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Darkhouse
Darkhouse
Darkhouse
Audiobook7 hours

Darkhouse

Written by Karina Halle

Narrated by Jo Raylan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Take all the suspense and sexual tension of The X-Files, combine it with the charm and antics of Supernatural, and you get Darkhouse.

Well, not quite. Dex and Perry might have the chemistry of Mulder and Scully and the scares of the Winchester Brothers, but I promise you this duo is unlike anything you've seen before.

When twenty-three-year-old Perry Palomino explores a supposedly haunted lighthouse, she runs into Youtuber Dex Foray, a sexy, snarky and opportunistic ghost hunter who doesn't quite believe in ghosts. What Dex does believe in is making money and in Perry he sees a viable opportunity: create a ghost-hunting show on YouTube that would rival anything you'd see on TV and watch the dollars roll in.

But creating and filming a ghost-hunting show isn't easy when there are actual ghosts haunting them-and then some. Sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, Darkhouse is the first book in the Experiment in Terror series.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 18, 2017
ISBN9781541472600
Darkhouse
Author

Karina Halle

Karina Halle is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of Disarm and Discretion in The Dumonts series as well as The Pact, The Offer, The Play, and more than fifty other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, she currently lives in a rain forest on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and their adopted pit bull. There they operate a bed-and-breakfast that’s perfect for writers’ retreats. In the winter, you can often find them in California or on their beloved island of Kauai, soaking up as much sun—and inspiration—as possible. Visit Karina online at www.authorkarinahalle.com.

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Reviews for Darkhouse

Rating: 3.646496866242038 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

157 ratings26 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It took a while to really get into this book!! However, once I got halfway through I couldn't put it down!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It took me a while to warm up to this book. I had a hard time being in the head of the protagonist. She, Perry Palomino had an outrageous over active imagination that at first drove me crazy. But then it made me laugh, when I got tired of being fed up I saw the craziness that is Perry Palomino. Most female protagonist seem to have an overactive imagination about what's probably happening or what someone might be thinking, but Perry certainly took the cake in my opinion.

    Perry Palomino's life isn't going the way she would have desired. And how would she have liked it to have gone? She has no clue, she just want to stop being bored out of her mind. Perry is very insecure, especially where her weight and height is concerned, and she hates her job so much that she's become ill-tempered. Then she meets Declan Foray and sees and opportunity to do something interesting and add some variety to her life, albeit very scary. Perry is instantly mooning over Dex and can't seem to focus around him.

    Perry has a wild imagination so when she sees strange occurrences, she just blows it off as her wild imagination. But ever since she was a child she remembers having a lot of imaginary friends which made her parents very nervous for her and still is to this day. Perry met Dex in a so called haunted lighthouse and after a long bout of indecision and trust issues, Perry agrees to partner with him on a Ghost Hunter type web show. Perry is consumed with lust for Dex while at the same time she mistrusts him and the more she learns about him the more she fears him but she can't seem to get over the school girl fantasies she keeps having for him.

    Declan Foray is a mystery, he comes across as a split personality kinda dude, (I had no idea how right I was). One minute he's this freakishly flirty guy and the next he is serious freaky (still)adult guy toward Perry. He has a hot girlfriend that he sings her praises one minute and the next he makes her sound like a bitch. Put aside his confounded behaviors, Dex's mysteriousness and obvious issues makes him strangely likable and makes me want to hug him tightly while patting his back and tell him everything will be okay. He seems so damaged and you can tell there is something pretty dark in his past that made him the person he is.

    In the end I ended up liking this book a lot, I could see the damage these two characters have so clearly in the writing and feeling I got from the story. They were real people who just happen to be thrown into the mist of some freaky supernatural shit mystery. The scary parts were so creepy and that's good since it is a ghost story. There is so much more within the pages of DarkHouse and I definitely got a mystery vibe from this book. Would love to find out what's really going on and why did Dex and Perry need to meet to solve this mystery? Again, just want to reiterate, "there is some creepy shit taking place in this story".
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perry, a young woman who went through childhood with a vivid imagination OR did she have the sight? No one else believed her or saw her 'imaginary' friends and thus Perry went through some drug induced teenage years. Dex, ten years older, a website film maker has his own problems. He lies, and he is taking anti-psychotic medications for manic depression.Our characters meet in a lighthouse owned by Perry's Uncle Al. Perry is on a weekend vacation at her Uncle's when she wanders off towards the lighthouse and unable to keep her curiosity at bay, enters the building. She meets Dex who encourages her to explore and film the lighthouse with him. Thus, a partnership is born and they return later to lay the ghosts to rest. This is the first of a series of stories starring Perry Palomino and Dex Foray, paranormal hunters and film makers. They have enough chemistry to keep the reader interested and ask do they, don't they etc? A great, fun read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I can't believe that I read the whole book in one day! I would actually give this about 3.5 stars. I felt a little mislead by the title "Experiment in Terror". I thought that it would be a very scary book. But for the reader, it really was not very scary. Just a basic ghost story.

    What I enjoyed about the book was the main character, Perry. She is 22 years old, still lives with her parents, and trying to find her place in the world. Her family was interesting too, especially her younger sister, Ada. I liked that at 15 she already had a successful blog about fashion.

    I didn't really like, Dex, the man Perry gets involved with during her ghost hunt. He is a little too sarcastic for my liking. And he may or may not be telling the truth. He is a self admitted liar. He sends mixed messages about his attraction to Perry, at times flirting, at other times ignoring, or talking about his gorgeous girlfriend, Jen. And yet Perry finds herself more and more attracted to him as the book progresses.

    There is a creepy clown lady that keeps showing up. Apparently only Perry and Dex can see her. She has mysterious proclamations for Perry, about how she and Dex need to help each other, and their work is not done.

    This book was fun to read. It is the first in a series, about Dex and Perry and their ghost hunting webisodes. I plan on reading the other books in the series, in part to see if Dex ever turns into a better man, and to find out what secrets he is hiding.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It took me a while to warm up to this book. I had a hard time being in the head of the protagonist. She, Perry Palomino had an outrageous over active imagination that at first drove me crazy. But then it made me laugh, when I got tired of being fed up I saw the craziness that is Perry Palomino. Most female protagonist seem to have an overactive imagination about what's probably happening or what someone might be thinking, but Perry certainly took the cake in my opinion.

    Perry Palomino's life isn't going the way she would have desired. And how would she have liked it to have gone? She has no clue, she just want to stop being bored out of her mind. Perry is very insecure, especially where her weight and height is concerned, and she hates her job so much that she's become ill-tempered. Then she meets Declan Foray and sees and opportunity to do something interesting and add some variety to her life, albeit very scary. Perry is instantly mooning over Dex and can't seem to focus around him.

    Perry has a wild imagination so when she sees strange occurrences, she just blows it off as her wild imagination. But ever since she was a child she remembers having a lot of imaginary friends which made her parents very nervous for her and still is to this day. Perry met Dex in a so called haunted lighthouse and after a long bout of indecision and trust issues, Perry agrees to partner with him on a Ghost Hunter type web show. Perry is consumed with lust for Dex while at the same time she mistrusts him and the more she learns about him the more she fears him but she can't seem to get over the school girl fantasies she keeps having for him.

    Declan Foray is a mystery, he comes across as a split personality kinda dude, (I had no idea how right I was). One minute he's this freakishly flirty guy and the next he is serious freaky (still)adult guy toward Perry. He has a hot girlfriend that he sings her praises one minute and the next he makes her sound like a bitch. Put aside his confounded behaviors, Dex's mysteriousness and obvious issues makes him strangely likable and makes me want to hug him tightly while patting his back and tell him everything will be okay. He seems so damaged and you can tell there is something pretty dark in his past that made him the person he is.

    In the end I ended up liking this book a lot, I could see the damage these two characters have so clearly in the writing and feeling I got from the story. They were real people who just happen to be thrown into the mist of some freaky supernatural shit mystery. The scary parts were so creepy and that's good since it is a ghost story. There is so much more within the pages of DarkHouse and I definitely got a mystery vibe from this book. Would love to find out what's really going on and why did Dex and Perry need to meet to solve this mystery? Again, just want to reiterate, "there is some creepy shit taking place in this story".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Holy Crap! Holy Crap! and Holy CRAP!

    Creepy as f... umm.. it was creepy, we'll leave it at that. I'm totally hooked, can't wait to see where they go and what happens next. And the tension (not to mention confusion) between Perry and Dex is off the charts! Who the hell is that guy and why is he so firkin strange? Wow... and he's afraid of her?

    The only thing I don't like about this story is Creepy Clown Lady... which I'm not supposed to, right? Bravo! Well done! *standing and whistling n stuff*
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 stars
    Lighthouses, why do they alway have so much 'evilness' around them ? This kelp ridden nightmare starts out semi easy- nice girl struggling to make her way through the job nobody wants, especially her. She goes to visit her uncle with her family on the Oregon coast. There while relaxing around a fire at night she takes a walk in the dark to a creepy arse lighthouse and slams her way inside ?!?!??! Right here I started worrying about her mental state, because who the heck in their right mind would do that ? There is that too, something may or may not be up with her mental state, it's complicated. Okay so while exploring this horrendous nightmare of a place she meets a man that will throw her already wishy washy life into a tornado. The two of them could be the most damage people or not, once again it's complicated. It's all complicated and horrible addicting, I felt like I might need medication to keep up with it all. Remember tornado.
    I'm already off to book 2-
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Yep, there are some editorial issues in this book, the author addresses them on her website. However, it didn't detract from the fact that this was a suspenseful, page-turner. I'm on book #3 and not only do the edits get better, the story does too. I'm hooked, and it's rare I get hooked on a series. :)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'm a big horror fan & although I had heard this book was scary, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've discovered that a lot of readers frighten more easily than I (not a bad thing, just the way it is). I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story was pretty spooky. Character development was good and the plot moved along at a good pace. I received this for free during a promotion on Amazon, but I enjoyed it enough that I'll very likely purchase further entries is the series. I definitely recommend this is you enjoy a good ghost story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perry is 22 years old and bored. She hates her job, she hates her butt. You get the picture. She is living in the shadow of her younger sister who is model tall and model thin. But when the family goes to the beach side home of her Uncle Al, she decides to investigate the lighthouse that has fascinated her since childhood. And when she does all hell breaks loose. Could she have made contact with a spirit?This is a very fun first book in the series. Much of the time is spent introducing the characters and having the characters learn a lot about themselves. Perry seems a bit immature but I liked her anyway. She has overcome a rough time when she was a teen so I cut her some slack for improving her situation. She also has a wicked sense of humor. I liked Dex, the mysterious ghost hunter/videographer, who encourages Perry to continue her investigation of the lighthouse. The jury is still out on Perry's family. I plan to read the others in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this. But I wasn't disappointed, until I got to the end and realized that it well, was the end.

    The one thing that Karina does is draw you in with her writing. An with this book she has you coming back for more because there are so many things that need to be told. Figured out. That is NOT a bad thing though. Though I typically read romance, I think that since this really only hints at mutual attraction it made it a better story. Instead of trying to figure out what the hell is going on plus trying to juggle romantic feelings I was able to focus on the story better. I want to dig deeper and learn more about Perry and Dex. I don't normally do the paranormal/horror type of story because this isn't pretty sweet romantic hearts and flowers paranormal. No this shit is freaky! Like I hated turning my lights off to go to bed last night... I am the type of girl that can't watch horror movies because I will dream about that shit for months! Well Darkhouse gave me that feeling but thank god it didn't happen but this book felt real. That is what I enjoyed so much. It felt like if you believe in the supernatural stuff then there is not one piece of this book that couldn't have happened.

    Aside from the spooky stuff going on, this book also had its funny moments too.. Maybe not funny to everyone but nice and sarcastic, off the wall.

    I was fucked and I knew it. I had stupidly wandered into some epic rape palace run by meth-addicted hobos and bald men with beards who recently escaped nearby jails and had taken over this place for their torture sessions with hapless young women they found exploring the coast. Even worse, I was going to be the hapless woman who decided to infiltrate their headquarters.

    I really liked Perry's character. So far one of my favorite female characters of Karina's. I am not going to go on and on about trying to describe Perry or Dex, plus I think you have to read to really know them and even then you will still have questions! So if you are looking to swap up your reading or get a different more realistic take on the paranormal, then look no further!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’ve been meaning to read this books for quite a while, and I’m glad I got around to it. In a world where paranormal books are thrown in your face like they are all the next big thing, and vampires, werewolves, and “new” (yet, all too similar) creatures are introduced, it’s hard to find something different to read.

    For me Darkhouse, the first book in the promising Experiment in Terror series, was just that. It was something different. Halle takes on the paranormal genre from a different way then I’ve been reading in other books. She throws the reader, not into a fantasy world, but into the real world. I think that’s a great strength in this book. It makes the horror elements in this book that much more real and terrifying.

    Another thing I loved about this book was the character Perry Palomino. To me she seemed like your average young woman, or young adult for that matter (male or female). (By young adult here I mean a real young adult, early 20s. Not the book industry’s young adult, which is really late teens if you ask me.) Like the average person her age, she’s fresh out of college and has no clue what she’s really going to do with herself. She has a job, but she’s not happy with it. She’s not the thinnest woman out there, but honestly I found that to be a great characteristic too. I got the feeling that she was much more attractive than the book made her out to be. This helped me sympathize with her even more. This, as well as, her not so uneventful teenage years, really made her character believable. Many of us haven’t had the perfect life or the perfect body. It’s easier to follow along with a character that has real life issues.

    The other major character of this book is Dex…no, I’m not going to tell you how much of a hunk he is. Or how beautiful his eyes look when he’s starring deep into my very soul. I wasn’t really sure what to think about him for a while. He’s a very mysterious person and you don’t get much out of him until he wants to reveal it himself. He’s also a bit older than Perry, which at first seemed like it’d get in the way. It didn’t. I think Perry is more mature than her age and Dex, while also be mature, can relate to the younger Perry well enough. This makes the chemistry between them (romantic or otherwise) support the great story.

    The only real “negative” for me with this story was my wants for action. The story did push on forward without too many slow sections. I was always interested in what would happen next, but the action was separated by longer sections to set up more of the plot. It’s probably not an issue for most readers. It’s just once I got to the first encounter with the lighthouse, I wanted MORE….right THEN!!! I got impatient

    As a whole, finishing this books has made me want to continue along with Perry and Dex on their next adventures. I think the more that gets revealed in later books, the more questions will arise. I enjoy books like that. Not only that, but I really want to know what the hell’s up with the Creepy Clown Lady. The picture I have of her in my mind is just the creepiest thing ever.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a recent kindle freebie, and the start of a new...well I don't know if I'd call it urban fantasy. It's a type of ghost hunters type thing, so I don't know what it would fall under, paranormal?

    Perry Palomino (who doesn't LOVE that name?) is 22, works as a receptionist at an ad agency, and is bored. She is also the former fat girl (still not super skinny, still not comfortable with how she looks)
    with lots of issues that are slowly being revealed. We know she had a drug problem, and I think we know she used to see things that weren't really there. There has been reference made to her having lots of imaginary friends as a kid, and her sister talked to her about the time she was talking to the boy, Sam, who wasn't there, when they were younger.

    And then there is Dex, the total enigma. We don't know anything about Dex other than he's 32, a camera man/producer/singer/ who knows what else, has a wicked sense of humor, and is taking anti-psychotics, for bipolar issues, so he says.

    Perry and Dex meet at her uncle's lighthouse on the Oregon coast. Perry is just exploring, Dex is ghost hunting. A whole bunch of crazy things happen, and Dex ends up coaxing Perry into joining him to form a web based reality ghost hunting show about their experiences. We also learn, through some crazy clown ghost lady, that they both can see, that the reason they met that night might just be more than coincidence, and that they both need each other, both to take care of, and to do what needs to be done for "us". No idea who "us" is yet, but I guess that's part of the journey the author is asking us to take.

    This story was really well written, from Perry's first person POV. I loved Perry's voice. She is pretty self aware of who she is. At 22, she always expected to be more somehow. To that end, she has taken all sorts of weird classes, from stunt man school to karate, and ended up getting a degree in advertising, but is now working for an ad agency, but as a receptionist. She is feeling very unfulfilled, in her job and in her personal life. She still lives at home with her parents and her supposedly perfect, skinny, fashion forward sister, while Perry herself is just one step above a 90s goth girl, although Dex tells her, you can't be a 90s girl unless you were a teen in the 90s. Of course, she shoots back with "no, then you're just stuck in the past." Again, I love Perry's inner voice.

    There is lots of chemistry between Perry and Dex, but so far, totally unresolved. Dex has a girlfriend, and Perry just knows he could never be interested in a geeky, chubby girl like her. (her words!) I am pretty sure that the series is moving into a Perry/Dex pairing, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds, and also to learn more about Perry and Dex.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Any book who's main character uses the word 'tard multiple times is not a book worthy of a read.

    This book feels like a badly written YA book but the characters are too old for a YA book. I'm not sure who it is aimed at. It's not scary, not romantic, and not funny.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Okay, why didn’t you all tell me about this series earlier?! I might be ticked off if I wasn’t so thrilled to have found such a fun urban fantasy series. And yeah, you know who you are!

    I remember discovering my first urban fantasy series (yeah, sit back and listen to this history) about 4 years ago. My first urban fantasy series was the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning and it was freaking addictive. I consumed that series and was so involved in the characters. I thought about them when I wasn’t reading. I thought about the characters when I finished each book and just wanted to start the books over again. I have read a lot of fun and great urban fantasy series since then – there are so many great urban fantasy authors – but I have never quite recaptured that excitement I experienced in reading Fever …. (you got it) until now. Experiment in Terror is so fresh and exciting. It is fun to read, it is urban fantasy in a completely new and not over written and clichéd way. And Experiment in Terror is about characters I care about; characters that I get.

    The story is told from the point of view of Perry, a twenty-two year old college grad with a degree in advertising. She is extremely insecure about her personality, her body and her general appearance. Her parents govern her life and she cares too much about whatever around her thinks of her. But man I get Perry. Karina Halle nailed the character of an insecure young woman. How do I know this? Because I have had her exact same thoughts:

    Years of having your appearance poked at tended to make you quite insecure with the opposite sex.
    I felt like someone stabbed me in the gut and I was just leaking disappointment everywhere.

    I noticed how perfectly manicured her nails were, the brilliance of the red polish and the preciseness of the application. I didn’t need to look at my own hands to know what they looked like.

    Even though Perry is insecure and not yet mature enough to completely separate from her parents, she is incredibly complex and has grown so much. Her past is explained and it is amazing from where she comes. She is not a silly or frustrating urban fantasy character that readers are used to having to tolerate. She is a growing complex young woman.

    But before you get scared off from the series because I make it sound all emo and no fun, I should tell you that is not the case at all. The book is funny, not laugh out loud at each line funny but the type of funny that has witty banter and observations. It is the type of funny that will make you smile like a goon even if you are riding a train and everyone around you thinks you are crazy.

    After I perused Facebook for ten minutes, learning absolutely nothing interesting about the people in my life (or slightly outside of my life, as seems to be the case with Face book ) …

    They even had a segment where they paired wines with microwavable and fast food. Why didn’t I think about that idea before?

    I recommend Experiment in Terror series for fans of horror, fans of character driven novels and fans of urban fantasy. But just know it is not the urban fantasy of the past, it is a new take on urban fantasy which is fantastic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am afraid of the dark and it’s only getting worse the older I get. You’d think it would be reversed. With time, I should be less afraid. But for some reason, at 21 years of age, I’m filled with terror anytime I have to walk to my car in the pitch black of night. I still sprint to my bedroom as soon as I turn the last light off at my house. I go completely still when I hear any sound during the middle of the night.However, with all of that going on inside my head, I absolutely love a good ghost story. And I will still watch a horror movie at midnight, even though I will more than likely have my eyes shielded half of the time. Actually, all of that is probably the reason my imagination runs wild with fright during the hours of darkness.With that being said, the ghost hunter promise in the synopsis of Darkhouse is what pulled me into downloading this book. (Even though it turned out to not really be ghosts after all, maybe.)And once I finished the first chapter, it was everything else about this book that kept me up late finishing this fucking awesome, haunting tale. The words exploded off the page and seeped into my soul. Scaring the living shit out of me in the process, but in the best way possible. Perry and Dex are so good together. I love this weird connection they have and I’m really anxious to find out more.It’s insane how much I related to Perry.College graduate.Trying to find somewhere that you fit in even though most people deal with that during college or even high school.A younger sibling who has their shit together more than you do.Still trying to find something that you love doing even though that ridiculous degree you finished Community College with has served no purpose.Trying to find your thing.Yeah, Perry, I gotcha.And if only it was easy as a 2 week adventure where fate just comes knocking in the form of a brooding man trying to further his own career. Where being around him sort of shows you how you’d like your life to be. What you will do to make it become what you want.I mean really, I wish Ms. Halle had a magic typewriter that made stories come true so she could write some understanding into my life. (Older gentleman included). Give me some of the perception that Perry got.All in all, a terrific read if you’re looking to read something good. Also, something that will scare the pants off of you.Although, lets be honest, we’d all rather it be Dex’s pants that are off.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I devoured this book in almost no time at all. It's creepy and suspenseful, and best of all FREE! If you're looking for a scary story with a kick-butt main character, you've come to the right place.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When I started reading this book I wasn't really sure what to expect. I couldn't find a proper synopsis of the novel so I walked into this story knowing only one thing; ghost would be involved. I honestly am a sucker for a ghost story so I jumped on board this blog tour with excitement. While this novel does start off rather slow, once the story kicks off it turns out to be pretty good. This story is told from first person point of view, adding mystery to the story, and giving readers a look into the mind of Perry.

    Perry the leading lady has a less than perfect body type (so she claimed), a witty personality, and she was borderline manic. I enjoyed all those qualities about her, and I found her relatable as a character. Now I did enjoy her having insecurities, but I wish she would have been a little bit more confident or gained confidence as the story went on, this could be something that develops as the series progresses. I just happen to be one of those crazy female readers who loves the leading woman to be strong, and ready to take on the world.

    The thing I enjoyed most about this story is the creepiness of it. Karina Halle does a great job of giving you as the reader the ebbie jeebies. Halle also has a great writing style making it easy for readers to get sucked into the story. I saw something beautiful, dark, and creative about her writing style and I loved it. Just to give a quick example of her writing style so you can understand what I mean, check out the example below.

    "Only it's my life turned infinitely more interesting, like every step I take, every puddle I splash or pair of eyes I meet has more meaning that normal."

    Amazing right?



    I am interested to see where this series goes, I definitely want to keep reading because I want to find out how these characters develops. I recommend this book to scifi, horror, and paranormal lovers.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Perry Palomino is a college graduate working as a receptionist when she meets Dex Foray while snooping around her uncle's haunted lighthouse. Dex is an internet tv cameraman, trying to develop a new show. As Dex and Perry join forces, what results is a loose horror story about the ghost in the lighthouse and a one-sided romance. Neither is terribly well developed or interesting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perry has been having strange nightmares about a damp room with a stranger that seems to want to harm her. By day, she lives at home with her parents and little sister and works as a receptionist at a communications agency in Portland. Perry and her family go to have a weekend with her Uncle Albert and two cousins on the coast. While there she has this strong desire to explore the abandoned lighthouse on his property. While exploring the lighthouse, Perry runs into Dex. He films for an internet show and was interested in the lighthouse for a possible new show. Then things get creepy, Perry is locked in a room with a burned bed. When she gets out Dex is nowhere to be found but hr cousins are looking for her.After posting on her sister’s blog about the lighthouse incident, Perry has become an internet hit. This leads Dex to contact her about doing in internet show with him. Perry agrees but finds out there is more to this than just a story about a creepy abandoned lighthouse. When a creepy older lady starts giving her odd advice about Dex, Perry wonders what she is getting into.I really liked this story. It is a great introduction to a series I think will just keep getting better. But I have to admit that the story felt unfinished. We get to a peak in the story that feels unresolved. Then the story ends with the possibility of more to come. Don’t get me wrong, I will definitely be reading the others in this series. If you like paranormal YA stories, you will not be disappointed in this. Just remember that it is the first in the series.I received this book for free from Book Rooster in exchange for an honest opinion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I first heard of “Darkhouse” from another blogger who couldn’t stop raving about how wonderful it was. And while I was eager to read it, I just never found the time. But then Karina contacted me, asking me if I’d be interested in reviewing “Darkhouse” – I managed to push aside my other reads and dive into this one…and let’s just say that I’m glad that I did.Self-published authors tend to get a bad rep for (mainly for poor editing/poor writing). And yes, there are some indie titles out there that are choppy, and poorly edited. But this book is the perfect example of an indie title done right. If you’re someone who would rather overlook “Darkhouse” because it’s a self-published title, I can assure you that you’d be missing out. This is a truly fantastic book, and honestly, I now see why so many bloggers have been raving about this book/series. Halle has created likeable characters and a truly enjoyable story. It’s hard not to love this one.And I kind of adore Perry. She isn’t your typical heroine. She isn’t described as perfect – in fact, she’s not stick thin, which is definitely something worth nothing because it makes her seem more realistic…more, believable. It doesn’t hurt either that she’s just plain awesome. In fact, I think she may actually be my new favorite heroine (Sorry, Alex).I’m beyond glad that I’ve already purchased the rest of the series, because it’s truly addictive.Don’t pass this one up. “Darkhouse” is a perfect start to what I’m rather sure will be an awesome series. And yes, I will be squeezing in the rest of the books ASAP.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Darkhouse is an entertaining ghost story. It has everything a good spooky novel needs: an old lighthouse, a ghost legend, a spunky heroine, and an inscrutable hero. This is Karina Halle's debut novel and it's obvious she's talented with the scary!As other reviewers have noted, the beginning is a little slow, but it's not super hard to get through. And with the promise of a lighthouse (which I love) coming, I kept going. It wasn't long before I was caught up in the story, wondering who Dex really was, worried the ghost would jump out and scare Perry and me. Perry was my kind of heroine. She wasn't perfect, had issues from her past she was working on, she was still dealing with self-esteem issues, but she didn't let that stop her. I really appreciated that the author didn't get carried away and over-emphasize the self-esteem and other issues. Some authors tend to dwell on them too much to the detriment of the story.Dex, being on the enigmatic side, felt a little two-dimensional to me. I wanted to know more about him, but since it was a first person narrative, the reader can only know what the protagonist knows.This book was a fun read and I look forward to the next novels in the series. I will be reviewing the next one, Red Fox, in a few weeks.*Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the author. I was not required to write a positive review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enter Perry Palomino’s world and expect to be riveted to your seat with the creepy story with paranormal overtures. This book was a mesmerizing read. At times, I found myself gripping the book tightly and turning the pages with the light on. Creepy atmosphere prevails in this story leaving goosebumps in its wake. The relationship between the Perry and Dex is complicated and changing at every turn. The main thing I really liked about this book was Perry's personality and the fact that is she is full figured girl trying to deal with her ghost sight and people's sterotypes about large women in general. It's nice to see a main character who is real. I can relate to her feelings and want to applaud her strength and courage. Her journey into the dark recesses of her soul makes you think and really wonder if its the ghosts or really just her mind playing tricks on her. There are many heart stopping moments of pure terror in this book.This is a page turner that will keep you wondering about ghosts.5 stars for this roller-coaster ride of terror with moments of realism.I'm looking forward to the next book in the series RED FOX
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Have you ever heard the expression "book hangover"? Well, for me, a book hangover happens when you find a book that completely consumes you. It is all you can think about, and you walk around in a stupor for a few days. Guess what? That happened to me when I read Darkhouse. Darkhouse, when you read the synopsis, seems like a typical thriller. But it is so much more. It is creepy, funny (believe it or not), very suspenseful and yes, thrilling. While much of the book is about Perry, her new partner Dex, and their haunted encounters at the lighthouse, Darkhouse is just as much about the perplexing relationship between the troubled duo. Perry, from the get-go, is easy to love. She's doesn't have the perfect body or life. After struggling with low self-esteem and drug use throughout her teenage years, she has gotten her life in order, for the most part. She still struggles with her self-esteem and then there's the fact that she sees ghosts. Is Perry "off" mentally or is it that she's able to see what most can not? Then there's Dex. Almost every book I read has a guy who is a complete hottie. Very tall, very muscled, defined abs, etc. That's all great, but Dex feels more like a real man to me. He's described as having a very "90's" look. He's on the thin side, not especially tall. A slight moustache, dark eyes, arched brows and a eyebrow ring. His voice is low and smooth or growling, depending on his mood. He has eyes that seem able to see inside a person. He is quick with a smirk. Perry says he "reminds me of Robert Downey, Jr. in his strung-out drug days". Believe me, it works for him. Besides the looks, there's Dex's odd personality. He's just, strange. His thought are often all over the place, confusing Perry. His words often lull her into a sense of trust and security, then he says something to totally screw the moment up. But, underneath the smirk and harsh words, there's a hint of a fragile man with a troubled past of his own. Honestly, the driving force of the story is the relationship between Perry and Dex. The paranormal aspect of the story is gripping. Truly. But the collision of the two forces is what is electrifying. The relationship is antagonistic. Perry and Dex each seem determined to get under the other's skin. Say what will set the other on edge, or off the edge. They are cut from the same cloth. In many ways, each is a mirror of the other. I'm dying to see where the author, Karina Halle, takes their relationship in the future.Speaking of Halle, the lady has knocked my socks off! She took Darkhouse, what could have been your typical scary book with snarky characters, and breathed life into it. This book has heart. Characters you want to see through to the very end. There are going to be a total of eight books in the Experiment in Terror series. I will most definitely read each and every one. I will be reviewing Book Two, Red Fox, later this week. I love when a book has phrases that capture my attention. Darkhouse has many. Here are a few I want to share."Somehow, by dealing with the dead, I had never felt so alive." Chapter 11" "How come you aren't afraid?'... 'Because I find life to be scarier to than death,' he replied matter-of-factly." -Chapter 12"A handsome, beguiling man whose eyes read your very soul and whose smirk held you in contempt."-Chapter 16*I received this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Is it normal to have had imaginary friends and an overactive imagination? Perry Palamino lives with these questions in the paranormal/horror story Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) by Karina Halle.In some ways Darkhouse seems to be a coming-of-age story with Perry learning to deal with her differences. The problem is that Perry apparently sees dead people and always has. Her younger sister, Ada, the fashionista, makes reference to Perry scaring her with this ability as a young child. Although Perry is 22 years old and gainfully employed -- as a receptionist at an advertising agency, she feels unsure of herself and where she needs to be and go in life. To make matters worse, she was an extremely troubled teen and dabbled in drugs, alcohol and even cutting to help deal with her inner pains. Perry now feels that she owes her parents some normalcy. But Perry isn't "abnormal" she just has an ability that others don't have and can't quite understand . . . the ability to see ghosts.During a trip to the coast to visit family, Perry decides to explore an old, defunct lighthouse. Of course she's exploring it late at night and no one knows where she's gone (wouldn't be as dramatic otherwise). She's spent the day photographing nature and still has her camera, which is a good thing, because her dreams (or rather nightmares) have just come to life. Fortunately she is able to film some of her ghostly encounters but she also encounters Declan "Dex" Foray, a cameraman/producer of webcasts. Perry has the opportunity to write about this incident when Ada is down-and-out due to a virus and unable to post to her fashion blog. Perry's ghostly encounter video becomes viral and Dex returns with the offer to host a webcast on ghost hunting. What follows are a series of unfortunate encounters with an elderly woman that only Dex and Perry can see, and this serves to heighten the fear factor when they return to the lighthouse. Is the lighthouse haunted or is it simply evil? Are Dex and Perry "crazy" or simply in touch with energies other's can't see or feel? Where will these abilities lead them? Ms. Halle has crafted a dark story filled with horrifying moments. For me this was simply an okay read (I didn't connect to this story). Darkhouse is well written and the characters are believable with all of their idiosyncracies and eccentricities.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I started this book on a chilly Pacific Northwest afternoon and read until 3 am. I didn't anticipate getting hooked, but the pacing created an irresistible page-turner that had me reading until my eyes ached. Who needs sleep? Sleep is over-rated! Darkhouse is seductively entertaining and I'm convinced that it has some secret ingredient (like the sauce on a Big Mac or the coffee beans at Starbucks) that makes it immediately addictive. Red Fox is coming out soon and I simply can't wait (okay, maybe I'm begging a little) for the author to send me an advanced copy. What makes it so good? Perry is a reliable character: flawed, insecure, impulsive, but despite her own roadblocks she has a determination that the audience can clearly see even if she does not (yet). It is her self-awareness that makes the character appealing, trustworthy and honest. Her vulnerability provides sympathy without demanding pity. Dex is similar and it is not surprising that the Clown Lady insinuates Perry and Dex are cut from the same cloth. Their contradictions show strength of character and reveals a great deal about the individuals. For example, Dex admits he lies and by doing so disproves he's a liar because he confesses to the deceit. A true liar would never willingly reveal this deprecating detail. The paranormal elements and spook factor are unique and provide just enough to let the imagination create the setting without coming across as silly, immature or easy to dismissed. The creepiness I experienced was real and I loved the lighthouse scenes. The splattering mentions of pop culture references were excellent and worked to create a mental map of the characters perception and thinking. I knew where they were coming from, what images came to mind during their experiences, and how they related to the world unfolding in front of them. Frankly, I'm surprised by the lower ratings received at places such as Goodreads because this contemporary humorous spook fest might read fast-paced and easy, which it does, but the voice is not absent of substance. The language doesn't try too hard to convince intelligence and by doing so, is smartly composed to do what a story should, entertain. Don't get me wrong, there is meaning here, but the fact that the story isn't trying so hard to show (or prove it) makes it that much more clever. Darkhouse is an example of a confident and assured author's 'voice.' The writer connects with the characters, deeply understanding and channeling them onto the page. By the end I was convinced Perry was writing this story. I have no doubt that Perry and Dex are real--and they live through author Karina Halle.