I’ve been really impressed with Greene’s recent books so far. I finished Gnarled Hollow at the end of last year, and when I found out there was going to be another horror filled novel, I was instantly interested and slightly terrified at the same time. Horror has never been a genre I’ve enjoyed, but for some reason I still end up accidentally reading it.

While the last novel I read was great, I think I enjoyed this one quite a bit more. It was creepy, suspenseful, and filled with a mystery that had me intrigued from start to finish. When the pieces started finally clicking together, I knew I wasn’t going to put this down until I finished. Add in lovable characters, a cute romance, and suspenseful moments that left me needing more, it really was the perfect book for me.

Even though horror isn’t for me, I would not hesitate to pick up another horror novel from Greene again.

The characters are well developed, just the right amount of tension between them. I loved the shared histories and how new friends were welcomed and accepted. It all felt warm and cozy. The romance between Jo and Andy, the park ranger, and the way they complemented each other was lovely. I rarely like every character in a book, but I loved the whole group.

The creepiness never let up, the tension built steadily, and as the rest of the group finally understood Jo's weird behavior, things escalated rapidly. The ending was very satisfying!

‘Legacy’ is a scary, creepy story that had me jumping out of my skin. It was brilliant. Jo and Carter are cousins and have spent their whole lives taking vacations in the family cabin in the mountains. But after a few years of neglect, the cabin is in need of repair and a good cleaning out. With a few friends, they hike to the remote cabin and hope to spend a couple of relaxing weeks sorting it out. The trip is anything but relaxing though. Strange occurrences give Jo cause for concern, but when it starts to become dangerous, and people get hurt, she has to start thinking the unthinkable. Meeting the most gorgeous woman out of the blue takes her mind off it for a moment, but all of the women have to admit that the cabin, and the mountain are not safe places to be.

The creeping tension is beautifully done and I was seriously spooked. Charlotte Greene ramps up the fear factor slowly and with delicate precision. Her masterful writing is so suited to this genre and I can’t imagine anyone doing it better. She weaves the relationship dynamics of the group, with references to the past and manages to introduce the scary elements bit by bit, never overdoing it. There were some surprising twist to the tale and some lovely romantic moments too. Jo’s burgeoning relationship with ranger Andy was tender and sweet, but also had an intensity that caught my breath. It was an amazing story, about family, love, history and fulfilment. Highly recommended.

I was given this ARC for review.

I really wanted to like this book, but the author’s voice just didn’t appeal to me. This is a shame because I loved the idea of a group of women taking on the ‘cabin in the woods’ scenario that’s so prevalent in horror. Even as a member of the LGBTQ community, though, I couldn’t get into all the romance. DNF.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy.

3.5 stars This book is a paranormal/supernatural story. I'm not a big fan of that genre and didn't quite realize what I was getting into. That said I enjoyed the book. It had romance and the creepy spooky factor without being over the top scary. Horror lite, I'll call it. If you like these kinds of books you'll like this one. It's well written with a slow build up and a great ending.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is wrapped up tightly in the and there are no cliffhangers. The main drawback was the telling vs showing aspect where the readers is told each feeling and emotion instead of being shown through the nuances of action. The relationships were realistically portrayed and believable. The haunting aspects were just creepy and suspenseful enough to keep the story flowing and the reader interested to find out what would happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are my own.

There is plenty to like about Legacy. It is an enjoyable read, well-written with great characters. The setting is great. The connection to the past was well-done. The only thing that took the fifth star away, and it's a personal thing, is the supernatural aspect. It rarely works for me unless in a fantasy setting. So, a solid 4 stars and a recommendation from me. If you are into ghosts and spirits, then I'm sure you will love it.

Four couples, a historical and contemporary setting and ghosts: some of my favourite elements of a novel. Jo hikes up to the Lemke family cabin to start repairs because it has been left derelict for two years. She is followed a day later by her cousin Carter and her wife, Danielle and their two friends Meg and Rachel. The first night Jo spends at the cabin alone leaves her very unsettled and the feeling isn’t diminished by the arrival of the others. There is a strong sense of malevolence that tests their belief in the unseen. Jo’s meeting of the gorgeous forest ranger, Andy, is almost enough to take her mind off it.

There is a fabulous diversity in the group of friends with things like Rachel being of Korean descent, Danielle being deaf and the oddness of cousins, Jo and Carter, looking like twins. The dynamics between them were interesting and worked well. They didn’t all know each other very well so there was some getting-to-know-you stuff mixed in with some outright animosity. While Jo was the main character, the others were just as integral to the story.

The ghosts and their antics kept me anxious throughout because their darkness and anger held a constant presence. What did disappoint me a little was that the historical back-story was predictable and lacking in twists. It may be that I’ve read a similar back-story recently which coloured my impression of this one. I still enjoyed it, but not as much as ‘Gnarled Hollow’.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I was greatly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this story due to its supernatural elements. I tend to shy away from spooky themed books, especially when it involves an abandoned building and being alone in it. I'm just easy to scare. But the imagery and character actions and interactions are what brought this cabin-in-the-woods story home and made me not want to stop reading it the moment I picked it up. It gave me a "Haunting of Hill House," by Shirley Jackson, type of vibes. The story being told by the eyes of Jo Lemke, a woman in her 30s recovering from love yet still wanting to find love, allowed me to feel more connected to her as I experienced similar things in my own relationships with people. The interactions with the supernatural elements concerning the Lemke family history made me have goose-flesh as my house is creaky and probably made sounds that were heard in the Lemke cabin. The book did its job in spooking me at appropriate moments for sure!

Also learning about her family history was interesting enough that it made me wonder about my own family roots. Family is very important in this story and the characters in it don't go over the top in relating this to each other or the reader. The romance in the story was nice and I enjoyed that the sex scenes were very minimal in description. One doesn't need long, drawn out sex scenes to have a good story! I hope that this author continues to write books of this caliber and even if they are spooky, I probably will pick it up and enjoy it as I did this unexpected read. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a good supernatural themed book.

Plot begins to spin quickly as cousins and friends come together to diy the family cabin back to usability.

An isolated cabin in the Rockies beloved vacation space built by the Lemke matriarch - an amazing story unfolds amidst strange and sinister occurrences.

Six attractive women, falling in love and danger makes compelling read... and I picked the wrong killer!

I hope to read more by this author very soon.

Charlotte Greene is a very versatile writer. I’ve read all of her books and each one is truly unique. This book was not only engaging but it also had the creepy and spooky elements added in. I was hook immediately and didn’t want to put it down. I highly recommend to anyone who is looking for something a bit different!

A fun and interesting story wrapped around the historical backdrop of a family cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park. With a paranormal twist, Jo and her cousin Carter are pulled into a little ancestral drama that still needs closure. I enjoyed the twists and turns, just keep in mind you will have to take a bit of a leap of faith, along with the characters to reconcile what’s happening at the family cabin. An enjoyable read

I was hovering between 2 and 3 stars for most of this book but things picked up a bit at the end so I decided to go with 3. I think part of the problem was that I did not really form and any attachment or impressions of the side characters at the beginning and kept getting them confused for a large portion of the book. As the book goes on it focuses more on just Joe and Andy so it was easier to focus on, but when everyone came back together at the end I still couldn't remember who most of them were. Also it was definitely more realistic fantasy than horror for a large portion of the book. There is nothing wrong with that but I was expecting more of a straight-up horror novel from the summary and that is not really what I got. Again, the horror elements picked up more towards the end, but it was slow going a lot of the way. All in all it was a decent story about a woman learning about her family history, but I wish there had been more action.

This is part of a multi-book review on C-Spot Reviews.

Hot on the heels of Gnarled Hollow (well, I read them pretty close together at least) Greene has published another strong paranormal romance. Once again, the focus of the book is more on the paranormal and suspense; although, there is a bit of romance thrown in for good measure with the arrival of a hot Park Ranger who’s just the ticket to save some damsels in paranormal distress.

Five women arrive at an isolated family cabin located in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The property has been in Jo and Carter’s family for years but due to internal squabbling, no one has been up there for two years and its in need of a fair bit of work. The cousins are finally able to go back and try to restore the property and cabin. Joining them are Carter’s wife, Daniella, and their friends Meg and Rachel. As the odd woman out in the group of five, Jo seems to be the one that experiences most of the odd happenings. At first things can be explained away – noises from an animal in the brush, misplaced books or tools; but, as the odd events start to add up, coincidence and imagination are less likely explanations. Slowly the others start to experience similar things and the reactions range from “something’s out there” to “it’s all explainable”. From a character standpoint, Jo and the others are more consistent and relatable than those in Gnarled Hollows and the romance build between Jo and Andy provides a nice counter-point to the ominous happenings at the cabin.

Greene likes to take her time to work up the suspense, starting with smaller and seemingly inconsequential things that build up an suitably creepy atmosphere. Placing the characters in an isolated setting ratchets things up. This isn’t a gore-fest nor is it relying on jump-scares to set the atmosphere – instead it’s a well paced ghost story with strongly developed characters and I liked the backstory that unfolds in the latter half of the book (almost to the point that I wouldn’t mind reading about that as a book in itself). Legacy didn’t scare me, but it definitely created a compelling level of suspense that kept me glued to the pages.

This book has definitely not sold me on camping or living in the rough – life without a shower or flush toilet have lost their luster (if they ever had it) long ago. Camping in an isolated location where you have to trek in or out, there’s nightly sound of footsteps in the woods, nearby is an old family graveyard and things seem to move on their in in the cabin? Yeah … I’ll be at the Hilton, eating room service and booking a massage at the spa.

Recommended

I'm not really into scary movies, but I guess I'm into scary books! This is a different read than a lot of lesbian "romance" books are. There is a legitimate feeling of being in a horror movie, with how certain scenes and experiences are written.

Jo was a great character, and I liked how the simple connection and attraction to Andy commingled with the haunting of the cabin. It was like a two for one. We got a creepy thriller, mixed with a romance that seemed natural in an unnatural setting.

I also appreciated that one of the characters, Daniela, is deaf but it wasn't unnecessarily described beforehand. Naturally in the book, Jo and Carter start signing with her and you as the reader immediately get it. It isn't a big deal, so the author didn't make it a big deal. She's just deaf!

Eventually there is a story within a story here, and I found that slightly interesting. I preferred the main story, but I didn't skip over that part of it.

A pretty fun read overall.

Very fun horror story that just touches on the creep factor without going full blown scary. There's a lot of really good elements to the book, from the menacing spook, to the mystery, and even the relationship. Given that this was the first book I read from Greene, I was pleasantly surprised by how much she worked to build up the creepy factor and maintained it for the majority of the book. It wasn't all spookiness, though, I thought the romance and the other relationships worked so well, even if the romance was sped up just a touch too much for me - but since it was meant to parallel the ghostly romance, I can forgive it.

What makes a good horror story is that you actually care about either the thing that is terrorizing the characters, or the leads themselves. I didn't care much for the haunt, but the characters were great - and the effects of the haunting on their relationships made this into a page turner. Great work!

This is not my usual kind of book. Then again, while I read mostly romance with a growing side of sci-fi and crime novels, I’m always open to new genres, and the reviews I’d read for Legacy made me want to give it a try. So maybe I shouldn’t have begun reading it at 5 a.m. in an empty house, I’m not used to spooky, but it was an interesting experience! I’ll try my best not to spoil since part of the fun is not knowing what to expect.

Jo and Carter Lemke are cousins but they look like twins (and not like anyone else in the Lemke family, as far as they know). They were born on the same day, a few hours apart, and raised together from the time they were thirteen, when Jo’s parents took Carter in after she came out, much to her own parents’ dismay. Their family owns a secluded cabin in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado which was built by their great-great-great-grandmother Aurora (aka Rory) and has been neglected for the last couple of years, after a family dispute. The story begins when Jo arrives at the cabin. She and Carter plan to spend the next two weeks restoring it to its glory, with the help of their best friend Meg and her new girlfriend Rachel. Carter’s wife, Daniela, is supposed to join them the next day. Weird things happen almost from the start, one of these being two flat tires on Carter’s car as they’re driving to get Daniela (who’s really mad at Jo for reasons unknown at first), which leads to them meeting Andy, the hottest ranger around. The whole cast of characters is really well-written and layered, and I especially loved how Rachel’s Korean family was mentionned as if it wasn’t a big deal, and also how Daniela being deaf is just part of who she is.

Greene does a great job of establishing a creepy atmosphere by setting a rather slow (but not overly so) pace, taking the necessary time to describe the woods, the uncared-for cabin, the ominous well from the cover, the sounds, the smells, the weather and temperatures… The story revolves around family, the relationships we inherit and the ones we create. The unexpected connection between Jo (and Carter, to a lesser extent) and Aurora, the history with Sarah and Henry, Andy’s past, Daniela’s anger, it all comes back to what family is, should or should not be, and how to right past wrongs.

In addition to the paranormal aspect of the novel (which I’m also adding to the Mystery category), I really enjoyed the romance between Jo and Andy. They have great chemistry from the moment they meet by the side of the road, Andy described as some sort of Amazon while Jo’s all sweaty and parched. They’re sweet and totally deserve their happy ever after, if only because their flirting and blushing allowed me to breathe between scary moments.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Jo and her cousin Carter are fixing up their run down family cabin in the mountains in Colarado. Carter has brought her wife Daniela along with their friends Rachel and Meg.  Jo feels like the 5th wheel until they come across the gorgeous rancher Andy and sparks fly.  In the meantime,  there's some supernatural stuff going on around the family cabin, things being moved, taps turning themselves on and it all starts becoming more and more sinister and then very dangerous.
I don't usually read books that have supernatural undertones simply because I don't believe in that stuff but this was a really well written book. I think it if you did believe in it you could find this book a little scary.  The storyline itself was interesting as there were twists and turns. The characters were also interesting as were the dynamics between them all. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Corny-cute romance-mystery that keeps you guessing until the last chapter. It will have you checking into that Airbnb cabin in the woods and finishing that genealogy research you started ages ago.

Charlotte Greene gave us 'Gnarled Harlow' last year and it immediately went to my favorites list. 'Legacy' follows the same eerie footsteps as the Lemke family and friends encounter frighteningly strange things in and around their family cabin. While this one doesn't share space with 'Gnarled Harlow' as a favorite, it was definitely a decent haunted read.

Greene does a good job of building suspense as the story unfolds. Strange things happen one by one in increasingly spooky fashion. Background information is revealed a little bit at a time and makes you want to try and solve the mystery.

It is hard to comment on things without giving away most of the plot.

There is a bit of a romance between one of the main characters and a forest ranger. I'm happy to say that the intimacy is exactly how I believe it should be depicted in all books. Steamy chemistry that gets the heart racing and then fade to black. I'm sure others will disagree, but it is SO refreshing to me when I'm not forced to read explicit porn-like material. Erotica has it's place and time. And it rightfully didn't belong in this ghost story. I didn't SUPER buy into the fast progression of the relationship. But this isn't primarily a romance so it gets a pass.

I still don't know why Jo and Carter's appearance is twin-like. Or why they closely resemble someone from the past. I was trying to figure that out the entire story and it was unsatisfying as there really was no explanation given. This and a little bit of issue I had with some repetitiveness are the only reasons this is not getting a 5 Star.

I recommend this to those who like to read about hauntings, nature, history, DIY home maintenance, violent husbands, scary things in the woods, and water.

<I>I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.</i>