Possessed

by Stephanie Doyle

WHEN THE DEAD WANT TO SPEAK SHE IS THEIR VOICE

Cassandra Allen's gift is so uncanny that even the skeptical police now consult her on murder investigations. But when she's called in to investigate a rash of serial murders, her mind is assaulted by a terrifying being from beyond….

Cass believes the evil force attempting to possess her is involved in the killings. But how? Then she meets Malcolm McDonough, brother of the first victim. He's successful, attractive, unsettling… and he doesn't believe that Cass hears the dead. Yet even as Malcolm denies her claims, he is counting on Cass to lead them to the killer.

Because all the victims have one thing in common–her.

Genres: Paranormal Romance

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

It all started with Shanna and Star Wars. An odd combination, I know, but what people don't appreciate about Star Wars is the deep romantic element between two of the lead characters. I wasn't seven years-old when I was able to clearly spot that Han and Leia were supposed to be a couple.

Sure most of my friends, who at the time weren't nearly as mature as I was – after all some of them were still six, thought that Leia loved Luke. But anyone really looking could see that Han and Leia were the couple to beat.

That's when I discovered romance.

Then at about fifteen or so I was babysitting one night, bored out of my mind – the children were fast asleep at this point – so I picked a book from the shelf. I wasn't much of a reader at the time, but I liked the orange cover. It was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss.

That's when I discovered romance novels.

Making up stories – that's just something I've always done. It's like breathing for me. But it wasn't until I began to read actively that I thought maybe I could actually write a book. The benefit of writing over reading is that I get to have everything just the way I like it. I should mention at this point that I'm a little bit of a control freak.

But I didn't go to school for writing. In fact I went to school to be the President of the United States - make that a power hungry control freak.

I attended Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. And no, that is not a school to learn how to become a nun. Although, since I'm not married yet, my mother believes that subliminal messages were piped into the dorm rooms through hidden speakers.

I strayed from the presidential track. Figured instead of running the country I would do something really meaningful. I became a school teacher and spent two amazing years in Seattle.

Eventually I came back home to South Jersey. I got a temp job to hold me over until I could find another teaching position and have been at my current company for eight years. I keep telling my boss that I'm only staying for a little while longer. But he has since stopped listening to me.

So what else is there to know about me? I write. I work. I exercise. I try not to eat. I fail. I beat myself up for not succeeding to not eat. Then I drink. It's a simple life I lead.

I date. But that's a whole other story….

Reviews

[Christina (AKA Babbling) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassandra Allen is a medium. She can communicate with the dead. She has learned to control her gift so that the dead don’t overwhelm her with their attempts to contact loved ones. However, her quiet, simple life is also very lonely. Cassandra doesn’t like large crowds and strives to avoid being touched — regardless if it’s a friendly pat on the shoulder or an intimate caress. She has no social life and her efforts to shield herself have an adverse effect on her ability to keep a job. Eventually her reserved, standoffish and strange behavior gives her coworkers and boss the creeps, and she is fired. And if that doesn’t seal her fate, the appearance of a gun-toting and disturbed man showing up at the coffeehouse demanding to speak to her, will certainly do the trick. To offset her precarious employment situation, Cassandra does consultant work for the local police.

To read the rest of the review, please visit Christina Babbles

Original posted: 28 Oct 2008

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book JenB recommended when I said I was looking for psychic paranormals. She hadn't read it yet but had heard good things about it.

I enjoyed certain aspects of the story, but I was bothered by a lot of the smaller details. I had to suspend disbelief quite a bit.

Cass's gift was interesting, and I liked the way her relationship developed with Malcolm. I didn't like the way the suspense plot played out. It was predictable and full of plot holes and cliches.

Not a terrible story, but not a great one either.

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heroine is Cass and she's a medium that helps the police sometimes. Except, she's not respected or even accepted. Hardly anyone believes she's got the talent to hear the dead speak, and so she lives a life of isolation with very few possessions. Too many things happened in her past, and she has trouble trusting people.

With a serial killer on the loose, Cass is forced to trust in someone... and not just herself!

I really enjoyed this ride and tried to guess who the killer was, but didn't. Just like every other Bombshell I've read, this is another keeper!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this a lot. I've always liked the rich guy, poor girl stories. I was drawn into our protags life and related, even though if I were her, I'd make different choices. I did have some issues with the ending but am avoiding spoilers. Happy to elaborate one on one.

[Krystal Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Don't ever fear love. Embrace it. It's a gift too.'