Book Review: Restless Spirits by Jean Marie Bauhaus

One of my Wrimo’s has published a book!  (For new readers, I am a Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month.  I have fondly dubbed my November-insanity buddies my ‘Wrimo’s’.)  Back on topic, though – one of my Wrimo’s has published her book!

Restless Spirits, by Jean Marie Bauhaus, is a paranormal romance, with a touch of comedy.  Set here (or at least ‘here’ to me and Jean!) in Oklahoma, it follows the story of Veronica ‘Ron’ Wilson on an investigation.  She and her sister, Chris (short for Christine, I presume), are professional ghost hunters.  Oklahoma actually has several tourist sites that tout themselves as being haunted, so it’s really not as out of place as it could be!

Ron’s adventures start when she and Chris are hired to investigate an old house that the children of the deceased owner are afraid to live in.  In an unexpected twist of fate, Ron suddenly finds herself on the other side of the investigation.  Instead of being a professional ghost hunter, she is now a ‘professional’ ghost that is trapped in the house along with all the other people who have died there since the haunting began.

Ron’s humor can only serve her for so long, though, when the same malevolent spirit that took her life begins to target Chris and her crew.  Ron is determined to find a way to put the evil spirit to rest, and will discover some surprising ways that her new love interest (a fellow ghost trapped in the house) has some secrets of his own that are entwined in ways you don’t expect.

Ghost stories aren’t normally my thing, though I’ve read a few here and there.  Jean’s writing is so lively and energetic, even if she is writing about the dead, that it’s very light reading.  This is not a scary ghost story either.  It does have its moments of thrill and fright, but the humor and lightheartedness is interspersed everywhere (especially with Ron – she really doesn’t know how to be depressed, even if she is dead) so that you forget you’re reading a ghost story.

Restless Spirits is currently available in Kindle format (and other e-reader formats through Smashwords), and will soon be available in paperback.  Her latest release is Fragments & Fancies: Ficlets, Flash Fiction & Shorts.

Her website is JMBauhaus.net.

Enjoy!