Reviewed by Desere
Gather the bones was a paranormal like no other I have come across before. It had mystery behind mystery and I at one point I thought I might be trapped in one of the tales from Ghost Lab,minus all the technical mumbo jumbo.
Yes it was that good and so much more ! There was history,mystery,intrigue and so many interesting and mind blowing secrets that I read it in one sitting.
I read paranormals every now and then but I have never read a paranormal with such a intense level of excitement and thrills ,nor has one ever scared me right out of my socks(I love watching horror movies and not even those scare or speak to me as much as this book did).
The author actually had me thinking I am hearing the voices,someone needs help ! The book was very,very realistic.
It was one of those where you can tell the author packed true emotion into her writing with the eye on not only capturing the readers attention but to also bring across a powerful message...one from beyond that is!
It had the perfect ghostly setting the right dose of "normal" paranormal,not sure what I mean,well you get those books about vampires and demons and it is just so far fetched and unreal that yes you enjoy the book and yes you find it interesting but on a complete different level,yet at the end you think ......happening as in never!
But in Gathering the bones it just had all the elements for a good old fashioned ghost story !
Well done Alison,you will be seeing this reader again !
5/5 star review
Reviewed by Nas
Gather
the BonesGATHER THE BONES by author Alison Stuart and is a October 2012 release by Lyrical Press.
Widow Helen Morrow arrives in England at her mother in laws invitation, so that her daughter could meet her grandmother.
At the family home, Holdston, though she is welcomed, Helen feels disquiet. She wanted some answers to the last minutes of her husband Charlie's live. So she is happy when Paul Morrow, who was in the same unit with Charlie arrived. But Paul was not up to answering any of her questions. How could he, when he had no memory of the last minutes as he, himself was very badly injured in the same explosion.
Then she starts hearing desperate voices in the old house. Is she going mad? But she can't believe that Paul doesn't hear the voices as well even if he denies it.
Then she finds a secret diary and together they start unraveling the mystery of their scandalous ancestor's disappearance.
Would they solve the mystery and let the spirits go to rest? What was the evil they could feel shadowing the house?
GATHER THE BONES is a fast paced, thrilling and keeping me on the edge of seat historical story. It's full of intrigue, tension and danger. Alison Stuart brought this gripping historical tale of second chances, past secrets and unexpected attraction and it's highly worth reading!
Return to Romance Book Haven
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Maria
Oh, my goodness. What a wonderful read, I loved this. It had everything I want in a good book. An historical setting, a paranormal theme, attractive if slightly flawed characters.
Books about the great war have always intrigued me and I remember reading them with awe. An entire generation of young men around the world totally destroyed....the Irish ballad 'The Green Fields of France' has the capacity to reduce me to tears - the story of one young Irish man who lost his life on a battlefield in a far away country. Even soldiers and officers from India also perished. Although Ireland has always remained neutral since we got our Independence from the British Empire, hundreds of young Irish men perished on 'the green fields of France.
The plot of the book revolves around Helen, a young Australian woman, in the aftermath of what is now known as the First World War. Helen visits England to spend some time in the house where her late husband grew up, along with her young daughter. The mother-in-law she never knew is not an easy person to live with (are they ever?) and her late husband Charlie's cousin Paul is walking wounded, damaged inside by the terrible things he has seen.
Even as Paul and Helen make peace with the loss of Charlie from their lives, the past impinges on the present....the historical present, because this is only around 1921. Discovering an old diary and reading old letters, Helen comes to know about Suzanna, a former Morrow daughter in law from 1812, who caused a scandal back then by abandoning her husband and young children and running off to the colonies with her lover. Various disturbing happenings around the huge house make it clear that until the past has been laid to rest, the future happiness of the members is in the balance.
Either story is fascinating, and either Helen's or Suzanna's stories would have made a credible novel in themselves. It is the intertwining of the two stories that makes this such a meaty read. It took me twice as long to read this as it would another novel of probably more or less the same length. That's no bad thing. The story was a truly satisfying read, exquisitely written and intricately woven. Go and get it, you'll be glad you did.
