Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Book Tour for Ghosts of Grace Cottage by Carolyn Wren (Review & GIVEAWAY)


Fans of the paranormal will find this book a decadent holiday delight.  Keep reading to get a tantalizing taste of Ghosts of Grace Cottage by Carolyn Wren, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour.  Make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $50 GC from Amazon or Secret Cravings Publishing too!

Eloisa Waters is creating a new life for herself.  After travelling for twelve months, she comes home at Christmas, purchasing a small country cottage in a sleepy English village, despite the fact its previous owner was a recluse, the original owner was supposedly a witch, and it’s now rumored to be haunted!
On the first night in her new home, sensual erotic dreams surprise and delight her.  Only these aren’t dreams.  The rumors are true.  Two handsome Regency ghosts inhabit the cottage, becoming corporeal at night, trapped by a curse, compelled to satisfy every desire of the new owner.
Elly begins to fall in love with Anton and Phillipe, her charming ghostly lovers.  But is there more? Can the curse be broken? Or does Elly risk her own soul. As Christmas approaches, and memories surface, how will Elly choose?  How can she possibly leave behind the Ghosts of Grace Cottage?

EXCERPT:

“Est-elle blesse!”
“Peut-être s’est-elle cognée sa tête?”
Elly moaned. “I’m not hurt, and I didn’t hit my head. Can you speak more slowly and in English? My French skills deteriorate when I’m in pain.”
“Pardon…sorry, English. You frightened us.”
Her eyes snapped open. “I frightened you?” She scrambled backwards. “You...” She swallowed. “You’re…dead!”
She hadn’t imagined it. Two men knelt on the floor beside her. Two truly gorgeous men. One blond and one dark-haired, they were dressed in some sort of period costumes. Regency if she had to take a guess. It appeared as if they were standing behind a film of gossamer thin material, giving them an unusual translucent look.
“Eloisa, please….” the blond man said.
Elly scrambled backward a few more feet. “How do you know my name?”
“You talk to yourself,” he replied with an elegant, one-shouldered shrug.
“Oh, right, yes I do, but that doesn’t excuse the fact you’re dead.”
The dark haired man, who was drop-dead gorgeous, no pun intended, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Eloisa, yes, you are correct. We mean you no harm. We are always here. You are seeing us now because you needed to.”
Having the dead theory confirmed, snapped Elly out of her shock. “Ghosts don’t exist.”
A hint of a smile tilted the blond man’s mouth. “I thought that too until I became one.”
“What do you mean I’m only seeing you now because I need to? What do you mean you’re here for me?” Am I repeating myself?
“It is the curse.”
“I’m cursed?” Her words came out as a high pitched squeak.
“No, we are.”

BUY LINKS:  SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING  |  AMAZON  |  BN  |  ARe  |  SMASHWORDS  |  iTUNES

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

Ms. Wren has crafted a quick read to add a bit of spice to your holiday with the tale of two ghosts devoted to the woman experiencing her first Christmas alone since the death of her parents.  With the perfect balance of sensual interludes and heartwarming moments it's easy to become immersed in this story rooting for its unconventional HEA.

Eloisa is alone for Christmas this year and starting over by moving into an old home.  She's not alone for long though as two sexy spirits start visiting her every night.  They're devoted to her from the moment they see her, as they have been to every lonely female who's lived there before as they're cursed to do.  All the females who've come before have left them though, but this time they've found the one woman more devoted to their happiness than to her own.  Eloisa is a strong-willed woman who's handling the loss of her parents with bravery.  She's quick to believe what Anton and Phillipe are and their predicament.  Though they're devoted to every one of her sensual delights she takes the time to make them happy too by making them fully a part of her life and the contemporary world.  Eloisa's immensely kindhearted too which ultimately makes for a satisfying romance and believable yet quickly wrapped-up ending.

Anton and Phillipe are sexy and charming.  They've been trapped in this old home since the Regency period.  Some years have left them unable to be heard or seen and other times have them left behind.  Their fear of loneliness is palpable and had me sympathetic towards them.  The limits to their ghostly state is cleverly concocted to make a satisfying relationship believable and yet adds to their frustration of having to rely on the feelings of another for their happiness.  These two men are larger than life, colorful in their speech and actions, and it makes them easy to fall for.

This was a short story that was immensely satisfying.  It was a sexy yet heartwarming tale to help ring in the holiday and totally succeeds on that level.  The characters are likable with a romance that's deeply emotional and crackles with electricity.  Ms. Wren has written a memorable holiday tale that I recommend for those needing a break from the hustle and bustle! 

My rating for this is a B+

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

I was born in England. My parents loved to travel as my dad spent many years in the navy. By the time I reached the age of 12 we had traveled pretty much around the world on cruise ships.
This sounds fun and exciting unless like me you can get sea sick sitting in a bathtub. Lets just say boats do not feature highly in my books.
I still love to travel, but I use planes. All of my life I have written stories in my head. I would rewrite and add characters to TV shows, edit and change novels I was reading, invent scenarios and scenes to amuse myself on long journeys. But strangely I never wrote any of them down. About three years ago I woke up with a scene so clear in my head I knew I had to put it down on paper. Now, what should I do with this one page of prose? I know, I will email it to some friends. The friends approved, in fact they asked what book it was from. I shyly admitted it was my own work and the reaction was immediate...please write the next bit! I did and I have not stopped writing since.

WEBSITE:  www.carolynwren.com

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/carolynwrenauthor
TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/carolyn_wren

**********GIVEAWAY**********

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments:

  1. Thank you hosting me and my book today, thank you for the lovely review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the review!

    Trix, vitajex(at)Aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really enjoyed reading the excerpt and the review together - it gives me a feel for the writers style and the story content - definitely a book I want to add to my reading list. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for hosting. What I loved best was the interesting excerpt plus the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I liked the book blurb, excerpt and author info.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you very much for sharing the exerpt and the author information. I always love reading about the authors.

    ReplyDelete