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Ghost Light
Growing up in a sleepy town, Emma has lived a rather dull twenty-one years as a classic camper—more comfortable staying put than pursuing her desires. Of course, Emma has a theory about each one of us is a quitter, camper, or climber. With the exception of her exhilarating dreams, Emma’s life tends to be tedious and predictable. When her reoccurring vision of a near-death encounter is suddenly fulfilled, Emma’s camper tendencies begin to change. In this modern day noir, Emma moves to LA to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. But dreams take work and being jolted from a camper to a climber isn’t you start at the bottom and, in “the biz” the bottom means waiting tables. Torn between bad-boy chef, Nathan, and playboy restaurant patron, Adam, Emma’s life takes a complicated turn when one of them suddenly disappears. It’s not until the FBI knock on Emma’s door that she realizes her world is going to radically change. The once conventional Emma finds herself embroiled in the topsy-turvy world of a climber. Ghost Light is only the beginning of Emma’s darkly romantic adventures. Should she keep climbing, return to camping, or simply call it quits?
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2014
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6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2014
From the prologue, I was hooked. "I spent a great deal of time thinking about what I was going to do with my life without ever doing it. Fantasizing about my dreams was easier… All of this, I was now determined to change."
Ghost Light's Emma is not only a relatable character, she takes us on a wild ride of new adventures, love triangles, laugh-out-loud experiences, and mysterious intrigue. If you're looking for a fun escape, Ghost Light is definitely it. I can't wait for volume two!
Ghost Light's Emma is not only a relatable character, she takes us on a wild ride of new adventures, love triangles, laugh-out-loud experiences, and mysterious intrigue. If you're looking for a fun escape, Ghost Light is definitely it. I can't wait for volume two!
June 25, 2014
I would like to edit my review. Just read it for the second time-- this is not your typical chick lit. It's a coming of age story with really great romantic options, with mystery in the midst. If you want poorly written romance, this is not your book. If you want something you can really relate to, and guys you'd really want to date, then this book is for you. I predict that this trilogy will end up a best seller.
June 11, 2014
Ghost Light, Sarah Romine
Review from jeannie zelos book reviews
So, Ghost Light....what kind of read exactly is it? I wasn't really sure from the description – the word Ghost in the title suggests maybe some kind of paranormal link, but the description simply says Literature/fiction (adult), women's fiction. Quick Ramble: I often wonder – what exactly do people mean by “women's fiction”?? Why should a book be classed as appealing to women? Books are universal and asexual IMO but clearly others feel differently!
Anyway, no paranormal other than some strange, possibly prophetic dreams Emma has. Tired of her life in her dull home town, upset after boyfriend of seven years left her, citing her desire for more etc...she decides to pursue her acting dreams and ups sticks to LA. There she takes a waitress job, as all wood be actors seem to.. and through that meets Nathan, the chef who becomes a really good friend to her – though we can see he wants to be more, and also drop dead gorgeous playboy Adam.
It's an intersting story, I liked Emma, loved the way she tackled life, her whole hearted approach to everything – and when she began dating Adam I was pleased for her. I really understood when she felt out of his league, nothing in common with the peole he mixed with,he did seem to come from a different world ( metaphorically not literally), and of course I worried about poor Nathan but she seems happy and he's still there as her best friend. Then things go wrong, the FBI get involved and she's drawn into a huge mystery and falls into despair...
At the end of the book description are a few lines that suggest there may be more books to follow. I've searched around the web but can't find anything else more definite, but from the way this ended I'm expecting more. It's not a cliffhanger or anything, it's a complete ending, but you just feel there's more to come from Emma's story and from the two men. It's a really abrupt ending, I was expecting to flip page and read more but that was it - end, finto, finis, nothing more...and I felt a bit unsettled as it just didn't seem to be finished. It felt rushed, as if the author had suddenly realised she's reached her word count or something. I needed more of how things were working out for her and ….we got lots about her earlier stages, lots about the small town life she abandons but when we come to these final moments they're over far too quickly for me. It's an interesting book, not a conventional romance, but one where it feels more like real life than the insta-love stories so common in the romance genre. I understood the title finally :-) and its a term I've never heard of but then I've nothing to do with theatre/acting either so...
Stars: hmnn, difficult. I think if the ending had been more fleshed out, not feel so rushed, then it may have made five stars for me, though its not a re reader but a good one off read. As it is I'm going Four.
ARC supplied via Netgalley.
Review from jeannie zelos book reviews
So, Ghost Light....what kind of read exactly is it? I wasn't really sure from the description – the word Ghost in the title suggests maybe some kind of paranormal link, but the description simply says Literature/fiction (adult), women's fiction. Quick Ramble: I often wonder – what exactly do people mean by “women's fiction”?? Why should a book be classed as appealing to women? Books are universal and asexual IMO but clearly others feel differently!
Anyway, no paranormal other than some strange, possibly prophetic dreams Emma has. Tired of her life in her dull home town, upset after boyfriend of seven years left her, citing her desire for more etc...she decides to pursue her acting dreams and ups sticks to LA. There she takes a waitress job, as all wood be actors seem to.. and through that meets Nathan, the chef who becomes a really good friend to her – though we can see he wants to be more, and also drop dead gorgeous playboy Adam.
It's an intersting story, I liked Emma, loved the way she tackled life, her whole hearted approach to everything – and when she began dating Adam I was pleased for her. I really understood when she felt out of his league, nothing in common with the peole he mixed with,he did seem to come from a different world ( metaphorically not literally), and of course I worried about poor Nathan but she seems happy and he's still there as her best friend. Then things go wrong, the FBI get involved and she's drawn into a huge mystery and falls into despair...
At the end of the book description are a few lines that suggest there may be more books to follow. I've searched around the web but can't find anything else more definite, but from the way this ended I'm expecting more. It's not a cliffhanger or anything, it's a complete ending, but you just feel there's more to come from Emma's story and from the two men. It's a really abrupt ending, I was expecting to flip page and read more but that was it - end, finto, finis, nothing more...and I felt a bit unsettled as it just didn't seem to be finished. It felt rushed, as if the author had suddenly realised she's reached her word count or something. I needed more of how things were working out for her and ….we got lots about her earlier stages, lots about the small town life she abandons but when we come to these final moments they're over far too quickly for me. It's an interesting book, not a conventional romance, but one where it feels more like real life than the insta-love stories so common in the romance genre. I understood the title finally :-) and its a term I've never heard of but then I've nothing to do with theatre/acting either so...
Stars: hmnn, difficult. I think if the ending had been more fleshed out, not feel so rushed, then it may have made five stars for me, though its not a re reader but a good one off read. As it is I'm going Four.
ARC supplied via Netgalley.
July 29, 2016
*ARC copy provided courtesy of NetGalley*
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4.5
Realistic, honest and engaging, this is a coming of age story of one small-town 22 year old aspiring actress's journey into the big city of LA.
All the characters we meet along the way are likeable, relatable, and easy to imagine as real people. They came to life so much for me that I could really picture them and hear them clearly. The sweet romantic elements in the story got delicate butterflies giving my stomach a little flutter here and there, which is something quite special for a book to do for me! (Thank you so much for writing a story with a romance that puts to shame the unimaginative, more-of-the-same, unrealistic, over-the-top stereotypical romance books out there!)
If I were an editor, my one note would be that I felt the epilogue wasn't necessary. It was perfect the way it ended in the chapter just before the epilogue, and in fact I felt that carrying the story on after that point took away from the impact it had.
But yes! I enjoyed this well-executed story very much and would recommend it as a good read! Also, talking of LA and Hollywood, I think that it would translate really well into a TV movie!
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4.5
Realistic, honest and engaging, this is a coming of age story of one small-town 22 year old aspiring actress's journey into the big city of LA.
All the characters we meet along the way are likeable, relatable, and easy to imagine as real people. They came to life so much for me that I could really picture them and hear them clearly. The sweet romantic elements in the story got delicate butterflies giving my stomach a little flutter here and there, which is something quite special for a book to do for me! (Thank you so much for writing a story with a romance that puts to shame the unimaginative, more-of-the-same, unrealistic, over-the-top stereotypical romance books out there!)
If I were an editor, my one note would be that I felt the epilogue wasn't necessary. It was perfect the way it ended in the chapter just before the epilogue, and in fact I felt that carrying the story on after that point took away from the impact it had.
But yes! I enjoyed this well-executed story very much and would recommend it as a good read! Also, talking of LA and Hollywood, I think that it would translate really well into a TV movie!
July 10, 2014
I really wanted to love this book. It is a great concept, was very realistic, and relatable. However, there were some issues that I couldn’t see past. Firstly, the description of the story highlights the importance Emma’s dreams. But, the dream sequences didn’t really stand out in the writing. It wouldn’t be until a few sentences in, before I realized Emma was dreaming. There were a couple of times when Emma said something happened in her dreams, but I could not recall reading about it. I had to go back and look, but I still couldn’t find mention of what she was talking about. I did like Nathan’s character, but most of his scenes with Emma were told in passing.
I also thought the ending was anti-climatic. Emma didn’t really participate in the mystery; it felt like it happened around her and not to her. She is told that her acting would come into play and that all would be revealed eventually; none of which fully happened. By the end of the book, there are plot lines that are still left open at the end of the book, with no satisfying outcomes. I think Ghostlight has a great concept, but just needs to plug some holes in the plot.
I also thought the ending was anti-climatic. Emma didn’t really participate in the mystery; it felt like it happened around her and not to her. She is told that her acting would come into play and that all would be revealed eventually; none of which fully happened. By the end of the book, there are plot lines that are still left open at the end of the book, with no satisfying outcomes. I think Ghostlight has a great concept, but just needs to plug some holes in the plot.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews