From Goodreads:
"Caitlin King can’t believe that her shopaholic cousin actually bought two ghosts off of eBay. But she can’t ignore the truth when she starts seeing sexy Liam O’Reilly, who’s been dead for over a hundred years. He’s a fascinating specter, and the more time Caitlin spends with him, the closer they become—sending them both spiraling into a star-crossed tailspin. No matter how desperately they long for each other, there’s just no future with a guy who’s already stopped breathing.
In order to help Liam and his twin sister, Anna, leave their earthly limbo and cross over into the light, Caitlin must find the ghost of Anna’s fiancé. But a malevolent spirit is dead set against Anna moving on. Now Caitlin will have to unravel the mystery surrounding the twins’ past lives in order to keep Liam’s spirit safe—even if it means sacrificing her heart in the process."
~~~~~
Ghost for Sale was not what I expected. With a title like that, I was expecting more of a farce than a romance intertwined with a mystery. But a romance intertwined with a mystery I got, and so I read on!
The mystery of Liam and his death and the malevolent spirit holding his twin, Anna, back from going into the light was intriguing. I very much wanted to know who would hold back anyone from moving on from this life, and that storyline was well-presented and nicely resolved. I really enjoyed that part of the book.
BUT THE ROMANCE. Maybe it's my personal preference for slow-burning relationships, where the people involved actually bother to get to know each other and the reader gets to see why they fall in love with each other, but this part fell flat for me. Perhaps it's because all the getting-to-know-you interactions got summed up in a sentence or two. The reader doesn't need to spend hours and hours with the characters, but rather than telling us that they talked so easily about so many things, the author could SHOW us how they conversed so easily, despite their different times and different backgrounds. That's what I would have loved to seen. Instead, the love story feels rushed and unrealistic, especially as it takes place in a matter of days.
Also, every character in this book was very one-note--Cat is meek yet a rich daddy's girl. Her eccentric cousin is also a rich daddy's girl who attracts all the boys and doesn't want any of them. The reader is told, repeatedly, that Liam is sexy and brooding and protective. No flaws in anyone so far. Nothing to rise above, nothing to overcome. Nothing to give the MCs depth or likability. Now, if the "ghost buster" had gotten some time in the narrative, things probably could have been more interesting. But no, he was brushed to the side, too. And the ending was very disappointing--it was complete, unsatisfying wish fulfillment.
What did make this story worth reading, aside from understanding the mystery, was Liam's reactions to the modern world. His first car ride actually made me chuckle. Overall, if you were looking for a fluffy, quick beach read with no depth, this would be the book for you.
Gentle Reader Alert: This is written like a Harlequin romance, but there's nothing actually like that in the book.
No comments:
Post a Comment