Restless Spirits

Marilee Harper really didn’t mean to set fire to her boss’s new house. However, in the great scheme of things intent doesn’t matter; so she’s essentially jobless. Her mother digs up a new job opportunity: converting an old (reportedly haunted) house into a bed and breakfast. It looks like a fine job, working closely with her mother notwithstanding. There is also her new boss. 

John Smith, the aforementioned boss, is pleased by his new hire. He needs to make this house of his more welcoming to future visitors, and Marilee looks like she knows what she’s doing. The bed and breakfast will surely be a success. And those rumors of ghosts, pffft. It’s an old house with all of its eccentricities, nothing more sinister. Right?

“Restless Spirits” has a varied cast of characters, some better drawn than others, and most are likeable. They are also introduced gradually, so the reader doesn’t get overwhelmed. One of the best is John: bighearted, generous and somewhat clumsy. Marilee, on the other hand, is not an easy character. She is argumentative and downright mean at times, and since the book is written in first person point of view, that makes some portions difficult to push through. The paranormal elements of the book could have been better developed.  As things stand, most of it is dumped on the reader at once, which can cause some confusion. All in all, a promising storyline that needs some more work, but the contribution from colorful characters makes it a pleasing read!

Ana Smith