Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?


My Thoughts/Review:

Well. I finally got me a satisfying standalone paranormal, which you should all know, never happens. Well, almost never, anyways. But honestly, I had to love it. "Violet doesn't believe in ghosts...but they believe in her." <--Epic Tagline alert!

I enjoyed it, but it seemed like the author pushed through writer's block several times. She wrote when she didn't feel like it, and you can kind of tell. Sometimes her words flowed together eloquently, and other times they seemed stilted, and slightly off-putting, leaving you wondering how exactly you got to that point in the story. I found myself wondering that several times myself, when the story just lost me.

Other than that certain flaw, this book was terrific. The character's were easy to identify with, the main love interest was entirely swoon-worthy, and the plot had me caught in it. It was set in the 1800's, in England, so that also helped my interest a tad bit. :)

Violet's character was really interesting, because I just couldn't get enough of her 'medium' abilities. I wanted to know why, and how, and who she was seeing, and, just, eep! She was headstrong, and she knew that she didn't want what her mother wanted. She wasn't obsessed with social standing, and she never wanted to be. I wish that there was more I that I could say about Violet, but just remember this: Eep!

Collin, Collin, Collin. He's now my favorite swoon-worthy character. He has stolen my heart. How could I not love a hard-working, full of fire, super-hot Irish man? It' s just not possible! I had to swoon over him, just like any other self-respecting book reviewer....sigh.

The plot had my mind twisted up in ways I had never imagined. I was leaping from thought to thought, trying to figure out who the murderer was. I thought of a million different suspects, bounced around and around from person to person, and I still didn't manage to figure it out. And I was floored by the answer.

All in all, this book kept me wanting to learn more, and needing to know how it ended.
  
Favorite Quote: I was secretly entranced with the idea of a lady novelist. I should dearly love to be one. Or maybe a goblin-fighting pirate queen. It was difficult to choose sometimes.