House of Echoes

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Gripping Reading
Review: After the other books by Ms Erskine, I did not think her writing could get any better but she has proven us wrong I thoroughly enjoyed House of Echoes from beginning to end. The story of Joss who inherits Belheddon Hall from a mother she never knew. All that Joss knows about the house is that two young brothers died there many years ago, but local townspeople whisper darkly of a curse on both the house and Joss's family. Joss and her husband and small son Tom move in, thinking the house is an end to all their troubles, but little do they know they are just about to begin, Joss start's to hear the laughter of two small boys and her son Tom start's too go into hysterics at the sight of a tin man. Intrigued from beginning to end this is a book that can be read again and again!

Rating:
Summary: Perfect beach reading book.
Review: I absolutely love ghost stories and this was a pretty good one. It was a little too long and drawn out but if you've got some extra time I would recommend it. I also thought the ending fell apart a little bit, it was kind of a letdown after all the suspense. But if you like ghost stories, give it a read.

Rating:
Summary: Chilling, Spine tingling.
Review: I am a great fan of Barbara Erskine, this book was the best to date. When Luke and Joss Grant face financial problems due to Luke losing his business and their home, they cant believe their luck when Joss inherits a beautiful old house from a mother she never knew. Along with Tom their small son they move into Belheddon Hall. When Joss becomes pregnant with their second child they thought that their happiness was is now complete.

How wrong they were.Joss starts hearing childrens voices and white roses start to appear on her pillow.After the birth of her second son Ned, things really start to happen.Tom starts having terrible nightmares and mysterious bruises appear on his
arms and legs. When Ned disappears and is finally found in one of the attic rooms Luke begins to think Joss is responsible. As the secrets of the old house unfold Joss realises that her sons lives are in danger. She enlists the help of a previous colleague David and together they try and fight the ghosts that threaten them.

From the first page to the very last this book was compelling . The combination of terror and historic events made it very hard to put down. Thank you Barbara Erskine,for a wonderful read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I didn't think any book by Ms. Erskine could come close to "Lady of Hay", but this one did.
I was on the edge of my seat and truly could not put this one down.
If you like Ms. Erskines books, you will love this one!

Rating:
Summary: Good, but could have been cut in half
Review: I love ghost stories and this is no exception. I won't go into a plot synopsis, because that's been done already. Ms. Erskine began with an interesting plot. Her writing is very atmospheric and there's that wonderful sense of impending doom. Some very clever juxtapostion of just who and what is doing the bad stuff. But, I have to say, the book was too long. It could easily have been cut in half. We spend Joss' entire pregnancy listening to poor little Tom screaming that the "Tin Man" is scaring the bejabbers out of him and other than that, nothing really happens. The stakes are never really upped enough to start sitting on the edge of your seat. I liked Joss, but she was a bit of a victim. Bringing Natalie in to clean things up was just too pat. Joss should have been the one to lay the ghosts to rest. It was her house and her children in danger. I thought she fluffed off her adoptive parents far too easily. They just became a non-part of the story. Lynn I wanted to slap, she was so one dimensional, and Luke needed a boot in the butt to wake up. I kept hoping Joss would leave him and get together with David who was far more interesting.

Yes, (G), I did like this story. I listened to the unabridged audio version. I love being read too, but even as much as I love it, as I said this work could easily have been cut in half to pick up the pacing and none of the story would have been lost.

This is my first exposure to Ms. Erskine and I did like this book well enough to try her other books.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I'm a huge fan of Barabra Erskine and this book does not disappoint in any way!
Joss, a young woman with a new family, inherits an estate from her mother. She wants to make the fresh start and here is a place where she can learn about the family she never knew.
The only problem is that with the land and the house, Joss also inherits a legacy of revenge, passion and fear.
Erskine continues her usual fabulous writing to create scenes that jump out off the page and become so real you could swear you were there. Full of suspense, you won't be able to put this book down, so make sure you've got a free evening when you start this book!!

Rating:
Summary: AN EERIE, SENSUAL, AND ATMOSPHERIC HAUNTED HOUSE STORY
Review: This is a beautifully written novel about a haunted manor in the English countryside. It is the story of a young, married woman, Jocelyn Grant, who inherits that country manor, Belheddon Hall, from her biological mother whom she never knew, as she had put her up for adoption a few months after her birth. Jocelyn, her husband, Luke, and her young son, Tom, happily move into the house, despite having heard warnings from the local townspeople that there is something quite odd about the house.

That happiness, however, soon turns to dread, as Jocelyn and her family begin to hear the laughter of young boys echoing throughout the house, as well as see physical manifestations of a knight in armour. Moreover, the scent of roses, at times, permeates the house, and someone or something keeps leaving white roses strewn throughout Belheddon Hall.

Jocelyn also begins to hear a ghostly voice calling out to someone named Katherine and finds herself being sensuously touched by someone other than her husband; someone whom she does not see, until it is too late. Her son, Tom, often sees an apparition, whom he refers to as the "tin man", and wakes up with bruises all over his body. Her fear is compounded when she realizes that no male heir has ever lived to inherit Belheddon Hall, and that the house has come down to her by strict, matrilineal descent.

Understanding the implications of her realization, and by now having two young sons about which to worry, she fights against the disbelief of her husband to combat the evil that lies at the root of the strange and frightening happenings at the Hall. How this is accomplished, and the story brought to its chilling climax, is what keeps the reader riveted to the very end. The book is absolutely gripping.

Rating:
Summary: A great thriller!
Review: When Joss Grant inherits a gigantic mansion (Belheddon Hall) in Essex from a mother she never knew, she and her suddenly-unemployed husband think it's a miracle. Just as they were losing their own home because of debt, they discover they are heir to a fantastic house in a beautiful small town! They quickly pack up their stuff and their young son Tom and move in. Joss, fascinated by the opportunity to learn about her roots, begins going through her mother's old things, many of which were left behind when her mother moved to France many years prior to her death. Joss soon discovers a series of chilling diary entries and letters, all of which refer to a dangerous "Him" that seems to be killing all the men and boys of Belheddon Hall. Joss, too, has sensed something sinister in the house, even hearing ghostly voices in the attic and outside. When her son starts having nightmares about "the tin man" and then starts falling out of his crib, Joss begins to panic. Soon her sister (a nanny for Tom and Joss' newborn Ned) starts to suspect Joss is hurting the children -- they are covered with bruises and Joss seems to be growing more and more unstable. Joss, however, has seen "the tin man" with her own eyes -- seen him attack Tom and seen him attack herself as well. Is she really just crazy? Unnerved by the house's history and suffering from post-partum depression? Or is the house really haunted by a horrible man jealous of any male that gets between him and his love?

This book was well-constructed and the ending was exciting and shocking. But it could easily have been 100 pages shorter and not suffered. Parts of it were dragged out too long (or repeated too many times). Still, if you like ghost stories and a good scare, this is the book for you! I really enjoyed it!