Menacing dark fantasy and horror combine in the first book of this reader acclaimed supernatural series (Gabriel Davenport) from British author Beverley Lee Something is waiting for its time to rise.Beth and Stu Davenport moved to the sleepy English village of Meadowford Bridge to give their young son, Gabriel, an idyllic childhood. But one night a hidden, ancient darkness shatters their dream … hidden, ancient darkness shatters their dream and changes their lives forever.
Years later, Gabriel searches for answers about his mysterious past. His life unravels as he discovers that the people he loves and trusts harbour sinister secrets of their own. As the line blurs between shadow and light; and he becomes the prize in a deadly nocturnal game, Gabriel must confront the unrelenting, malevolent force that destroyed his family all those years ago.
His choice: place his trust in a master vampire, or give himself to the malignant darkness.
Is there a lesser of two evils—and how do you choose?
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u2063…you know evil is out there. It’s all about doing something about it. Gabriel Davenport is about to find out as he finds himself between a rock and a hard place or between evil and eviler. u2063
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u2063I’m not a horror or occult fan; but this book had slowly and deliberately pulled me in and I went willingly, turning each and every page. I felt I was being pulled into Gabriel’s web, the more I read the more tangled up I got. I couldn’t stop reading. There was no way out but to turn the next page and the next…wanting more. u2063
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u2063Beth and Stu Davenport seemed like a nice young couple with a baby and a new home when the pandora box was opened and evil escaped. Years later, young Gabriel finds himself on the brink of horror, as evil has once again entered his life and he must chose. u2063
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u2063The characters are quickly developed and brought to life. A priest who is second guessing his own faith is on his self made precipice; Carver accepting responsibility, and Olivia not accepting anything. However, it’s the details of the story and the way Beverly Lee spins it, making it come to life to the delight and horror for me, the reader. I’m looking forward to starting A Shining in the Shadows followed by The Purity of Crimson. u2063
Through Twitter and Instagram, I’ve been able to connect with the lovely Beverley Lee. I’d been meaning to get to reading ‘The Making of Gabriel Davenport’ for some time now, which I’m happy to say, it’s finally arrived on my TBR.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going in. I’ve really loved Lee’s ‘One Line Horror Stories’ etc tweets, but as some of you may have seen, I’m a bit tired of the entire vampire genre. It takes a bit to get me excited about anything Vampire or Zombies these days.
Knowing how fantastic of a writer Lee is, this really settled my doubts and I jumped feet first into the deep end.
What I liked: I mean, wow. The characters and the development we see in each one is phenomenal. The setting is top-notch creepy and there were moments that had me realizing how on edge I was. Lee built a fine level of suspense throughout – the ever-growing sense that something horrific was about to happen. The story itself is literally the title of the book. We see young Gabe start out life, then when fate conspires against his family, he’s taken in and raised nearby. I don’t want to say too much here, because some of it will start to give you unneeded preconceived notions of what will happen.
Lee peppered this story with so many moments of gothic imagery, it was amazing and the symbolism throughout must have been a plotting nightmare!
What I didn’t like: When you enjoy a book, it can be hard to find something without appearing to nit-pick. I think the only bit I really wasn’t a fan of was some moments of slow down at the beginning where I was hoping to learn more about the old house and Gabe’s family. I won’t discuss whether you do later on, but at the beginning, I almost felt like I’d skipped a chapter.
Why you should buy it: Do you like vampires? Gothic creepiness? Supporting fantastic women in horror? If so, this ticks all three boxes.
This was a great character study and as it leads into a second book, the series looks to be fully blossoming and don’t worry, Lee has many surprises throughout!e
The Making of Gabriel Davenport was not what I expected – in all the right ways!
The opening line alone was beautiful, and drew me in right away. It also got dark very quickly, and set the tone for the rest of the book. I wasn’t even five (short) chapters into the story before I was fearing for Beth’s life, and I still feel for everything that’s gone so terribly wrong for her. While she wasn’t one of the most active characters throughout the book she’s one of my favourites, which I think says a lot.
I *love* The Manor. It’s the perfect sanctuary (demons notwithstanding) and GAWD, the things I’d do to search that vault and that library! They both sound like someone’s perfect happy place! It might be time to start a list of fictional places I’d love to visit, and put this one at the top… Not that Carver would let me.
The one thing I really didn’t expect was the supernatural twist. I knew there’d be a demon and something evil from the blurb, but I didn’t expect someone who could see the dead, or fudging vampires. Not the fake, sparkly kind. The dark, dangerous kind. I thought I knew who my favourites were until Clove walked in.
The characters are real and convincing, and I felt protective of Beth early on. Olivia is my favourite character. She’s a girl with a fascinating ability, who’s unapologetic, and who gets things done!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I bought it, but it wasn’t this and I can’t wait for the sequel. The Making of Gabriel Davenport ended in such a brilliant way, and I can’t recommend it enough.
I haven’t read a good dark entity/ possession story in a while especially one that involves vampires! Gabriel’s family is torn apart when his father finds a box and brings it home not knowing what it holds! Something that’s been waiting along time to get out! The evil is released and is waiting!
I really enjoyed this one, a great debut novel from this author! Good characters, good story lines and leaves you with the anticipation of the second book!!
I don’t usually like vampire stories, but this one really held my interest. Good read.
Loved this book! It was so hard to put this down and therefore made it a quick read. All the characters were fun to get to know even the evil ones. This was definitely a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way until the end. It does end abruptly which sets it up nicely for book two so I did not mind that especially since I could right into book two. Highly recommend!
I didn’t as much read this book as I devoured it. I honestly devoured this thing, and was hungry for more. I could hardly put it down, to the detriment of other books I was also reading at the time, and when I did put it down, it haunted my mind, I kept thinking of it, wanting to get back to it. Three days was all it took me to read it, and when I was done I was… broken, because I didn’t have the sequel!! The mood of this entire book is right up my alley, reminding me of the sort of films I used to watch growing up and getting acquainted with horror and falling in love with it. There’s a tendril of Anne Rice flowing through the narrative, but also a vibe that is very much early days Stephen King. As if this novel happened to be the love child of The Tale of the Body Thief and Salem’s Lot? I was hooked from the start, the eerie, uncomfortable feel the author managed to set right from chapter one, where you have this thing going up your spine telling you oh boy oh boy, somink bad’s about to happen. It takes a while to build up the necessary tension, and Beverley does this MASTERFULLY well. By the time soming bad does happen, I was jumping on the couch in anticipation. I was ready for it, but not really ready, know what I mean? It clawed at me. That first half of the novel is really a masterpiece in horror. But the second half is where the true art of the writer comes to shine. The characters are so vivid, and so real, and so pungent and heartfelt! I always wonder how an author has to be really very good to build up a character so well, in so few pages. From the moment you meet certain characters, the person they are shines back at you and you just know. And you can’t help but love them. Then there’s the odd ones where you’re left in the dark, and you wonder about them, and you’re intrigued by them, wanting to know more. I realise Moth is a steady favourite, but for me it was Clove. Can’t wait to get to the second book so I dig into that bloke. Hmm Hmm.
Can you tell I really loved this book? I did. Do I recommend it? YOU FREAKIN’ BET I DO!
Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The rising tension was present from the start, but it really kicked in at the midpoint and didn’t let up for a moment, right through to the climax (and a great ending that I didn’t see coming). I’m glad I hadn’t read the reviews first, because there was one thing that came as a total, brilliant surprise.
I’ve not read a horror book for a long time, but I’m diving straight into book two.
To start, there are some delicious teases in the beginning of this book, whispers of intrigue that made me go, “Whaaaaat is it? Something… something bad is gonna happen.” It’s a subtle hook that catches you without you realizing it. Beverley Lee takes times to craft and establish her characters and, more than that, makes them sympathetic. I found myself getting attached to each character very organically. Little gestures between the characters tell tales about their relationship without, you know, outright telling you those little tales. This book did that amazing, addict-making thing where I was slipping in reads between when I was supposed to be doing silly things like chores and responsibilities. I needed to know what happened next. Let me just say, there’s more than moment where my eyes got real big and I just thought, “Oh, dang… this crap just got real.” o.0
I love this book! Everyone needs to read it. It’s a classic fight of good and evil with a twist. Very original story. Very well written. I had to keep reading to know what happened.
It’s a great book to read as we get into Fall. It ties together many of the classic horror nuances (ancient creatures, old house in England, etc.). The character development is great and there are a few surprising twist to keep you on your toes.