The cover for The House on Biscayne Bay jumped out at me while perusing Netgalley for an arc to request. A Gothic Historical Fiction novel set in Miami with a dual timeline? I’m in.
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About The Book 📚
Title: The House on Biscayne Bay
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Mystery
Pages: 336
Content Warnings: death, grief, murder
About The Author
“Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, Our Last Days in Barcelona, and The Cuban Heiress.
Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.”
http://www.chanelcleeton.com/
My Review
› In her author’s note, Cleeton said she was inspired by Florida’s landscape and animals and you can feel her knowledge and love for Florida in this story. The House on Biscayne Bay is a moody tale of love, family, betrayal and greed.
“Biscayne Bay is a lagoon having estuarine features situated on the Atlantic Coast of the US State of Florida.” (source)
› “I cannot for the life of me imagine why anyone would want to live in Florida. The house looms before me, a pale stone behemoth jettisoning from the swampy earth. It casts a long shadow, towering three stories high with a parapet on top as though it’s readying itself to guard against intruders.”
1918. Anna Barnes finds out her husband Robert bought land and built an enormous house as a birthday gift to her. She never talked about moving from New York to Florida. She’s never talked about wanting a huge mansion. She doesn’t even like the ocean, the heat, or the animals around Miami. With the help of architect, Michael Harrison, Robert is determined to build the biggest and most extravagant house with a view of Biscayne Bay. They name it Marbrisa.
“If my husband can hide a plan as enormous as this one, what other secrets does he have up his sleeve?”
1941. Carmen is an eighteen-year-old who became an orphan three weeks ago when her parents were killed in a storm while boating. They left her brother-in-law, Asher Wyatt in charge of her inheritance. So Carmen travels to Miami to see Asher and her older sister Carolina. Upon arriving at Marbrisa Carmen can feel an ominous energy around the estate and her sister is acting strange. People who work at Marbrisa tell Carmen that the house is cursed and haunted by a ghost named Anna.
The screaming peacocks and juxtaposition of flipping back and forth from Anna in 1918 to Carmen in 1941 increase the dread and tension. How did these people die at Marbrisa? Is this enormous house cursed? What happened to Anna? Why is Carmen acting so strange?
› Anna and Carmen’s voices felt similar, however, the setting, description, world-building, and mood are well-developed. The writing style has high readability with realistic dialogue and an effective point of view. The plot kept me engrossed from beginning to end. The ending left me wanting to know more about Miami’s history and read more from Cleeton.
› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.
› Final Thoughts
• The House on Biscayne Bay is a mysterious historical fiction novel about marriage, sisters, feeling like an outsider, secrets, murder, and ghosts from the past. I enjoyed this gothic tale and I’m looking forward to reading The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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