Callie (The Bayou Hauntings, Volume 1) by Bill Thompson

Callie (The Bayou Hauntings, Volume 1) 
by Bill Thompson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Reviewed for Readers Favorite

All her life Callie has felt like a failure, not worthy of the affection of her grandmother or anyone else for that matter, part of that came from the fact that her father took off the minute he found out her mother was pregnant, and part was the way the extended family treated her. Her misguided attempt to "grown up" and make something of herself found her estranged from her grandmother for the last decade. Now her grandmother was dead and Callie still found herself feeling like a failure. When her Uncle Willard calls to tell her that she must be in Louisiana for the reading of her grandmothers will, she found herself at his mercy as he had to wire her the money to get there. There is no love lost between Callie and her Uncle Willard, and once the will is read and what she inherits is discovered, it becomes clear that Uncle Willard wants what she got, and will do anything to get it. Callie, The Bayou Hauntings is the story of Callie's discovery of her family history and in turn of herself. Author Bill Thompson delivers a southern story high on suspense and family.

Callie is titled as the first Volume in The Bayou Hauntings, which gives the impress of a series, but not necessary following just the one character. Author Bill Thompson gives the reader a book high in suspense and supernatural or paranormal in the form of a friendly visitor that seems real but just might be a ghost. The key to the story is the discover of the family history, how everything that happened in the past actually came to be, and that history unlocks the secrets of the plantation mansion that Callie inherited and also allows Callie to come into her own. This book is clean in that there is no sex, although there are the mention on illegitimate children and there is only a few curse words spread throughout the story, they are appropriate when they come into play. Therefore I have no problem recommending this book to readers of all ages.

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The House on Serpent Lake by Brenda Hill

The House on Serpent Lake
by Brenda Hill


My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Reviewed for Readers Favorite

Lindsay and Eric met and married later in life, it was a second marriage for the both of them, each having a child from the previous relationship, but they were good together and very happy, well at least they had been but recently Eric had seemed to be pulling away. Lindsay hoped that it was just work and the passing of his aunt, but now that they were in Crosby to look at the house on the lake that Eric inherited, Lindsay felt strange. It started with the knowledge of how the house had looked in the past, of where things were even though she had never been here before or even seen pictures of the house. Then there was the strange smell of Bay Rum aftershave, only she seemed to be able to smell. Was she going crazy or was it something else? The House on Serpent Lake is the story of two couples in love, a past live and regrets. Author Brenda Hill has created a compelling story that felt natural.

The House on Serpent Lake is a bit supernatural in the ghost that inhabits the house, a bit paranormal in that Lindsay can interact in some ways with the ghost, and a bit romance or love story. There is the history of the house and the family that Lindsay needs to uncover to help her to understand what is going on, and then there is Eric's disbelief and his leaving her alone in the house. This was a well written book and an enjoyable read that I liked. It is reasonably clean and would be fine for most readers of any age. Although I couldn't help be feel like I had read this story or something like it before, and maybe I have in a past life, it wasn't enough to stop me from reading, in fact it made me want to read more to find out if I had read it before.

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