October Read: The Ghost Illusion by Kat Martin

 I switched from magic and witches to paranormal. It is October, after all. I love that it's getting darker earlier and I've broken out my fall candle.  Made pumpkin bread. Chili is on the horizon. I've also started watching my ghosty shows on Discovery. I'm all in!

I haven't read Kat Martin before, but in my years of bookselling and librarianship I've seen her name oodles of times and have ordered her books for the library. She's consistently popular and I'd say she's romantic suspense. This book definitely reminded me of Heather Graham and her Krewe of Hunters series. I'd love to see more with this group of ghost hunters. 

Eve St. Clair has recently moved to England to live in a family home she's inherited. She spent many summers there as a child and loves the home. Only problem is she's terrified. Every night there are running footsteps, cold spells, and voices arguing. She reaches out in desperation to Paranormal Investigations, an American group that travel the world helping people with paranormal issues. To her relief, Ran King, owner (and darn good looking, and rich) agrees to bring his team to Sunderland, England to help out Eve. 

Of course sparks fly between Ran and Eve. They both fight it, knowing this is just a short term meet and Ran will eventually return to Seattle once the ghost issue is resolved. But the pull is irresistible. 

Meanwhile, the ghostly phenomenon happening in Eve's home ramps up and is putting the team in harm's way. Eve seems to be the only one who can connect with the spirits, especially a young boy named Wally. The evil spirit that's keeping Wally and others trapped is bent on keeping the spirits there forever, and it will destroy anyone who tries to send them to the light. Can Ran and his team stay safe and solve the ghostly happenings? Is there a happy ending for Ran and Eve?

This was what I classify in my mind as a comfort read for me. I'm always up for a ghost story that involves a bit of history and the romance was a nice touch. Nothing surprising at all, and that was just fine with me. There was enough action moving forward that kept me reading and enjoying the plot and the characters. 

I'd read more of Kat Martin and probably will look into her other novels--she has a lot! But I really do hope she writes more involving the Paranormal Investigations team. 

Rating: 4/6 for an interesting ghost story, hot romance, and enough character building that keeps you invested but leaves the door open for *hopefully* more novels with this team. Fans of Heather Graham will enjoy this novel. 

Available in hardcover, ebook and audio book. 

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October Read: The Ghost Illusion by Kat Martin

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

 

Buy Here: https://amzn.to/3m1SPH3

I knew I'd love this book when it first was out in hardcover last year (2020) and it was getting so many great reviews. It took me a year but I finally bought it in paperback and vowed I would read it this month. This is a sweet, special story. 

Linus Baker is living a life as dull and grey as the weather in London. He is in his early forties and every day he works at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He travels to orphanages and checks to make sure the magical children at each location are being properly cared for--and he takes his job very seriously. He's been doing the same job for seventeen years. His routine is the same every day: get up, go to work, come home and feed his cat, eat a sad salad, and listen to records. No friends, nothing. He's fully aware his life is not the best, but he's just too tired to do anything about it. 

He gets a special assignment from the Extremely Upper Management--a case that is very special and secret. Linus takes the case and finds himself traveling away from the dreary, grey rain and into a special place full of sun, brilliant colors, warmth, and the sea. A house on an island full of interesting children, each uniquely special, as is Arthur, the man who is in charge of this particular orphanage. Linus is ill at ease as he reads the files on each of the children--he's way out of his comfort zone and doesn't know how he's going to make it for a whole month, observing and sending reports back to the Extremely Upper Management. 

Yet as the days tick by, Linus starts changing, a little bit more every day. He's losing his ability to stay impartial. He finds himself being charmed by all the quirky characters, and drawn to Arthur's gentle presence. He's torn between his growing feelings and knowing he will have to leave and return to his job at The Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He can't possibly dream about a different alternative, can he?

I am not going to tell you about the children--it's part of the story that you have to read and discover for yourself. But let me tell you they are all unique, and you'll quickly fall for all of them, as Linus does. This is a sweet, gentle, calming read. It is like traveling to another place; a place that calms, soothes, and heals. I sound corny, but that's how this novel made me feel. 

So take a jump into the Cerulean Sea and find out how just lovely the water feels!

Rating: 5/6 for a delightfully sweet story about a man who is lost, and how he finds his way home.

Available in hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, and audio. 

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The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune