Well written ghost story, narration was on point!!

This was a very enjoyable book. I listened to the audible version of this story and was pulled in from the very beginning. The narrator does a wonderful job with the different voices and I found that I had chill bumps throughout the majority of the story, I even jumped at one point and then laughed at myself. I like that even though there was a romantic story line it wasn't first and foremost in the story, it shared equal time with the main ghost story and rather than overpowering it, the slow moving relationship added to the story. Hale and Daniel were instantly attracted to one another but they didn't just jump into bed which is a refreshing change, instead they built on their connection throughout the story and Hale, well he was just wonderful at being there for Daniel and supporting him through all that he goes through. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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If not for production errors,this would be 5 stars

I first read the second edition of The Haunting of Timber Manor last spring and liked it so much that I quickly picked up the remainder of this series, Memoirs of the Human Wraiths. When I heard the creepily perfect narrative sample of this audiobook, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be spooked by this ghost story a second time.

The narrator’s performance- complete with sound effects, voice distortions, and some very good timing brought this story to life more than I would have thought possible. Even knowing what was coming, I was once again gripped by the ghostly tale, so much so that I jumped a few times while listening. In fact, this book was almost better the second time around. I appreciated Hal and Daniel more as they faced off with an angry, other-worldly entity set on harming them and their loved ones. I also found myself catching onto the simmering connection between the men faster this time, and the romance felt even more significant. Sadly, as much as I’d like to give this audiobook 5 stars, there were a few blatant production mistakes that definitely took away from the spellbinding storyline, including repeated sentences, mispronunciations, and even two missing chapters (which had previous chapters in their stead). Obviously this edition isn’t perfect, but there are so many elements which made The Haunting of Timber Manor audiobook a real treat that I most definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good ghost story guaranteed to make you jump.

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great read

loved the rom com meets horror movie. really nice to see a lgbt story with real and developed characters.

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good way to spend a day

loved the story. Tony's different voices brought this to life for me. there are a few glitches that came up but all in all a good way to spend a day.

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Spooky story, but poor production.

I usually shy away from ghost/horror stories; I really don’t do scary books or movies. I couldn’t even watch more than a few episodes of Supernatural before I knew that my yellow belly couldn’t take it. 😉 Hearing others talk about the book, though, made me want to read it. I had the ebook for some time waiting to work myself up to it, and when we were offered an audio code, I decided to jump in. I will admit that I had to stop listening at times, especially in the evenings. Overall, the story wasn’t so scary that I couldn’t finish it so I count that as a win for me. The author also won, I feel, because the story definitely has significant chills and thrills.

I want to shelve this story in the Gay Fiction genre even though there is a romance blooming in this book. It has it’s sweet and sexy moments, but with the switching pov’s from Daniel to Hale to Daniel’s Aunt Carol to Francine, a spirit woman, to It, the voice of evil, there is a lot more going on and the romance is secondary. I have a little complaint about the way the chapters are announced in the book, noting who’s viewpoint it is, and assigning a number to the amount of times they have talked. If you like switching from the audio to ebook, this might be a problem. Also, the story told is the first version so if you have the newer edition it will be difficult to follow along with the audio.

This is minor, though, in comparison to the storytelling. For years, Daniel’s family has been living in fear. His dad left home and never brought his wife or Daniel back to where he grew up. A malevolent ancestor in life and death, had it out for Daniel’s dad and now that Daniel has come to visit, the darkness has reawakened. Add to that, a group of timber wolves (who the manor are named for) stand guard outside the house. Spirits cannot rest and the living are having a difficult time, too. After a few “unexplained” deaths (murders) in the house, Daniel and Hale find themselves having to fight off the evil presence with the help of Francine and some other surprise characters. If they manage to win, there is also the matter that Daniel is only visiting, so there are some decisions that he and Hale will have to make in regards to their relationship also.

I already feel like I gave too much away, but hopefully, I didn’t. The story is really best read without too much other information. As far as the story goes, I would definitely recommend it.

The narration – As for voicing the characters, I think the narrator did a great job. There isn’t a lot of difference in the “voices” for Daniel and Hale, to be honest. I had to rely on context to figure out whose part I was listening to if I didn’t pay attention to the chapter heading. The tones and accents he used for Carol, Francine, and It, were excellent, though. I definitely could see myself listening to the narrator again.

The production has some problems, though. Lines were repeated frequently. I went to the ebook to see if it was a repeated thought and not an error and that is when I realized that the audio reflected the first edition. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I keep wondering why they didn’t use the second edition to narrate the book since it shares the same cover. Chapter 52 of the audiobook is also a repeat of Chapter 41. I thought my audible app had skipped back on me or that I somehow rewound my audio. The Chapter 52 from the book is missing completely. I don’t know if this error is fixed or if it’s being fixed, but my audio copy hasn’t changed.

There were some frustrations in listening to the book, and I felt I had to mention them. However, I really did enjoy the story. I’m not sure what percentage I’d use to recommend the audiobook. If you’re willing to read the missing chapter from the book, and you happen to have the first version to find out what is actually missing, then I’d say it’s just a bit of a hiccup. If you only have the newer edition of the book then it might be better if you just read it, because I think the author is a really good storyteller.

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Delightful and Wonderful

It’s rare to get a horror/suspense story with the main character being a gay man. It was a wonderful story, and I loved being twisted between the suspense of the haunting and the love story of the main character. I absolutely loved this book! I’m excited to start the next in the series.

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Loved it

I really enjoyed this m/m love story with a paranormal edge. Hale and Danny were insta chemistry with just the right amount of heat. I quickly became invested in these two main characters and anxiously followed their journey. I loved the multiple POVs and the narrator greatly added to the storytelling experience for me. I highly recommend this book.

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Disconnect

I had previously read this book and really enjoyed the story. I was excited to be able to listen to it on audible and was very disappointed by the quality of the narration. There are several portions where sentences repeat. The narrator mispronounces many words like Hospice, Sachet, Anathema, Incredulous and Auspice to name a few. The narration is very fast and this really detracts from many key components of the story and really inhibits character development. In essence this is a much better read than listen.

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The writing and story were awesome

Wow wow wow.

I love a good suspense and this was so fun. Ghosts and hauntings and wolves. Things going bump in the night.

This story was told through many different POV's which actually added to the overall experience. I found myself getting sucked in to the mystery, sweetened by the romance and anxious for the HEA.

The writing was very descriptive and foreboding, keeping the reader/listener on the edge of their seat until the very end. Very well done.

The narration left a bit to be desired, in my opinion. Some of the narrative seemed rushed, some words mispronounced. Parts repeated and skipped. Overall, the spookiness of 'It' and the hypnotic tone used for 'Danny' was engaging.

Totally recommended.

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Story is really good; Narrator needs to slow down!

The story is good and hauntingly eerie! Voice effects lend to the overall scary tone of the story. I see that this is the first story the narrator has done, at least on Audible, and is shows at times. In my opinion, he should at times slow down and let the listener immerse in the story. There are times when he's racing through dialogue, that you can't distinguish which character is talking and it becomes extremely frustrating trying to catch key pieces of dialogue. There are some moments/chapters when the pacing is actually very good and enjoyable. In these moments, Mr. Stone slows to a pace where he does employ distinguishing voices for the different characters, which makes the overall book bearable to continue listening. On the production side, there are some chapters which sound like the narrator is talking in a cave (very noticeable echo), and other times when Mr. Stone sounds like he's speaking from an old AM portable radio.

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1 person found this helpful