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Read Ghost Of A Chance (2003)

Ghost Of A Chance (2003)

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Rating
3.72 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0425191281 (ISBN13: 9780425191286)
Language
English
Publisher
berkley prime crime

Ghost Of A Chance (2003) - Plot & Excerpts

As most of you know, I am a big fan of Yasmine Galenorn’s Sisters of the Otherworld series. But I discovered her books through this series. The Chint’z ‘n China series. And I really do not want to call it a cozy mystery, as there is nothing cozy about it. This book does not shy away from the nastier things in life, abuse and such. Emerald divorced her abusive husband, her best friend the ex-supermodel is still fighting her boulimia problems and the paranormal parts in this book are not light and fluffy and fun either. It is very scary at times. The fact that there is a ghost in her bedroom, does not frazzle Emerald, but that it claims to be murdered by her husband and asks for her help is. She did not know the murdered woman, a famous romance author living in their small town, but her best friend did. Harlow rubs elbows with the social elite in town, and she knows all the latest gossip. Perhaps together they can find out what happened to Susan, now the police have ruled it an accidental death. But the ghost is not the only unwanted thing in her house. A darker entity is trying to hurt them badly. Apparently her precocious young son has been playing with his great-grandmother’s stuff to impress his friend. And he has called up something very, very bad. Now it is up to Emerald to get it out of her house, before it kills her, or her friends.Emerald is busy enough as it is, raising her two children alone, as their father has no interest in them whatsoever, running her china shop and tea room, and getting ready for the busy Christmas season. This year she is determined to celebrate it properly, as the previous two years she did her best to ignore the festivities. But her children deserve more. And now there is even a new man in her life, who is connected to the ghost as well. Will he think her crazy and a witch when she tells him about her self, or will he accept it and stay in her life?As I said, I do love this series, and I do admire Emerald. She is 36, starting to have some gray hairs, and she is not supermodel thin. She is a real woman, and a psychic. I do love it as it is so often that the heroines in cozy mysteries are young and very pretty. But I really don’t think I can call this series cozy. It is too dark for that. And there are lovescenes as well, which is unusual for a cozy mystery. I decided to re-read this series, when Yasmine told on her blog that the series is re-published again, and she might write some short stories set in this world. Never again a full length novel, but I am allright with that. Re-reading did show me some things that made me wonder, as Emerald does go into danger alone which is not smart at all. But I think Yasmine Galenorn but a lot of herself in this novel, and she showed that true evil can be both paranormal and human. And the humans are truly more creepy in being evil and enjoying it.If you like something darker to read, I do recommend this series. So far there are 5 books. I am very glad I have the original books, with the beautiful covers as I really dislike the new covers. 8 stars.

Oh, what to do when you are approached by a ghost and asked to help her prove her death was a murder and not an accident. Emerald faces this very dilemma in her life when she wakes up to Susan's ghost by her bed conveying a message to her for help. Emerald has practiced the ways of the "witch" from little up from tarot reading to seeing spirits and being able to interact with them, taught to her by her Nanna. She is never shocked to see spirits, but she is shocked to see one that is wanting her to prove that she was murdered. How is Emerald supposed to do that? Then a dark spirit starts coming along into the house with Susan and Emerald has to fight for her life and the lives of her two children. Ever since the divorce, the children haven't had it very easy and Emerald just wants to protect them from this. Where did the dark entity come from and why is it always with Susan? Can Emerald get rid of this dark entity before it harms her family? Can she really help Susan prove her death was not an accident? When Emerald meets a man, Andrew, and starts having feelings for him, that is another issue all together she has to deal with. She has distanced herself from men since her abusive husband and messy divorce. Can she learn to trust Andrew? Does he really want to respect her wishes and take it slow, if they are to have a relationship? Will he run as fast as he can when he finds out her "witchy" ways?This book was amazing and I am so glad I found it in a local bookstore and bought it to read. I loved it from cover to cover and found the whole book to be entertaining, adventuresome, emotional, and realistic at the same time. I think this book touched me in a very special way because of the story line. I hold a deep belief in some of the same things as Emerald does, even though I may not make it very well known like she has. This book's plot and pace of that plot was great. I found myself on edge just waiting to read on and see what would happen next and how Emerald would go on and try to fix things. I fell in love with the characters in this book and not just a few of them either, but all of them. They all were so well developed that I found myself being absolutely captivated by them. This book truly touched my heart, soul, and beliefs. I will be reading more of this series for sure. I may not have all the books in the series, but I will read on with the ones I did find, with a passion! What a great and very talented author Galenorn is. It takes a great author to make you feel like fiction is nonfiction, but this is exactly what Galenorn does in this book. I highly recommend this book to all mystery readers and all ghost/spirit believers too. You will read it in a blink of an eye because you won't be able to put it down, just like me. It amazes and keeps you on edge from start to finish. 5/5 Stars!!!

What do You think about Ghost Of A Chance (2003)?

Meh, hopefully I enjoy the future books more since I bought the first five at once.I like the paranormal aspect - the protagonist is already familiar and comfortable with her abilities. She has a successful tea shop in a small town, which isn't as interesting as you'd think - she mainly sells china pieces and sets, but it's fun to see her randomly drink tea throughout the book, make it an important ritual with what pieces she chooses for the tea, but besides that it's in the background.I think my main issue is this character got on my nerves. She spends a lot of the book being a 'good mom' by disciplining her kids and trying to teach them lessons. She grounds her son for a serious mistake, but she takes it too far by removing from him the one friend he has. He committed the crime to look impressive in front of his friend, but it wasn't the friends fault. Taking away a friend should never be a punishment. Then she turns around and tells her daughter her next punishment will be sending her away to live with her father, pointing out the father doesn't want her there, if she argues with her brother again. Who the hell does that? It's just weird.Also her and her friends keep calling each other 'babe'. That's another small thing that didn't sit right with me either. Seems unnatural.Small irritations aside, I just found the protagonist too high on her horse with lecturing a man who losing his temper slightly, going over board with not giving her kids tea with caffeine but then turning around and being ridiculous with punishment all the time - it felt like the author was on a soapbox with lectures on parenting and it became the main focus of the book. She also jumped in bed way too quickly for my tastes with the love interest so I didn't care at all about the relationship. There is a clumsy attempt at a weird love triangle at the end that didn't come across well.The mystery itself is good. I didn't see it coming, the villains worked well, the ghost stuff was awesome, and there was definite tension when it should have been there. Stakes were high, pacing strong enough, the and theme intriguing. I hesitate to call this is a cozy - instead let's say a regular mystery series. Cozies usually shy from language and detailed sex - this one wasn't vulgar but it wasn't cozy material (which is not a flaw at all, of course, but something important to point out.)First novels in series can be rocky, so I'll be continuing with the second and hope it works better at winning me over.
—Erin (Paperback stash) *is juggle-reading*

Oh dear. I had high hopes that this would be a fun book, but alas. The main character is a single mom with 2 kids, and the plot looked interesting from the cover. However, I had trouble with the writing style in that there was no segue way into introducing new characters, they just immediately appeared without the reader developing any sort of feel for the character. I guess the author felt they were disposable, in that we didn't need to get to know them. That set the tone for the rest of the book. I intensely disliked scenes where the kids were written to be truly scared and in peril, but the mother's attitude was "get over it and your attitude". Hunh? I sold this to a second-hand book store, so that someone else wouldn't need to pay full price like I did.
—Cina

I really hate to give a book a bad review... really I do! There are so many factors that go in to how I feel about a book and many are influenced by external things... is it the wrong time of year to being reading this book? Maybe I'm in the mood for a cozy mystery and I'm slogging through a historical fiction.... Is is a book that requires me to read it slowly and I'm trying to hurry through it only catching quick moments of reading here and there? I truly try to always give the book the benefit of the doubt but this book was just... well, it was just blah!From beginning to end it was just... almost there! It didn't quite have whatever it needed! I know, I know, that is so mean of me and I'm truly sorry! I really am! I WANTED to like the book! I was all prepared to like it! I was happy to have it in my hot little hands... and then I tried to read it! Blah! There wasn't enough character development... who exactly is Roy? I mean I know he's your ex but why? We get snippets of information but no real explanations. He's a deadbeat dad... well okay, I guess. I don't know... I really wanted to relate, I wanted to find that kinship with the characters that said, "You are maybe not my type of person but I find you so interesting that doesn't matter!" This time I just didn't feel it. I closed the book and thought, "Well, I guess I'll mark that one off my list." No fanfare, no "Oh goodness, I really wish that book could go on longer, I want to get to know these people better!" just blah.Now before you label me a meanie I will say that I did read the entire book! And I'm more than willing to give the characters another chance... if it is even a series, I didn't even look! But I just cannot like this book as much as anticipated! The one person I liked the most was Nana and she's dead and gone and appears three times briefly, but importantly, and is not a major player at all! And while I love the name Kipling for a boy, why on earth didn't you expect a 9 year old boy to get in trouble with magic??? Are you really that surprised that he screwed things up? He's 9!It's a shame because this type of book is one I usually enjoy. I will give it another shot. I'll put it on my "To Be Read Again, Just In Case" pile. Who know, it might speak to me then and I'll think it is the neatest thing since sliced bread, stranger things have happened... but not this go-round!I am so sorry! Please forgive me Ms. Galenorn! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you slaved over this book and loving crafted it from within your being. I know this! It just isn't the book for me... right now. Thank you for writing it. Thank you for writing other, fabulous, books that I have enjoyed! You are most certainly a wonderful author and I will continue to eagerly anticipate future books by you! :-)
—Hope

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