Charlotte has come to build a new life for herself and her son. What she doesn't know is that there was a nefarious reason she was offered a new job and a place to start over.

Autumn Falls, a lovely name for the odd town with weird inhabitants. There were lots of things I liked about this book. The mystery of the old hospital where even paramedics are forbidden to go, the "ghost" ambulance that can be seen cruising down the street, the creepy way the children act, as if they are synchronized, even the Pig Man! There are lots of spooky happenings here and several gruesome deaths and mutilations. What I didn't like was the way some of the characters interacted, and their dialogue. It just hit a few wrong notes with me that a woman who has had to flee an abusive relationship would be so willing to spill her life story to her new coworkers practically the minute they first meet, or to feel obligated to explain to strangers why she chose to raise her son on her own. It could be, that was the way the author chose to fill the reader in on Charlotte's back story but in my head I was screaming it's none of their business! Why are you spilling your guts to these strangers?

I enjoyed the more macabre moments of the story but wasn't crazy about the long lost love angle.

Charlotte's Mom told her not to every go to Maine. But she got a job on the island of Autumn Falls Maine she couldn't turn down. The dead come back to life she sees things, and there is a mystery building no one enters.

Autumn Falls is a cool idea, and I enjoyed getting to explore that part of the plot. I actually liked Charlotte, and I thought her friendship with Chuck was nice, but I didn't care about the other characters or their relationships. Zack is way too perfect of a guy. Like, I don't think it's realistic at all that a guy who finds out his high school girlfriend had his baby in secret, and his whole family knew and kept it secret, just shrugs his shoulders and pushes her to become a family again without any concerns, anger, etc.. Also found how easily he slipped into being a father unrealistic. He had no adjustment period or anything, and it just didn't feel realistic at all. Everything seemed to wrap up too perfectly in the end, too. Overall, the horror elements do what they need to. The pigman really freaked me out, especially the first time he appeared, so there are nice bits in the horror realm. The characters' personal lives and developments? Perhaps not as much.

Twenty-five years ago, a deal was made to save a child’s life. Now the time has come for someone to pay the price.

Paramedic Charlotte Briggs is a woman on the run. Having escaped an abusive man with her son, she lives out of motels until a mysterious call offers her a job in a sleepy, fog-locked town of Autumn Falls.

At first, the picturesque New England town, situated off the coast of Maine, seems like an ideal place to raise her son, until strange things begin to happen. At first, it’s just the crows following her around the island and the frightful creature lurking in the shadows. Then, the accidents start. Gruesome, bloody accidents unlike any she’d ever seen before. The island is thirsty for human blood. The dead also don’t stay dead. They either return to warn her or threaten her, and Charlotte suspects that not all is well in her new town.

Digging into the island’s past, Charlotte won’t only unearth its supernatural secrets, but also solve the mystery of her own link to this cursed chunk of rock in the Atlantic.
Afraid I couldn’t really connect to the characters or the storyline

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t connect with the characters or writing style. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good book, of course—everyone has different tastes so if the description appeals to you, give it a go.

Ghosts, witches, curses, creepy residents - and hey, a bit of romance to tie things together. Fast read with some creepiness built in - will hold your attention and draw you to the satisfying conclusion. Good cast of characters you will root for along the way.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book !

Kingston
Autumn Falls
by A. R Kingston

I really dislike giving anything but positive reviews because in most cases it is simply a matter of taste. As in this case, this book just wasn't for me but there is nothing about it that I can say makes it a bad read. I just could not get into it at all.

The characters are not believable and the action is repetitive, long winded and guessable. This idea should have been treated in a short story not a novel.

Oh goody. I’m the first to review this crime against good taste. Ok, let’s do this.
I’m a staunch believer in judging book by the cover. It isn’t a 100% sort of rule, but it’s close. And this book should have definitely been judged by the cover, albeit not the cover on it, but the covers of the author’s other works, which are an all American agricultural mix of cheese and corn. The actual cover for this book is fine, in a generic sort of way, in fact it may be the least objectionable thing about this steaming pile of doodoo production.
Did I expect much? No, absolutely not, having never heard of the author, having a fairly good idea of the sort of low end crap the publisher specializes in. A quick mindless genre thing would have sufficed. And to her credit, the author did try with this…her first venture into the realm of horrific inspired by a nightmare, but boy, did it fail. Wherein the trite generic plot (small island off the coast of the ever so creepy Maine, witches, Native American legends, etc.) itself might have held water while recycling and juggling a variety of genre cliches, the writing sank this so efficiently, it made the Titanic seem safe and sound.
So let’s get into that…meet the cast. Charlotte, a young woman admirably dedicated to saving lives, mother to the ever precocious nine year old whom she had Gilmore Girled into the world at 16, though the love of her life (Zach, was it? It’s already a distant memory) has abandoned her upon graduation. Charlotte’s taste in men hasn’t improved since, she gets stuck with an abusive dud for years until she finally ditches him and gets recruited to come work to a picturesque remote Maine town. The fact that she gets recruited through LinkedIn she doesn’t have…well, she ignores that of desperation and also, let’s face it, she doesn’t seem all that bright. And her new life at first seems too good to be true and then quickly turns into a nightmare. But not before a perfectly timed reunion with Zach or whatever, who has since become wealthy, famous and apparently has been pining for Charlotte the entire time. Not enough to actually do something about it, just…passively. The minute they get together, they are reunited as a happy family and stand together against the forces of evil. But wait…
Wait, you say, life doesn’t work like that. People don’t act like that. Well, apparently they do in crappy books. That alone would have been…well, ok, because at least the author has some idea of how plot works. But then there’s her character writing, which is just…abysmal. Charlotte is determined to be a solitary character, but she overshares in long verbatim monologues to everyone in the vicinity. You’d think she’d just be happy with her kid, who talks and acts exactly as any adult. Beyond precocious, mind you, more like written by someone who has apparently never met a nine year old. Or any kid. Ever. Adults don’t fare much greater either. They are all just flatly animated carboard cutouts stolen from some cheap romance novels. They don’t ever quite manage to talk or act like real people. Combine that with a flatly crafted, messily cobbled together, typo covered narrative and you might an idea of what this waste of digital ink is like.
And yes, I’m aware, this is a Netgalley thing, might be an unedited ARC, but a. it doesn’t seem like an ARC, seems like a finished product and b. you don’t understand just how many typos this had (record numbers, people), it was like the author didn’t even try and/or have never even heard of editing, proofreading, etc.
And one last thing…the author chose to begin every chapter with a quote from great and otherwise (Koonz, so much Koonz) writers. Which is, one supposes, aspirational, considering the quality of the following chapters never gets within shouting distance of that. In fact, the overall effect is of an ugly bride surrounding herself with supermodel bridesmaids, basically highlighting the lamentable quality of the main presentation.
So there you go. A proper dud. For how much reading and trying new authors I do, it’s still notably irredeemably sh*tty. Almost…almost amusingly sh*tty, but nevertheless a total waste of time. Reader be warned. Thanks Netgalley.

Twenty-five years ago, a deal was made to save a child’s life. Now the time has come for someone to pay the price.
So.I find some horror novels to be meh! Not this one. It was great!
What I loved most was the story.... This is why I LOVE reading. The imagination that's used simply blows me away.
I enjoyed the characters here. They are suspicious, strong, and realistic. I enjoyed reading about Charlotte Briggs story...! Its a crazy one.... For sure.
Looking for a good horror novel? Read this one!
Thank you NetGalley, Keen Quill Press and author form this wonderful book!