#NewBook: Eventide by Mae Clair
Hi everyone. Today, it gives me great pleasure to host fellow author and friend Mae Clair, who is showcasing her latest book, Eventide. Take it away, Mae >>>
Hi, Harmony! Many thanks for welcoming me today to your blog. It’s fantastic to be here promoting my new release, Eventide. The book is part mystery and part supernatural suspense and uses dual timelines to examine the lives of people living in the same house, in separate centuries.
My main character (in the present) and her sister are both empaths. Everyone has a measure of empathy in them, but some people have it in abundance. It’s easy for them to tap into the feelings of others and put themselves in another’s shoes. This can be a good—allowing an individual to see multiple sides of a given situation—but there are also drawbacks.
When empathy becomes too strong, it can be overwhelming. A person with strong empathic abilities has to learn to disconnect. Otherwise they can drown in the sorrow. It’s great to be able to feel elation and happiness, but empaths often tap into misery, desperation, and fear.
Madison Hewitt, the lead in Eventide is rebuilding her life after witnessing the murder of her husband three years ago. Because of her empathic abilities, she experienced a complete shutdown when she witnessed his death. Afterward, she spent three years in a care facility, never speaking a word. You can learn more about what happened to Madison in the previous book, End of Day.
In Eventide, she is thrilled to be independent again, the new owner of property located outside of town. But no sooner does she move in, then she senses someone is watching her. Someone who knows about her past and isn’t ready to let her forget.
Madison breathed deeply, savoring the quiet. Already, the air grew heavy with the heady mustiness that blooms around water at dusk. She loved the smell. Relished the fickle skip of breeze wafting from the creek. A few bats flitted between trees. Further away, a mourning dove cooed from somewhere among the branches.
As much as she enjoyed being outside, there was still unpacking to do. Maybe later, she’d relax on the balcony with a glass of wine and watch night settle. Alcohol didn’t mix well with meds, but she’d been off her pills long enough. She deserved the treat.
Warmed by the thought, she headed toward the house. The sight of a dead squirrel sprawled by the front door crushed her sense of tranquility.
“Damn.” The animal must have been injured, crawled up on the porch, and died. It was an odd place for a wild creature to seek shelter in the waning moments of life, but the area was infested with small rodents. The poor thing had probably tussled with a fox or a raccoon. She peered closer but didn’t see a mark on it. As unpleasant as the task was, she’d have to dispose of it. Part of living so far from town meant dealing with the occasional critter in her yard or home.
Inside, she located a trash bag and a pair of plastic gloves. When it came time to put the carcass in the sack, she averted her eyes. The little body hung limp in her hand, faintly warm through the thin layer of her gloves. She bundled the bag shut and glanced to the rickety floorboards, praying she wouldn’t discover blood.
A chill prickled her spine.
The squirrel’s body and tail had concealed a single word stenciled in capital letters on the doormat. One that might have been inviting under other circumstances, but now seemed sinister.
WELCOME
Madison glanced over her shoulder, the swiftly falling night abruptly unsettling. She sprinted across the driveway to the detached garage, then dumped the bag in a trash can. Of course, no one was watching her, but it was hard to squash old fears.
How many women survived seeing their husband butchered with a knife? How many people knew what it felt like to be murdered?
This is just the beginning of problems for Madison. To get to the root of her troubles, she’s going to have to unearth what happened to the people who occupied her home during the late 1800s when it belonged to a family named Stewart. Curious? I hope so. J
Hopefully, you’re curious enough to order Eventide which is available from all major booksellers online. You’ll make this author very happy. Thank you in advance for your consideration! J
BLURB:
The darkness is coming . . .
The old house near Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania is a place for Madison Hewitt to start over—to put the trauma of her husband’s murder, and her subsequent breakdown, behind her. She isn’t bothered by a burial plot on the property, or the mysterious, sealed cistern in the basement. Not at first. Even the presence of cold spots and strange odors could be fabrications of her still troubled mind. But how to explain her slashed tires, or the ominous messages that grow ever more threatening?
Convinced the answer lies in the past, Madison delves into the history of the home’s original owners, only to discover the origin of a powerful evil. An entity that may be connected to a series of gruesome attacks that have left police baffled. No matter where she turns—past or present—terror lingers just a step away, spurred on by a twisted obsession that can only be satisfied through death…
Order Eventide HERE
Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:
Amazon| BookBub| Newsletter Sign-Up
Website | Blog| Twitter| Goodreads| All Social Media
And, in case you missed it, here’s my review for this fantastic read >>>
Thanks to NetGalley and Lyrical Underground for an ARC of this book.
I have read all of Mae Clair’s Hodes Hill books, and this one is by far my favourite. I loved the mix of the supernatural with typical ghosts spiced up with a deadly and terrifying ghoul. All in all, this is a great series that works well both to read as a run on and for each book to stand alone, although you get more by seeing the character progression throughout the series if you read them in order. Having read of Madison, the main character, in previous books and seeing her struggle through the eyes of others, it is nice to see her getting a book to herself, and what a strong heroine she turns out to be.
The plot runs both in the past (1800s) and in the present day and gives you plenty of mystery, suspense, and twists in both timelines. While I sussed out that something was up with the historical brothers early on, I completely failed to work out what it was, so kudos to the author for that bit of cunning.
I highly recommend this book and will be reading more from this writer. A solid five star read.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
Three cheers for Mae! This is an awesome review to share, Harmony. I’m looking forward to diving in. Cheers to you both! 🙂
Thanks, Natalie 🙂
Good to see this review. I’m looking forward to reading but soon. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Mae.
Me too, PH. And Eventide tops them all in my book (if you’ll pardon the awful pun!). 🙂
Eventide is making the rounds. I loved this book and agree with you. Five stars!
Thanks so much for dropping by to share, Joan. I always get a wonderful feeling when I hear comments like this. Thank you!
It was one of my fave reads of 2019. Thanks, Joan 🙂
So nice to see Eventide featured here today, Harmony! Mae, I’m at the halfway point in the book, since my doctor’s appointment dragged on forever today and I had nearly TWO uninterrupted hours in which to read. I swear, if we’d had a power failure as I sat in the exam room, I’d have run out screaming, paper tie-in-the-back nightgown and all! (It would NOT have been a pretty sight!)
Suffice it to say there are chills a-plenty in this one and I’m loving every minute of it! So far, my favorite of all three books, and the first two were great! Well done, my friend! 🙂 <3 And thanks for a super post, both of you!
You know what’s really weird? I had a doctor’s appointment today too, although mine went quick. I’d probably freak if we’d had a power failure!
So glad you have that glitch behind you. And I’m uber jazzed you’re enjoying the book. Several readers have commented this is their favorite, too. That makes me break into a Snoopy dance 🙂
Thanks for visiting to cheer me on!
I’m loving the visuals on this comment, Marcia!!! Hope all turns out well from the doctor’s appointment. And I can assure you that the book’s finale will be as much fun as the rest of the read 🙂
Gteat post. I have to agree, Harmony this is one of the best Mae has written.
What a wonderful comment! Thank you so much, Denise. I’m thoroughly jazzed by remarks like that. I worked extra hard on this one, and it’s so good to know that effort paid off and delivered!
It sure is! I’m looking forward to see what she comes up with next … no pressure, Mae!!! 🙂
What another great promo for Mae’s new book! The excerpt is intriguing and your review makes me want to hurry up and finish the book I’m currently reading so I can get to Eventide!
Oh, that is wonderful to hear, Jan. I do have a special fondness for this one. I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of it.
Thanks so much for visiting with me and Harmony today!
Yay! I’m sure you’ll love it, Jan 😊
Love that scene, Mae.
Me too! Thanks, Craig 😊
Thanks, Craig. I enjoyed setting the tone for what follows in the book 🙂
Harmony, many thanks for hosting me today and for sharing your review of Hode’s Hill. It has me doing a happy dance 🙂
Thanks, Mae. Your comment has me doing a happy dance too 😁
Harmony, I thought it was a five-star read, too. I enjoyed the whole series!
Yes, I loved this series. Thanks, Priscilla 🙂
Thanks for dropping and sharing. Priscilla. I love hearing testimonials like that 🙂