Here I Stay

This spooky story is about a woman who will do anything to care for her younger brother. Andrea has been in charge of her younger brother Jim since their parents' deaths when Andrea was 19 and Jim was 7. The parents left nothing and it has been a major struggle for Andrea. She became hyper-focused on creating a good life for them. When Jim is in a car accident and almost dies, Andrea pulls him back. Then she throws herself into turning an old house that she inherited from a great aunt into a bed and breakfast.

Andrea is so focused and single-minded that she refuses to acknowledge that the house has a presence that may not be good for either of them. She finds the previous owner, Mary Fairfax, to be a sort of role model for her as she show more was a widowed woman with a child who was determined to have a business and succeed in a time when Victorian ladies didn't do that sort of thing. Jim becomes obsessed with Mary's daughter Alice.

Martin Greenspan becomes a long term boarder at the B & B. He's a reporter who is writing a book. He also holds completely opposite political views from Andrea. He successfully befriends Jim and falls in love with Andrea. Andrea keeps him at arm's length because of her own obsessions with success and keeping Jim happy.

The story was spooky and just a little dated. It was written in 1983 in a time before cell phones and the internet. My first real clue to the age of this story was the number of people who were smoking. I have to say that I didn't like Andrea very much. She was so rigid and focused and blind to anything that didn't fit into her worldview.

If you are looking for a story that is spooky but with out graphic violence, this is the one for you. show less

Well, this one I didn't see coming. I probably should have, but I was too spooked to notice. As always, creepy is Barbara Michaels middle name. I love her characters - flawed, but likable - very realistic in unrealistic situations. Good read. Haunted me for days afterwards...pun intended.

There are a few elements to Michaels's books I can always count on and that's light touches of humor, strong heroines, and fantastic side characters. Andrea doesn't disappoint as a heroine, she's a little more uptight than I'm used to coming from Michaels, but you understood why she was that way. If you like gothic mysteries you'll enjoy this.

The Haunting Turning a decrepit old mansion into a beautiful country inn isn't easy, but for Andrea Torgesen, the hard work is exactly what her young brother, Jim, needs after a serious car accident. Or, so she thinks--until Jim is haunted by unearthly voices and eerie visions, and becomes obsessed with a long-neglected graveyard. Suddenly, the impossible becomes terrifyingly possible and Andrea must battle an evil force that threatens to destroy their lives.