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Cassandra Palmer #5.1

The House at Cobb End

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A John Pritkin short. This story is set prior to the beginning of the Cassie Palmer series. It nonetheless contains spoilers for all five books. This is a little story about a house. It was written in answer to a question that came in for the Facebook Q&A asking: "How old is Pritkin's house in Stratford? In the book he stated that he had owned it for over 100 years, but I wondered when the house was actually built and if someone had owned it before him." I started to answer it in the Q&A, but thought it deserved better. So here it is, and hope you enjoy.

10 pages, ebook

First published November 14, 2011

11 people are currently reading
1296 people want to read

About the author

Karen Chance

61 books5,252 followers
Karen Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home. Visit her website or connect with her on Facebook here.

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5 stars
374 (30%)
4 stars
470 (37%)
3 stars
338 (27%)
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51 (4%)
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6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
Profile Image for Hazel *Craves the Angst Reviews*.
770 reviews289 followers
May 11, 2016
The House on Cobb End is a short by Karen Chance explaining how John Pritkin, from the Cassie Palmer series, came to own his house. As I think Karen Chance stated on her Facebook page, someone ask how Pritkin came to own the house and she said she stated to answer, only to quickly delete the comment she'd left and decided to surprise the fans with a short on how it happened.

So this short starts off with Pritkin looking for a home for him and his soon-to-be wife. It involves a very irritable real estate man and deceivingly scatter brained Jonas, who you also might remember from the Cassie books as well. We also get to meet the house itself and the magic it hold which was VERY creative on Chance's part. Two words.. Pritkin, singing. Yeah, never thought I'd put those two words in a sentence together. LOL!

I really liked this short. The inventive, unique writing that I love so much about Karen Chance, was once again displayed, even in such a short story and we got a little expansion on Pritkins history and his origins. Pritkin is one of my favorite characters from her series and to have these little tid bits outside the books is just something I love about Chance. She cares about the fans and loves doing these little things that mean so very much to us! They help stem the tide until the next release!
Profile Image for Cassie.
140 reviews9 followers
May 15, 2019
The House at Cobb End is such a sweet little short story. It’s not the typical run for your life, action packed Cassie Palmer book. There is a demon attack. But if Pritkin is around someone is trying to kill him. Lol

In this free short we learn how and why Pritkin came to own his home. We learn more about Pritkin’s ancestry and a bit about Jonas as well.

I love this story for the house, its magic mixing with nature. There’s a quiet, peaceful feel and it makes me want to go enjoy a sunny meadow. A fabulous addition to the series.
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,986 reviews89 followers
May 15, 2019
The House at Cobb End is another one of Karen Chance’s short stories. This one, like many of her other works, fits perfectly into the world of Cassie Palmer. In fact, this short story probably won’t make a whole lot of sense if you haven’t read any of the series up until now.
The House at Cobb End, as I said above, fits into the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance. It also fits into the larger world as a whole. Therefore it can either be considered Cassie Palmer #5.1, or Cassie Palmer World #5.2. Either way, I’d suggest waiting under after Curse the Dawn to read this short story, as it’ll add a lot of context to the situation.
This short story follows Pritkin, though it isn’t set in the same timeline as the rest of the series. Instead, it’s back before Pritkin met Cassie (well, sort of – timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly and all that). The whole focus of the short story is Pritkin’s quest for a new home. And there’s a very specific reason he wants one.
Of course, this is Pritkin we’re talking about, so nothing is easy and certainly it won’t go smoothly for him. Thus we have the tale of The House at Cobb End.



For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews736 followers
January 31, 2013
This particular short story in the Cassandra Palmer urban fantasy series is about John Pritkin and is set in England outside Stratford-on-Avon sometime in the mid- to late 1800s.

Download it for free from Karen Chance's Take a Chance page on her website.

My Take
Ooh, I do like the sound of the estate agent's book of available houses! Although these days, it would be probably be holographic and life-size, LOL.

It's just a little tidy-up with far-reaching repercussions for John. And lets Jonas in on more background information about John than John is comfortable with. It also provides a bit of background on the Fey and death.

There are sections which are just so sweet and will make you want to cry.

The Story
John is about to be married and he needs a house. Only Edwards is decidedly unhelpful.

It's a good thing that Marsden is the man he is.

The Characters
John Pritkin is not human and not wanted in the war mages' barracks.

Brigadier General Jonas Marsden is second-in-command of the War Mage Corps and can't see without his glasses.

War mages
Benedict is a young recruit, and Edwards is in allocation.

The Cover
The cover has a Tim Burton-esque feel to it---all golden with a giant keyhole showcasing the title; a very tall, quirky cottage peeking out from behind the keyhole; and, a bare-limbed tree embracing the other side.

The title is exactly that. The House at Cobb End.
Profile Image for Dajuan.
12 reviews
May 25, 2019
This one is a touch sad, but still sweet. It's a nice look into Pritkin's Fae side and what all he can do. To be honest, I have trouble reading this one because I know what's coming for him, it makes this story, this happy little moment, all the more tragic.
Profile Image for Choco Con Churros.
842 reviews115 followers
February 25, 2024
Es un relato que responde a la pregunta de cómo se hizo cierto personaje de la saga con la casa que aparece en el libro 4° de la serie. En mi opinión no precisaba respuesta porque el propio libro cuarto explica cuándo y por qué la compró su dueño, pero bueno... el relatín, corto y puramente anecdótico es a pesar de todo... curioso. Los fae de este universo son muy peculiares, la verdad. Me llaman poderosamente la atención. Autores en GL Bis
Profile Image for Jéssica.
187 reviews
May 1, 2019
Conto bem curto sobre Pritkin sobre como ele virou o dono da casa onde ele e Cassie vão parar no livro anterior.
É de dar um aperto no coração ver a forma como John tinha esperanças sobre construir um lar ali e quão distanciado ele é do resto das pessoas. Conto interessante para entender mais o personagem.
Profile Image for Jen.
408 reviews1 follower
May 16, 2019
A cute short story about Pritkin and a Fey home. A nice showing of friendship between Jonas and Pritkin. A heartfelt story.
67 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2019
This short story is a prequel for the Cassie Palmer series but should be read after Curse the Dawn.

In Curse the Dawn, Cassie and Pritkin end up at a cottage in Britain's countryside. Cassie finds out that the house belongs to Pritkin, this is the story of how Pritkin came to own the cottage.

The mages have appeared in this series as the "bad guys" and it was nice to see them doing something as mundane as picking out a house... not that a 3D representation of the housing selection is mundane.
Profile Image for Jackie.
3,965 reviews128 followers
July 29, 2013
Book Synopsis

A John Pritkin short. This story is set prior to the beginning of the Cassie Palmer series. It nonetheless contains spoilers for all five books. This is a little story about a house. It was written in answer to a question that came in for the Facebook Q&A asking: "How old is Pritkin's house in Stratford? In the book he stated that he had owned it for over 100 years, but I wondered when the house was actually built and if someone had owned it before him." I started to answer it in the Q&A, but thought it deserved better. So here it is, and hope you enjoy.

My Thoughts

What an utterly delightful tale to clue fans of John Pritkin in on how he came about acquiring his home, a place that could have been tailor made for the man if one believes in fate coming true!

Short and sweet this is as others say a side of Pritkin that we do not engage with often, so happy that the author included this little tale in with the series as a prequel free read.
Profile Image for Dana Alma.
356 reviews34 followers
November 17, 2011
Loved this book! Only Karen would have Pritkin house hunting, so not what I expected. It gave us a unique perspective of John's true feelings. I enjoyed how Karen allowed us to see the softer side of this powerful mage. Although the story was short I believe it was a treasure trove of just what our dear Pritkin is made of. He shows his vulnerable side and just how lonely he really is in both the human world and that of the magical world. I don't want to say much more so not to ruin the fun for the rest of you crazy gals and guys, but I was floored to learn that dear Pritkin was once engaged! It is a must read!
Profile Image for Lynsey is Reading.
715 reviews235 followers
December 17, 2011
A cute little story about how John Pritkin ended up with his house in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was in answer to a question Karen received on Facebook about the house. She decided to elaborate the reply into this little short. It doesn't have much bearing on the main Cassie story, but for me, any little glimpse into the mind of the enigma that is J.P. can only be a good thing. That and I just love Marsden!

However, I'm not sure why it's been put as book 0.5 in the series. DO NOT read this as a prequel! Sure, in terms of time-line it happens before the events of book one, but in terms of spoilers, you shouldn't read it until after book three at least.
Profile Image for Anita.
2,825 reviews182 followers
July 9, 2012
A free short story at http://www.karenchance.com/free_stori...

From the intro: " Author's Note: This was written in answer to a question that came in for the Facebook Q&A asking: "How old is Pritkin's house in Stratford? In the book he stated that he had owned it for over 100 years, but I wondered when the house was actually built and if someone had owned it before him." I started to answer it in the Q&A, but thought it deserved better. So here it is, and hope you enjoy. "The House at Cobb End" is set prior to the beginning of the Cassie Palmer series. It nonetheless contains spoilers for all five books."

A younger John Pritkin tames his fairy house.
Profile Image for Carrie.
2,540 reviews19 followers
December 21, 2015
I always love seeing inside of Pritkin’s head, so this story was a wonderful little treat. I don’t recommend giving this a read unless you’ve read the Cassie Palmer series, even though it could probably read well alone.

The premise of this story is Pritkin and his search for a residence. Of course, nothing can ever be easy for the often trampled war mage. What seems like a dream come true house ends up being a haunted estate with some… issues. If you are at all familiar with the series and the awesomeness that is Pritkin, this is an excellent addition to the story. I would read another handful of these stories that just give more insight into Pritkin’s past.
Profile Image for Jenevieve.
936 reviews13 followers
December 3, 2013
Check out all my reviews at My Blog

A super short story in the world of Cassie Palmer featuring Pritkin. John is searching for just the right house to bring his new wife home to upon their marriage in less than a month's time. The problem is nothing seems quite right until he sees a listing for the perfect home only to find out that it's not supposedly available due to haunting circumstances. Does anyone actually think this will stop Pritkin?

While very short, Pritkin's personality is very much in tact and we get to learn a bit more about his early childhood in this one. A nice little read.
Profile Image for Aileen.
863 reviews55 followers
April 1, 2012
I LOVED being able to see such a different side of Pritkin. He is definitely one of my favorite characters so having a short story all about HIM was GREAT!!!! Though I also cannot WAIT for the one about Mircea either getting a small taste of the Pritkin before he became who is with Cassie was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! Also...Jonas makes my life happy. He is completely and utterly hilarious even (and especially) when he is utterly serious. He makes me laugh like a loon on loon tablets more than Cassie does sometimes (which is a FEAT let me tell you...) and I love being able to see more of him too!!
20 reviews
May 28, 2019
Another wonderful tale from the Chance-verse. I love the detail and magic. Definitely my kind of house... in fact i think it might just be my house! Fantastic read, and i agree with some of the other reviewers in that a full knowkedge of the series isn't essential to appreciate and enjoy the story... that by no means should stop you exploring the rest though as each one is a gem in its own right!!
Profile Image for Mike Amos.
114 reviews
May 22, 2019
This short little back story is lovely tale and gives you a wonderful origin story to one of my favourite characters in Karen’s books. I am not usually one for novellas, as I would rather dig into a full book series, however Karen has changed my mind with this compelling read. It was lovely to read a bit more about a character that I love so much. A great read.
Profile Image for Mags L.
76 reviews
May 30, 2019
This novella relies heavily on knowledge of the CP universe. Cute novella about Pritkin, pre-marriage. Also shows Jonas Marsden as a younger, still crazy, fellow. I love how Chance is able to take mundane situations and apply them to her paranormal universe, like where do you live if you're about to be married but you work in the army? A fun read.
Profile Image for Atrium-V.
246 reviews3 followers
November 10, 2021
It is a bit confusing if you have not read any of the other books. On the other hand: Nothing special gets revealed. Nothing surprising happened. Well written. But something was missing.
The illustration is also a lot different from other Pritkin books.
Profile Image for Kőrösi.
385 reviews10 followers
November 28, 2018
Egy kis Pritkin. Mi mást kívánhat még az ember? :)

A történetből megtudhatjuk, hogyan tett szert Pritkin a Stratfordban lévő házára.
Profile Image for Natari.
104 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2019
Pritkin is funny as ever. Not that he's trying to be a comedian, he just never had anything go easy for him. Gotta love him.
7 reviews
May 29, 2019
this is a mini series made to be a back story for the main series (Cassandra Palmer) it fills in some of the gaps and gives context to some of the references. definitely a worthwhile read
485 reviews27 followers
September 9, 2020
This was a treat. I enjoyed everything about this, but especially the fence and the house with a personality. Adoreable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews

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