by Chrissy Dionne
Romance Junkies

An ancient relic granted by Divine Decree to a Noble Knight who had been mortally wounded is buried beneath the foundation of a home - this home had once been named Pierce House but now is known as THE HOUSE ON THE BLUFF. Only a direct descendant of the Noble Knight may take possession of the house - and even he or she will be tested by the house to deem if he or she is worthy.

Abigail and her consort, Ethan, have fulfilled the prophecy surrounding their current dwelling which they’ve converted into an Inn. It’s a beautiful house steeped in mystery and ghostly wonders - who cling to the old ways. There’s no electricity, no running water, no central heating system, no phone and no television. Abigail’s a bit apprehensive about their first guests. There’s a possibility they’ll get spooked and want to leave especially once the ghosts make themselves known. There’s no way of telling how the ghosts will react to guests at the Inn and Jacob, the apparitions’ “Ambassador,” knows it will just depend. Many of the ghosts have been living there for centuries and may not like having visitors in their house.

As soon as the first guests arrives a shapeless apparition appears over the Inn. Abigail, Ethan, and Tony (town sheriff and sometime permanent resident of the Inn when he’s not working) quickly realize that this apparition is not one of the ‘Others’ and they question who it is and what it wants. The ghostly appearance doesn’t scare off the guests though and is just the beginning of the bizarre appearances which will be taking place over the next couple of days. What will happen when the guests unexplainably begin to start disappearing - one or two at a time? Is the house holding them hostage?

I don’t normally read ghost stories but I have to tell you I was fascinated by this one! Elena Dorothy Bowmen’s GATEKEEPER’S REALM takes an ancient prophecy and brings it into a modern day setting with results that will steal your breath. I was enthralled by the ghost scenes and the guests reactions to each of them and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next or to whom it would happen. The storyline moved along at a quick pace but it never lacked enough descriptive information that I was easily able to imagine each of the scenes.

I would highly recommend reading HOUSE ON THE BLUFF first simply because I believe it goes into more of the details of what Abigail had to endure in order to claim the house. Of course, I’m also going to recommend the third book, ADAM’S POINT, because there are questions that are left unanswered in this story and I’m dying to find out the answers. HOUSE ON THE BLUFF, GATEKEEPER’S REALM and ADAM’S POINT are all available now.

SNIPPET:
The HOUSE ON THE BLUFF has been converted into an Inn and the ghostly spirits who inhabit the house seem to have taken offense at the guests presence amongst them. Are any of them safe from the ghostly wrath? What will happen when the guests start mysteriously disappearing?

Lieutenant John Driscoll has just buried his wife who was in a deep coma for several years, after a drunk driving accident took the life of his daughter. He isn’t given any time to grieve before the mayor assigns him a new case. Tourists are turning up dead in New York City tourist attractions, prominently displayed for everyone to see. It’s up to Driscoll and his team to find out who is killing these people and why.

It doesn’t take them or the reader long to learn the identities of these killers and their motive. These are the only unique factors in an otherwise predictable story. I’ve read too many serial killer novels and have become jaded with their plots. Nevertheless, I found myself engrossed and feeling almost sympathetic for the killers. I liked the way O’Callaghan humanized the cops, especially Margaret Aligante, who was the most affected by this case because of her background. Recommended.

Judas Coyne is a retired heavy metal rock star, living a meaningless life until his assistant tells him about a listing for a “ghost for sale” on Ebay. A collector of macabre artifacts, he jumps at the chance to win a haunted suit and places a bid. The suit arrives in a heart-shaped box a short time later. Sure enough, it is haunted by a ghost and he wants vengeance.

Jude contacts the seller of the suit and learns that she is the sister of his ex-girlfriend, whom he’d nicknamed Florida. The ghost is Craddock McDermott, step-father of the girls. Both he and the surviving sister blame Judas for Florida’’s suicide. They want Jude to die and anyone else who tries to interfere in what they feel is justice. Heart-Shaped Box is a superb tale of love and redemption. I opened this book expecting to hate Judas Coyne on many levels. He wasn’t a nice person, especially in the beginning. By the middle of the book, I found out why. And by the end, I rooted for him and his girlfriend, Marybeth (a.k.a. Georgia). Hill did a great job crafting his flawed characters. There was a little bit of gore and plenty of hair-raising scenes. This has become one of my favorite books for 2007.

Girls Most Likely chronicles the lives of four African American women from the fifth grade to their 30th high school reunion. This book had me hooked from the first page, which doesn’t happen with me as much anymore. It starts off with Vaughn, who is rescued from the class bully by popular Irene Keller. Through Vaughn, we learn how their relationships solidify through their individual problems. Vaughn’s story ends the day they graduate high school. Irene’s (”Reenie”) story picks up right after high school and takes us through her unwanted pregnancy and a disastrous marriage. Su’s story begins after Reenie dumps her ex-husband for good. She is tries to come to terms with her parents’ mistakes and a betrayal with one of her friends. Finally, we have Audrey, who is determined to succeed at all costs. Her voice is the strongest of all the narrators. However, I enjoyed reading about each of these women and how they overcame the obstacles in their lives. I got a good sense of what it was like to grow up, go to college, and enter the workforce as a female African American. Sheila Williams pulled this off very well. Her writing style is vibrant and will have you laughing out loud at times. Highly recommended.