There is no bliss to be found in Bliss House.

In Old Gate, Virginia, stands a grand house built by Randolph Bliss, a charming New York carpetbagger who, in 1878, shook off dire warnings to build his home elsewhere. For the ground beneath Bliss House is tainted with the kind of tragedy that curses generations, seeping through the foundation and sowing madness in its wake. His first and second wives, and his young Japanese mistress, Kiku, bear witness to Randolph’s growing insanity with stories of his cruel manipulations and their desperate struggles to find happiness for themselves and their children.

Their desire to live and love and even take revenge also fills the house, triumphing even over death. Spanning half a century, The Abandoned Heart is the prequel to Charlotte’s Story and Bliss House, forming a trilogy of southern Gothic novels in which one haunted house begets haunted lives that echo over centuries. A haunting so powerful that even Bliss House’s destruction cannot kill it.

To say that I've been eagerly awaiting to read this book is an understatement. I have read and loved the previous two books in this series and I have been waiting for what it feels like a long time for this book to be released.

You don't have to have read the previous two books in this series since the stories in these books take place after this book. To be honest, now I feel like re-reading those two books since I have the back-story to everything that is wrong with the Bliss house. The Abandoned Heart retells the building of Bliss house and how even before the house was built it was a place cursed. And, now Randolph Bliss moves his family there and it doesn't take a long time until tragedy strike.

I liked this book however, I do feel that the previous books stories were a bit more interesting and thrilling to read. This one felt like more an explanation to everything with less thrilling parts. Still, it's an awfully good book. I came to like Kiku very much and was really moved by her tragic story. There was a moment towards the end of the book when I was really taken back when something I had not expected was revealed in a letter. This is the kind of book that I don't want to reveal too much of what's going on instead I want to say that it's like the previous two books well-written and engrossing to read.  

The Bliss House series is a marvelous trilogy and I recommend it warmly if you like books about haunted houses.

I want to thank Pegasus Books for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! 

I read Charlotte's Story a little while ago and was so enthralled by that book that I immediately bought this book; the first book in the trilogy. Charlotte's Story took place in the 50s and this book story takes place in present time and that means that some, not many, characters from Charlotte's Story are in this book. I also know that the Bliss House, and that the men from the Bliss house aren't really to trust.

In this book, we get to follow Rainey Bliss Adams and her daughter Ariel that have moved to the house after Rainey bought it back to the Bliss family after it's been sold by Charlotte Bliss after her son Michael disappeared around 30 years before. Rainey hopes that this will be good for her and Ariel. They need a new start after losing Ariels father to a fire that also disfigured Ariel. But they hardly settle in the house before the first person dies and then it's just a matter of time before the next one dies...

I really like the haunted house genre, and the Bliss House is really creepy. I'm mean the house isn't creepy to look at, it's lovely, it's just got an atmosphere that is creepy and it has its fair share of mysterious deaths. Like the previous owner who killed his wife with an ax in the woods outside the house. But, a house can not be evil, can it? 

Laura Benedict has written a book that is hard to put down when you really get into the story and is both engaging and disturbing to read and I thought I had most of it all figured out when she turned the table on me with a very good twist. I was not really surprised about some of the things that happened, and that's thanks to reading Charlotte's Story before I read this one. That gave me an advantage since I had my suspicions on some people in this book.

One thing, I was a bit annoyed towards the end when Ariel did something really stupid, I mean I understand her to a certain limit, but at the same time I was really irritated because I didn't think that she would after all she had been through before would do that. But then again it leads to a very fitting ending for the Bliss House. 

All and all a truly good book. What I really like is that it doesn't rush anything, everything takes it times, that can be a bit frustrating sometimes, but the reward is a well-written book. 

Just one more chapter...;)

About Charlotte's Story

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus (October 15, 2015)

The fall of 1957 was a seemingly idyllic, even prosperous, time down in southern Virginia. A young housewife, Charlotte Bliss, lives with her husband, “Press” Bliss, and their two young children, Eva Grace and Michael, in the gorgeous Bliss family home. On the surface, theirs seems a calm, picturesque life, but soon tragedy befalls them: four deaths, with seemingly simple explanations.

But nothing is simple if Bliss House is involved.

Charlotte, nearly crippled with grief, feels more and more isolated from everyone around her. The only thing that brings her solace is going through the old photos and curiosities left behind by her mother-in-law. Then she makes a startling discovery that points not to tragedy, but to murder. How far will Charlotte go to discover the truth? And how far will she get without knowing who her real enemy is?

Not for the faint of heart, or those disturbed by sexual situations and violence, Charlotte's Story injects new levels of horror into the classic Southern gothic.

Praise for Charlotte's Story

“Expertly paced revelations help build a sense of encroaching horror. A satisfyingly creepy tale for a rainy night.”—Publishers Weekly

“An evocative, frightening and flawless gothic, Charlotte’s Story is guaranteed to send a delicious chill down your spine. Nobody does more for the modern southern gothic than Laura Benedict.” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of What Lies Behind

“Laura Benedict spins an ever-shifting web of shadow and light. A thrilling read. Benedict writes with passion and authority. Charlotte's Story is not to be missed.” —Carolyn Haines, author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries, and The Seeker

Review:

I think what makes this book so splendid is the fact that it all seem so normal, the house the family. And, then people start to die and suddenly nothing is normal anymore. This is not a ghost story with an old creepy house with creepy people. This is a happy family, and then something happens that starts everything and suddenly the normal life doesn't seem that normal longer. And, slowly the house doesn't seem that idyllic anymore.

I found the book is especially good because of the slow introduction of the ghostly aspects of the story. It all starts so normally, Charlotte and her husband are recovering from Olivia, Press mother's death. But that is only the start of a serial of death and suddenly Charlotte feel that something is wrong, and she starts to look for answers, but the truth can sometimes be really terrible.

I don't want to spoil the book, this is a book that you should know as little as possible when you start to read it. I was completely taken with the story, it could feel sometimes a bit slow and I felt the need to rush things, but that can also be because I really wanted to know the truth. And the ending, it's just a truly great horrifying ending that I didn't expect. All I know is that I want to read the first book in the trilogy Bliss House and The Abandoned Heart, the last book in the trilogy that has yet to be released. 

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Laura Benedict

Laura Benedict is the author of Charlotte's Story and Bliss House, the first two novels in the Bliss House trilogy, as well as several other novels of dark suspense. Her work has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and numerous anthologies. She lives with her family in Southern Illinois. Visit laurabenedict.com. Connect with Laura on Facebook and Twitter.

Started this book last night and I like it. Right now I'm looking forward to the evening, after a day of working, to return to read this book without any distractions.