Official Review: Ghosted by Baye Hartshorne
Posted: 30 Mar 2020, 17:43
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ghosted" by Baye Hartshorne.]
Imagine suddenly being able to see and talk to ghosts. Now imagine you meet a handsome ghost, and you both are immediately infatuated with each other. Would you pursue a relationship with a spirit? That is the question that faced Julia Crawley in Baye Hartshorne's contemporary romance novel Ghosted: The Treason House Trilogy.
Julia Crawley returns to her childhood home after being laid off from her job as a copy editor for a high-end fashion magazine in New York City. However, things are not as Julia had expected. Julia's perverted Uncle Dexter keeps making passes at her; her step-siblings can see ghosts, and then there are the ghosts Julia can see at the Weymouth-Bedford House, nicknamed "Treason House," and known as the most haunted house on the Jersey shore. When Julia, a modern twenty-first-century girl, meets Hillier Knight, a handsome ghost from the 1800s, there is an instant attraction between them. Julia is fascinated with Knight and can't stop thinking about him. Is she falling in love with a ghost? Not if Jonah Carillon can help it. Carillon was a pirate from the 1600s. He is a ghost at "Treason House," and it is his house and land. Carillon immediately decides to get rid of Julia. Does he succeed? Is Julia in danger from Carillon? What happens to Julia's and Knight's relationship?
The author did an excellent job of character development. Julia, Knight, and Carillon are the main characters; however, all of the characters are colorful, and a bit unbalanced, which makes for an exciting read. There are comical situations in the book, as well as frightening ones. Hartshorne's writing style is smooth and easy to follow; however, there is frequent strong profanity, which is what I disliked most about this book. The swearing starts on the first line of the first chapter and is prevalent throughout the story. Julia is a strong female protagonist, but it is also Julia who spews forth most of the profanity. I also disliked Uncle Dexter and his carnal ways.
What I liked most about this book was the interactions between Julia and the ghosts. There are violent situations between Julia and the pirate ghost, Carillon, as he tries to make her leave, but the love story between Julia and Knight is gentle and romantic. According to the title, this book is part of a trilogy; however, I could not find any indication of which book in the trilogy I was reading. Since the book ends on a shocking note, I am assuming this is book number one.
I was disappointed to discover multiple errors, which indicated a lack of professional editing. The errors are in the form of misspelled or missing words and punctuation. There are also some formatting issues, as well. I enjoyed reading this book and loved the storyline, but the number of mistakes was distracting. I hope the author will consider having the book edited professionally. Due to the unique and entertaining storyline and the well-developed characters, I am giving Ghosted by Baye Hartshorne 3 out of 4 stars. I would have given four stars if not for the many errors. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a romance novel with some humor and plenty of surprises. I do not recommend it to the younger reader due to the strong profanity and the lewd advances of an uncle.
******
Ghosted
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Imagine suddenly being able to see and talk to ghosts. Now imagine you meet a handsome ghost, and you both are immediately infatuated with each other. Would you pursue a relationship with a spirit? That is the question that faced Julia Crawley in Baye Hartshorne's contemporary romance novel Ghosted: The Treason House Trilogy.
Julia Crawley returns to her childhood home after being laid off from her job as a copy editor for a high-end fashion magazine in New York City. However, things are not as Julia had expected. Julia's perverted Uncle Dexter keeps making passes at her; her step-siblings can see ghosts, and then there are the ghosts Julia can see at the Weymouth-Bedford House, nicknamed "Treason House," and known as the most haunted house on the Jersey shore. When Julia, a modern twenty-first-century girl, meets Hillier Knight, a handsome ghost from the 1800s, there is an instant attraction between them. Julia is fascinated with Knight and can't stop thinking about him. Is she falling in love with a ghost? Not if Jonah Carillon can help it. Carillon was a pirate from the 1600s. He is a ghost at "Treason House," and it is his house and land. Carillon immediately decides to get rid of Julia. Does he succeed? Is Julia in danger from Carillon? What happens to Julia's and Knight's relationship?
The author did an excellent job of character development. Julia, Knight, and Carillon are the main characters; however, all of the characters are colorful, and a bit unbalanced, which makes for an exciting read. There are comical situations in the book, as well as frightening ones. Hartshorne's writing style is smooth and easy to follow; however, there is frequent strong profanity, which is what I disliked most about this book. The swearing starts on the first line of the first chapter and is prevalent throughout the story. Julia is a strong female protagonist, but it is also Julia who spews forth most of the profanity. I also disliked Uncle Dexter and his carnal ways.
What I liked most about this book was the interactions between Julia and the ghosts. There are violent situations between Julia and the pirate ghost, Carillon, as he tries to make her leave, but the love story between Julia and Knight is gentle and romantic. According to the title, this book is part of a trilogy; however, I could not find any indication of which book in the trilogy I was reading. Since the book ends on a shocking note, I am assuming this is book number one.
I was disappointed to discover multiple errors, which indicated a lack of professional editing. The errors are in the form of misspelled or missing words and punctuation. There are also some formatting issues, as well. I enjoyed reading this book and loved the storyline, but the number of mistakes was distracting. I hope the author will consider having the book edited professionally. Due to the unique and entertaining storyline and the well-developed characters, I am giving Ghosted by Baye Hartshorne 3 out of 4 stars. I would have given four stars if not for the many errors. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a romance novel with some humor and plenty of surprises. I do not recommend it to the younger reader due to the strong profanity and the lewd advances of an uncle.
******
Ghosted
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon