A magical and mysterious whirlwind from beginning to end with a good dash of horror.
Let me tell you, I read this book in ONE NIGHT. Yes, I'm a fast reader, but when a book keeps me up till the early hours of the morning, it's going on my list. This book did NOT disappoint.
This wasn't your typical romance. The male lead wasn't some shirtless bodybuilder. He wasn't sweaty, incredibly masculine, and out to find his "mate." This guy was a suave, smooth-talking, suit-wearing, sometimes clumsy, comedic magician who knew exactly what he wanted and his game was one of the craziest games to read about. This book was FILLED with mystery and I had questions building up from the very first page and in the page-turning way, not the "please get to the point" way.
The book starts with Alice, a girl who's a little lost in her own life. She gets a job as the nighttime caretaker at the late Julian Strande's HUGE estate. And I mean HUGE. Think Winchester mansion with all its maze-like architecture x 100. That alone caught my interest because this house...mansion...museum?...it just sounded absolutely incredible and haunting, even without the fact that it was haunted by Julian Strande's ghost. Julian Strande was up there with Houdini and other notable magicians back in the day and now haunts his house in death.
Alice herself was perhaps one of the most relatable characters I've ever read about. She's an introvert, like almost any writer or reader, and doesn't like the company of most people. On top of it, she's a gamer, she's creative, and she has a giant tattoo that she often keeps concealed behind clothing. Not only that, but she's extremely intelligent and I adored the way she discovered herself throughout the book during her experiences at the estate. I LOVED her.
On the other hand, the main male protagonist was Buffy's Spike in my head if Spike wore suits and and had two different colored eyes. Tall, lanky, beautiful, a bit goofy and a HUGE flirt. Without giving anything away because I ABSOLUTELY recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, ghosts, a little sex and LOTS of hot-dirty-talk, sweet romance, and tons of mystery, this book was such a joy to read. This guy isn't your typical white knight. He's forceful and honest and causes Alice to rethink almost everything about herself. OH! and he's also...you know...a ghost. When it ended, I immediately downloaded the second book onto my tablet. I haven't started yet because I do have a business to run and I fear for my sleep schedule, but damn I am excited to get a moment.
Julian Strande. You're on my list, good sir <3
You can download this book on AMAZON.