Beneath Beauford Grove

By: E. Denise Billups

Narrated by: Virginia Ferguson

For fans of Anne Rice's 'The Witching Hour', Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 'Mexican Gothic', and Tananarive Due's 'The Good House'

The curse flows through her veins, but so does the cure.

Dr. Evangeline Beauford thought blood held no secrets from her.
As one of Boston's leading hematologists, she's dedicated her career to studying blood's mysteries—until a posthumous letter from her estranged sister draws her back to Beauford Grove after eighteen years away.

The family's olive plantation shouldn't exist in Alabama soil. The trees shouldn't weep crimson sap. And her own family's blood work shouldn't show impossible anomalies that her scientific mind can't explain.

But as Evangeline uncovers centuries-old diaries hidden in the grove, she learns the devastating truth: her mother didn't send her away out of rejection—it was protection from a sinister blood pact forged between French colonists and enslaved practitioners of powerful African and Haitian magic.

The plantation's unnatural prosperity came at a price paid in blood and bound both bloodlines to the land through ancient rituals. Now, with the pact demanding its due, Evangeline must confront her family's dark legacy and her own dormant power.

Her medical expertise may be the key to breaking the cycle—or the final sacrifice it demands.

©2025 E. Denise Billups (P)2025 E. Denise Billups

Compelling Family Secrets and Ethereal World-Building

E. Denise Billups delivers an impactful paranormal suspense novel that perfectly balances darkness and light. The writing is ethereal and vivid, pulling the listener directly into Evangeline’s journey of grief and ancestral discovery.
​I particularly enjoyed the scattered journal entries, which provide a deep, intimate look at the family’s tragic past and the secrets within the olive grove. It is a quick-paced, suspenseful audiobook that remains a must-listen for fans of old magic and Gothic vibes. Billups has a gift for making the listener feel like part of the landscape rather than just a witness to it.

Mildly interesting read...

The synopsis was the most interesting part of this for me—and I don’t mean to say it was bad by any means, it just didn’t hit home for me. Fairly slow-paced and too much ‘telling’ instead of showing.

Just makes it sort of a drag for me.
A mildly interesting paranormal suspense read, with okay narration.



🎙️ Audiobook:
Overall decent production and okay narration—could’ve been a little more ‘voice-act-y’ and a little less ‘dictation-style’ for my liking but it was fine.

A Family's Past

This was my first experience with this author's work. Although the book started out a little slow, eventually I was drawn into the story, and I became wrapped up in the narrative. I felt for Dr. Evangeline Beauford as she learned of her sister's passing, and once she returned home, the buried secrets of her family's past. I was sad that the story ended on a cliffhanger, and now I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought Virginia Ferguson's narration was reflective of the story's aura. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which expressed my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.