“House de Gracie” by Dennis Maulsby

House de Gracie

Dennis Maulsby
NeoLeaf Press (2020)
ISBN: 978194563277
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/2021)

“House de Gracie” by Dennis Maulsby begins with Major Hugh de Gracie returning home from war in Afghanistan. His time away has ravaged his twenty-eight-year-old body. He returns minus an eye, and deathly ill from having contracted a fatal disease from bat guano. He also acquired an enemy with a vendetta. When de Gracie left home ten years prior, he left with no attachments. Upon returning, he discovers an amazing story about his ancestors, current family members and the house in which they reside. He quickly finds himself getting pulled into the family legend. The de Gracie family and the house share a symbiotic relationship in which both help each other not only survive but thrive. The family members and the house unite to fight Hugh’s enemy, who has come to the de Gracie land in hopes of destroying them all. Amazing secrets, mysterious family members, personal vendettas and a mythical house combine to create a story you won’t soon forget.

“House de Gracie,” tells an incredible tale in which the author does a fantastic job of seamlessly tying together a novel with both gothic elements and a modern war story. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this could actually be done well. It was interesting to see modern day technology used alongside an ancient power derived from nature.

The protagonist is a complicated character that has been affected by both the family secrets and his time being held captive in Afghanistan. He continues to evolve throughout the fantastic story. The supporting characters are also interesting, and I enjoyed learning about their incredible histories. The House de Gracie is a home full of interesting secrets that are fascinating to read about as they are revealed. While the tale comes to an end, it does leave doors open for future related novels.  I truly hope that the author creates a series that will branch off from this story.

Readers will love “House de Gracie” and definitely find themselves looking for more writings by Dennis Maulsby.