Review Detail

A girl with an ability to see the dead. An English house with one very hot guy who just happens to be dead. A beautiful ghost that is able to cause havoc. All these are included in GHOST HOUSE.

What worked: I'm a huge fan of the paranormal. Add a hot ghost and an otherworldly romance? I'm so there! GHOST HOUSE is a little edgier than THE MEDIATOR series by Meg Cabot, another paranormal novel with a similar premise. Both of these books have the haunted house, handsome dead guy, reluctant girl with the ability to not only see but communicate with the dead. Here though, Adornetto adds a little more suspense, intensity with the two main characters(omg on that dream scene!). I loved how Chloe starts off with saying how she'd always seen the dead but it was her mother that taught her that they don't have any power over her. Then her mother dies and that block between worlds fades. We see that the dead can create havoc and problems.

After her mother's funeral, Chloe's English grandmother takes her Grange Hall, an English home which she's refurbished back to it's glory days of the mid 1800s. Problem is some ghosts have stayed on the grounds. Chloe not only can see them but actually talk and touch them. Alexander Reade has been dead more than 150 years and carries a painful secret that involves a beautiful ghost that has done damage in the past.

I liked the chemistry between Chloe and Alexander. He's the guilt ridden ghost that is stuck at Grange Hall. She's intrigued and then falls for his charm. There are a number of scenes that show the bitter sweetness of their relationship. Because how can anything become of a mortal and ghost being together?

Isobel is the thorn in Alexander's side. She reminded me of a British La Llorona-weeping lady-only more deadly and sinister on her attempts to get rid of Chloe which she sees as a threat. Why is revealed later on.

There's some great dialogue here too! More than a few exchanges with Alexander(him asking Chloe what's a G spot while perusing a Cosmo magazine) are too hilarious.

There's also a creepy hired help with her own secret that ties in with the house; a cute British guy; and a pair of paranormal investigators.

What I had issues with had to be with how similar this story was to Cabot's series. Yes, it's edgier and does have a very charming 1850s English guy who would sweep any girl off her feet. I just wanted more of the passion and chemistry between Chloe and Alexander. The times that is on the page were my favorites. There's a dance scene that is so powerful but bittersweet with the longing ending in a kiss. This is kind of like a reverse Romeo and Juliet story as the guy is already dead.

Isobel at first came off as one-dimensional but having the flashbacks about what lead up to her death helped give her some vulnerability. A few times she's mentioned as a siren but I really think she was a product of her times and driven to madness after one horrific event. Her choice affected not only herself but Alexander as well.

For fans of ghost love stories, this is one to check out. Haunting with suspenseful action and a bittersweet love story that you hope will go on. This is book one in a series, so I'm sure readers won't see the last of these two!