Blurb:
The voices of the past are alive behind the iron gates of
Bremore Asylum. Can Rachel and Matt deduce its secrets before it's too late?
When Rachel agrees to take the job investigating the
disappearance of a fellow ghost hunter at Bremore Asylum, she is totally
unprepared for the sexy and stubborn psychic debunker Matt Rutledge to be a
part of the package. Can these two opposing forces find the answers behind the
asylum's crumbling walls before they become the newest victims to the asylum's
grim history?
Excerpt:
Rachel narrowed her eyes. What little hold she held on her
frayed temper snapped. Self-doubt flared, but she stamped it out as quickly as
it came.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She stepped
forward, hands clenched into fists, her foot brushing against the luggage. Her
hoodie slid off the suitcase and flopped unceremoniously into the dirt.
"We haven't even started on the project and you're
trying to displace me already?"
Rutledge stepped back, surprise clear on his lightly parted
lips. Lips she apparently still wanted to kiss, damn his eyes. God, what was
wrong with her?
"My friend almost died because of a mistake I made. But
you're already aware of that, aren't you, Mr. High and Mighty? Listen to me and
listen good. I'm here because my grandmother needs me. I'm a damn fine ghost
hunter, which you would already know if you bothered to see beyond what
happened to Jeannie." She poked her finger into his chest and had the
satisfaction of seeing him wince.
Matt stepped back and held up his hands, a ruddy flush
creeping up his cheeks. "Okay. I was out of line. Truce?" He bent
down and carefully picked up her hoodie, handing it to her gingerly.
"Thank you, Mr. Rutledge." Rachel snatched the
hoodie from his hands and tied it around her waist with a firm yank. She didn't
want to chance it falling in the dirt again and it was going to be a long
weekend. At the rate they were going, it was going to be a full-on ice storm
between them.
A flash of humor crossed his face. "Do you think maybe
you could call me Matt?"
"That depends."
"On what?" Matt cocked his eyebrow with surprise.
"On whether you can stop dissecting me like one of your
frauds."
Buy Links:
Breathless Press http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&products_id=681
***Nona's review of Asylum***
Who doesn’t love a ghost story? Even if you don’t believe in
other worldly spirits, it’s fun to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the little
chills running up your spine. This story features not only a spooky old building,
but also a mysterious disappearance and a sexy conflict between dueling
investigators.
Rachel Winestock believes in ghosts and spirits. In fact,
they are her livelihood. She is a paranormal investigator who’s been hired to
investigate Bremore Asylum, a long abandoned hospital once used as a warehouse
for society’s poor and unwanted, including unruly children and “disobedient”
wives. This puts Rachel in direct conflict with Matt Rutledge, who is not only
a skeptic, but a debunker of psychic phenomena. He not only wants to prove that
Bremore is not haunted, but to demonstrate that Rachel is a fake. In spite of
their opposing views, Rachel and Matt feel an intense attraction to each other.
I loved how the characters in this story were placed in such
delicious conflict. As they investigate the asylum where a previous investigator
has disappeared, they discover they must work together not only to unearth
secrets, but to save their own lives. Rachel is performing this task not just
to salvage her career, but to earn enough money to rescue her beloved
grandmother from a substandard nursing home. Rachel’s devotion to her
grandmother made her a very sympathetic character.
I liked Matt, too. He’s an honest man who works to expose
phony psychics who take advantage of needy, desperate people (think a younger, more
studly James Randi.) He’s clever and brave and ready to step into the hero role
when danger threatens, but also secure enough to let Rachel take the lead when necessary.
The story has plenty of twists and turns and more than one
mystery must be solved along the way. There are surprises, too. When Matt and
Rachel must deal with a very real person who wants to harm them,
a ghost may be their only ally. I really enjoyed Asylum not only for the thrills
and chills, but for the sympathetic characters and the sweetly sexy romance.
About the author:
Dana Wright has always had a fascination with things that go
bump in the night. She is often found playing at local bookstores, trying not
to maim herself with crochet hooks or knitting needles, watching monster movies
with her husband and furry kids or blogging about books. More commonly, she is
chained to her computers, writing like a woman possessed. She is currently
working on several children's stories, young adult fiction, romantic suspense,
short stories and is trying her hand at poetry. She is a contributing author to
Ghost Sniffer’s CYOA, Siren’s Call E-zine in their “Women in Horror” issue in
February 2013 and "Revenge" in October 2013, a contributing author to
Potatoes!, Fossil Lake, Of Dragons and Magic: Tales of the Lost Worlds, Undead
in Pictures, Potnia, Shadows and Light, Dark Corners, Wonderstruck, Shifters: A
Charity Anthology, Dead Harvest, Monster Diaries (upcoming), Holiday Horrors
and the Roms, Bombs and Zoms Anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media. She is the
author of Asylum due out in October 2014.
Dana has also reviewed music for Muzikreviews.com specializing in New
Age and alternative music and has been a contributing writer to Eternal Haunted
Summer, Nightmare Illustrated, Massacre Magazine, Metaphor Magazine, The Were
Traveler October 2013 edition: The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters, the
December 2013 issue The Day the Zombies Ruled the Earth. She currently reviews
music at New Age Music Reviews and Write a Music Review.
Follow Dana’s reviews:
Twitter: @danawrite
Author site: http://danawrightauthor.wix.com/danawright
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/danawrightauthor
Thanks for such a wonderful review Nona. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Dana