I am in love with this book. A haunting gothic mansion, the crashing ocean, a mystery, and sporadic intense storms. All what you would expect from Miami in 1918. The Great War is in the past and wealth beyond your wildest dreams is on the horizon. Everyone in the north is heading to Florida, where land is cheap, the views are spectacular, and your wish is everyone's demand. If you have enough money that is. This carefully crafted dual timeline will weave an intricate story before your eyes. Everyone is a suspect, no one knows who is behind the murders or disappearances, they just know they lurk amongst the grounds.

Robert Barnes surprises his wife with the most extravagant birthday present possible, the gift of the mansion, Marbrisa. The setting is stunning. Set right at the edge of Biscayne Bay. It is impossibly large, over the top, and extravagant. Anne is a bit unsure of this move. She loves their smaller apartment in NYC, she feels like she is rattling around Marbrisa. Not only that, but the house also seems to be an entity of its own. There is a tension that mounts as soon as you step inside, a chill that runs down your back. There is something not quite right. The night of the all-important party when Robert hopes everyone will accept them into their circles. A woman ends up dead in the bay. Who is she? Why was she there, and the biggest question of all who killed her?

Marbrisa has been left vacant for years until Carmen Acosta's brother-in-law, Asher, buys it and brings it back to its former glory. Carmen's parents have both died tragically and she is left with just her sister, Carolina, for family. As she makes her way from Cuba to Miami, she cannot wait to see her sister once again. Upon her arrival Carolina is distant, she never sees her, the house seems to swallow everyone who enters. Carmen feels alone and adrift. When tragedy again strikes Marbrisa, Carmen is determined to figure out what is going on. As these two stories come exploding together. With an ending that kept on giving.

This is one of my favorite reads this year. It is atmospheric, ghostly, chilling, and will have you struggling to lift your eyes from the page. The descriptions put you right in the middle of the action. You can visualize the mansion, the exquisite gardens, and the lashing rains. Thank you to Chanel Cleeton and Berkley for this tantalizing read that I completely devoured.

Marbrisa really is the standout character here. Chanel Cleeton does the gothic mystery justice with the description of this grand house. Billed as historical fiction, this book read more like a mystery for me. Two timelines and perspectives- an early 40s married woman and an 18 year old girl—offer pieces to the overall plot that just makes for a great read. The timelines are only about 25 years apart, but so much happened in south Florida during that time, you almost think they are further apart. Probably the best book I’ve read this month!

The year is 1918, after the end of the Great War. As Anna Barnes approaches her 40th birthday, her adoring husband Richard surprises her with quite a gift. He is building a showcase mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay in the Miami area. His quest is to have his new waterfront estate rival that of nearby Vizcaya. It will be called Marbrisa. While Richard sees this as a way to showcase his wealth, Anna only sees problems ahead. And her fears are dead on. Years later in 1941, Asher Wyatt is the new owner of Marbrisa and lives there with his wife Carolina. After the death of her parents in Havana, her sister Carmen Acosta comes to live with them. Carmen quickly discovers that things are not quite right in the gothic mansion. Could the tragedy of the house's past be repeating itself?

Author Chanel Cleeton's The House on Biscayne Bay starts with Anna thinking to herself, "I cannot for the life of me imagine why anyone would want to live in Florida." Now that I live full time in South Florida (isn't that where New Yorkers are supposed to end up?) I knew I'd enjoy this book. So many of its grand mansions are long gone but how nice to be transported to a fictional estate and a timeline that pays homage to Florida history - the infamous Florida East Coast Railway, its land boom and subsequent bust including the effects of the 1926 Miami Hurricane, the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. The gothic atmosphere enhances the chilling history of Marbrisa, which is the book's true main character. This was a quick read and it never got too heavy. You might even figure out some of the secrets that lie behind the pale stone behemoth of a house. It's an enjoyable read.

A fancy Florida house with a dark history and a dual timeline mystery full of intrigue, infidelity and family secrets all linked to a unique snake necklace. While this wasn't my favorite book by this author, it was great on audio narrated by Caroline Hewitt and Frankie Corzo and I really enjoyed the Florida setting. Perfect for fans of authors like Hester Fox. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a spooky mystery set on the grounds of a gothic mansion in Miami.

It follows two women - Anna and Carmen - who live at the mansion decade apart. Both women have to deal with the death of a woman on the ground.

Carmen, who comes to live with her sister and brother in law, works to unravel the mystery when her sister is murdered. She works to uncover how the past connects to the present.

I enjoyed how atmospheric the story was. How the house was almost as much of a character as the people.
It was interesting to see the story unravel as the mystery is uncovered and as the story jumps between characters’ perspective.

There were moment when I was frustrated with Carmen. But I had to remind myself that she is 19 and living in the late 1930s. The times for women at that point were very different.

Overall very entertaining. The narrators were excellent.

Anna and Carmen have intuition and quickness that make them interesting characters. The supporting characters are written fully. There are twists and revelations that made this an impactful read.

Written over two timeline POVs, Gilded Age heiress Anna in 1918 and Carmen in 1941, an 18-year-old girl from Havana dealing with the traumatic loss of her parents and being sent to her estranged sister's home in Miami, their lives are woven and connected through the grand gilded age mansion Marbrisa located on Biscayne Bay. Both women don't realize that moving to this house will change their lives and make them question every person and relationship around them. This book weaves a murder mystery set for over twenty years, told by both women's POVs. I really enjoyed this murder mystery historical fiction novel. It was so different from any historical fiction novel I've ever read, and I enjoyed it so much.

Secrets, betrayal, wealth, murder—The House on Biscayne Bay has it all and more. This dual timeline novel is set on a palatial estate in Miami, an opulent house that has also been the scene of several violent crimes. There are many twists and turns in this haunting story as the truth comes to light. The cast of characters are intriguing, and I was never sure who I should trust, or who I should suspect.

Thank you so much Berkley for the free book and to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook!

This was the quintessential perfect mystery in my opinion!

This is my second book by Chanel Cleeton and after thoroughly enjoying The Cuban Heiress last year, I was stoked for her newest release!

A gothic mansion that was the site of mysterious murders across decades? Um yes, please!

Cleeton has immense talent when it comes to imagery. In the opening scene alone, I felt as though I were standing right in front of the mansion for the first time with our main characters as Robert gifts Anna the breathtaking estate on Biscayne Bay. The story jumps back and forth between Anna and Robert in the past and present day Carmen and her sister Carolina. The tension in both timelines continues to build at a steady pace until the surprising ending I didn't see coming! Two twists took me by surprise!

This was such a fun mystery that kept me locked in the whole time. Chanel Cleeton has excelled in this niche' of historical mystery and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

As far as the audio production is concerned, both narrators fit their characters so well and the distinction between the two of them was clearly evident so I was never confused which part of the story I was in at any given time! Highly recommend on audio if you can!

This will be available for purchase on April 2nd

How could a mansion with such a beautiful name - Marbrisa - be the scene of murders?

Peacocks screaming and dying and then construction workers and guests found dead.

1918 - Robert and Anna came from New York to Florida after the Great War, built an outlandish mansion, but it didn’t make them happy.

A drowning at their lavish party didn’t help with things. But was it an accident or murder?

1940 - Years later Carolina and Asher bought the house, fixed it up, and Carolina’s sister, Carmen, came to live with them after their parents died.

Another death happens and Carmen worries about her safety, especially since Asher controls her estate until she’s 21.

We follow both storylines as the mansion seems to be the center of attention and drama and as we meet characters that keep and tell secrets.

A marvelous Gothic-style read with undercurrents of menace that you can’t figure out if the menace is coming from a person, place, or thing.

Don't miss this one!!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is not for me. I stopped reading at 20% because I dod not care enough about the house or the characters to continue on.

I love Chanel Cleeton so I was excited to get this ARC. This is a mystery and we have two timelines, 1918 and 1941. In 1918, Robert is building this huge mansion for his wife, Anna, called Marbrisa. Many wealthy people are heading to Miami. Anna is not a fan of Florida and really wants nothing to do with the house. When the house is finished they have a huge party but a woman is found dead. Anna wants to believe it was an accident but she starts to hear things about her husband that are not good. In 1941, Carmen is being sent to live with her sister and brother-in-law at Marbrisa after the death of their parents. Animals keep being found dead on the property and people are calling the house cursed. When a person is found dead Carmen does not know what to do. Are the deaths connected from 1918 to 1941? I could not put this book down. I had to know how the timelines were connected and how it would all play out.

-That's what's missing here-everyone is chasing something, but I've come to realize that if you're always looking for something better, always waiting for the next thing to happen, for the die to roll, then you don't appreciate the things you have.

**Review will be shared release week on my site and socials!**

4.5 stars

LOVED THIS MYSTERY.

A fantastic historical mystery that kept me on my toes. I was in the dark (in the best ways) about how this entire plot was going to come together and it delivered. I love when I feel like shouting I KNEW IT because I’m enjoying the book so much that I can’t put it down, needing to know what happened next.

In classic Cleeton fashion, there’s history, intrigue and even a small subtle dash of romance. I looooved the setting. It was haunting and just the right side of creepy where I was wondering what was lurking in the shadows each evening. I loved the dual POV between Anna and Carmen. Each chapter begged me to keep going. The flow and ease of the author’s writing is one of the reasons I always have grabby hands every time I see a new book annoucement.

Highly recommend. Seriously a great book. Beautiful writing, the location and historical aspects are clearly well researched, and you’ll be hoping that your favorite characters make it out of the story in the end.

Overall audience notes:

Historical Mystery
Language: low
Romance: closed door
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, murder, loss of loved ones

This was a solid historical fiction mystery, with an interesting setting/time and place. I liked both timelines, as they both kept up the pace and were interesting enough. The first one is set during the construction and completion of an opulent mansion in post WWI Miami, with New York couple Anna and Robert Barnes settling into a new life, though Anna isn't as enthused about it, and the other being a couple decades later with new owners of the now notorious Marbrisa, with nineteen year old Carmen leaving Cuba after her parents deaths to join her older sister Carolina and her husband Asher, only to find secrets, deception, and a looming house with a tortured history involving death and possible murder. I liked Anna and Carmen enough, though I wasn't as invested in the other characters and found many of them to be a little flat. But I did like the uneasy Gothic vibes as both women through different time periods find themselves feeling trapped in this gorgeous house, and trapped in their own circumstances. The mysteries, however, weren't as interesting as the commentary on the lives that Anna and Carmen were living.

THE HOUSE ON BISCAYNE BAY was pretty okay. I think that as a mystery it was a little underwhelming, but as historical fiction melodrama it was satisfying.

I liked the house and the Miami setting in this book! The dual timelines are well done. I connected with two of the main characters, but I didn't love Carolina's character. I did feel transported to these time periods. Marbrisa, the home, is also a character in a book, although it sounds so over the top and not welcoming it is such an intriguing and important part of the story. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing group for the opportunity to read this book. This author always has books I enjoy!

I absolutely adore Cleeton’s ability to create wholly immersive stories that really drag you in and don’t let go until you’re finished, and this one was no different! I loved the suspense aspect of it and how the story unfolded between two different timelines told from two separate POVs. It was gothic and atmospheric and wonderful.

It's 1918 and Anna Barnes is not happy. Not happy with having to move to Florida and not happy with Marbrisa, the mansion that her husband had built to help solidify his fortune. She finds some happiness when she meets the architect, who builds in gardens to her specifications. Is the house marked by the death of a construction worker? After a party, where a young woman dies in the Bay also, Anna begins to wonder.

It's 1940 and Carmen Acosta is not happy. Her parents have died and she must move to Marbrisa with her estranged sister and brother-in-law, who is the guardian over her inheritance. After laying in ruin for years, Carmen's brother-in-law has bought Marbrisa with the hopes of restoring the house to its former glory. With several strange deaths and occurrences, has Marbrisa's curse been restored as well. Carmen must find out to live.

This historical mystery is set in the backdrop of swampy Florida during a time of real-estate booms and flops. I liked how the build-up developed between the two timelines to help the reader understand what was going on. I feel the epilogue was the cherry on top that wrapped all the information up neatly for the reader.

Thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher, and Chanel Cleeton for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book for my honest opinion.

_The House on Biscayne Bay_ by Chanel Cleeton is a dramatic historical fiction book that is character-centered and told from multiple points of view. Anna Barnes moves to Miami with her husband Robert after the Great War to pursue Robert’s dream of building a decadent house rivaled by no other in the area. Years later Carmen Acosta travels to the estate to live with her sister Carolina and husband Asher, and soon discovers a marriage in turmoil. Told interchangeably from both the perspectives of Anna and Carmen, life on the estate entails secrets and danger, and Carmen must solve the mysteries of the past to save her own life.

I unfortunately couldn't connect with the story. I had a hard time following it and getting into the plot itself. While I am a fan of Chanel's other books unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me.

When Robert Barnes and his wife Anna build Maribosa it is meant to be a new beginning for them, to help them immerse themselves into a new world and become successful in Miami...but in winds up being nothing but a nightmare to them. After a women is discovered murder on their property after a party it puts a black spot on their image... and things just continue to get worse from there. The house is not a paradise like it was intended to be, it's a house with many secrets, secrets that sometimes kill.

The House on Biscayne Bay is a thrilling page-turner that kept me completely enthralled and on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Page after page I fell deeper into this slightly off kilter world and the more captivated I became with it all. It was a suspenseful, riveting, and perfectly plotted masterpiece that I couldn't let go of... definitely one of my most favorite titles from this author to date! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, the Maribosa is full of secrets and who doesn't like a good secret every now and then?

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.