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Secret Reflection
A modern gothic romance about skepticism, secrets, and seeing what’s in front of your eyes.
Kelly Reid doesn't believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
Kelly Reid doesn't believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
444 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 5, 2013
A GHOST story! This was fun, mysterious, and a real page turner.
Kelly has come to England to hide. She's just gotten through a nasty divorce from a fortune hunter and she wants to spend time with her friends, Nancy and Tom. They are working to open a hotel in a huge manor house they are leasing. To help distract Kelly from her heartache, they ask her to prove that the legendary ghost of the house is real. Or not, as the case may be. They also think the owner of the house might be a good diversion. Richard is quite pretty.
Kelly is skeptical about the reality of ghosts and works to prove that John Tarrant (the gorgeous man in the mirror) is an actor, and a perpetrator of the hoax. She's pretty sure her friends are in on it, because having a ghost, real or otherwise, would make their hotel a raging success. They admit that it would give their hotel a certain cachet and tell her to do her best.
John is quite sexy and Kelly tries to forget about that as she goes about proving him false.
One of the devices in this book is that we, the reader, get to read the journal kept by John's cousin and heir (Edward), written over a century ago. Reading his words gave me shivers. What a horrible person...and nuts, too. And his descendant isn't quite all there either.
There is a lot of sexual content in this one, and considering John is locked in a mirror, that was interesting.
Richard, the current Viscount and John's descendant, enjoys his sexual partners young, very young, and those scenes were hard to read, so be aware. I could have used just a bit less detail on Richard's conquests. I kept hoping that justice would be served, and it most is.
Ms. Brassel certainly takes us on an adventure as Kelly works out how to free John. Can it be done? And if so, how can this end up with an HEA? Quite the journey with some great side characters and a lovely setting. I'd love to spend a few nights in this hotel. But I don't want the room with the GHOST!
This was a FOUR BOOKMARK for me.
I loved that the end gave me ENOUGH information.
That will make sense when you read it...!
*Thank you, NetGalley and Escape Publishing, for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This review may also be found at:
Beyond the Squee: Book Reviews
www.beyondthesquee.com
Kelly has come to England to hide. She's just gotten through a nasty divorce from a fortune hunter and she wants to spend time with her friends, Nancy and Tom. They are working to open a hotel in a huge manor house they are leasing. To help distract Kelly from her heartache, they ask her to prove that the legendary ghost of the house is real. Or not, as the case may be. They also think the owner of the house might be a good diversion. Richard is quite pretty.
Kelly is skeptical about the reality of ghosts and works to prove that John Tarrant (the gorgeous man in the mirror) is an actor, and a perpetrator of the hoax. She's pretty sure her friends are in on it, because having a ghost, real or otherwise, would make their hotel a raging success. They admit that it would give their hotel a certain cachet and tell her to do her best.
John is quite sexy and Kelly tries to forget about that as she goes about proving him false.
One of the devices in this book is that we, the reader, get to read the journal kept by John's cousin and heir (Edward), written over a century ago. Reading his words gave me shivers. What a horrible person...and nuts, too. And his descendant isn't quite all there either.
There is a lot of sexual content in this one, and considering John is locked in a mirror, that was interesting.
Richard, the current Viscount and John's descendant, enjoys his sexual partners young, very young, and those scenes were hard to read, so be aware. I could have used just a bit less detail on Richard's conquests. I kept hoping that justice would be served, and it most is.
Ms. Brassel certainly takes us on an adventure as Kelly works out how to free John. Can it be done? And if so, how can this end up with an HEA? Quite the journey with some great side characters and a lovely setting. I'd love to spend a few nights in this hotel. But I don't want the room with the GHOST!
This was a FOUR BOOKMARK for me.
I loved that the end gave me ENOUGH information.
That will make sense when you read it...!
*Thank you, NetGalley and Escape Publishing, for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This review may also be found at:
Beyond the Squee: Book Reviews
www.beyondthesquee.com
May 1, 2013
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review. It wasn't quite what I expected. I guess I've been reading more YA books lately, and while this is NOT being marketed as young adult, the sexual content surprised me. I guess I just went into this expecting the paranormal, but not the sex scenes. I felt a little caught off guard. While it WAS billed as a romance, most of the sex was anything but romantic. Now I've read 50 Shades and Outlander and other bodice ripper romances and enjoyed them... I'm not a prude, but much of this was crude.
As for the actual romance ... I found it a bit (ok, more than a bit) unbelievable. This was the epitome of "love at first sight" in my opinion. I'm pretty sure the first time Kelly saw Jack she felt a "tingling in her belly, a burning in her thighs" (this not only happened the first time, but pretty much EVERY time. I found it repetitive.) I'm still not sure how their few conversations turned so quickly to everlasting love. Trying not to think about it TOO much, I did like the romance and was satisfied with the ending, although it was predictable.
As for the story, I did have several "what???" moments where I was a little confused. I'd have to go back and reread, and at times found my question explained, but other times I was still left wondering.
While I couldn't find fault with the actual writing really, it just didn't quite flow for me. It jumped around quite a bit, shifting perspectives and time periods. The old journal entries were italicized, but so were the dreams, and a couple times a dream and journal entry were back to back, lots of italics. Sometimes I had trouble with the transitions, they were so abrupt. Maybe they needed a larger space in between to break up the sections more, or assign the different POVs their own chapters (third person, mainly POV of Jack and Kelly, but also Richard, and once it shifts to Tom&Nancy).
So although the cover and blurb drew me in ... it didn't deliver.
As for the actual romance ... I found it a bit (ok, more than a bit) unbelievable. This was the epitome of "love at first sight" in my opinion. I'm pretty sure the first time Kelly saw Jack she felt a "tingling in her belly, a burning in her thighs" (this not only happened the first time, but pretty much EVERY time. I found it repetitive.) I'm still not sure how their few conversations turned so quickly to everlasting love. Trying not to think about it TOO much, I did like the romance and was satisfied with the ending, although it was predictable.
As for the story, I did have several "what???" moments where I was a little confused. I'd have to go back and reread, and at times found my question explained, but other times I was still left wondering.
While I couldn't find fault with the actual writing really, it just didn't quite flow for me. It jumped around quite a bit, shifting perspectives and time periods. The old journal entries were italicized, but so were the dreams, and a couple times a dream and journal entry were back to back, lots of italics. Sometimes I had trouble with the transitions, they were so abrupt. Maybe they needed a larger space in between to break up the sections more, or assign the different POVs their own chapters (third person, mainly POV of Jack and Kelly, but also Richard, and once it shifts to Tom&Nancy).
So although the cover and blurb drew me in ... it didn't deliver.
July 3, 2021
I've had this book in my To Read for a while and finally got to reading it. It had a lot of potential and good parts but there were a lot of things I didn't enjoy which is why I'd give it about 2 1/2 stars.
My biggest issue was the "romance." There is not much of any romance, certainly not much between John (the hero) and Kelly (the heroine) until the very end. I still can't grasp how they fall madly in love - the first part of the book is her thinking he's an actor trying to con her and trying to prove that; the second part is her finally trying to help him but they can't touch each other and every conversation we see between them is discussing his past and/or how they can try to free him with some light flirting and technology talk thrown in; there is no showing them getting to know each other at all (except for some the things John tells her and Kelly reading John's diary) - oh and him watching her sleep. We know WAY more about the "bad guy" and his skewed relationships and motivations than we ever know about the hero and heroine. And then about 80% in we get these weird sex dreams - at first you have no idea who she's having sex with and it morphs into different people (which I guess is accurate for dreams sometimes) and then they're sex dreams between John and Kelly - weird mostly because they came out of nowhere and sometimes you're made to believe that John is somehow an active participant but if so, that's never explained. I feel they were just thrown in to have some sex and there was no other logical way to do it at that point, so let's make it a dream.
I couldn't really buy Kelly as this successful investigative journalist who supposedly can't stop asking why or asking the hard questions when she's faced with people (Richard particularly) who she thinks aren't telling the whole truth and she just says "well I'm not going to push it because I don't really know him." No good journalist would back down like that. Also, she spends way too much time trying to debunk the ghost story and we see literally one time where she actually tries to search for the diary. Someone who is constantly asking questions would have been trying to find that diary a lot sooner. I also couldn't understand how she kept giving Richard the benefit of the doubt in weird situations but then couldn't fully trust her supposed best friend she's known since childhood - made no sense and made me not connect with Kelly.
I wish a lot less of the book had been focused on Richard and his ancestor Edward (some of the diary entries helped slowly unfold the mystery but again, we know a lot more about him than John) and more on John and Kelly getting to know each other. We get John's thoughts and POV in the prologue and epilogue and not much anywhere else, which was very disappointing.
There are references to rape and sexual abuse - none particularly graphic but several to let your imagination fill in the blanks and too many for me to enjoy this book.
I did enjoy the Gothic atmosphere - which is what first drew me to this book - and the unfolding of what happened to John but in addition to the above there were several plot holes that just didn't meet the potential this book offered.
My biggest issue was the "romance." There is not much of any romance, certainly not much between John (the hero) and Kelly (the heroine) until the very end. I still can't grasp how they fall madly in love - the first part of the book is her thinking he's an actor trying to con her and trying to prove that; the second part is her finally trying to help him but they can't touch each other and every conversation we see between them is discussing his past and/or how they can try to free him with some light flirting and technology talk thrown in; there is no showing them getting to know each other at all (except for some the things John tells her and Kelly reading John's diary) - oh and him watching her sleep. We know WAY more about the "bad guy" and his skewed relationships and motivations than we ever know about the hero and heroine. And then about 80% in we get these weird sex dreams - at first you have no idea who she's having sex with and it morphs into different people (which I guess is accurate for dreams sometimes) and then they're sex dreams between John and Kelly - weird mostly because they came out of nowhere and sometimes you're made to believe that John is somehow an active participant but if so, that's never explained. I feel they were just thrown in to have some sex and there was no other logical way to do it at that point, so let's make it a dream.
I couldn't really buy Kelly as this successful investigative journalist who supposedly can't stop asking why or asking the hard questions when she's faced with people (Richard particularly) who she thinks aren't telling the whole truth and she just says "well I'm not going to push it because I don't really know him." No good journalist would back down like that. Also, she spends way too much time trying to debunk the ghost story and we see literally one time where she actually tries to search for the diary. Someone who is constantly asking questions would have been trying to find that diary a lot sooner. I also couldn't understand how she kept giving Richard the benefit of the doubt in weird situations but then couldn't fully trust her supposed best friend she's known since childhood - made no sense and made me not connect with Kelly.
I wish a lot less of the book had been focused on Richard and his ancestor Edward (some of the diary entries helped slowly unfold the mystery but again, we know a lot more about him than John) and more on John and Kelly getting to know each other. We get John's thoughts and POV in the prologue and epilogue and not much anywhere else, which was very disappointing.
There are references to rape and sexual abuse - none particularly graphic but several to let your imagination fill in the blanks and too many for me to enjoy this book.
I did enjoy the Gothic atmosphere - which is what first drew me to this book - and the unfolding of what happened to John but in addition to the above there were several plot holes that just didn't meet the potential this book offered.
July 14, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much, and will look for more from this author. This takes much of the Gothic romance formula, and plays with it in fun ways. For one thing, the heroine acts intelligently most of the time. The villain is thoroughly a villain (be aware, some of his actions may be triggering for some readers). The resolution is a bit rapid, but it's satisfying anyway. Definitely worth reading if you like this sort of thing.
April 16, 2013
Recovering from her recent divorce, American Kelly Reid has come to England to spend some time with her friend Nancy and Nancy’s husband Tom. The two of them have purchased a 20 year lease on a grand old homestead Stanthorpe House and plan to turn it into a hotel. Kelly plans to also use her trip as research, to attempt to write an English screenplay. As an American, she doesn’t often get the English humour and slang so she wants to experience it first hand in order to get it right.
When she arrives, Nancy and Tom tell her that they’d also like her to use her skills to write a piece promoting the opening for the hotel. In it they want her to prove that the house does indeed contain a ghost – Kelly is immediately dismissive. She doesn’t believe in ghosts and she thinks it will be a simple thing to uncover whatever Tom and Nancy are using, technology wise, to make it appear as if the house is haunted.
That is, until a man appears in the mirror of her bedroom. Nothing Kelly does can identify how such a thing could be possible. Although she has to admit, the actor is good - very good. He plays the dashing 1800′s hero to perfection! But she’s determined to find some way to prove that this cannot be real – because she’s coming to care a little too much for the man.
John Tarrant has been trapped in nothingness for 140 years, able to only appear in the household mirrors at regular intervals to attempt to secure his freedom. Suffering horribly over something that he did in the past, John seeks his freedom in a final death and some peace at last. Until that is, he meets Kelly. John might not understand life in the year 2000, but he knows an attractive woman when he sees one. But the harder they work to free him from his curse, the more the possibility seems that he just might vanish forever. And Kelly isn’t sure she can do that.
Secret Reflections is one of the April release titles for Harlequin Escape and when I saw it, I had to request it! It seemed so different that I knew I wanted to read it and although I’m a super skeptic, the idea of a man trapped inside a mirror for 140 years and falling in love with someone who is attempting to free him, just seems well, so romantic. Because John is trapped in a mirror and can’t take corporeal form, I think the author has to work a lot harder to establish a real chemistry between the two characters. She manages to do this by developing the attraction early. Kelly believes that the man in the mirror is a projection, merely an actor. So she often wears skimpy clothing (underwear, etc, she is in her bedroom after all) while she’s talking to him. John has seen many changes come and go whilst he’s been in his Purgatory but he still retains his 1800′s manners. There are also several spicy dream scenes but mostly the connection has to be established through the characters speaking and I think that this is accomplished rather well.
It’s no secret to the reader that John believes he deserves punishment. He calls himself a murderer and he longs for death so that he can meet his Maker and face his punishment. Instead he is trapped in the mirror and forced to bear witness to all manner of horrible things performed on someone that he loved. Death seems by far the most preferable option to him but once Kelly comes to know him and believe his story, she finds that she may not want to free him if it will result in that very thing happening. She vows to find a way that will end his torment but hopefully, keep him with her.
Please note the following paragraph is ***SPOILERISH***
To be honest, that’s where the story did get a little weak in that there’s not a lot of explanation towards the end. Whilst I do think that you can take liberties and have things explained away as just “happening” sometimes I think that if you plan on writing a supernatural story then you probably should have a pretty strong reason for why things happen as they do. We know why John was trapped into the mirror, so the reader has to take a leap of faith to believe in the magic and spell that put him there – they’ve already done that if they’re engrossed in the story. It’s not going to be hard to take another leap of faith in order for him to come out. Obviously the reader wants a happy ever after for Kelly and John – separated as they are by 140 years and a mirror. I was quite happy for the ending to be John popping into physical form but I wanted to know why this happened. Why was that the result of breaking the spell? It’s an explanation that I believe would’ve really boosted this book, for me personally anyway.
End ***SPOILERISH*** talk.
However, even without that, I did really enjoy this book. I’m kind of like Kelly so I really loved her journey of coming to believe that John was real. She wanted to long before she actually did, but she also wanted to keep him with her towards the end, so she was hoping he was still an actor. I liked the play of his Victorian times ways and mannerisms against her 2000′s modern woman behaviour. It was a highly enjoyable story.
When she arrives, Nancy and Tom tell her that they’d also like her to use her skills to write a piece promoting the opening for the hotel. In it they want her to prove that the house does indeed contain a ghost – Kelly is immediately dismissive. She doesn’t believe in ghosts and she thinks it will be a simple thing to uncover whatever Tom and Nancy are using, technology wise, to make it appear as if the house is haunted.
That is, until a man appears in the mirror of her bedroom. Nothing Kelly does can identify how such a thing could be possible. Although she has to admit, the actor is good - very good. He plays the dashing 1800′s hero to perfection! But she’s determined to find some way to prove that this cannot be real – because she’s coming to care a little too much for the man.
John Tarrant has been trapped in nothingness for 140 years, able to only appear in the household mirrors at regular intervals to attempt to secure his freedom. Suffering horribly over something that he did in the past, John seeks his freedom in a final death and some peace at last. Until that is, he meets Kelly. John might not understand life in the year 2000, but he knows an attractive woman when he sees one. But the harder they work to free him from his curse, the more the possibility seems that he just might vanish forever. And Kelly isn’t sure she can do that.
Secret Reflections is one of the April release titles for Harlequin Escape and when I saw it, I had to request it! It seemed so different that I knew I wanted to read it and although I’m a super skeptic, the idea of a man trapped inside a mirror for 140 years and falling in love with someone who is attempting to free him, just seems well, so romantic. Because John is trapped in a mirror and can’t take corporeal form, I think the author has to work a lot harder to establish a real chemistry between the two characters. She manages to do this by developing the attraction early. Kelly believes that the man in the mirror is a projection, merely an actor. So she often wears skimpy clothing (underwear, etc, she is in her bedroom after all) while she’s talking to him. John has seen many changes come and go whilst he’s been in his Purgatory but he still retains his 1800′s manners. There are also several spicy dream scenes but mostly the connection has to be established through the characters speaking and I think that this is accomplished rather well.
It’s no secret to the reader that John believes he deserves punishment. He calls himself a murderer and he longs for death so that he can meet his Maker and face his punishment. Instead he is trapped in the mirror and forced to bear witness to all manner of horrible things performed on someone that he loved. Death seems by far the most preferable option to him but once Kelly comes to know him and believe his story, she finds that she may not want to free him if it will result in that very thing happening. She vows to find a way that will end his torment but hopefully, keep him with her.
Please note the following paragraph is ***SPOILERISH***
To be honest, that’s where the story did get a little weak in that there’s not a lot of explanation towards the end. Whilst I do think that you can take liberties and have things explained away as just “happening” sometimes I think that if you plan on writing a supernatural story then you probably should have a pretty strong reason for why things happen as they do. We know why John was trapped into the mirror, so the reader has to take a leap of faith to believe in the magic and spell that put him there – they’ve already done that if they’re engrossed in the story. It’s not going to be hard to take another leap of faith in order for him to come out. Obviously the reader wants a happy ever after for Kelly and John – separated as they are by 140 years and a mirror. I was quite happy for the ending to be John popping into physical form but I wanted to know why this happened. Why was that the result of breaking the spell? It’s an explanation that I believe would’ve really boosted this book, for me personally anyway.
End ***SPOILERISH*** talk.
However, even without that, I did really enjoy this book. I’m kind of like Kelly so I really loved her journey of coming to believe that John was real. She wanted to long before she actually did, but she also wanted to keep him with her towards the end, so she was hoping he was still an actor. I liked the play of his Victorian times ways and mannerisms against her 2000′s modern woman behaviour. It was a highly enjoyable story.
May 23, 2013
Book: Secret Reflection
Author: Jennifer Brassel
Published: April 1, 2013 by Escape Publishing
Paperback, 202 pages
Review: 3.5 stars
*****
From Goodreads:
A modern gothic romance about skepticism, secrets, and seeing what’s in front of your eyes.
Kelly Reid doesn’t believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
*****
3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4)
I received this book on behalf of Harlequin Enterprises Australia from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am generally wary of the Time Traveling romances, but Secret Reflection had a hot and sweet love story, a murder mystery, and a race against time to free John from his own purgatory.The seemingly far reaching paranormal story was engaging, suspenseful, romantic, with some humor, too. Brassel wrote a compelling and original love story, and I enjoyed it very much.
I was hooked after reading the prologue that set tone for the rest of the story. I like when authors give the readers a taste at the complexities that are to come later, like in Hopeless. We wanted to hear why John murdered his dear friend, who was also his cousin’s wife. I enjoyed the how it jumped around to multiple POV in Secret Reflection – we got to see how John and Kelly began to trust and care about each other. It helped keep the story moving along, and we found out more clues as to whodunnit and how to save John. We also got to hear from the town’s dirt bag, who happens to be related to the man responsible for imprisoning John. The readers also got excerpts from the journal of the man who arranged for John to be imprisoned. Brassel’s descriptions of the hotel and the setting were wonderful, and it was easy to pain the picture of the surroundings.
Brassel made a believable MC in Kelly. Newly divorced from a wretched man, Kelly escaped LA to stay with friends in a town outside of London in their new hotel. Her friends wanted to give Kelly something to occupy her time and they wanted to get extra publicity for their new hotel… so they hired Kelly to write about the ghost haunting their hotel. After being manipulated by her ex-husband, she had a guard up to avoid being duped again. Kelly’s pain seemed real and her reservations of the ghost story were valid. (I mean…. I would be calling BS if she believed it right away!) John was a hot, perfect gentleman. He also brought the laughs in the book, when he was out of his element in the year 2000. It reminded me of the movie Enchanted – I loved when Prince Edward (James Mardsen) and Giselle (Amy Adams) were fish out of water in NYC.
The love story was cute. It built up throughout the whole story, so this wasn’t the insta-love kind of romance novel. There was enough of the initial skepticism and distrust, and even though the story takes place over just two weeks, the two lonely souls started to trust each other more each day. As their trust built, the desire to be with each other increased as well… The two lonely souls complimented each other well, and it was easy to get lost in their story.
Richard Ditchley made my skin crawl. He was a despicable character, who was a womanizing pedophile with a serious gambling problem. Brassel did a fine job creating such an unlikable man, who had charmed his way through life. He was vile and disgusting, but I think he was immature and spoiled. He charmed his way through life with his good looks and likable personality – we were all waiting for this disgusting character to get what was coming to him!
This book might not be for everyone, because it isn’t a sexytimes love story by chapter 3 kind of book, but if you are OK with that, I recommend this book!
Author: Jennifer Brassel
Published: April 1, 2013 by Escape Publishing
Paperback, 202 pages
Review: 3.5 stars
*****
From Goodreads:
A modern gothic romance about skepticism, secrets, and seeing what’s in front of your eyes.
Kelly Reid doesn’t believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
*****
3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4)
I received this book on behalf of Harlequin Enterprises Australia from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am generally wary of the Time Traveling romances, but Secret Reflection had a hot and sweet love story, a murder mystery, and a race against time to free John from his own purgatory.The seemingly far reaching paranormal story was engaging, suspenseful, romantic, with some humor, too. Brassel wrote a compelling and original love story, and I enjoyed it very much.
I was hooked after reading the prologue that set tone for the rest of the story. I like when authors give the readers a taste at the complexities that are to come later, like in Hopeless. We wanted to hear why John murdered his dear friend, who was also his cousin’s wife. I enjoyed the how it jumped around to multiple POV in Secret Reflection – we got to see how John and Kelly began to trust and care about each other. It helped keep the story moving along, and we found out more clues as to whodunnit and how to save John. We also got to hear from the town’s dirt bag, who happens to be related to the man responsible for imprisoning John. The readers also got excerpts from the journal of the man who arranged for John to be imprisoned. Brassel’s descriptions of the hotel and the setting were wonderful, and it was easy to pain the picture of the surroundings.
Brassel made a believable MC in Kelly. Newly divorced from a wretched man, Kelly escaped LA to stay with friends in a town outside of London in their new hotel. Her friends wanted to give Kelly something to occupy her time and they wanted to get extra publicity for their new hotel… so they hired Kelly to write about the ghost haunting their hotel. After being manipulated by her ex-husband, she had a guard up to avoid being duped again. Kelly’s pain seemed real and her reservations of the ghost story were valid. (I mean…. I would be calling BS if she believed it right away!) John was a hot, perfect gentleman. He also brought the laughs in the book, when he was out of his element in the year 2000. It reminded me of the movie Enchanted – I loved when Prince Edward (James Mardsen) and Giselle (Amy Adams) were fish out of water in NYC.
The love story was cute. It built up throughout the whole story, so this wasn’t the insta-love kind of romance novel. There was enough of the initial skepticism and distrust, and even though the story takes place over just two weeks, the two lonely souls started to trust each other more each day. As their trust built, the desire to be with each other increased as well… The two lonely souls complimented each other well, and it was easy to get lost in their story.
Richard Ditchley made my skin crawl. He was a despicable character, who was a womanizing pedophile with a serious gambling problem. Brassel did a fine job creating such an unlikable man, who had charmed his way through life. He was vile and disgusting, but I think he was immature and spoiled. He charmed his way through life with his good looks and likable personality – we were all waiting for this disgusting character to get what was coming to him!
This book might not be for everyone, because it isn’t a sexytimes love story by chapter 3 kind of book, but if you are OK with that, I recommend this book!
July 27, 2013
Secret Reflection is a good read for anyone who likes contemporary fantasy romance and gentlemen from the nineteenth century. The story of a man trapped in a mirror in the mid nineteenth century by a Druid sorcerer is unusual and poignant, in this case, especially because of the circumstances surrounding the incarceration.
Kelly is an American reporter visiting her long time friend in England where she and her husband are in the process of turning an old English home into a hotel. They ask Kelly to investigate the ghost that is supposed to reside in the house. The idea being that an article proving the ghosts existence will bring customers. so Kelly sets out to disprove the ghosts existence. She soon discovers that he does exist, but not as a ghost. The magic that has imprisoned him means that only the person who sleeps in his bed can see him. And only for eighteen days every twenty years.
John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for one hundred and forty years, forced in there to be tormented by the husband of the wife John had supposedly murdered. John is a noble character who has born his imprisonment stoically, despite the torment he felt as he was forced to watch helplessly as his cousin raped and beat the woman he would have married. Though the perpetrator, Edward, has long since departed, his character is very much present in the writings in his journal where he describes his acts of cruelty. We are also party to the pedophilia of his descendent, pretty boy Richard. Add to that the behaviour of Kelly's ex-husband Frank, and a sexually and physically abusive father of the girl who is being taken advantage of by the pedophile and we have a pretty poor vision of mankind in this novel. The only other decent man apart from John, is Tom, husband of Kelly's best friend, and later, after a murder, the inspector, who seems a decent enough bloke.
It's a well written and dramatic story with quite a lot of explicit sex. The gratuitous nature of some of it detracted from the story, rather than added to it, but it has been written for a particular type of reader. Had it been more subtle, it could have had a wider readership, because the quality of the characterisation of John and the growing relationship between him and Kelly was extremely well done.
Despite my dislike of the explicitness of the pedophilia, I appreciated the quality of the plot, pacing, dialogue and characterisation up until Kelly acted out of character by virtually agreeing to prostitute herself in order to get the journal that might contain the key to releasing John from his living hell in the mirror. She could have worked out other options, or at least have not gone alone. I couldn't believe she would have been that stupid.
Not only that, but she was almost prepared to submit to a rape and only pulled herself together at the last moment. She could have easily done more to ensure her safety and fought earlier in the attempted rape. I cannot imagine a woman like her submitting for a moment, especially while the man she loved watched unable to do anything to help.
The thing I like about romances is the assured happy ending. They're good to read when you want to know that you'll leave a book feeling good, and this one didn't disappoint, though I felt that, once again, the degree of explicitness was simply unnecessary and the nature of the abuse in the book left a bad taste.
On a personal level, I'd give the book 3 stars because I don't enjoy reading about abuse, but in fairness to the author who, apart from the out of character part, did a good job, I give it 4 stars.
This is not a book for young adults.
Kelly is an American reporter visiting her long time friend in England where she and her husband are in the process of turning an old English home into a hotel. They ask Kelly to investigate the ghost that is supposed to reside in the house. The idea being that an article proving the ghosts existence will bring customers. so Kelly sets out to disprove the ghosts existence. She soon discovers that he does exist, but not as a ghost. The magic that has imprisoned him means that only the person who sleeps in his bed can see him. And only for eighteen days every twenty years.
John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for one hundred and forty years, forced in there to be tormented by the husband of the wife John had supposedly murdered. John is a noble character who has born his imprisonment stoically, despite the torment he felt as he was forced to watch helplessly as his cousin raped and beat the woman he would have married. Though the perpetrator, Edward, has long since departed, his character is very much present in the writings in his journal where he describes his acts of cruelty. We are also party to the pedophilia of his descendent, pretty boy Richard. Add to that the behaviour of Kelly's ex-husband Frank, and a sexually and physically abusive father of the girl who is being taken advantage of by the pedophile and we have a pretty poor vision of mankind in this novel. The only other decent man apart from John, is Tom, husband of Kelly's best friend, and later, after a murder, the inspector, who seems a decent enough bloke.
It's a well written and dramatic story with quite a lot of explicit sex. The gratuitous nature of some of it detracted from the story, rather than added to it, but it has been written for a particular type of reader. Had it been more subtle, it could have had a wider readership, because the quality of the characterisation of John and the growing relationship between him and Kelly was extremely well done.
Despite my dislike of the explicitness of the pedophilia, I appreciated the quality of the plot, pacing, dialogue and characterisation up until Kelly acted out of character by virtually agreeing to prostitute herself in order to get the journal that might contain the key to releasing John from his living hell in the mirror. She could have worked out other options, or at least have not gone alone. I couldn't believe she would have been that stupid.
Not only that, but she was almost prepared to submit to a rape and only pulled herself together at the last moment. She could have easily done more to ensure her safety and fought earlier in the attempted rape. I cannot imagine a woman like her submitting for a moment, especially while the man she loved watched unable to do anything to help.
The thing I like about romances is the assured happy ending. They're good to read when you want to know that you'll leave a book feeling good, and this one didn't disappoint, though I felt that, once again, the degree of explicitness was simply unnecessary and the nature of the abuse in the book left a bad taste.
On a personal level, I'd give the book 3 stars because I don't enjoy reading about abuse, but in fairness to the author who, apart from the out of character part, did a good job, I give it 4 stars.
This is not a book for young adults.
May 4, 2013
A modern Gothic romance about skepticism, secrets, and seeing what’s in front of your eyes.
Kelly Reid doesn't believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
A GHOST story! This was fun, mysterious, and a real page turner.
Kelly has come to England to hide. She's just gotten through a nasty divorce from a fortune hunter and she wants to spend time with her friends, Nancy and Tom. They are working to open a hotel in a huge manor house they are leasing. To help distract Kelly from her heartache, they ask her to prove that the legendary ghost of the house is real. Or not, as the case may be. They also think the owner of the house might be a good diversion. Richard is quite pretty.
Kelly is skeptical about the reality of ghosts and works to prove that John Tarrant (the gorgeous man in the mirror) is an actor, and a perpetrator of the hoax. She's pretty sure her friends are in on it, because having a ghost, real or otherwise, would make their hotel a raging success. They admit that it would give their hotel a certain cachet and tell her to do her best.
John is quite sexy and Kelly tries to forget about that as she goes about proving him false.
One of the devices in this book is that we, the reader, get to read the journal kept by John's cousin and heir (Edward), written over a century ago. Reading his words gave me shivers. What a horrible person...and nuts, too. And his descendant isn't quite all there either.
There is a lot of sexual content in this one, and considering John is locked in a mirror, that was interesting.
Richard, the current Viscount and John's descendant, enjoys his sexual partners young, very young, and those scenes were hard to read, so be aware. I could have used just a bit less detail on Richard's conquests.
Ms. Brassel certainly takes us on an adventure as Kelly works out how to free John. Can it be done? And if so, how can this end up with an HEA? Quite the journey with some great side characters and a lovely setting. I'd love to spend a few nights in this hotel.
This was a FOUR BOOKMARK for me.
I loved that the end gave me ENOUGH information.
That will make sense when you read it...!
*Thank you, NetGalley and Escape Publishing, for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This review may also be found at:
Beyond the Squee: Book Reviews
www.beyondthesquee.com
Kelly Reid doesn't believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Accused of a heinous crime, John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirror for 140 years, neither living nor dead. His only chance at escape is convincing the skeptical woman in front of him that he’s real and desperately needs her help.
Working together to solve a centuries-old crime, Kelly and John race to find the key to his release – and fear what will happen if they succeed. Will their unlikely relationship finally have a chance, or will John’s spirit vanish forever?
A GHOST story! This was fun, mysterious, and a real page turner.
Kelly has come to England to hide. She's just gotten through a nasty divorce from a fortune hunter and she wants to spend time with her friends, Nancy and Tom. They are working to open a hotel in a huge manor house they are leasing. To help distract Kelly from her heartache, they ask her to prove that the legendary ghost of the house is real. Or not, as the case may be. They also think the owner of the house might be a good diversion. Richard is quite pretty.
Kelly is skeptical about the reality of ghosts and works to prove that John Tarrant (the gorgeous man in the mirror) is an actor, and a perpetrator of the hoax. She's pretty sure her friends are in on it, because having a ghost, real or otherwise, would make their hotel a raging success. They admit that it would give their hotel a certain cachet and tell her to do her best.
John is quite sexy and Kelly tries to forget about that as she goes about proving him false.
One of the devices in this book is that we, the reader, get to read the journal kept by John's cousin and heir (Edward), written over a century ago. Reading his words gave me shivers. What a horrible person...and nuts, too. And his descendant isn't quite all there either.
There is a lot of sexual content in this one, and considering John is locked in a mirror, that was interesting.
Richard, the current Viscount and John's descendant, enjoys his sexual partners young, very young, and those scenes were hard to read, so be aware. I could have used just a bit less detail on Richard's conquests.
Ms. Brassel certainly takes us on an adventure as Kelly works out how to free John. Can it be done? And if so, how can this end up with an HEA? Quite the journey with some great side characters and a lovely setting. I'd love to spend a few nights in this hotel.
This was a FOUR BOOKMARK for me.
I loved that the end gave me ENOUGH information.
That will make sense when you read it...!
*Thank you, NetGalley and Escape Publishing, for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This review may also be found at:
Beyond the Squee: Book Reviews
www.beyondthesquee.com
February 9, 2015
Read more reviews like this at http://lovelybooksblog.blogspot.com!
I started Secret Reflection thinking the entire novel had a historical setting rather than being more of a time travel romance. However, I quickly adapted to the modern tone of the story and despite the slow beginning I ended up enjoying the interesting plot and the main character Kelly. Brassel did a great job creating a fascinating plot and I loved learning more about the characters as the story went on rather than learning everything about them all at once.
I really enjoyed Kelly as a main character. I loved her skepticism toward John and her analytic personality. It was so refreshing to read about a main character who doesn’t immediately accept the supernatural situation they are thrown into. Likewise John was a fascinating character; I loved learning more about his back story as time went on rather than learning it all at once. Throughout the entire novel I was wondering what really happened behind John getting trapped in the mirror. Some of the secondary characters, like Tom and Nancy, were underdeveloped but since they didn’t play a major role in the story it was easy to overlook their weak personalities.
The idea behind this novel was undoubtedly the strongest part of the story. Brassel’s idea of John being trapped in a mirror was an interesting one and even though the solution was fairly predictable I still enjoyed learning more about how he got there. Even though the majority of the novel focuses on Kelly but I really enjoyed the occasional switching of perspectives and getting a look into another character’s head. The murder mystery twist at the end threw in some much needed drama into the story and kept things interesting toward the end. Although I really enjoyed many aspects of the plot there were a few things that made me a little uncomfortable, Richard was a fantastic villain but quite a few aspects of his character that made him so villainous made him disturbing as well. Likewise the conclusion of the murder mystery really threw me for a loop, and not in a good way.
Even though I’m a huge romance fan the romance in this novel, even though it was a major aspect of the plot, was my least favorite part. The relationship between John and Kelly was cute in its own way, but I just felt like things moved a little too fast. After a few conversations and Kelly taking her clothes off a few times in front of the mirror he was trapped in they were instantly “in love” and all of Kelly’s initial skepticism was thrown aside. Plus most of the conversations between them were extremely short; almost everything I knew about John I learned from the snippets in his point of view. I felt like Kelly and John barely knew each other and by the end I had the feeling that Kelly knew Richard better than she knew John, making the romance feel that much more unbelievable.
Overall I would say that Secret Reflection was an interesting story but a slow one. Readers who aren’t scared off by the idea of a slow moving plot may want to check out this time travel/historical romance.
I started Secret Reflection thinking the entire novel had a historical setting rather than being more of a time travel romance. However, I quickly adapted to the modern tone of the story and despite the slow beginning I ended up enjoying the interesting plot and the main character Kelly. Brassel did a great job creating a fascinating plot and I loved learning more about the characters as the story went on rather than learning everything about them all at once.
I really enjoyed Kelly as a main character. I loved her skepticism toward John and her analytic personality. It was so refreshing to read about a main character who doesn’t immediately accept the supernatural situation they are thrown into. Likewise John was a fascinating character; I loved learning more about his back story as time went on rather than learning it all at once. Throughout the entire novel I was wondering what really happened behind John getting trapped in the mirror. Some of the secondary characters, like Tom and Nancy, were underdeveloped but since they didn’t play a major role in the story it was easy to overlook their weak personalities.
The idea behind this novel was undoubtedly the strongest part of the story. Brassel’s idea of John being trapped in a mirror was an interesting one and even though the solution was fairly predictable I still enjoyed learning more about how he got there. Even though the majority of the novel focuses on Kelly but I really enjoyed the occasional switching of perspectives and getting a look into another character’s head. The murder mystery twist at the end threw in some much needed drama into the story and kept things interesting toward the end. Although I really enjoyed many aspects of the plot there were a few things that made me a little uncomfortable, Richard was a fantastic villain but quite a few aspects of his character that made him so villainous made him disturbing as well. Likewise the conclusion of the murder mystery really threw me for a loop, and not in a good way.
Even though I’m a huge romance fan the romance in this novel, even though it was a major aspect of the plot, was my least favorite part. The relationship between John and Kelly was cute in its own way, but I just felt like things moved a little too fast. After a few conversations and Kelly taking her clothes off a few times in front of the mirror he was trapped in they were instantly “in love” and all of Kelly’s initial skepticism was thrown aside. Plus most of the conversations between them were extremely short; almost everything I knew about John I learned from the snippets in his point of view. I felt like Kelly and John barely knew each other and by the end I had the feeling that Kelly knew Richard better than she knew John, making the romance feel that much more unbelievable.
Overall I would say that Secret Reflection was an interesting story but a slow one. Readers who aren’t scared off by the idea of a slow moving plot may want to check out this time travel/historical romance.
September 2, 2013
Fleeing a messy divorce in LA, Kelly Reid takes refuge with friends in the UK who've just leased an old mansion to turn into a bed and breakfast. Her friends have the perfect distraction for Kelly, to investigate the mysterious ghost who's haunted the house for over 100 years.
When the ghost appears in Kelly's mirror and introduces himself as John Tarrant, Kelly is certain it's a hoax, and determined to prove how it's done. But as expert after expert is unable to come up with an explanation, Kelly slowly comes to realise that John is real, and has been trapped in the mirrors since the 1860s, only able to communicate for 20 days every 20 years.
As she investigates how and why John ended up trapped in the mirrors, Kelly starts to fall in love with him. But she has only a few short weeks to work out how to release him from his torment, even if means never seeing or hearing from him again.
I really enjoyed this novel.
The characters were all well written most with believable motivations which governed their behaviours. A few fell back on some traditional stereotypes or tropes, but that was mostly the minor characters and wasn't too obvious.
The plot was what I enjoyed most about this. I like detective type investigations, and this novel had two intertwined investigations going on at once - how to end John's torment, and why John was ensorcelled, without resistance in the first place. Throw in the tension of the time limit for the investigation and the villain who has non complimentary plans for Kelly, and the book can be difficult to put down at times.
Both the romance and the sex scenes were well written, which was advantageous in the former, but not so in the latter. The sex scenes primarily involved the villain of the story, and were deliberately disturbing to reflect the villain's nature. Luckily the plot had me hooked enough that I just skimmed past the sex scenes.
The ending was interesting. One one hand I found it worked well as an epilogue, wrapping up a few loose ends well after the main plot had been resolved. However it was presented as part of the actual story, rather than epilogue, resulting in it seeming a bit lacking in details and stretching my disbelief.
All up, if you enjoy stories of the paranormal with a bit of romance thrown in, then I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.
prk.
Disclaimer: Whilst I read this as a judge for the 2013 Aurealis Awards, this review is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging co-ordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
When the ghost appears in Kelly's mirror and introduces himself as John Tarrant, Kelly is certain it's a hoax, and determined to prove how it's done. But as expert after expert is unable to come up with an explanation, Kelly slowly comes to realise that John is real, and has been trapped in the mirrors since the 1860s, only able to communicate for 20 days every 20 years.
As she investigates how and why John ended up trapped in the mirrors, Kelly starts to fall in love with him. But she has only a few short weeks to work out how to release him from his torment, even if means never seeing or hearing from him again.
I really enjoyed this novel.
The characters were all well written most with believable motivations which governed their behaviours. A few fell back on some traditional stereotypes or tropes, but that was mostly the minor characters and wasn't too obvious.
The plot was what I enjoyed most about this. I like detective type investigations, and this novel had two intertwined investigations going on at once - how to end John's torment, and why John was ensorcelled, without resistance in the first place. Throw in the tension of the time limit for the investigation and the villain who has non complimentary plans for Kelly, and the book can be difficult to put down at times.
Both the romance and the sex scenes were well written, which was advantageous in the former, but not so in the latter. The sex scenes primarily involved the villain of the story, and were deliberately disturbing to reflect the villain's nature. Luckily the plot had me hooked enough that I just skimmed past the sex scenes.
The ending was interesting. One one hand I found it worked well as an epilogue, wrapping up a few loose ends well after the main plot had been resolved. However it was presented as part of the actual story, rather than epilogue, resulting in it seeming a bit lacking in details and stretching my disbelief.
All up, if you enjoy stories of the paranormal with a bit of romance thrown in, then I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.
prk.
Disclaimer: Whilst I read this as a judge for the 2013 Aurealis Awards, this review is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging co-ordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
August 20, 2013
SECRET REFLECTION is a book that lets the reader indulge in a love of Jolly Olde England in contemporary times. Kelly, a Yankee reporter needing a break from her awful divorce, joins her British friends at the old mansion they've recently leased, only to find that the mansion is haunted--or is it? Kelly is determined to find out how the haunting is accomplished (a *very* good projection, she's sure). It turns out that the ghost is not a dead man at all, but a man trapped in a mirror, and he's been that way for 140 years. That little tidbit made me squirm--imagine being able to see what happens around you, but unable to interact with the world except for a short span during the 20-year cycle of planetary conjunction. That little bit of science was a nice touch.
Sometimes the writing is a little overwrought, but it reflects similar stories of the regency period. I had the character of Richard pegged as a horrible person right off, which I suppose is a sign of good character development, though sometimes you're hit over the head with it. Kelly's friends are wonderful for giving her a refuge after her hard times, but they're not subtle about pushing her into investigating the haunting, or hoping she'll hook up with the sexy neighbor lordling. Kelly goes to great lengths to disprove John's entrapment in the mirror, which can be wearing, but once she's satisfied, she dives into finding a way to release him from his torment.
Another disconcerting thing was the switch to the bad guy's point of view. He's not a nice man at all and he's willing to do whatever he has to to get his way. The POV change lets us know motivations, but I'd rather have the sweet romance. Kelly and John have a unique sort of relationship, and their banter is often funny. John is behind the times, of course, and his confusion is grounds for a laugh or two. But they talk and learn to love each other, and they manage to have some sensual interludes even though they can't touch.
There is a murder subplot that goes on a little too long, with its own dogged investigator. And things get very dark towards the end of the book, but it wraps up satisfactorily with a happy ending for our main characters.
Received as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
Sometimes the writing is a little overwrought, but it reflects similar stories of the regency period. I had the character of Richard pegged as a horrible person right off, which I suppose is a sign of good character development, though sometimes you're hit over the head with it. Kelly's friends are wonderful for giving her a refuge after her hard times, but they're not subtle about pushing her into investigating the haunting, or hoping she'll hook up with the sexy neighbor lordling. Kelly goes to great lengths to disprove John's entrapment in the mirror, which can be wearing, but once she's satisfied, she dives into finding a way to release him from his torment.
Another disconcerting thing was the switch to the bad guy's point of view. He's not a nice man at all and he's willing to do whatever he has to to get his way. The POV change lets us know motivations, but I'd rather have the sweet romance. Kelly and John have a unique sort of relationship, and their banter is often funny. John is behind the times, of course, and his confusion is grounds for a laugh or two. But they talk and learn to love each other, and they manage to have some sensual interludes even though they can't touch.
There is a murder subplot that goes on a little too long, with its own dogged investigator. And things get very dark towards the end of the book, but it wraps up satisfactorily with a happy ending for our main characters.
Received as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
July 22, 2013
The gothic feel of this book was fantastic. Until I read it, I hadn't realized how much I missed the gothic novels I used to read when I was in my teens.
Great description of the house. I almost felt as if I were there. I could really feel the age of the furnishings and the building, the ornate decorations and architecture. It made for a really great setting.
Sometimes the pacing was a bit slow for my taste, but it reminded me of the pacing of some of the Harlequin Presents books I've read, so the pacing may not bother another reader. The sensuality level was a little more sexy than a Presents.
Sometimes the heroine took her skepticism a little too far, in my opinion, but since she's a journalist, I can understand it. This isn't a typical paranormal romance where the paranormal world is more easily accepted by the non-paranormal character, so that slight difference is refreshing in some ways.
There were some things I didn't quite like around the 2/3 mark, which is why this dropped to a 3.5 star review, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone and while those things might annoy me, they might not annoy another reader.
The hero and heroine fall in love pretty quickly, so I wouldn't suggest this book to any reader who dislikes a "love at first sight" romance arc, but I don't mind it. The last quarter of the book is pretty strongly emotional and a bit suspenseful, too.
Thanks to Escape Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.
April 14, 2013
Journalist, Kelly Reid, arrives at Stanthorpe House in Oxfordshire to visit friends and recover from her recent divorce. Her friends are converting the stately home into a hotel and are eager for Kelly to write an article about the ghost reputed to haunt the mansion. Kelly doesn’t believe in ghosts, so when a man appears to her in the mirror in her bedroom, she’s convinced it’s an elaborate hoax.
John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirrors of Stanthorpe House for 140 years. After committing a murder, which he freely admits, he’s stuck in limbo for all eternity, neither alive or dead. His only hope of release is to convince the person who can see him to find a way to break the spell.
I loved this intriguing and suspenseful romance. The developing relationship between Kelly and John is unusual and sensitively portrayed, given that they can’t actually touch each other. The mystery of John’s crime and how the spell could be broken kept me glued to my ereader. Top marks for a very satisfying read.
John Tarrant has been trapped in the mirrors of Stanthorpe House for 140 years. After committing a murder, which he freely admits, he’s stuck in limbo for all eternity, neither alive or dead. His only hope of release is to convince the person who can see him to find a way to break the spell.
I loved this intriguing and suspenseful romance. The developing relationship between Kelly and John is unusual and sensitively portrayed, given that they can’t actually touch each other. The mystery of John’s crime and how the spell could be broken kept me glued to my ereader. Top marks for a very satisfying read.
June 4, 2013
What a great story I could hardly put this one down John has been trapped in mirrors in an English manor for 140 years put there by his cousin and when the new owners ask best friend Kelly to write a story about the ghost of the manor for the opening Kelly is the only one that can see him and with the current Viscount trying to get Kelly and John trying to protect her their love story is awesome so sensual and heartwarming loved this one
Merged review:
What a great story I could hardly put this one down John has been trapped in mirrors in an English manor for 140 years put there by his cousin and when the new owners ask best friend Kelly to write a story about the ghost of the manor for the opening Kelly is the only one that can see him and with the current Viscount trying to get Kelly and John trying to protect her their love story is awesome so sensual and heartwarming loved this one
Merged review:
What a great story I could hardly put this one down John has been trapped in mirrors in an English manor for 140 years put there by his cousin and when the new owners ask best friend Kelly to write a story about the ghost of the manor for the opening Kelly is the only one that can see him and with the current Viscount trying to get Kelly and John trying to protect her their love story is awesome so sensual and heartwarming loved this one
May 1, 2013
The cover&blurb drew me to this book initially. The characters are older ... it isn't presented as a YA book, which is good as there was explicit sexual content. I'll admit to enjoying the occasional romance novel, but the sex here came across as quite crude (much of the focus being on the villain of the story. Anything but romantic there!)
Sex aside, the story was just ok. A little draggy and confusing. Shifting perspectives, dreams and old journal entries...the transitions were often quite abrupt. It was also repetitious (the tingle in her belly as she saw him, EVERY time. The focus on her belief it was a hoax brought up again and again). I also didn't really believe the romance ... the characters only had a few basic conversations before they were both "in love".
... I got it for free (Netgalley) in exchange for a review. It's not one I would recommend.
Sex aside, the story was just ok. A little draggy and confusing. Shifting perspectives, dreams and old journal entries...the transitions were often quite abrupt. It was also repetitious (the tingle in her belly as she saw him, EVERY time. The focus on her belief it was a hoax brought up again and again). I also didn't really believe the romance ... the characters only had a few basic conversations before they were both "in love".
... I got it for free (Netgalley) in exchange for a review. It's not one I would recommend.
May 27, 2013
Wow, I loved, loved this book!!!
Do you believe in ghosts? Kelly doesn't...
In Secret Reflection by Jennifer Brassel Kelly has escaped to England to visit her friends in the manor they now lease and are turning into a hotel. A journalist, Kelly is still getting over a recent divorce and is hoping to start working on a gothic screenplay she wants to write. The old English setting seems like it will be the perfect place for her! Upon arrival at Nancy and Tom's manor, they talk to her about a job they hope she can do for them. Rumor has it the manor is haunted...they want Kelly to determine if the ghost does indeed exist and the story behind it. They hope that an article Kelly might write about it will draw more business to their new hotel.Read More
Do you believe in ghosts? Kelly doesn't...
In Secret Reflection by Jennifer Brassel Kelly has escaped to England to visit her friends in the manor they now lease and are turning into a hotel. A journalist, Kelly is still getting over a recent divorce and is hoping to start working on a gothic screenplay she wants to write. The old English setting seems like it will be the perfect place for her! Upon arrival at Nancy and Tom's manor, they talk to her about a job they hope she can do for them. Rumor has it the manor is haunted...they want Kelly to determine if the ghost does indeed exist and the story behind it. They hope that an article Kelly might write about it will draw more business to their new hotel.Read More
April 27, 2015
Who doesn't love a great ghost story? Secret Reflection is that and so much more! Especially since there aren't really any ghosts! John is from the 1800's, trapped in a dimension where he can see into his family home through certain mirrors, and can only be seen every 20 years by whomever is staying in his room. Along comes Kelly. She's there in England, to visit her BFF and regroup after just going through an ugly divorce. It just so happens she's there while John CAN be seen and she's...you guessed it...staying in his childhood room. Don't be fooled though, it's not as predictable as you may think and has everything a fabulous story could have: Drama, romance, suspense, mystery and of course the villain! This story is a time travel/ghost story/romance all in one and will keep you thoroughly entertained until the very last page.
August 13, 2014
Awesome
Awesome
Really good book. The beginning wasn't bad and kept me coming back wanting to know more. Half way into the book I just couldn't put it down. Had some twist and not expect but placed most excellently to keep story line going. Maybe a little less intimate details but overall a really good book.
Awesome
Really good book. The beginning wasn't bad and kept me coming back wanting to know more. Half way into the book I just couldn't put it down. Had some twist and not expect but placed most excellently to keep story line going. Maybe a little less intimate details but overall a really good book.
August 11, 2016
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
May 30, 2013
I am holidaying in the UK soon so this story was very timely. I will be checking out all the mirrors in my travels for my own John Tarrant. I really enjoyed this paranormal/ghost story.
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July 3, 2015Sweet, romantic ghost story.
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