**3.5 stars, rounded up**Payne's Hollow: A Haunting follows Samantha Payne, who's shocked to learn after her Grandfather's death that she's inherited a valuable lakefront property that's been in the family for generations.It's a highly prized piece of real estate, a summer retreat on Lake Ontario, that the whole family has enjoyed for years. Samantha can't figure out why he would bequeath it to her of all people.The property also has a dark past, one Samantha would rather not dwell on. It was at...

This was addictively good! It’s been a long time since I read a Kelley Armstrong book, and *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting* delivered! I’ve always been a fan of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman mythology, and I really enjoyed the blend of these concepts into a modern-day book. *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting* offers a fresh, spooky take.As for our FMC, I really liked her. I related to her stubbornness in taking on the sadistic challenge left for her in her father’s will, much to the distaste of h...

2.25 starsੈ✩‧₊˚ A modern twist on a headless horseman/Sleepy Hollow reimagining ੈ✩‧₊˚…but make it not spooky at all and with zero character development.The contrast of the characters barely reacting when *anything* happens throughout *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting* and then the ridiculously dramatic climax just didn’t click for me, you know?You know I'm not wowed by the "twists" at the end of a book if I put *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting* down with 20 pages left and go to sleep instead. Like, Kelley ...

2.5 stars This was entertaining, but also, let's be real, kind of dumb. I dug the folklore and horror vibes, but the characters? Ugh, annoying. They made the dumbest choices, and the villains went full-on cartoonishly evil by the end. Zero nuance. And the climax? The ending? Way over-explained. I appreciate a little explanation, but this felt like Kelley Armstrong was hitting me over the head with what went down in *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting*. Plus, the characters were flat. I couldn't connect ...

This is the 23rd Kelley Armstrong book I've devoured, so you could say I'm a bit of a fangirl. I first fell in love with her Rockton series and have since become obsessed with the spinoff, Haven's Rock, as well as her Rip Through Time books. I also really enjoy her paranormal/horror stories, which *Payne's Hollow: A Haunting* definitely falls into.\n\nThe book summary gives you the basic setup and the main plot. But what it *doesn't* tell you is that to make sure Sam sticks to the terms of her t...

I read this book in one day, 'nuff said... but perhaps I will say more. I love Kelley Armstrong's writing and found Payne's Hollow: A Haunting to be chilling, thrilling, creepy, dark, eerie, mysterious, and you guessed it – hard to put down! I picked up this ARC because I was in the mood for something a little creepy, a little spooky, and a little bit horrific, and Kelley Armstrong delivered! Samantha, call her Sam, hasn't seen her grandfather in fourteen years. Not since her father took his o...

OUTLIER REVIEW:I've never read Kelley Armstrong before (I know, shocking, right?). So when this GORGEOUS BOOK COVER for "Payne's Hollow: A Haunting" caught my eye, I thought, why not? I usually love a good reimagining.But this isn’t a retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” though it takes place in a nearby town and references the mythical Headless Horseman, and other folklore tales frequently.Samantha Payne’s father allegedly took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at the...

Happy Publication Day! 🎉🌟📚I always get a rush of excitement whenever I dive into a Kelley Armstrong novel. Her storytelling is incredible, creating immersive atmospheres thick with mystery, suspense, and, in this case, just the right amount of creepiness.In her latest story, we meet Samantha "Sam" Payne, who's attending the reading of her estranged grandfather's will. Approaching the event with a mix of nostalgia and apprehension, she doesn't expect much, especially since she hasn't seen him ...

Sam Payne is set to inherit a cool ten million from her estranged grandfather, but there's a catch: she has to spend 30 days living in her family's old, abandoned summer cabin. What could possibly go wrong, right? I mean, sure, people vanish in that area with alarming regularity, and her dad *might* have killed a kid there (and then himself) a couple of decades back. Plus, Sam can't leave the property for more than an hour a day without losing the inheritance. But hey, these definitely aren't pl...

Sam is broke and doesn’t know how much longer she can afford the assisted living facility her mom lives in for early onset dementia. She has minimal contact with her family and is surprised when she is told her grandfather has died and she is required to be present for the reading of his will. Assuming she will get nothing as she absolutely couldn’t stand her grandfather she is shocked that he left his lakeside estate to her that could be worth millions upon resale. The only catch is she has to ...