A nice quick, spooky read for your Halloween reading pleasure! This one was entertaining, engaging, and quick. While some parts seemed rushed, overall I enjoyed that it wasn't overly drawn out. I also enjoyed that the chapters were more "episodes". Definitely recommend!

The story seemed rush but there were some creepy moments in Beatrix's life. All in all, I found it a little too hard to believe. Still , I think this is a great October/Halloween read.

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene is a quick read and kept me engaged. I liked the buildup of this story, and the overall atmosphere of the book screamed eerie. It had all the elements of a good horror story: Ghosts, wispy whispers, a creepy basement with hidden passages, strange paintings on the walls, and possession. Blum House would have a ball with this book!

Now about those romance scenes. There weren’t many, and with the way the story was set up, I knew it was going to be there. But it’s the placement of the scenes that nags my brain. Maybe it’s just me and my common sense, but I can’t picture myself knowing that I’m in a haunted house, where the walls are literally closing in, but I want to rip off your clothes and make love by the fireplace. That’s just odd.

As quick as the story was, I don’t think it needed to be dragged out. The authors came to tell a story, and they completed it without breaking 50 pages.

Beatrix Greene is living a lie. She has made a life for herself as a psychic medium, but is really just giving out readings based on her on intuition.
James Walker uses science to break down the supernatural art of psychics, while hoping to find some truth in it. With a promise of a large sum, James lures Beatrix to Ashbury House, hoping she can coax out its ghosts, or be exposed.
Ashbury House has bigger plans for James and Beatrix. The house is alive with evil and wants to devour them.

The Haunting Of Beatrix Greene is written as one episode, in several parts. Each part is alternately written by Hawkins, Parson and Schecter. I thought it would be like reading a story told through the icebreaker game of " Suddenly Stories", where each writer would have to continue the story but with their own crazy twist and style. I was honestly glad that didn't happen. Instead each writer continued the story fluidly, but each bringing their own bit to the table. Hawkins set up the story and introduces the characters. Parsons makes the scenery come to life, bringing the spooky and gore with it. Schecter instills the fear and the history of the house. Together they tell a great ghost story.

The real twist of the story happens quickly, but sets the tone for the rest of it. That big reveal is important to the history of the house, which is really what the story is. Beatrix is just a conduit for the ghosts of the house, and has to feel the evil.

I really enjoyed this spooky story. It brought Victorian England to life with amazing imagery. Ghosts can linger in the shadows of gas lighting a lot better then our modern day LEDs. Slamming doors, secret basement staircases and flying objects always help with a ghosty vibe as well.
I finished this in a morning, since it's is a short book, or episode. I really hope for more episodes to come quickly, since I am now hooked on Beatrix Greene.

This was quite the spooky, atmospheric read for October! I’m so happy I picked this one up! Along with the creepy storyline, it’s a quick read, so I felt like we jumped right into the scary stuff, which made it quite a fun read!

Beatrix Greene is the kind of spiritual medium that doesn’t actually believe in ghosts, nor does she actually connect with the other side. Instead, she feels that she can read people well, and provide them with what they want to hear to feel consoled about their loss. When James propositions her to spend one night in Ashbury Manor to decide if there is or is not a ghost, she agrees, knowing that he is setting her up to expose her as a fraud. James though seems to have other motives for the request of her assistance, and as they enter the house, they will soon realize that they have made a terrible mistake.

I thought the writing of this story was perfect. There was a dark, gory history of the location, and the details and descriptions brought the right amount of spine-tingles for me!

The characters were full of interesting quirks and personalities. Some have secrets, while others are exactly who they seem to be. I liked Beatrix and James’ connection to each other. Both are struggling to keep something from the other but finding that their secrets may not be able to stay hidden.

This was definitely a horror story, there are gory details, and creepy, evil things happening. It was likely my spookiest read this year. I would have liked it to be a bit longer just because I was so interested in the story, and I wanted to see more of the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! It’s spooky and filled with creepy details and happenings that kept me turning the pages as fast as possible so I could find out what was happening!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

As the days grow shorter, the nights longer and darker, a chilly nip in the air leads us to....ghost stories. While this one might be a little too long to be told around a campfire, it is definitely a ghostly goodie! With a trio of powerful authors, how could it be anything except great!?!

Beatrix Greene makes her living as a medium, setting a scene and "communicating" with a client's long, lost..... She has made a name for herself as a spiritual guide, even though her strongest gift is as a talented actress. Beatrix would love to be rich and not have to worry about where her next dollar will come from, so when an offer that includes a substantial sum of money comes her way, she leaps before she looks. James Walker is a scientist, he does not believe in ghosts, but something is haunting his ancestral home, Ashbury Manor. Beatrix has been hired to rid the home of the restless spirits.

I have always loved horror stories that include a haunted mansion as one of the cast of characters. Ever since I read The Shining, I've looked at homes differently. Ashbury Manor is definitely haunted and definitely does not appreciate Beatrix and James trying to clear out the old ghosts. These two are joined by a small group of witnesses but all of them will regret their lack of preparation for what will become a night of horrors.

The story includes some romance building between Beatrix and James and some side information that will help the story. The story itself is part of a podcast called Serial Box. I am just intrigued enough by this story to go check out the rest of the series. If you don't hear from me in a couple of weeks....come looking....the house may have acquired another ghost!

Wow. I devoured this book! This was such a perfect read for spooky October. I was really drawn into our main character, Beatrix Greene, and her journey of self discovery was so different than other novels that I was truly engaged. Throw in some witty friends, a slow-burn romance, and some truly effed up ghosts, I could not stop reading, and finished this book within 24 hours. The layout leads me to believe there will be more to come from these three talented authors, and I can't wait!

4.5 stars!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to request The Haunting of Beatrix Greene due to Rachel Hawkins being listed as one of the contributors, an author I am familiar with from Twitter, although I have yet to read one of her books. I was not aware until I did some research that this book was not only a serial, but would be primarily featured, at least initially on an app called “Serial Box,” which sounds like the type I’ve avoided due to my issues with episodic stories, with exception of entire collections. However, even with that in mind, I still felt this was a fun story, although I don’t know if I’d have consumed it in its primary format.

While the story is written by three authors, and not in sequence, I like that the sections flow well into each other, so it can work whether you read each episode on its own or binge them all at all. If I had not been told at the beginning of each episode who the author was, I would not have know different people wrote different parts.

I liked the way the story puts a twist on the fake medium concept by having something mysterious happen when Beatrix is hired. There’s also a lovely sweet romance between Beatrix and James as events unfold.

It’s rather too short to go into any real depth, however, for the projected format, it is well suited. Whether this is worth trying is down to your interest in investing money in an app (although they offer the first episode free and offer both individual episode and season pass options; price indicated above is for the season pass). However, there appears to also be plans for a traditional ebook release early next year.

The Haunting Of Beatrix Greene is a short story of fantasy, ghosts, evil demons , and physics. Set in the Victorian England a man of science hires a medium to slay the evil that penetrates his family home. Neither one knowing the evil that is in store for them. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for my honest review

A faux medium trying to earn a living meets a man looking to answer questions about his past. When James Walker asks medium Beatrix Greene to come to Ashbury Manor and see if she can discover any ghosts, she thinks it will be easy. Light a few candles, say a few comforting lies, earn a lot of money. But things go downhill fast when Beatrix, James, and a few others arrive at Ashbury Manor, home to a gruesome murder-suicide. It soon becomes clear to the group that ghosts are the least of their problems, and they are not guaranteed to survive the night.

"The Haunting of Beatrix Greene" is more a case of "The Haunting of Ashbury Manor". A house of horrors, death, and darkness, it is instantly obvious that no one with any sense would stay there overnight, and no medium or psychic is needed to tell you the place is haunted. So naturally, our little band stays to see if they can talk to ghosts. It's a generally fast-paced story, and once we get to Ashbury Manor the action is non-stop with more horror movie effects than you can shake a stick at. There are no real surprises or twists to the plot, but that isn't really the point here. It's not about guessing the 'who' or 'why' of the tale, it's about choices. Easy choices, scary choices, self-sacrificing choices. The reader hits a point in the book where they realize they aren't sure what choice the characters will make, and to me (not a fan of heavy horror stories) that was when the true brilliance of the writers and their story was revealed.

Definitely a story horror fans will love, but perhaps not a book to be read in the dark.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Wow, this was excellent. The writing was stellar, and the characters were well developed. The atmosphere was an amazing balance of horror, mystery, and romance. I thought it was very creepy and cinematic. I started reading it late at night, but I gave up until daylight because I'm a scaredy-cat, and I didn't want to give myself nightmares. For all its gothic, dark ambiance, it was also a story of tortured family history, transgenerational trauma and finding the strength to break away from past experiences. The romance was powerful, without explicit scenes. I thought Beatrix and James had a lot of chemistry and a solid emotional connection. I haven't read something like this in a while, and I think it's a perfect Halloween read.

Appropriately creepy as to the ghost story part, but not at all historically evocative. The chapters were called ‘episodes,’ which seemed about right. It read like a TV miniseries, with otherwise completely modern people dressed in crinolines and top hats, pretending to be old-timey. It WAS fun and spooky, but I’d have liked it better if it had abandoned the consent that it was historical and just set it in the modern age.

I heard this was similar to Sherlock Holmes, so I was excited to read this book. As much as I enjoyed this. I was equally disappointed. The situations in this book, and the reactions of the characters were confounding.

I loved this book and it was the perfect read in October. I haven’t read a story like this in a long time and it was a perfect Victorian gothic ghost story.

I was immediately hooked by The Haunting of Beatrix Greene. Beatrix 'communicated' with ghosts which led her to meet James, who had a huge request. Hold a seance at his manor. Once there, all kinds of unexplainable things began happening--horrifying, scary things. Throughout the night, tensions rose higher and higher. The events escalated until a final cataclysmic showdown.

I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to see what would happen next, and who would be victorious. If you are a fan of horror and mystery, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fun, short, spooky story just in time for Halloween. Has a gothic vibe. And a little graphic at parts. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I was excited to have the opportunity to read The Haunting of Beatrix Greene before Halloween hoping it would be the perfect, spooky read for the season.

In some ways, it did just that! Beatrix is a fake spiritualist invited to spend the night at Ashbury Manor by Lord Ashbury to help free the spirit of his mother, Lady Ashbury. The concept is great, however at times I felt that the story was rushed and at times predictable. I felt like the romance between Lord Ashbury and Beatrix came out of nowhere and wasn’t developed enough for me to be rooting for them.

By the end, certain details felt repetitive. It seemed like they battled with the spirits haunting the manor over and over again, which made me a little bored.

Overall, I felt like this could have been developed better. Especially since the book is so short, there was room for more. It did put me in the mood for spooky season!

Thanks to NetGalley and Serial Box for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Autumn is that time of year where a good, spooky story is welcome. The Haunting of Beatrix Greene, by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Shecter, has a lot of fun horror elements: ghosts, murder, and a mystery. Even though I expected these things, the story got sidetracked by plot holes, and an improbable romance. This was a fun horror story, but it could have been even better without the cheesy melodrama.

What I Liked:

Premise:

Women in Victorian England don't have many options to make a living, so Beatrix Greene makes the most of her theatrical background to work as a Medium. But she knows she's a fraud. When a wealthy skeptic offers her and her friend a large sum of money to conduct a seance, she can hardly say no. She is all set to fake it, but then she makes contact with REAL spirits! I loved this premise so much. It gave the reader a sense of how difficult life was for women, but also turned the tables on the "Medium". This was really fun.

Mystery:

The seance sets the stage for the central mystery of the book: why did James's mother kill his brother, and then kill herself? Why would she do it? It became an infamous murder in the universe of the novel. And why was his father so violent? The house seems to be, itself, a character. All is revealed when the seance begins and Beatrix becomes possessed by the spirit of James's mother.

Characters:

Besides Beatrix, who is a strong, independent woman (especially for Victorian England), there are several wonderful supporting characters, such as Amanda (an American photographer), and Harry, her friend and assistant. I thought they brought some normalcy to a strange situation. Amanda especially represents new opportunities for women, as another female with a career. And Harry is just a wonderfully supportive friend.

What I Was Mixed About:

Plot Holes:

At the beginning of visiting Ashbury Manor, James invites Beatrix, Harry, Amanda, and a Dr. Doyle, for the seance. Dr. Doyle is, of course, the name of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. As tantalizing as this is, this goes nowhere. He literally is gone in the next scene.

There is also a friend of James, a fellow aristocrat named Stanhope, who crashes the gathering. He later becomes important in the story, but it's never explained how he knows so much information about Ashbury Manor, and the family curse.

Romance:

The time is set in Victorian England. Yet, Beatrix and James get very familiar, very quickly. I know that Beatrix is supposed to be more modern and independent, but this would have been scandalous in those times. Given the difficultly Beatrix has supporting herself, would she have risked being branded a loose woman? Even as a Medium, no one would have wanted to associate with a wanton woman. And I just didn't think the romance was believable.

This was a fun ghost story—I guess it’s being released in serial form on Serial Box, which I hadn’t heard of but sounds like a great idea. I got a kindle version from NetGalley and read it fairly quickly. Beatrix is an effective medium—she doesn’t believe in actual spirits, but she has an uncanny ability to tell people what they want to hear, and this is how she makes her living. Everything changes when she goes to a haunted house one night to help a grief-filled man find peace. It’s creepy, a little romantic, and it’s full of ghosts—perfect for the week of Halloween.🎃


<i>Review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review<i>

This story had a fun and interesting concept and it was a quick read, but that’s about the end of positive things I can say about it. It’s written by multiple authors (each write a few individual chapters).

There is close to zero world-building, no character development, and absolutely none of the slow build of tension that is crucial to making stories like this work. Because of this, I really didn’t find myself having any emotional investment in the characters and the story. The haunting/supernatural elements relied on overused tropes, and I rolled my eyes at a number of points. There just wasn’t a whole lot of depth to it. I actually tend to quite like fluffy, pulpy, or trashy stories, but this was a little too poorly constructed for me to enjoy it.

Some positive things I can say are that the concept was fun, and the writing flowed smoothly even with the multiple authors. The story had continuity, even if it didn’t have a lot of depth.

If you’re looking for a fun and quick read that isn’t too spooky, this might work for you. But if you’re an avid reader horror literature, this is one you can skip.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.