The House on Blackstone Moor

Book excerpt

This is the completely revised 2nd edition of The House on Blackstone Moor, the novel which begins Carole Gill's Blackstone Vampires series.

What readers say about The House on Blackstone Moor:
"Worth its weight in blood." - Indie Reader
"Finally, a real modern gothic fiction book!" - SKN Hammerstone
"The book reads like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, in terms of writing absolutely amazing and captivating in style. - Christoph Fischer

-They say my father was mad, so corrupted by evil and tainted by sin that he did what he did. I came home to find them all dead; their throats savagely cut. My sisters only five and eight were gone as well as my brother who was twelve. My mother too lay butchered in her marriage bed. The bed her children were born in...-

After young Rose Baines discovers the savage murders of her family by her mad, incestuous father, she is plunged into a nightmare of hell and incarcerated in two madhouses. In time, she is helped to obtain a position as governess at Blackstone House. Nothing is as it seems for Blackstone House, and its inhabitants have numerous secrets. Amid the unimaginable horror there is love - which comes at a terrible price.

The House on Blackstone Moor is the first novel in Carole Gill's Blackstone Vampires Series. It is both a tale of the eternal struggle between good and evil, and a story of love that strives to prevail, despite all odds.

"Think Jane Eyre with demonic vampires and with sexual scenes."
"I want to put the bite into gothic romance!"
Carole Gill, Author

Reviews & media

Sahara Foley's blog

The House on Blackstone Moor review cloud

Rose Baines is only nineteen when she comes home from visiting an ailing aunt to find her whole family slaughtered. Her mind can't comprehend that the monster who did it was her own father, who then took his own life.

Her reaction is such shock, she is sent to Bedlam, and from there to another Insane Asylum. The doctor assures Rose she is to rest and will eventually be able to cope with her tragic loss. In time, Rose begins to feel better and is elated when she is offered a position as governess, with room and board, at one of the doctor's friend's homes.

Rose takes to young Simon and Ada immediately, although something is a bit off with them. Mr. and Mrs. Darton are very good to her, even though Dr. Darton is gone much of the time. Several times, nightmares awaken Rose, and she dreams of Mrs. Darton, which is queer. But the doctor assures her that she is still healing from the loss of her family and that there is nothing to worry about.

But then someone tries to kill Rose and she is seeing things with her own eyes that she knows is unimaginable. Vampires and demons do not exist. But as the story unfolds, Rose must fight not only her life, but for those she loves and for her soul.

The House on Blackstone Moor is a mix of Gothic and supernatural. From page one, I was captured in Rose's tale and as the story unfolded, mesmerized with the chain of events. At times I had chills running up my arms and at others, my heart ached for Rose. I became her champion and then began to question her choices. Author Carole Gill has written a captivating tale sure to appeal to paranormal and Gothic fans alike. 

Wendy L. Hines

I'd read about Carole Gill through some great blog reviews and it seems to me that she really knows the Horror genre well. I received a comp copy of her novel The House on Blackstone Moor for review and dove into it. What I found was a breath of fresh air.

The author has a great sense of prose that draws you into the narrative. Everything seems to unfold naturally and you get introduced to the various characters and some of the plot. What struck me about this type of Horror is that it is very atmospheric and creeping...unlike much of the torture porn and the typical slasher fare that is out there these days. Without giving anything away Miss Gill shows that you don't need buckets of blood thrown at your face to create horror, that stuff is just amateur gross-out rubbish. This is more like the excellent Hammer Film movies of the 70s.

I recommend this novel to anyone that wants to delve into a novel filled with thrills, chills, tense atmosphere, and a return to real horror. Can't wait for her next novel!

Kane

Gothic Horror is not my usual preference but this caught my attention and interest. I got the book and glanced at a few pages out of curiosity and found I could not put it down. The presentation this gifted author uses allows the reader to feel a part of the story as the tale is shared and told by Rose. As Rose reveals not only her story, but hopes, fears, dreams and desires, the reader can visualize the people, places, and events as the story unfolds.

The reader could feel the drama, suffering, grief and determination to persevere by Rose and ultimately the questions she must find answers to and make choices to survive. Good and bad, God and the devil, Heaven or Hell, blessed or damned as she is confronted with the choices of heart, soul, love, the will to survive, injustice, abuse, fate, and if fate is real what are the consequences of following the heart.

I recommend this story to read, enjoy and realize more than a simple tale told. It is a well written story of death, character and drama that holds the interest from beginning to end. 

Linda Nance

The author invites the reader to a gripping Victorian era tale of horror on the first page. We meet Rose,a young woman, after she discovers that her father killed her mother and sister and then himself. Rose is so grief-stricken others must take care of her. Unfortunately for Rose, "care" turns is a trip to the insane asylum.

Rose encounters new horrors during her stay at the asylum. The author has the unique ability to put us inside Rose's head so we see her world through her eyes and experience her tragic tale as if it were our own. The head of the hospital, Doctor Bannion, rescues Rose from the asylum by taking her to the Dartons. They employ her as a governess for their two children.

At first, it seems that Rose has found a refuge from the horrors she has experienced. She has great affection for the children she cares for, and they for her. She falls in love with the Louis Darton, who returns her affection. But all is not as it seems, and Rose slowly learns the true nature of her situation.
Rose sees the children commit a horrible act, but she refuses to accept what they did. When she sees a vampire doing what a vampire always does, Rose realizes she is in the midst of horror and evil on an immense scope. The author creates a time and place and characters that are not for the faint of heart.

Ms. Gill uses "sacred" portions of vampire lore in new ways. To reveal them would be to say too much. As Rose plunges deeper into the evil maelstrom, she makes decisions that change her very essence. She moves to the dark of her own accord, and the hellish nature of the events in her life worsen. Louis Darton rescues her time and again, but he is part of the darkness.

Gypsies aid and befriend Rose in her fight to survive the onslaught of evil forces. The battles between the forces who seek to destroy Rose and those who protect her rage to the end of the novel. The immensity of the evil that Rose encounters grows greater and greater. At the end of the novel Rose must make the final decision about her fate.

Blackstone Moor is a creative and imaginative novel. It is well-written and the author demonstrates a mastery of the subject matter. The plot is complex and the characters are well delineated. The author created a horror novel best not read before going to sleep. 

Neil Benson

"The House on Blackstone Moor" by Carole Gill was recommended to me by a friend. From the first page I was hooked by the narrator's voice that created good suspense. Gradually we find out that Rose is being taken to a lunatic asylum after her violent family life comes to a infernal end. She befriends the Doctor and moves to the House on Blackstone Moor, where odd observations, nightmares and visions begin to plague her until she learns that these are in fact real.

The book reads like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, in terms of writing absolutely amazing and captivating in style.
When the author then introduces the themes of Satanism and Vampires the book - for my personal liking - lost a little bit of that charm, I preferred the moments when I didn't know what all this was about and found those were the greatest parts of the book.
The book has however set up a great cast of characters who will without a doubt make the next part in the series just as thrilling and exciting. 

Christoph Fischer Books

The House on Blackstone Moor by Carole Gill is the type of gothic fiction that I have been searching for. It is the modern equivalent of fear-striking authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. The Premise of the book is a teenage girl named Rose whose father goes insane and murders her entire family, killing himself as well. Rose is sent to an asylum when she is believed to be insane. She spends two years there before a patron of the asylum takes an interest in her and hires her as a governess. Once there, Rose starts to notice strange things occurring around her. Her biggest question; is this really happening or is she insane?

The book was very well written in a slightly older fashion than most books of now. It was a refreshing change to many other (SPOILER ALERT) vampire novels and series out there. Gill didn't try to make the vampires any less monstrous than they are supposed to be. She made them the way that they should be. They don't sparkle, (thank GOD), the drink human blood, and they give in to their desires without a second thought.
Anyone who enjoys gothic fiction will love this book and I highly recommend it. 

SKN Hammerstone

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received a copy of the book as a free download on Amazon.

Rose Baines comes home one night to find her whole family dead, her mother, two sisters, brother and father. Her mother, sisters and brother were killed by her father, with him committing suicide. Rose is so upset and can't stop screaming. Rose's life has been nothing but tragic. She has been abused by her father since she was a child and now he has gone and taken her family from her.

Rose is first taken to "Bedlam" hospital where is treated and the taken to an insane asylum. Where she meets the "good' Dr. Bannion who tries to help Rose so she thinks. Rose doesn't believe that she will ever leave the asylum because she is told by another inmate who becomes her friend that no one ever gets out alive.

A woman who is friends with Dr. Bannion who comes to the asylum on occasion to bring things for the patients sees Rose and wants to help her. She talks to Dr. Bannion about having Rose work for her at her home on Blackstone Moor as governess to her children. Dr. Bannion agrees that working for Mrs. Darton would be good for Rose. He thinks that Rose should stay at his home for a month before starting her new job. He says she needs time to adjust in the outside world before jumping into a new job and home with people she doesn't know.

Rose is very happy with the prospect of a job and place to live. She is just thrilled that she is getting out of the asylum. Rose has no idea who or what kind of people the Dartons are nor what she is getting herself into by taking the job at Blackstone Moor. Upon arriving at Blackstone moor Rose becomes so confused with all the things that she sees and witness. She doesn't know if she is dreaming or if it is all real. Rose has no clue as to who she can trust or not trust. She begins to have feelings for Mr. Darton, feelings that she knows she should not be having for a married man.

Rose comes to love the children even when she sees them doing wired and creepy things. She loves them so much that she would give up her own life and soul to save them. With all the dark and evil things that Rose witness at Blackstone Moor she wonders if she is crazy and maybe she should leave. But she can't leave Mr. Darton and the children after falling in love with them.

I loved reading The House on Blackstone Moor with all the dark, creepy, evil things that goes on there. The House on Blackstone Moor has a lot of different paranormal creatures in it. Like vampires, fallen angels, demons and even Satan himself. I love reading books with all of these creatures in them and to find one that has all of them in it and not just one is awesome.

The House on Blackstone Moor had me hooked from the first sentence. In the very first sentence Rose has just came home to find her family dead. That is a very well written book when it can pull you in from the beginning and keep you hanging on til the last sentence in the book. Carole Gill has done a tremendous job of creating a dark world full of vampire, demons and fallen angels. I can't wait to read the sequel to The House on Blackstone Moor, Unholy Testament: The Beginnings. 

Nancy Allen