Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 5/30/13
Sarah Markham always assumed that the Ivy League was her ticket to a new life. But after graduating from Harvard at the height of the Great Recession, she finds herself with no job offers and not much hope. That all changes when she enters a bookshop owned by Samuel, an eccentric intellectual who offers her not just a job, but also a place to stay. Sarah soon discovers a small catch though: her room is haunted by Lucy Larch, an opinionated and strong-willed ghost from the 1940s. As Sarah tries to help Lucy move on, she meets handsome Irishman Ian Flynn and falls in love, but her insecurities soon threaten every relationship she’s built.
As Sarah grapples with questions of faith, love, and identity, she must learn to embrace not just the spirits of the present, but the haunting pain of the past. Can she accept her past, and more importantly herself, in order to let love in?
Where to Buy Unsettled Spirits:
Author Spotlight: Sophie Weeks was born in Phoenix, Arizona, Sophie Weeks received a Masters degree in English Literature from Mills College in 2006 and completed her PhD in Victorian Literature at Rice University in 2013. Sophie resides in Payson, Arizona with three furry miscreants, who are wanted in multiple states for criminal adorableness. She is also the author of Outside the Spotlight.
Learn more at http://sophieweeks.net
What I say (review): I liked Unsettled Spirits because not only is it a sort-of contemporary romance and paranormal crossover it's also really sentimental and sweet.
Sarah starts working in Samuel's bookshop and moves into the storage room/mini flat upstairs which happens to be haunted by a ghost called Lucy. Lucy and Sarah become friends, with Lucy acting as spirit guide.
Sarah and Ian's relationship was a slow burn and although Ian wasn't my kinda guy I found their story to be sweet and enjoyable. Ian is very patient with Sarah and puts up with her 'freak outs' like a champ!
The plot is a little slow to build and can be a little heavy on the backstory at times, but I enjoyed the insights into the past. I couldn't decide if I really liked Lucy or if she really annoyed me. Unsettled Spirits is a quick read, but is well written and entertaining.
3 Stars in my Sky!
Read an Excerpt below:
Sarah
took her purchases home.
“I
suppose not.” Lucy peered over her shoulder, careful not to touch. “What did
you get?”
Beginning
to unpack them into the tiny refrigerator, she said, “Lucy, stop stalking me.
You can stay here as long as you stop hiding.”
Lucy
popped out and said, “But your face is so good. Every time.”
“Yes.
Every time I look freaked out. Is that nice to do to me?”
“Stuff,”
Sarah said, reaching into the game hen for its tiny giblets before sticking it
in a battered pie tin and into the oven. She sat down with a small bowl of
cream, whisking it with a fork. “Have you talked to Ian?” She tried to sound
casual.
“I
shouldn't think you'd want me to,” Lucy replied.
“Why
not?”
“Well,
what if he should fall in love with me? I am awfully pretty, after all.”
Sarah's
face darkened some at the implicit comparison with her own plainness. “If he's
so stupid as to fall in love with a corpse . . .”
“I
am not a corpse!” It was Lucy's turn to be upset. “I'm a spirit.”
“All
the same. If he's that stupid, he might as well fall in love with you.” Sarah
was whisking very hard.
Lucy
huffed and was silent for a time, then finally said, “Pax?”
“All
right.”
“Only
when are you going to talk to him about me?” Lucy asked with unusual meekness.
“I
don't know.” Sarah sighed. “At first I wanted him to know me better so he
wouldn't think I was crazy. And now he knows me better and I'm sure he'd think
I was crazy.”
“Was
it so bad?” Lucy asked sympathetically.
“Terrible,”
Sarah confessed. “Lucy, I don't know how to do this at all. I don't know what
men want. I don't . . . I don't know how to talk . . .”
“What
do you mean, you don't know how to talk? You just say things.”
“Only
with him I say stupid things. Or I can't think of anything to say at all.”
“Oh,
just be charming. You know, effervescent.”
“No,
Lucy,” Sarah said patiently. “I definitely don't know.”
“Well,
let's practice. I'll be Ian.” Lucy leered at her. “Faith and begorra, you're
prettier than me toothless mother!”
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