When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.
Her brand new “I don’t give a crap” attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.
If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.
I’ve long had a love of stories. A few years ago I decided to put them down on the page, and even though I have a degree in film and television, novels were the creative outlet where I found a home. When the idea for Broken at Love (my first New Adult title) arrived, I couldn’t wait to try something new – and I’m hooked. In my spare time, I watch a ton of tennis (no surprise, there), play a ton of tennis, and dedicate a good portion of brain power to dreaming up the next fictitious bad boy we’d all love to meet in real life.
Not Quite Dead by Lyla Payne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not Quite Dead isn’t my typical type of read… you say ‘Ghosts’ to me and I kind of think ‘Meh’. But Lyla Payne is an author whose stories I happen to love, so I knew I had to give this a try.
I think what I love most about Payne’s stories are her characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love her writing style and she has an amazing way of telling a story and everything she comes up with is unique and really well done, but for me, her characters are what seal the deal.
In Not Quite Dead we meet Gracie… she’s had a shit couple of weeks. She’s caught her cheating ex and left him. Heron Creek, the only place she considers home, is the only place she considers going to lick her wounds but that isn’t the only reason she’s back home. After losing her grandmother only months ago, her grandfather’s health is seriously declining and she’s there to spend his last days with him.
But the place where she spent her summers isn’t exactly the same. Her cousin hasn’t spoken to her since they had a falling out years ago, and her ex-boyfriend who she broke up with, is now married to her other best friend. Add in the fact that the new Mayor, Beauregard Drayton, is seriously interested in her, and the ghost of Anne Bonny won’t leave her alone and Gracie has some major issues to work through.
This story isn’t completely about ghosts, though the paranormal element is strong here, Payne’s focuses part of this story on the relationships of her characters. Gracie is foul mouthed, sometimes drunk, definitely clumsy, and her life is a bit of a mess. Despite all of that, she is genuine and loved by the people around her, even if things are a bit strained at the moment. Her old friendships, though not what they once were are getting there and I really enjoyed her relationship with her grandfather the most.
Now let’s talk about the ghost story here. The intricacies of the story keep me from telling you a lot about Anne Bonny our resident ghost, but the story that Payne weaves is done really well. The suspense of finding out the ties between some of the residents of Heron Creek and Anne kept me turning pages and I really enjoyed the way Payne pulls all the threads of the story together.
Of course there is a bit of a romance … Mayor Beau is smitten with Gracie from the first time they literally run into each other on the streets of Heron Creek and I love the slow burn that Payne gives us. While Beau has his eyes set on Gracie, she is determined to set him in a different direction, convinced she just isn’t the right girl for the up and coming Mayor. He happens to see things a bit different and despite all her protests is there when she needs the support and he even manages to make her (and me) swoon a bit.
“I think you are terribly interesting Graciela Harper. I’d be honored to keep an eye on you.”
If you’re looking for something different, something with a unique story and wonderfully developed characters look no further. You’re definitely going to want to pick up Not Quite Dead when it arrives in April. I’m absolutely waiting patiently (not really) for the next book in this series!
Thank you to the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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