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Samantha Wolf Mysteries #10
Return to Hollow Inn
Be careful what you wish for It's been a year since best friends Sam and Ally solved their first mystery at Hollow Inn. They've always wanted to go back and their wishes are answered with another invitation from Sam's aunt and uncle.The mountains of Montana haven't changed, but some things about Hollow Inn have. Nestled deep in the woods are more than just memories. Someone's keeping secrets. Secrets that can get people hurt and threaten the very existence of the inn.Can Sam and Ally once again untangle the mysterious past of Hollow Inn? Or will it collide with the present in such a way that not even Samantha Wolf can stop it? Read the whole Samantha Wolf Mysteries series, now an Amazon bestseller! Book 1 The Mystery of Hollow Inn Book 2 The Secret of Camp Whispering Pines Book 3 The Beach House Mystery Book 4 The Heiress of Covington Ranch Book 5 The Haunting of Eagle Creek Middle School Book 6 A Mysterious Christmas on Orcas Island Book 7 The Case of the Curious Canine Book 8 The Legend of Shadow MountainBook 9 The Mystery of Old Gully TrailBook 10 Return to Hollow InnBook 11 The Secrets of Sanctuary (TBA)
- GenresMysteryMiddle Grade
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2019
48 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Tara Ellis
62 books252 followersWith over 50 published books across ten genres, author Tara Ellis is best known for her heart-pounding post-apocalyptic and thriller series. A heavy dose of mystery often underscores her character-driven plots, heralding back to what fueled her desire to tell stories from an early age.
A certified firefighter in the state of Washington, Tara volunteered as a FF/EMT for over eight years. She also responded as a support officer, worked as an emergency room technician, was a 911 dispatcher, and taught life-saving techniques to the public and first responders. As an author of thriller and survival stories, she draws upon her personal experience throughout her storytelling.
Tara lives in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Washington State. When not writing or spending time with family, she can be found hiking the woods while plotting her next adventure.
*Join Tara's newsletter on her author website: Tara Ellis Books
*Check out her women's literature and mysteries under the pen name of Tara Meyers
*Find her on FB under Tara Ellis Author
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
Coming this year, in 2025:
*A new post-apocalyptic series with Aethon Books, The 6th Extinction, releases in April
*A new thriller series co-authored with L.T. Ryan was announced to release later this year!
*The third and final book in The Fallen series, The Redeemed, is coming this summer
*Several new audiobooks will go live throughout the year
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
A certified firefighter in the state of Washington, Tara volunteered as a FF/EMT for over eight years. She also responded as a support officer, worked as an emergency room technician, was a 911 dispatcher, and taught life-saving techniques to the public and first responders. As an author of thriller and survival stories, she draws upon her personal experience throughout her storytelling.
Tara lives in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Washington State. When not writing or spending time with family, she can be found hiking the woods while plotting her next adventure.
*Join Tara's newsletter on her author website: Tara Ellis Books
*Check out her women's literature and mysteries under the pen name of Tara Meyers
*Find her on FB under Tara Ellis Author
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
Coming this year, in 2025:
*A new post-apocalyptic series with Aethon Books, The 6th Extinction, releases in April
*A new thriller series co-authored with L.T. Ryan was announced to release later this year!
*The third and final book in The Fallen series, The Redeemed, is coming this summer
*Several new audiobooks will go live throughout the year
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 24, 2020
Fun
This is a great series for fans of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. A fun little escape for adults as much as it is for tweens
This is a great series for fans of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. A fun little escape for adults as much as it is for tweens
February 28, 2019
I love this series I can't get enough of Sam and Ally.
Sam and Ally finally return to Hollow Inn for the week and almost right away they are pulled into a mystery when a little boy who is staying at the inn goes missing. A woman finds the boy, this woman is from the house next to the inn.
We meet Sam's cousin Kevin, the pair don't get along. Kevin has been sent to the inn as a punishment and is 'helping' around the inn. We also meet Tori who is the new groundskeeper while Ted is away due to family matters.
Sam and Ally soon find out that Kevin isn't helping out as much as he should be and that Tori is hiding something, she also wants to know more about this family living next door and why her aunt and uncle are having trouble with them. While Ally doesn't want to get into trouble she tries to get Sam to leave it alone so she agrees that she just wants to look into the family and she will leave it alone.
Later on Sam and Ally find Kevin hiding and he tells them that he wants the glory of being the one to find the missing Hollow landmark and when Sam and Ally tell him that they knew nothing about this until he told them they convince him to let them help him find it.
While discussing how they are going to find the missing Hollow landmark Kevin holds up a piece of paper and Sam spots that it has a map on it. After finding the map the three plan on going to it the next day so that they can see what condition it is in and if it is actually there before telling their aunt and uncle.
When the three teens find the missing Hollow landmark trouble finds them like it always does. At the end of the story Sam and Kevin seem to have a more friendly relationship and it seems like they are now going to be closer than they were before.
This is a great story with a new character and a new mystery that links to the old mystery. I enjoyed seeing Sam try and not to get into trouble more than she normally does but somehow trouble always seems to find her and Ally. I am looking forward to seeing what trouble Sam and Ally get into next.
Sam and Ally finally return to Hollow Inn for the week and almost right away they are pulled into a mystery when a little boy who is staying at the inn goes missing. A woman finds the boy, this woman is from the house next to the inn.
We meet Sam's cousin Kevin, the pair don't get along. Kevin has been sent to the inn as a punishment and is 'helping' around the inn. We also meet Tori who is the new groundskeeper while Ted is away due to family matters.
Sam and Ally soon find out that Kevin isn't helping out as much as he should be and that Tori is hiding something, she also wants to know more about this family living next door and why her aunt and uncle are having trouble with them. While Ally doesn't want to get into trouble she tries to get Sam to leave it alone so she agrees that she just wants to look into the family and she will leave it alone.
Later on Sam and Ally find Kevin hiding and he tells them that he wants the glory of being the one to find the missing Hollow landmark and when Sam and Ally tell him that they knew nothing about this until he told them they convince him to let them help him find it.
While discussing how they are going to find the missing Hollow landmark Kevin holds up a piece of paper and Sam spots that it has a map on it. After finding the map the three plan on going to it the next day so that they can see what condition it is in and if it is actually there before telling their aunt and uncle.
When the three teens find the missing Hollow landmark trouble finds them like it always does. At the end of the story Sam and Kevin seem to have a more friendly relationship and it seems like they are now going to be closer than they were before.
This is a great story with a new character and a new mystery that links to the old mystery. I enjoyed seeing Sam try and not to get into trouble more than she normally does but somehow trouble always seems to find her and Ally. I am looking forward to seeing what trouble Sam and Ally get into next.
September 12, 2020
Danger is Sam's middle name
Although Sam and Ally promise not to go looking for adventure at Hollow Inn they can't seem to keep it. Sam's cousin, Kevin is at the Inn for the summer and is less than happy to see them. The girls are suspicious of Tori who is working as a guide, she is hiding something. Then there is the neighbours, relatives of the inn's original owners. What is happening around the far side of the lake? Why is the reclusive author sneaking around? Sam, Ally and Kevin find themselves in danger in the caves.
A must read for all lovers of adventure.
Although Sam and Ally promise not to go looking for adventure at Hollow Inn they can't seem to keep it. Sam's cousin, Kevin is at the Inn for the summer and is less than happy to see them. The girls are suspicious of Tori who is working as a guide, she is hiding something. Then there is the neighbours, relatives of the inn's original owners. What is happening around the far side of the lake? Why is the reclusive author sneaking around? Sam, Ally and Kevin find themselves in danger in the caves.
A must read for all lovers of adventure.
November 18, 2020
I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
In this book, we see Sam and Ally return to Hollow Inn for part of their summer break, you know, the place we visited in the first book of this series. I enjoyed the continuity that we revisited a place we've already been, but my issue with this book remains the same as with my last. It's far fetched. This book sees a land rivalry get out of hand, when neighbours of the Inn begin to encroach and harm the land on which belongs to Sam's aunt and uncle. Despite the Inn doing well and conducting tours with the old mine as one of the tourist spots, Sam, Ally and her cousin begin to search for a missing landmark of the land based on an old map within a journal. But they of course find themselves in danger again.
I mean, maybe this is because I'm now an adult and this age bracket isn't for me, but where are these kids parents my god. Surely they would've learned the first time their children fell into trouble, especially as this is the tenth time. Overall, this is definitely a great read for younger readers and those looking to get their Nancy Drew on, but for me personally, this one was a bit of a miss.
In this book, we see Sam and Ally return to Hollow Inn for part of their summer break, you know, the place we visited in the first book of this series. I enjoyed the continuity that we revisited a place we've already been, but my issue with this book remains the same as with my last. It's far fetched. This book sees a land rivalry get out of hand, when neighbours of the Inn begin to encroach and harm the land on which belongs to Sam's aunt and uncle. Despite the Inn doing well and conducting tours with the old mine as one of the tourist spots, Sam, Ally and her cousin begin to search for a missing landmark of the land based on an old map within a journal. But they of course find themselves in danger again.
I mean, maybe this is because I'm now an adult and this age bracket isn't for me, but where are these kids parents my god. Surely they would've learned the first time their children fell into trouble, especially as this is the tenth time. Overall, this is definitely a great read for younger readers and those looking to get their Nancy Drew on, but for me personally, this one was a bit of a miss.
May 16, 2019
Another wonderful adventure with Sam and Ally. While I knew to expect a great story, I love how this one tied in another family member of the Wolf family. It was really interesting to watch Sam and Kevin's relationship grow through out the story. Another thing I really liked was how the books, in a sense, came full circle from their very first adventure at Hollow Inn. This is one author who knows how to make you feel like a real part of the story and one that I will certainly be looking forward to more mysteries coming from.
March 7, 2021
Recommended read for kidsof all ages
This book was pleasantly surprising. I knew it wasn’t the 1st in the series so I was a bit worried about reading it but Tara did a great job of explaining just enough while NOT giving away too much. NO SPOILERS!!!! In fact, I can’t wait to read the 1st book AND the rest of the series to my kids. They begged me to read it to them every night and it was suspenseful enough to keep me wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Surprisingly, my 7 yr old was the most interested it this book. I would definitely recommend this book for kids of all ages, as young as 6. I’m sad that it’s ivy but I’m looking forward to reading the other books she’s written.
This book was pleasantly surprising. I knew it wasn’t the 1st in the series so I was a bit worried about reading it but Tara did a great job of explaining just enough while NOT giving away too much. NO SPOILERS!!!! In fact, I can’t wait to read the 1st book AND the rest of the series to my kids. They begged me to read it to them every night and it was suspenseful enough to keep me wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Surprisingly, my 7 yr old was the most interested it this book. I would definitely recommend this book for kids of all ages, as young as 6. I’m sad that it’s ivy but I’m looking forward to reading the other books she’s written.
August 23, 2021
Since it appears the Samantha Wolf series is winding down, I was happy to see a return to Hollow Inn. Hollow Inn was the setting for the first Samantha Wolf book, and it was nice getting back there. This story doesn't include Sam and Ally's brothers Hunter and John, nor their other "partner in crime," Cassy. But Tara Ellis introduces several new characters, including Sam's troubled cousin, Kevin that helps fill out the story nicely.
I won't rehash the plot since others have already done that. Like many of the Samantha Wolf books, the resolution at the end gets glossed over and rushed. Maybe that's typical of kid books. In any case, I love the way Ms. Ellis handles characters. Most of the main characters in this book, including Kevin, Tori Castle, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Beth, feel like real-life people. Even characters with minor roles like Kat and the mysterious Mr. Appleton seem authentic. The only character that was off was Anthony Stepson.
Overall, the "Return" is not as strong as the first Hollow Inn, nor the two most recent books in the series, but it's an entertaining story nonetheless. I suppose it's a testament to Tara Ellis' writing skill that "senior citizens" like myself can enjoy her kid books right along with all the regular adult-level books. In some ways, it takes me back to the Hardy Boys of my youth or the Jenny McGrady mysteries of the 1990s. Here's to Samantha Wolf "growing up" and the adventures continuing into young adulthood.
I won't rehash the plot since others have already done that. Like many of the Samantha Wolf books, the resolution at the end gets glossed over and rushed. Maybe that's typical of kid books. In any case, I love the way Ms. Ellis handles characters. Most of the main characters in this book, including Kevin, Tori Castle, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Beth, feel like real-life people. Even characters with minor roles like Kat and the mysterious Mr. Appleton seem authentic. The only character that was off was Anthony Stepson.
Overall, the "Return" is not as strong as the first Hollow Inn, nor the two most recent books in the series, but it's an entertaining story nonetheless. I suppose it's a testament to Tara Ellis' writing skill that "senior citizens" like myself can enjoy her kid books right along with all the regular adult-level books. In some ways, it takes me back to the Hardy Boys of my youth or the Jenny McGrady mysteries of the 1990s. Here's to Samantha Wolf "growing up" and the adventures continuing into young adulthood.
September 19, 2020
I found it a little bit slow
March 5, 2024
Love it
I love her books! I always have good positive say about books and author. I would give author and books more than 5 stars for rate
I love her books! I always have good positive say about books and author. I would give author and books more than 5 stars for rate
October 2, 2024
3.5 ⭐
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews