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castairs's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn't expecting to like this so much.
Everything happens in the same building and there's only two characters and a ghost for most of the story, but I was never bored. There was a good balance between the creepy ghost incidents and the developing relationship between Luke and Jay. Both of them were easy to like and I loved the glimpses we got of their relationship as a married couple through Luke's narration.
Everything happens in the same building and there's only two characters and a ghost for most of the story, but I was never bored. There was a good balance between the creepy ghost incidents and the developing relationship between Luke and Jay. Both of them were easy to like and I loved the glimpses we got of their relationship as a married couple through Luke's narration.
downtown_kb's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Looking for a fresh start after accepting the loss of his partner Danny, Luke accepts a job cataloging the archives in an old army training facility on the outskirts of London. Jay the caretaker is the only other person on the property. But as Luke spends more time alone in an old building things begin to happen that he can’t explain.
Wow. This is one of my new favorite books and definitely one of my top reads this spooky season. This is told by Luke as he recounts these events from years back. Once the story gets going it reads like any story but he does break the 4th wall a few times as narrator (like the princess bride). I found this cute. Like getting an epilogue the entire story. In just under 150 pages Durreson manages phenomenal character building, touching on grief, guilt of moving on, abusive past relationships, mental illness, and body insecurities as Jay has a prosthetic leg. It’s a perfect mix of history, spooky atmosphere and sweet romance to fill these pages at a perfect pace. The romance was so tender. These two spend a lot of time in bed but their intimacy and trust grows there and it was a great example of steam that truly adds to the story. The ghostly happenings were truly creepy so this won’t be for everyone but I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
kit_alexander's review
5.0
I have the flu so I can't make coherent sentences, but this is one of the best books I've read this year. Which is especially saying something, because it's almost the end of December.
A+++ this is a new all-time favorite for sure, and Amy Rae Durreson has been cemented on my auto-buy list.
A+++ this is a new all-time favorite for sure, and Amy Rae Durreson has been cemented on my auto-buy list.
losthitsu's review
5.0
This was slightly outside of my comfort zone on the spookiness scale but the sheer level of domesticity and tenderness made up for it in the end.
kiki124's review
3.0
More sweet than scared,
but enough grief and rage to
stop breaths and freeze blood.
but enough grief and rage to
stop breaths and freeze blood.
claudiereads's review
4.0
4.5
This was a perfect ghost story with a side of sweet romance! In fact, it read a bit like a blend of a good Lanyon mystery and Harmon’s The Spectral Files… Thoroughly enjoyable!
This was a perfect ghost story with a side of sweet romance! In fact, it read a bit like a blend of a good Lanyon mystery and Harmon’s The Spectral Files… Thoroughly enjoyable!
cmira2027's review
5.0
Warm wonderful ghost story
Just the right mix of chills and romance. The growing relationship between Luke and Jay, set against the scary haunting of the ghost, provides the perfect combination - a lovely little story for a quiet evening.
Just the right mix of chills and romance. The growing relationship between Luke and Jay, set against the scary haunting of the ghost, provides the perfect combination - a lovely little story for a quiet evening.
terriaminute's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This is written as the story of what happened during a key period, years before in the writer's past. I found the way it was done compelling and, at the end, reassuring, because there are some creepy parts that had me reading faster. It's definitely a ghost story as well as a romance, and the author's note at the end explains what is fact and what she fictionalized, which is nice for anyone who knows the local history. Great characters, compelling backstories, Really Creepy haunting, and some themes I always enjoy; duty, pride, guilt, attraction, trauma, loss, recovery, acceptance, determination.
walford's review
4.0
3.5 'Ghost Story' isn't a selling point with me, but I really enjoyed this, and the suspense/horror elements weren't Too Excruciating. They really supported the romance, which would have been too instalovey otherwise.