Unsettled Spirits by Sophie Weeks

By: Unknown on Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Title:  Unsettled Spirits

Author:  Sophie Weeks

Published:  May 30th 2013 by Booktrope

Page Count:  184

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★

Book Blurb:

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?

Excerpt:

Sarah began, against her will, weaving an odd little fantasy of introducing him to her father, then cut herself short and stared down at the wine list. Then she shoved it at him abruptly before remembering they were having coffee. Cursing her own stupidity, she tried to snatch it back and ended up, to her mind, looking about as stupid as it was possible to look when he airily picked it up out of her reach and said, “What a good idea. Do you like Viognier?”

Sarah gazed at him blankly. “I haven't a clue. I only like the red if there's chocolate as well.”

“It's a taste that requires a certain self-important masochism to develop,” he said with a smile so sweet that Sarah's chest felt tight and she wanted very badly to touch him again, so much so that she folded her hands to restrain herself.

“Do you drink it, then?” Then she realized how odd that sounded. “I mean—”

“I like,” he replied very precisely, “red wine when there is something else to balance it. Your chocolate sounds perfect.”

“Even if it was peanut M&Ms?”

“Especially if it were peanut M&Ms,” he laughed. “For a more sophisticated crowd, almond M&Ms. You don't want to look déclassé.” There was a pause in their conversation as the waiter arrived, and Ian ordered some kind of wine that was beyond Sarah's limited acquaintance with the stuff.

“Show off my roots, you mean?”

But he missed the idiom and peered at her hair. “Oh, is it bleached?”

Sarah was mortified, more embarrassed at this gaffe of his than at her own stupidity. It was one thing to act like an idiot, another to induce idiocy in others. “I meant the other kind.” Then she added, “And it isn't, no.” She bent her head gravely to show him.

He flushed for a moment, and Sarah's heart went out to him in a spirit of mutual awkwardness. “I beg your pardon,” he began. “We don't know anything but potato roots at home.”

My Review:

This is quite a cute little story. It’s a quick but enjoyable read. And even if it does start out a little slow, it’s quite informative and extremely well written. This novel is quite clearly and concisely written, allowing you to flow through the pages like the ghost in the tale. The storyline is well put together, providing you with a tale that is quite interesting.

All of the characters, both human and previously human, are well developed. As a reader you discover who each character is and how they ended up in their current situation. It’s quite intriguing to get to know the characters on so many different levels. They’re all very well rounded individuals.

This is definitely a fun for all ages novel that would be great for any who enjoy not-so-scary ghost stories, and want to immerse themselves in the other than normal for a little while.

Add to your Goodreads shelves.

Buy online via Amazon, B&N, or iTunes.

About the Author:

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