Today I have the pleasure of participating in the Blog Tour for Whisper To Me by Sherrie Lowe. When I read the synopsis of this title it sounded completely different to anything I have read before, with a mix of romance and the paranormal it sounded right up my street. I’d like to say many thanks to Rachel and Sherrie for inviting me to be part of the tour and I hope you enjoy my review!
Synopsis
A new wife and a vengeful ghost. Not a good mix.
Letitia – Tish – Stanyer makes husband Theo promise never to remarry if she dies and he complies just to pacify her. She isn’t going to die.
She does – and he does remarry. Tish isn’t happy. Her spirit cannot rest with another woman in her domain, sampling the delights of her husband. Theo belongs to her – Sheena will have to go.
Review
Widower Theo has spent the years since his wife’s untimely death alone and celibate. That is until he meets Sheena, bubbly and passionate she is the opposite of Theo’s first wife, Tish. He quickly finds himself caught up in the whirlwind of a new exciting relationship fuelled by lust and passion. But, he seems to have forgotten something; the promise he made to Tish that he would never remarry if she were to die – but surely after mourning for so long she would want him to be happy?
Returning from their honeymoon Sheena soon realises someone or something oppressive in the house wants her out and it’s not just Theo’s daughter, Saskia. Despite her attempts to tell her new husband about her paranormal encounters, Theo finds it hard to believe the ghost of his first wife is behind the ghostly happenings. But Tish wants the new Mrs Stanyer out of both her home and her husband’s life; the question is how far will she go to achieve her goal?
This book jumps straight into the story with a flashback to Theo and Tish discussing her wishes should she die before him, setting the scene perfectly before fast-forwarding 10 years. It’s obvious from the outset of the story how different not only Tish and new wife Sheena are, but also how different the newly-weds are. Sheena is lazy and to all intense and purposes downright dirty, often going days without showering, something in the early throes of passion Theo has seemingly overlooked. Add to that the strained relationship Sheena has with Theo’s daughter Saskia and the relationship is already on shaky ground before the appearance of Tish’s vengeful spirit.
I really enjoyed this fast-paced novella which kept me on my toes throughout. I especially enjoyed the secondary storyline of Saskia’s budding romance which helped bulk the story out. I found the characters were well developed considering how short the book is and Sherrie has captured the essence of family relationships perfectly. I would however have liked some more examples Tish’s ‘hauntings’ included as I felt sometimes the focus shifted to other less exciting aspects of the story. I also found there was quite a bit of repetition of details unnecessary to the story.
Having said that it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book and I was hooked from page one, devouring it in a day. I’d love to see a full-length novel as a follow up as I feel the final chapter has certainly left the door open to the possibility. It’s a fantastic easy-read, that delivers exactly what it promises and ideal as a quick read when your reading time is limited.
About The Author
I am a divorced mum of two adult sons and nana to three grandchildren, soon to be four. I’ve always had a notion to write but didn’t get round to it seriously until I became ill with M.E in 1995 when I was 40 and was too ill to continue my job as a learning support assistant in a mainstream high school. I was devastated to have to resign from my job but writing saved my sanity.
My first attempt was a memoir, Shadow Across the Sun which covered the loss of my mum to breast cancer two days before my 13th birthday. When the rejections began to flow in from traditional publishers and agencies I joined a creative writing class and learned to write fiction.
Whisper to Me is my 10th novel. I have a strong belief in the afterlife due to events following my mum’s death so most of my stories have some form of supernatural aspect to them.
Author Links: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Whisper To Me is available to purchase from Amazon
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