Reviewed by Dan & Donna
This is a Series Review of The Memoirs of the Human Wraiths Box Set
AUTHOR: F.E. Feeley, Jr.
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
SERIES BLURB:
Around a campfire late at night, someone begins to tell a ghost story. Flashlights clutched in hands, we huddle close and listen with intensity, startling at the slightest sound, but we try to be brave.
This is no different.
Memoirs of the Human Wraiths, a book passed down from generation to generation, details the lives of those living on the edges of society, stalked by the darkness that awaits us all. Come see what walks the halls of Timber Manor. Step inside Jonathan’s inescapable mirror. Venture to the island where promises made are enforced by a powerful curse.
SERIES REVIEW:
We’re going to do this one a little differently. I’m going to say that I really enjoyed the entire three-part series contained in this box set and I’m then going to provide our reviews on each one as a standalone below. I originally reviewed The Haunting of Timber Manor, and Donna originally reviewed Objects in the Rearview Mirror. Neither of us ever reviewed Still Waters, which I think is my personal favorite of the three. I highly recommend you pick up this box set if you’re a fan of ghost stories, especially if you have Kindle Unlimited since the box set is included in that membership. I originally reviewed
Mr. Feeley did a great job with this one. I remember how much I enjoyed book one when I originally read it for a review in early 2017. I’m republishing that original review below as part of this series review. I’m using the book covers from the newest editions because I just like them a lot more than the originals!
SERIES RATING: 
BUY LINK:
TITLE: The Haunting of Timber Manor
BLURB:
While recovering from the recent loss of his parents, Daniel Donnelly receives a phone call from his estranged aunt, who turns over control of the family fortune and estate, Timber Manor. Though his father had seemed guarded about the past, Daniel’s curiosity and need for family compel him to visit.
Located in a secluded area of the Northwest, Timber Manor has grown silent over the years. Her halls sit empty and a thin layer of dust adorns the sheet-covered furniture. When Daniel arrives to begin repairs, strange things happen. Nightmares haunt his dreams. Memories not his own disturb his waking hours. Alive with the tragedies of the past, Timber Manor threatens to tear Daniel apart.
Sheriff Hale Davis grew up working on the manor grounds. Seeing Daniel struggle, he vows to protect the young man who has captured his heart, and help him solve the mystery behind the haunting and confront the past—not only to save Daniel’s life, but to save his family, whose very souls hang in the balance.
DAN’S REVIEW:
It was a joy to see a well written ghost story in this genre. Not that there haven’t been others, but they are so few and far between. F.E. Feeley Jr. has brought us a very readable and very well written story of a young man being drawn into his family’s dark past.
Daniel Donnelly is a young man who is devastated by the death of his parents in a sailboat tragedy at sea. In one fell swoop his parents, who have been his rock his entire life, are gone. Then comes a phone call from his Aunt Carol in Oregon. It turns out he has a living family member that he never really knew about.
When he gets to the small town where she lives and stops on the side of the road to wait out a huge rainstorm, he is rescued by the local Sheriff, Hale Davis, who leads him to his aunt’s house. Or I should say mansion. It turns out the family is filthy rich. Why did his father never speak about the family?
Something is lurking at Timber Manor. Waiting to be released on the world. Evil lives. Can Daniel, Hale, Aunt Carol and the servants make it through what is to come? I’m not going to do any spoilers. I really liked the story. It kept me entertained and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.
There were some sad points in the book, and some happy ones. I liked the tie in with the timber wolves…and oddly, I kind of felt myself ‘feeling’ for Christopher. He was so broken in life. But did he deserve what happened to him all those years ago? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
If you enjoy a good ghost story, I would suggest you pick up this book today. I see that it is the first in a previously released series, and I’m guessing the others are also going to be re-released, but I don’t know that for sure. What I do know for sure is that I’ll be searching them out to read. I liked this author’s voice. The changing viewpoints worked well, as did the lead up to the dramatic end of the book.
I highly recommend this one!
RATING: 
TITLE: Objects in the Rearview Mirror
BLURB:
Their new home on Frederick Street in Clay Center, Kansas, was supposed to give writer Jonathan David and his husband, clinical psychologist Dr. Eddie Dorman, an opportunity to enjoy married life. Jonathan has just released his first major bestseller, and he hopes to finally escape his traumatic past and find the quiet existence he has always craved. Eddie has taken a job at the Kansas State University psychology department, and they intend to begin anew.
They have barely settled in when the nightmare begins. Noises, disembodied voices, and mysterious apparitions make Jonathan’s life hell. Part of the house has decided to bare its teeth, show its jagged edges, and bring back the worst of Jonathan’s past. At first, Eddie cannot perceive the spectral events and fears for his husband’s sanity. When he’s also affected by the haunting, he’s unsure of what to do but refuses to be beaten.
Together, they seek a way to fight the forces trying to tear them apart. The world is a frightening place, but confronting their fears plunges Jonathan and Eddie into absolute horror.
DONNA’S REVIEW:
I’m frantically scribbling this review down with pen and paper because I’m terrible at typing and my head and my heart are just overflowing with what this book made me think and feel. I know I’m going to forget something important. This isn’t the first time I’ve had the thought that I should really take notes. I have a tissue clutched in my non-scribbling hand, my eyes are sore and puffy, and I have what feels like a rather maniacal grin on my face. This book has totally messed me up!
Jonathan and Eddie have just moved to Kansas and bought their first home. Together since college they are married, happily, yet they still struggle. These two characters are so in love they made my heart ache yet they know that this move is their last stand in their unvoiced battle to save their relationship from the demons in Jonathan’s past. (Demons as in memories, no ghosts are involved yet.) Just a hint that such a beautiful couple are struggling to stay together would have had me getting misty eyed, but that isn’t where the story begins.
No, the author had me reaching for the Kleenex before I’d even finished the prologue, where we are given a glimpse into the life and death of one of the previous occupants of Jonathan and Eddie’s new house. An occupant who isn’t as “previous” as the two men would prefer.
Jonathan begins having strange dreams and blackouts and Eddie becomes concerned for his husband’s sanity. Poor frightened Jonathan, trying to convince his husband that he isn’t crazy. And Eddie, yes, he lets Jonathan down by believing he’s unstable, but he’s just as frightened and desperate to make this a problem he can fix.
Jonathan stood silent for a moment, considering. His eyes were wild. “Rearview-mirror stuff, babe. I went through it. I went through the mirror, and I got lost.”
Ermm, I may have (definitely did) cry again at this point.
Just to be clear, this isn’t a romance. I have no idea what genre label to slap on it. It is a ghost story. Some of the creepy, scary, freak you right out supernatural shit that goes on is like something out of Paranormal Activity. Especially once they set up the cameras to film at night. Tracking a ghost’s movements through the house and listening to it head towards the room you’re standing in? With a night vision camera? No goddamn way! I’ve seen how those movies end. I sent up a big prayer of thanks that although I was alone when I read this book, it was at least full daylight. At one point I’m pretty sure a cat jumped onto my roof and I think my heart attempted to launch out of my chest to hide beneath the couch.
This is also a story about child abuse and Jonathan, as a survivor of such, was able to connect with a spirit who’d similarly suffered. We see how the fear Jonathan learnt at the hands of his parents has affected his adult life, including his marriage. And the fear experienced by trapped spirit, Alan, has followed him into death and won’t release him even there. This is the primary message of the story. Fear won’t just release you, there’s no running away from something that is inside of you. You need to face it and beat it, then look forward and move on with your life.
“Stop looking backward. Life isn’t lived in that direction. Your future isn’t in that direction. It’s forward, out into the horizon ahead of you.”
Alan’s father, Mark, the man who physically abused him, is also a character in the story. Through some very confronting flashbacks we witness the abuse suffered by both Jonathan, at the hands of his parents, and Alan, at the hands of Mark, but we’re also privy to the remorse Mark feels over his treatment of his son.
“These are my sins against you: I hit you. I screamed at you. I called you names. I blamed you for the death of your mother. I blamed you for my own misery. I made you cry. I made you afraid of me. I made you hate me.”
Every time I read those words, I get teary, feeling Alan’s pain, yet also Mark’s.
I don’t think I’ve ever been made to see a person who had abused their child as a sympathetic character before and I really appreciated that the author was able to make me do so. We’re always told that we need to forgive but, if you’re anything like me, that comes with conditions. Conditions such as – child abusers are exempt from my forgiveness. However, while I appreciated it, I don’t know how somebody who had actually been a victim of child abuse would react to Mark’s character and the level of sympathy he receives.
Now I have some confessions to make. I peeked (more than peeked) at the ending when I was halfway through. See, thing is, I knew going in that this wasn’t classified as a romance and the reason I read romances is I like to be assured of a happy ending. Not knowing for certain was too much pressure for my HEA trained brain to handle. So this is what happened. The last couple of chapters are so emotional, I had my lengthy very brief peek and already knew the characters enough to become engrossed and cry my eyes out. Then I went back to my place in the middle of the story, read through to the end and bawled all over again. Which I found hilarious in my highly emotional state, so I was laughing and crying and snorting and snotting and that to me is an indicator of a brilliant book. I’m so glad I was alone.
Second confession, I didn’t want to read this book. I read the blurb and thought, nooo thank you, sounds like a gay Dean Koontz. I haven’t read one of those books in a long time (happy ending requirement remember). Honestly, I only read this book as a favor to Dani and I cannot believe how close I came to missing out on this.
Usually when I recommend books I worry because I know enjoyment of a story can be a personal thing. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Objects In The Rearview Mirror to everybody. Every single person reading this review I’m urging you to read this book whether ghost stories are your thing or not. This story is so much more than just a ghost story. And no, it may not be a romance but the love Eddie and Jonathan have for each other shines through all the elements of fear and horror to provide light and hope to everybody they come into contact with.
With this book F.E. Feeley Jr has created something beyond what one normally expects from the m/m genre and I can only hope that the last paragraph means we can expect more from Jonathan and Eddie in the future.
RATING:
TITLE: Still Waters
BLURB:
Promise, Michigan is very much like every other small town across the state. Built on the edge of a lake, the homes sit in neat little rows in cute little neighborhoods. During the summer Promise bustles with tourists who come to spend their vacation dollars and enjoy the lake’s refreshingly cold water. But Promise holds a terrible secret. In the center of the lake is an abandoned island where a curse is rumored to wait for victims, unabated and deadly. Most think it’s just a story, something used to keep kids out of trouble. Still, everyone gives it a wide berth. Everyone except Bret and Adam. They dare to venture out the night of Bret’s birthday. When they declared their love and promise to get married, they believe no one else heard their whispered words—but they are wrong.
Five years later Adam dies, and Bret returns to his family to heal. But someone is killing the people of Promise in random acts of violence. Bret, with the help of FBI agent Jeff McAllister, must discover the identity of a murderer with death on his mind and revenge in his heart.
REVIEW:
As I said above, I think this was my favorite of the three books in the Human Wraiths box set. The story grabbed me from page one and kept me reading until I put the book down, way too late as usual when I had to go to work extremely early the next day.
In Still Waters we meet a man named Bret. Bret has come home to Promise, Michigan where he grew up to spend the anniversary of his first boyfriend’s death with that boyfriend’s family. Adam died five years before and Adam’s family was there for Bret both before and after Adam’s death. Bret’s parents on the other hand are your typical nouveau riche pretentious snobs who moved to Promise to be part of the ‘elite’. Promise isn’t a town with undesirables. I pictured Stepford when I was reading it. Too perfect. Too white. Too conservative. Bret’s parents disowned him because of his sexuality and they always blamed Adam for leading Bret astray. Once Bret graduated from high school, he left town and only returns once a year, and only to stay with Adam’s family for the anniversary of his death.
Something is strange in Promise though. There is this mysterious island in the middle of the lake that the town of Promise surrounds. The island is rumored to be haunted, or maybe cursed. No one goes there except on a dare. It turns out that Bret and Adam did visit the island. And the results of their visit are key factors of this story.
Something is different this year. It is coming up on the fifth anniversary of Adam’s death, and the fifth anniversary of Bret and Adams visit to the island. It is also coming up on the date that the two young men had planned to marry. They set a long five-year period for their engagement and then Adam died. I really enjoyed how Mr. Feeley expanded our knowledge of the past and present as the story went along. We knew something terrible happened to Adam, and that there was more to the story, but he kept me guessing on the who done what aspect. I kind of guessed the identity of the last culprit as the story went along, but it didn’t hurt my read a bit.
This one will be on my re-read list.
RATING:
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