Harbinger in the Mist

I spent a week at the beach over the July 4th holiday, which meant that I got some time to myself. And leisure time means I get to read - a lot. I used to go and buy two or three books to stuff into my suitcase, but now I just bring my ereader along and  devour as many books as I want under my umbrella. My books of choice have also changed; instead of heading for the bestsellers, my choices are now Indie - I find that Indie authors have incredible talent and stunning imaginations.

One example is Anabell Martin, the author of Harbinger. Her book is a ghost story set in an antebellum house in South Carolina, that leads to a paranormal romance. The main character, Lindsey, moves to the house when her mother inherits it. Lindsey begins hearing strange sounds, usually when she's alone, and her mother doesn't believe her  daughter's stories of frightening apparitions.

Eventually, it's up to Lindsey's new friends and the enigmatic Eli, a gorgeous boy who has arrived to help protect Lindsay from the ghosts. I loved the friends, a pair of twins named Maddie and Michelle, and I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Lindsey and Eli. Of course, since the book is paranormal, there's more to Eli than meets the eye, and the last chapter of the book left me wanting to know more about him and what  would happen between him and Lindsey.

I always loved ghost stories, and this book is no exception. After years of Saw and Hostel, ghosts seems  almost quaint, but Martin makes them very frightening, as in this scene:

" 'OH MY GOD, DID WE DO SOMETHING HORRIBLY WRONG?' Lindsey cried as she and the twins fled the room and ran down the stairs. Lindsey grabbed her bag and keys off the credenza as they headed for the door.

As the front door slammed, the planchette moved across Lindsey's bedroom floor and onto the wudu board. It came to a stop over the word 'Yes.' "

As for the  romance, there is a lot of tension between Eli and Lindsey. I won't give out any spoilers, but I will say that they very attracted to each other, and yet for several reasons they can't act on that attraction.

I started this book on Sunday, after we arrived at the beach, and I finished it that night. Once I started it, I just couldn't put it down.