By Jackie Weger
Story rating – 3
Justine Hale has her hands full. Her husband left her to become a monk on some faraway island, but he didn’t just leave her. He left two young children and his own dependent mother. If that isn’t bad enough, upon the death of Justine’s father, her pampered mother finds herself in dire straits. Now, instead of being a wife and mother, Justine is the perfect example of the sandwich generation, left to care not only for her children, but her remaining parents as well. Family in tow, she moves from Virginia to Alabama, to a home with a cheap price tag that is rent to own and quickly discovers why it is such a good deal. The old place is run down and in need of repairs and updates.
Tucker Highsmith lives in a renovated barn on property that used to belong to the Roberts, a home that has long been abandoned and neglected. When he delivers the keys to his pretty new neighbor and sees the baggage she has in tow, he is only too happy to high tail it out of there – except he can’t seem to get Justine off his mind.
Add in a “ghost” who is “betwixt and between” and determined to regain her physical status, and Justine has a house full of misfits. She struggles with control issues, certain that the rest of them are unable to cope or care for themselves, until Tucker steps into the mix and helps her to deal not only with her own issues, but to show her how to let the birds in her nest find their own way.
This was a fun, light story. Although a bit dated from its original publication, the story stands the test of time well enough. The house is off the beaten path and Justine’s financial situation would explain some of the lack of modern day conveniences – it works. I was expecting the ghost to do more haunting, there is only one “haunting” episode which is actually more humorous than frightening. It was fun to watch Justine grow through the course of the story. Sticking in my own personal nitpickiness, the point of view switches sometimes caught me off guard and I lost track of who was thinking what. I also think it might have done without the ghost (or maybe I was hoping for more ghostly manifestations). With that being said, this was an entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters that made me smile. It is definitely worth the read.
This was a fun, light story. Although a bit dated from its original publication, the story stands the test of time well enough. The house is off the beaten path and Justine’s financial situation would explain some of the lack of modern day conveniences – it works. I was expecting the ghost to do more haunting, there is only one “haunting” episode which is actually more humorous than frightening. It was fun to watch Justine grow through the course of the story. Sticking in my own personal nitpickiness, the point of view switches sometimes caught me off guard and I lost track of who was thinking what. I also think it might have done without the ghost (or maybe I was hoping for more ghostly manifestations). With that being said, this was an entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters that made me smile. It is definitely worth the read.
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