but after the first couple of chapters, they weren't mentioned, which I was kinda disappointed about.

I really liked Shepherd and would have loved more from him too!!

A very shocking and bold ending and once you get hooked on the book it won't let go. I kept stopping the audiobook to go and watch TV but the book wouldn't let me, so I blitz almost half of it in one sitting! Something crazy, spooky, shocking would happen and you just had to read on! I am looking forward to the next one in the series and seeing how it builds from there.

An exciting series I am behind!!

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

In book 1, Lucas and his brother Nate inherit the old abandoned MacKenzie mansion. Little do they know that the mansion is not really empty. Once they start the remodel, the hauntings begin. This is a great haunted house story. Fun to read.

Hi, I lost the eARC of this book so I won't be able to review this book. I hope you understand. I really wanted to read it but unfortunately my phone got formatted and I lost the copy.

Shepherd's Warning is a book that advertises itself to be a haunted house horror novel, but in reality is something much more complicated and fantasical. Lauren and her family are renovating her husband's family home in preparation to sell it when mysterious things begin to happen. As Lauren looks further into those happenings and their family history, she begins to realize that the house has a much more complicated story than they ever imagined.

The beginning of this book was so strong in my eyes. I loved the HGTV element that was included, and I also loved how there wasn't a lot of build up, and the hauntings started almost right away. I even was so intrigued by the mysterious historical past of the house and of Shepherd that we learn about. I thought it was so great how Lloyd included historical fantasy in her horror novel.

Unfortunately, this book ended up disappointing me. I thought the writing became more and more sloppy and unrealistic as the book went on, particularly the dialogue. I also thought the mystery and hauntings went on for far too long, and they started to drag the pacing of the book. If this book were 100 pages shorter it would have been so much better.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love spooky and Haunting tales. Glad to hear this is a series. Can't wait for the next book to come out!

It took me a bit to get in to the story but when I did I enjoyed it! It was a lot to piece together but once we had all of the different elements the story was so enjoyable. I love haunted house stories and this hit the spot

Unfortunately, this just did not grab me. This felt more like a cozy mystery to start out with, escalating into B-Grade horror.

For those that don't often read horror/mystery/suspense, this would be a decent choice. However, for those hardcore fans of either genre listed, I would look elsewhere for your fix.

*First and foremost, allow me to apologize for the delay in my review. I so appreciate the opportunity to read Shepherd's Warning before its publication; it was not my intention to seemingly "bail" on writing a review.

When my personal life went off the rails, immersing myself in this book kept my mind delightfully distracted and occupied. Shepherd's Warning gets a solid 3 from me. In Goodreads speak, a 3 translates to "liked it." Shepherd's Warning was difficult for me to follow at first as I felt slightly overwhelmed due to everything (or everyone) was thrown at me all at once, and then I spent the rest of the book sorting through who's who. However, this isn't necessarily a bad approach, it just wasn't what I was expecting. For the most part, I've started to feel like 'once you've read one haunted house story, you've read them all.' However, Shepherd's Warning does NOT confirm this though. So, I was pleasantly surprised to still stumble upon a unique approach to a topic that's been done to death. I'm intrigued enough by this first book in The Elders Book series to read the second installment.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 3.5

There's always been something strange about the old MacKenzie Mansion out in rural Wisconsin. Over the years there have been numerous unexplained deaths and disappearances surrounding the house. The locals steer clear, better to be safe than sorry. So when Lucas and Nate MacKenzie show up with their families after inheriting the mansion from their deceased mother, the townsfolk are wary. The brothers, however, never knew about the place until their mother passed, therefore, know nothing of the sordid history surrounding it. Hoping to hit it big with HGTV stardom in their sights, Nate, Lucas and Lucas' wife, Laura, begin renovations hoping to bring the place back into it's former glory. The renovations have knocked something loose though, something that has been held back and buried for longer than anyone cares to know. Will they survive what's coming? Or will the only man who knows what's going on reach them in time?

I love a good 'ol haunted house horror story. So it was a no brainer when I decided to request this one. I was intrigued about the families that come to renovate the old mansion as they knew nothing of it's existence. There was mystery surrounding the story as well as the horror aspect, though the mystery wasn't so much a mystery as the story is told from third person POV, leading us to know what's going on with all the characters and players in this story before they're even aware. That's okay though, it still made for a good read.

I'm not the biggest fan of third person POV, but for this story it did work well. It took some of the mystery out of the story however as mentioned above, once again, this is okay because this book is not marketed as a mystery, let's be real here. It's marketed as a horror, and while I'll say it does belong in the genre, I'll also add that it's a slow burn horror, and not just horror in the supernatural sense of the word. This story takes a look at two people - Lucas and Laura - who are pushing 50, are running away from the loss of someone important to them, and trying the best they can to throw themselves into a project so they can forget about the loss. It also deals with the strain that such a loss can put on a marriage, and while a lot of what was happening I'll put down to the supernatural, there was also some very real occurrences that some people experience in real life, it's these instances that added to the horror aspect for me. I'll admit, reading it in bed before sleep last night, I started getting creeped out for no apparent reason, as there's nothing truly terrifying in this story (in my opinion) but Lloyd does a fantastic job of creating a foreboding and creepy atmosphere that I really felt. I opted to hold off reading more until today, when the sun was out hahaha.

The story itself, as mentioned above is rather slow burn, there's not a whole lot that is happening, there's some strange stuff occurring in the house which all of the different occupants encounter, while they're doing renovations. There's the strange townsfolk who keep a watch out for "those MacKenzies" but they never really tell "those MacKenzies" what the issue is, they tend to just say how they don't want to talk about it and hustle off on their merry way. So our protagonists are left trying to piece things together by themselves and not really getting anywhere.

Shepherd is a bit player, which I wasn't expecting, he's a secondary character, with a purpose and the answers, which we learn from early on when we meet him, but the story mostly focuses on the MacKenzies renovating the house. I liked Shepherd's character and I'm kinda hoping that we get to see more of him as this series progresses. Lucas was fairly unlikable from the beginning as far as I'm concerned, as was Ashley. Laura is okay, but she bugged me a little bit with her ignorance about what was going on with her, and the house. I get it, you're scared...pushing it down and pretending it's not happening or doesn't exist is not going to help you. Dana, Laura and Lucas' daughter, was an okay character, but once again, certain things that she said or did just made me want to slap her upside the head. When you're mother is asking something of you, and you have a good relationship with each other, I feel like the only answer you give is, yes. Maybe that's just me though.

The little mysteries and the main part of the plot were well written and well thought out and definitely have left an opening for more exploration on the matter. Though there was no major revelations for me in this story, as in, not much was a surprise, but that's okay, I still found it an enjoyable read and will happily continue with the series.

I will put here that there is some trigger warnings, domestic violence, and attempted rape being the biggest two. I kinda felt a little let down with the attempted rape scene...I almost feel like it was included to add more shock factor to the story? I'm probably wrong, but that's just how it felt to me, and it did knock my rating down a teeny bit for this reason.

All in all, this was a slow burn, creepy vibing haunted house horror, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Land of Oz Publishing for gifting an ecopy of Shepherd's Warning by Cailyn Lloyd to me; I wrote this review by choice and honestly.

I felt that the story was engaging and did well in ramping up to the climax and a perfect ending! I would say this is a perfect horror/ghost story with an interesting magic system, good character and plot development, and it's obvious that the author planned the conflict with a lot of thought and used it to push the story forward.

I loved the haunted house element and paranormal aspects; I think they allowed the author to write in twists and surprises that otherwise wouldn't have been possible.

I gave this book 4.5 stars, I was thoroughly entertained and cared about the characters and events.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who reads horror/paranormal! I'm excited to continue the series; I have pre-ordered book 2, Quinnlan's Secret, set to release on May 20, 2020!

Wowee. This was probably one of the best haunted house stories I've read in a long time. I literally can't put into words how much I enjoyed this.
The book started off a little slow; building up a picture, drawing us in. And then BAM! About 30% in it was just all out tension and suspense. I could not put it down.
This was my first read from the author and I look forward to reading more.
Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this.

This is a brilliant idea giving a paranormal twist on the tons of HGTV/DIY home renovation shows that are everywhere these days. (Honestly, I'm surprised this has never happened before in real life. I'd totally watch that show! lol) In the beginning there was kind of a lot of head jumping that had me having to think, wait, who is this again? Oh yeah. But once you got into it, it was a fun and fast read, that I enjoyed!

Lucas, his wife Laura, his brother Nate and his sister-in-law Ashley move to Wisconsin to renovate the house that Lucas and Nate have inherited from their late mother, they've been doing renovations for a while now and want to branch out so they invite HDTV to film them as they do the work. Everyone seems to be having a whale of a time when Laura starts to have strange and frightening dreams and Lucas starts to behave unusually.

Laura starts to try and investigate about the house, as they don't have much information, Lucas and Nate didn't even know the house was even there until their mum died, no-one wants to talk to her about the house and go out of their way to avoid her, gradually uncovering bits and pieces as she goes.

Before long everything starts going to shit, Laura's dreams are worse, Lucas is getting hammered all the time and becomes a raging arsehole, lots of things kick off in the house and you know things are ramping up to something weird.

Took me a little bit of time to get into this but once it had me, it did not let go, watching someone get progressively crazier and crazier and have no idea why it's happening is interesting as are the reactions of the people around them.

All in all a good story with spooky shenanigans and violence.

*Huge thanks to Cailyn Lloyd, Land of Oz LLC and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Lucas with his wife Laura and his brother Nate have decided to renovate the house that they inherited from their mother. Lucas and Nate didn’t know about the house. It’s located in Wisconsin. Lucas and Laura plan to live in the house with their 2 year old granddaughter Leah. Nate and his girlfriend will then renovate the barn and Mae and apartment in the barn to live. They know nothing about the history of the house or why their mother didn’t sell the house. Nate wants to document the renovation for HGTV show. As time passes, Laura and Lucas experience paranormal happenings. They don’t tell each other. When Nate falls off the roof and lands in the hospital, Laura decides to find out about the rumors of the house that she knows exist but have not heard. What will she find out about the house? Will she stay in the house?

A haunted house novel unlike anything I have read lately. There are ghosts, two psychics, and medieval witchcraft in this novel. It includes a mystery, a human that doesn’t appear to die, a curse with paranormal activity when you least expect it. It’s a fascinating and excellent horror novel.

A tale of two halves for me for this book, I have to say. The first part is where we are introduced to the family and the house.....I think at the start there was too many characters going back and fourth and I was slightly confused where the story was going.
Then I felt as soon as things started happening in the house, with Nate’s accident and then Laura starting to feel things, that is when it got very interesting and I couldn’t put the book down after that.
I really liked Shepherds character and it was a shame he didn’t get a bigger part, but on the whole it was a good read.I loved the witchcraft, and curses.
A haunting novel, and smoothly written.
Thank you for NetGelley and the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Shepherd's Warning is one of those books that one would struggle to put down once you get into it. The characters are fleshed out and the plot is really engaging. A few of the secondary characters could have been given a bit more space in terms of their background, such as Shepherd, but that is a minor issue. The story itself is creepy and haunting tale and there's lots of great descriptions in this book.

I love stories about houses and history and mystery, whether the paranormal is involved or not. This book is a package deal of all the above, with characters and timelines skillfully woven together. Clues are revealed in a timely fashion, and the viewpoint changes between characters (including a caretaker spirit and a very special man).

It has been years since I lost two and a half hours of sleep because I couldn't put a book down, yet that was my Saturday night. I'm thrilled this title is Book One in a series. I will be pre-ordering others as soon as they're available!

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

This is a creepy haunting story. I liked it and it did give me the creeps, all in all that’s good. Lucas and Nate MacKenzie inherit an old mansion that belonged to their mother, Elizabeth. She had kept the place a secret. Her husband, Alan, died there and she moved immediately taking the boys with her and never speaking of the place again. It had been unoccupied for many years so the brothers and their families move there and begin renovations. The locals are wary of the house because strange things have happened in the past. Dangerous incidents begin happening to the brothers and their family members. It effects them all but especially Laura, Lucas’s wife. She is besieged with premonitions about the house and it’s history. A mysterious professor/wizard/grey hacker feels the danger and moves closer to help them. I liked the story telling in this book but I think in many ways this work would greatly benefit from a good editor. The characters were not well developed. I really didn’t care about any of them. The dialogue was unnatural and stilted. It didn’t give the appearance that these characters were real people. Another annoying thing was that there were many product brand names; they are not necessary to the story. Dr. Shepard is introduced as someone who doesn’t trust technology but then he is an expert hacker that brings down terrorist organizations but is also an expert in Old English; it was difficult to suspend my disbelief. Laura’s constant dizzy spells were annoying and Nate and Lucas seemed very childlike. Anyway like I said this could have been better executed and with some editing, it could be a lot better. It was a great haunting tale, it just needs some polish. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.