GHOSTS (The Syndicate 4) by RG Angel-a review

GHOSTS (The Syndicate 4) by RG Angel-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 18, 2023

Jiro
Haunted by my past, I came close to ruining my best friend’s life.
To atone for my sins, I had to return to the place where it all began.
Unexpectedly, solace arrived as a crying girl with purple hair, a haunting link to my history that rendered her untouchable.
Her plea for help compelled me to answer.
Perhaps by aiding her, I could find redemption for myself.
Hope
Amid my brother’s disappearance, I longed for a savior.
Little did I expect to find one in a cemetery.
Jiro Saito, my late sister’s ex-boyfriend and my childhood crush, emerged as that unexpected hero.
He’s a complex blend of danger, scars, and haunting memories.
Strangely, I still long for him, despite knowing he views me only as a way to soothe his guilt.
Perhaps he can help my brother.
And maybe, just maybe, I can rescue Jiro too.

•••••

REVIEW:  GHOSTS is the fourth instalment in RG Angel’s contemporary, adult THE SYNDICATE erotic, crime world romance series. This is thirty four year old former Yakuza second in command Jiro Saito, and twenty-two year old Hope Myers’ story line. GHOSTS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jiro and Hope) following two time lines, GHOSTS focuses on the hunt for our heroine’s missing brother. Twelves years earlier, a then twenty-two year old Jiro Saito’s girlfriend Anna was gunned down, and our hero believed the bullet was meant for him. Fast forward to present day, Jiro’s guilt has yet to be alleviated but when Anna’s sister Hope asks Jiro for help finding her missing brother, Jiro had no idea that Hope would be the balm to his pain. As Jiro and the Yakuza go in search of Hope’s brother Leo, secrets with reveal a pain like no other for our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jiro and Hope, and the potential fall-out as Jiro’s time with Hope comes to a close.

The world building continues to look at the blended yet separate worlds of the underground, criminal lifestyle. The deeper Jiro begins to dig, the more he suspects that Hope’s brother is involved in something bad. Still struggling with the murder of the woman he once loved, Jiro knows it is only a matter of time before his life bleeds into the heart of our story line heroine.

The relationship between Jiro and Hope is one of immediate attraction but Jiro continues to carry too much guilt and grief, and with the reappearance of Hope Myers, Jiro suspects the guilt will never be assuaged. As our couple circle one another with their barely veiled sexual attraction, Jiro suspects Hope is the only woman who could ever control his heart, even though he believes he does not deserve a second chance at love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters include the return of Jiro’s former boss Hoka and his wife Violet (Her Ruthless Warrior 1) , Jiro’s man Oda, as well as Hope’s boss Max, and Hope’s struggling mother. Most of the previous story line characters are present or by way of mention.

GHOSTS is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, dysfunctional family dynamics, forgiveness, acceptance and love but to add, not as dark as many Mafia related story lines. The fast paced premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is fated and seductive; the characters are desperate and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

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In addition to being an International Bestselling Author, I wear many hats – a trained lawyer, a globe-trotter, a coffee addict, and a cheese aficionado.

When I’m not immersed in lawyerly mayhem or crafting Contemporary Romance stories filled with heart, heat, and a touch of darkness, you’ll find me enjoying indoor activities in rainy (yet beautiful) Britain. These activities often include reading, indulging in TV series, and playing with my crazy puppies.

I hope my stories transport you to dreamlike worlds and bring as much joy to your heart as they bring to mine while writing them.

For the latest updates and news, join my reader groupR.G.’s Angels’ on Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter.

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The House on Prytania by Karen White – a Review

The House on Prytania by Karen White – a Review

 

 

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Description:

Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she’s spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan’s long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting–yet firmly unavailable–Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny’s kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola’s bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael’s powerful family was behind Sunny’s disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won’t be able to ignore–if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she’s worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn’t realize until it’s almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house–a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake…

 

 

Review:

The House on Prytania by Karen White is the 2nd book in her Royal Street series. The story continues with Nola Trenholm (heroine) still working on her new Creole cottage in New Orleans, which is haunted with ghosts (some good and some evil). Nola learned a lot of historic preservation, especially being the step daughter of Melanie, who has the ability to talk to ghosts (Tradd series).  We follow Nola, as she tries to get Beau (who does see ghosts, but refuses to talk to them); and with Beau’s sister (taken as a young girl) returning home, he is bent to find those who kidnapped her. Though Nola loves working on the house, she does fear the evil entity that seems to cause problems.

Beau is convinced that Michael’s (Nola’s ex-boyfriend) family was behind Sunny’s disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won’t be able to ignore.  Nola has second thoughts, but agrees to meet with Michael and his family to discover the truths, but first she welcomes her family who are visiting.  

It was great to see Mellie, Jack and the twins (Sarah and JJ), as well as an old flame, Cooper.   Sarah is only 13 years old, but she had the ability of seeing and hearing ghosts, which she gained from her mother, Melanie (Mellie).  Sarah was such a great addition, always giving Nola information she gained from reading certain books, as well as revealing what the ghosts are telling her.  Jolene, who has become Nola’s best friend, is such a fun and awesome character, always making sure Nola dressed properly, and cooking/baking for everyone. Thibeau and Jorge continues to help Nola with renovating the house, despite the ghosts. 

What follows is the mystery as to who kidnapped Sunny all those years ago, as well why the ghosts who haunt her house. As we reach closer to the end, some surprising secrets are revealed, and lives are threatened, with Nola and Beau working together to fight the evil entity.

The House on Prytania was so very well written by Karen White, which was an excellent story, with a fabulous heroine in Nola, in a town that has so much history, with ghosts, mystery, suspense and historical homes. I loved the wonderful secondary characters, especially Jolene. Karen White once again gives us a fabulous addition to this series and I look forward to the next book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair -a Review

When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair -a Review

 

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Description:
Anora Silby can see the dead and turn spirits into gold coins, two things she would prefer to keep secret as she tries to lead a normal life at her new school. After all, she didn’t change her identity for nothing.

As it turns out, hiding her weirdness is just one of many challenges. By the end of her first day, she’s claimed the soul of a dead girl on campus and lost the coin. Turns out, the coin gives others the ability to steal souls, and when a classmate ends up dead, there’s no mistaking the murder weapon.

Navigating the loss of her Poppa, her mother’s mistrust, and Roundtable, an anonymous student gossip app threatening to expose her, are hard enough. Now she must find the person who stole her coin before more lives are lost, but that means making herself a target for the Order, an organization that governs the dead on Earth — and they want Anora and her powers for themselves

 

 

Review:

When Stars Come Out by Scarlett St. Clair is the first book in her new YA series, When Stars Come Out.  After having finished this book, I was thrilled that this was a new series, as I really enjoyed this book, and its heroine, Anora.

Anora Silby, our heroine, moved to Oklahoma with her mother, after an incident in New York; and now she has a new identity and attends her first day at her new school. Anora can secretly see the dead, and turns their spirits to gold coins that will free their soul move on; she was hoping for a normal life, and on day one she runs into a dead girl on campus.  Anora was able to claim the soul, but she lost the coin, which stops the soul from moving forward, as well as enable someone who finds the coin, to steal other souls. Trying not to be suspicious while meeting new class mates, Anora is worried and determined to find the missing coin.

She meets many of her new classmates, especially the cute Shy, whom she immediately finds herself crushing him.  Shy is friends with Natalie and Jacobi, whom are suspicious of Anora; but she also befriends Lennon, Lily and Thane.  Who can she really trust? When one of her classmates is found dead, Anora knows that someone has found the coin, and is using it to create chaos; she is determined to find the person, and at the same time, learn how to use her growing powers.

We also learn about the Order, who are raven hybrids, in charge of protecting the town. Shy and Natalie begin to suspect that Anora is the Eurydice, who sees the dead and is able to summon open the gates to send them through to the underworld.  Is Anora really the Eurydice?

What follows is an exciting, at times tense story as Anora doesn’t know who to trust, and finds herself facing various creatures, and evil, as she becomes the target.  I really did like when all of sudden hellhounds decided to watch over and protect Anora; there were also witches, occultists, and half human/hybrid evils. When Stars Come Out was a terrific fast paced, exciting YA urban fantasy, with a wonderful heroine, great characters and a slow burn romance. When Stars Come Out was so very well written by Scarlett St. Clair, and I cannot wait for the next book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White – a Review

The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White – a Review

 

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Description:
After a difficult hiccup on her road to adulthood, Nola Trenholm is looking to begin anew in New Orleans, and what better way to start her future than with her first house? But the historic fixer-upper she buys comes with even more work than she anticipated when the house’s previous occupants don’t seem to be ready to depart. Although she can’t communicate with ghosts like her stepmother, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who can–even if he’s the last person on earth she wants anything to do with, ever again. Because Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past, a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina, and the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole Cottage Nola is determined to make her own whether or not the resident restless spirits agree…

 

 

Review:

The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White is the first book in her new Royal Street series. Nola Trenholm, who was in the Tradd Street series, is the heroine in this book; as she has moved from Charleston, South Carolina to New Orleans.   Nola has purchased a historic fixer upper, which requires a lot of work, not to mention the house is haunted, with ghosts who do not want to leave. Nola learned a lot of historic preservation, especially being the step daughter of Melanie, who had the ability to talk to ghosts (Tradd series). 

Beau Ryan, who Nola broke up with awhile back, is the hero in this book, and though they no longer are together, she knows she needs Beau’s help to renovate the house.  Beau lives with his grandmother, Mimi, and they are the ones who sold the house to Nola.  Beau is like Nola’s stepmother, able to see ghosts, but he hides this from others, and Nola already can tell he has that ability; even though he refuses to listen to her.

Nola has gained a lot of new friends, who will help her with the house renovation. Jolene is Nola’s friend, and also works with Beau; who will assign Jolene to be the project manager of the renovation; she will also become a roommate of Nola.  Jolene was such an awesome character, so much fun and always cooking/baking for everyone; and I liked Jaxson, who used to be Jolene’s boyfriend, and they remain good friends. Thibeau and Jorge are the men who work in the house to renovate, as they are willing to work there, despite the ghosts.

There is a mystery surrounding Beau’s family, that Nola is determined to discover more; which relates to a powerful New Orleans family.  A woman was killed years ago, and she is one of the ghosts that are in the house, as well as Beau’s grandfather; with the powerful family threatening Mimi’s family, which also resulted in Sunny, Beau’s sister disappearing.  Nola will push Beau to help her get the ghosts to finally move on.

The Shop on Royal Street was so very well written by Karen White, which was an excellent story, with a fabulous heroine in Nola, in a town that has so much history, with ghosts and historical homes. Besides rooting for Nola and Beau to find a way to get together, I loved Jolene and many other secondary characters.  Karen White once again gives us a fabulous new series, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

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The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire – Review & Giveaway

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire – Review & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Once and twice and thrice around,

Put your heart into the ground.
Four and five and six tears shed,
Give your love unto the dead.
Seven shadows on the wall,
Eight have come to watch your fall:
One’s for the gargoyle, one’s for the grave,
And the last is for the one you’ll never save.
 
For Rose Marshall, death has long since become the only life she really knows.  She’s been sweet sixteen for more than sixty years, hitchhiking her way along the highways and byways of America, sometimes seen as an avenging angel, sometimes seen as a killer in her own right, but always Rose, the Phantom Prom Date, the Girl in the Green Silk Gown.

The man who killed her is still out there, thanks to a crossroads bargain that won’t let him die, and he’s looking for the one who got away.  When Bobby Cross comes back into the picture, there’s going to be hell to pay—possibly literally.

Rose has worked for decades to make a place for herself in the twilight.  Can she defend it, when Bobby Cross comes to take her down?  Can she find a way to navigate the worlds of the living and the dead, and make it home before her hitchhiker’s luck runs out?
               
There’s only one way to know for sure.
 
Nine will let you count the cost:
All you had and all you lost.
Ten is more than time can tell,
Cut the cord and ring the bell.
Count eleven, twelve, and then,
Thirteen takes you home again.
One’s for the shadow, one’s for the tree,
And the last is for the blessing of Persephone

 

 

Review:

The Girl with the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire is the 2nd book in her Ghost Roads series.  This is a fantasy novel revolving  around the twilight, mythology, ghosts, the dead, and gods. 

Rose Marshall is our heroine, and Rose has been dead for 60 years. When she was 16, she set out to go to her prom and meet her boyfriend, Gary, only to be killed by Bobby Cross, who wanted her soul.  Seems Bobby Cross made a deal to be immortal, and stay young, but he needs to steal lives of young girls to keep his car running with the souls he takes. The only one who got away was Rose, who though now dead, managed to escape Bobby, and live in the twilight as a hitchhiking ghost.  Rose has become an urban legend, as the Girl in the Green Silk Gown (still in her prom dress), also known and the Phantom Prom Date.   Rose is used to her life on the roads, walking across America, helping truckers and other travelers in danger or those passing on to the twilight. 

Bobby Cross is determined to find and get the one who got away, and despite Rose’s protection tattoo ( from a god) keeping her safe from Bobby, he finds a way to get to her.  When Rose is pulled into a Halloween ritual, she miraculously is now alive, and Bobby is on his way.  Rose is desperate to find a way to return to the only life she knows…return to the dead.   

We get to meet the friends that Rose has made all these years in the twilight, including powerful beings such as Queens of the roads, routes, lake, ghosts, etc to help her find her way to the gods to help return to where she belongs, before Bobby finds her.

The Girl with the Green Silk Gown was written very well by Seanan McGuire, and was an interesting and at times exciting story.  I did feel it had a lot of details that made some parts a bit slow, but the last third of the book was exciting.  If you like fantasy, with ghost legends and mythology, then I suggest you read The Girl With the Green Silk Gown.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Seanan McGuire’s publisher is offering a paper copy of THE GIRL IN THE GREEN SILK GOWN to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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8. Giveaway runs from July 17 to 21, 2018

 

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Windwood Farm by Rebecca Patrick-Howard – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

Windwood Farm by Rebecca Patrick-Howard – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

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Description:
Windwood Farm has a terrible secret-one that’s been buried for more almost 100 years. Taryn Magill aims to uncover it…or die trying.

As a mixed media artist and urban explorer with a love for abandoned houses and a big imagination when it comes to the past, 30 year old Taryn has never really met an old house she didn’t like. In fact, she’s made a career out of painting these sad, often derelict structures, to show them in their former glory for her clients.

With Windwood Farm, though, she might have bitten off more than she can chew!

The locals refer to it as “the devil’s house” and even vandals have stayed away from this once grand stone farmhouse in Vidalia, Kentucky. Hired by the Stokes County Historical Society to paint it before it’s demolished by a land development company, Taryn’s determined to make friends with the house and farm everyone around her seems to be terrified of.

As it turns out, though, their fears may just not be unfounded.

Who is the woman whose cries echo throughout the farm and what does she want? What negative force about the house is so powerful that it won’t even allow the upstairs bedroom to be touched? Does the 93 year old vanishing of the next door neighbor have anything to do with the house’s mysteries?

Taryn wants the answers to these and the house may just be trying to tell her because now, when she looks through her camera, she doesn’t have to use her imagination to see the past-

SHE CAN SEE IT!

Will Taryn be able to figure out what happened here AND escape with her sanity and life before the house comes down? Because now it seems like someone is trying to kill her! Using what her camera reveals to her and her wits, she’ll try to unravel the mysteries of the farm and get out before it’s too late.

Review:

Windwood Farm by Rebecca Patrick-Howard is the First book in her Taryn’s Camera series.  It tells the story of Taryn Magill, an artist and Historical Preservationist who takes old, sad, dilapidated buildings and homes and paints a portrait of them, turning them into what it looked like in its heyday!   She is commissioned by the Stokes County Historical Society to do just this – paint a portrait of what Windwood Farm may have looked like in all its glory, before they tear it down.

As she turned onto the driveway for the farm – she knew right away – that there was something mysterious and dark about the old structure. Always having a sense about the places she visits – this one was overpowering to her. As she approached the house she could see that it was tragically time worn and in sad disrepair. But she could also see the beautiful potential that lay in front of her. Pulling out her trusty sidekick Miss Dixie (a Nikon camera) she set off to take photos of the old house (inside and out) – to use later to jog her memory when it came to the painting.  

From the first step into the house she felt that she was not wanted there. Something or someone was not happy that she was there.   She resigned herself to try and win over the house or whatever presence lurks there. She spent the first few days taking photos with Miss Dixie. And what she found when she looked at the photos on her computer was pure magic. The photos showed what the house once was, in all its glory. Furnishings as they should be, décor as it once was, it was like walking back through time.   As Taryn learned more about the house, the more emotionally attached she became to it. She wants to know the stories and tragedy it holds. And Windwood Farm does not disappoint. There is heartache in every piece of wood in this house and she needs to know what it is and who caused it.

This is a beautiful story right from page one. Taryn is a character with flaws yet easy to like and makes you want to know more about. I completely enjoyed the story of the house revealing itself to her and Taryn wanting to know more about the past. The past always has a way of coming back and I believe that through the lens of a camera was a truly moving way.

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Author

Guest PostBringing the Ghosts-Gaining Inspiration from the Stories Around Me

There are two things I’ve always loved: old houses and ghost stories. As a kid, our family’s version of entertainment was to load up in the car and drive around looking for old houses to explore. Today, with copper thefts and vandalism that’s probably illegal but back then nobody really cared, as long as you didn’t bother anything.

I loved looking at the ruined homes and imagining what had gone in them, who had lived there, what their lives had been like…The houses often looked like ghosts themselves, just memories of a time that used to exist. They could be big houses, log cabins, little farmhouses–it didn’t matter to us.

I also loved ghost stories. The scarier, the better! My dad called the spirits that haunted the mountains around us “boogers” and would terrify me with tales of ghosts who walked around headless, men murdered for revenge, and country roads where you could hear the loud rattles of ghostly wagons.

As an adult, the exploration of the old homes continued. Of course, I tried to get permission when I could. There are some things you can get away with when you’re a cute 5 year old. Not so much as a twentysomething.

I didn’t give up the ghost stories, either. While researching a historical fiction I came across several old ghost stories from my county. I interviewed some of the town’s oldest residents and learned more about our local legends, haunted houses, and unsolved mysteries. My first book, HAUNTED ESTILL COUNTY, was thus formed. After that, more people contacted me and gave me their stories. I was able to release the sequel 8 months later.

I was very interested in the stories behind the hauntings. Why is it haunted? What happened there? How did they die? Why did they die?

For instance, consider the famous “oil boom murder” story. In that one, in one version a woman opened a boarding house and killed several of her boarders. Later, she threw their bodies in a hole in the backyard. That house is considered one of the most haunted houses in the county.

Then there’s the “ghost in the window” story. The old farmhouse was supposedly haunted because, while her father and husband were fighting, the bullet one intended for the other missed and went through the window, killing the young wife as she watched.

When writing my most recent paranormal mystery series, I drew on my urban exploring and love of ghost stories. It’s a mystery, but it’s also a good old fashioned haunted house story.

Taryn, my protagonist, has a lot of my interests. She loves the old houses, too. I didn’t have to go far to find the inspiration for some of the mysteries though. Although none of them are based exclusively on events from my county, they all share a little bit of the stories that have been passed on to me.

Sometimes, truth (even a half-truth) really is stranger than fiction!

 

About the AuthorRebecca HowardRebecca Patrick-Howard is a native of Wolfe County, Kentucky. She grew up on the campus of Hazel Green Academy and later attended Belmont University in Nashville and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. She holds undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Appalachian Studies.

For several years, Rebecca worked as a travel writer; backpacking around Europe (mostly) with a couple of bags, guide books, and maps. During those years, she explored Bosnia, Croatia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy (amongst other places). She once took a train to Lichtenstein and paid to get a stamp on her passport just to say she’d been there.

Her love of the paranormal began as a child when she would listen to her grandmother tell her terrifying tales of witches, ghosts, and goblins before bedtime and during thunderstorms. After living in a few questionable houses, she began writing her own ghost stories at the age of 10 (they’re really bad, by the way).

While studying for her MA in Religious Experience (some of her friends thought she was going to become an exorcist and were sorely disappointed in the truth) in Wales, she met her future husband, Peter. She considers him her finest, and most expensive, souvenir. The two of them live in eastern Kentucky high on a windy ridge with their two living children. (A third passed away from SIDS in 2010.)

She is the author of Haunted Estill County, More Tales from Haunted Estill County, Coping with Grief: The Anti-Guide to Infant Loss, Finding Henry: A Journey into Eastern Europe, and the newly released, Windwood Farm– the first in the “Taryn’s Camera” series.
Giveaway

Rebecca is graciously offering an e-copy of Windwood Farm to to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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5. Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL

6. Giveaway runs from June 28-June 30, 2014

 

 

 

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Happily Never After (Savannah Shadows #1) by Missy Fleming-a review

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER (Savannah Shadows #1) by Missy Fleming-a review

Happily Never After

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 13, 2013

There’s no such thing as happy endings.

Savannah, Georgia is rumored to be the most haunted place in America. Quinn Roberts knows it is. She’s felt the presence of spirits her entire life, investigating and photographing them with her best friend. Only none of those encounters ever turned violent, until now. The menacing darkness feeding off her stepmother has promised she won’t live to see her eighteenth birthday.

After a chance meeting Quinn reluctantly allows actor Jason Preston into her life, which has complications of its own. She’s not used to letting people get close. Falling for him while fighting for her life, and her family’s legacy, only complicates things more. Jason shows her exactly what she stands to lose, especially when she’s being attacked by the mysterious entity. Each attack is more violent and terrifying than the last.

With Jason’s help, she dives into the Roberts’ family history, searching for a link between a woman who went missing a hundred and fifty years ago and what’s happening now. What they find is a brutal murder and that the ghost doesn’t just want to hurt Quinn, it wants revenge.

It wants her life.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HAPPILY NEVER AFTER is the first storyline in Missy Fleming’s new paranormal/fantasy YA Savannah Shadows series focusing on 18 year old Quinn Roberts and the hauntings in and around Savannah Georgia. The reader is taken on a journey of house hauntings, spiritual possessions and ghost whisperers all meshed into a dark fairytale storyline familiar to most.

As the title suggests, this storyline is a dark retelling of a fairytale and in this particular case-Cinderella. Missy Fleming holds nothing back with the characterizations of the wicked step-mother and equally wicked step-sisters and, a supportive and equally loving ‘charming’ prince in the guise of a teen heart throb and Hollywood star.

Throughout the storyline we learn that much of the town of Savannah Georgia is awash in ghostly hauntings-spirits who refuse to move on because each has story to tell or out for revenge for a betrayal from the past. Quinn has the ability to hear and see these spirits and in one particular case the spirits have a deep and dark connection to Quinn’s family and her current dilemma.

The love angle adds a distinctive twist to the plot, but a twist that was fairly obvious as the storyline grew. Meeting 21 year old Jason Preston, a young Hollywood star, would awaken something long buried in Quinn but her relationship with Jason will be the catalyst that spurs one particular spirit to pull off the ultimate crime. In the end Quinn will be trapped on the outside looking into a world where she once thought she belonged.

Happily Never After has a number of the traditional earmarks of the Young Adult genre. The main characters have a definite high school mentality and were quick to stereotype and judge someone based on first impressions or incomplete prior knowledge. The relationship between Quinn and Jason is slow to build but not for a lack of trying on Jason’s part, and the wicked-step sisters will definitely remind you of the mean girls club. Add the potential for a love triangle flourishing within the final pages of the epilogue.

Many young adult authors are revisiting and retelling some of our favorite fairytale stories. Happily Never After closely follows Cinderella’s outline and the paranormal subplot is definitely predictable and not unexpected. For fans of both the YA genre and ghost stories, Happily Never After will be sure to please. Missy Fleming easily blends the reality of modern day Savannah Georgia, with a paranormal plotline that will see the past collide with the present when one spirit has only revenge on its’ mind. And for Quinn-there is no Happily Ever After.

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Sandy.

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