chez_jae

Must Love Ghosts by Ani Gonzalez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I finished reading Must Love Ghosts by Ani Gonzalez last night. It's the first in the "Banshee Creek" series.

Abby is a singer/songwriter who lost her fiance while Cole was deployed to Afghanistan. When Mike, Cole's best buddy, arrives in Banshee Creek, Abby is glad to see him. The two of them founded a friendship of their own, which only deepened after Cole's death. After years in the military, Mike's life is orderly and regimented, and he has no place in it for a free spirit like Abby. Too bad he's been secretly in love with her for years. Soon, Mike is roped into Abby's crazy world, from attending the world's largest costume party to going on a night hunt for the Mothman. He's not sure if he likes it or not, but he knows one thing: he shouldn't be thinking of his best friend's girl the way he's been thinking about Abby.

So...yeah. The story was cute, but it took place in a very abbreviated time frame. We know that Mike already loved Abby, but it was surprising how quickly she adjusted her view of Mike from "friend" to "partner". As in, that first night that Mike arrived in town. Not only was there some smokin' hot nookie, but there was kink, too. I'm not a prude, but for them to go from platonic to immediate kink nearly sent my eyebrows to the back of my head. Another thing that took me aback was that this seemed like it would be a paranormal romance, but while most folks in Banshee Creek seemed to believe in ghosts and UFOs and the Mothman, nothing paranormal happened...unless you count the thing that Mike saw that was never discussed, either by him or even in the narrative. I also felt there was no real resolution. They declared their love for one another, but Mike had just accepted a new job at the Pentagon, while Abby was bound for Nashville and music stardom. Wha...? We can has closure, please?

Favorite line: He identified the Scooby-Doo house, but what was that strange dark line that crisscrossed the town?

Hm. I wish I could give this 3.5, because that's what it deserves, in my opinion. I hate to bump it down to a 3, but I don't think it earned a 4. Eh, average score.