Coffee and Wander Book Reviews: [Book Tour- Review] Lured by the Ghost Rake by Marianna Green [GIVEAWAY]

Lured By The Ghost Rake

by Marianna Green

GENRE: Romance, Ghost Story

BLURB:

When Elda Elwood goes on a visit to her actor lover Jake Reynolds’ ancestral home, she is drawn by a portrait of his ancestor, eighteenth century rake Lord Lucas Lovegrove.

She learns the tragic story behind the viscount’s marriage to the innocent young heiress Rose Ashworth.

Elda senses that the portrait has strange powers, and that the house is haunted by Lovegrove’s predatory and sexual ghost...

And what is the secret of the sinister pagoda in the grounds?

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.

Excerpt:

It was a miniature pagoda, reminding Elda of the one in Kew Gardens. This one was far smaller and less ornate, rising to seven floors. They walked through the damp wild garden with rhododendron trees and bushes bright with blossoms, following a path through the bamboo plantation, the wet, stirring fronds catching at their clothes with a whispering noise.

It seemed to Elda was almost like a medley of human voices. One was stronger than the others, faint but enticing: Come to me...Come to me...

Silence fell like a cloak about them as they approached the pagoda, their footsteps muted on the moss-grown stone slabs surrounding the building. From the distance it had looked grand and ornate. A stab of disappointment shot through Elda as she saw how it had fallen into ruin.

Sun and rain had splintered the external woodwork, while the windows were dirty and cracked, with lichen growing round the frames. The red paint on the doors was flaking, the iron on the balconies rusted, the ornamental heads which decorated each layer falling apart.

Jake tried the doors, to find them locked. “That’s got to be down to some health and safety law. I’m guessing the floors are rotten.”

Through the grimy windows, they could see a collection of ruinous furniture, nameless debris, and dust. Elda noted an old upright piano, some battered chaise longues, and the faded murals painted on the walls. In the centre of the room, a spiral staircase was covered in fallen debris...

...As Elda gazed in at the circular room inside, she could see it both as it was, and over that in a transparent layer, how it had been over two hundred years ago.

It was a fine room, perhaps twenty feet across, with gaudy murals of dragons, mountains, and other eastern images. It was luxuriously furnished, with the archaic furniture and piano all as new.

There was a group sitting and listening while Lucas Lovegrove played and singing at the instrument. His voice was outstanding, bringing the stilted words and formal melody of the old song to life. Naturally, his voice lured. The women could not keep their eyes off him.

The book starts in a portrait gallery of previous owners of the mansion. The main character is admiring the portraits, but the portrait of Lucas Lovegrove is different. It feels haunted, and Elda soon realizes that that is exactly what is happening. The novella then goes on to show Elda's delve into the paranormal. The long gone Lucas Lovegrove wants Elda and he will stop at nothing to get her. Meanwhile, Elda acknowledges her feelings towards her lover Jake.

This is not a romance between a ghost and the main character. The ghost is not a very nice individual and he wants Elda by force, and not through her consent. He taunts her throughout the book and it comes to a head at the end. I was originally thinking this was going to be a paranormal romance but it's more of a ghost mystery. There's some romance sprinkled in with her lover Jake, but not a lot. I did enjoy Elda's character and the character of Jake. My favorite part about this novella was the atmosphere. I loved the spooky English countryside vibes. The writing style was hard for me to follow personally, but it may be someone else's style.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick ghost mystery in the English countryside I would recommend this.