Sunday, January 12, 2025

#NewBlogPost #BookReview...At the Bottom of the Garden...#Netgalley #AtTheBottomOfTheGarden #Horror #Gothic #Siblings #Family @SexyNerdRevue

A murderess becomes the guardian of two very unusual girls in this mesmerizing gothic novel from acclaimed author Camilla Bruce.

Clara Woods is a killer—and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flowerbed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace—or so she always thought.

Then the girls arrive.

Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents' will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative—who just so happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls' assets—not just to bolster her dwindling fortune, but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry.


There's only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara's ghosts…and call them back into existence. Soon Clara is plagued by her victims and at war with the gifted girls in her care. Lily and Violet have become a liability—and know far more than they should…

The Sexy Nerd's Review. . .

Life is hard for Clara Woods. And she can most likely thank her mother for that. In fact, Clara’s mother didn’t think much of her, but when Clara’s father mysteriously passed when she was a young girl, the one and only person Clara truly loved and loved her back, that’s the day she knew life would never be the same. Clara’s mother remarried and remarried well. Her new husband didn’t struggle to pay bills like her previous had and all the while, Clara sat back and watched as her mother sunk her hooks into this new relationship that brought about so many wonderful things. And, with that new life, came a new baby. Clara’s little baby brother. Once he was born, Clara ceased to exist at that point. The more Clara’s mother poured her heart and soul into her golden child, Clara became more hardened and crueler and learned to fend for herself the best way she knew how. She learned how to use and abuse at her mother’s knee. Mama taught her well.
That golden child grew up and had two beautiful daughters. Lily and Violet. These two young ladies weren’t your ordinary children. They came to the world with special gifts. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing as how their father was hella wealthy and lived a lavish lifestyle with his wife and the girls. Due to their parents’ adventurous nature, they went climbing in the mountains only to be claimed by the mountains and doomed to their very deaths.

Poor Lily and Violet were orphans now. Their parents’ executor had a dilemma on his hands. Lily was only fourteen and couldn’t be the sole guardian of herself and Violet who was nine. They had to be supervised by an adult. And who better to oversee them than another relative, preferably someone they knew quite well, or so you’d think.

Aunt Clara came to the rescue. She saved the day, right? Well. . .Aunt Clara despised her brother and his wife. She wasn’t too fond of her nieces, but her nieces came with a price tag or rather a huge bag of money that Aunt Clara needed to start her diamond business. She wasn’t fond of the girls, but she needed, and more importantly, wanted the girls’ money they rightfully inherited. I’m sure her brother was spinning in his grave knowing his evil sister got to oversee their money and their lives.

What Aunt Clara didn’t bank on was the special gifts the girls possessed. One could see colors the human spirit possessed thereby letting her know when a person was lying or telling her the truth. The other could speak to the dead--not only speak to the dead, but bring them forth to the living. So, all the while Aunt Clara figured she was getting a gold mine by having her nieces, she had no idea what she was really bargaining for.

I absolutely loved the story! This is one of those horror stories you read on a cold winter's night curled up in your favorite reading nook with a nice cup of hot tea or coffee with book in tow and read and get swept away into Lily and Violet’s world. I enjoyed following the girls and seeing what they were up to. The story is told in Lily’s, Violet’s, and Clara’s points of view. With each tap of the Kindle page, the more I got caught up and whisked away. I love a good book like that.

The Sexy Nerd gives At the Bottom of the Garden four additional souls for Violet to conjure. For as good as this story was, my only pet peeve I had was it was entirely too long for my tastes, but because the story was quite engaging, it made it easier to get through. I’m positive you will enjoy reading this story. It was amazing from beginning to end. At the Bottom of the Garden comes out Tues., January 28, 2025, at your favorite book retailers or wherever books are sold. Until next time, Nerds, you know how we do.


Open a Book and Get Mind Blown!


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