Hooked on Books discussion

Welcome to the June "Kindle Unlimited/Low Cost" Buddy Read!
starts 1-June-2025, ends 30-June-2025

As midsummer shadows lengthen and secrets stir in forgotten corners, we’re excited to announce our Kindle Unlimited/Low Cost Buddy Read for June, inspired by haunted spaces and the chilling allure of decay!

This month, we’ll step into abandoned halls and unravel mysteries left to fester in the dark. Through tales of isolation, spectral whispers, and the relentless march of time, we’ll confront the terror that dwells where sunlight cannot reach.

A derelict house. A renovation turned nightmare.
🔹 Perfect for fans of haunted house stories, urban decay, and the creeping dread of things best left undisturbed.

The House of Long Shadows by Ambrose Ibsen

The house at 889 Morgan Road has been empty almost thirty years. Maybe it should have stayed that way.
Kevin Taylor is an internet-famous handyman on a mission: Find a house and renovate it in thirty days. By flipping a derelict house in a month's time and chronicling the entire thing on video for his online subscribers, he seeks to impress a handful of network TV producers and become a star.

The problems that plague this property will require more than elbow grease to fix, however.

Shadows throughout the home are distorted, and an enigmatic trespasser keeps showing up in his footage. Worse still are the hideous voices that issue from otherwise empty rooms in the dead of night.

Amid mounting dangers, Kevin is forced to meet the house's shadowed past head-on—a past, he begins to suspect, he wants nothing to do with. Armed only with the hearsay of locals and the frightening clues he's uncovered within the home, he attempts to find out what led to the house's abandonment while juggling his strenuous renovation projects.

What he uncovers is horrible beyond imagination. All signs seem to be pointing to one thing: Something in the house is awakening.

When using this Buddy Read to get Bonus Points for a Challenge, please check with the mod running the Challenge for any posting requirements not listed below!

🚀 2025 (Impossible) Solar System Challenge: While there's no specific post count requirement, your participation should go beyond simple statements like "I liked the book." Quality of contribution matters more than quantity, so focus on crafting well-considered responses that add value to the discussion.

I adore Ambrose Ibsen paranormal horror. This one will be a re-read for me. I had forgotten most of it other than the humorous police station video scene.

I started my re-read of this tonight. Calling it a night at 30% in.

I have been doing a lot of BookTube watching lately, so it's amusing with him trying to do VideoTube, picturing like self repair youtube videos. I adore Kevin really. Throwing in the memories of his father is sad but touching. And, while Kevin certainly did not find the situation at the police station funny, I found it very funny actually.

I have finished my re-read of this one. no spoilers, but I adore Kevin and felt bad for him with the terrors of this place. Damn things getting in the way of dreams. And what about that priest??

I'm glad that you felt this was worth your time to re-read! I haven't started it yet, but that gives me some hope!

I started this yesterday but only got through the first few chapters. It was an interesting start in the first chapter. Seems like a book I should enjoy.

This is my first book by this author. Enjoying it so far @15% completed.

Broken windows, fingerprints on the glass and a spectral figure in the video - I might consider a different property to fix-up!

Bernadette wrote: "This is my first book by this author. Enjoying it so far @15% completed.

Broken windows, fingerprints on the glass and a spectral figure in the video - I might consider a different property to fix..."

Aw yeah, I really like the main character. This one is fun but definitely not my favorite by the author, he has some very good ones out there

Overall, I enjoyed the book although the plot seemed to drag on in the middle; it seemed repetitive when it involved construction or haunting, the latter part of the book (15-20%) got much better when we learned the backstory of the original owners.

The story plot is simple: Flipper Kevin is a likable guy who has a home renovation video channel with millions of followers and really wants his own TV show. In the hopes of getting it he has created a challenge for himself: 30 days to fully renovate the house, starting with the house he bought in the depressed Detroit neighborhood. Whoops, it turns out the house is haunted, and mayhem ensues.

I do not understand why Kevin kept going back to the house once he knew the house was haunted. I don't think anything would have induced ME to return, especially given the terror he felt at what he saw and experienced – broken windows, fingerprints on the glass, spectral figure in the video a corpse in the drywall! How many warning signs are you going to ignore that something wants to like GET YOU.

The story required development for Kevin to be taken over by the spirits. I liked that we FINALLY started learning more about what is going on in that house and who the ghostly lady was, but it took long enough. I’m curious about the 60-year woman he interviewed who looked 90 – what gives with that!

Bernadette wrote: "The story required development for Kevin to be taken over by the spirits. I liked that we FINALLY started learning more about what is going on in that house and who the ghostly lady was, but it took long enough. I’m curious about the 60-year woman he interviewed who looked 90 – what gives with that!
"

I agree with you. I don't think it had enough variety to be the length it was, although it was not long, it just started to unravel. Would probably have been better a bit shorter in this case.

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