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cimorene1558's review against another edition
5.0
I'm very fond of this one, although the end makes me weep a little.
lberestecki's review against another edition
2.0
This is the weakest Barbara Michaels book, in my opinion. Martin was the only likable character, the supernatural stuff was very low key, and the climax of the action was boring and quick, and there wasn't anything I liked about the ending. This book also shared a lot of similarities with other Barbara Michaels books (restoring an old house with an author, mysteries graveyard, roses as an important theme, etc.)
mainhoonemily's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely not my favorite Barbara Michaels book (I'm actually sad by how many reviews say this was their first, she can do so much better!). A supernatural element that remains vague until the very end of the book is not unusual for her, but here it's so underdeveloped and the ending comes on so suddenly that I was starting to worry there were pages missing from my copy. The characters were alright but I didn't feel much chemistry between the main romantic pairing, and kept waiting for something more. Overall it was a mystery that was maybe too mysterious - we needed to see more from Jim's side of things, or maybe even from the supernatural perspective, to understand what was happening. Andrea was so single-minded that her sudden last minute moment of clarity - literally on the final page - was too little too late.
bookhero6's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Young woman inherits old house from deceased relative she kinda knew. Young woman is the overbearing older sister who raised her much younger brother after they were orphaned. House is haunted. Lots of full circle stuff.
Seriously, Andrea is the worst sibling/parent. She may not be physically abusive, but she is manipulative and emotionally abusive. She controls her younger brother with an iron fist and smothers and stifles him and when confronted with her abuses, refuses to admit her wrongs. It's always somebody else's fault. This character brings down an otherwise engaging ghost story.
The one saving grace is that she does seem to make some progress at the very end. But I'm still a little resentful that she apparently gets to move on and have a better life after ruining her brother's.
Young woman inherits old house from deceased relative she kinda knew. Young woman is the overbearing older sister who raised her much younger brother after they were orphaned. House is haunted. Lots of full circle stuff.
Seriously, Andrea is the worst sibling/parent. She may not be physically abusive, but she is manipulative and emotionally abusive. She controls her younger brother with an iron fist and smothers and stifles him and when confronted with her abuses, refuses to admit her wrongs. It's always somebody else's fault. This character brings down an otherwise engaging ghost story.
The one saving grace is that she does seem to make some progress at the very end. But I'm still a little resentful that she apparently gets to move on and have a better life after ruining her brother's.
sistermagpie's review
2.0
I wasn't too fond of this Barbara Michaels book. Other reviewers have mentioned disliking the female protagonist for obvious reasons--she has an unhealthy, smothering relationship with her younger brother that would drive anyone nuts.
But by the end, I actually found myself disliking the younger brother even more. I found myself thinking yes, clearly you notice your sister's waiting on you hand and foot when it feels controlling or smothering, or when you're blaming her for surviving an accident, but you don't seem to notice it when you're leaving beer cans all over the house and trusting her to pick them up, or whiling away your days with whatever hobby you fancy at the moment while she supports you or screwing around with the stupid teenager maid (I kept picturing her getting pregnant and Andy doing all the hard work of raising the kid). Even his obsession with death just seemed like another example of Jimmie's self-involvement. So while I got that ultimately Andy was the one who was supposed to learn she was selfish trying to keep him on earth, she still got a pretty raw deal, losing her parents and her stepmother and then her brother who now got to hang out drinking beer in heaven with his new friends.
So in the end I kind of disliked both of them.
But by the end, I actually found myself disliking the younger brother even more. I found myself thinking yes, clearly you notice your sister's waiting on you hand and foot when it feels controlling or smothering, or when you're blaming her for surviving an accident, but you don't seem to notice it when you're leaving beer cans all over the house and trusting her to pick them up, or whiling away your days with whatever hobby you fancy at the moment while she supports you or screwing around with the stupid teenager maid (I kept picturing her getting pregnant and Andy doing all the hard work of raising the kid). Even his obsession with death just seemed like another example of Jimmie's self-involvement. So while I got that ultimately Andy was the one who was supposed to learn she was selfish trying to keep him on earth, she still got a pretty raw deal, losing her parents and her stepmother and then her brother who now got to hang out drinking beer in heaven with his new friends.
So in the end I kind of disliked both of them.
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