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Sentry of Evil #1.5
Haunted
A short story from the Sentry of Evil world…
Working on a TV special about one of McCall, Idaho’s legendary “haunted” hotels isn’t exactly how production assistant Alyssa Shaw wants to spend her weekend. But when the hotel’s handsome caretaker finds her outside at night, Alyssa forgets all about ghosts and her annoying boss.
Alec Bailey knows a thing or two about the supernatural world and its dangers. When the local news crew shows up to do a piece on his hotel, he knows he should send them away…especially with that unchecked demon lurking on the property perimeter. Supernatural protocol dictates he call in Jacquelyn, McCall’s own demon hunter, but he isn’t ready to say goodbye to the beautiful crew member who reminds of a time in his life long past…
If Alec can’t keep Alyssa from the forest, she’s as good as dead. When she ventures past the iron fence, Alec realizes that he’ll have to defy supernatural law if he’s going to save her. And it may be that defiance, this time, will save him right back…
Working on a TV special about one of McCall, Idaho’s legendary “haunted” hotels isn’t exactly how production assistant Alyssa Shaw wants to spend her weekend. But when the hotel’s handsome caretaker finds her outside at night, Alyssa forgets all about ghosts and her annoying boss.
Alec Bailey knows a thing or two about the supernatural world and its dangers. When the local news crew shows up to do a piece on his hotel, he knows he should send them away…especially with that unchecked demon lurking on the property perimeter. Supernatural protocol dictates he call in Jacquelyn, McCall’s own demon hunter, but he isn’t ready to say goodbye to the beautiful crew member who reminds of a time in his life long past…
If Alec can’t keep Alyssa from the forest, she’s as good as dead. When she ventures past the iron fence, Alec realizes that he’ll have to defy supernatural law if he’s going to save her. And it may be that defiance, this time, will save him right back…
- GenresParanormalUrban Fantasy
48 pages, ebook
First published October 9, 2013
95 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Bonilla
18 books427 followersAmanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. When she’s not writing she’s either reading or talking about her favorite books.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 10, 2015
As much as I love Amanda Bonilla's SENTRY OF EVIL & SHAEDE ASSASSIN series, I have a serious beef with ghost romances. I grabbed this as a freebie, and it was a short read, so no real skin off my back there. Anyway, I went into the story with an Urban Fantasy frame of mind which was my bad because I rarely bother with blurbs, and this one clearly had a strong love undertone to it. The novella wasn't long enough to be able to really get a feel for any of the characters other than Jacquelyn, and that was more from my experience with VENGEANCE BORNE, the first full length installment. I found the tale rather corny, and the plot didn't have much of a kick to it. HAUNTED didn't add anything to the series, but it might appeal to readers looking for a quick, cutesy way to pass the time just so long as you don't have anything against spook / living HEAs.
March 6, 2024
Poderia ser muito apavorante se eu não gostasse tanto desse tipo de narrativa, com fantasmas camaradas, caçadores de demônios, e outros seres interessantes. Amei o final, e totalmente concordo com a protagonista, todos merecem uma segunda chance. Muito bom.
December 30, 2014
Alyssa is a production assistant in a crew filming a supposed haunted hotel as a highlight story for Halloween. Alyssa feels the need to leave her room and go for a walk late at night as her boss and the anchor-woman are busy rattling the walls. Before she gets to the woods Alec stops her. There is something dangerous out in the woods that will kill. There is a familiarity between the two as well, but neither knows the other feels it.
To me this is a blend of spooky-sweet. What's out there in the woods, nasty. Not good out there. But Alec and Alyssa, sweet. Kind of a Val-oween?
This novella takes place not long after the first book, Vengeance Borne, of furies attacks. Jacquelyn has her hands full with the after affects but she shows up briefly here. We see Jacquelyn briefly here as she is hunting what is in the woods.
The news crew don't seem to find the ghosts they are looking for, but what's out in the woods is much more dangerous. Alec does his best to protect the guests by boarding up all the exits except the front door, to keep them from the woods. It almost works.
Alec and Alyssa both have a common feeling of familiarity and attraction for each other, neither know the other feels this way. As if they'd meet before. This is something that I wish was explored a little more, but was so sweet in this novella. We get the view from Alyssa and Alec to get the full feel of the thoughts and attraction. I hope we get a chance to see these two again in the novels at some point, I'd like to know them a bit better.
I will say I had my suspicions of Alec, you read you'll understand. I was kept in suspense of him and his being and rules for the story. I had to know more about him. In the end, I got them.
Do you need to read Vengeance Borne to read this? No, I don't think so. These two characters are not in Vengeance Borne. But you won't know the town and what Jacquelyn's job is. You'll deduce it from this story. There are no major spoilers of the first book here though, or so I thought.
After reading this, I wanted to watch High Spirits again. Do you know that movie? A movie from 1988 with ghosts and a castle. Was cute and fun. I think if you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy the quick story.
To me this is a blend of spooky-sweet. What's out there in the woods, nasty. Not good out there. But Alec and Alyssa, sweet. Kind of a Val-oween?
This novella takes place not long after the first book, Vengeance Borne, of furies attacks. Jacquelyn has her hands full with the after affects but she shows up briefly here. We see Jacquelyn briefly here as she is hunting what is in the woods.
The news crew don't seem to find the ghosts they are looking for, but what's out in the woods is much more dangerous. Alec does his best to protect the guests by boarding up all the exits except the front door, to keep them from the woods. It almost works.
Alec and Alyssa both have a common feeling of familiarity and attraction for each other, neither know the other feels this way. As if they'd meet before. This is something that I wish was explored a little more, but was so sweet in this novella. We get the view from Alyssa and Alec to get the full feel of the thoughts and attraction. I hope we get a chance to see these two again in the novels at some point, I'd like to know them a bit better.
I will say I had my suspicions of Alec, you read you'll understand. I was kept in suspense of him and his being and rules for the story. I had to know more about him. In the end, I got them.
Do you need to read Vengeance Borne to read this? No, I don't think so. These two characters are not in Vengeance Borne. But you won't know the town and what Jacquelyn's job is. You'll deduce it from this story. There are no major spoilers of the first book here though, or so I thought.
After reading this, I wanted to watch High Spirits again. Do you know that movie? A movie from 1988 with ghosts and a castle. Was cute and fun. I think if you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy the quick story.
December 26, 2015
Set in the Sentry of Evil world, this short story takes place entirely on the set of a haunted house TV shoot. Alyssa is a PA tasked with taking care of the grunt work, which includes tolerating the diva talent. Her current assignment is to make sure this haunted house story goes smoothly, and making sure the haunted accommodations don't scare anyone away. While they don't actually encounter any ghosts on their tour, on a night spent trying to escape the star's loud lovemaking she encounters a ghost of her own.
Alec has been tied to the estate since he's been a ghost. He can apparently pull off corporeal enough to touch and interact with things, including Alyssa. While the TV crew is working on finding the paranormal inside the house, he is concerned with them wandering off the property and into the hands of the beastie outside. Overall, while there is a paranormal element, this was a short romance. Alyssa is essentially at a crossroads in her life where she has to choose between continuing at a job she hates or to try to follow her heart and make herself happy.
Alec has been tied to the estate since he's been a ghost. He can apparently pull off corporeal enough to touch and interact with things, including Alyssa. While the TV crew is working on finding the paranormal inside the house, he is concerned with them wandering off the property and into the hands of the beastie outside. Overall, while there is a paranormal element, this was a short romance. Alyssa is essentially at a crossroads in her life where she has to choose between continuing at a job she hates or to try to follow her heart and make herself happy.
April 25, 2014
Haunted is a short "romantic ghost story" set in the Sentry of Evil world. A news crew comes to McCall, Idaho, where Vengeance Borne takes place, to film in a haunted hotel. We follow their sassy production assistant Alyssa as she deals with a bossy producer and whiny news anchor during their shoot. She meets Alec, the hotel caretaker, who tries to protect her from unknown dangers outside the hotel grounds.
Jaqueline, the heroine from Vengeance Borne, arrives to deal with those "dangers" and inadvertantly introduces Alyssa to the supernatural world. It was fun to see Jaqueline from Alyssa's perspective. She seems more confident and intimidating than she sees herself.
I loved Alyssa's snarky character. I hope she pops up in the Sentry series again. The connection between her and Alec was not a big surprise, but was still a sweet story. Haunted is a fun little addition to the series. Fans of Vengeance Borne will definitely enjoy it. Those who haven't tried Vengeance Borne will have no trouble following the story and will get a little taste of Jaqueline's world.
Jaqueline, the heroine from Vengeance Borne, arrives to deal with those "dangers" and inadvertantly introduces Alyssa to the supernatural world. It was fun to see Jaqueline from Alyssa's perspective. She seems more confident and intimidating than she sees herself.
I loved Alyssa's snarky character. I hope she pops up in the Sentry series again. The connection between her and Alec was not a big surprise, but was still a sweet story. Haunted is a fun little addition to the series. Fans of Vengeance Borne will definitely enjoy it. Those who haven't tried Vengeance Borne will have no trouble following the story and will get a little taste of Jaqueline's world.
January 26, 2014
When I first read Vengeance Borne by Amanda Bonilla, I was so excited; so, when I saw the short novella entitled "Haunted" I just had to read it. Unfortunately, I was so disappointed. It was quite disappointing, totally unbelievable and just plain cheesy. So what happened? Well, the world building, characters, and plot was just plain undeveloped. The instantaneous love connection did not read true most likely because of the speed in which everything occurs. I should have paid closer attention to the reviews before purchasing this book. It wasn't worth the 99¢.
January 7, 2014
Two stars is being generous. This was just.... MEH
April 29, 2014
very short read but still a great story. I hope Alec and Alyssa make appearances in the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews