Scared Stiff

click here for more details, find new or used items	Laura Baumbach, Josh Lanyon, William Maltese Our price £23.75 (£25.00) New from £7.56 Used from £12.88 Pages: 320 (Paperback) ISBN: 0979311063 Pub: MLR Press LLC Pub date: 2007-10-24 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 30545

Reader Reviews:

Imaginative Collection of Ghostly Stories (1/1 people found this helpful)

Imaginative Collection of Ghostly Stories: Includes "Soul Desire" from Laura Baumbach, Josh Lanyon's "A Ghost of a Chance," Sarah Black's "Wild Onions" and William Maltese's "Rendering of Souls."

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In "Soul Desire" from Laura Baumbach, Mason's suffering from a lingering grief and he needs a distraction from the painful memories, so he takes a much-needed vacation and checks himself into the Storm Inn. That first night he awakens suddenly from his sleep, unsettled and scared, still feeling the lingering touch of a lover's caress. Mason has an interesting reaction to fear - he's actually scared "stiff." The next morning when he's in the shower trying to take care of his morning need, he senses that he's not alone; again feeling the touch of someone else's hand. Later that same morning when Mason heads downstairs looking for the innkeeper, he's deep in the throes of battling a disorderly fireplace when he has his first encounter with Eli, the innkeeper. There's an immediate attraction between the two men, but Mason's guilt for feeling again and his uncertainty of the situation, just adds to Mason's emotional confusion.

"Soul Desire" is a sensual, cozy read; stimulating the senses and sending shivers down my spine. Laura creates the perfect mood with storm swept cliffs, gloomy weather, the remote estate and fog-filled haunted bedrooms (it's an erotic ghost story so you just *know* the bedroom's haunted). But Eli's no dark, brooding lord of the manor - not with his teasing winks and seductive smiles. As the reader, I sympathized with Mason's grief, knowing that it was real - but not oppressed by it. Mason knows it's time to let go and love again, but needs the right "incentive" to take that step.

I've always loved the way Laura has written her dominate men: strong and tender, loving and compassionate. Eli's all of that and more, but he doesn't believe in ghosts; he believes everything has a rational explanation and finds Mason's over-active imagination endearing. Eli's gentle amusement annoys the heck out of Mason. Mason's had firsthand, intimate knowledge of this otherworldly spirit and when he's had enough of the ghostly groping; he literally jumps into Eli's arms and bed. One of the best first-time scenes ever! Mason demands protection from the innkeeper (its Eli's dead relative that's doing all the groping after all) and of course, as the perfect host, Eli's happy to oblige. Speaking of groping, I should add at this point - Laura knows how to write the perfect lovers: playful, passionate and demanding.

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When a story starts out with a quote from "Spinal Tap," you just know it's gonna be good. Well that, and a naked guy tussle with some serious manhandling. In Josh Lanyon's "A Ghost of a Chance," Rhys Davies is a ghost hunter, I mean - a Parapsychologist. Rhys' been invited to stay at a friend's house, while the friend is out of town, so Rhys can study the nearby Berkeley House - a house with plenty of skeletons in its closet, for a book he's writing on ghost hunting along the California coast. The problem is - the friend's house is already occupied. Rhys finds this out the hard way, when after the front door key doesn't work, he crawls through an open window and is promptly pounced on by a lean, mean cop machine. The cop is Sam Devlin, the friend's nephew, and a serious pain in Rhys' behind.

Josh shows no mercy for his readers, writing in his trademark (well it should be trademarked) "finely sharpened" style of humor, when he treats us to this devilishly delicious haunted house romp. And not to worry, there are plenty of shudders and shivers and mysterious happenings with a *very* gratifying man love romance. Rhys makes that perfect ghost hunter: sensitive (not the psychic kind), headstrong and full of determination ... to ignore his growing attraction to the annoying cop. Sam's a man that's intimidating in stature and personality; a man that's sure of himself, used to giving orders and having them obeyed and a man that may be a little out of his depth with Rhys. It's said that opposites attract and maybe they'll make the perfect couple - if they don't strangle each other first!

Rhys and Sam are amusing, well-developed characters that snagged my attention from the very beginning. Despite its humor, there are serious issues slightly overshadowing the story that adds a deeper, more realistic mood. Rhys has recently ended a relationship and if I understood the subtle reference, the ex was abusive as well as unfaithful. Sam has a few issues: self-esteem because of his size and lack of physical attractiveness and trust because of his upbringing. There are several poignant moments where Josh reveals their insecurities, as Rhys and Sam navigate their way through these issues to that (hopefully) long-term relationship. Josh captures the complexities of their relationship, without weighing the story down with their emotional issues. He also writes a beautiful love scene: tender, loving and sensual.

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In Sarah Black's "Wild Onions," Robert Mitchell is returning to a cabin that has sat empty for a year. He cleans the cabin, trying to decide if he wants to sell the cabin because of painful memories. The cabin had belonged to his lover and longtime partner, Val, who was killed in an accident nearly a year ago. The same accident has left Robert with a painful limp and a mountain of hospital bills. He's taken time off from his job, trying to decide which direction his life should take now that he's alone. He no longer feels motivated or capable to continue his job as a photojournalist, but he's been with the newspaper for years - and he desperately needs the financial security of a job. But as soon as he enters the cabin, he knows those same memories that kept him away, will keep him from selling Val's cabin. Robert keeps a journal, his journal filled with his conversations with Val - telling Val about the cabin, about his job, about his loneliness. He takes a break from the cabin and grabs his rod to fish along a nearby river. He can't even fish without Val, because Val was the one who knew how to set up his line with the hook. So Robert is just sitting on the bank with a hookless line in the water, when a young man comes wading up the river and into Robert's life.

Cody Calling Eagle is a local Blackfoot, studying to be an Anthropologist. He's taken a much needed break from his dissertation to work a summer seasonal job with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cody isn't a traditional Blackfoot; embracing science instead of his native culture. When he sees Robert on the river bank, he recognizes him as Val's Robert. Seeing the weary grief in Robert's face Cody invites himself back to the cabin to share his catch for dinner. In a field outside the cabin the men are gathering wild onions and herbs (that Val had planted) for their dinner, when they notice markers on the ground. Robert remembers Val had placed them there when he found something with his metal detector. There's a local legend of a massacre that took place somewhere nearby and the men wonder if this is what Val had found.

Sarah writes a bittersweet story, of loss and learning to accept that loss, because without that acceptance, Robert can't move on. She tugs at our heartstrings weaving together the past and present, a tale of two lifetimes connecting through Robert and Cody's dreams. The story is rich in characterizations, Sarah creating a heartwarming sense of family and home with Cody and his relatives. There's a subtle feeling of apprehension, like Cody and Robert are ill-fated lovers. I kept reminding myself - this is a romance and romances have happy endings. As the story continues to unfold, the feeling of dread intensifies with a terrifying twist, painfully pulling those heartstrings. The story has a solid mystery, with murder and old tribal legends adding to the plot. There are gentle moments of humor that keeps the story from becoming too somber; like when Cody inspires the photographer in Robert in an interesting way, which inspired very vivid images in my mind's eye. I was moved to tears several times, and when I have that kind of emotional response to a story, I know the author succeeded in writing something real and beautiful. *wipes eyes*

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William Maltese's "Rendering of Souls" is a mystical, lustful fantasy of murder and revenge. Near the end of days, when magic is a thing of the past, Glynen seeks out a magician and the powers of a magical candle.

Interesting tale, to say the least. I had to read this one twice trying to grasp what was happening. I'm not a big fan of this genre (Fantasy) and I'm not familiar with Maltese's style of writing, so I'm really at a loss here. Hopefully, someone else will leave a better and enlightening review on William's mystifying story.

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