Cover Image: Nocturne House

Nocturne House

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Member Reviews

London Clarke does it again! Whenever i see a Clarke book I know I have to read it, her name alone carries the quality of what you can expect in the book. This one doesn't disappoint, it scared me and kept me intrigued straight through to the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good horror story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

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When I requested Nocturne House I did not realize that this book was the third in a series. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not need to read the first two books to enjoy this story. Nocturne House is a thrilling story about a vampire cult. While not a scary read I did enjoy it and look forward to picking up the first two books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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this was a great horror novel, the characters were great and I was spooked the whole time reading this. I look forward to more from this series.

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I thought this would be a different kind of “scary.”, but it was okay. I liked it, but wasn’t what I was looking for. It starts with Laura and Hunter. Laura is unstable mentally and is in Ivy Cove, a place that should be helping her, but the doctor she sees is using her and so is an intern working there, Alex. He talks her, and some others in Ivy Cove, into coming to a center to help them be successful in their lives. But when they arrive at this place, Nocturne House, something isn’t right, but Laura, who’s name changes to Vanessa, trusts Alex. She encounters all kinds of evil and paranormal entities, but still trusts Alex. That, she finds, wasn’t a good idea.

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Great book, it’s the third in the series! I didn’t live it as much as the previous two books. But still worth the read!

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Another fabulous book from London Clarke! She's quickly moved up my list of favorite authors securing a place in my heart with Wildfell and then The Meadows.

Picking up where Whickering Place left off this one takes on a journey to New Orleans to visit a special house that's either all magic or all evil. The evil in the house doesn't necessarily come from some supernatural force but from what's real and very much human.

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After receiving this book, I realized it was the third installment in a series. Sigh. Hate when I do that. So, I went back and got the first two books to catch up. I don't do spoilers, but I will try to break down how I felt about each book in the series.

New to the series and author, I had no idea what to expect and picked this up solely on a love for the cover art. Truth.

I was immediately taken with The Meadows, the first book, and loved the characters and the premise. We have a tough female lead, working hard to put her life back together after a problem with addiction. She buys an old mansion, hoping to make it into a B&B and start a new life. She's unaware of the evil entities already living in her house, and soon encounters a cult who worships the demons. The Colony is made up of humans who act like vampires and give sacrifice to the demons present in the home. Great characters, non-stop action, and a lot of supernatural fun made this a 4-star read for me.

I was eager to start the second book immediately. While we don't have any of the same characters in this one, Whickering Place again runs up against The Colony, and they are stronger than ever. Again we have a female lead trying to rebuild her life. She is an agoraphobic who inherits a mansion from her father. Again, the home is inhabited by demons, and frequented by The Colony, who make sacrifices in their name. Growing in power and size, the Colony makes Avery's life miserable as she tries to manager her illness, constant threats from outside, and her new love for Pearse. Sadly, this book didn't land as well for me. Avery starts out as an interesting character, but soon becomes completely irrational and a bit ridiculous. The cult, which in the first book was shady and dangerous and interesting, now seems normalized and mainstream. The "normal" characters are the ones in the minority. This helps to build a sense of isolation for Avery, which is good for the narrative, but it just comes off as silly at times. This one was a 2-star.

Finally ready to start the third book, I picked up Nocturne House hoping for a return to the fun I had in the first book. Sadly, it was not meant to be. We see characters return from both the first and second books in this one, which I enjoyed a lot. But the main character in this book is Laura/Victoria, the latest person to join the Colony. It is about her journey as she leaves behind her old life and embraces the vampire life of the Colony. To say this character is annoying is an understatement. I like unreliable narrators and flawed characters quite a bit, but Laura had me screaming at her on every page. I'm not sure it is believable to have someone be this consistently wrong with ever single move. I didn't feel empathy for her, and instead just felt frustrated and angry. I don't enjoy rooting against the lead in any story, but I certainly felt that here. This was another 2-star for me.

London Clarke does a few things right and consistently, and I really enjoyed her writing style. I LOVE that she has complicated and flawed female leads in her books. I also like her dedication to non-stop action. Anyone who loves vampires and cults will be taken with this series and there is a lot here to keep you interested.

I would recommend not letting my frustration with two of the lead characters keep you from trying out this series. For vampire lovers, this is a must. I'm guessing if I read this ten years earlier, I would have had a completely different reaction, so I think that is important. I'm guessing it is targeted to the younger Twilight fans, which typically does not include me.

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“𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶."⁣

Thank you @NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Nocturne House is available now!⁣

𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀⁣

When Vanessa Ruthven wakes up in a hospital in New Orleans, she immediately asks where her husband, Alex, is. She feels lonely, scared, and wants to go back home to Nocturne House. When she's told her husband is visiting she's so excited, but it ends up being a man named Hunter. Hunter happens to be an ex-priest turned demonologist, and tries convincing her that her name's Laura. Vanessa knows he's a threat to all that she holds dear...SOAL. A group of people focusing on success of a lifetime. Some consider it a modern day vampire cult, but they're wrong, especially Hunter. And she'll be damned if she goes anywhere with him.⁣

⁣𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄⁣

This storytelling from Laura's point of view subsumed me. You totally see how SOAP appealed to her at the same time caused doubts. It's been a while since I've read a book that made me feel like I was actually there like her chapters. ⁣

⁣As much as Hunter meant well and was a total sweetie, I found myself loathing his chapters. Maybe it's because this is a last book in a series (but was enjoyable as a standalone!) and I don't know too much of his background, but man, this guy was such a whiner. He had his redeeming moment at the end, but it's clear he takes a back seat role throughout the entire book. Pearse and Avery's sub-plot was awesome and it really gave credit to how organized and dangerous SOAP is from beyond Laura's experience, and I kind of wish Hunter's chapters were more dedicated to them. ⁣

𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘭

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Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had the perfect creep factor and chills. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

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I tried so hard to read this book but it was a terrible experience. The mystery element was not strong enough for me to be engaged. I liked the concept of vampires persuading people in mental health institutions but other than that, the plot was very weak. The cover is beautiful and that was one of the reasons I picked it up, but other than that nothing was appealing. The chapters were short and fast paced. Multiple POVs are my favorite but here it was very haphazard. I lost interest but still I kept on reading but I guess I should not have picked it up in the first place. Vampires are a fascinating topic and I think a lot could be done.

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I didn't realise this book was the third in a series but it didn't spoil the story at all. A thrilling story about a vampire cult. I didnt find it particularly scary but I did really enjoy it and will definitely have to read the first two installments.

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I hadn’t clocked this was the third in a series of novels from the Legacy of Darkness series, but this did not impact on my reading enjoyment at all. What I discovered was a refreshing read that kept me hooked pretty much from the start.
It is a cleverly blended mix of a woman with not insignificant mental health issues, recruited whilst in a mental health institution to a sexual vampire cult of Sanguinians called SOAL (Success of a Lifetime). To this end it feels like it draws upon aspects of Scientology. Laura goes missing only to be admitted to hospital after a collision and other mysterious circumstances. Still brain washed her family are stricken by her behaviour.
Clarke cleverly moves the story back and forth between present and earlier times to allow the story to unfold, and whilst these could have been labelled more clearly, you as a result have a well-crafted reveal. The short chapters keep it pacy and this prompts you to just keep turning to learn more.
Whilst Laura is the main protagonist, you gain a crisp insight of the impact this has had on her husband and his emotional torment of being rejected with disdain after falling for the charismatic leader Alex. The insight into her thought processes, of which were often disordered were fascinating. There is Pearce who had tried to leave the colony but with his family being put at risk ends up supporting bloodletting via his phlebotomy skills.
There are dispensable sex slaves kept captive in the most gruesome conditions following sexual endeavours for blood. Nocturne house is full of insatiable spirits and there, reality is distorted by this dark veil of glamourised rot that is powerfully depicted. You can almost smell the foul stenches described. The characters are strong and memorable. The cast develop nicely as the story develops and there are satisfying twists and turns that are not particularly obvious. In all a really gripping read that is not particularly gory or sexually explicit, but which will fulfil the delects of a horror reader.

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I went into reading this book very excited but I found it to be just OK. I thought it was very predictable and slow. I didn't find the scares that I was looking for.

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Nocturne House is about a Vampire-Sex-Cult, and how an ex-priest's wife gets entangled with them while seeking mental health solutions. If that's enough to grab your attention and interest, then my work here is done.

The book was intriguing, and I hadn't read the first or second of the series, and I still found it quite enjoyable. I'll now be reading those books, The Meadows and The Whickering Place.

Not sure if this book truly is 'horror'. Sure, it had ghosts and vampiric behaviour, enslaved prisoners, and a haunted house with a scary past, (ok, fine, all of that makes it a horror), but I didn't find it scary. It was more thrilling and interesting.

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Are vampires real? Well, these days they want to be called Sanguinists.

Living a normal life has always been Laura's dream, but since the death of her brother, she hasn't coped very well and has spent many years in and out of psychiatric care facilities. One day she meets a doctor that wants to take her off all of her meds. This leads into the story and I won't give that away.

Things are never what they seem, especially if you have a mental disorder and you don't take your meds like you should. Laura no longer knows who she is or why she doesn't care.

This is a tale with a bit of the supernatural but it isn't cheesy. It's very well told and keeps you hooked until the very end.

Can you figure it out?

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What an interesting read! This made me want to go back and read the rest of the series to catch the easter eggs I missed. Luckily, I was able to keep up even though I didn't read the others. The buildup was a good move on the author's part. True to form, it really showcased how people are convinced to join cults (a slow changing of thoughts and ideals over a long period of time). Cults, vampires, and psychological intrigue, sign me up!

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“Given a choice, I preferred the mania.” Nocturne House by London Clarke

3 stars. Or maybe 2.5. I’m a little confused by this book. Couldn’t tell if it’s a mystery/thriller, but there was the paranormal side of it too which took up a lot of chapters in the middle. So is it a horror/thriller story? And with 85 chapters, it’s a looong book. Nothing like Joona Linna though.

This is the last book in a series. Hunters finds his wife Laura, living in a haunted house (Nocturne House) brainwashed and going by a different name. She’s been in and out of mental facilities and her stint in the cult didn’t help her. Then there’s the ghosts of Nocturne House too and the house itself.

The house and its occupants was interesting. I thought it was the focus, with Laura snooping around at first, at the stuff she found there. Old letters and books But her illness kinda got in the way.

The story moved from the past to the present, from Hunter’s and Laura’s POV, till the timelines meet. Laura’s is mostly in the past while Hunter’s is in the present.

Despite being the last book in the series, it didn’t make me want to look for the first book. I felt like this book had a lot of potential to be a hit like the books of Riley Sager, Lisa Jewel or Simone St James. But it isn’t quite there. To me, it felt like it was a bit all over the place. Sigh. Oh well.

Thank you BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

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I am afraid that this book is not for me as it is written in the present tense which I find very annoying. I appreciate that this is a personal preference and does not reflect on the quality of the book. From other reviews it certainly seems that I am missing out!

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I haven;t read such a poignant book like Clarke's book for a while. Anything related to houses and I am in. Great book to read and I have been telling my friends about it.

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Hunter has been looking for his missing wife, Laura when he gets a phone call that she is in a hospital in New Orleans. Laura isn’t happy to see Hunter. She wants to back to Nocturne House where the cult she is in and her man who she now considers him to be her husband, not Hunter. She isn’t nice to Hunter yet he doesn’t give up on her being his wife again. When she had joined the cult, she went to live in the cult’s home known as Nocturne House. Nocturne house is filled with ghosts. Laura sees one that has her unable to resist the ghost she sees. Before she knows it, the cult has her learning the rules the cult has and drinking blood. Will she be able to be a wife again to Hunter? Will she want to stop drinking blood?

The story is told with the chapters saying “Now” or “Past.” The chapters are also told by different characters including Laura. The mystery of the house along with being in a cult is written so well that it gave me the “creeps.” You can read this as a stand alone novel. I did and found it quite satisfying.
It’s a horror, mystery, cult and haunted house must read!

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