"Bequeathed is a spooky, sexy ghost story."

Reviewed by Kimberly, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews


Claire has traveled 11,000 miles to her new home, well new to her. Claire Stines has just inherited the old Upton Place. She is moving from Dallas to a log cabin in Lake Weemonaka, Minnesota. She is hoping for a better life for her and her beloved Bengal cat, Mike.

Homeless and destitute, Claire Stines has no choice but to move into the log house bequeathed to her out in the Minnesota wilderness. Although she has little else to sustain her other than a few dollars and even fewer seeds of hope, she believes she can make a fresh start for herself, and if she’s lucky, maybe find a little romance.

But first she has to overcome the rumors of the house’s supposedly dark past. More importantly, who is that young man she’s seen in the woods, and why has he been watching her from a distance ever since she arrived?


And why does he both fascinate and terrify her?

Warning! Contains a decades-old curse, hidden compartments, dead fairies, spirits in the forest, unrelenting winter cold, and a possible explanation for people gone missing in the woods.

Claire enjoys exploring her new home. The complete darkness and silence of the forest is strange to her. As she gets ready for bed on her first night, a face peers out from the darkness.

The next day was spent emptying the U-haul trailer, so she could return it on time. As she walked out the front door, a man is standing at the corner of the cabin. His presence startles her so much that she calls out to him. When he doesn’t answer, she calls 911. When the sheriff’s cruiser arrives, the man has disappeared. The deputy searches around by can’t find any trace of the man. The officer believes the intruder to just be passing by and probably as startled as she is. She explains that she just inherited the cabin and decided to move here when she lost her job and apartment in Dallas. She is at Lake Weemonaka to make a fresh start.

As she explores her new home, she discovers the mysterious stranger. This time he talks with her. His name is Horne and he lives in a nearby cabin. He tells her that it is not safe to be out after dark, and abruptly leaves after asking if she knows the history of the cabin. The next day, he arrives again to show her where her pump is located. He startles her but soon begins the tour of the pump house. He blurts out that the house is cursed.

She is suddenly startled by the arrival of a car. It is the deputy back to check on her. When she turns back, Horne is gone. She tells the deputy about her visitor. He doesn’t recognize the name and says that he will check around. Claire discovers that while she is able to relax when talking with the deputy, Horne is a more comfortable companion. The deputy shares the story of the cabin’s curse with Claire. The story goes that the builder of the cabin angered the spirits of the forest by cutting down the sacred trees and other atrocities. The original owner, Oren Palmhurst, sold the cabin to Claire’s grandparents. On the same day that he sold the cabin, Palmhurst died of a heart attack.  Claire wonders if the curse will extend to her.

Claire wanders into the forest searching for Horne. She wants to know more about the curse. What is the curse? Why was the owner cursed? Who is Horne? Why does her normally skittish cat like Horne so much? Why is she so comfortable with Horne? What has she been Bequeathed?

Bequeathed is a spooky, sexy ghost story. I enjoyed the foreshadowing and all the creepy undertones. This story has a lot of character development and it really draws you into the story. Make sure you keep the lights on for this one.