Ghosts, Lore & a House by the Shore: A Mother/Daughter Cozy Mystery (Lily & Cassie By the Sea Mysteries) by Nellie H. Steele
About Ghosts, Lore & a House by the Shore
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Number of Pages: 306 pages
Digital ASIN : B09PMDT2TL
A new town. A haunting legend. New beginnings or the beginning of the end?
After Cassie MacGuire’s husband dies in a plane crash along with her father, both her and her mother, Lily Bennett, are left as widows. Looking to make a new start, they move together to the quiet seaside town of Hideaway Bay. But their new home, Whispering Manor, has a reputation stretching back centuries. Legends of ghosts, paranormal disturbances and pirate treasure are all associated with the former sea captain’s mansion, starting with the death of its first mistress, Henrietta Blanchard.
When Cassie stumbles upon Henrietta’s journal and Lily uncovers a more recent tragedy in the home, they begin to wonder if the stories may be fact instead of fiction. When the strange occurrences turn dangerous, Lily and Cassie will have to investigate to save their home and possibly even their very lives!
Ghosts, Lore & a House by the Shore is the charming first installment in this small, seaside town mother-daughter cozy mystery series by Nellie H. Steele.
My Review
A tragic plane crash turns Cassie MacGuire and her mother Lily Bennett’s lives upside down. Cassie’s husband and her father are killed. Now she and her mother are widows and desperately trying to start new lives. They decide to move to Hideaway Bay and share a home. They buy Whispering Manor, an old home supposedly haunted with the ghost of Henrietta Blanchard. The first owner of the mansion.
Through Henrietta’s journals, they discover what happened to her years ago as well as what happened to another young woman more recently.
This is the first book in a new mother/daughter cozy mystery series. There were so many gothic overtones in this book complete with ghosts and an old vintage house.
I enjoyed Cassie and Lily’s personal investigation into this mystery. Even with strange happenings and warnings being thrown their way, they still persevere and even manage to open their own gift shop. While they do fit into the small town, they can’t help but be suspicious of everyone around them. Someone is delivering these threats to them and it must be one of the townspeople.
There are several possibilities of what’s going on and reading it through Cassie and Lily’s eyes made for a captivating story. I was completely engrossed until the very end. This is an excellent start to a new series with endearing characters. I look forward to my next visit to Hideaway Bay.
For reading challenges:
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2022
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
About Nellie H. Steele
An Indies Today finalist for Best Book of the Year 2020 with Cleopatra’s Tomb, Nellie H. Steele made the leap from science to art with her first book, The Secret of Dunhaven Castle.
An animal enthusiast, Nellie often features a version of one of her fourteen rescue animals in her stories, though the fictional pets are usually better behaved than her own fur-babies! A literary split personality, Nellie’s work ranges from cozy mystery to supernatural suspense to riveting adventure.
She lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. When she isn’t writing or engaging in animal care, she enjoys teaching Statistics and Data Science at a local university.
Check out all Nellie offers at www.anovelideapublishing.com/novels or at her blog, Nellie’s Book Nook, available at www.nelliesbooknook.com!
Thank you so much for featuring the book and the lovely review! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good! I love the mother/daughter angle and the vintage house aspect. I'm adding this one to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteThat looks good. XO
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of it. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete