Claire Gem

This book was amazing. Full of passion, love, lust, anger, and the bond of family. Kate Bardach, an interior designer who is psychic, tries to help her aunt cross over to the spirit world when her aunt contacted her in the hotel she disappeared from 50 years ago. The new owner of the hotel, Marco Lareci, is a sexy Italian investment broker from Brooklyn who excites Kate's body like no one else. On Kate's mission to help her aunt with the help of Marco, they end up falling in love. I would recommend this book to anyone (ages 16+). Claire Gem is an amazing writer and I will be looking for more of her books. i was lucky enough to win this book on a member giveaway.… (more)

Wow, what a wonderful book! It is a perfect mix of romance and ghost story in the beautiful setting of an old library.

The tension between Abbey and Jack was perceptible from the moment they first met, and what followed was the well-known romance routine: the first awkward encounters until both realize and succumb to their mutual affection for each other. The misunderstandings that leads to their breakup, leaving both of them miserable. The ultimate happy end when love overcomes all obstacles and brings them together again. While this may sound corny and boring, it was anything but, not least by the added ghost mystery.

With ardent zeal I followed Abbeys and Jacks inquiries about the history of the library and its ghostly resident Harry and his wife. The solution was a sad yet at the same time happy one. The past and present love stories complemented one another perfectly, weaving both plot lines into an intricate tale of love, loss and reunion.

The characters were well-drawn, very vivid and each one unique in their own way, creating a kaleidoscope of odd and endearing personalities. Add to that the library itself, which can be considered a main character as well. Following Abbey's tireless struggle to revive the musty old building against all odds was a pleasure by itself.

A note on the audio book version: this was my first real audio book and not being a native English speaker I was concerned about understanding everything correctly. However, the speaker was very well chosen, with clear pronunciation, using only subtle changes in pitch to reflect different voices or situations. The soft smooth voice fit the story perfectly and was a pleasure to listen to.

An outstanding romance/mystery novel in every sense - highly recommended.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)… (more)