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benjamin_oc's review against another edition
4.0
Sweetheart, Sweetheart is a good, slow-burn ghost story even if (or maybe, in part, because?) the protagonist is a bit of a twit. Taylor absolutely sticks the landing—it has one of the most satisfying endings to a haunted house book that I’ve read in a while.
the_enobee's review against another edition
4.0
I loved every page of this one. A perfect blend of mystery and ghost story, the reveal is partially suspected but the depths are not fully realized until the end. I was on tenterhooks throughout the narrative, and would likely have read this in a single sitting if possible. This is an original take on a haunting story and an undeniable, required piece of the horror canon. Once again, Valancourt has returned a gem to horror fans. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a ghost story.
jamieh2024's review against another edition
5.0
Taylor is an underrated author as far as I'm concerned. His entries into the genre are consistant and well written and he has been overlooked for far too long. This ghost story is particularly effective because his characterizations are masterfully done.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine inheriting a beautiful cottage with a lovely garden in the idyllic English country side. Would some mysterious deaths and threats to your life really compel you to leave? I wouldn't mind cohabiting with an evil presence in a place like that. What's a few bumps in the night when you have a rose garden, and a pond, horses to ride and a Grace Pool-like housekeeper who won't accept payment for her services?
It is not a reflection on the writing that my main concern was real estate rather than the fates of the characters. The writing is great, with a dreamy quality, there's a nice, spooky atmosphere and some tense moments. I just wasn't swept away by the sad backstories and many tragedies (although the ending threw me a little), but that's on me and my stony heart, not Taylor's writing. I enjoyed this much more than [b:The Godsend|1130557|The Godsend|Bernard Taylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351620935s/1130557.jpg|1117749], and will seek out some more groovy seventies horror by the author.
It is not a reflection on the writing that my main concern was real estate rather than the fates of the characters. The writing is great, with a dreamy quality, there's a nice, spooky atmosphere and some tense moments. I just wasn't swept away by the sad backstories and many tragedies (although the ending threw me a little), but that's on me and my stony heart, not Taylor's writing. I enjoyed this much more than [b:The Godsend|1130557|The Godsend|Bernard Taylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351620935s/1130557.jpg|1117749], and will seek out some more groovy seventies horror by the author.
blackaliss's review against another edition
4.0
A very worthy modern gothic horror, all the more so because it doesn't rely very much on the stereotypical gothic horror visuals. Refreshing and very well-written, captures that sense of dread and darkness brilliantly. Even in bright sunlight, and it is indeed very bright and idyllic in this book. Bernard Taylor truly deserves to be more well-known. My only dissatisfaction is the relatively slow first third of the book, but the writing carries it along nevertheless.
hucklebuck411's review against another edition
4.0
Can overwhelming dark power be imparted onto the trapped, restless spirit of one unexpectedly killed after committing acts of passionate murder? Such is the case in this slow unwinding of a ghostly tale set in an idyllic location. Hidden secrets surround the deaths of Englishman David Warwick's twin brother Colin and his wife Helen at their beautiful cottage and gardens within the English countryside. Receiving a dark premonition, David has travelled from his home in New York to see his brother, only to find that Colin and his wife Helen have both recently died under tragic circumstances near their beautiful cottage home. As David picks away at the suspicious unknowns surrounding the deaths and learns more about the tragic history surrounding the cottage he now has inherited, he will be slowly trapped like a fly in a spiders web by a ghostly evil. But will he have enough strength to protect his loving fiancé Shelagh from the evil when she travels from America to be with him? The tension builds and builds toward a final horror-filled, unforgettable conclusion.
catsandbones's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dipt_in_folly's review against another edition
2.0
This book seems to garner a majority of very high ratings...which confuses me greatly. I felt as if the entire story was simply the protagonist arriving at conclusions based upon no evidence whatsoever. The story was also incredibly predictable, and I had the majority of it figured out far before the conclusion of the book.
smortimer's review against another edition
2.0
Read for a Bookclub, finished because I already bought it and it wasn’t too long - cannot recommend unless you happen to like older style ghost stories and don’t mind the tropes (but of course, they might not have been tropes at the time). Really didn’t enjoy this reading experience. Didn’t connect with the characters or their decisions.