Reviewed by:  Lori

The House On The Bluff
by Elena Dorothy Bowman

ebooksonthe.net
February 2006
ISBN#: 1-59431-354-7
Romantic Suspense/Mystery/Thriller

Rating:
 

The House on the Bluff is called the Pierce House and it has a mind of its own.  Abigail knows this, but takes up residence anyway.  Her first night in the long abandoned house, she finds a beautifully prepared room just waiting for her to stay within.  Visions and dreams of pirates, Revolutionary soldiers, and the like keep her from sleeping well.  The mystery of the Pierce House deepens from there.

Abigail is terrified, but refuses to leave the house.  She meets Ethan Benedict who encourages her not to stay in the house.  Living close by, he’s heard stories about the house and it doesn't sit well with him to have her there alone.  Abigail, however is a woman with a mission and Ethan finds himself standing beside her, through some turbulent adventures.

Tony Harridan is the town sheriff.  He too knows the stories.  He too is instantly protective of Abigail.  He joins Ethan to keep Abigail safe.  She may need them both to survive.  The Pierce House has secrets it doesn’t want to give up.

This book is slow in parts, but the mystery is good and suspenseful.  Ms. Bowman does a wonderful job creating a creepy atmosphere and likable characters.  The complex story unwinds a little at a time tugging at the reader into Abigail’s plight.  

Reviewed by: Autiotalo

The House On The Bluff
by Elena Dorothy Bowman
ISBN: 1-59431-354-7
Published By: Write Words

Rating:
 

Abigail arrives at Pierce House to take up residence, unconcerned by the rumours that the house is haunted, and that boats that stray into the Bay of Death overlooked by the house often disappear - as did the last owner of the house. But Abigail is fulfilling a prophecy that goes back to the time of the Crusades, and Pierce House ? and its ghosts ? will test the strength and resolve of Abigail and her friends Ethan and Toby before it finally reveals its secrets…\

A romance and a ghostly mystery, this book mixes contemporary with historical flashbacks as Abigail seeks to uncover the secrets behind her new home. It's a taut psychological thriller...A creepy tale that will have you looking over your shoulder as you read.

          By: Anne K. Edwards
        Title:  The House on the Bluff
    Author: Elena Dorothy Bowman
Publisher: ebooksonthe.net
        ISBN: 1594313547
       Genre: Paranormal Romance

A mysterious house lures people to it and they are never heard from again--alive.  This causes fear in the neighborhood of Adam's Point to leave so it is isolated as well, except for one young man who is staying at his family's summer cottage.

Abigail has come to lay claim to this house with its bleak atmosphere, but the question is, will she claim the house or will it claim her? She is tempted more than once to flee the sights and sounds she encounters, but determination makes her stay.

A story that seems to have a touch of horror, but the reader will find there is a twist in the plot that leads away from that idea.  Ghosts abound with doors closing on their own, mysterious music with no apparent source, meals appearing on cue with no staff, cold unappealing rooms, all adding their own touch to the atmosphere of a house you will enjoy visiting while waiting for Abigail and her new friends, Ethan and Tony, to figure things out.

Talented author Elena Dorothy Bowman offers the reader something new in paranormal romance in a world peopled by fun characters (including the house).  You'll feel as if you've actually visited the place, so well done is the description.

Recommended as a fun read.  Enjoy.  I did.

by: Arline Chase
Author of The Spirit Series:
Spirit of Earth, Spirit of Fire

"House on the bluff is a mystical and gripping story of action, adventure, and romance. Some would call it paranormal, some magic realism, but I call it a great read!"

by: Shannah Biondine
Timesless Tales
Reviews for the discerning reader
3 1/2  Stars  *** /_*

The House On The Bluff  is known as The Pierce House to locals of Adam's Point. Abigail Adams Pierce arrives in this small New England town determined to investigate the house, which is part of a mysterious family legacy harking back to eleventh century England. The house has been abandoned and has spent most of its many decades perching in eerie, empty silence above a cove known as the Bay of Death. This is not a charming New England bed and breakfast type of home, and boats dropping anchor in the bay it overlooks are invariably lost. Their crews are said to mysteriously disappear without a trace.

Beyond rumors of ghostly inhabitants and unexplained events, Abigail knows her ancestors have tried and failed to conquer the house and its secrets. Others have come before her and tried to reside within its walls, only to flee in terror. Legend says one brave descendant must enter the forbidden structure and unlock the secrets from its past. Only this stalwart descendant and his/her champion and consort will be accepted by the house--an entity with definite ideas of its own.

Readers who've ever become disoriented in a large mall or lost their cars in sprawling parking lots will be able to relate to the helpless feeling Abigail experiences. Just parking her Jeep outside or leaving one room to enter another touches off bizarre episodes in and around Pierce House. Abigail must find the courage to stay the course, no matter what.

The austere setting provides a suitable backdrop for the moody atmosphere of the storyline. I really liked the premise and enjoyed the way the author weaves in ancient history and colorful background lore from varying time periods.

by Mike Purfield
b-independent.com
"on-line cult-film entertainment"
 

In New England, the Pierce house sits on the bluff uninhabited for hundreds of years. The last person to live there disappeared, but Abigail, a descendent of the family who owns the house, has no intention of disappearing. She goes to the house to fulfill a prophecy and the house welcomes her with open arms, revealing its memories to her.

"The House on the Bluff" is a clever reworking of the haunted house genre. There are some great scenes involving ghosts and the self-restructuring games of the house, some a bit bloody. For you gore hounds, don't get too excited. All the thrills in this book are classic-inspired and it works just right.

The characters are innocent and charming. I laughed a few times at the bickering between the characters, falling for their chemistry and conflict.

Most of the story takes place in the house where Abigail is trapped with her two friends Ethan and Tony. Bowman has written some great cat-and-mouse-in-the-maze sequences that topple anything Hollywood could come up with.

... Bowman explains, through her characters, the prophecy, the ghosts, and the history of the house and (how) it all leads back to the Crusades. ...

For a short, breezy, haunting, and charming time, "The House on the Bluff" might be what you are looking for.

by Lesley Mazey
The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Fiction Web Site
http://www.eternalnight.co.uk

Having just inherited the House on the Bluff, Abigail is curious to see her new property. Whilst exploring the house for the first time she is drawn to a balcony, the widow's walk, on the outside of the building. Standing here, overlooking the ocean she finds herself on the deck of a ship sailing through dense fog. A young sailor persuades her to return to her cabin where she quickly falls asleep only to wake and find herself on the deck of a Viking Longship. She then wakes again and realizes she has been asleep on the floor of the widow's walk. Looking around she finds that the door to the walk has disappeared and she is trapped.

The above all takes place during the 1st chapter of the story and I must admit, I had to read it 2 or 3 times as I wondered if I was missing something. Once I'd established that I had read the chapter correctly I decided to carry on and see where the story took me and I am so glad that I did. What follows is an extremely well-written, very mysterious story. Elena Bowman has obviously put in a considerable amount of research as there is strong historical basis to the tale that holds together extremely well.

This is an excellent engrossing tale that keeps the reader's attention right to the very end.  Elena Dorothy Bowman is a skilled author and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

by Carol Sneden (M.Ed.)
Chelmsford, MA
Author of  "Look Out The Window"

The House On The Bluff  is a delightful mystery laced with romance and adventure.  The language is descriptive and brings to life the compelling story.  Once started, it's hard to put down.  I enjoyed reading every page of this wonderful novel in the north shore setting of Massachusetts.

by Phillip Tomasso III,
author of  "Third Ring, Tenth House and Mind Play"

5 Stars *****

The House on the Bluff, Elena Dorothy Bowman's first novel, is an interesting fantasy and mystery novel bowled into one.  It is clean and appropriately written for both adults and young adults.  There is enough in this story that everyone can enjoy Ms. Bowman's tale.

Imagine a large and beautiful house on a bluff.  Wonder why no one in New England ever goes there, ever?  Because, that's why, the place might be haunted, or perhaps, merely enchanted.  However, the last time someone was in that house everyone heard the screams and no one ever saw that woman again.

So an entire town finds it unnerving when Abigail Pierce shows up and decides to live in the house.  She has every right to, since the house belongs to her ancestors.  There is a secret reason to why she is staying at the house.  She found the rules to a game, so to speak.  She must play the family game by the rules.  If she succeeds, she has so much to gain. If she fails . . .

Abigail befriends some special people while staying in town.  These friends are at wits end, spending days and especially nights worrying about Abigail alone in the big, haunted (all right, enchanted) house.  They understand Abigail is playing some kind of game, what they don't understand is the secrets of the game, but they plan to stand by her until someone eventually wins.

A quick book with enjoyable scenes and characters.  Bowman has written a book that should be enjoyed by many.   The story is well crafted and entertaining.  I look forward to other stories by this talented author.

by Rachel Webb,
Groton, MA and the UK

5 stars *****

The House On The Bluff  Mystery-Romance Novel is a real spine tingler. August 29, 2001

I'll never feel safe in the fog again after reading House on the Bluff! It's spooky because it's historically authentic, and it's romantic and funny at  the same time: boy meets girl, girl gets in trouble, guy tries to rescue girl, guy gets in trouble, someone tries to rescue them both and  he gets in  trouble ... and so it goes on. At one point I thought that it was going to read like an Agatha Christie whodunit, but Bowman's characters are definitely not Christie-esque - they're more original!

by Cricket Lomicka
Chelmsford, MA

4 Stars ****

This is not your typical boy meets girl romance. There's so much more going on behind the scenes than anyone on the bluff ever imagined. Ms. Bowman keeps you on your toes and I found myself holding my breath wondering if Abigail would be safe or not and if Ethan was too good to be true. You'll have to read it to find out if Abigail is the one to take on the challenge of  The House on the Bluff.
 

by Mango Sorbet,
Toluca Lake, California

5 stars * * * * *

The House on the Bluff - MYSTERY & INTRIGUE entertainment - COVER to COVER! You don't know what's going to happen next, just that SOMETHING WILL! WHAT? You won't want to wait to find out. What FUN! A mix of mystery, romance, spirit(s)!

by Barnes and Noble Book Store,
Nashua, New Hampshire

The House On The Bluff

Elena Bowman’s novels encompass mystery, romance and science fiction.  White Stone Abbey holds the key to the secrets of Pierce House and the beautiful Bay of Death nearby.

With wonderful characters and a good plot, this is a good read for everyone.
 

by Walden Books Stores,
Burlington and Lexington, MA  &
Salem and Nashua, NH

In a White Stone Abbey, a scroll lays hidden in a chamber behind the altar.  On this scroll were the words foretelling the future of a dwelling and its true owner.  This dwelling was “The House on the Bluff.”

In her new book, Elena Bowman brings a spooky tale to life and will keep you hanging in suspense with each turn of the page.

 " Long before The Magna Carta was signed, or Christopher Columbus set sail, or The Mayflower left England; The House On The Bluff existed waiting for its rightful owner.  More than one intrepid soul had entered "The House" never to be seen again.  Would Abigail become one of them?"
~bd

 Adams Point was not the most hospitable place in the world.  Perched on a small island in a bay that allowed no ships or boats past its entrance… Never in anyone's memory had the house been occupied, yet never deteriorated the way most abandoned houses did...  Even the landscaping seemed to remain perfect without care. The house perched on the bluff was a mystery to everyone, and no one had the desire to investigate the mystery, until Abigail Adams Pierce arrived to claim it as her ancestral home.

The House on the Bluff is an easy reading book … It holds the reader's interest because the reader wants answers to all the questions raised by both Abigail's and the house's actions.

by Mary Gibbs - Author

In the "House on the Bluff," by Elena Dorothy Bowman, protagonist Abigail Adams Pierce inherits a house with a mysterious past.  But in order to claim this grand mansion as her own, she and her new friends, Ethan and Tony, must suffer the supernatural tests that the house itself sends to them, for only a worthy heir will do.

The tale itself is imaginative and easy to read.  ... The House on the Bluff   is an entertaining "rainy day" tale.

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