The Nightingale Bones

Written by Ariel Swan

Narrated by Jennifer Pickens

Someone has been waiting a long time for Alice Towne to arrive in Hawthorne.

Two hundred years, in fact.

Trying to accept her mother's belief that the women of the Towne family are blessed, not cursed, with supernatural abilities, twenty-seven-year old Alice leaves a disapproving Boston husband to housesit for the summer in tiny Hawthorne, a historic village famous in the 1800s for its peppermint farms and the large, herbal-essence distilleries that flourished around the Massachusetts township.

She settles into a beautiful old home with a tragic reputation. There are said to be sightings and sounds from the spirit of a young woman who hanged herself after all her children died there of illnesses in the 1900s.

But soon, Alice experiences firsthand encounters that convince her the spirit is not who people think. The truth is shocking, steeped in the town's distillery history and its legends of a local wizard and witchcraft. As she falls in love with a local farmer whose family legacy is as tangled in the magick and the mystery as her own, Alice's fear becomes not whether the past can be resolved . . . but whether it's waiting to claim new victims.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing
• Release date: Oct 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9781094471754

Ariel Swan

Ariel Swan grew up first among ghosts in an old Victorian and then came of age on the shores of a New England lake where she continued to hear voices in the wind and trees. These gifts stayed with her as she worked through two degrees at the University of Massachusetts, dabbling in literature, sociology, creative writing, and as many playfully wicked adventures as she could conjure. When she moved to a hill town in western Massachusetts, where the earth itself seemed tinted with enchantment, the seeds of her first novel, The Nightingale Bones, took root. Ariel loves small town lore, old houses, and rural New England settings. Her writing crosses genres, mixing the mystical with the literary, centered on women’s themes, strong atmosphere and vivid characters.

Reviews for The Nightingale Bones

[Oana Anton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a bad one . I like the MC's, the story, and the . narrator did great

[calistacowan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great writing, and wonderful narration. If you love ghost stories this book is for you!

[Denise Wiebe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. Love the characters. And so beautifully written. Rich language. So appreciative of every sentence and how every one leads you through a mystery, self discovery and the finest of loves.

[roxymomo11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the rich background of each character & how it linked past to future. Very engaging book. Wish there were more of her books in this platform

[Kelly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the characters & magic dipped in historical tones. The multifaceted characters were engaging and fun. I felt drawn in from the start.

[Melinda Jarrell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome book hurry up and write another there story is waiting!

[jlhope98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely captivating, I was hooked start to finish. I love how detailed the author is without feeling the need to over explain. Does a very good job at telling the story and keeping it going stringing you along all the while!

[tricia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good narrator. Spooky, but smart story that keeps you guessing until the end.

[Cathy Davey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved it! Different & fresh , I am now a massive fan

[amanda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book; it was a great read. I would like to see more from this author.

[Rachelle Haggarty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this novel, I found some parts hard to follow and had to back up but was able to replay and figure it out. I would listen to this author again.

[Marla Potter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was so good! Drew me right in LOVED the narrator made it even better!

[jaimee.towan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a wonderful story. The touches on all the details but it's not dragged out, which I liked!

[sugarmeme87 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best story I've heard in a very long time! Right up my alley! ten stars

[Sheila Panegasser · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable book. Flawed but likable characters. Well paced. A little predictable but would 100% recommend.

[Rosemary Price · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, well crafted ( no pun intended) story to lose oneself , in the strange , magical ,
yet believable life of someone else ….with feet on the ground , head in the past , heart …well you’ll find out where..
Beautifully read with gentle nuance of emotion and perfect timing spins one gently into the web …Read It or listen for yourself

[katharineschaaf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good engaging story line with character building. I definitely could have used a second book to explore the characters and world more, I hope I see more from the author!

[hartsock9236 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Strong characters. Intriguing storyline well written. Holds your attention from the beginning.

[mommadowney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Nice read. Good pace. Love the mystery.

[Vicki Tucker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Well written, well read, but so boring. It was hard not to quit and move on to the next book.

[O’Brien Family · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good book ; he entertaining is an understatement . Was a really good mystery.

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good storyline. I believe in visions, people talking with the dead with a se-ance. I enjoyed this book

[Shannon Travis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. I really like this book. The story was captivating and the narrator helped bring the story to life.

[Erika Wimer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one! I love Ariel’s descriptive words. It was narrated so well and smoothly.

[Cilica · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love the premise of the book. Writing is decent. Didn't come to fruition as I'd
wanted. There are holes in the storyline of a whining protagonist (cursed said Alice too often) named Alice (whose mother is a witch, a wiccan and names their precious magical daughter a common name), leaves a controlling husband to find another boy-man whom she has to convince she isn't petty, crazy and has clairvoyant gifts. Gosh to live happy after this. Too many daft thinking by Alice in the 2nd half to become a characteur of the storylines premise. (After dying and being revived to life Alice has the audacity of self harm to leave the hospital to find her true love. I am choking from laughter.)

[Amy Brenner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was well written! The story never got boring and kept me engaged. I wish that there was a second book!!

[Marie Toole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fluid and magical. Enjoyed the excitement and the background of this read.

[4sf7sykgnq · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Hahaha. Where to begin? Oh, that’s easy, it’s the VERY beginning of the book. I don’t know if the narrator was bored out of her mind or just sleepy because she read this book like even she hated it. Then there was the “Twilight” moment (insert eye roll here) (yeah, you’ll see what I mean.) and then the end, it was 1 of many ridiculous parts of this book. Alice was so whiny the entire time, she’s the main character but she the worst character also. lol.

[Lisa Mathews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The narration was smooth and engaging. Love and witchcraft for the win.

[Lissa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written good narration very enjoyable the heroine did get slightly irritating at times but overall really good