Haunting Miss Trentwood [Kindle Edition]

I've been reading (and writing) so many modern paranormal romances, that I had to get used to the voice of this book. The style is just a little old fashioned, and it reminded me a lot of books I read in high school. This was definitely a ghost story, and it was set in the 1800's, but it wasn't typical by any means. There was a lot of quirky humor in this book, especially when Mr. Trentwood was around. And I love quirky humor.

I was really entertained by this book and I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. It was one of those books where I carried my Kindle around reading, almost running into walls. :) Great story!

Haunting Miss Trentwood was an enjoyable historical/paranormal read. While many of the usual suspects that you would find in an Austen novel are represented, Miss Kroll gives them a supernatural tweak.

The heroine, Mary, has suffered great loss: Both of her parents have died and she is left in charge of the debt-ridden crumbling family manor. Since the day of her father's funeral, when she is sure that she saw her father crawl from his grave, Mary has been haunted by him. I loved this father/daughter relationship. Mr. Trentwood was not a perfect man, but he was caring father who wanted to see his daughter live a happy life, so much so that he haunts her until she does what he knows is best for her!

Mary has another man looking out for her, her butler/houseman Pomeroy. Pomeroy has some of the best lines in the book and is a funny and loveable character. He snoops and orchestrates and protects Mary-he is like her other parent.

Mr. Steele is the handsome suitor/buffoon. Rejected as an acceptable mate for Mary by Trentwood, Steele continues on his merry way and forgets about Mary until he comes to the manor to read Trentwood's will. Steele is good for comic relief-he's pretty to imagine and slightly silly, but not malicious.

Mrs. Durham, Mary's aunt who lives with her, was the least fleshed out character for me in a novel of great characters. We are told she is evil and crazy, but don't see a lot of evidence of this until near the end. I perhaps wanted a bit more backstory on her.

I've saved Hartwell for last. You are meant to swoon at his frankness, his dashing, his destroyed former good looks, and I certainly did. The banter between him and Mary is classic. You know they're going to end up together from the start, but the journey is delicious.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical romance. The paranormal aspects only add to the story and don't make it too "weird" or stray too far from the genre.

Synopsis:
Goodreads
Father knows best, even after death...

Resigned to a lonely life in her quiet manor house in the English countryside, Mary Trentwood is horrified when she watches her father crawl from his grave the day of his funeral. Mary clings to her routine, finding it increasingly difficult to ignore her father's ghost as she questions her sanity.

Mistaking the newly-arrived Alexander Hartwell to be her father's solicitor--for who else would interrupt her time of mourning?--Mary welcomes him to her home reluctantly, not realizing Hartwell hunts a blackmailer.

Caught in a tangle of others' secrets, Mary fights a series of events which threaten to bring Death to her door once more.

Belinda Kroll weaves a tale of loyalty and betrayal in the deceptively serene Victorian English countryside.

Review:
Belinda Kroll describes herself as writer of "quirky historical fiction". I totally agree. I love historical fiction and I have read a lot of it. But I have never read a historical fiction like this one. There is romance, suspense, humour,drama and even the supernatural. Infact it reminded me a lot of Victoria Holt books which I devoured as a 16 year old.

The character development was great. You can't help but like Mary Trentwood. She is brave and has a great sense of humour. Alexander Hartwell is so different from the usual "sexy mysterious " heroes. I instantly liked him. The scenes and dialogues between him and Mary are very enjoyable.

Add to that , the ghost of Mr Trentwood whose one-liners created several laugh-out loud moments.
Then there is the whole suspense angle to the story...There is so much happening in every page you turn, that you can't wait to see what happens next.

Despite all the humour and mystery, there is still more depth to the story. Losing a parent is one of the hardest things to cope with. I think this book has captured that well , but with a twist.

This was a perfect Halloween read for me!