The Haunting of a Duke

Emme Walters has a gift (or a curse, depends how you look at it) – she can communicate with the dead, not reliably, but it still sets her apart from the usual debutantes. So when she’s invited to a house party hosted by a duke, she can’t really say no, even when the invitation comes with strings – learning what actually happened to the previous duchess. If only the duke didn’t attract her so.
As for the duke, also known as Rhys Brammel, he is sick and tired of people accusing him of murdering his wife. He wants to clear his name, but he is convinced that the “medium” his mother invited is not the way to do it. She is either a lunatic or a money-hungry charlatan. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to stop lusting after her. A bit inconvenient that…
An enjoyable book, with a strong romance at its focus. Reading about Rhys and Emme is gratifying, and seeing how they overcome the prejudice and fall in love - a true pleasure to read!  Also, Rhys’ friends are delightful, and would make splendid heroes (hint, hint). Unfortunately, there were some issues with the suspense subplot and the way the characters dealt with problems that stemmed from it. While the mystery itself does awaken the interest of the reader, the solving of it leaves something to be desired.   There are moments of action, but they disturb the flow of the story, and that makes it hard to completely hold the attention of the reader. Nevertheless, the romance itself and the characters make reading the book a charming experience!
Ana Smith