Who doesn’t love a haunting story every once in a while? While I am not a fan of “horror” stories, I find the concept of ghosts and hauntings a little bit interesting.
This is the first time I’ve read this author and I thought this book would make a great change of pace. Check out my thoughts and review for this upcoming release below.
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pub Date: October 15, 2024
ISBN-13: 978-1250292902
OVERVIEW:
It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.
Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.
But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.
Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens Review
I was looking for something a little different to read and this one landed for perusal. I really like the concept of a bit of romance and some ghost story vibes.
The opening scene is quite memorable between the two leading characters. But what I found interesting as the story continued to develop is that the female lead character was really kind of a jerk.
While her initial anger at Neil could’ve been justified, the fact is she did not articulate it to him at all. It was a burst from nowhere as there was not any in-depth backstory.
There were other parts of the story that just didn’t jive well. The building romance started rather abruptly after the female lead had so much anger towards him. That was odd. Plus, she was a little wishy-washy when deciding between her anger and lust.
Speaking of lust, some of the romance pieces, (of which there were quite a few, Hooray!), appeared at weird times in the story. Like here, we’re going to be haunted, but let’s get hot and heavy. It was kind of odd.
Another portion that struck me was the haunted house itself. The concept is great, the plot was well thought out and worked. But I would not categorize this as horror in the least.
Overall, I did like the story as it is entertaining and different. With some tweaks, I think this could’ve been a 4-5 star read. Maybe the other two supporting characters could have more valuable input into the story. They really did not impact the book other than some comic relief. Not memorable characters.
If I Stopped Haunting You reminded me of a cozy mystery with hauntings and sexy times. There are plenty of entertaining parts for a well-rounded good story.
3 STARS!!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
Hi! I’m Chris! Just a Midlife Wife sharing about life’s journey; screaming and kicking through it while supposedly aging gracefully…
Focusing on healthy living, low carb & keto, things I am loving right now, and life in general.