Book 52, 2018

[chez_jae]

Spirited Away by Cindy Miles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Since I only had two chapters left in the book I was reading at work, I brought it home on Thursday and finished it. The book was Spirited Away by Cindy Miles.

Archaeologist Andrea "Andi" Monroe is excited when she's given the opportunity to excavate at the infamous Dreadmoor Castle, where the legend of the medieval knight, Dragonhawk, has long fascinated historians. Dragonhawk and fourteen of his knights vanished from the castle in the thirteenth century, never to be seen nor heard from again. That is, not seen nor heard except by those familiar with the castle. Unknown to the outside world, Tristan de Barre and his men still haunt the castle where they were betrayed and killed. Andi knows nothing of the haunting; she's simply thrilled to uncover the bones and artifacts that were revealed when a large tree was uprooted.

While living and working at the castle, Andi eventually meets the aloof Lord of Dreadmoor, a man who never gets close enough to even shake her hand. She finds his behavior odd, but it isn't until she stumbles and nearly passes through him that she realizes the truth--he's a ghost. Andi is convinced the secret to the curse that has held the knights here can be found, if only she looks hard enough. In the meantime, the more time she spends with Tristan, the more attracted she becomes. Too bad he's dead. For Tristan's part, he is quickly becoming enamored of the smart and determined Andrea, even though he knows they have no future together.

When Andi's mentor, Kirk, begins behaving in an odd manner, demanding to see the cache of swords she uncovered, she is taken aback. However, she chalks it up to the stress he's under. Even when some of Tristan's knights swear that Kirk is Erik, the man who murdered and cursed them, Andi doesn't believe it. Instead, she focuses on lifting the curse that will free the man she's come to love, no matter the cost to herself.

As far as paranormal romances go, this was stellar. Characters were delightful, from Tristan and Andrea to the knights and Tristan's stuffy butler. There was mystery and intrigue surrounding the romance, which added depth to the story.

Some things bugged me, however:

♦ So, not only does Andrea refuse to believe that her beloved mentor could possibly be possessed by the spirit of an evil madman, but when he calls and suggests she take a run on the beach, she has the nerve to be surprised when she is attacked there. Duh!
♦ If Erik was in limbo for centuries and then possessed a modern man, would he not be completely out of his element? As in, how does he know how to operate a telephone, drive a vehicle, speak modern English, etc? Tristan and his men have been aware and were able to adapt to the changing times.
♦ When Kirk SHOWS UP IN HER BEDROOM, Andrea stupidly allows him to hustle her out of the castle, and she even believes him when he tells her that Jameson, the butler, said to tell her cheerio and goodbye. Wha...?

Please spare me from stupid female leads, for the love of romance!

Favorite line: Reality had long ago stepped out and deserted her...

Good story, overall. Four stars:

****