Restless Spirits

Rating:
Summary: Good romantic ghost story.
Review: Harry and Penelope Potter went to London to see Art Collingsworth get married. During the bachelor party Harry changed. One would almost think he was...well... possessed. Art and Penny begin to investigate the sudden changes in Harry's character.

Chester Pease was a cheat who died at the age of twenty-one. After being trapped in a whiskey bottle for years, Harry literally drinks in the spirit. Chester is determined to take over Harry's body. Art and Penny are determined to stop him with the help of Dr. Gruenstein. Together they concoct a plan to lure the spirit away.

Now, if only Art could marry Penny, instead of the ice princess.

Rating:
Summary: A fun ghost story
Review: In Victorian England, Art Collingsworth, a British aristocrat, knows that he must meet his family responsibilities by marrying a rich middle class woman. He will perform his duty by wedding the crass but opulent Julliette Griffin who will fill up the family's depleted bank account. He tries not to resent his obligation to his family, who supported him during his wild, adventurous youth. However, his resignation to his fate turns to anger when his American friend Harry Potter and his sister Penny visit him. Unlike the icy Julliette, Penny is warm and vivacious. However, Art is unaware that Penny loves him.

Although neither are prepared to act on their mutual attraction, the dissent into madness by Harry forces the couple into close proximity. Desperate, Art and Penny consult with a noted Austrian psychiatrist who observes Harry's bizarre behavior and concludes that the American is possessed by a malevolent spirit. While trying to find a way to expel the demon without harming Harry, Penny and Art give in to their desires even as they know they have no future together.

RESTLESS SPIRITS is an entertaining and delightful different addition to the "Haunting Hearts" series, a supernatural frolic within a Victorian England background. The novel strips away the polished civility practiced by the upper class who regard themselves as superior beings. Rachel Wilson has created an engaging heroine who is determined to fashion the life she wants for herself in spite of the dictates of society. The audience will care for her even as they place two thumbs down to the arrogant aristocratic hero.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A fun combo of Western Americana and Victorian England
Review: Miss Penelope Potter and her beloved brother Harry are en route from Montana to London to visit with Harry's best friend, Arthur Collingsworth. Penny fell in love with Arthur four years ago when he visited the Potter ranch. Now that she is eighteen, she hopes to impress Art with her ladylike decorum--even though the reason she and Harry are traveling England is to attend Art's nupitals.

After Penny and Harry arrive, Harry starts acting strange--agressive and violent. Penny and Art must join forces to figure out what's wrong with Harry--while, of course, fighting their attraction for each other. After all, Art will soon be marrying the lady his family chose for him, and Penny knows that marriage cannot fit in with her plans to see the world and write travel articles.

RESTLESS SPIRITS is a fun combination of Western Americana and Victorian England. Poor Penny tries with all her might to act like a lady, but her American honesty and outspokeness always come through--making her one of the most delightful heroines I've met in a long time! The paranormal elements are not at all overpowering, and there is plenty of focus on the romance even with the problem of how to return Harry back to normal, with just the right touch of Ms. Wilson's wacky signature humor. There's even an epilogue (a feature I wish more romances would have!) so we get a glimpse of what happens to the characters after they've ridden off into the sunset. I hope someday we'll get Harry's story, too. If you've never read Rachel Wilson (who also writes as Emma Craig and Alice Duncan) or a Jove Haunting Hearts, now's a great time to start!