Haunted Souls by Kathryn Knight

What do a single mother, a soldier with PTSD, an adorably precocious toddler and an 18th century ghost have in common? They are all amazing characters featured in this sexy, yet suspenseful romance.

What’s it About? 

Four years ago, Emily Shea and Staff Sergeant Brett Leeds agreed to part with no strings attached. Sparks flew during their brief affair, but fate intervened, sending Brett overseas. When an unexpected pregnancy derailed Emily’s own plans, her attempts to locate Brett were soon overwhelmed by the challenges of single motherhood. Now, Brett has returned home, and Emily is forced to share her secret.

Despite feeling betrayed, Brett is determined to forge a relationship with their son, Tyler. As the former lovers battle both their inner demons and their mutual desire, another presence enters their lives—Tyler’s imaginary friend. Soon, however, the chilling evidence points to a different conclusion: a ghost has formed a dangerous connection with their son. Emily’s attempts to help both a lost soul and a friend in need spiral toward a deadly confrontation, and Brett must race to save Emily before he loses her again—forever.

First Impressions

Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to read this book at first. I don’t do ghosts! Horror ain’t my thing ladies and gentleman. However, I am happy to report that this novel is in no way classified as horror. Our ghost is actually rather friendly! Not exactly Casper friendly, but he gets on really well with Brett and Emily’s son, Tyler.

A Little Bit of Romance

Let’s start our discussion with less ghostly endeavors, and focus instead on the romance side of things. Brett has returned home to the States after an incredibly difficult tour in-country to suddenly discover he is the father of a young boy. He initially seems intent to regard Emily with hatred and disdain for keeping the existence of his son a secret for so long. The closer he gets to his son though, the more he realizes that there’s an undeniable attraction between him and Emily that can’t be ignored anymore.

Hot damn these two are smokin’ hot! They only had a two week affair years before, and are hesitant to start anything up again with the added complication of their son in the picture. Not to mention Brett’s PTSD, which was handled with absolute perfection by the author. But good God they can’t keep their hands off each other! Their love scenes are filled to the brim with heat, passion, tenderness, and a bit of neck nibbling. My favorite!

A Little Bit of Haunting

Now for the ghostly factor. I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this feature of the novel! Our 12 year old ghost, Josiah, died all alone in a jail cell in 1757, and throughout the book we slowly uncover his sad and tragic story. It actually ties in rather well with the rest of the story to show how strong family connection can be. At first, Brett doesn’t believe there’s a ghost who seems linked to his son, but as the novel progresses we see how the family bonds and becomes closer because of this ghostly apparition.

That being said, I think the fact that Josiah was so friendly and non-threatening meant that at times he was almost pushed to the side in order to focus on another story line. For example, Emily is also trying to help her friend escape an abusive marriage, and although Josiah plays an important role at one point during this story, it was kind of hard to see how all the stories blended together evenly. Overall though, I really enjoyed the ghostly aspect of this novel, and wouldn’t give it up! I would have liked to hear some kind of speech from Josiah at some point in the novel, as we don’t hear the majority of the conversations he has with Tyler. I guess I just wanted more from him!

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Beautiful stand-alone

Should you read it? Absolutely give this one a read. I found it hard to put down a lot of the time! It has everything you could want, from romance to suspense, the importance of family to moving on from the past. A great read!

Smut Level: These two are undoubtedly creative. Basically, whenever Tyler goes down for a nap, or it’s bedtime, they go at it like rabbits wherever and however they can!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $0.99 Kindle Price. The Wild Rose Press, Inc. 365 Pages.