Christy's Cozy Corners: Book Review Lancaster House with Giveaway

Welcome to a unique tour with Lancaster House and its sequel, The Middle Aisle, by Taylor Dean.

Zoe Grayson, interior decorator extraordinaire, sees the beauty beneath years of neglect (oddly, not much dust) and buys it with her inheritance. She plans to restore it room by room and resell it for a profit. She does not plan on falling in love with the old house, but she does. In fact, no one could love it as much as she does... except for the eccentric architect who created it over eighty years ago.

Zoe's story begins in a psychiatric ward where she is questioned about the strange things going on in her house, things not explained by one slight woman living alone.

Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle, available in print or eCopy from Smashwords or Amazon:

My Review:

Lancaster House by Taylor Dean is an amazing book! It is so creepy in a good way! When I saw the cover, I was like, eh....what is this about? But I read the synopsis and was like whoa I need to read it! So when I was asked to be in this tour, I gladly accepted!

Zoe Grayson is an awesome, strong female character. She's been through some rotten circumstances yet manages to rise above them and go for what she wants. What she wants is to renovate old houses and sell them for profit. Her first undertaking of an old Victorian mansion leads her far beyond her wildest dreams.

I loved when the house was first being described....hidden rooms, staircases that go nowhere? ROSE RED! That was my first thought :) The Winchester House! That was my second thought. Then Ms. Dean actually included the Winchester House in the book. I loved that. I knew right then that this was going to be wonderful.

The further I got into this story, the more I loved it. The way that the story is told is unique. It is Zoe telling her story to her psychiatrist. So right away we know that the house led Zoe into madness.....maybe.

None of the characters in the story feel like they are put there just for fillers. This is something in writing that I love. It makes me crazy when there are so many secondary characters that you can't relate to the main characters since the focus is everywhere. All of Lancaster House's players are important. They are all well-developed and believable.

Each detail of Zoe's story leads you further into her world. Is she really crazy? Are you? Do you believe her story? I hope that each and everyone of you reads this book. Even if you don't win you need to get yourself a copy! If you love mysterious love stories, this is definitely the book for you!

It is so compelling and moving and amazing! I give it 5 stars!

Enter here to win 2 books and some awesome swag!

Here is some awesome stuff from author, Taylor Dean.

The prologue to Lancaster House

*If you’d like to learn about my old (book) covers for Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle, just sleep in these old servant's quarters & slip back through time to last Friday . . .

I love when a book grabs my attention right off the bat and throws me something that whets my appetite and keeps me reading. I try to put this aspect in all of my books. I love when a book so fully engrosses me that I forget everything else. For example, in the movie Titanic, I was so totally absorbed in the romance, I completely forgot they were on the Titanic. The trick is to make the audience/reader forget about the danger—and then sock it to ‘em!

There are many things that keep you reading in Lancaster House! The prologue is only one of many! I thought I’d share it with you:

“9-1-1, what is your emergency, please?”

Silence.

“Hello, is someone there? Can you hear me?”

Utter silence—not even breathing.

“Hello, can you answer me? Can you speak?”

Still, no response.

The dispatcher turned to her counterpart. “I have a silent call, send the police now.”

“Stay calm. I’m sending police out to you immediately. I’ll stay on the line until they arrive. You’re not alone, I’m right here with you, just hang on a little longer.”

No reply.

“Hello, hello? Are you hurt? Are you injured? Can you make a noise? Anything to let me know you can hear me.”

Evidently not.

“I’m going to ask you some questions. If any of the answers are positive, I’d like you to try your best to make some sort of noise, tap your fingers, click your tongue—anything. Has a crime been committed?”

Nothing.

“Are you in immediate danger?”

Nada.

“Are you alone in the house?”

Five, and then ten tense minutes passed wherein she tried desperately to comfort the voiceless entity whose life may very well hang in the balance.

Distant sirens wailing. Heavy footsteps. Muffled phone noises.

A deep voice on the other end of the line said with concern, “We’re here. Send an ambulance immediately.”

Besides wanting to know what is going on in the above prologue, Lancaster House leaves you with an overwhelming desire to know: Is Zoe crazy or isn’t she? Is Zoe imagining everything or is it all real?

You’ll have to read Lancaster House to find out! Enjoy!

*To learn about the use of nineteen-twenties’ slang in Lancaster House, come back and follow me to tomorrow’s post! Just meander through this door to nowhere over at A Buckeye Girl Reads . . .

(Pictures can be sourced through http://pinterest.com/burgandyice/secret-passageways/)
Taylor Dean:

©iStockphoto.com/tinabelle

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

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The Tour:

Fundimental Review of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

2/11 – Unputdownable Books – Guest Post

2/12 – I Am A Reader, Not a Writer – Guest Post

2/13 - Fundinmental Guest Post

- Letters to the Cosmos – Review

2/14 – Oh, The Books You’ll Read – Review

- Proud Book Nerd – Guest Post