Hailey Piper’s An Invitation to Darkness is part of the A Short, Sharp Shock! series by Demain Publishing. Set in the late 1800s, Piper tells the story of Captain Jamie Thames, a woman who has made a successful living as a captain at sea, all while disguised as a man. Ready to retire with her riches, she begins searching for a place to settle down. In this search she comes across Leavenworth Manor, a somewhat rundown estate in a quiet ocean side village. Inquiring about purchasing the estate, Jamie meets and immediately falls in love with the lady of the Manor, Elizabeth Leavenworth. Elizabeth lives with just her bedridden father, who agrees to let Jamie stay at the manor for a short while. During her stay, Jamie starts to realize that Elizabeth and the Manor have a dark secret. She investigates the dark happenings at the Manor, hoping to protect her newfound lover and make a future together.
Despite the overarching love story, this isn’t quite a romance. The romance is what enables and drives the plot, but the plot itself is plenty dark and scary. Piper crafts an extremely unique antagonist, unlike anything I’ve read before. The twist of what the antagonistic force actually is comes as a successful surprise. There are even some clues that lead you away from the truth. It is refreshing to see such an interesting and unique dark force.
The prose and writing style Piper employs is rather beautiful. The story is told through first person, past tense narration. The word choice and tone definitely invoke the character and the time during which the story takes place. It can be a bit flowery at times, but it fits in with the overall mood of the story.
An Invitation to Darkness is a dark and creepy tale full of ominous overtones and mystery. It’s a quick read, and one that hooks you right away and keeps you invested till the end. While it was a bit more romance driven than most of my typical reads, that did nothing to detract from the interesting antagonist and dark story. An Invitation to Darkness is a perfect tale to take in on a dark, stormy night.
You can purchase a copy on Amazon for $0.99 (Kindle). Also available free with Kindle Unlimited.
Home Grown Horror 