Book One: One Touch of Magic
Sarah, Lady Iverson, is continuing the work of her late husband's. They, along with Mr. Neville Hamilton, have been excavating an ancient Viking village on the Ransome estate. They had permission from the old marquis; however, he has died too. The estate is inherited by the nephew, Miles Rutledge. Will the new owner allow the dig to go forward?
Miles is no longer in the military. Since his return, Miles has seen how horribly the ex-soldiers are treated, especially the ones who have become handicapped while fighting. Miles is determined to give jobs and build cottages to house unfortunate former soldiers and their families. Problem is that the richest soil for growing crops is currently being excavated by a lady that he is growing very fond of.
**** FOUR STARS! Though my synopsis mentions nothing about spirits or ghosts, rest assured they are in the story. A Viking witch, Thora, guards a cursed treasure. I admit that the only paranormal section that I found is near the end, but do not make the mistake of believing this tale to be boring or uninteresting. The romance between the two main characters is pretty straight-forward. There are no huge misunderstandings that will make you grit your teeth in frustration. And due to commotions caused by Neville Hamilton, his new bride (Emmeline), Sarah's sister (Mary Ann), and a former soldier (Patrick O'Riley), I found myself highly entertained. ****
Book Two: A Loving Spirit
Miss Cassandra "Cassie" Richards has lived the last fourteen years in sunny Jamaica. After the death of her parents, Cassie agrees to move in with Aunt Chat at her home in Bath. Her best friend and companion, Antoinette Duvall, goes with Cassie. Lady Willowby (Aunt Chat) hopes to perk up Cassie's mood by accepting the invitation of her friend, Lady Royce, to visit several weeks at Royce Castle in Cornwall. Cassie has always been fascinated with stories of ghosts and the ancient castle would be fun to explore.
Phillip, the Earl of Royce, is working on a series about the wars of ancient Greece. Though he agreed to let his mother have visitors for several weeks, Phillip hopes he will not be forced to entertain them and lose precious work time. However, once Phillip meets Cassie, he finds that work often slips his mind. As for ghosts in his home, even though the young earl does not believe in spirits, the ghosts believe in him. These spirits decide that matching up such a "free spirit" as Cassie and a "stuffy scholar" as Phillip would be so much fun!
***** FIVE STARS! This story overflows with ghosts as well as romance. Not only does the author have an interesting plot or two, but she also lets readers experience interactions between the ghosts and the living characters. More than one sub-plot keeps events moving along at a steady pace as well. Fun, witty, romantic, and a bit of humor blends together to make this story into a capital read! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.