The House on the Bluff

Rating:
Summary: "The House On The Bluff" is a delightful mystery ...!
Review: "The House On The Bluff" is a delightful mystery laced with romance and adventure. The language is descriptive and brings to life the compelling story. Once started, it's hard to put down. I enjoyed reading every page of this wonderful novel in the north shore setting of Massachusetts.

- Author of "Look Out The Window"

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Tales 4 stars review
Review: by Shannah Biondine

The house on the bluff is known as The Pierce House to locals of Adam's Point. Abigail Adams Pierce arrives in this small New England town determined to investigate the house, which is part of a mysterious family legacy harking back to eleventh century England. The house has been abandoned and has spent most of its many decades perching in eerie, empty silence above a cove known as the Bay of Death. This is not a charming New England bed and breakfast type of home, and boats dropping anchor in the bay it overlooks are invariably lost. Their crews are said to mysteriously disappear without a trace.

Beyond rumors of ghostly inhabitants and unexplained events, Abigail knows her ancestors have tried and failed to conquer the house and its secrets. Others have come before her and tried to reside within its walls, only to flee in terror. Legend says one brave descendant must enter the forbidden structure and unlock the secrets from its past. Only this stalwart descendant and his/her champion and consort will be accepted by the house--an entity with definite ideas of its own.

Readers who've ever become disoriented in a large mall or lost their cars in sprawling parking lots will be able to relate to the helpless feeling Abigail experiences. Just parking her Jeep outside or leaving one room to enter another touches off bizarre episodes in and around Pierce House. Abigail must find the courage to stay the course, no matter what.

The austere setting provides a suitable backdrop for the moody atmosphere of the storyline. I really liked the premise and enjoyed the way the author weaves in ancient history and colorful background lore from varying time periods; however, the plot twists were rather predictable and some scenes felt a bit repetitive.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Tales 4 stars review
Review: by Shannah Biondine

The house on the bluff is known as The Pierce House to locals of Adam's Point. Abigail Adams Pierce arrives in this small New England town determined to investigate the house, which is part of a mysterious family legacy harking back to eleventh century England. The house has been abandoned and has spent most of its many decades perching in eerie, empty silence above a cove known as the Bay of Death. This is not a charming New England bed and breakfast type of home, and boats dropping anchor in the bay it overlooks are invariably lost. Their crews are said to mysteriously disappear without a trace.

Beyond rumors of ghostly inhabitants and unexplained events, Abigail knows her ancestors have tried and failed to conquer the house and its secrets. Others have come before her and tried to reside within its walls, only to flee in terror. Legend says one brave descendant must enter the forbidden structure and unlock the secrets from its past. Only this stalwart descendant and his/her champion and consort will be accepted by the house--an entity with definite ideas of its own.

Readers who've ever become disoriented in a large mall or lost their cars in sprawling parking lots will be able to relate to the helpless feeling Abigail experiences. Just parking her Jeep outside or leaving one room to enter another touches off bizarre episodes in and around Pierce House. Abigail must find the courage to stay the course, no matter what.

The austere setting provides a suitable backdrop for the moody atmosphere of the storyline. I really liked the premise and enjoyed the way the author weaves in ancient history and colorful background lore from varying time periods; however, the plot twists were rather predictable and some scenes felt a bit repetitive.

Rating:
Summary: Mystery-Romance is a real spine tingler
Review: I'll never feel safe in the fog again after reading House on the Bluff! It's spooky because it's historically authentic, and it's romantic and funny at the same time: boy meets girl, girl gets in trouble, guy tries to rescue girl, guy gets in trouble, someone tries to rescue them both and he gets in trouble ... and so it goes on. At one point I thought that it was going to read like an Agatha Christie whodunnit, but Bowman's characters are definitely not Christie-esque - they're more original!

Rating:
Summary: An interesting fantacy, mystery and romance all in one.
Review: The House on the Bluff, Elena Dorothy Bowman's first novel, is an interesting fantasy and mystery novel bowled into one. It is clean and appropriately written for both adults and young adults. There is enough in this story that everyone can enjoy Ms. Bowman's tale.

Imagine a large and beautiful house on a bluff. Wonder why no one in New England ever goes there, ever? Because, that's why, the place might be haunted, or perhaps, merely enchanted. However, the last time someone was in that house-everyone heard the screams and no one ever saw that woman again.


So an entire town finds it unnerving when Abigail Pierce shows up and decides to live in the house. She has every right to, since the house belongs to her ancestors. There is a secret reason to why she is staying at the house. She found the rules to a game, so to speak. She must play the family game by the rules. If she succeeds, she has so much to gain. If she fails . . .


Abigail befriends some special people while staying in town. These friends are at wits end, spending days and especially nights worrying about Abigail alone in the big, haunted (all right, enchanted) house. They understand Abigail is playing some kind of game, what they don't understand is the secrets of the game, but they plan to stand by her until someone eventually wins.


A quick book with enjoyable scenes and characters. Bowman has written a book that should be enjoyed by many. The story is well crafted and entertaining. I look forward to other stories by this talented author.

--Phillip Tomasso III, author of Third Ring, Tenth House and Mind Play

Rating:
Summary: "The House On The Bluff" is a delightful mystery ...!
Review: This is not your typical boy meets girl romance. There's so much more going on behind the scenes than anyone on the bluff ever imagined. Ms. Bowman keeps you on your toes and I found myself holding my breath wondering if Abigail would be safe or not and if Ethan was too good to be true. You'll have to read it to find out if Abigail is the one to take on the challenge of The House on the Bluff

Rating:
Summary: Mystery and Romance
Review: This is not your typical boy meets girl romance. There's so much more going on behind the scenes than anyone on the bluff ever imagined. Ms. Bowman keeps you on your toes and I found myself holding my breath wondering if Abigail would be safe or not and if Ethan was too good to be true. You'll have to read it to find out if Abigail is the one to take on the challenge of The House on the Bluff