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The Forgotten House on the Moor
Mystery, mayhem, a manor house and a generous serving of romance...
When police knock on Alice Donaldson’s door at 4am, she knows the news won’t be good. There’s been an accident involving her ex-husband Grant, and as his existing next of kin, they need her help.
Grant is missing up on the North York moors, but the Grant Alice knew could barely be persuaded out on a walk around the block. What on earth possessed him to go on a hike in the middle of the night?
Alice soon finds herself working with Grant’s girlfriend Jenna and Jenna’s gorgeous ‘Lord of the family Manor’ brother Max, to find out what has happened, and what caused Grant’s accident at The Fortune House – the spooky house out on the moors.
The locals tell all manner of ghoulish stories about The Fortune House, which Alice is not minded to listen to. But before long, things take a turn for the strange and Max and Alice have a new mystery to solve. While all the while Alice can’t help hoping she might meet the requirements to be Max’s ‘Lady of the Manor’ at his country pile, Hatherleigh Hall.
When police knock on Alice Donaldson’s door at 4am, she knows the news won’t be good. There’s been an accident involving her ex-husband Grant, and as his existing next of kin, they need her help.
Grant is missing up on the North York moors, but the Grant Alice knew could barely be persuaded out on a walk around the block. What on earth possessed him to go on a hike in the middle of the night?
Alice soon finds herself working with Grant’s girlfriend Jenna and Jenna’s gorgeous ‘Lord of the family Manor’ brother Max, to find out what has happened, and what caused Grant’s accident at The Fortune House – the spooky house out on the moors.
The locals tell all manner of ghoulish stories about The Fortune House, which Alice is not minded to listen to. But before long, things take a turn for the strange and Max and Alice have a new mystery to solve. While all the while Alice can’t help hoping she might meet the requirements to be Max’s ‘Lady of the Manor’ at his country pile, Hatherleigh Hall.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2022
562 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Jane Lovering
52 books229 followersJane Lovering was born in Devon, England but, following extradition procedures, now lives in Yorkshire. She has five children, four cats, two dogs and doesn't believe in housework so the bacteria and dust are approaching sentience and now rank among the pets. Incidentally, she doesn’t believe in ironing either, and the children all learned self-defensive cookery at early ages. She works in a local school and also teaches creative writing, which are extreme ways of avoiding the washing up.
Published since 2008, she writes romantic comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. One day she's going to find out what that means. Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and has a first class honours degree in creative writing. In 2012, her novel Please Don't Stop the Music won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the RNA.
Published since 2008, she writes romantic comedies which are often described as ‘quirky’. One day she's going to find out what that means. Jane is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and has a first class honours degree in creative writing. In 2012, her novel Please Don't Stop the Music won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the RNA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
May 11, 2025
In a Nutshell: A novel with a confused self-identity, focussing on a character with a poor self-identity. Has some good moments but far and few between. Needs a lot of fine-tuning in terms of plot as well as character development.
Story Synopsis:
Bookish Yays:
✔ There are some letters in the book, supposedly written by the public to share their ‘haunting’ experiences at or near Fortune House. These were creepily entertaining.
✔ Jenna rides a motorcycle! I loved seeing a female character have the motorbike as her vehicle of choice.
✔ The pretty cover, though it doesn’t suit the book.
Bookish Nays:
❌ The cover and title are quite misleading. The house has a relatively minor role to play in the plot, about half of which focusses on the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Also, it is not exactly ‘forgotten’, considering the number of people who keep visiting its grounds.
❌ I have no idea what genre this book is attempting to be. Officially, it is women’s fiction, but it includes elements from Gothic, horror, cozy murder mystery, romance, and drama. It even adds in some humour. The result is a hodgepodge that dissatisfies. The worst is the attempt at humour, which simply doesn’t fit into such a serious story.
❌ I was intrigued by the promise of ghost hunts and hauntings, but the promise stays a promise rather than becoming part of the premise.
❌ It was very tough for me to like any of the characters, but the worst was the narrator, Alice. She seems unduly obsessed with looks, both of hers and of others. After every few paras, we get a soliloquy on her being unattractive/overweight—she is just a UK size 16, for crying out loud!—and on how gorgeous Max is and how it is impossible that he will choose her. Max has only three main things to do: talk about himself, talk about his work, and tell Alice how great she is. Jenna’s character had potential, but she is left unidimensional, being portrayed as focussed on (or rather, obsessed with) Grant. Don’t make me open my mouth about Grant. I will run beyond the character limit here.
❌ There are plenty of inner monologues coming from Alice’s narration, most of which add nothing to the plot and are even quite repetitive. If all the fluff and inner monologues were cut out, the story could have been completed in about a hundred pages or so.
❌ If you ask people to think of a book that has a clever yet aggravating ending, many might suggest Colleen Hoover’s Verity as the top contender. I present to you this book as an alternative. The ending had an unexpected, last-minute, smart twist, but it creates so many questions and nullifies so many things established earlier in the plot that my rating slid by an entire half-point.
📌 GIGANTIC SPOILER COMING UP. READ ONLY IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THE BOOK OR IF YOU’VE ALREADY READ IT. BUT I HAD TO RANT ABOUT THIS!
All in all, this might work if you are looking for a light read that you want to go through without taxing your brains. But if you are hoping for the book to make sense, I think you might end up in the same boat as I did, sailing dejectedly to Outlier Island yet again. Then again, do check out the many other positive reviews before you make up your mind.
2 stars.
My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Forgotten House on the Moor”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
When the police knock on Alice’s door at 4am, she is stunned to hear that her husband Grant has been killed in an explosion in Fortune House – an old, supposedly haunted house on the moor. The surprise isn’t just because of his sudden death. What creates the befuddlement is that Grant was not into exploratory hikes at all, Alice has never heard of Fortune House or Grant’s connection to it, and most of all, Alice and Grant have been estranged since six years and she hasn’t heard from him since he left her.
Alice decides to dig into the matter, and soon finds herself working with Grant’s current girlfriend Jenna and her brother Max, with the common goal of discovering why Grant was in that lonely house all alone in the middle of the night.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Alice.
Bookish Yays:
✔ There are some letters in the book, supposedly written by the public to share their ‘haunting’ experiences at or near Fortune House. These were creepily entertaining.
✔ Jenna rides a motorcycle! I loved seeing a female character have the motorbike as her vehicle of choice.
✔ The pretty cover, though it doesn’t suit the book.
Bookish Nays:
❌ The cover and title are quite misleading. The house has a relatively minor role to play in the plot, about half of which focusses on the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Also, it is not exactly ‘forgotten’, considering the number of people who keep visiting its grounds.
❌ I have no idea what genre this book is attempting to be. Officially, it is women’s fiction, but it includes elements from Gothic, horror, cozy murder mystery, romance, and drama. It even adds in some humour. The result is a hodgepodge that dissatisfies. The worst is the attempt at humour, which simply doesn’t fit into such a serious story.
❌ I was intrigued by the promise of ghost hunts and hauntings, but the promise stays a promise rather than becoming part of the premise.
❌ It was very tough for me to like any of the characters, but the worst was the narrator, Alice. She seems unduly obsessed with looks, both of hers and of others. After every few paras, we get a soliloquy on her being unattractive/overweight—she is just a UK size 16, for crying out loud!—and on how gorgeous Max is and how it is impossible that he will choose her. Max has only three main things to do: talk about himself, talk about his work, and tell Alice how great she is. Jenna’s character had potential, but she is left unidimensional, being portrayed as focussed on (or rather, obsessed with) Grant. Don’t make me open my mouth about Grant. I will run beyond the character limit here.
❌ There are plenty of inner monologues coming from Alice’s narration, most of which add nothing to the plot and are even quite repetitive. If all the fluff and inner monologues were cut out, the story could have been completed in about a hundred pages or so.
❌ If you ask people to think of a book that has a clever yet aggravating ending, many might suggest Colleen Hoover’s Verity as the top contender. I present to you this book as an alternative. The ending had an unexpected, last-minute, smart twist, but it creates so many questions and nullifies so many things established earlier in the plot that my rating slid by an entire half-point.
📌 GIGANTIC SPOILER COMING UP. READ ONLY IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THE BOOK OR IF YOU’VE ALREADY READ IT. BUT I HAD TO RANT ABOUT THIS!
All in all, this might work if you are looking for a light read that you want to go through without taxing your brains. But if you are hoping for the book to make sense, I think you might end up in the same boat as I did, sailing dejectedly to Outlier Island yet again. Then again, do check out the many other positive reviews before you make up your mind.
2 stars.
My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Forgotten House on the Moor”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
June 13, 2022
Publication Date: 22nd June 2022
3 Stars
One Liner: Lighthearted, but overdoing a joke a ruined it
Alice Donaldson wakes up to the news of her ex-husband Grant’s death. The police tell her that he was killed in an accident somewhere on the North York Moors.
Alice has no idea what she’s supposed to do. But curiosity leads her to the place of his death. Imagine her surprise to see a woman, Jenna, cry for Grant. She was his girlfriend and distraught about his death. Alice also meets the handsome Max, Jenna’s bother, and a book-writing research scholar.
When Jenna wants to play Sherlock about Grant’s death, and Max asks for help, Alice decides to help them come to terms with the developments. However, shocking news arrives at Alice’s doorstep, followed by another incident at the crime scene.
It doesn’t help that The Fortune House has been haunted for a long, long time. Who is this ghost? What happened in the past? How can Alice and Max uncover the mystery? And what about their growing attraction for each other? Will the story have a happy ending?
The story comes in the first person POV from Alice.
What I Like:
The book is lighthearted and easy to read. Alice rambles (obviously) but not so much that I lose track of the plot. Painful topics are dealt with with the right amount of seriousness.
Jenna is a person of contrasts, delightful yet annoying. I love that she rides motorbikes and bakes scones with the same ease. I just can’t see what she finds so alluring in Grant.
Max is actually a good guy. A bit prone to get into his lecturer mode, but I’d rather read about psychological aspects than laments about the body size (more on this next).
The paranormal part is pretty light. No scary stuff here, so readers wary of ghosts can read the book without worry.
The ending works well for the story. It’s not too sweet or a picture of happy-ever-after but has enough to tie up the loose ends.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The pacing is slower than I like for women’s fiction/ cozy mystery. It also feels more like a historical mystery due to the setting.
I wanted to knock sense into Alice for half the most. Yeah, she is sensible when it comes to everything except her size. For God's sake, woman, it’s not a crime to be ‘plump’ or whatever she calls herself to be.
A couple of self-deprecating jokes about being curvy are fine. But to have one on every page (or more) is annoying. She is an easy person to be with and a likable character. Yet, she had to ruin it by obsessing about her weight throughout.
I was debating between 3 and 4 stars until this point, but the scene decided it for me.
Oh, it never occurs to Alice that she can lose the weight she gained. She laments about the extra stone (6.3kgs) she gained after she stopped taking care of herself. She can lose it once she begins to pay more attention to her health and diet. There’s no need to starve or get to size zero. She only needs to feel fit enough to stop obsessing about her weight every time.
You can see that my major problem with the book was only one issue. The rest is good (meaning romcom good and eye-rolls are mandatory). For those curious, Alice would size XXL (converted based on the size provided by another reviewer).
To sum up, The Forgotten House on the Moor could have been a delightfully funny and sweet read if not for the heroine’s obsession with weight.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheForgottenHouseontheMoor
3 Stars
One Liner: Lighthearted, but overdoing a joke a ruined it
Alice Donaldson wakes up to the news of her ex-husband Grant’s death. The police tell her that he was killed in an accident somewhere on the North York Moors.
Alice has no idea what she’s supposed to do. But curiosity leads her to the place of his death. Imagine her surprise to see a woman, Jenna, cry for Grant. She was his girlfriend and distraught about his death. Alice also meets the handsome Max, Jenna’s bother, and a book-writing research scholar.
When Jenna wants to play Sherlock about Grant’s death, and Max asks for help, Alice decides to help them come to terms with the developments. However, shocking news arrives at Alice’s doorstep, followed by another incident at the crime scene.
It doesn’t help that The Fortune House has been haunted for a long, long time. Who is this ghost? What happened in the past? How can Alice and Max uncover the mystery? And what about their growing attraction for each other? Will the story have a happy ending?
The story comes in the first person POV from Alice.
What I Like:
The book is lighthearted and easy to read. Alice rambles (obviously) but not so much that I lose track of the plot. Painful topics are dealt with with the right amount of seriousness.
Jenna is a person of contrasts, delightful yet annoying. I love that she rides motorbikes and bakes scones with the same ease. I just can’t see what she finds so alluring in Grant.
Max is actually a good guy. A bit prone to get into his lecturer mode, but I’d rather read about psychological aspects than laments about the body size (more on this next).
The paranormal part is pretty light. No scary stuff here, so readers wary of ghosts can read the book without worry.
The ending works well for the story. It’s not too sweet or a picture of happy-ever-after but has enough to tie up the loose ends.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The pacing is slower than I like for women’s fiction/ cozy mystery. It also feels more like a historical mystery due to the setting.
I wanted to knock sense into Alice for half the most. Yeah, she is sensible when it comes to everything except her size. For God's sake, woman, it’s not a crime to be ‘plump’ or whatever she calls herself to be.
A couple of self-deprecating jokes about being curvy are fine. But to have one on every page (or more) is annoying. She is an easy person to be with and a likable character. Yet, she had to ruin it by obsessing about her weight throughout.
I was debating between 3 and 4 stars until this point, but the scene decided it for me.
Oh, it never occurs to Alice that she can lose the weight she gained. She laments about the extra stone (6.3kgs) she gained after she stopped taking care of herself. She can lose it once she begins to pay more attention to her health and diet. There’s no need to starve or get to size zero. She only needs to feel fit enough to stop obsessing about her weight every time.
You can see that my major problem with the book was only one issue. The rest is good (meaning romcom good and eye-rolls are mandatory). For those curious, Alice would size XXL (converted based on the size provided by another reviewer).
To sum up, The Forgotten House on the Moor could have been a delightfully funny and sweet read if not for the heroine’s obsession with weight.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheForgottenHouseontheMoor
June 26, 2022
There’s something about Jane Lovering’s female leads that I always love, and Alice Donaldson is no exception. She lives an unexceptional kind of life – very aware that she’s a bit plain and rather overweight, she’s content to fade into the background, doing the same admin job at a window fitting company for the last eighteen years, living her solitary life and marking time by the dog walking man who lives on one side of her and the noisier family who live on the other. Her life’s been marked by disappointment – when her husband Grant walked out and disappeared six years ago it wasn’t particularly traumatic, they really didn’t have much of a marriage.
But when the police turn up on her doorstep in the early hours, her life’s about to change a little. Grant has apparently been killed in an explosion at Fortune House, an isolated house on the moors with something of a ghostly reputation – a bit of a surprise when he barely left the sofa throughout their time together. And when she decides to visit the place where he died, she comes across Max and his sister Jenna – he’s a psychologist (and certainly makes her heart beat rather faster), and Jenna was Grant’s new partner, entirely devastated by his loss – and their lives become increasingly entangled when she agrees to help Jenna find out what happened.
The characterisation in this book is just wonderful. Its voice is Alice’s, and I adored her from the very beginning with her absence of any self confidence, her self-deprecating humour, her essential awkwardness – but also her warmth that brightly shines through. Max’s interest in her – he can see beyond her appearance to the beauty within – sees her blossom, to find some bravery, to contemplate making changes to her humdrum life and to see the possibility of a different future. But she’s not the only character who’s struggling – Jenna’s wonderfully flaky, but with good reason given her recent life experiences and having lost the man she planned to make a future with. It’s brave to focus a book on such a small cast of characters, but I enjoyed every moment of their interactions as Alice was drawn into their privileged lives at Hatherleigh Hall and the relationships developed.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the setting – the deserted house on the moors, its isolation and inaccessibility (well, it certainly proved difficult to get to at times for Alice…), its history and ghostly reputation, the accounts of paranormal activity that are interspersed throughout the narrative. I’m often not a particular fan of spooky elements in a story, but the author pitches things just perfectly – nothing that gave me nightmares or kept me awake at night, but always enigmatic and intriguing.
And it wouldn’t be a book by Jane Lovering without that great balance between the ever-present humour – the set pieces and the wonderful one-liners – and the sensitively handled issues and emotional moments. There were times in this book when I found myself laughing out loud – always with Alice, never at her – and other times when it really made me a little tearful. The central romance is a really lovely slow-burn one, authentic and believable (I rather fell for Max too…) – and I also really enjoyed the book’s surprises and the distinctly unexpected path the story took at times.
And you’re waiting for me to say “her best yet” again, aren’t you? Yes, I think I just might – it’s a really different read for all sorts of reasons, but filled to the brim with absolutely everything I love about the author’s writing. Highly recommended by me.
But when the police turn up on her doorstep in the early hours, her life’s about to change a little. Grant has apparently been killed in an explosion at Fortune House, an isolated house on the moors with something of a ghostly reputation – a bit of a surprise when he barely left the sofa throughout their time together. And when she decides to visit the place where he died, she comes across Max and his sister Jenna – he’s a psychologist (and certainly makes her heart beat rather faster), and Jenna was Grant’s new partner, entirely devastated by his loss – and their lives become increasingly entangled when she agrees to help Jenna find out what happened.
The characterisation in this book is just wonderful. Its voice is Alice’s, and I adored her from the very beginning with her absence of any self confidence, her self-deprecating humour, her essential awkwardness – but also her warmth that brightly shines through. Max’s interest in her – he can see beyond her appearance to the beauty within – sees her blossom, to find some bravery, to contemplate making changes to her humdrum life and to see the possibility of a different future. But she’s not the only character who’s struggling – Jenna’s wonderfully flaky, but with good reason given her recent life experiences and having lost the man she planned to make a future with. It’s brave to focus a book on such a small cast of characters, but I enjoyed every moment of their interactions as Alice was drawn into their privileged lives at Hatherleigh Hall and the relationships developed.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the setting – the deserted house on the moors, its isolation and inaccessibility (well, it certainly proved difficult to get to at times for Alice…), its history and ghostly reputation, the accounts of paranormal activity that are interspersed throughout the narrative. I’m often not a particular fan of spooky elements in a story, but the author pitches things just perfectly – nothing that gave me nightmares or kept me awake at night, but always enigmatic and intriguing.
And it wouldn’t be a book by Jane Lovering without that great balance between the ever-present humour – the set pieces and the wonderful one-liners – and the sensitively handled issues and emotional moments. There were times in this book when I found myself laughing out loud – always with Alice, never at her – and other times when it really made me a little tearful. The central romance is a really lovely slow-burn one, authentic and believable (I rather fell for Max too…) – and I also really enjoyed the book’s surprises and the distinctly unexpected path the story took at times.
And you’re waiting for me to say “her best yet” again, aren’t you? Yes, I think I just might – it’s a really different read for all sorts of reasons, but filled to the brim with absolutely everything I love about the author’s writing. Highly recommended by me.
June 22, 2022
Alice Donaldson had a difficult childhood, with both parents very ill she was forced to play a caretaker role at a young age, it led to her being marked as 'different' at school and combined with her size led to her being bullied and ostracised. She took the only work experience that would be flexible about her working hours to help her parents and then just fell into a full-time job with them afterwards. Now eighteen years later, with one failed marriage, Alice is content to live alone in her parents' tiny cottage and do the admin at a local double-glazing firm.
One day she is woken by the police, her ex-husband has died in an explosion at an old deserted farmhouse on the Yorkshire Moors, while hunting for ghosts of all things!. Perplexed as to why the police would be contacting her when she hasn't seen Grant for six years, Alice is even more confused as to how her couch-potato husband came to be ghost-hunting in an abandoned house in the middle of the night.
While exploring the Yorkshire Moors trying to make sense of Grant's death, Alice runs into brother and sister Max and Jenna, Jenna and Grant were a couple and she is devastated by his death. Max tells Alice that Jenna suffered from an eating disorder after she lost Grant's baby a few months ago and he is worried that Grant's death will cause a regression. Max is a psychologist, and owner of the house in which Grant died, he is writing a book on the house, which is allegedly haunted, and collating stories from people who have seen something there.
More to humour Jenna than for any other reason, Alice agrees to help Jenna investigate why Grant went off alone in the middle of the night to a house with no electricity and what he expected to achieve, but their investigations bring her closer to the devastatingly handsome Max and Alice has to keep reminding herself that tall, dark, handsome men don't fall for size 16 plain women with dubious dress sense and mundane jobs.
I have to say I hesitated to request this book because I am not a fan of ghost stories or horror and I feared this might be some scary suspense type of novel. Fear not, nothing like that. This is very funny, Alice has a wicked sense of humour and there is a super satisfying romance. My only gripe is I would have liked the ghost explained ...
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
One day she is woken by the police, her ex-husband has died in an explosion at an old deserted farmhouse on the Yorkshire Moors, while hunting for ghosts of all things!. Perplexed as to why the police would be contacting her when she hasn't seen Grant for six years, Alice is even more confused as to how her couch-potato husband came to be ghost-hunting in an abandoned house in the middle of the night.
While exploring the Yorkshire Moors trying to make sense of Grant's death, Alice runs into brother and sister Max and Jenna, Jenna and Grant were a couple and she is devastated by his death. Max tells Alice that Jenna suffered from an eating disorder after she lost Grant's baby a few months ago and he is worried that Grant's death will cause a regression. Max is a psychologist, and owner of the house in which Grant died, he is writing a book on the house, which is allegedly haunted, and collating stories from people who have seen something there.
More to humour Jenna than for any other reason, Alice agrees to help Jenna investigate why Grant went off alone in the middle of the night to a house with no electricity and what he expected to achieve, but their investigations bring her closer to the devastatingly handsome Max and Alice has to keep reminding herself that tall, dark, handsome men don't fall for size 16 plain women with dubious dress sense and mundane jobs.
I have to say I hesitated to request this book because I am not a fan of ghost stories or horror and I feared this might be some scary suspense type of novel. Fear not, nothing like that. This is very funny, Alice has a wicked sense of humour and there is a super satisfying romance. My only gripe is I would have liked the ghost explained ...
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
July 14, 2025
I struggled to connect with this story and thought it would be more successful if it were two books: one about the restoration of Hatherleigh Hall; another about the mystery of The Fortune House. Combined, I think the plot was slow, crowded and needed development to garner my interest.
Don’t get me wrong, I warmed to the story initially, thanks to the dry humour of Alice. When the police turn up on her doorstep to announce that her ex-husband is presumed dead, I found her internal thoughts about the matter to be really entertaining. She and Grant haven’t spoken in years and there is certainly no heartache about the split. In fact, it is these sarcastic and humorous comments throughout the novel that made Alice a rather likeable character and was one of the elements that I enjoyed the most about this book.
Yet, the book seems to be divided by Hatherleigh Hall and the desperate need to keeping this old pile from falling down, without going into financial ruin; and the suspected hauntings at The Fortune House. I disliked how Lovering added the amnesia element to the story because I thought it was far from believable and was surprised by how people were duped by the excuse. Instead, I wanted to see how Alice helps Max turn Hatherleigh Hall around, rather than seeing the ghost hunting and sightings up at The Fortune House. It would have definitely made for a very different book, but it was something I was after.
The Fortune House, a pile now thanks to the explosion, has been surrounded by rumours of mysterious, ghostly sightings. Again, this was a little mystery in itself, especially after the remains of a body is found and there is a missing son added to the history of the place. Again, I could have easily seen this as the main feature of the book and would have happily read about just this element of the story all on its own. I liked how Lovering added ghostly sightings that had been reported around The Fortune House because I think this added another element to the narrative.
Due to the combined parts of the narrative, I found the story itself to be slow to progress and I grew frustrated by lengthy scenes that didn’t seem to properly develop. This book held so much promise, but I don’t believe the combination of mystery, romance and the paranormal quite worked together in this novel.
With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t get me wrong, I warmed to the story initially, thanks to the dry humour of Alice. When the police turn up on her doorstep to announce that her ex-husband is presumed dead, I found her internal thoughts about the matter to be really entertaining. She and Grant haven’t spoken in years and there is certainly no heartache about the split. In fact, it is these sarcastic and humorous comments throughout the novel that made Alice a rather likeable character and was one of the elements that I enjoyed the most about this book.
Yet, the book seems to be divided by Hatherleigh Hall and the desperate need to keeping this old pile from falling down, without going into financial ruin; and the suspected hauntings at The Fortune House. I disliked how Lovering added the amnesia element to the story because I thought it was far from believable and was surprised by how people were duped by the excuse. Instead, I wanted to see how Alice helps Max turn Hatherleigh Hall around, rather than seeing the ghost hunting and sightings up at The Fortune House. It would have definitely made for a very different book, but it was something I was after.
The Fortune House, a pile now thanks to the explosion, has been surrounded by rumours of mysterious, ghostly sightings. Again, this was a little mystery in itself, especially after the remains of a body is found and there is a missing son added to the history of the place. Again, I could have easily seen this as the main feature of the book and would have happily read about just this element of the story all on its own. I liked how Lovering added ghostly sightings that had been reported around The Fortune House because I think this added another element to the narrative.
Due to the combined parts of the narrative, I found the story itself to be slow to progress and I grew frustrated by lengthy scenes that didn’t seem to properly develop. This book held so much promise, but I don’t believe the combination of mystery, romance and the paranormal quite worked together in this novel.
With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2022
I listened to this on audiobook.
Well this has certainly been an interesting and enjoyable story from start to finish. It’s well written with some great characters who I enjoyed getting to know and was interesting to see the chemistry between Alison and Max seeing how they dealt with it.
So there was a fair bit to keep track of in the story but the most unexpected surprising thing for me was the twist that happened about half way through, and just came out of no where. Literally Alison opened her door and shocker is revealed lols. I liked how that was done, I remember having to rewind the story a few seconds just to ensure I’d heard what I thought I heard. Anyway that’s all I’m saying on the matter as I certainly don’t want to let out any spoilers.
Anyway if you’ve not read any of Jane’s books yet then I can certainly recommend them as fun reads.
Well this has certainly been an interesting and enjoyable story from start to finish. It’s well written with some great characters who I enjoyed getting to know and was interesting to see the chemistry between Alison and Max seeing how they dealt with it.
So there was a fair bit to keep track of in the story but the most unexpected surprising thing for me was the twist that happened about half way through, and just came out of no where. Literally Alison opened her door and shocker is revealed lols. I liked how that was done, I remember having to rewind the story a few seconds just to ensure I’d heard what I thought I heard. Anyway that’s all I’m saying on the matter as I certainly don’t want to let out any spoilers.
Anyway if you’ve not read any of Jane’s books yet then I can certainly recommend them as fun reads.
November 15, 2022
When the police knock on Alice's door early in the morning, she knows instantly that something is wrong. There has been an accident involving her ex-husband and they need her help.
When Alice goes looking for him up on the North York moors she meets his new girlfriend and her brother. They show her where the accident happened, the Fortune House, a spooky house up on the moors.
With the mystery of her missing ex-husband and the spooky stories that the locals tell will Alice discover the truth?
A novel full of romance and mystery.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When Alice goes looking for him up on the North York moors she meets his new girlfriend and her brother. They show her where the accident happened, the Fortune House, a spooky house up on the moors.
With the mystery of her missing ex-husband and the spooky stories that the locals tell will Alice discover the truth?
A novel full of romance and mystery.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 7, 2023
Long (cudda been 2 books). Ending wasn’t a surprise. Perhaps was too long getting there for an AHA moment. Rating is generous. Narrator did well.
May 26, 2022
Loved it!! I don't understand why more people don't have Boobie Rooms!!?? Alice has zero self confidence. I'm guessing Grant didn't help. He wasn't that great of a husband, didn't love her and goes missing for six years until he's presumed by a gas explosion. She constantly called herself fat since she was size 16(UK.) In the US, that's a size 12. Alice made it seem like she was so big, a man would never find her attractive. She's a SIZE 12 and over dramatic!!! I was waiting for Jenna to find out the truth and then everything fall to pieces. I'm not sure what Jenna sees in Grant. He constantly runs away from his problems. Max is the perfect man. The complete opposite of Grant. Love the relationship between Max and Alice. They constantly make each other laugh and they get each other. Loved the mystery of who was buried under the house and reading all the ghost stories. I thought the book was going to be about solving the mystery of what happened to Grant, with Alice having to constantly console Jenna and whether or not Fortune House was haunted. The book turned out to be so much more. Loved the relationship the characters had with each other and the unexpected twists.
Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, writing style and story. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the book cover. Those cute covers get me every time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, writing style and story. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the book cover. Those cute covers get me every time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
May 30, 2022
I've read pretty much all of Jane Lovering's books (I think - might be one or two lurking that I haven't discovered yet) and this is definitely one of her best. She's got a very deft way with a turn of phrase that is strongly in evidence here: Alice's voice is by turns deeply pragmatic, downright hilarious and full of yearning for the life she didn't get. It takes an extremely surprising event - the death of the husband that should have divorced her years ago - to set her on a path to realisation: she's not stuck in the same rut for the rest of her life, and she doesn't have to be the stereotype she thinks she is. At the same time, she gets a bit of a lesson in not foisting stereotypes on other people. Chuck in a stately home, an very-much-not stately farmhouse up on the moors, an ongoing mystery or two and a delightful romance, and this is a compulsively readable, highly recommended book.
June 10, 2022
Another corker!
Alice is woken up by the police coming to tell her that her ex husband, Grant, has died in an explosion. When she goes up to the site where it happened, she meets his current girlfriend, Jenna and her brother Max. She ends up seeing more of them because Jenna needs someone to talk to about Grant, Alice is curious as to why Grant was out there in a deserted house in the first place and well, seeing Max again wouldn't be all that terrible either.
It's nice to see a heroine who is 'big and plain and sensible' be loved for who she is. The book is broody an atmospheric in places, as befits a book about the existence (or not) of ghosts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the review copy.
Alice is woken up by the police coming to tell her that her ex husband, Grant, has died in an explosion. When she goes up to the site where it happened, she meets his current girlfriend, Jenna and her brother Max. She ends up seeing more of them because Jenna needs someone to talk to about Grant, Alice is curious as to why Grant was out there in a deserted house in the first place and well, seeing Max again wouldn't be all that terrible either.
It's nice to see a heroine who is 'big and plain and sensible' be loved for who she is. The book is broody an atmospheric in places, as befits a book about the existence (or not) of ghosts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the review copy.
January 23, 2023
When Alice Donaldson is woken up by pounding on the door by the police who are there to tell her about the death of her husband, from whom she is divorced for the last six years and has not seen him since. She has very little self-esteem, is over-weight, has few friends and has been in the same job since she was eighteen and now in her mid-thirties. She is told that her ex was blown up in an accidental explosion in a forgotten house in the middle of the night. Because she can't sleep, she decides to go see this place, so in her pajamas and light coat. While sitting there a man comes upon her, who is writing a book about ghost sittings in the house. As the story progresses she meets the man's sister who is grieving about the death of the ex, with whom she was together with him for three years. Continuing, they two women become friends, and the man is also becoming friends with Alice. Then once again, Alice is awakened in the middle of the night and this time it is Grant, the ex who is at her door, looking like a homeless person, telling her that he needs her help. It seems that he actually set the explosion, because Jenna, the sister, wanted to get married and he didn't, but now he knows that he loves her and want to get married and have children. She panics and calls the man he needs to come over immediately, but don't tell him why. He comes over and when he sees Grant and listens to his story. Finally, they decide that they should go tell the sister together with a story that Grant had amnesia and only just now realized who he was and who he was in love with. So, they tell her and then Grant appears and they go right back into where they were six months ago and immediately start planning a wedding. In the meantime, the other become good friends and he wants her to come work for him, but she doesn't like change and refuses, but does agree that she will come and help him get sorted out with all the papers and things that had been left by the prior owner and to help him organize his notes and things for the book he was writing. I assume you all can predict what will happen next and it does, but Alice has a hard time believing that he really wants her and all her curves, but he really does and in-the-end, she quits her former job and moves in with him, looking forward to looking forward to her happy ever after.
March 3, 2023
2⭐️ It’s 4 in the morning and Alice gets the shocking news that her ex husband, Grant, has died in an explosion in an old, uninhabited farmhouse on the York moors. She hasn’t seen or heard from the man in the past six years but this news seems so out of character for him. Feeling compelled to go see the place of the accident to attempt to make sense of things, Alice goes to the farmhouse, known as Fortune House, where she meets siblings, Max and Jenna, who knew Grant. Max had been conducting research and ghost hunting at the Fortune House while Jenna was Grant’s girlfriend. There are rumors of strange things that happen near the Fortune House and sightings of a man that appears and vanishes without a trace. The three come together to try to understand why Grant would be there in the middle of the night and what would have brought him there.
Spoilers ahead
The whole premise of the book sounded so interesting however by the time I finished reading it I felt that a whole lot of nothing happened. Grant faked his death because he couldn’t communicate that he wasn’t happy in his relationship with Jenna. That’s dramatic. Only to realize that he made a huge mistake and then makes his ex wife and possible future brother in law come up with a plausible plan that will trick Jenna into taking him back. That did not sit right with me at all. I felt Jenna needed to know the truth so she could make the choice if he even deserved to have a second chance with her.
Alice had a lot of insecurities concerning her weight and it definitely showed throughout. It was a bit odd how Max convinced her that she was actually his type. But I did like their little romance and their banter back and forth. It was cute and funny.
Snippets of ghost stories and unusual happenings near the Fortune House are shared throughout which were creepy to read and probably my favorite part of the book.
Things ended pretty abruptly with no clarification about the letter Alice found. It felt like the information was suggesting that John was gay and that’s why he left home even though that was never said out right. So if the body wasn’t John’s is the reader supposed to assume the body was Bernard’s? It was left rather ambiguously and I wanted things to wrap up more definitively. But maybe that was the point? I’m still not so sure.
Spoilers ahead
The whole premise of the book sounded so interesting however by the time I finished reading it I felt that a whole lot of nothing happened. Grant faked his death because he couldn’t communicate that he wasn’t happy in his relationship with Jenna. That’s dramatic. Only to realize that he made a huge mistake and then makes his ex wife and possible future brother in law come up with a plausible plan that will trick Jenna into taking him back. That did not sit right with me at all. I felt Jenna needed to know the truth so she could make the choice if he even deserved to have a second chance with her.
Alice had a lot of insecurities concerning her weight and it definitely showed throughout. It was a bit odd how Max convinced her that she was actually his type. But I did like their little romance and their banter back and forth. It was cute and funny.
Snippets of ghost stories and unusual happenings near the Fortune House are shared throughout which were creepy to read and probably my favorite part of the book.
Things ended pretty abruptly with no clarification about the letter Alice found. It felt like the information was suggesting that John was gay and that’s why he left home even though that was never said out right. So if the body wasn’t John’s is the reader supposed to assume the body was Bernard’s? It was left rather ambiguously and I wanted things to wrap up more definitively. But maybe that was the point? I’m still not so sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2022
I am a big fan of Jane Lovering’s books. She has a real knack for creating great characters and writing the perfect blend of romance and humour often with some more serious issues included. Her books will make you smile for sure but are also often rather emotional. I’ve still not quite forgiven her for actually making me cry when reading one of her earlier novels I Don’t Want to Talk About It!
This book had me giggling from the first page! When Alice is wakened by the police at 4am she was most annoyed that they had interrupted her dream about Ben Whishaw and a trumpet – the mind boggles! They are bringing the sad news that her husband Grant has had a serious accident and can’t quite understand why Alice seems unperturbed by this. This led Alice to meeting Grant’s new girlfriend Jenna and her rather gorgeous brother Max.
I really felt for Alice. She had so little self confidence in herself. She is used to being under valued and unappreciated, she expects it in fact. And she is very critical of her body, something I think many women will relate to. She feels she’s very plain and overweight and that no-one could fancy her.
Thank goodness for lovely Max! He helped her see that not every man likes the same body shape and that he was most definitely interested in hers! He was interested in her kindness and intelligence too though, not just how she looked. Together they embark on some research to find out exactly what happened at The Fortune House both with Grant and the many spooky happenings reported there over the years. This element of the story added an element of intrigue and poignancy to the book.
I love Jane Lovering’s books, all the quirky lovable characters she creates and the situations she puts them in. I think she is a really talented storyteller and she never fails to make me smile. The Forgotten House on the Moor is romantic and it’s funny – a proper rom-com!
This book had me giggling from the first page! When Alice is wakened by the police at 4am she was most annoyed that they had interrupted her dream about Ben Whishaw and a trumpet – the mind boggles! They are bringing the sad news that her husband Grant has had a serious accident and can’t quite understand why Alice seems unperturbed by this. This led Alice to meeting Grant’s new girlfriend Jenna and her rather gorgeous brother Max.
I really felt for Alice. She had so little self confidence in herself. She is used to being under valued and unappreciated, she expects it in fact. And she is very critical of her body, something I think many women will relate to. She feels she’s very plain and overweight and that no-one could fancy her.
Thank goodness for lovely Max! He helped her see that not every man likes the same body shape and that he was most definitely interested in hers! He was interested in her kindness and intelligence too though, not just how she looked. Together they embark on some research to find out exactly what happened at The Fortune House both with Grant and the many spooky happenings reported there over the years. This element of the story added an element of intrigue and poignancy to the book.
I love Jane Lovering’s books, all the quirky lovable characters she creates and the situations she puts them in. I think she is a really talented storyteller and she never fails to make me smile. The Forgotten House on the Moor is romantic and it’s funny – a proper rom-com!
August 27, 2022
Award-winning author Jane Lovering delights yet again with her superb new novel, The Forgotten House on the Moor.
When the police knock at her door at 4 am, Alice Donaldson knows that they are not about to impart glad tidings. Her former husband Grant has gone missing and the police need her help to track him down. Alice is shocked and surprised as before she and Grant had parted ways, the most exercise he got was from the sofa to the fridge – so what’s he doing going hiking in the middle of the night on the North York moors?
Alice wants to help find Grant, so she finds herself joining forces with his girlfriend, Jenna and her handsome brother, Max. What misfortune has befallen Grant? What was he doing up on the moors at night? And what really happened at The Fortune House? The spooky house on the moors is haunted according to the locals, but Alice refuses to pay them any heed – not least because she has enough on her plate trying to locate her ex-husband whilst simultaneously hoping not to fall in love with Max, who also happens to be the owner of local stately home, Hatherleigh Hall.
With a mystery to solve and an attraction to keep under control, will Alice and Max manage to find Grant? Will Alice end up as chatelaine of Hatherleigh Hall? Or is a relationship with Grant simply out of the question?
Jane Lovering writes with a lightness of touch and with such compassion, warmth and sensitivity that her books never fail to tickle the funny bone as well as tug at the heartstrings. The Forgotten House on the Moor is a modern-day Gothic romance that will have you laughing out loud on one page and reaching for the tissues on another.
Full of intrigue, mystery, tension, ghosts and heart-melting romance, The Forgotten House on the Moor is another triumph for Jane Lovering.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When the police knock at her door at 4 am, Alice Donaldson knows that they are not about to impart glad tidings. Her former husband Grant has gone missing and the police need her help to track him down. Alice is shocked and surprised as before she and Grant had parted ways, the most exercise he got was from the sofa to the fridge – so what’s he doing going hiking in the middle of the night on the North York moors?
Alice wants to help find Grant, so she finds herself joining forces with his girlfriend, Jenna and her handsome brother, Max. What misfortune has befallen Grant? What was he doing up on the moors at night? And what really happened at The Fortune House? The spooky house on the moors is haunted according to the locals, but Alice refuses to pay them any heed – not least because she has enough on her plate trying to locate her ex-husband whilst simultaneously hoping not to fall in love with Max, who also happens to be the owner of local stately home, Hatherleigh Hall.
With a mystery to solve and an attraction to keep under control, will Alice and Max manage to find Grant? Will Alice end up as chatelaine of Hatherleigh Hall? Or is a relationship with Grant simply out of the question?
Jane Lovering writes with a lightness of touch and with such compassion, warmth and sensitivity that her books never fail to tickle the funny bone as well as tug at the heartstrings. The Forgotten House on the Moor is a modern-day Gothic romance that will have you laughing out loud on one page and reaching for the tissues on another.
Full of intrigue, mystery, tension, ghosts and heart-melting romance, The Forgotten House on the Moor is another triumph for Jane Lovering.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 11, 2022
Alice Donaldson is awakened early one morning by police officers knocking on her door. They informed her that her husband, Grant, who left her six years ago, was killed by a gas explosion. It happened in a derelict house on the moor called the old Fortune House. It has been recently used for ghost hunts (seances).
Alice decides to visit the place and put closure to Grant’s demise. There she meets Max and Jenna Allbright, brother and sister, who knew Grant. Jenna and Grant had been a couple. Alice is surprised that the lovely Jenna had been Grant’s girlfriend because she remembers him as a dull man who said he left her to find himself.
Max is an author who writes books on paranormal and the psychology of ghost hunting. He is also a professor. He and Grant would hold seances at the Fortune House. Max is trying to discover who truly believes in ghosts and who doesn’t.
Max and Jenna own and live at Hatherleigh Hall, a huge country “pile.” Jenna wants Alice to visit them and be her friend so she can learn more about Grant. Max is quite taken with Alice as he likes her sense of humor and her intelligence. He wants her to work with him and help him with his job.
As the story builds and the relationship between Max and Jenna grows, I found myself drawn more and more to them. Even though Max is a PhD and Jenna did not go to university, both are equally intelligent people. There are bits of humor thrown in here that made me chuckle throughout the book. The story also adds little vignettes of people in the area of Fortune House who have had paranormal experiences over the years. Very compelling read with an ending that left me stunned. Enjoy!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Alice decides to visit the place and put closure to Grant’s demise. There she meets Max and Jenna Allbright, brother and sister, who knew Grant. Jenna and Grant had been a couple. Alice is surprised that the lovely Jenna had been Grant’s girlfriend because she remembers him as a dull man who said he left her to find himself.
Max is an author who writes books on paranormal and the psychology of ghost hunting. He is also a professor. He and Grant would hold seances at the Fortune House. Max is trying to discover who truly believes in ghosts and who doesn’t.
Max and Jenna own and live at Hatherleigh Hall, a huge country “pile.” Jenna wants Alice to visit them and be her friend so she can learn more about Grant. Max is quite taken with Alice as he likes her sense of humor and her intelligence. He wants her to work with him and help him with his job.
As the story builds and the relationship between Max and Jenna grows, I found myself drawn more and more to them. Even though Max is a PhD and Jenna did not go to university, both are equally intelligent people. There are bits of humor thrown in here that made me chuckle throughout the book. The story also adds little vignettes of people in the area of Fortune House who have had paranormal experiences over the years. Very compelling read with an ending that left me stunned. Enjoy!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
November 6, 2025
Questo è il secondo libro della Lovering che leggo e devo dire che mi è piaciuto di meno rispetto al primo.
Ho ritrovato le atmosfere cozy, l’umorismo e le ottime descrizioni dei paesaggi inglesi tipiche della sua scrittura che però in questo libro vengono sovrastate dai monologhi interiori di una protagonista che nonostante sia una donna under trenta con un lavoro stabile, una casa di proprietà e in seguito un love interest affascinante e ricco, per qualche motivo passa tutto il tempo a sminuirsi e a giudicare negativamente il suo aspetto fisico e la sua vita. Tendenza questa un po’ in stile Bridget Jones, che secondo me è invecchiata malissimo perché per fortuna oggi le donne non si considerano più senza futuro o speranza se sono single a trent’anni, anzi.
I personaggi sono tutti un po’ piatti e quello di Grant in particolare mi ha fatto veramente uscire dai gangheri insieme alle reazioni per niente credibili degli altri alle sue azioni (mi sorprende anzi che per tutto il libro nessuno gli abbia messo le mani addosso 😂). Infine, le atmosfere di mistero evocate dal titolo non sono state proprio rispettate e anche se le parti con le testimonianze degli episodi sovrannaturali sono scritte molto bene il resto della storia legata alla Fortune House lascia un po’ a desiderare. Interessante il plot twist finale ma forse sarebbe stato interessante svilupparlo di più.
Comunque è tutto sommato un libro leggero e intrattenente, più per le atmosfere che sa creare la Lovering che per la trama in sé, e anche per il fatto che i suoi MMC non sono mai toxic o sboroni ma sempre piacevoli in modo realistico e non stucchevole(quantomeno in questi due libri che ho letto), cosa che nei romance non è mai scontata. Tre stelle.
Ho ritrovato le atmosfere cozy, l’umorismo e le ottime descrizioni dei paesaggi inglesi tipiche della sua scrittura che però in questo libro vengono sovrastate dai monologhi interiori di una protagonista che nonostante sia una donna under trenta con un lavoro stabile, una casa di proprietà e in seguito un love interest affascinante e ricco, per qualche motivo passa tutto il tempo a sminuirsi e a giudicare negativamente il suo aspetto fisico e la sua vita. Tendenza questa un po’ in stile Bridget Jones, che secondo me è invecchiata malissimo perché per fortuna oggi le donne non si considerano più senza futuro o speranza se sono single a trent’anni, anzi.
I personaggi sono tutti un po’ piatti e quello di Grant in particolare mi ha fatto veramente uscire dai gangheri insieme alle reazioni per niente credibili degli altri alle sue azioni (mi sorprende anzi che per tutto il libro nessuno gli abbia messo le mani addosso 😂). Infine, le atmosfere di mistero evocate dal titolo non sono state proprio rispettate e anche se le parti con le testimonianze degli episodi sovrannaturali sono scritte molto bene il resto della storia legata alla Fortune House lascia un po’ a desiderare. Interessante il plot twist finale ma forse sarebbe stato interessante svilupparlo di più.
Comunque è tutto sommato un libro leggero e intrattenente, più per le atmosfere che sa creare la Lovering che per la trama in sé, e anche per il fatto che i suoi MMC non sono mai toxic o sboroni ma sempre piacevoli in modo realistico e non stucchevole(quantomeno in questi due libri che ho letto), cosa che nei romance non è mai scontata. Tre stelle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2023
I am a big fan of Jane Lovering’s books and The Forgotten House on the Moor is one of her best. Alice’s husband Grant had walked out six years before to ‘find himself’. When the police knock on her door in the middle of the night, to inform her that he has been killed in an explosion at an isolated farmhouse on the moors, she finds it difficult to understand what he was doing there in the first place. She decides to visit the site, and there she meets Jenna and Max. Jenna had been in a relationship with Grant and was understandably heartbroken. Her brother Max is a psychology professor and owner of Fortune House. Grant had been helping him with his research.
The story is told entirely from Alice’s point of view. She has no confidence in herself. She is intelligent, organised and funny, but is obsessed with her appearance. Max can see her potential and offers her a job. I am not a fan of spooky tales, but this was pitched just right with occasional accounts of paranormal activity at Fortune House scattered through the narrative. Max was more interested in why people believe in ghosts than proving their existence. This is just the backdrop to the story. At the heart of this book are the characters of Alice and Max. They are so well drawn and believable, share a sense of humour, and their relationship develops in a realistic way. My only criticism would be that Alice took such a long time to realise what was staring her in the face – there was nothing wrong with her appearance, and she should grab the opportunity she was being offered with both hands.
The story is told entirely from Alice’s point of view. She has no confidence in herself. She is intelligent, organised and funny, but is obsessed with her appearance. Max can see her potential and offers her a job. I am not a fan of spooky tales, but this was pitched just right with occasional accounts of paranormal activity at Fortune House scattered through the narrative. Max was more interested in why people believe in ghosts than proving their existence. This is just the backdrop to the story. At the heart of this book are the characters of Alice and Max. They are so well drawn and believable, share a sense of humour, and their relationship develops in a realistic way. My only criticism would be that Alice took such a long time to realise what was staring her in the face – there was nothing wrong with her appearance, and she should grab the opportunity she was being offered with both hands.
June 3, 2022
This was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. I've only recently started reading "chick lit" (even though that is such a broad category!), and don't really read much mystery, or romance for that matter...but I still really enjoyed this book. It managed to hit on a lot of different genres at once without being overpowering, or too light. A good balance was struck, and I think that's so hard with a multigenre novel.
The paranormal/mystery story line was decent. It wasn't overly involved, which I think was beneficial to the main story line of the book. It was used primarily to give readers something interesting to get involved in from the start to pull you in, allowing the author to develop the characters at a more leisurely pace, then switch the focus to their interactions as the main story. The characters themselves really are the stars of the show, and while I did feel that Alice's self-depreciation was a *tad* overdone (though that could just be me projecting), she was a very likable and relatable character. So was Max for that matter. The relationship between them was organic and sweet, it was fun to read about, and that's the point, isn't it? Grant and Jenna...very much an odd situation that added interest and contrast to the story.
Overall, an easy read, enjoyable, and touched on many stories, all juggled well. I've never read anything by this author before, but I would definitely give her other books a go after reading this one!
The paranormal/mystery story line was decent. It wasn't overly involved, which I think was beneficial to the main story line of the book. It was used primarily to give readers something interesting to get involved in from the start to pull you in, allowing the author to develop the characters at a more leisurely pace, then switch the focus to their interactions as the main story. The characters themselves really are the stars of the show, and while I did feel that Alice's self-depreciation was a *tad* overdone (though that could just be me projecting), she was a very likable and relatable character. So was Max for that matter. The relationship between them was organic and sweet, it was fun to read about, and that's the point, isn't it? Grant and Jenna...very much an odd situation that added interest and contrast to the story.
Overall, an easy read, enjoyable, and touched on many stories, all juggled well. I've never read anything by this author before, but I would definitely give her other books a go after reading this one!
June 5, 2022
*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
First off, I have to say how refreshing it was to read a romance novel where the main character is built like an average woman and not the perfect body gorgeous women we usually get. I loved Alice right from the beginning, there is something so relatable to her and what she is going through (both before we met her and throughout the story). The best thing I can say about Grant is that his moronic actions served as the catalyst to get Alice moving and go after what she wanted out of life. Having someone like Max there to support and encourage her obviously helped as well. My favorite thing about Max was that he saw so much potential in Alice but never pushed her into anything. He just makes it clear to her that he believes in her and will support her decisions. By the end I found myself wishing I had my own Max. I also really liked the relationship between Alice and Jenna. They were so different and had every reason not to like one another, but none of that mattered and they formed a friendship separate from the guys in their life. The mystery surrounding the body in the basement of the Fortune house added a little more excitement to the story. I have a guess as to who was buried there, so I am actually okay not knowing for sure. I would happily read more stories with Alice and Max should the author choose to ever write any more!
First off, I have to say how refreshing it was to read a romance novel where the main character is built like an average woman and not the perfect body gorgeous women we usually get. I loved Alice right from the beginning, there is something so relatable to her and what she is going through (both before we met her and throughout the story). The best thing I can say about Grant is that his moronic actions served as the catalyst to get Alice moving and go after what she wanted out of life. Having someone like Max there to support and encourage her obviously helped as well. My favorite thing about Max was that he saw so much potential in Alice but never pushed her into anything. He just makes it clear to her that he believes in her and will support her decisions. By the end I found myself wishing I had my own Max. I also really liked the relationship between Alice and Jenna. They were so different and had every reason not to like one another, but none of that mattered and they formed a friendship separate from the guys in their life. The mystery surrounding the body in the basement of the Fortune house added a little more excitement to the story. I have a guess as to who was buried there, so I am actually okay not knowing for sure. I would happily read more stories with Alice and Max should the author choose to ever write any more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2022
Alice receives the unexpected news that Grant, her estranged husband, is missing after a tragic accident at the mysterious Fortune House high on the North Yorkshire moors. However, knowing her ex-husband well, Alice can't believe that he would be walking on the moors in the first place, so she is intrigued to find out more. With some trepidation Alice sets out to visit the place where her husband seemingly disappeared and there she comes into contact with brother and sister, Max and Jenna, who seem to have known a very different Grant and whose connection to the spooky Fortune House can't be ignored.
What then follows is a gently, haunting story about the lure of Fortune House and the mystery and spooky goings on, into which Alice, Max and Jenna get involved. The brooding nature of the moors comes across as do the unexplained sightings of some mysterious happenings at Fortune House. There's a nice amount of seriousness which is offset against the warm-hearted relationship between the main characters which the author has written with a light touch and a nice eye for detail. It took me a little while to warm to Alice, I felt that she was so much more than just worrying about her body image so it was good to see her personality blossom over the course of the story.
The Forgotten House on the Moor is a light-hearted story, with a nice sense of mystery, and a lovely smattering of romance.
What then follows is a gently, haunting story about the lure of Fortune House and the mystery and spooky goings on, into which Alice, Max and Jenna get involved. The brooding nature of the moors comes across as do the unexplained sightings of some mysterious happenings at Fortune House. There's a nice amount of seriousness which is offset against the warm-hearted relationship between the main characters which the author has written with a light touch and a nice eye for detail. It took me a little while to warm to Alice, I felt that she was so much more than just worrying about her body image so it was good to see her personality blossom over the course of the story.
The Forgotten House on the Moor is a light-hearted story, with a nice sense of mystery, and a lovely smattering of romance.
June 23, 2022
Alice Donaldson is just coasting through life after her parents death, living in their dumpy home, staying at her boring yet comfortable office job, with zero self confidence and constantly fat shaming herself. Her husband left her after a completely unromantic marriage and she hasn't seen or heard from him in six years. So she's completely shocked when the cops are knocking on her door at four a.m. to tell her he was killed in a freak accident at an abandoned house on the moors. She visits the site and finds a woman, Jenna, crying in grief over Grant's death along with her brother Max who had been researching the abandoned house and its ghostly encounters for his book.
I loved Max, down-to-earth despite being an actual Lord of the Manor and the fact that he likes curvy women. I like how he described himself as Heathcliff yet nicer to women. The "booby room" scene was hilarious. Alice lacked all self confidence and I was frustrated with her constantly being down on herself. I get it with her history, especially with Grant, but didn't want to read about it every few pages. Overall, I liked the mystery, the setting in the major house, the flashback descriptions of ghostly encounters, and the lovely descriptions of the moors.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily
I loved Max, down-to-earth despite being an actual Lord of the Manor and the fact that he likes curvy women. I like how he described himself as Heathcliff yet nicer to women. The "booby room" scene was hilarious. Alice lacked all self confidence and I was frustrated with her constantly being down on herself. I get it with her history, especially with Grant, but didn't want to read about it every few pages. Overall, I liked the mystery, the setting in the major house, the flashback descriptions of ghostly encounters, and the lovely descriptions of the moors.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily
February 13, 2023
This was not what I was expecting but it was still lovely - 3.5* rounded down.
This book features a crime, a mystery, and ghosts but somehow manages to not be a story about any of those things. The chapters do begin with some ghost (ish) stories but I believe one could skip them completely as they were not integral to the story. Perhaps read a few just to get the idea of what Max is studying. His research does feature in the book.
The story is narrated by Alice. Mid thirties, overweight, sensible Alice. Too much is made of those last two items. Way too much. Still she is likable. Her (not quite ex) husband, Grant, is possibly murdered at a haunted house on the moor. This is inexplicable to Alice and she becomes quite curious about how he even ended up way out there. She meets Jenna, Grants most recent girlfriend, and Max, her brother. Sensible Alice offers Jenna shoulder and Max good advice for dealing with the grieving. From there her relationship to both grows. I thought that was the strength of the book.
The weaknesses were Grant, Jenna's interest in him (totally puts her in the tstl category), the "crime" which petered out in an unbelievable way. The mystery was slightly better. Luckily none of this was the focus of the book.
I enjoyed it enough to go read another book by this writer.
This book features a crime, a mystery, and ghosts but somehow manages to not be a story about any of those things. The chapters do begin with some ghost (ish) stories but I believe one could skip them completely as they were not integral to the story. Perhaps read a few just to get the idea of what Max is studying. His research does feature in the book.
The story is narrated by Alice. Mid thirties, overweight, sensible Alice. Too much is made of those last two items. Way too much. Still she is likable. Her (not quite ex) husband, Grant, is possibly murdered at a haunted house on the moor. This is inexplicable to Alice and she becomes quite curious about how he even ended up way out there. She meets Jenna, Grants most recent girlfriend, and Max, her brother. Sensible Alice offers Jenna shoulder and Max good advice for dealing with the grieving. From there her relationship to both grows. I thought that was the strength of the book.
The weaknesses were Grant, Jenna's interest in him (totally puts her in the tstl category), the "crime" which petered out in an unbelievable way. The mystery was slightly better. Luckily none of this was the focus of the book.
I enjoyed it enough to go read another book by this writer.
June 8, 2022
This book was a bit infuriating and made little sense. I’m not sure how the house was forgotten on the moor when the book had many stories of people remembering it and talking about it. Nothing was forgotten. Grants story made no sense, Alice and Max are total snakes for dreaming up lies for poor Jenna. And all the mentions of Alice’s build and weight! Curvy, fat, plump, jiggly, busty, thunder thighs, etc. Christ give the girl some self acceptance. But on the other end of the spectrum I find often when a books main character focuses on her being overweight there is usually another very thin character (in this case Jenna) who is often described as having some kind of eating disorder, because there just can’t be naturally thin people apparently.
August 14, 2022
The Forgotten House on the Moor by Jane Lovering
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily
When police knock on Alice Donaldson’s door at 4am, she knows the news won’t be good. There’s been an accident involving her ex-husband Grant, and as his existing next of kin, they need her help.
Grant is missing up on the North York moors, but the Grant Alice knew could barely be persuaded out on a walk around the block. What on earth possessed him to go on a hike in the middle of the night?
Alice soon finds herself working with Grant’s girlfriend Jenna and Jenna’s gorgeous ‘Lord of the family Manor’ brother Max, to find out what has happened, and what caused Grant’s accident at The Fortune House – the spooky house out on the moors.
I have read a few books by Jane Lovering now and I have enjoyed her previous books. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as I expected to. For the most part this is a light-hearted and enjoyable read but with slow pacing. I was put off by the fact that Alice seems to have an obsession with her weight.
Rating 3/5
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily
When police knock on Alice Donaldson’s door at 4am, she knows the news won’t be good. There’s been an accident involving her ex-husband Grant, and as his existing next of kin, they need her help.
Grant is missing up on the North York moors, but the Grant Alice knew could barely be persuaded out on a walk around the block. What on earth possessed him to go on a hike in the middle of the night?
Alice soon finds herself working with Grant’s girlfriend Jenna and Jenna’s gorgeous ‘Lord of the family Manor’ brother Max, to find out what has happened, and what caused Grant’s accident at The Fortune House – the spooky house out on the moors.
I have read a few books by Jane Lovering now and I have enjoyed her previous books. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as I expected to. For the most part this is a light-hearted and enjoyable read but with slow pacing. I was put off by the fact that Alice seems to have an obsession with her weight.
Rating 3/5
June 11, 2022
I found this novel a fabulous mix of mystery (what happened in that house?), supernatural touches (possible ghost sightings), humour (of the author's signature variety) and, of course, romance. One thing I particularly liked is how Max studies the ghost sighting stories as a psychologist, trying to explain why people saw something or thought they did, but still doesn't exclude the possibility that in some cases it could be all real. And Alice is a very likeable main character, with understandable insecurities and practical skills, plus the "casually funny even in dreadful circumstances" kind of inner monologue that I always love in Jane Lovering's books. Also, I really liked the ending.
Tip: if ghost stories scare you and it's getting dark when you reach an "experiencer report" section (at the end of some chapters), wait until morning to read it. Everything else, you should be okay to read even in the middle of the night.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tip: if ghost stories scare you and it's getting dark when you reach an "experiencer report" section (at the end of some chapters), wait until morning to read it. Everything else, you should be okay to read even in the middle of the night.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2022
Well. That was phenomenal.
I started reading Lovering's books as I was in search of a good summer read and, being skint, I needed it to be on Kindle Unlimited. I'm so glad I did. I've now read two of her books in the course of four days. Funny, real, with very real characters, dealing with real problems. The romance is there, but it doesn't wait until the end of the book and make it the finale. It comes round about the middle and is not full of the stupid "will-they-won't-they" for 500 pages, nonsense. The romances are good, solid, real relationships, and the parallel storyline (both mysteries, so far as I've read) are well written, not derivative, original and most importantly, give you closure. (Books that end in a question drive me nuts!)
All in all I can see myself reading every book she's written, over the course of this summer, and anything new she publishes. Well done, madame. Well. Done.
I started reading Lovering's books as I was in search of a good summer read and, being skint, I needed it to be on Kindle Unlimited. I'm so glad I did. I've now read two of her books in the course of four days. Funny, real, with very real characters, dealing with real problems. The romance is there, but it doesn't wait until the end of the book and make it the finale. It comes round about the middle and is not full of the stupid "will-they-won't-they" for 500 pages, nonsense. The romances are good, solid, real relationships, and the parallel storyline (both mysteries, so far as I've read) are well written, not derivative, original and most importantly, give you closure. (Books that end in a question drive me nuts!)
All in all I can see myself reading every book she's written, over the course of this summer, and anything new she publishes. Well done, madame. Well. Done.
June 16, 2022
The forgotten house on the moor is full of mystery, paranormal activity/ghostly happenings and full of atmospheric charge!
Alice single since her and her husband split up leads a safe, predictable existence until she is informed that Grant her husband who she hasnt seen for about 6 years has been found dead in a derelict isolated house in the moor due to an unexplained explosion, intrigued and mystified Alice visits the site and meets Max and Jenna who live at nearby Hatherleigh Hall, from here on in Alice’s life changes dramatically as she finds out more about her husband, becomes friends with Max and Jenna and has a change of career!
Would love to see where Alice and Max’s relationship goes and what happens to the Hall and if the plans for Fortune House come to fruition!
A read packed full of mystery, humour, romance and spooky happenings!
Thank you netgalley for this early read
Alice single since her and her husband split up leads a safe, predictable existence until she is informed that Grant her husband who she hasnt seen for about 6 years has been found dead in a derelict isolated house in the moor due to an unexplained explosion, intrigued and mystified Alice visits the site and meets Max and Jenna who live at nearby Hatherleigh Hall, from here on in Alice’s life changes dramatically as she finds out more about her husband, becomes friends with Max and Jenna and has a change of career!
Would love to see where Alice and Max’s relationship goes and what happens to the Hall and if the plans for Fortune House come to fruition!
A read packed full of mystery, humour, romance and spooky happenings!
Thank you netgalley for this early read
April 17, 2023
The good: this story was told beautifully, I loved the setting and the characters were flawed but mostly believable.
The less good: alot of weight talk from an average sized main character. I know people of all sizes can have self confidence issues, but this has been done to death in so many books and it is just boring at this point.
The bad: I'm not even mad that three of the 4 characters in this book lie to the fourth. Is it nice of them? No. Of course it's terrible, but people are, sometimes. But we are to believe that nothing comes of it? They tell this huge lie and Jenna never realizes that it is a flimsy story? This is so unbelievable. Also! There is no conflict in the plot at all. The closest thing to conflict is Alice's dislike of her body and deciding if she should change jobs. Yawn. The ghost stories were also a huge let down. They felt like such a lost opportunity, not really tied into the plot in the end. Oh and Alice might tell Max who the body actually belongs to someday...oh great just another casual giant lie to someone you are supposed to love.
So what we get is a very well written and mostly boring story where not much of anything happens.
The less good: alot of weight talk from an average sized main character. I know people of all sizes can have self confidence issues, but this has been done to death in so many books and it is just boring at this point.
The bad: I'm not even mad that three of the 4 characters in this book lie to the fourth. Is it nice of them? No. Of course it's terrible, but people are, sometimes. But we are to believe that nothing comes of it? They tell this huge lie and Jenna never realizes that it is a flimsy story? This is so unbelievable. Also! There is no conflict in the plot at all. The closest thing to conflict is Alice's dislike of her body and deciding if she should change jobs. Yawn. The ghost stories were also a huge let down. They felt like such a lost opportunity, not really tied into the plot in the end. Oh and Alice might tell Max who the body actually belongs to someday...oh great just another casual giant lie to someone you are supposed to love.
So what we get is a very well written and mostly boring story where not much of anything happens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2022
The Forgotten House on the Moor
by Jane Lovering
In the early morning Alice Donaldson’s door goes - It has to be bad news no good comes at that time by the police. She is being advised her ex husband Grant is missing on the moors and believed killed in and explosion at an abandoned house and she is listed as next of kin . Alice goes to view the sight and meets Max who is writing a book about ghosts and whether the fortune house was haunted. Jenna , Max’s sister was Grants girlfriend and she has many questions regarding Grants disappearance.
This book is very slow , disjointed and in some parts very repetitive but the main story actually becomes clearer in the last third of the book. So if you can follow the intrigue and mystery and the minor romance involved all will become clear.
by Jane Lovering
In the early morning Alice Donaldson’s door goes - It has to be bad news no good comes at that time by the police. She is being advised her ex husband Grant is missing on the moors and believed killed in and explosion at an abandoned house and she is listed as next of kin . Alice goes to view the sight and meets Max who is writing a book about ghosts and whether the fortune house was haunted. Jenna , Max’s sister was Grants girlfriend and she has many questions regarding Grants disappearance.
This book is very slow , disjointed and in some parts very repetitive but the main story actually becomes clearer in the last third of the book. So if you can follow the intrigue and mystery and the minor romance involved all will become clear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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