One Haunted Evening

by Ava Stone, Jerrica Knight-Catania, Jane Charles

Ava Stone - The Lady Vanishes

After inheriting a reputedly haunted medieval castle, the Marquess of Bradenham heads to Ravenglass with his friends to inspect the place and host a Samhain masquerade party. He gets a most welcome surprise when he meets a lovely girl in the castle’s gardens and the rest of his life suddenly has a purpose.

Callie Eilbeck has always avoided Marisdun Castle, there’s something about the place that has terrified her from even her youngest days. But after a chance encounter with the castle’s new owner and falling rather fast for handsome marquess, Callie vanishes without a trace just like the castle’s former mistress. Is one of Bradenham’s friends responsible for her disappearance? Or has the castle claimed another victim? And can the marquess find her before it’s too late and she’s lost forever?


Jerrica Knight-Catania - The Haunting Of Lord Wolf

Daphne Alcott is rather content with her simple life in Cumberland, making rum butter for her neighbors and assisting her brother, the town doctor, whenever he might need her. But as the cold winds of autumn blow, they bring with them a caravan of handsome gentlemen from London who turn their little town on its ear.

Alastair Darrington, Viscount Wolverly, is happy to go along with his friends on this little adventure to the Lake District. He hasn't anything better to do, and a change of scenery is always welcome. What he doesn't expect, though, is the young woman, covered in sticky, brown rum butter, who makes him question everything he’s ever thought about love, country life, and ghosts.


Jane Charles - Her Muse, Her Magic

Brighid Glace is not a witch, no matter how many times Blake Chetwey has called her one. She's a healer and he should be quite grateful she is too. Without her abilities, he might not survive his holiday at haunted Marisdùn Castle when another bout of Malaria hits him. But should anything terrible ever befall Blake, Brighid would never forgive herself if she didn't do all she could to save him. Her heart would never survive otherwise.

After years of denying that Brighid’s mere presence affects him in ways he can't understand, Blake's future is now in her hands. She is lovely, and enchanting, and only a witch could make him feel such things. Is it his fevered state that has caused him to see her in a different light, or has he always known that there was something between them? But now that he sees her clearly, will he lose her to a friend?

Genres: Romance, Historical, Paranormal, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Anthologies

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Ava Stone is a USA Today bestselling author of Regency historical romance and college age New Adult romance. Whether in the 19th Century or the 21st, her books explore deep themes but with a light touch. A single mother, Ava lives outside Raleigh NC, with her son and two black and white tuxedo kitty cats. She loves classic movies, researching history, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.

Feel free to visit her at www.avastoneauthor.com and www.desolatesun.com

Reviews

[Lorellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, romantic Halloween read. I adored the creepy, haunted castle and all the attention payed to traditional Samhain and Wiccan customs, while also discussing the value of Christian faith.

For my taste, I wish there had been less changing of perspectives and maybe not such an onslaught of characters at the start. It took me a while to get all the lords straight. Still, everyone does develop quite distinctively.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As silly as could be, with ghosts and witches and multiple instances of love at first sight; but kind of cute. It worked as a fun, free Halloween read.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good "haunted" read for October. I enjoyed the story, although it felt like a round-robin story completed by several different people. (Which it was... three novellas that tell the same story from slightly different perspectives glued together in a single timeline.)

What I did like: The story was sound, and really quite good. Set in the regency period, but full of ghostly atmosphere, with some mystery and romance. I liked the characters enough to spend time with them, although I would have appreciated some deeper character development across the board. The plot seemed well-paced, and the storyline had good flow. I stayed interested throughout.

What I didn't like: I found it somewhat difficult to keep the characters oriented properly in my mind. There were quite a few of them (six male leads, three principle female leads, and at least a half-dozen supporting characters) and the author(s) switched back and forth between several forms of address for the same people as the story progressed. This made me pause more than once to figure out which people were conversing. There were multiple grammar errors (incorrect homophones are the worst!) that I found dreadfully distracting. Portions of the same scene were repeated in succession, resulting in some discrepancies and confusion. The most memorable example of this was near the end of the story when a character who was standing in a room talking walked into that same room from the hallway. *sigh*

I appreciated the combined timeline so there were no spoilers in the story, but the whole thing would have benefitted greatly overall by a good editing. Still, it was worth the moans and eye rolls that I supressed as I waited to figure out what was going to happen to the missing girl.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this regency romance ghost story. When the Marquess of Bradenham inherits a castle that is rumored to be haunted, his brother and four friends decide it will be fun to accompany him into remote Cumberland as he takes over the duties of the estate. No one believes the rumors that Marisdun is haunted, even though family legend is that Bradenham's great-grandfather packed up his children and vacated the castle after his wife mysteriously vanished within its walls. Since it is October, his friends think it will be great fun to host a masquerade ball at the castle for celebration of Samhain. Then the mayhem begins.

This book has all of the features you would expect in a regency romance - bachelor peers of the realm who are gentlemen, as well as some who aren't; a nearby village with its typical pub, inn, vicar, doctor, and beautiful young girls; instant attractions between some of the eligible young men and women; obstacles that bring out the protective natures in the gentlemen; and conflicts to be resolved before a happily ever after. Add in ghosts and a witch, and the story becomes mysterious as well as fun. Great read for the fall.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and delightful. Perfect reading for Halloween. Three well-written romances interwoven with the same characters, but different stories and some shared events with differing perspectives for each set of main characters.

[Andree]

DNF'd about 40 pages in. There are way too many characters, and I was nowhere near invested enough to trouble myself to keep them straight.

[Karen Crouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magic Castle

Lots of characters London elite and country folk Enchanted castle and characters with special powers. Magic all around with romance and the paranormal Almost too much to absorb.

[Patricia Wissore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all 3 stories and can't wait to see what kind of endings their friends get! The only worry I have is for the spirits left at the castle! (Especially a young lady named Blythe!)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of novellas about the haunted Marisdun Castle. I read the complete time line version of the stories in the ebook. This was a nice feature that allowed me to read the three stories combined in one version, so that I didn't spoil the endings of the other two stories by knowing what happened after reading the first story. The transitions among the various parts of the stories were pretty smooth, and duplicated scenes were shown from other points of view to give a better idea of what was happening.

The story starts out as Lord Bradenham, his brother, and a group of their friends go to inspect the supposedly haunted castle that he has recently inherited. They also decide to throw a Samhain party and invite practically all of the London ton. What starts out as a lighthearted lark, soon turns serious as one of the men suffers a recurrence of malaria, unexplained events start to happen, and a local girl vanishes into thin air.

The ghostly encounters range from amusing to chilling. There's nothing gory, but the tension ramps up throughout the story as everyone has their own haunted experiences and works to get the young lady back before it's too late.

The three main romances are sweet, yet satisfying. Each couple tries to deal with who they are as individuals, haunted by their own pasts, so that they can put that behind them and find the love they have been searching for.

[Mary Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book!

This is one story, written seamlessly by 3 different authors. I have purchased books similar to this, but never have they melded so well. I am truly impressed that there was no clash. If you read carefully, you can see who wrote what, but it is hard to tell.

[Raine A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. I did not pay attention to the note in the beginning and read all three books as standalones first though still in the order they were meant to be read.

1.Ava Stone - The Lady Vanishes
2.Jerrica Knight-Catania’s The Haunting of Lord Wolf
3.Jane Charles - Her Muse, Her Magic

I found each to be cute and sweet with that hint of ghosts and witch lore elements thrown in to make this an entertaining and easy Halloween read. I did wish I could read them as one book because they all were dealing with the same main theme and issue. Then I found that the second half of my version had all the books in their chronological order! Dammit! But I still read that right after and was glad for it. I found that combining all three stories gave more enjoyment and depth to the whole novel.

I liked Ava Stone - The Lady Vanishes and Jane Charles - Her Muse, Her Magic. I loved the romance and the story around Braden and Callie and then Blake and Brighid. Both books were well written and the story seemed solid and entertaining.

Jerrica Knight-Catania’s The Haunting of Lord Wolf felt more like a filler story- in between the pages of the combined book, and as the standalone. It did not have anything to contribute to the main story that was occurring all around- that is, the arrival of five gentlemen to an inherited haunted castle where they plan to throw a masquerade party, only for three of lords to find and fall in love with three of the local girls, all while dealing with the issue of a vengeful ghost, the disappearance of one of the girls inside the castle and trying to get her back through witchcraft. It was the couple from The Lady Vanishes that had the most happening around and to them and it was the couple from Her Muse Her Magic who managed to find the way to save the former and the day. Lord Wolf and Miss Daphne did nothing more than wring their hands, distract the locals and castle guests and fall in love.

As I had read of the three couples in their own books, I was not thrown off by the introduction of so many characters and was able to keep up- it was my second read though! - but I did think that some of the breaking up of scenes and chapters should not have been so abrupt in the combined version. For example, the scenes between Braden and Callie at her house when he visits for tea was very romantic and should have been read in one go- as was the scene between Wolf and Daphne when they went on their picnic and when she came to see his horse at the stables. Otherwise, you just did not feel the depth of the emotions that were woven in the story telling.

The main plot about the Mary Rutledge’s ghost and Callie’s disappearance was done well and I was very interested to find out who it would all work out.

It was also nice to see cameo appearances by St Austell, Hetherfield, and the Lockwell brothers with their wives in tow.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick read and I'd give it about 3.5 stars. This book had all my favorite things - Regency romance and ghosts/supernatural but the premise fell a little short for me. There were some things I liked and some that kind of irked me. My biggest issue in the beginning was being introduced to 6 main characters and the authors used different names at different times. For example, Lord Alisdair Wolverly was alternately referred to by his full name then Wolverly and sometimes his first name and his nickname Wolf. It was definitely difficult to keep them straight. It also didn't help that there didn't seem to be much description of each man - except that they were all exceedingly handsome - to really differentiate one from the other.

Like some, I thought this would be separate stories taking place at the same event, not interwoven stories. Switching back and forth was initially an adjustment but I got used to it and it did help to build suspense and kept me reading.

The love stories centered on 3 couples. I liked Alisdair and Daphne the best - they had some friction, chemistry and actually spent time together so their love story's quick progression seemed plausible. I don't like when the "dislike" romantic characters sometimes have drags on but in this case I wish there had been a little more banter before the insta-love.

Brighid and Blake were the second best - they didn't have as much interaction initially but they had a history together and their time together later helped bond them. I wish there had been more on the nature of their relationship and how their love could help her (don't want to give the little bit of this away).

Braden and Callie were the "main" couple but theirs was the least developed, which seems really odd to me since their story was initially in its own book (The Lady Vanishes). I actually liked Braden's character a lot and really was interested in his story but this one just fell flat for me. They talked once and it was love at first sight and they saw each other maybe once after before the main plot kicked in. I don't know it just didn't do it for me.

There are no sex scenes in this book, which is fine to me, but if that's what you're looking for you won't find it here. The buildup to the main event was better than the main event - I actually thought "that can't be it, it can't be over," but it was, so that was a little disappointing.

This was written by multiple authors and I honestly couldn't tell who wrote what so they did a great job writing together. I did find the story entertaining enough that I read it quickly (and I'm a slow reader) and I really liked Quent's character (Braden's brother) so I'd be interested in reading the next book.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and light Regency tale focused on a haunted manor house, Marisdùn Castle, in the Lake District. A group of young gentlemen of the ton arrives to explore this supposedly haunted castle with plans to host a Samhain (which we call Halloween here in the States) costume ball. But the disappearance of a local young lady unites the locals of the town with the gentlemen of Marisdùn Castle to find the young woman before it is too late and the sun rises after Samhain night. So a mysterious vibe--paranormal, in fact--definitely adds to this super-sweet romantic tale.

This story is rather silly and light; several young men fall in love at first sight with the young ladies in this Lake District village, and the girls fall for the young gentlemen just as quickly and completely. If one likes to read bubblegum-pink stories with a paranormal motif (a very disconcerting combination, but it seems to work okay), this book may be for you. Considering how little I read in 2020 and how little focus my brain has after completing my work right now, bubblegum lit may become the theme for 2021 reading ... but I certainly hope not!

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of three romances, all bundled into one book, a different format than I am used to. I found the three stories going on at once a little distracting, but it was also good to see something a little different in a story.
I am not a big fan of instalove, two of the couples fall for each other having spent very little time together, which I always find a little hard to buy.
The paranormal plotline didn't really grab my attention, but it did add a bit of suspense into the story, there were aspects of it that were a little hard to buy in terms of suspension of disbelief.
There were a few gramatical errors in the book which is always dissapointing, although the use of "cow towing" instead of kowtowing was at least amusing.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting conceit - instead of an anthology, three author's stories are intermixed as each is happening (at least, that's what I'm interpreting by the three names on the cover and the sheer number of characters). It was, unfortunately, not well executed but just the idea made me round up to three stars.
There is a LOT going on in this little book. There are three main heroes, three heroines, at least five secondary characters that I noticed set up for their own next books. Plus, the authors tend to flip between calling the men by their first names and last names/titles so it gets doubly confusing. Basically, a bunch of guys decide to have a Samhain party at a supposedly haunted castle that one of them has just inherited and they discover that it, indeed, haunted.

[Lise · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This was confusing and hard to keep up with all the characters. I felt like I needed a murder board with lines between each of the insta-love (hate those so much!) couples. I realize there were 3 authors writing this but feel like they could have done a better job blending the stories together ~OR~ just each writing an individual novella set in the same castle. As it was published it was jumpy, sentences were repeated where I’m assuming one author took over the story from another and again it was rather confusing.

I loved the IDEA behind this book; a haunted castle, a Samhain ball, a witch, curses to be broken, etc. Sounds like a fun book, right? Well it should have been! It could have been... but it wasn’t. Instead there are three INSTA-LOVE stories that are so instantaneous it was ridiculous. I’d almost accept one but three was too much. I won’t read the next one as it promises more of the same.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bradenham inherited a haunted castle from an Uncle. Him and 5 friends decided to check it out and have a masquerade Samhain Party. Besides the haunted castle. The Lords and Gentlemen start falling in love. Most of the ghosts are not dangerous but one is and she can lure someone to their death.
This book had it all, scary ghosts, love at first sight and evil trying to kill one of the ladies. I really liked this this book and read it quite fast because things were happening so fast you just couldn't put it down. The only problem I had was in the beginning trying to keep track of who was who.
All in all it was a pretty good book.

[Wendy Tavenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book of 3 local ladies finding the loves of their lives at a Haunted Mansion. 3 Lords never thought that when they came to the country to visit the Marquess inheritance they never thought they would find love. Unfortunately the castles ghostly inhabitants are causing a little ruckus. It isn’t until one of the ladies disappears that the Lords realize there’s something to this Haunted Mansion. With everyone working together to bring their friend home and hopefully banish the evil spirit. A great read with wonderful endings for all three couples!

[Kaylee Dolat · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first thought was to close the book and toss it. There were far too many characters introduced at once. It had my head spinning and I didn't quite nail down which gent was which until they started to pair off with the girls.

There were too many characters involved for me to feel that any of them had much depth. Daphne and Blake seemed to be the most well fleshed out characters in the novel. It was a shame. I could have seen this being a five star book easily if they had more depth.

[_bookish_book_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huh! I actually wasn’t sure about this combination of historical romance and paranormal but it worked! I immediately fall in love with the characters and was curious how the story will go!

You have here insta love but it’s only because we are following three different couples so everything when it comes to the love aspect seems a little bit rushed.

When it comes to the ghost story, everything is build up very nice and in combination with the love story works perfectly!

I really enjoyed the book! Loved the plot and characters, it was an interesting read for Oktober spooky mood!

[Bonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read

Great effort on the part of three authors. Just enough suspense to keep you interested without dragging the story down. Difficult for me to tell just where one author ended and another picked up. No overt sexuality and mild language. Can’t wait to read more of this storyline. Three of six friends find their HEA. Hope the remaining three find theirs in the next book.

[KAREN MARTIN]

Fabulous story,

This was an interesting story with a touch of each author involved. The setting is near Halloween when a set of brothers decided to visit a haunted castle that was left to them along with their friends. None of the gentleman expected to find love but a few fell in love at first sight. There are ghosts and witches that and spooky things in the book and I really liked the characters and their descriptions and interactions. Enjoy!

[Michele Packard-milam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Story, Needs Editing

It’s interesting that these are NYT best-selling authors, because this book needs some solid editing. The homonyms and errors are distracting (wane/wan, expect/except, lightening/lightning) but the hardest part was keeping the characters straight. I liked it okay, but I don’t think I will purchase the series.

[Nellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regency romance

This paranormal romance was fun and compelling. I liked the ghost story, and loved the characters. It was a little confusing in the beginning with SO many stories converging, but ended well. This stayed pretty clean with only a couple cuss words. Only hints of getting aroused, and could easily go a different direction, but I hope the authors stay clean.

[Carrol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stick With It!

I have to admit, I was quite bored at first. It was choppy and jumped around from character to character. I nearly quit but I hate to quit anything. I’m glad I didn’t give up. The story coalesces about 70% of the way through. The unfolding events kept my attention and the story was enthralling. The characters were no longer placeholders and had personalities.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing haunted house tale

I enjoyed reading this engaging lite paranormal story with many fantastic characters and 3 couples find true love when the marquis of Bradenham inherited a haunted castle . All had a loving HEA with the hint to the 2nd book.
Braden/Bradenham and Callie
Alistar /Wolvery/Wolfe - Daphne ( dr sis )
Blake Chetwey and Brighid ( good witch)

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

three romances was though to sort out

A little too much going on in this one. Too many characters, not enough development, had a hard time remembering who was whom and how they fit in to the story.

[Janet Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read

Ghosts and romance an appropriate tale to read over the past few days. Disappearing females rescued by a witch who doesn't want to be a witch but must do to save her friend. With hints of other tales to come, so watch these authors

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I found the number of characters confusing. As I progressed, I got to know them all. You really get a lot of bang for your buck in this book, with all of the goings-on, plus the paranormal! Still, I enjoyed it immensely, and it made for a diverting read.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. There are basically three novellas all woven together from different character perspectives. The romances are fast paced because of this, but I like the supernatural element to this book. It’s fun and unique and a fast read with likeable characters and romances.