When the guests started disappearing one or two at a time they knew then the house, its uninvited and mysterious guests, held them in their grip.
Believing they were being held captive by the house, to the land surrounding it, and to the bay beyond, they felt they had no choice but to see where it would all lead.
The unnerving feeling of always being watched crept over them; that creepy-hair-rising feeling something, somewhere, monitoring their every move was waiting.
Waiting for what? To catch them off guard, to whisk them away to a place from which would never return?
The strange spirits who, without rhyme or reason, or so much as a 'by your leave', had suddenly inhabited The House On The Bluff and caused a multitude of problems.
It was not only that people were disappearing, which heightened their trepidation, but the menacing, almost threatening manifestations it showered on the human residents, while relegating the "harmless" spiritual entities into their own inescapable prison. A prison, which was so deep within the recesses of the house, they apparently couldn't or didn't dare attempt to escape or leave.
The new entities had taken control of the Inn On Adams Point and were bound and determined to bring everyone into its clutches. But Jacob, one of the resident spirits, did try to break the hold that bound him and his compatriots only to fail in his attempt to warn Ethan, Abigail and or Tony.
Excerpt
Pacing back and forth on the Widow's Walk overlooking the bay and the vast ocean beyond it, Abigail nervously awaited the arrival of her first guests. They were coming by boat—Ethan's boat. Ethan and Tony Harridan, the town's sheriff, a sometimes-permanent resident of the infamous Inn when he wasn't working at his job on the mainland, met their first adventurers at the dock in Caleb's Cove. Once the group had gathered, they were to board the Abigail for a sightseeing cruise along the coastline and the sea-lanes between the various islands to the Inn on Adam's Point—all part of the package.
Knowing it would add an air of mystery to the Inn, formerly known as the foreboding Pierce House, Abigail and Ethan set the stage for their guests by having them approach the house overlooking the bay in a modern day, state-of-the-art, two-masted schooner. It was up to Ethan and Tony to mesmerize them with tales of Abigail's and their own ominous beginnings in the house, and how the Inn came to be. The stories included: the relic of the Royal Knight, the significance of the special Land Grant displayed in a frame on the wall, the haunting strains emanating from an elusive Stradivarius, and the legend surrounding Adam's Point. And, of course, there was the possibility of becoming entangled in a web the Inn might weave. Ethan brushed over the fact that he was the first person who dared sail into the Bay of Death alone. And announced that the guests now had the honor of being the first full ship's complement to break the curse on the bay leading up to the old Pierce House, now officially known as The House On The Bluff.
Professional Reviews
Gatekeeper's Realm
Once Upon A Romance's Review Of...
Gatekeeper's Realm by Elena Dorothy Bowman
onceuponaromance.net
Reviewer: Janet Davies
Title: Gatekeeper's Realm – Book 2 of The Legacy Series
Author: Elena Dorothy Bowman
Publisher: Write Words Inc
ISBN: 1-59431-481-0
Release Date: November 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Paranormal/Suspense Romance
Year/Setting: Present day
Overall Rating: 3.75
Sexual Content Rating: None
Language (Profanity/Slang) Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: None
Elena's Website: elenadb.home.comcast.net
The house on The Bluff is a house with history. The house overlooks the Bay of Death. It has seen great battles and characters. It has no modern conveniences but it is full of characters and old world charm. It’s also full of ghostly apparitions called "the Others".
Abigail and Ethan are the present owners of the house. They plan to run it as an Inn for guests to come and experience the history and the beauty of the area. They are well aware that what they do is purely dependant on the will of "the others". Jacob, the spirit that oversees "the others", has been silent on their plans for the Inn. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
When there first lot of guests arrive, Abigail and Ethan hold their breaths waiting on their ghostly inhabitants reaction. The guests at the Inn are charmed, amazed and spooked by the apparitions - knights of old, British Redcoats and pirates - that appear and disappear before their eyes. However when guests start to go missing, it is no longer as charming as they first believed. Do they stay or go? And will the House actually let them go?
I am a sucker for a good prologue and Gatekeeper's Realm certainly had one. I was thinking what is going on here and let me read more. It’s an interesting thought that so much history in one house can determine the fate of many and the destiny of what happens in the house.
I like the characters of Abigail and Ethan as they try and make a go at running a business in the most difficult of circumstances. The fact the "the others" technically allow them to live in the house is an interesting premise. I like how Abigail and Ethan are pretty laid back to having ghosts wandering in and out and having to deal with Jacob the liaison offer, if you like, between the living and the dead. The secondary characters, the guests, are all well written and believable. I would like to think I would coolly handle all the things that happened to them as well as they did.
I was a little confused at the ending. I am hoping there is a sequel to answer all the questions I still wanted answered. Also, I was kind of disappointed that ghostly go-between Jacob did not have much of a part in the book. I kept waiting for him to appear and lead the characters to discover whatever it was they were to know or find or be.
Gatekeeper's Realm is an interesting read. It’s spooky and it makes you wonder abut people and their individual reactions to different situations. If there is a book 3 I’d like to read it.
Janet
Gatekeeper's Realm
Mystery Fiction.Net
Book Reviews
Title: Gatekeeper's Realm
Author: Elena Dorothy Bowman
Publisher: ebooksonthe.net
ISBN: 1594314810
Genre: Paranormal
Abigail inherited a haunted house with more than one ghost and she and her new husband, Ethan, have turned it into an inn where only the hardiest people will venture for a different sot of holiday.
Her guests arrive and she can make no promises to the the visitors what the ghosts or the house might do to make their stay one they will never forget. And the house and its otherworldly inhabitants do just that.
From Abigails own disappearance and return to an unforgettable diving experience into the bay below the house the guests are given the full treatment by the house and ghosts.
What will happen next? is the question that will carry the reader from page to page and you will want to know what tricks the house or ghosts have planned for the guests. This fun read is definitely a different sort of paranormal -- as different as the house and ghosts are from the normal run of haunted houses. It is a book any paranormal fan will enjoy, perhaps more than once.
The talented author,, Elena Dorothy Bowman, has created a world unlike any other with this tale and you will want to read the first book The House on the Bluff also to enjoy the beginning of the experience. I'm pleased to recommend this book as something different in reading and definitely worth the time. Enjoy. I really did.
Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards 03/28/07
Gatekeeper's Realm
From RomanceJunkies.com
Paranormal/Futuristic
Gatekeeper's Realm
By Chrissy Dionne
May 1, 2007 - 5:27:00 AM
An ancient relic granted by Divine Decree to a Noble Knight who had been mortally wounded is buried beneath the foundation of a home - this home had once been named Pierce House but now is known as THE HOUSE ON THE BLUFF. Only a direct descendant of the Noble Knight may take possession of the house - and even he or she will be tested by the house to deem if he or she is worthy.
Abigail and her consort, Ethan, have fulfilled the prophecy surrounding their current dwelling which they’ve converted into an Inn. It’s a beautiful house steeped in mystery and ghostly wonders - who cling to the old ways. There’s no electricity, no running water, no central heating system, no phone and no television. Abigail’s a bit apprehensive about their first guests. There’s a possibility they’ll get spooked and want to leave especially once the ghosts make themselves known. There’s no way of telling how the ghosts will react to guests at the Inn and Jacob, the apparitions’ "Ambassador," knows it will just depend. Many of the ghosts have been living there for centuries and may not like having visitors in their house.
As soon as the first guests arrives a shapeless apparition appears over the Inn. Abigail, Ethan, and Tony (town sheriff and sometime permanent resident of the Inn when he’s not working) quickly realize that this apparition is not one of the ‘Others’ and they question who it is and what it wants. The ghostly appearance doesn’t scare off the guests though and is just the beginning of the bizarre appearances which will be taking place over the next couple of days. What will happen when the guests unexplainably begin to start disappearing - one or two at a time? Is the house holding them hostage?
I don’t normally read ghost stories but I have to tell you I was fascinated by this one! Elena Dorothy Bowmen’s GATEKEEPER’S REALM takes an ancient prophecy and brings it into a modern day setting with results that will steal your breath. I was enthralled by the ghost scenes and the guests reactions to each of them and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next or to whom it would happen. The storyline moved along at a quick pace but it never lacked enough descriptive information that I was easily able to imagine each of the scenes.
I would highly recommend reading HOUSE ON THE BLUFF first simply because I believe it goes into more of the details of what Abigail had to endure in order to claim the house. Of course, I’m also going to recommend the third book, ADAM’S POINT, because there are questions that are left unanswered in this story and I’m dying to find out the answers. HOUSE ON THE BLUFF, GATEKEEPER’S REALM and ADAM’S POINT are all available now.
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Reviews for "Gatekeeper's Realm-Book Two of the Legacy Series"
Jerry Lowenstein, an octogenarian and a nice guy, has written a fantastic mystery/ suspense novel that takes place just after WW2 on and near Bikini Atoll. He actually witnessed an atomic bomb test. Can you imagine that?
Jerry Lowenstein, an octogenarian and a nice guy, has written a fantastic mystery/ suspense novel that takes place just after WW2 on and near Bikini Atoll. He actually witnessed an atomic bomb test. Can you imagine that?
