Darkest Hour

Even Angels Fall

The Face of Heaven

Tangled Souls

The House That Was Alive
Sonnet by author/poet Renee Hall Bagley

I looked up above
a house rose tall and wide.
I marveled in its mystery
for I could see it was alive.
Its corridors so empty
Until the shadows—they spilled forth…
a legacy of loneliness
the way its life was born.
Afraid of its silence,
and enticed all at once—
of the tragedies the house encountered,
Its eyes watched me, as it mourned…
The house it came alive,
right before my eyes.
It’s windows became possessive borders
the silence broken, only after its sad sigh.
Its windows apparently braced
to shut out the cruel world
the doors became its eyes
as raged and shouted and mourned.

Have you ever heard a voice in the night and convinced yourself it was just your imagination? Ever caught a shadow out of the corner of your eye and told yourself you were seeing things? Has a chill ever gone down your spine, and you thought you just felt a draft? Heard footsteps but no one was there?

Even Angels Fall answers these questions and more about the supernatural…in the enthralling first volume in the Devour-family saga. This haunting tale is inspired by true events, and is one of intriguing plots twists, dark family secrets, and supernatural mysteries; at the center of the tale is the haunted Tate Mansion!

"In a tale that unfolds its intricate layers of murder, mystery, and paranormal activity, "Even Angels Fall" is a poignantly memorable horror novel that finally does justice to the genre..."

Even Angels Fall Buy Read Excerpt Read Reviews EVEN ANGELS FALL ISBN: 1-59129-973-X Gothic/Paranormal Romance Paperback, 363 pgs Order on Amazon.com

I almost feel compelled to begin my strange tale with the saying Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. But somehow, even that doesn’t seem appropriate, but rather I think of myself more as a fallen angel, once so hopeful, luminous, and bright but now only dark, bitter, full of mistrust and hate... Beautiful Sabrina Ayers strives to keep her feisty spirit alive though her family is despised and ridiculed by the townspeople. Then Sabrina meets the dashing Richard Tate, and soon follows him to his magnificent, yet grieving estate—and enters the eerie world of the Tate Mansion. But this was no ordinary house for dark secrets lurk in the shadows and a ghostly figure stalks its grounds… Then Sabrina finds a diary in the gloomy attic, which sends her on a quest to uncover the mystery surrounding a woman's mysterious death. While Sabrina struggles to unlock the past, she discovers that the dismal mansion conceals a horrifying secret that threatens to undermine her happiness and well-being. With her sanity in question, Sabrina becomes desperate to strip away the wicked lies and sinful deceit that have surrounded the haunted house for years and the shocking truth will change her life forever!

Prologue

I almost feel compelled to begin my strange tale with the saying 'Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned.' But somehow, even that doesn’t seem appropriate, but rather I think of myself more as a fallen angel, once so hopeful, luminous, and bright but now only dark, bitter, full of mistrust and hate. Yet, as I look over my memoirs which I wrote when I was incarcerated for those long torturous months, I try to make some sense out of it and to understand why I was held captive like a beautiful princess locked in a tower, so that the truth would never get out…

I realized early on that my life was never going to be like the children’s fables that I used to read as a child with a happily ever after, but more like a grim gothic fairytale.

Most people I find do not believe in the supernatural, fairy tales, haunted houses or that there are things that go bump in the night, but I surely did, and perhaps still do.

“Pure hogwash!” Grandma Rhoda would say to me, “It’s all in yer head, lil girl. There are no such things as family curses, ghosts, and haunted places! You’ve been reading too many fairy tale stories again.”

However I did believe in such things as the possibility of ghosts as living entities that could linger on long after death and could be hiding in the walls of an old grieving mansion, residing in the deep-rooted trees, and in the dreary gray colors of the clouds hovering above it.

Every house has a story to tell about the people who have either lived or died in them. Houses not only exist to provide shelter and comfort from the elements, but some houses are alive. What I mean by that is simply this: they exist through us, sharing our emotions, and experiences. They feed on our subconscious minds, our joys, our wraths, and even our sorrows. I know all this because I have seen it with my own eyes, felt it in my bones, and heard ghostly whispering with my own ears! I know it to be true, for I have seen a real ghost and dwelled in a malevolent old mansion that once tried to destroy me.

And whenever I lay eyes on that old Victorian mansion, I again hear the jingle-jangle of the giant chandelier’s crystal prisms swaying, tinkling, and whispering of the dark secrets in the attic, of the mysteries best left buried in the foundation, and hints of danger lurking in the shadows of every dark corner of that house. This was a house and a family built on secrets and lies. The labyrinth of rooms, the miles of twisting hallways, the spiraling staircases, and the secret passageways in the walls only added to its mystery, beauty, and intrigue.

Around my neck I still wear the silver cross necklace that reminds me to stay optimistic, to always have hope, and belief in myself, and it wards off those gloomy brooding thoughts that still linger in the deepest darkest recesses of my brain. But like a fallen angel out of grace with God, I will someday seek the vengeance that is my due and bring down all those who have hurt me and tried to destroy me.

If I am to tell you how it all came about, I must start with my family’s own deep dark secret…

Reviews

Even Angels Fall is eerie and reminiscent of old-time Gothic’s. The ghostly presence throughout will induce thrills.--Susan Mobley, Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

“Even Angels Fall has passion, innocence, and mystery leading up to a shocking climax. Once you reach the Tate Mansion, don’t plan on putting this book down, because you won’t be able to!” -- Margaret Marr, author

“Even Angels Fall is just awesome from the suspense, the mystery, the whole ‘what will happen next’ will keep any reader glued to the pages…Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery.” -- Fallen Angel Reviews

“There is genuine emotion behind the story, a genuine love for the genre, and a graceful style. There is a neatly woven web of secrets, an innocent beauty, and a mysterious stranger…An enjoyable reading experience; especially for a quiet evening when a storm is raving outside—the proper atmosphere heightens the pleasure!” --ParaNormal Romance Reviews

“Even Angels Fall is eerie and reminiscent of old-time gothics.
The ghostly presence throughout will induce thrills!” --Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine