What do you think?
Rate this book
The Paranormal Archaeologist #1
The Demon of Mansfeld Manor
An unexpected inheritance. A stately manor. A place of evil. Jim Bauer is shocked when he inherits a large sum of money and a historic mansion. The mysterious gift comes with a stipulation, however; he must use the funds to restore Mansfeld Manor to its original condition. What Jim doesn’t know is that this home has a terrible history. As he works to restore the manor, he begins to learn the terrifying secrets of its past. He discovers tales of missing persons, rumors of occult rituals, and sightings of a ghostly wolf on the grounds. And now the evil has begun once again. Even with the help of a paranormal investigator and a woman with ties to the manor’s history, Jim is left to answer the biggest questions of Why was he chosen to inherit the manor? And what does the evil want from him? Don’t miss this debut novel from a bold new voice in supernatural fiction.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2019
277 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 30, 2020
I really enjoyed the history of the villa. This is a good and original story. It pulled me in right a way. I liked the characters and the setting. There was just something missing that i can't quiet put my finger on. However, I would still read or listen to more by this author. I requested this audio book and this is my honest review.
September 15, 2019
Fascinating plot, weak writing, but worth reading
1. “Enormity” and “enormous” are not synonyms. There is no excuse for a writer not to understand the meaning of words he uses. This is mostly why I gave only two stars.
2. Overuse of “hell-bent.” Find different words!
3. Real people don’t shout or yell their words like the writer has his characters do.
4. Jim apparently never imbibes any liquid except alcohol. Boring.
5. The fascinating plot is what saved this book. You will knock yourself out reading fast enough to find answers before you have to put this book down and step back into your own life.
6. I do recommend this book, and I will be reading the next book of David’s adventures, and I do hope the writing has improved.
This book would make a great movie!
1. “Enormity” and “enormous” are not synonyms. There is no excuse for a writer not to understand the meaning of words he uses. This is mostly why I gave only two stars.
2. Overuse of “hell-bent.” Find different words!
3. Real people don’t shout or yell their words like the writer has his characters do.
4. Jim apparently never imbibes any liquid except alcohol. Boring.
5. The fascinating plot is what saved this book. You will knock yourself out reading fast enough to find answers before you have to put this book down and step back into your own life.
6. I do recommend this book, and I will be reading the next book of David’s adventures, and I do hope the writing has improved.
This book would make a great movie!
January 25, 2019
Loved it, loved it, loved it! Well written and great storyline.
January 31, 2019
Pulled me in and never let go.
A Facebook ad lead me to an unexpectedly enjoyable read! I downloaded this book to my Kindle thinking that it would simply be something to pass the time while I wait for the next books in other series to be released. Wow. I was hooked from the start. A blend of modern paranormal, historical fiction, and a touch of romance. I have already joined the email list and will he following this author on Amazon! I can't wait to see what comes next!
A Facebook ad lead me to an unexpectedly enjoyable read! I downloaded this book to my Kindle thinking that it would simply be something to pass the time while I wait for the next books in other series to be released. Wow. I was hooked from the start. A blend of modern paranormal, historical fiction, and a touch of romance. I have already joined the email list and will he following this author on Amazon! I can't wait to see what comes next!
February 1, 2019
Fascinating story
What a fascinating story. Jim finds out he has inherited a mansion with a very dark past. But he soon finds out that the darkness is not only in the past but present right now. Mystery and supernatural combined to captivate readers.
What a fascinating story. Jim finds out he has inherited a mansion with a very dark past. But he soon finds out that the darkness is not only in the past but present right now. Mystery and supernatural combined to captivate readers.
February 2, 2019
Well paced and different than others in this genre
Grabs you right away. Mysterious characters and agendas in this fast paced story. Well written with intrigue about the past. Is reincarnation real, black magic, ghostly clues, and a nefarious sect all abound.
Good Read!
Grabs you right away. Mysterious characters and agendas in this fast paced story. Well written with intrigue about the past. Is reincarnation real, black magic, ghostly clues, and a nefarious sect all abound.
Good Read!
March 28, 2020
A man and a reader look for answers. Neither find them. Just a lot of clumsy dialogue repeating the same things chapter after chapter.
October 17, 2019
The Demon of Mansfield Manor by S.A. Jacobs is an entertaining and atmospheric read!
Although it is by nature a mystery with strong supernatural and paranormal elements, many romance tropes were utilized in the storyline, such as : Coming into a family legacy when you come of age, a chance meeting of someone who will become the most important person in your life when Jim meets Kat and the rags to riches theme where life goes from everyday struggle to financial ease, but wait there’s more!
Reality hits home for the main character Jim when something is very wrong from the first contact with a powerful law firm to a ghost sending messages him cryptic from the beyond.
I truly enjoyed this story, as it literally had everything I enjoy in a book.
The good versus evil theme was not only present, but also a strong thread passed on by the complex and my favorite character Ida. She was a society heiress, a young woman caught in a loveless marriage who was fearless and fought back the best way she could when she realized how vile her husband was.
I wish there was such a thing as 4.5 stars, as sometimes the dialogue and romance felt like it slowed the story down or convoluted the action.
On the other hand the plot. Wow! Conspiracy theory to the max with a glimpse into secret societies willing to do anything for power, the spiritual awakening in the 1900s when many wealthy people were using tarot or attempting channeling or using The Dark Arts, there’s a lot going on, but I had to know what happened.
The battle scene with the Samuel and Jim at the pond was awesome and had me going, wondering if …
If you enjoy haunted house stories with a mystery behind it and anything paranormal or supernatural in nature, you should take a look at this one.
Although it is by nature a mystery with strong supernatural and paranormal elements, many romance tropes were utilized in the storyline, such as : Coming into a family legacy when you come of age, a chance meeting of someone who will become the most important person in your life when Jim meets Kat and the rags to riches theme where life goes from everyday struggle to financial ease, but wait there’s more!
Reality hits home for the main character Jim when something is very wrong from the first contact with a powerful law firm to a ghost sending messages him cryptic from the beyond.
I truly enjoyed this story, as it literally had everything I enjoy in a book.
The good versus evil theme was not only present, but also a strong thread passed on by the complex and my favorite character Ida. She was a society heiress, a young woman caught in a loveless marriage who was fearless and fought back the best way she could when she realized how vile her husband was.
I wish there was such a thing as 4.5 stars, as sometimes the dialogue and romance felt like it slowed the story down or convoluted the action.
On the other hand the plot. Wow! Conspiracy theory to the max with a glimpse into secret societies willing to do anything for power, the spiritual awakening in the 1900s when many wealthy people were using tarot or attempting channeling or using The Dark Arts, there’s a lot going on, but I had to know what happened.
The battle scene with the Samuel and Jim at the pond was awesome and had me going, wondering if …
If you enjoy haunted house stories with a mystery behind it and anything paranormal or supernatural in nature, you should take a look at this one.
June 30, 2022
Ok read if you can get past the horrendous amount of lovey dovey crap in the 1st half of the book
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book but the 1st half of it was so excrusiatingly redundant, with the whole Jim and Kat lovey dovey crap! I just got so sick of it! Ok, ok we get the point, they REALLY like each other and she's ALWAYS on his mind! Enough already! It just saturated the first half of the book preventing the main story from taking center stage. So much of that could have been neatly trimmed out to give the book better focus, continuity and interest. The 2nd half got better and more focused on the main story, but even it was a little sloppy and haphazard. It was good enough to hold my attention but unfortunately, at this point I am not invested enough in any of these characters to bother with the next book or maybe not even any other books by this author.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book but the 1st half of it was so excrusiatingly redundant, with the whole Jim and Kat lovey dovey crap! I just got so sick of it! Ok, ok we get the point, they REALLY like each other and she's ALWAYS on his mind! Enough already! It just saturated the first half of the book preventing the main story from taking center stage. So much of that could have been neatly trimmed out to give the book better focus, continuity and interest. The 2nd half got better and more focused on the main story, but even it was a little sloppy and haphazard. It was good enough to hold my attention but unfortunately, at this point I am not invested enough in any of these characters to bother with the next book or maybe not even any other books by this author.
December 29, 2023
I feel like this story could have been great but the writing was very all over the place. There was a lot of inner monologing like you'd see in someone's diary. A lot of word filling kind of like when you have an essay needing to be a certain word count so you keep writing the obvious or elongating the description of something that could have been written in fewer more eloquent words.
The book does do flashbacks of the past and it's almost like that writing was a different author entirely. I liked that writing. I bonded more with the characters during that time than with the present main characters. Part of this was also to do with the dialogue as well. The way the main characters spoke to eachother was forced.
The book does do flashbacks of the past and it's almost like that writing was a different author entirely. I liked that writing. I bonded more with the characters during that time than with the present main characters. Part of this was also to do with the dialogue as well. The way the main characters spoke to eachother was forced.
October 29, 2019
The Demon of Mansfeld Manor
By: S. A. Jacobs
As Halloween nears, I was looking for a spooky listen. The premise of this book was good, but for some reason I could not connect with any of the characters. They were there doing their own thing, but it just didn't hook me in. It seemed to jump around, maybe those were twists and turns.
There was suspense, mystery, action, paranormal, and romance all rolled up in one.
I will re-listen at a later time and update my review.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Joe Hempel
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
By: S. A. Jacobs
As Halloween nears, I was looking for a spooky listen. The premise of this book was good, but for some reason I could not connect with any of the characters. They were there doing their own thing, but it just didn't hook me in. It seemed to jump around, maybe those were twists and turns.
There was suspense, mystery, action, paranormal, and romance all rolled up in one.
I will re-listen at a later time and update my review.
The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Joe Hempel
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
November 22, 2022
The characters were not only unrelateable, they were extremely unlikeable. The writing itself was redundant. It seems like mommy issues came to life with the protagonist, Jim. The way he was so quick to refer to Ida as "mom" and how he was too self absorbed to really acknowledge that what Kat was initially doing was to save her own mother's life. Kat deserved better understanding than that. For her to stay with the walking red flag that is Jim is the real horror of this story. The last stand between Jim and Sam was comically dragged out. Their dialogue and Sam's appeasement to Jim and Kat's questioning felt like a climax in a Scooby-Doo movie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2020
I am giving this 4 stars, but will explain a large issue I have .This story was great. It had EVERYTHING needed in a haunting story. The characters were well done, and demanded the care of the readers. The pace was great, the story moved flawlessly. My point of contention may be more with the publisher than with the author. There were countless grammatical errors and incorrect punctuation throughout.
This is the first Jacobs novel I have read, and currently have the 2nd installment in my que.
This is the first Jacobs novel I have read, and currently have the 2nd installment in my que.
April 22, 2021
I thought this was a fine supernatural or paranormal mystery, though not excellent. It held my attention and the characters were likeable enough. But I never felt particularly attached to them. I never truly felt the threat the demon at the manor posed. The villain is evil for boring, unoriginal reasons. There seemed to be an unexplained shift in Jim’s attitude toward the investigator toward the end. The twist wasn’t particularly shocking, etc. But the writing is pretty clean and the narrator did a good job with it. So, I’m calling it fine, even if it’s not topping any favorites list for me
June 6, 2023
Demon
I bought both the ebook and audio versions of this book. I am so glad I did. It started out slow and steady the suspense building. I was trying to guess how things would go more times than not I was wrong but I just kept reading I was hooked from page one till the very last. I've already bought the second book to this series and can't wait to see what happens next. Strap in this is going to be a bumpy ride. As far as narration goes I loved it. The narrator made you feel part of the story great job.
I bought both the ebook and audio versions of this book. I am so glad I did. It started out slow and steady the suspense building. I was trying to guess how things would go more times than not I was wrong but I just kept reading I was hooked from page one till the very last. I've already bought the second book to this series and can't wait to see what happens next. Strap in this is going to be a bumpy ride. As far as narration goes I loved it. The narrator made you feel part of the story great job.
August 2, 2019
First Book?
As a big fan of horror/macabre, I was astonished to discover when trying to buy his next book that it is his first! This guy is great! Normally a book written in the first person style is a turn off for me, but he had me in the first few paragraphs. The book is very original, multilayered and impossible to put down. I am now a huge fan. While I was reluctant to give any book 5 stars, I couldn't not.
As a big fan of horror/macabre, I was astonished to discover when trying to buy his next book that it is his first! This guy is great! Normally a book written in the first person style is a turn off for me, but he had me in the first few paragraphs. The book is very original, multilayered and impossible to put down. I am now a huge fan. While I was reluctant to give any book 5 stars, I couldn't not.
August 3, 2020
This is another I chose to read in my quest to read all things haunted house this summer. I would say it's more a 3 1/2 than a 3 and I almost gave it a 4, but there was a romance element that kind of got on my nerves. Very happily ever after, so you are one to not enjoy everyone dying and weird endings, this is probably a good one for you. The scare factor wasn't quite there for me, but I do read a lot of horror. I would suggest this book for a starter horror/haunted house reading.
February 21, 2019
This Oughtta Be a Movie
What a delightful story! I mean, it's full of ghosts and demons and double crosses and romance. It is just so addictive I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. I truly hope we get to have more paranormal adventures with these fine characters. Well done, Mr. Jacobs.
What a delightful story! I mean, it's full of ghosts and demons and double crosses and romance. It is just so addictive I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. I truly hope we get to have more paranormal adventures with these fine characters. Well done, Mr. Jacobs.
May 12, 2019
Great book from beginning to end.
It grabs you and won't let go. Villa Ortenberg aka Mansfield Manor is everything the town believes it to be, however it goes way beyond just the house and grounds. Even though names have been changed the thought of some of our captains of industry having a secret society involving supernatural forces is an interesting theory to delve in to.
It grabs you and won't let go. Villa Ortenberg aka Mansfield Manor is everything the town believes it to be, however it goes way beyond just the house and grounds. Even though names have been changed the thought of some of our captains of industry having a secret society involving supernatural forces is an interesting theory to delve in to.
June 6, 2019
This one was rough. The plot line was all over the place and I just couldn't stick with it. I really wanted to like it but, I finally gave up because I just didn't care what happened to these characters. Which is a bummer, because I feel like I wasted a lot of my time reading this when I could have been reading something better.
October 1, 2019
The last thing Jim ever expected was to inherit a manor and certainly not Mansfeld Manor. The manor had a history and as an archeologist and paranormal enthusiasts he was excited in spite of the manor’s dark past. He soon, however finds out that the darkness is not only in the past but has invaded the present. I love haunted house and ghost stories and this one combines both.
April 10, 2020
With a fascinating storyline, this was an enthralling read and thrilling enough to keep me listening non-stop until the end.
The writing can be improved, no doubt about it, but I still really liked and I will be looking for the next book in this series.
Joe Hempel does a superb job with the narration.
The writing can be improved, no doubt about it, but I still really liked and I will be looking for the next book in this series.
Joe Hempel does a superb job with the narration.
April 24, 2020
Loved it!It was sort of your 'I inherited a haunted mansion' on steroids!Out of the blue this guy inherits an estate.The will was made before he was born...by 80 years! Joe Hempel was a fantastic narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
May 2, 2019
Interesting story
I love paranormal books. Interesting storyline and characters. The character development could have been better. If you enjoy a light paranormal read, go for it. Hoping the next book is even better.
I love paranormal books. Interesting storyline and characters. The character development could have been better. If you enjoy a light paranormal read, go for it. Hoping the next book is even better.
May 23, 2019
The historical aspects of the book were great but the story was not. Not at all scary, romance was involved, and it seemed rushed at the end. I very much enjoyed the historical quips but I was looking for more of a horror story.
September 9, 2019
Open this book and you won't put it down
This book is a great read, there are a few editing errors but in the long run they don't matter, enjoy! Wish the other books were on kindle unlimited
This book is a great read, there are a few editing errors but in the long run they don't matter, enjoy! Wish the other books were on kindle unlimited
November 10, 2019
Very well executed I was Surprised to see this was a debut novel
Excellent narration from joe hempel he’s one of the best
If you enjoy paranormal mysteries with a touch of romance definitely check this one out
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
Excellent narration from joe hempel he’s one of the best
If you enjoy paranormal mysteries with a touch of romance definitely check this one out
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
January 21, 2020
I listened to this book while driving from Florida to Tennessee. It kept my attention and left me a bit creeped out at times.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
February 16, 2020
This book captivated my interest from the start. It was interesting and had plenty of back story. Definitely a fun listen while working late into the morning by myself where my imagination could run wild with the strange sounds around me.
June 13, 2020
Not quite my cup of tea
It was one of those stories that made it difficult at times. Figuring out just how everyone and everything was related to each other. I had a problem with character development. I truly didn't care what happened. So sad.
It was one of those stories that made it difficult at times. Figuring out just how everyone and everything was related to each other. I had a problem with character development. I truly didn't care what happened. So sad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews