A Haunting at Hartwell Hall

Written by Rachel Bowdler

Narrated by Maggie Mayfield

Quirky and spiritual Blair Nelson has been interested in the strange and unexplained since childhood, and that has somehow translated to a low-paid career as a freelance paranormal investigator in her adult life. She's rarely taken seriously — by her family, friends, and loved ones as well as strangers Ú and though she's tired of being treated as a joke, she refuses to give up the only thing she's ever been good at, which is, to put it simply, hunting ghosts. When hotel manager Vincent Kane reaches out with an offer that means avoiding her dingy, empty flat and stern landlord in Manchester (who she hasn't paid rent to for a good three months now, after an apparent drought in spiritual activity in Britain), she can't refuse, and she embarks on the investigation of Hartwell Hall's reports of peculiar activity despite Hartwell manager Felicity Kane's constant snarky comments and disapproval surrounding her job.

To put it lightly, Felicity Kane is a skeptic, so she is less than impressed when her father, Vincent, calls in a ghost hunter to loiter around the hotel she helps to manage. It's bad enough that guests are checking out early and leaving bad reviews for supposed haunting experiences that left them spooked, never mind the fact that wild airhead Blair is wandering the halls at all hours of the night. But her father won't be told, and Felicity soon learns that perhaps something unusual is happening in Hartwell Hall, even if she is reluctant to admit it. When she experiences the supposed ghost's presence firsthand, though, she must turn to Blair for answers — even if she still believes she's a con-woman.

A Haunting at Hartwell Hall is a timeless F/F romantic mystery, drawing inspiration from the Gothic genre, Halloween ghost stories, and British properties with historical, eerie charm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Shorts
• Release date: Oct 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094427997

Rachel Bowdler

Rachel Bowdler is a freelance writer, editor, and sometimes photographer from the UK. She spends most of her time away with the faeries. When she is not putting off writing by scrolling through Twitter and binge-watching sitcoms, you can find her walking her dog, painting, and passionately crying about her favourite fictional characters. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @rach_bowdler.

Reviews for A Haunting at Hartwell Hall

[Arosa Colon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is tedious. First off the narrator’s pronunciation of Nancy is ‘non-cy’ until three chapters into the story. Even chapter becomes ‘chop-ter’, hawk changes to ‘hock’. The recording cuts and repeats erratically twice so far (I’m still trying to get through it).
I was hoping this was going to be a fun read.

[judy griffin · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Narrator Mayfield means no to this one.

[Claudia Vasconcelos Varjotie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little bit too predictable but nice.
The narrator is very good, just a couple of recording mistakes, but they don't disturb the storytelling.

[Bonn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Literally a haunting!
This story is really fun and engaging.
The mystery and haunting was laid out very well, and it was complete. The relationship part was more on the okay side, but both characters have their own authenticity. And though the end was floating, it was also with surety.