A Ghost Among Us

Rating:
Summary: I'm a Fan
Review: I am constantly looking for good new books to read. I am a voracious reader; having two small children hasn't slowed me down much -- I gobbled this book down in a couple of days, and now can't stand to wait for the sequel! The ensemble cast of characters is so well-drawn I could see each of them, and felt as if I came to know them. But the main character of this love story/fantasy is Sir Jerome Kennington, the man every woman is searching for in life. Of course, he's been dead for almost 200 years, but no man is perfect.

The plot is fascinating; I particularly liked the way it moved from the modern-day in the Hampstead house to 1811, when Sir Jerome was alive and owned the Hampstead estate. The author has historical detailing down, and this part of the novel is as vivid as the modern-day scenes. If Robin Herald, the look-alike descendant of Sir Jerome Kennington, isn't as perfect as his ancestor, he's pretty close!

I highly recommend this novel not just for fantasy lovers, but romantic fiction lovers everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a convert
Review: I usually only read true-crime and some horror, Stephen King stuff. But this novel has converted me to fantasy; I loved the characters and the action. The plot is terrific and will hold the reader throughout the book. Spiritually I've become a seeker myself, and the author's thoughts on the afterlife are interesting. I would highly recommend this novel to readers.

Rating:
Summary: AuthorZone.Com Book Review
Review: Never before have I encountered a ghost I like so much as Sir Jerome Kennington. We should all be so lucky to have a spirit so full of life in our homes.
Three women rent a house in Hampstead that comes furnished with antiques and its own resident earth bound spirit. What follows is a wonderful story of the three living together, as only women can, sharing and supporting each other through career challenges, men troubles and decisions of what to wear.

Deirdre Hall is a television show host who falls for a guest rock star. Charlotte Lewis is a photographer who wants desperately to capture the essence of the souls in London, and Natalie Ladd is a painter who ends up wowing the crowds at a gallery showing. In between the inspiring lives these ladies lead, they find the time to make love with their boyfriends, liberate a lab full of test animals and help sort out the mystery that has their ghost remaining on the earthly plain.

Jerome was murdered, and he needs to discover why and by whose hand. There is an evolution here of this lost soul. At first he can only be seen by the three women, the first in 200 years to do so. Then he discovers that others can see him as well. He was trapped in the house that at one time was part of his own estate, but as time goes by, with the women to help him, he finds he is able to travel about. Jerome shares with the girls, his understanding of life and death and reincarnation: shocking one of the boyfriends.

And then there is Deidre's boyfriend, the rock star, who looks exactly like Jerome. Though he is not a Kennington, it is possible that he is a descendant and turns out to be a clue to a piece of the puzzle.

The author has succeeded in bringing a group of friends to life for the reader, even the character who has been dead for so long. Attention to detail is given at just the right moments. The research that was involved, in portraying Jerome's story from the 1800's, was obviously enjoyed by the author, as the details of the period are wonderfully vibrant.

I savored this book to the very end, which turns out to not be the end after all. The second novel, Jerome's Quest, I am told will be available shortly. I look forward to it with much anticipation.

Reviewed by: Heather Froeschl

Rating:
Summary: Book slinging is back.
Review: Not since my high school geometry book have I felt more like slinging a book across the room. Not until reading A Ghost Among Us. The writing waffles, the storylines meander, the characters are cardboard cutouts and the dialogue is stilted. The only redeeming aspect of this work was the flashback segments set in Regency England about Jerome, the ghost into whose house three superficial party girls move. I can not in good conscious recommend this book to readers. However, writers, struggling to sell their own romances, might read this for encouragement. If this can get published -- your pet project can too!

Rating:
Summary: Not just for the girls
Review: OK, I'm pretty sure this is ranked as a 'womens' book. But it's a terrific fantasy, and it has some great sex scenes. This comes from a male perspective; the male characters are real, and not just reflections of the female characters' wish fulfillment dreams. As others have stated here, Sir Jerome Kennington is the central, pivotal character of the tale, and he comes alive for the reader -- even though he's been dead for almost 200 years.

The novel touches on many of the concerns people have today with spirituality and the afterlife; we are searching for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world, and even though I know there are going to be some radical Christians out there who will denounce this book and the ideas it puts forth, but I find them refreshing and would like to think that perhaps we could be that lucky...

Rating:
Summary: Not just for the girls
Review: OK, I'm pretty sure this is ranked as a 'womens' book. But it's a terrific fantasy, and it has some great sex scenes. This comes from a male perspective; the male characters are real, and not just reflections of the female characters' wish fulfillment dreams. As others have stated here, Sir Jerome Kennington is the central, pivotal character of the tale, and he comes alive for the reader -- even though he's been dead for almost 200 years.

The novel touches on many of the concerns people have today with spirituality and the afterlife; we are searching for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world, and even though I know there are going to be some radical Christians out there who will denounce this book and the ideas it puts forth, but I find them refreshing and would like to think that perhaps we could be that lucky...

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous fantasy and romance
Review: This novel rocks! Great characters, terrific action; Neo-Pagans would love it, and everyone else should too...except perhaps Fundamentalists of Patriarchal religions who refuse to have an open mind to new concepts.

It is a fantasy and a romance; a woman's book that men will love, too. All the characters are well-drawn and individual, a difficult thing to do with an ensemble cast like this one. I particularly loved the scenes set in 1811, when Jerome the ghost was still alive. I hope there's a sequel!