William Thorn had his life all planned out… until he discovered his long-term boyfriend Archie in bed with another man. Distraught, William kicks him out of their home, where tragedy strikes when Archie is killed instantly in a car accident.
Riddled with guilt, William is shocked to learn that he’s inherited a manor in the quaint village of Stonewall, left to him in Archie’s will. He leaves the city with plans to make a new start for himself, but is surprised by the rundown state of the manor, and the unwelcoming villagers who want him gone. His only ally is Edward, a seemingly friendly local with secrets of his own…
However, it’s not only the villagers who are adverse to his presence. A malevolent spirit roams the manor, one that seeks to drive William out for good. But when he uncovers the heartbreaking tale of two men in love in the 1920’s, William strives to find peace for the spirit, ending the haunting once and for all.
But what dark secrets lie hidden in the manor walls? And will William be able to put aside his own grief to save his new home…and his life?
My fifth book by the author
I encountered Ben Alderson and his books for the first time in 2024 and since then have explored different publications within his series. Some of them are easy to be read apart from each other, like Prince of Endless Tides; others build onto each other like his Realm of Fey series or the Court of Broken Bonds series. Both of these, I still want to continue and finish. Unfortunately, series always take some more commitment and engagement than stand-alones. Therefore, I was super happy to hear about this new release by the author, which contains a whole, super engaging story within only a few hundred pages. Moreover, it is a perfect, gothic, and spooky story for the increasingly darker days.
Ghosts, Guilt, and Gays
The last years, I’ve become more and more excited by contemporary books that combine queerness woth the grotesque and dark. To be fair, queerness is not a big topic in this book, as Ben Alderson is a master on portraying casual queerness. That the characters are queer is never a topic or reason for conflict. And I absolutely love that. Moreover, the spookiness definitely trumps the bloodiness in this story. Nonetheless, I was intriuged by this combination and stayed entertained while teading tbe book despite my first assumption not coming true as expected. I loved the dark, spooky vibes, the dreams that might be reality instead. William and Edward’s story is further interwoven with the journal entries that they read and that informs them about the life of the house’s former occupants. Or are they not former on nature at all?
Revelations and Twists
When is comes to the storytelling and plot twists, Ben Alderson has surely outdone himself. It took me some chapters to get into the story and setting, but then there were new discoveries almlst every chapter. If not in the storyline itself, then certainly between our protagonists. Next to the four main characters to be seen on the beautiful cover, we only have a few side characters, which nonethless built up a lot of tension and excitement. The isolation of William and Edward added to the spooki- and scaryness of the developments. I certainly got drawn in more and more and loved discovering more and more of their as much as the places and their former occupants‘ backstory.
In conclusion,
This book will certainly keep you on your toes and make you want to snuggle up with a cozy blanket and hot chocolate that you then forget about for the remainder of the rest of it. Spooky, engaging, tense, and with plot twists that you will not see coming! Full-heartedly recommended!
The author:
Ben Alderson (he/him) is a #1 Amazon bestselling author. His stories are set in fantasy worlds filled with magic, adventure and MM romance. Ben lives in Oxfordshire and, when not writing, can be found reading, taking Winston – his Labrador – out for long walks, or obsessing over Marvel’s The Scarlet Witch. Source and More