2.5 stars rounding up to 3 because it had potential.

This one was a real slow burn, so slow in fact it may have sizzled out for me before we really got to the climax.

There was just SO much detail about Tash and her family and their business, and it just didn’t add anything to the story for me. I found the story about the missing women far more compelling, and though the two intertwine eventually, it just all feels too much. I could have done without the Tash story-line all together – or perhaps it belonged in a separate book. It just didn’t ultimately feel connected at all. It’s only barely mentioned in the book description!!!

I think, for me, this is just an example of a book with a great premise that wasn’t fully executed. The best part of the story happened in like, the final chapter in a quick synopsis of events. The reason the women went missing in the first place is the story! I would have loved to see that more fully fleshed out.

Oh well, I was invested enough to see this through and find out what was happening, but it just didn’t have me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with and advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Three women go missing in this very odd thriller. I have to say that I really did enjoy it, but the pacing was a little off and I could not really understand the motivation of Tash, the only person seemingly looking for them.

I seem to be in the minority, but I did not think the book started off slow. I think it told the story of each of the missing women well and I can't think what I would have cut out of each of their stories. I would have even added to the set-up by explaining Tash's connection better. She seems to come out of nowhere and start investigating simply because she once drove past one of the victims. I'm pretty confused there.

Where I think the pacing is off is the last 5% or so of the book. It wraps up way too neatly way too fast.

This book could have been so creepy. Instead it was kind of campy and cheesy. The characters did not feel truly dangerous but instead like cartoon villains and damsels in distress. I was hoping for more but it was a quick listen and it didn't require a whole lot of attention to follow.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book and I wasn’t sure I loved the narrator. It starts really slow, but I stuck with it and ended up enjoying it. The narrator grew on me as well. The characters were interesting and their backstories were believable. Overall, I liked it!

I tried. I really did. I just couldn't get into this book. I was confused from the start and nothing seemed to clear up for me. It felt like I jumped into the water with no life jacket on. I couldn't find the motivation to try to to stick it out. My apologies to the publisher and NetGalley but thank you for the opportunity to give this a listen.

A gingerbread house , scared the crap out of me. I never want to meet new people and especially go visit anyone, ever again

Interesting take on an old classic. In this book you follow the lives of different women as they’re drawn to this distinctive house on a country road. None of them seem to have anything in common so you’re constantly trying to piece the puzzle together. Definitely some traumatic events that may be difficult for some readers so proceed with caution. I did find myself very intrigued to see how things would play out. If you’re in the mood for a twisted adventure, try this book.

Special thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the opportunity to enjoy this book in exchange for an honest personal review.

This book felt like a dark and gruesome twist on the classic Hansel & Gretel.

This book was appealing since Halloween is coming up and the ending of the book delivered on that dark thriller appeal.

The beginning of this book was so slow telling Kate's captive's (Ivy, Martine, Laura) backstories. Each story added a bunch of ancillary characters and information that didn't really add much to the plot other than just filler. I also felt like much of Tasha's story was filler as well.

I liked the overall plot, but felt myself loosing some interest with all the extra drawn out information while listening to the audiobook.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the A Gingerbread House by Catriona McPherson. The storyline was different but a good one.

A Gingerbread House by Catriona MacPherson is a strange tale of missing women. These women were taken, rather, walked into a trap, by the least suspected little woman ever. She convinced them to come to her. When she did, she trapped them in a cellar. February, March, May. April was evidently too careful to fall for it. Tash, on the other hand, had run away with evidence that her father's transport company was smuggling human cargo. Knowing that once she confronted him she might end up dead, she planted the information in places that would eventually be discovered. It was all there. She confronted him, but not before discovering it was worse than she thought: it was trafficking. He denied it, but of course he was guilty. She wanted to keep the company and bring it back into prosperity but was that possible? She ran with a meeting date that he would turn over the company to her, but she was not stupid. She made it so people would know she was missing so they would look for here. That was the problem with the missing women. They were loners, worked for themselves. No one cared, least of all the police. Their loves converge in the most interesting of ways.

I listened to the audio version of this book and it was a very good job done by Mhairi Morrison who kept the women straight. She was low-key and undramatic, even at the most dramatic moments. She let the words speak for themselves.

Tash was a very clever woman and played to her strengths. The women in the cellar lasted for months and there were plenty of hardships. The reasons for the kidnapping were not made clear until the very end, after Tash joined the others. It was a clever plot and paced perfectly. In the beginning the women's stories were introduced separately, with Tash interspersed, until they kind of came together, and it became all about Tash, until she joined them. It was interesting to see how strong these various women could be. They were not a type, but joined in that trait. I enjoyed listening to A Gingerbread House. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of the audio version of The Gingerbread House by Dreamscape Media through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #agingerbreadhouse #catrionamacpherson

A Gingerbread House is an eerie mystery perfect for spooky season. McPherson does a wonderful job of weaving together this multi-perspective story. The reader bounces around, learning each abducted woman's story, but we are held at arm's length for the final act. I found this building up of momentum and reset quite heart racing but in a quiet way. I didn't realize what was happening to me until we were following the third and final woman. I found Tash's plot mysterious at first but I think a little more could have been done with her story. It felt too rambling and loose. I did appreciate the fact that she was wrong at times in her assumptions. An infallible protagonist can be a bit of a bore.

Overall, I loved the way this book came together. The writing style and story structure reminded me of my favorite crime dramas. I will definitely be checking out more from this author.

A note on the audio copy: Great voice, but the narrator should have had a more varied approach to her characters. Too many of them sounded the same.

Thank you NetGalley for an early release copy!

Fun thriller! Narrator does an excellent job. The stories of the three women captives are well fleshed out and Tash is a great counterpoint to the captive stories. If you like psychological thrillers this one is excellent.

I want to start by saying that while this book was not for me, I do believe many readers who enjoy thriller/horror will enjoy Catriona McPherson's latest book. This book is about several women who, one each month, find themselves invited to a fairy tale cottage owned by two sisters but are unable to leave. I did enjoy the first half of the book as we got to know these women and the personal connection that drew them to willingly go meet these sisters. The second half of the book was tense and suspenseful - it was hard not to be invested in the characters' well being. That said, the second half was also overly graphic, a little drawn out, and not entirely believable. Overall, it was just an okay read for me.

I want to thank the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. #AGingerbreadHouse #NetGalley

Rating: 2/5

I was a bit confused at the beginning as had a little difficulty keeping the four different storylines straight and apart for as long as needed, maybei that is where the physical book trumps over audio. The story of how several women end up in captivity, what makes them vulnerable and what makes it easy to disappear them and one woman who is desperate to come out on top and not be disappeared, from a completely differents angle, though.
The book slowly grew on me as the tensions grew and things started happening.
There are some very tense and creepy moments, the author did an excellent job in describing the relationship of the three captive women in their shared captivity.
There are lovely descriptions of Scotland that made me wish I was there.
The author is a talented storyteller and the story me listening and engaged till the last twists and the solution. The narration by Mhairi Morrison was engaging, captivating and added to the sense of place and atmosphere.
An entertaining and gripping thriller that I do recommend.

Oh, my, GOODNESS!

Talk about personality disorder! This book was so crazy, you have a tiny woman essentially helping to kidnap people, you have a family with a terrible secret, a child trying to break free and save herself. So many things made this book a wild ride.

At first, it was hard for me to follow and then once I got into the rhythm of the story I was so absorbed! I most definitely read more from this author.

Talk about twisty!

Would anyone notice if you went missing? There are multiple stories going on within this book and it’s a wild ride. I’ll be honest I’m still slightly confused on the ending. It was very interesting and captivating. I stayed up way passed my bedtime because I had to find out how it ended.

I really enjoyed the narrator. She did a very good job with all the characters.

The setting in Scotland was what drew me to this book, and I loved the narrator's accent. The only problem was that when the story switched back and forth between the two different perspectives/story lines, it took me a few minutes to realize there had been a switch, which caused a fair bit of confusion on my part. The audiobook could have used a second narrator, or some way of clearly indicating the move to a different storyline. All in all, I liked the book fairly well, and particularly enjoyed how the two storylines gradually moved toward each other and dovetailed at the end.

I hate to admit defeat on a book, but this one... I cry uncle. Please just make it stop. There are about a million characters, some in first person, some in third; details that do nothing but slow the story, I cannot take it any longer. I could not finish it. A quarter of the way through the book and I have absolutely no idea what is going on - AT ALL.

The narrator has a beautiful brogue that pulls the listener into the story. I'd like to listen to her again.

A Mystery thriller set in Scotland this ended up a win for me. I felt very confused and it dragged at the beginning but I ended up really liking the story. There are times I felt the author gave to much information and that made it hard for me on what “the main” story was about.
This is actually two stories that merge into one with a sort of happy ending. I hope this doesn’t discourage you from trying this audiobook. You’ll have to be patient with the direction and I felt like it paid off. I really liked the main characters and the ending. I would recommend this as a audiobook. The narrator was Mhairi Morrison and she was lovely. This was 10 hours and 57 minutes.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

#AGingerbreadHouse #NetGalley

Audiobook
This compelling horror story is composed of two smaller stories running parallel to each other for the first two thirds of the book. We meet Tash, who has discovered a secret phone and is questioning her father and the family business. She REVERES her father and spends time trying to get to the bottom of the mystery and questions whether she should go to the police.

In alternating chapters we meet Kate and Gail, two sisters living in a gingerbread cottage in the woods. Kate, ostensibly for Gale, lures single people back to the cottage under the guise of long lost relatives. As Tash follows the clues to unravel the mystery of her father's business doings her story converges with the Gingerbread House. THAT'S when the story really takes off!

A slow burn to start, this book is gothic horror and the descriptions are atmospheric and eerie. The ending is quite vivid and violent and maybe not for everyone. It definitely will affect your sleep! The narrator is very skilled and does an excellent job of differentiating the voices and building the tension. Thank you to #NetGalley #DreamScape for the audiobook in exchange for a fair review.