The Nursery

A house that sat empty for fifty years as its dead owner instructed. A locked room with no key. A single father with eight-year-old twin girls. A nursery from long, long ago that no child ever played in.There are eerie things going on at The Arbors in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Architect Jordan Blanchard is joined by his friend Callie Pilantro (“Callie – The Bayou Hauntings 1”) and Landry Drake (“Forgotten Men – The Bayou Hauntings 2”) to learn the secrets of a domineering matriarch whose two husbands died in bizarre ways. They explore the house as someone watches from a hidden place high above. The Nursery, the third book in the series, will keep you up late at night wondering what’s behind the next door, what lies beyond the mirror and who hides and waits at The Arbors.
This is my first Bill Thompson book and I will be getting the other two from this series. This is a great story. It has an unusual premise which appealed to me when I read the “blurb” for it. The story moved right along with twists that I did not expect. I liked it and, for the most part, I liked the characters. A good book. Very suspenseful with enough paranormal to keep you on edge as to what the ghost or spirits are going to do with the living. I had hoped for a different ending regarding the female ghost, but it is still a great story.

The Nursery by author Bill Thompson is an eerie read that sends chills throughout your body while reading. Definitely a horror story worth reading!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Nursery in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I've read by Bill Thompson and my first in the Bayou Hauntings series. The premise of the book is that an old Louisiana mansion has sat empty for the past 50 years, unavailable to the public and can only be purchased with the caveat that one of the rooms in the house, which is locked, is to remain undisturbed. Architect, Jordan Blanchard and his 2 young twin daughters move in and find that they almost can't bear not knowing what is behind the locked door. What happens next is beyond anyone's belief. As paranormal investigator Landry begins to learn more about the mansion known as The Arbors, will he be able to save Jordan and the twins? Can he solve the 50 year old mystery of what happened to the owner and why the room has been locked all this time?

I enjoyed reading this book. The pace was fast and I was surprised several times by the twists. I liked the paranormal aspects of this book and found it to be not so farfetched but enough for the willing suspension of disbelief. I would have liked to have known more back story to Callie, but this is because I didn't know this book was part of a series. I really liked that the focus of the story was on multiple characters. For example, Landry's story was the focus for several chapters, Jordan's story was the focus and so on. I would have enjoyed more of this historical back story, but liked the part that did focus on the Arbors previous owner.
Overall I recommend this book for readers who like paranormal stories, old southern homes, and secret rooms and mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. This review is my own opinion.

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Architect Bart Blanchard is furious when Landry Drake shows up at his palatial pre-Civil War mansion. He knows that Landry has a very popular television show about hauntings in the old mansions of the South. Being a single dad with two young daughters to protect, he wants nothing to do with Landry, and especially his show. In spite of Landry’s assurances that he won’t use the house, Landry throws him out.

The Arbors mansion came with some odd provisos when Blanchard bought it. No one was allowed to live in it for fifty years following the previous owner Olivia Beaumont’s death and there is a locked room (with no key), that is not to be opened.

Of course Blanchard can’t resist opening to door. It is a nursery. Then his daughters are keeping secrets, and then they go missing. Blanchard is beside himself.

He decides to team up with Landry and Landry and Blanchard’s friend Carrie to investigate. Perhaps something odd is going on.

Indeed, something very odd is going on. A malevolent ghost who wants to kill, secret rooms and mysterious historical deaths are just some of the strange things happening.

This is a great story. It has an unusual premise which appealed to me when I read the “blurb” for it. The story moved right along with twists that I did not expect. I liked it and, for the most part, I liked the characters. That is always important to me – having someone in a book to whom I can relate. This is my first Bill Thompson book and I immediately went to Amazon to look at his other books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Ascendente Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good little book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I enjoyed this book. A house that sat vacant for 50 years, a new owner, and a locked room that can be changed in any way. Twin girls who make friends with a bad ghost but another house has a nice ghost who wants to help.. It also has a mirror to another dimension and hidden bodies where no bodies should be. and of course, an old abandoned grave yard. All this adds up to a great story

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an unbiased review

Jordan Blanchard is the newest owner of The Arbors, a pre-civil war house standing on the river in St. Francisville, LA. When Mr. Blanchard bought the house, it had been sitting vacant for 50 years per the previous owner’s instructions. The previous owner left another odd caveat as well – whomever buys the house agrees to not change the one room in the house that is locked. Thinking he can live with a locked room if the price is right, Jordan purchases the house. With plenty of room for his children and his business, he thought The Arbors was perfect for his family. Unfortunately, the former owner, Olivia Beaumont, agrees. This is her home, deceased or not. You see, all she ever wanted was children. And now there are two living in her house…
Jordan knows his twin daughters are keeping something from him. Once he finally was able to open the locked room and discovered it was a nursery, the girls have been acting strange. They play in the room all the time with their “friend,” Cherry. But Cherry wants them to call her Mama and promises to take them away. When the girls disappear one day, Jordan is frantic. He can’t believe that his house is haunted, but if it isn’t, where did the girls go?
This is not your typical haunted house story. There is a nice ghost and malevolent ghost, hidden bodies, a child’s grave where one did not belong, and travels through a mirror to other dimensions. And that doesn’t even touch the real-life evil that’s stalking the family’s every move. This is a different type of ghost story. It was quite enjoyable!

This book has a lot going on.
Old houses with a past and secrets too difficult to bear.
When last owner doesn't want to leave, and makes arrangements to keep the house from selling until fifty years of her death, and a special condition to not disturb a room that is a mystery for the new owner and his twins. Strange things start to happen and the world of the dead collides with the living.
Creepy and scary from the start.
Definitely recommend it.

Let me start off by saying that I love the cover. It is what first drew me to the book. That’s also one of the few fantastic things about The Nursery. If you have read “haunted house” stories before, you will find the plot very familiar. Person buys house, disobeys the “rules”, and makes the ghost angry.

In the case of The Nursery, that person was Jordan Blanchard (I have no idea why the description says Bart Blanchard), and the house is an old plantation whose former owner stipulated that the house sit vacant for fifty years after her death and that one door in the house was to remain “undisturbed.”

Can you guess what happened next? After moving into the house with his twin daughters and setting up his office, the girl’s are shown where the key is by the ghost who has been waiting for them. Long story short, they open the door, and find, you guessed it, a nursery.

There are deaths, good ghosts, bad ghosts, a ghost hunter, old employees who kept the former owners secrets, and a best friend. Each chapter read like Thompson was following a scripted outline that had hints of Poltergeist 2, Mama, and even a little The Others in it.

Unfortunately, the writing style and predictability of the story’s progression ruined the book for me. It’s a good quick read if you like stories that are more “case file” for the paranormal investigator.

Thank you NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Smith Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
I loved the cover and the blurb of this book because the are what caught my attention from the start.
I loved hearing the story about how the grand house stood empty for 50 years after the widow Beaumonts death. She made arrangements for the manor to be kept up providing that the nursery was not to be opened for any reason.
That is until the new owner and his twin daughters moved in. That is when things began to happen.
You think you know what is going to happen but don't get to cocky because this book has more twists than a mega roller coaster.

I love a good ghost story thank you net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. First one I read by this author

I've now read Book 2 and Book 3 of Bill Thompson's fantastic Bayou Hauntings Series (THE FORGOTTEN MEN, and THE NURSERY). I adore this series and deem them re-readers. (I'll be reading Book 1, CALLIE, soonest). It's wonderful to read them in order, but each can be read as a stand-alone if need be, because the characters carry over and Mr. Thompson provides enough backstory to carry on with. He also provides wonderful historical and cultural details, and his character treatments are superbs. The reader quickly becomes involved with the characters (even the "villains") and their psychology and behaviour are true to life and realistic.

Now, as for the Horror: I love it! So implacable, which is my go-to criterion for good horror. Here it is excellent. THE NURSERY stars a woman who although long dead (five decades) is still going strong, and is a very powerful and controlling spirit, facing up against a loving widowed single father and his eight-year-old twin daughters, whom the ghost covets. Characters from Books 1 and 2 also are part of this ongoing story. THE NURSERY is a thrill to read (and terrifying too!).

A house that sat empty for fifty years as its dead owner instructed. A locked room with no key. A single father with eight-year-old twin girls. A dusty, dank nursery from long ago that no child ever played in.

There are eerie things going on at The Arbors in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Architect Bart Blanchard is joined by his friend Callie Pilantro (“Callie – The Bayou Hauntings 1”) and Landry Drake (“Forgotten Men – The Bayou Hauntings 2”) to learn the secrets of a domineering matriarch whose two husbands died in bizarre manners. As they discover more secrets in the house, someone watches from a hidden room at the very top of the huge old mansion.

“The Nursery” will keep you up late at night wondering what’s behind the next door, what lies beyond a mysterious mirror and who waits to kill one of the people at The Arbor." This definitely kept me up all night because I couldn't put it down! I felt like I couldn't read fast enough. It was just the spooky mystery thriller that I've been waiting for.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheNursery
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2018

The Nursery by Bill Thompson is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I had difficulty getting it to download so I am thankful for KU!
This is the third book in the series and I think I would have liked it better, if that was possible, if I had read the others first. This book mentions things that must have happened in previous books but it didn't slow down the plot at all.
This is about a man that buys an old mansion that has sat empty for 50 years before he gets it. He is a widow with twin daughters. The daughters are visited by an old women in black that speaks mind-to-mind with the girls. Wants the girls to call her Mama, and to go where there real mother is.
A friend of his has a bed and breakfast that has a ghost that is helpful. A pair of famous ghost hunters are staying there at the time when things get really crazy!
This has lots of suspense, twists, turns, emotions, well developed characters, and great plot development too! I am a bit mad at the author for ripping my heart out near the end of the book! Unfair!!! I had to use my MY to get the first two books now to get caught up. Looks like I found another author to follow! Great job!

This was a creepy and eerie read. Have two daughter this was even more unsettling to read a book about children being haunted by a ghost that appears to harm those that do thing against her wishes. The plot of the book is well thought out and I liked how we learn the background of the ghost. However, the writing was disjointed at times. The story would have an abrupt turn like the ending, (which was very abrupt). I think that Mark could have been eliminated from the book. I liked the beginning and middle but the ending was too abrupt after waiting for so many days to see about the girls.

All in all, this is a memorable book and while it has it flaws I did like it while enough to keep the writing a 3.

I would recommend this for those that like a little paranormal with their thrillers.

Creepy, atmospheric and definitely lost a little sleep! Good plot, decent characters. Really enjoyed it and hope to read more!

A great gohst story to chill your bones. What happens when you buy a house that has sat unlived in for 50 years at the request of the owner. The nursery is a haunting tale of ghosts, murder and love. Figure out who is behind everything? I bet you are wrong.

I really enjoyed this book. Great page turner which kept me guessing until the very end. Atmospheric and tense in places.

This is the third book in this series, which I was not aware of when I requested it. I didn't struggle understanding what was going on. Easy to jump into it but I am sure it would be fun to read them all from the beginning.

A eerie, eerie book. A house that has been sitting empty for fifty years, since it's owner (Widow Beaumont) died. Arrangements were maid upon her passing for the manor, knows as the Arbor, to be kept up and that the nursery bedroom was to never be opened. The house was available to be purchased by someone but the person who purchases the house must never, ever, ever open the locked door, which has no key (the nursery).

Jordan Blanchard and his twin daughters move in. Will Jordan or his daughters open the locked door? What is so secretive about this room that it must remain locked and forbidden?

Jordan is soon joined by his friend Callie and paranormal investigator, Landry Drake to help him find out the secrets of the deceased widow and this house. A widow, who was married two times and her husbands died in mysterious ways. But someone is watching . . . .

The Arbors has been empty for fifty years. Jordan who is an architect and father of twin daughters age eight decides to buy the three story house. He has repairs and some changes made in the house. When Jordan bought it, he was told that their was a locked room that was never to be open or used. His plans for the first floor is to use it as his office and working space for his employees. The second floor will be kept as it was when the house was first built and give tours to the public. The third floor was to be their home where he and the twins would live. His wife and the twins mother had died. When the twins have a dream about the location of the key for the locked room, they awaken and find the key. Jordan and his girls go to the locked room and unlock it. They discover it is a nursery. They can tell it’s never been used as everything is in excellent condition even though dusty. The girls fall in love with room and beg to be able to use it. Jordan decides to let them. A mysterious lady in black appears to the girls and plays with them in the nursery. Why? Who is she? There is another mystery of someone staying in the house but no one knows it. Who is that person?

The author has written a story that has many secrets to be discover about the house. While this is a mystery, it is also romance and horror. Reading this novel kept me reading up very late at night as it was full of intrigue and discoveries. I definitely enjoyed reading this novel. You will too!

This was an enjoyable mystery. And I love New Orleans, so I was most interested that the story took place in a nearby town, and that the characters who came to The Arbors from New Orleans went to places I see every time I'm there. (It also left me wanting to explore St. Francisville).

The story did have a few minor problems. It was not as suspenseful as I typically like my ghost stories, and there were a few inconsistencies that irked me from time to time. The description of the ghost led me to believe that she was dressed in an almost Victorian way - but she apparently died in the mid-sixties. I think a better description of the ghost's appearance, as well as a more time period details about the items and toys in the nursery could have helped the story tremendously.

Content-wise, there are no explicit details, although characters do spend the night together, and it's a little jarring when an old letter is found describing the extent someone went to to have children. Other than that, there really isn't anything objectionable in the book.

Good things - I did find Jordan's twin girls charming and very well-written. They reminded me exactly of a set of twins I know. Consequently I did find myself very worried for the girls as I pictured my young friends in their place lol. Anne Marie was extremely well-written, and I honestly think she was the most chilling and suspenseful part of the story. Her quirkiness and obscure manner of speaking definitely gives you that spine-tingling, looking-over-your-shoulder feeling. (Although, on another note, I'm sad we didn't get a recap about her involvement with the other child at Beau Rivage. I'm assuming it's from a previous book?). I did not read the first two books in this series, and I think I would have had a better picture of the characters if I had, but I didn't feel lost. There was enough information that you could read this alone, but not too many spoilers that it would ruin the first two books. And I enjoyed this story and the characters enough that I would go back and read the first two books.

I received a free e-copy of The Nursery (The Bayou Hauntings Book3) by Bill Thompson from Net Galley in exchange for my review.

I didn’t realize The Nursery is the third book in a series until after I received it, but there was never a time when I felt lost or like I was missing important information. However, I would like to read the first two books and see how the series is meant to be read!

I really enjoyed this book. It presents a twist on the traditional haunted house story, and brings something fresh to the family moving into an old house tale we’ve all read (and loved) before. There are moments throughout the book that are really unsettling, interspersed with non-supernatural happenings; that really allows for the tension to build. This is definitely a book I would recommend.

More like 3 1/2 stars but I rounded up to 4 because I enjoyed the plot.

Heads up, you won't enjoy these characters. At all. Even a little bit. I didn't mind Lauren or the girls, but the rest of them? Had I not wanted to know what happened, my dislike for the whole bunch of them would have made me put the book down.

Jordan is a frigging idiot, he actually felt manic. Going from one extreme to the next with no understanding as to how or why. Callie falling in love with him after a few hours of real time spent together? Landry was a jerk of epic proportions. Was he purposely trying to be as unlikeable and arrogant as possible?

The only redeeming quality was the plot. The book didn't flow in any type of why, it could have been half as long as it was if not for all the unneeded fluff put in to make it longer. I also felt as though the time period was mixed up. She's described in an almost Victorian manner but she died in the 60s. Just another inconsistency in the book. The plot though, was engaging and the only thing that kept me turning the pages.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2705972651

# The Nursery # Netgalley

After the hose stood empty for 50 yrs, someone finally moves in. It’s erre chilling. Makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, so addictive

The thrills start from the very outset with this and, by including enough facts and plausible characters, Thompson keeps you wondering whether the deaths and threats are due to the supernatural or evil actions of the living. The continuous threat to the young twins contributes to the anxiety of the reader as well as those in the story.
As the book develops the reader is made increasingly aware of another dangerous character and his involvement ensures the storyline remains interesting and less predictable.
A thrilling read that could make a really good film.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ascendente Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I want some escapism, I want a good ghost story, and that is just what you will find in this book. I liked it from the beginning and the story just kept getting more interesting as I got further into the book.

There were a few moments when I wondered about the sanity of the characters, especially the father who owned the main house in the book, because it felt a little like he was ignoring all of the obvious signs that something was wrong in his environment, but then, I suppose this is an accurate portrayal of Skepticism. I wouldn't have believed the kinds of things that were happening in that house if they were happening to me, either.

In any case, this book has some truly terrifying moments, but it isn't graphic or brutal, and would be good for the kind of reader that enjoys uncovering old mysteries. I saw some of the end coming, but couldn't figure out everything, so there was still some nice surprises in store for me at the end.

I read this book during a snowstorm, when it was cold outside and the wind was howling, adding to the ambiance. This is a spine-tingling tale that kept my mind working from the first page to the last. I definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a good story that will keep you thinking about it when the book is finished.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Bill Thompson has taken tried and true horror setting and given it new life in this story of a man and his two daughters. The Nursery has all of the elements of a horror story that you should not read just before bed and the added characters of a movie crew that researches ghost sightings. Add the two together and it's a race to the end of the book to see what's going to happen. Bill Thompson ties in the characters from his other series, a feat that gives us hope of more to come.

Do you love a scary story? Well then, you are going to LOVE this book! Don't read this one with the lights off...

Jordan found the Arbors home one that could not be passed up. Fabulous older home, with an even better price tag. He is a little hesitant when he first sees the amount, only because there is no way that the house could go for that price. When they move in, there are very few restrictions on this historic home, but Jordan is about to discover the consequences of messing with things that are best meant to be left alone.

Discover the horror that awaits in this idyllic home in The Nursery.

Ya'll, no lie - I could NOT put this book down! I ended up stopping work this afternoon just to finish reading! I was hooked from the start and this book did not disappoint. Get ready for a fabulous adventure, and a night of sleeping with the lights on!

Man oh man! This book was lit. I enjoyed it so much. I’m a scaredy-cat too so now I have to go to sleep with my tv on or I’m going to be thinking about Olivia or Anne-Marie. This book was a trip. I mean there was so much. You can kind of see the things fall into place early on but the story telling just makes you want to keep reading it anyways. I enjoyed every bit of it. I did not see the end coming. I highly recommend this book.