#leaving my hubby alone until I have what I need to swoon him

[cryptablog]

holy shit this game is hardcore. I was sat there zoned out drooling for 3 fucking hours. do NOT play stardew valley without a timer unmedicated it will destroy you.

[znaeb]

I needed to come see you. | B.A.

“This again?”

You internally rolled your eyes when you saw who was on the other side of the door. You thought he was getting past this, that he was maturing.

The drunken parties had seemed less interesting to him recently, but here he was again. Drunk, whining about god knows what, and on your doorstep asking to come in because he’s too wasted to drive himself home.

“Brandon, What is this?” You closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I just needed to come see you, I just needed to make sure you were still here.” He stumbled but caught himself with one hand on the doorframe.

“Where would I have gone?” You furrowed your eyebrows at him, “it’s 2am, B.”

“I dunno, out with Steven.” He mimed gagging himself at the mention of your off-and-on-boyfriend’s name.

You chuckled at him before stepping farther into the house and tugging his sleeve so he’d follow you, “C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

“No, I need to talk to you about something.” He said sternly as he pulled his arm away from you.

“And what would that be?” You said as you sat him down on the couch and tried to get his jacket off of him.

“Well I don’t want to tell you now.” He pouted, smooshing his face against the arm of the couch and tucking his hands under his head.

“Whatever...” you said calmly, knowing he was just drunk and didn’t know what he was saying.

You sat on the floor by the couch so you could comfortably talk to him face to face, you reached your hand up and ran your fingers through his hair. His eyes closed and your plot to make him fall asleep began to work.

“Do you need water or anything?” You whispered to him.

He shook his head and mumbled a quick, “no, thank you.” You sighed and stayed there quietly next to him for a while.

When he was almost completely asleep you stood up and grabbed a blanket from the little rack by the couch to cover him up.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Brandon.” You smiled at the fact that he even had good manners when he was drunk.

“Y/N?” He said slightly louder as you started to walk away.

“Hm?” You turned around as you put your foot on the first stair step.

“I’m in love with you.” He said it without even opening his eyes. In fact you’re pretty sure he was asleep within 3 seconds of saying it, but even though it seemed not to affect him in the slightest, it took you a minute before you could regain your thoughts and turn to walk up the stairs.

You didn’t sleep very well that night.

—

Fuck fuck fuck fuck....

He was ripping his hair out, cringing at himself for his actions the last night. His drunken self never failing to embarrass him.

“Maybe she’ll think I was just too drunk and out of it...” he whispered to himself as he paced the floor of her living room.

Thankfully she was still asleep and he didn’t have to face her and the inevitable embarrassment of what he’d said.

He grabbed his jacket and bolted for the front door, opening and shutting it as quietly as the squeaky S.O.B. would allow.

He walked the few blocks from her apartment to the parking lot of the pub where he’d been the night before. he pressed the unlock button on his little remote a bunch of times and hopped inside, turning the key and speeding away from all his problems.

“Nick!” He called for his roommate the second he opened the door.

He walked into the kitchen where he saw him eating a bowl of cereal at the small island. “Nick... I fucked up, dude.”

“What’d you do this time?” He rolled his eyes.

Brandon gave him a dirty look before continuing, “I got drunk last night...”

“So?”

“And then went to Y/N’s...”

“Shit...”

“And then I told her I’m in love with her...”

A slight pause. A bite of cereal. And then Nick spoke: “yup, you fucked up.”

“Wow you’re so helpful. Thank you, oh wise one.” Brandon rolled his eyes and tossed his keys on the counter before sitting across from his roommate.

“Well what do you want me to say? You are in love with her, and it’s not like she was never going to find out.”

“But I didn’t want her to find out from drunk Brandon! I wanted her find out when I planned to tell her.”

“Oh? and when was that, Romeo?” Nick mocked him.

“Y’know... when I planned.” Brandon crossed his arms.

“Wow.”

“Shut up.”

—

When you woke the next morning your head hurt. The lack of sleep obviously didn’t agree with you. You rubbed your eyes as you got up and walked down the stairs.

As your foot hit the last step you heard the door close, making you huff and put your hands on your hips. He crashed on your couch, then told you he was in love with you, then bailed? Dick.

“That motherfucker.” You shook your head as you walked into the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

Who does he think he is? Making you lose sleep and then leaving without even offering an explanation?

You considered calling to make sure he got home alive, but you decided to just check the Snapchat map and see his location. Sure enough, he was at his house.

You wanted to storm over there and ask him the thousands of questions that were now swirling around your brain, you wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake the answers out... but you didn’t. You were afraid of those answers.

You didn’t exactly know what your feelings toward Brandon were. You knew he was definitely more than a friend, but you’d never let yourself get farther than that. You refused to let yourself think about him that way, no matter how many weird, intimate, thankfully only occasionally sexual, dreams you’d had about him.

You poured yourself a mug of coffee when it had finished brewing and decided you needed to talk to the best advice giver in the world. Edwin.

“Hey sugar pie, what’s up?” He answered on the 2nd ring and sounded way to chipper for this early in the morning.

“Ed, something happened.” You sighed.

“Uh oh, tell me everything.” You heard his car start in the background and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Was that your car? Where are you going?” You questioned impulsively.

“Home. My graveyard shift just ended.” He spoke matter-o-factly, “The E.R. was suspiciously slow and I need something to make my day more interesting, so, spill.” He didn’t let the subject change, he loved knowing everything.

“Brandon...” You started and then paused, “he showed up at my house last night, at like 2am.”

“Oooh, did you guys do the diddly do?” You face palmed.

“No! He was drunk.” You rolled you eyes and clarified the situation as much as you could, “he walked to my house because he couldn’t drive home.”

“Oh, is that it? I was hoping for something more interesting.” The disappointment was very evident in his voice.

“No... he kind of— well not kind of... he, um, told me that he’s in love with me?” You bit your bottom lip and squeezed your eyes shut as you waited for Edwin’s reaction.

You heard a gasp through the phone and then, loudly, “fucking finally! I’ve been waiting for one of you to let it slip.”

“Wait, what?” You were officially puzzled.

“Sweetie, everyone knows.” He sighed.

“Knows what?” You asked in a defensive manner.

“That you and Brandon are basically obsessed with each other.” You could practically hear him rolling his eyes at you.

“We are not!” You scoffed at the very notion, then after a moment of silence added, “at least I don’t think we are...”

“Honey, are you seriously going to try and deny this? To me? I know all. I am all knowing.” He sassed and you chuckled.

“Does Miranda know too then? You do tell her everything.” You laughed out loud thinking about it. Edwin and his fiancée, Miranda, pretty much knew everything about everyone in their friend group. They were like the parents to whom all the pathetic single friends brought their drama.

“Well obviously, me and my wife share everything. It’s how we keep our relationship so healthy.” Although they weren’t scheduled to be married for another 3 months, they had been referring to each other as ‘wifey’ and ‘hubby’ since their senior year in high school.

“What do I do, Ed?” You said after another moment of silence, “I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“Just take some time and think about it, like really think about what you want. And just be honest with him when you decide what you feel. He cares about you a lot... he’ll get it, whatever you choose.”

Once again Edwin came through, he always gave the best advice. You sighed again and nodded even though he couldn’t see you.

“Okay... okay you’re right. I’m gonna just have to wait to talk to him until I know what I want, because I literally have no idea what to say.”

“You got this, boo.” He encouraged, you then heard a door opening in the on his end and him say, away from the speaker: “Good morning, little miss love of my life.”

You swooned at the soft words your friend spoke to his fiancée. you silently wished you had that with someone— and because of the current topic of conversation, your mind automatically went to Brandon.

“Hey, Y/N?” You heard Ed addressing you on the phone again, “I’m gonna go eat some breakfast with M, we can call back in a little while if you still want to talk though.” He offered kindly.

“No that’s okay! Thank you for everything, go spend time with your wife!” You laughed as you shooed him off of the phone.

He laughed then said, “alright alright, text one of us if you need anything.”

You said your goodbyes and hung up. Then you stood alone in your kitchen for another few minutes before deciding to run some errands and think about everything.

—

“Ed, I—“ Brandon was cut off seconds after he began to speak.

“I heard.” Edwin rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“You heard? From who? Y/N? What did she say?” He questioned his best friend frantically, “Edwin, I swear to god, tell me what she said!”

“I’m not going to betray her trust like that!” He smacked Brandon on the side of the head, “calm down.”

“Ow.” Brandon rubbed the spot that was now sore from Edwin’s assault.

“What I will say is that I think you should just give it some time, let it breathe, and she’ll come to you.” Edwin made hand gestures to emphasize his point, “and, also, maybe don’t be a creep and show up at her door at two in the morning!”

Brandon physically cringed for the millionth time.

“I didn’t mean to do it... it just happened. It was totally unplanned.” He hugged himself tightly, hoping it’d make the pit forming in his stomach stop growing.

“Dude, fuck off. You knew exactly what you were doing when you got drunk at the only bar within walking distance of her house.” Edwin leaned against the kitchen counter and cocked his head to the side.

“Ignorance is my story and I’m sticking with it.” Brandon shook his head and huffed.

“Wow, very believable.” Miranda chimed in as she walked into the kitchen. Her long blonde hair swayed behind her as she made a bee-line for Edwin, latching her arm with his, “I almost, almost thought you were telling the truth.”

“Hello, my love.” Edwin completely abandoned the conversation to greet his girlfriend, nothing new.

“Hello.” She beamed at him and kissed his cheek.

“Guys! Focus! I need serious help!” Brandon pleaded.

“Oh, we know.” Ed raised his eyebrows at B.

“Why is everyone so mean to me? My god!” Brandon threw his arms up in defeat.

“Oh stop it, drama queen...” Miranda rolled her eyes, “hey, don’t you have work in like 15 minutes?” She furrowed her brows and looked at him.

“No I—“ He looked at his watch, “fuck! I’m gonna be late.” He rushed around to find where he’d set his keys. When he finally found them he hurried to the door, Edwin following close behind to lock it after him.

In a last ditch attempt to gain some information he turned around in the doorway and rushed out, “Please tell me what Y/N said?”

“Never.” Edwin scoffed and smacked the other side of his head, “go to work, Brandon.”

“Fine, bye.” He grumbled and hurriedly made his way out of the apartment complex and to work.

—

“Zion? thoughts?” You raised your shoulders as you sought the opinion of your neighbor. The normal routine of sitting on his back porch and having a beer to unwind after work was rudely interrupted by you ranting about the whole Brandon mess.

“What about that Steven dude?” He questioned and tipped his chin up, “What’s up with him?”

“I don’t even really like him like that, every now and then we both just get bored of being single and go to the movies or something.” You plopped down on a deck chair after you finished pacing and crossed your arms, “he literally would not care at all if I started dating someone else.”

“So you want to date Brandon?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you’ve thought about it?”

“I mean... yes.”

“Okay.” Zion started, setting his beer down and leaning foreword, “I’m gonna say a word and your gonna say the first thing that pops into your mind. Don’t think, just say it.”

“Z, that’s stupid. What’s that gonna prove?”

“Will you just shut up and do it?” He rolled his eyes, having no patience for your doubt of his methods.

“Fine.” You sighed.

“Tree.”

“Tree?”

“Okay, something other than the word I said, please? Thank you.”

You rolled your eyes, but gestured for him to continue.

“House?”

“Home.”

“Car?”

“Road trip.”

“Friend?”

“Miranda.”

You let your mind go blank. Bored to death with this little exercise, you zoned out.

“Dog?”

“Cat.”

“Lover?”

“Brandon.”

“Aha! You love Brandon!” Zion accused, pointing a finger at you. You were just as startled by your own admission as you were of Zion’s sudden triumphant yelp.

“I... What the fuck?” You scratched your head. You honestly hadn’t meant to say it. Your own subconscious baffling you beyond belief.

Zion leaned back in his chair and sipped his beer with utter satisfaction. A smirk on his face as he mentally crowned himself the king of relationship advice. Even though he himself has never had a serious girlfriend, he reckoned he’d be amazing at relationships.

“I think I’m in love with Brandon.” You admitted to yourself as you came to terms with feelings you’ve had since high school, “Huh... how about that?”

“It’s not that weird y’know, people fall in love all the time.” Zion remarked offhandedly.

“I guess that’s true.”

You both sat in silence while you finished your drinks and then retreated back to your respective homes.

—

It was 2am.

You knocked on the door and waited. Your intense nerves were crawling up your back like some sort of monster and making the little hairs on your arms stand up.

You waited as you heard footsteps from inside, bouncing on your toes and hoping to god that this goes how you want it to.

The door opened and light flooded out and into the ground. Making it difficult to hide the uncomfortable look sneaking it’s way on your face.

“Y/N?” Brandon was surprised to see you.

“Hi.” You did an awkward little wave then stood there silently.

“Um, what’s up?” He stepped outside with you and turned to pull the door closed behind him, taking the light away and making everything dim once again.

“I just needed to come see you.” You spoke quietly and looked down, eye contact seeming impossible at this particular moment.

“I thought you’d be avoiding me for the rest of our lives.” He attempted to joke, also looking down.

“I could never do that.” Your head shot up and you looked at him for what felt like the first time ever.

You re-noticed the small things you adore about him. Like how his eyebrows raise when he’s giving you his attention, and how his eyes are so pretty (even when you can barely see them), and how he bites the inside of his cheek when he’s anxious.

“That’s a relief.” He whispers.

“Hey, Brandon?” You issued a question in response. Your eyes once again glueing themselves to the ground, too scared by what you were about to tell him to look him in the face.

“Hm?” He stepped closer, the tips of your shoes almost touching.

“I’m in love with you too.” You finally forced yourself to look up at him again, and when you did his face was much closer than you had thought. Your noses brushed as he responded:

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes please.”

And so he did.

[bts-parktaehyung]

Alone at Last

Request: could you please do a smut where you and namjoon are married and can't get any alone time because of your kid/s because every time you try to start somthing you get caught by them, but when you finally do things get dirty;) i know it's long and i understand if you don't want to do it but thanks anyway 💜

I loved writing this! It was such a good idea! If you or anyone else wants a second part, just let me know! I’d be happy to contiue it! I hope you like it!

Part 2

Pairing: Kim Namjoon X Reader

Genre: Smut

Word Count: 1,458

"Hey, wifey!" Namjoon exclaimed as he exited the elevator into your penthouse. You giggled as his lips pressed softly against yours.

"Hey, hubby." You smiled, swiping your thumbs over his cheeks as you stared at your husband's handsome features. He hummed with a smile as he closed his eyes.

"I missed you." He said quickly, kissing you again.

"I missed you more." You giggled as he tried to walk away, sliding his hand over your tummy. "Ah, wait. Where are you going?" You whined, grabbing his hand before he got too far away.

"I want to get some sleep before the kids get home." He explained, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. Sticking out your bottom lip, you pouted, hoping he'd give in to your cuteness overload.

"But me!" You whined, making him laugh. You smiled, watching him think about his decision. Suddenly a smirk played out on his face before he tugged you into him.

"Then you're coming with me." He smiled, dragging you into the bedroom. You laughed as he pulled you behind him, basically running to your room.

You both tumbled onto the perfectly made bed, giggling as you struggled against him. He pinned your hands down on either side of your head, hovering over you. You smiled up at him as he slowly leaned down, gently kissing you. Gradually the kiss transformed from playful to sensual, leaving the both of you breathless once he pulled away. "I suppose I can sleep later." He whispered, burying his face in your neck and placing gentle kisses all over any exposed skin he could get to.

"Namjoon!" You giggled, feeling teeth graze the sensitive skin of your neck. The sound of the elevator dinging echoed throughout the house and caused Namjoon to drop himself onto the bed next to you with a loud sigh. The two kids of yours came screaming into your room, jumping on the bed with their little backpacks.

"Daddy!" They both shouted in their adolescent high pitched voices, hurting your ears.

"Hey, beautiful." He smiled, kissing your daughter on the forehead. "I missed you." He smiled, pulling her twin brother down into a hug and messing up his hair. Having twins definitely murdered your sex life with Namjoon, but you absolutely adored your children and wouldn't trade them for the world. After awhile of cuddling and laughing, the four of you eventually fell asleep in your California king sized bed to the sound of the TV playing cartoons in the background.

You were rushing around the house, trying to pack your kids' lunches while Namjoon got them dressed. The both of you struggled to get them ready for school and out the door before you heard Namjoon chuckle. You felt him behind you, sliding his hands around your waist. "Namjoon! What are you doing? They're going to be late!" You exclaimed, earning a laugh from him.

"Baby, it's Saturday." He whispered, placing a sweet kiss on your ear. Letting out a deep sigh and laughing a little, you relaxed into his arms.

"Wow. I feel stupid." You giggled, leaning back into him as your kids went to their rooms for more sleep. "Can we go back to bed too?" You asked, turning around in his arms to look at him face to face. You played with the collar of his shirt before slowly raising your eyes to meet his and biting your lip. He smirked, looking up to the ceiling.

"Only if we don't sleep." He said with a wink, taking your hand and dragging you back to the bedroom once again. As soon as he touched the door handle, your daughter called for Namjoon. With a dramatic sigh, he placed a kiss on your forehead, turning and disappearing into her room. You smiled at how loving Namjoon was, hearing him whisper to her.

Knowing your daughter, Namjoon wouldn't be back for another half hour, at least. You turned your TV on and plopped yourself down on your bed. About 20 minutes into the first episode of Hwarang that you promised Taehyung you’d watch, you fell back to sleep.

When you woke up, Namjoon was fast asleep next to you. His arm lazily draped over your abdomen, hair tousled perfectly, his face snuggled cozily into the crook of your neck. You smiled to yourself, remembering the nights you would find him asleep on the couch in his studio, papers scattered everywhere.

Suddenly, he stirred in his sleep. "Mm hey, beautiful." He whispered groggily, smiling up at you.

"Hi, handsome." You smiled back, leaning down to place a kiss on his lips.

"I called my mom this morning and asked her to take the twins off our hands for the night." He said, sitting up against the headboard. You cocked an eyebrow, sliding a hand up his thigh under the blankets.

"Is that right?" You asked, kissing his neck. He swallowed hard, nodding as he snaked a hand under you to pull you on top of him. You giggled, sitting up on your knees and playing with his bleached hair. "I love your hair like this, Joonie." You swooned, kissing his cheek.

"Mommy!" You children exclaimed, causing you to jump and Namjoon to laugh at your reaction.

"Hey, guys." You said, quickly retreating to your side of the bed.

"We're hungry." Your son whined, making a pouty face. You laughed, swinging your feet over the side of your bed and slipping your feet into your fuzzy slippers to make your offspring breakfast.

The day went by slower than normal as you counted down the hours until your mother in law would pick up the kids. Throughout the entire day the sexual tension between you and Namjoon was building rapidly. Between the seductive whispers and stolen glances, you could have jumped him right there in the kitchen.

As soon as the kids were out the door and on their way to grandmother's house, Namjoon had you pinned against the wall. His kisses were breathtaking as he wrapped your leg around his waist. You moaned into his mouth, feeling his arousal grind against you. "I want you so bad." He growled, pulling away from your lips.

"What's stopping you?" You asked cockily. He smirked before taking your hand and leading you away from the wall. Picking you up, he sat you on the dining room table and yanked your sweats down your legs. You were biting your lip when his eyes met yours. "Oops. I guess I forgot panties this morning." He smirked, climbing onto the table to hover over you.

"Well nothing is stopping me now." He whispered, brushing his lips against yours teasingly. You smiled as he sat up, pulling his sweats and boxers down to his knees. He leaned down, kissing you as he easily slid himself  into you. Your heart raced, happy you finally got what you wanted after waiting for so long. You wrapped your legs around his hips as he found a rhythm of rocking into you. Moaning, you gently pulled on his hair as he sucked a bruise into your collarbone.

"Nam...Joon..." You whispered, feeling the pleasure build up.

"Yes, baby?" He asked, continuing at the same pace.

"Harder." You managed, gritting your teeth. Smirking, he slammed into you.

"Like that?" He asked, egging you on.

"Yes..." He slammed into you again, just as hard. "Yes!" You screamed as kept snapping his hips into yours as hard as he could. Finally you hit your high, sweat gathering on your face as he sweat dripped off his forehead. You smiled, wiping some of his moisture away.. "That was exactly what I needed."

"Oh, we're not done. I didn't even get your shirt off. You can have a five minute break, but your sweet ass better be in that bed at 7:05." He warned, raising his eyebrows. Your eyes widened as his assertive tone.

"Oh yeah? Or what?"

"Or you'll be punished." He winked, getting up and heading toward your bedroom with his pants in his hand. You laughed, watching his naked butt disappear down the hallway. You sat there for a minute trying to decide if you wanted to make him wait and be "punished" or be on time and see where the night takes you.

When you finally did get off the table, you went into the kitchen for a drink. You watched the digital clock on your microwave change to 7:05, your heart racing as you glanced down the hall that lead to your bedroom. Still not sure what you wanted, you slowly made your way to the closed door at the end of the dark hallway. No idea if it had been a minute, you turned the handle and walked in.

[anneedmonsonus]

14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews

If I was down to my last $20, I’d probably buy a coffee and a book… maybe a novel about a house.

Me at bookstore *Spies book with pretty old mansion on cover* TAKE MY MONEY

I am very partial to a story where an amazing house is almost a character. And I’m a total sucker for a book cover with a beautiful old sprawling manse, the more secretive-looking, the better. (Add a stone wall and a pair of wrought iron gates and I’ll cough up an extra $2).

“How do you find time to READ?” my friend Deb asked me once. She is also a mum (but she has three young boys) and also has a small business. “E-books,” I told her. E-books have revolutionised reading books for me as an adult. I don’t have a Kindle – I usually read books on my phone.

I love the immediacy of an eBook – you can buy it in seconds. Yes, like many people, I love the FEEL of paper between my fingers, and the smell of an old book – but if there was the choice between a book on a phone and no book at all, I’ll take the book on a screen.

What’s also great about reading on a phone is that you can easily read one-handed, and you don’t even need to be holding it. I can read a book while nursing the baby, which was INFINITELY more satisfying than tiredly scrolling Instagram in those hazy crazy newborn days. I quickly learned I could feed a baby in a dark room and read at the same time (just flick the book app onto night mode) without the glare waking the baby up too much. It definitely made those night wakings a little more bearable.

And there’s the portability factor – I can read while waiting in line at Woolies or while doing inane tasks like folding laundry or chopping vegies. You can do it! I totally get feeling like you don’t have time to read – but you can. I feel happier and content when I am in the middle of a good book, like life is more rounded and fulfilling somehow.

Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite books that feature houses in a major role – and I’m hoping you get time to read at least one! I would love to hear your book suggestions too.

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW A.J. Finn

Yes, the protagonist is an alcoholic female, which seems to make a lot of people cross as there seems to have been a spate of unreliable female narrators lately, but I enjoyed this psychological thriller for what it is: a punchy, addictive little pageturner you could read in a night or two. And the house in it is a crucial part of the story; an amazing 19th-century Harlem townhouse set over five storeys. Living in Perth, where a four storey house is unusual, multi-storey living fascinates me (just imagine how good your calf muscles would be) and sent me on a delightful real estate rabbit-hole swooning over New York townhouses.

The Woman in the Window is another one of those domestic thrillers that people immediately compare to books like Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. It drives me nuts. I totally get that it’s a marketing ploy when publishers do it, but even worse is it trickles over into reader reviews where you get people pompously declaring, “WELL. That was NOT Gone Girl.” Well… because it’s not Gone Girl. Ironically I’m writing this as I’m writing short reviews myself, but I think you should start a book without too many expectations and without immediately comparing it to another book in the same genre.

I recently learned that they are releasing a Woman in the Window movie with Amy Adams soon; she can do no wrong and I will be watching.

Get It:   AppleBooks           Amazon         AudioBook 

REBECCA Daphne du Maurier

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is the opening line of Rebecca, and regarded as one of the most memorable and famous opening lines of any novel. And once you have visited Manderley in Rebecca, it will stay with you for a long time. I read this for the first time when I was 18 – so probably not too much older than the protagonist would have been – at an age when I could completely identify with those unsure, insecure and competitive feelings the protagonist felt. But even today I still think it is a great read; a dark look at jealousy, secrets and insecurity. The story is about a young (unnamed) protagonist who is working as a companion for an older woman in Monte Carlo when she meets a handsome older widower named Maxim de Winter. She learns that Maxim’s former wife Rebecca, a beautiful, charitable woman who was universally adored, recently drowned at sea and many people are devastated about her death. Despite the recent loss of his wife, Maxim asks the young protagonist to marry him, and after their honeymoon they return to his huge house, Manderley. But the young protagonist finds she has big shoes to fill, and few take kindly to Rebecca’s ‘replacement’. Even though Rebecca is dead, she is like ‘the other woman’, haunting Manderley from the grave.

Du Maurier based Manderley, the Gothic mansion in the novel, on an abandoned house in Cornwall called Menabilly that she had been obsessed with since she was a girl. Eventually she managed to lease it from the owner and moved in, remaining there for most of her life (even though it was not properly habitable) until she was basically kicked out. Dark, foreboding Manderley is an incredible setting, and although this book is slow to start, once it gets going you won’t be able to put it down.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

WHAT ALICE FORGOT Liane Moriarty

Alice Love doinks her head in a gym class and wakes up to find she is no longer 29, pregnant with her first child and crazy in love with her husband Nick – instead she is 39, has two kids and is in the middle of a divorce.

She can’t remember anything of the last ten years at all and has to reconstruct the events of a lost decade – and see if she work out why her life, her marriage and her relationships with those close to her have become what they have. (The upside? In that ten years, Alice and Nick have completely transformed the ramshackle character home they were painstakingly doing up when she was 29 is now a perfectly finished luxury home with a pool – Alice’s glee at seeing her house for the ‘first time’ is funny).

What Alice Forgot is actually one of my favourite Moriarty novels – it will make you examine the way the passage of time can make you take some things for granted and let other things deteriorate.

Get It:   AppleBooks                    Amazon

JAMAICA INN Daphne du Maurier

Ok, so I think Daphne du Maurier can do no wrong, especially on the gothic thriller front, and the house in Jamaica Inn is immediately so cold and cruel and creepy that it perfectly sets the ominous tone for the rest of the book. Also, Jem the horse thief is sexy. It’s fine to be a horse thief… if you’re sexy.

Probably TMI, but I read this on our honeymoon in Italy, after a beautiful day hiking in the Dolomites, and our son was born nine months later, so you do the maths. We don’t need Fifty Shades of Grey over here. We just need a rude horse thief. (By the way, I thought 50 Shades was crap. There is WAY better erotica out there… not saying I read it… but you know, it’s out there).

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  THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS M.L. Stedman

I’ve always been intrigued by people who live in the most remote lighthouses in the world. It sounds fun in theory, but in real life I think I would go nuts.

And as much as I love him, I could not imagine living with just my hubby on a remote island for months on end, let alone years. We would kill each other.

It’s part of why I was first interested by the story of The Light Between Oceans. Lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife April live a quiet existence on a remote island off Western Australia, all by themselves. One day a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying baby. Their decision they made that day comes back to haunt them years later. Books about ethical dilemmas always catch my interest. I always put myself in their shoes. Would I steal a baby? No, but after reading this I can sort of understand how someone else might.

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THE LAKE HOUSE Kate Morton

Oh, Kate Morton’s publishers are clever. They know that books with pretty old, secretive-looking houses on the cover are like porn to people like me, and I’m not the only one. There’s a definite theme to her covers and a definite theme to her books, which frequently feature sprawling homes in the most romantic idylls of England.

Morton was recently quoted as saying, “Some houses whisper, ‘Write my story!’ so loudly that it’s impossible not to start imagining what the walls might have seen.” She is fantastic at setting a scene, and I like it. This was my first of hers and the house in the novel, an old rambling mansion in the heart of the Cotswolds, one of my favourite places on earth, is just the kind of setting I most enjoy.

I thought the ending was a bit twee, but on the whole it was a fun read.

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ROOM

Emma Donoghue

This is a divisive book. Because I know some people hear of the concept of this book and just go NO THANKS. Look, give it a try. I could have read this in one sitting (except, you know, kids).

Can we consider a shed a house? I think so – particularly if that shed was all the protagonist knew for the first six years of his life. It was his house – his whole world. As soon as I heard about the concept of this book, I was intrigued. Donoghue wrote Room after hearing about Josef Fritzl, who kidnapped his daughter Elisabeth and kept her captive for 24 years. He raped her and fathered seven children with her.

Elisabeth’s son Felix was five when they were finally rescued, and Donoghue was intrigued by what it would be like at that age to leave the life you had always known and go into the world. She loosely based the book on elements from the Fritzl case and other real-life kidnappings.

Room is about a little boy called Jack and his mother. Unbeknownst to Jack, his mother was kidnapped by a man they call Old Nick and for years he has kept them locked in a tiny shed in his back yard – and Jack is the product of that abusive relationship. What’s fascinating about Room is that it’s told from the point of view from the little boy – and the shed they live in, that he calls Room, is the only world he’s ever known. It’s amazingly written and I fell in love with the sweet kid. I read it when Little Nerd was a baby, and it tore at my heartstrings.

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THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE Shirley Jackson

The book that inspired the Netfix show (but they’re nothing alike). I was drawn to Shirley Jackson’s writing when I heard about The Lottery, a short story she wrote, published in the New Yorker in 1948, that so incensed readers she received hate email. She is an amazing writer, and the Haunting of Hill House is a dark, uneasy psychological thriller/Gothic novel that still chills now as much as it did when it was published in 1959.

The story follows four strangers as they begin the summer at Hill House, a reportedly haunted home, for the purpose of reporting on its supposed supernatural phenomena. The protagonist is Eleanor Vance, a painfully shy, anxious 32-year-old woman who has spent the past 11 years as her invalid mother’s carer. After her mother dies, Eleanor is invited to spend time at Hill House with Dr Montague, a scholar of paranormal phenomena, who has asked Eleanor and two other people to come with him. It’s a dark, creepy novel COMPLETELY different to the Netflix series (which I have not, and probably will not, watch – I like a creepy book but not a creepy show!) Jackson’s writing is vivid; the picture she paints of Hill House is of a house diseased and decaying, Jackson describes the disorienting mansion as ‘vile’.

I know most Shirley Jackson fans prefer We Have Always Lived in the Castle and yes, it is good, but there is something I liked about Hill House more.

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THE GHOST AT DAWN’S HOUSE Ann M. Martin

I have to include ONLY THE GREATEST BOOK ABOUT A HOUSE EVER. Am I right, Babysitters Club fans?

If you did not once rap on the wall of an old house, listening for a hollow noise that could signify a secret room or secret passage beyond, were you even a child of the 90s? All I wanted since was to live in a house with a secret room or passage.

This novel sparked my lifelong fascination with the old houses of New England, although I was perplexed by the Underground Railroad mention. When I first read it (at the age of six) I actually thought the Underground Railroad WAS some sort of tiny miniature railroad, something I continued to believe for many years (thank you Ann M. Martin, a little bit more detail there would not have gone astray).

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I AM LEGEND

Richard Matheson

Forget everything you think you know about vampires (sparkly, delicious-smelling, Edward Cullen going to chemistry class, meh) and then put aside your memories of the movie version of I Am Legend – and enjoy getting creeped out by this awesome science fiction horror novel that inspired the Will Smith movie (and yes, I do think it IS a good movie!)

I Am Legend was written in 1954 by American writer Richard Matheson and has stayed just as good to this day. It’s VERY different to the movie. Unlike Will Smith’s house in the movie, Robert Neville doesn’t live in a home filled with rescued famous artworks, but his little home, where he barricades himself against the vampires every night and prays for sunrise, is integral to the story nonetheless, and the scene Matheson paints is indelible. Not to everyone’s taste (you might like your vampires more wholesome) but it is a good read.

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THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART Holly Ringwald

Ok, not a fan. I know, I know. A lot of people LOVE this book (which is why I am including it) I am not one. After the first two chapters, which were decent, I struggled to finish it.

The old Victorian homestead in it is a huge part of the story, and lovely, but overall I felt like it was syrupy-sweet and over-written, the storyline was too whimsical and the main character gasped too much. The best part of this book was the beautiful cover.

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THE HOARDER

(also titled MR FLOOD’S LAST RESORT)

Jess Kidd

A creepy old Gothic mansion, a hoarder and a likeable protagonist and her kooky hermit friend – one chapter into Mr Flood’s Last Resort and I was hooked.

I won’t tell you too much more than that, but when I started reading this I felt like it had been a while since I’d read something that felt so original and that was fun.

The setting is a house called Bridlemere, a creepy grade II listed Gothic mansion in West London crammed with layers and layers of junk its elderly owner has collected over the decades, and it is up to careworker Maud Drennan to help tidy it up.

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THE GIRLS IN THE GARDEN Lisa Jewell

Have you ever looked at a big, beautiful house from the outside and enviously thought that whoever lives there must lead the most charmed, lucky, wonderful life?

Well, that’s definitely not always the case, as The Girls In the Garden proves. Like moths to a flame, this was another book I was drawn to because of the beguiling cover (ivy on an old house = seems to be symbolic of secrets that lie within).

This was my first foray into the work of Lisa Jewell and then I read her others in rapid succession (see below). The Girls in The Garden is not my favourite of hers – but it’s not bad. In typical house-nerd-dorky-style, it made me want to learn more about a housing concept I found really interesting; London terrace homes that all face onto and connect to a private, communal park, where (the idea is) that kids can roam from home to home freely and safely… hopefully.

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THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN Lisa Jewell

I’ve always been interested by what makes people hoarders, and that is what drew me to this book. The story is about the Bird family, who live in a beautiful honey-coloured cottage surrounded by lovely rambling gardens in an idyllic Cotswolds village.

On the outside everything looks lovely; the Birds seem like the perfect happy family, as time goes on you realise how dysfunctional they are; with the lovely mother Lorelei, seemingly the ‘jewel’ of the family who finds joy in creating beautiful memories for her children, sort of the opposite, you realise she is a complex and narcissistic person who slowly tears her family apart (I actually really disliked her).

I finished this novel feeling conflicted about it – it IS well-written, but the storyline gets quite depressing and the mother becomes so annoying! In any case, I couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next. Lisa Jewell writes well and she can keep even a depressing storyline going. Worth a go.

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THE LAST ANNIVERSARY Liane Moriarty

My husband grew up on a tiny island off the southern coast of Western Australia, where only a handful of families lived and to go to school he had to catch a ferry. We met in high school, but dated and married much, much later, when I found out that once my family and I had actually holidayed on that same tiny island, when I was eight. I remember two cheeky local boys riding past my friend and I on their bicycles – it may well have been him!

I’ve always been interested in what it must have been like to live in such an isolated locale (“frequently boring,” my hubby would probably say) and so the premise of The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty enticed me.

A woman in her 30s is shocked to learn she’s inherited her ex-fiance’s aunt’s house, who took a shine to her. The old house is on Scribble Gum Island, a tiny island with a mystery – the Baby Munro mystery. In the 1930s, a tiny baby girl was found alone in a house on the island, her parents having seem to have vanished. The old house and island has since become a popular tourist spot.

This isn’t my fave Moriarty novel, and in my opinion not one of her best books, but she’s one of my fave authors and it’s still a decent read – the lady can do no wrong, and the setting will definitely make you wonder if you could live on a tiny deserted island with no stores (my answer: I could not. I like to be within reach of a coffee shop and dumplings at all times).

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Have you read any of these? What are your favourite novels that feature houses? Maya x

The post 14 Great Books About Houses: My Reviews appeared first on House Nerd.

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