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Welcome to Fiction Friday! With Halloween fast approaching, what better way than to snuggle in with some paranormal reading and a little bit of spice.
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Getting inspiration from my previous blog of book reviews, my eye caught on a promised blogpost that I have yet to fulfill. With that said, despite it being at least several years since I last read this book, I took the time to refresh my memory by rereading it. guiltily eyes my to-be-read pile
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Yes well, it's not your usual collection of ghost stories, but if you don't mind a sprinkle of steamy romance to mix in with the supernatural (that's at least on a different category than the popular vampire romances these days), then I'd recommend this book to you:
"The Chinese Bed" by Anna Campbell
Written in alternating POVs of the two pairs of lovers that are introduced to us in this story, the first pair find themselves as ghosts unable to move on due to a tragedy that took place on their wedding night 70 years prior to our second pair getting married. This first story to the anthology is a perfect mix of mystery and the paranormal, with the focal point being, you guessed it, the cursed Chinese bed.
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"Old Salt" by Carolyn Crane
This story opens up in the small, seaside town of Clancyville, known for their local ghost-sighting name Old Salt, and Cassie helps her family make a living out of it. Though through a drunken accident, Cassie then finds herself a ghost who comes face to face with the not-so Old Salt, but actually hot Captain William McHenry. A surprisingly sweet read that gives 'never giving up on love' a whole new afterlife.
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"Haints and Hobwebs" by Jennifer Estep
A retired-assassin finds herself being followed by a haint (as what they call wandering spirits in this series), who needs her assistance in solving a cold-case. Action-packed and maybe with just a hint of gore, this is a story happening in a series called Elemental Assassin, though even if you've not read any of its books, you can still enjoy this story as a standalone.
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"Hat-Trick" by Gwen Cready
A hockey term for scoring three goals in a single game by one player, resident affable ghost Danny, thinks he's had a great life and a kick-ass death to his name, there's just only one good thing missing though. With newly-divorced Cass moving into the apartment where he lives haunts prove to be as good as living, will Danny take the next step to be a little bit more corporeal? I liked the dynamics our leads here had with each other, it was funny and sweet though I hope that sort of ending ends up being good for the both of them in the end.
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"Ghost of Blackstone Manor" by Donna Fletcher
Amanda Steele inherits the Blackstone Manor that her grandma left to her name, but soon finds herself seeking the assistance of ghost whisperer, Mitch Connell, when strange and steamy happenings start to manifest in the manor. Just some plain, old mansion mystery in this one with an otherwise harmless ghost and a dash of spicy scenes.
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"Seventeen Coppers" by Jeannie Holmes
Set in a steampunk setting, we have a half-fae named Ro who is hired by a noblewoman to steal her husband's 'soul orb' or ecto-impression (as they call it here), from his murderer. It would have been as easy as pick-pocketing had Ro's old flame not gotten involved in the picture. More of worldbuilding in this one than having an actual ghost romance, it was entertaining but the steampunk genre isn't exactly my cuppa.
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"Yours in Eternity" by C.T. Adams
Lola's always had the ability to see ghosts, but when her beloved husband didn't even appear to say goodbye at his deathbed, she discovers he'd gotten his soul trapped somewhere. Pretty short story this one, could have gone with more of a backstory.
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"The Lovers" by Julia London
Much like "The Chinese Bed", this story features two pairs of lovers, though on a less sinister entity such as the cursed bed and more on the sexual frustration of having died long before they could have eloped. Could a pair of star-crossed ghosts get the married couple, who inherited the haunted property, to see passion again in their shaky marriage? Hauntingly steamy, this would be a perfect read for a stormy night.
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"A Single Girl's Guide to Getting Ahead" by Liz Maverick
In a story where ghosts can be delivered at your doorstep (Yes, you read that right), Shelby needs a little paranormal help in getting her ex to get the hell out of her life and apartment and what better way to get the job done than by ordering an "extra scary" ghost, except said ghost turned out to be "extra hot" too. This story was hella comical and I actually wouldn't mind an expansion on how Shelby and her ghostly relationship with Joe would work out for them in the future.
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"Jonquils in the Snow" by Annette Blair
Widower, Caleb, along with his six year old daughter finds himself led to a farm on sale by a ghostly apparition, there he meets widowed Hannah, also mourning the lost of her own child as well as her twin sister. Will love be able to bloom between these two despite the long, harsh winter they've stucked themselves in? This read like one of those Hallmark dramas I used to see on TV, though maybe due to its otherwise Amish setting; A sweet read if not a bit long.
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"The Heart Thief" by Cindy Miles
Dari is on a working holiday in the magical country of Scotland where she meets the very charming ghost of a certain Captain Justin Catesby, though unlike our lovelorn ghost from "Old Salt", Justin doesn't seem to know why he is stuck in the realm of the living, though that doesn't stop the attraction that soon manifests between these two hearts. Quite fun to read and was hoping for a more expanded version on this, I enjoyed the banter between Dari and Justin.
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"Ghost in the Machine" by Dru Pagliassotti
Constante and her younger brother, Davie are left to run their father's automaton business after his unsolved murder, with Davie believing in the spiritual side of things, he thinks that they could solve their father's murder thru a seance of sorts. But it all doesn't turn out simple when your surrounded by battery operated automatons. Also of the steampunk genre but I found this one more tolerable than "Seventeen Coppers" in the fact that it was filled with action-packed, on-the-edge-of-your-seat goodness.
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"Three Little Words" by Christie Ridgway
Jemma inevitably meets her not-so-boyfriend Troy at her bestfriend's wedding after six months of no communication from him. When the reception ends with a nightout in a haunted house, will their true feelings for each other be laid to rest? Kinda short read but definitely enjoyed the aspect of horror on this one BECAUSE damn, that ghost had an attitude!
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"Ghost of a Chance" by Caridad Pineiro
Mystery writer, Tracy Gomez, receives an invitation to solve the Ryan family's 'death' by spending the weekend at the supposedly haunted family mansion. Will she, or any of the four other participants win the cash prize of solving this cold case? And what's in it for Atty. Peter Angelo and why does he want this case solved badly? Had a lot of 'Murder Mystery' vibes to this one, but the pacing was too fast to even enjoy the unfolding of the mystery. I mean, if it only took a seance to uncover at least half of what they discovered, then why did they have to wait eighty years to have it solved??
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"In His Hands" by Sara Reinke
Dr. Jack Harris woke up to the best sex of his life, unfortunately he didn't get the woman's name. Imagine his surprise when he finds that same woman in the hospital, stuck in a coma for some time now. As a man of science, he wonders how that is even possible and things start to get weirder for him when the ghost named Laura keeps coming back to him asking for help from something that's after her wandering soul. This was one of the better stories in this anthology, with just the right mix of supernatural and spice with that added touch of gore and in all actuality, Dr. Harris has won my heart of being the male lead in this story.
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"Can You Hear Me Now?" by Sharon Shinn
Stacey one day answers her phone to a call from her dad, but he's been dead for two months now so how?? Not only that, but she's been also receiving calls from other ghosts who wish to bid their loved ones farewell! What's a girl to do but play ghost whisperer, but can she sneak in the time for some romance with her cute, next-door neighbor? This ended up as a surprisingly bittersweet read and I actually found myself sort of weepy after rereading it after all this years, their's just something final about these sortof farewells.
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GIF from Tenor
"The Storm" by Linda Wisdom
Just as the title says, a storm brings a rather handsome stranger to Zoe's doorstep; his truck's stuck in a ditch and they're technically stuck together until help arrives once the rain stops pouring, but is that all there is to their setup? Just a really quick question for you guys out there, have you watched that 2002 movie titled, The Others? Yeah that one had a shocker ending, right?
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">>>--4EVR--->" by Holly Lisle
Mike had been searching for his missing girlfriend for five years now, it wasn't until the night of his bestfriend's wedding did he get to see her again, but what is she hiding and why is she leading him in this wild goose chase to give him the answers he'd always meant to ask her? This was a pretty wild read that had some seriously sinister undertones to it.
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Now with all that said and done, how would I rate this "Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance" in its entirety? Well I'm willing to give it a whopping 4-stars just for the fact that it was pretty entertaining in its self, and despite having some 'misses' with some of its stories (which really just goes down to a reader's own preferences), there'll still be ones that'll seemingly 'haunt' the deepest recesses of your memories even after having read it several years prior.
And so I'll be leaving you to your reading and have a Happy Halloween!
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