A broken engagement
sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between
her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life
right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s
failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily
married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a
heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her
unfit-for-dating status.
When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.
Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.
If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.
When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.
Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.
If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.
I don’t read a lot of books that are described as “ghost”
stories. It’s just not something that
usually interests me. But, I have
decided to diversify my reading a bit and when I saw this book, I thought I’d
give it a shot. I was glad I did,
because what I got was so much more than a ghost story.
Graciela is having a bit of a quarter century crisis. At 25 she has moved back to the small down
where she spent summers as child in order to care for her grandfather and leave
behind a broken engagement. Yeah, life
isn’t exactly peachy for ol’ Graciela.
Not to mention the townsfolk have seemed to already made up their minds
about her and her habits. The only one
who hasn’t shunned her is the town’s handsome mayor, who keeps popping up in
strange circumstances. When a pirate
ghost is added to the mix, Graciela is sure she’s lost it. This ghost is trying to communicate something
to her, and when she figures it out, it’s something that just might get her
killed.
This really wasn’t a typical paranormal story for me at all. It was
written in such a way that it all seemed like it could actually happen. The way the author grounded the story in a
place and with the people really made it a story that captured your attention
and didn’t go too far off the ghost story deep end. I really liked that.
I also really liked how the way the author presented the setting
almost made it like another character in the story. I think that is key to really investing you
in a story that has a paranormal lean to it.
I felt like the town had its own secrets to be revealed. Great job there.
Overall, I just really enjoyed this book. It’s not your everyday read and for .99, I
don’t think you can go wrong in buying and enjoying it. It’s a book that I know I’ll keep in my
library and probably end up reading again. 4.5 stars.
Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little
over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest
of the Whitman University series. She loves telling stories, discovering
the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in
the world around us - past and present. In her spare time she cuddles
her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising so that she can eat as
much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep and abiding hope that
Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of course, along
with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard at work, ALWAYS,
and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one
more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.Lyla Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
If you want to know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com
If you're a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BOOK AND THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY! SHELLEY S. calicolady60@hotmail.com
ReplyDelete