Restless Spirits by Kathy Bryson – Review, Guest Post & Giveaway
Description:
Marilee Harper is desperate to find another job after she accidentally set fire to the home of the richest woman in town. Converting an old hospital into a bed and breakfast seems like a golden opportunity. But faucets and lights turn themselves off and on, and old baseballs fly without help. Stressed and aggravated, Marilee wants nothing more than to redeem herself, even if it means hands off her sympathetic boss!
John Smith has every confidence in the bossy, strong woman he hired to launch his bed & breakfast. She handled difficult customers at the bank and now she’s handling electricity and plumbing and whatever unseen force keeps throwing baseballs. Who can blame him if he starts to admire the woman in more than strictly professional terms? But when the angry, treacherous King of the Fairies shows up, can Marilee become his champion?
Review
Restless Spirits is my second book by Kathy Bryson, and I have to say, I loved it.
It was good to catch up with old characters. It basically starts where the last book ends.
Marliee is a bit accident prone, but she’s a great character. I will admit to not being a fan of Marilee’s in the first book, but reading her book, I grew to like her more.
Not sure about the relationship with her mother, but as the story goes along it gets better. You see why they have an antagonistic relationship in the beginning. The incident where she almost runs her new boss was funny.
And from there on, its a roller coaster of a ride, as Marilee begins a new career in a (haunted) B&B. It was a little slow in places, but well worth persevering. As always attention to detail is important and the characters who come to life on the page.
John Smith is a great character. He seemed to be a perfect balance for Marilee. He is calm to her chaotic. Their working relationship soon turns into romance. And their first kiss was a lot of fun to read.
It’s a great read, with mystery and a few ghosts thrown in. A great afternoon read 🙂
Reviewed by Julie B
Copy provided by Author
How Far Would You Go, Especially For A Good Man?
Thank you so much for having me at The Reading Cafe today. There is nothing I love better than a good book and a nice, hot cup of something warm, even where I live in hot and sticky Florida!
We all have little indulgences and they usually don’t do us any harm. But in my latest book, Restless Spirits, Marilee Harper indulges in a cigarette and accidentally sets fire to her best friend’s house. Oops! Since her friend is a wealthy woman and the darling of the bank and town where Marilee works, this presents a problem.
When you go too far, the only thing you can do is change direction. So Marilee takes a job managing a B&B. The building once housed a hospital for the terminally ill, and now it shows all the signs of a classic haunting. But if ghosts weren’t enough, Marilee also has the challenge of working with her difficult mother, a cook who channels Elvis, and contractors who act like paparazzi!
Marilee’s character was so much fun to explore. How does a modern, competent, professional – well, except for that one little arson incident – deal with the supernatural? Marilee’s usual practical directness doesn’t always succeed! What was more difficult to write were some of the customer service scenes. Like Marilee, I may have gone too far on the phone once or twice.
The real challenge for Marilee, however, turns out to be her boss. He’s cute, charming, compassionate, and crossing a line. Would you date your boss or is that going too far? What if, as Marilee discovers, it’s not just a case of lust, but of true compatibility, even love? John makes her happy, believes in her, and helps her manage all the mysterious occurrences that persist at the B&B.
Then the haunting goes too far and John goes missing, taken captive to the Otherworld. Which leads me to the question of the day – how far would you go for a good man? Maybe I’m just an incurable romantic, but I’ve always been drawn to the story of the lover who defies death. From the Greek Orpheus to the Celtic Tam Lin, there’s always been that one person who crosses over to the land of the dead to reclaim his or her love, challenging even the gods.
Both my books, Feeling Lucky and Restless Spirits, share the same background in fairy folklore though each can be read independently. Shakespeare may have brought a long-standing feud to light in 1590-something with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but it’s heating up in the modern-day Midwest. As if the ladies of Fayetteville didn’t have enough to manage with jobs and family, they also have to deal with fairies squabbling over a practical joke about falling in love with a donkey? Talk about going too far!
As for Marilee – oh she’s headed off to the Otherworld, armed with a short temper and a cast iron frying pan. Hmm, this may not end well!
Kathy Bryson knew she wanted to be a writer when she finished reading through her school and local children’s libraries. She spent 20 years honing her writing skills on marketing brochures, websites, and several unfinished manuscripts before going into teaching and finishing a book with all the stuff she enjoys most – from coffee to love to Shakespeare! Kathy lives in Florida where she caters to the whims of two spoiled cats and wonders what possessed her to put in 75 feet of flower beds.
Her first book, Feeling Lucky, won the 2014 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award for Best First Book.
You can follow her on the following links:
Blog / Amazon / Facebook / Goodreads / Google+ / Twitter
Kathy is graciously offering an e-copy (amazon kindle format) of RESTLESS SPIRITS to ONE (1) commenter at The Reading Cafe
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