Published by Bloodhound Books on December 3, 2018
Genres: Suspense, Psychological, Thriller
Pages: 306
Goodreads
Faye and her husband Hugh have had a traumatic year. Wanting to start again, the couple decide to buy a large rundown property, Cross House in a village in North Yorkshire, hoping to leave the past behind them.
However, the tranquillity is soon ruined when Faye begins to awake, every night, to the sound of somebody creeping around the bedroom. She tries to explain it to Hugh, frightened for the safety of their children Aiden and Poppy, but Hugh dismisses her claims, thinking she is heading for another breakdown.
But when Faye discovers some diaries that contain secrets about the family that lived in the house before them, she starts to wonder if the intruder might be closer to home than she first thought.
Obsessed with finding answers, Faye is determined to learn about the Wentworth family, a fractured family with a tragic past.
And when she discovers that Hilary Wentworth fell to her death down the stairs in Cross House, Faye realises she is in mortal danger…
So I had managed to make a bit of a c**k up with this! Emma sent the book out to me, but I failed to check that I had received the book until 2 days before!!! I am gutted I did not get this read in time for the tour but looking at the reviews I can not wait!
Nicki’s book blog says
Do not read this in bed in the dark unless you are of a strong constitution as you might just end up hearing things that are not there! In
parts it reminded me of a ghost story when Faye doesn’t know if things are real or not. I really struggled with this book- to put it down. so well written that it kept me there, even anxious for what was happening. Wanting more and more to turn quicker and quicker. I felt for Faye- being believed and trusted was difficult after what she had been through. Oh boy! One heck of a gripping, tantalising read.
Jan’s book buzz says
The author does a good job of creating that ongoing sense of foreboding and general darkness that needs to accompany a book like this. The whole paranormal angle worked really well. There was just enough to make you think: could it be; is it; isn’t it? I also think the title is really clever: who exactly is ‘Uninvited’?
The Quiet Knitter says
I really don’t want to say too much more about the plot, there are so many things that readers need to discover for themselves and with this is quite a gripping and fast paced read, they will soon be hooked and held captive by the plot.
It’s the sort of read that gets under your skin and leaves you feeling shivers down your spine … and maybe sleeping with the light on for a few nights.
Audio Killed the Bookmark says
This book kept me feeling uneasy throughout… A little bit ghost story, a little bit murder mystery, and a lot creepy! Can I just say if I were to wake up in the middle of the night and think someone was breathing over me and then I heard footsteps, i’d be saying, feet don’t fail me now!
Me and My Books saysI really enjoyed the descriptions of the property and its gardens and the author made it very easy to visualise aspects from the descriptions given. I do have to admit that as much as I would love to get my hands on the house and bring it back to its full potential, I would be too much of a scaredy-cat to even step foot in it.
Gradually things are teased out and the links and connections are made, it tells a tale of its past inhabitants. A really good hauntingly atmospheric story with a lot of suspense and mystery, One I would recommend.
Bookish Jottings says
A book best read with every single light in the house on, The Uninvited is a fantastic chiller that is simply outstanding. J A Baker pulls her reader into her story with a seductive blend of nail-biting tension and heart-pounding suspense and even though there were times when I was too scared to turn the page, I found myself unable to stop reading The Uninvited.
Wow! so many smashing reviews I had to share more than my normal 3!! I want to get cracking on this one now! Shall we now check out what this phenomenal woman has written for us today!
A Ghost of a Chance
Without giving too much away, The Uninvited is slightly different to my usual genre. That said, it does have a healthy helping of suspense thrown in and also focuses on the workings of the characters’ minds, something that always drives me to write.
The Uninvited has a supernatural theme to it, another thing that interests me. Having dropped off everyone’s radar for a good while, books about ghosts seem to be making a comeback which in my humble opinion, is definitely a good thing.
Growing up, I was a keen reader and read books by Stephen King, including The Shining, which scared the bejesus out of me. I also read some Edgar Allan Poe as my father was a fan of his writing and also Charles Dickens, The Signal-man. Victorian ghost stories make my skin crawl. The Victorians seemed to have a knack for setting a good scene and drawing the reader in.
It felt good to stretch the boundaries a little while I was writing The Uninvited. Because spectres and ghosts have no rules, I had carte blanche to write whatever I wanted.
The house in The Uninvited, Cross House. was named after a house that once stood on the site of the house where I now live. I did some research into its history after we moved in and it was fascinating. It was a sprawling property that was built sometime in the 1700’s. It was demolished in the mid 1950’s after a compulsory purchase order was put on it. The government extended the runway of the nearby airport and a new road was built. My house was built on a portion of the land that the house once stood on.
I have some old pictures of the house and its previous owners and find it rather emotive and quite sad that everything and everyone on the picture has now gone. It was while I was staring at the picture that the idea for The Uninvited came to me. Although I knew very little of the people who lived in Cross House, I had a good idea of the size of the house and what sort of condition it might be in if it still stood today. From that moment on, The Uninvited was born.
My next book isn’t a supernatural story but I do definitely have plans to write another one fairly soon. Once I knew I had it in me to produce a half decent ghost story, it gave me the impetus and confidence to have a go at another one. I have lots of ideas roaming around in my head so watch this space!
My thanks to Emma at Bloodhound book for the tour invite and the author for the Guest Post
Until next time xx
jennifertarheelreader says
I hope you love this one when you read it, Zoe! It sounds terrific! ♥️
Zoe says
I was gutted I messed up as these sorts of books are my fav. Can’t wait to get to it!!