Got Ghosts

by Fiona Glass

Haunted manor house Greystones Hall is filled to the brim with ghosts. It’s also falling to bits, and artist owner Emily doesn’t have the money to refurbish the place. When the makers of hit tv show ‘Got Ghosts?’ offer to pay for a weekend’s filming there she jumps at the chance, even though she and her ghostly grandfather Gramps have reservations. The reservations seem to be misplaced when the film crew swing into action, and producer Carl turns out to be dark, handsome and very available. But Emily soon starts to have doubts about the methods they use, which Carl won’t discuss. Then the show’s resident medium Stella stirs up a new and malevolent spirit, revealing a dark secret at the heart of the house that has been hidden for centuries. And when Emily’s own safety is threatened, together with that of her ghosts and her beloved Gramps, will it be Carl who comes to the rescue, or someone much more unexpected?

66 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2017

About the author

Most of Fiona's books involve history, the paranormal and romance in varying (and varyingly weird!) combinations. They include gay ghostly romances December Roses, Trench Warfare, and Ghosts Galore, and gay vampire romance Echoes of Blood.

Fiona lives in a slate cottage within stone-throwing distance (never a good idea in Glass houses...) of England's largest lake. She enjoys history, gardening and photography, and rarely has her nose far from the pages of a book - or a cup of tea.

You can sign up to her free monthly newsletter, with updates about her writing, books, trips out, history, ghosts, snippets, and occasional free stories, here: https://www.subscribepage.com/fionaglass

Reviews

[D.L. Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Got Ghosts” is a fun novella set in an old, haunted house. Emily has been struggling to make ends meet when she gets a call from a TV show, “Got Ghosts.” They offer her money to film an episode in her haunted house, and she reluctantly accepts. Although she doesn’t really want to share “Grandpa” with anyone. There is a lot of humor, and she starts off being attracted to the producer, Carl, but something seems off with the show. It was a fun spoof on ghost shows, but the story is firmly rooted that there really are ghosts, and Emily talks to them. There are a few fun twists and new relationships to explore. A quick read that I devoured in one sitting, and I was happy with the outcome.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Got Ghosts' is a short, novelette length story set in the English rural landscape and a house called Greystones Hall. The old, haunted mansion is owned by Emily Price. Like many such old piles, it's in need of a few repairs, so when Emily gets a call from the production company of 'Got Ghosts' - a hit TV show, she jumps at the chance to get paid for hosting a team of psychic investigators.
This book isn't the sort of tale I'd usually pick up as I tend to opt for more transgressive fiction, but I'm open enough to be entertained by anything if it's told well.
The overall feel of the story is that of a cozy mystery and I thought the characters were well thought out and the writing very strong. Towards the end of the story I was eager to find out how things were going to wind up. I would say that the love interests of Emily were a little compressed for the length of the story - a lot seemed to happen in a very short time - but this criticism aside I liked the way the lead character had a no-nonsense approach to life, yet clearly had an openness to the supernatural world.
The only other criticism I would have is that the cover left a lot to be desired, being a rather fuzzy rendition of a chaotic stairway scene. This is a shame as the story inside was far better than would have been indicated.
I'd recommend this book to all those who like a humorous ghost story with an old English charm. You won't be disappointed.

[Penelope Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and fun little story about a haunted house that has more ghosts than the show featuring it anticipates. Emily is well-aware that her house is haunted - after all, one of the ghosts is her grandfather - but she hadn't really anticipated being featured by a popular ghost-hunting show when they call her out of the blue. Emily is instantly attracted to the producer - but the show's presence kicks up more than her sense of romance. Now there's a malevolent spirit threatening Emily and everyone else, too.

The story is fast-paced and fun, and for a story filled with ghosts, not nearly as scary as you'd think. Most of the ghosts are sweet and harmless - which echoes how Emily sees them. The reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five was because the romance side of things seemed very tacked-on. Emily falls for Carl, the producer - but it's horrifically obvious almost from the start that Carl has different values, intentions, and motives, none of which are particularly honorable or trustworthy. I did enjoy the mystery of the "poltergeist" - and how Emily solved it in the end. Now, there's a ghost show I would probably like to watch!

[Linda Daunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily loves living in the centuries old Greystones Hall (along with the ghosts of her grandfather and various other previous residents) although finding enough money for its upkeep is a constant struggle. She has reservations about allowing a TV company to film a paranormal investigation in the Hall, but is persuaded by the large fee on offer. It also helps that Emily likes Carl, the handsome, charming producer of the ‘Got Ghosts?’ programme, and it seems the attraction is mutual. But things soon turn sinister when the filming disturbs something that would have been best left in peace.

More rom-com than ghost story, more laughs than gasps, I wasn’t sure what to make of this novella at first, but I was soon enjoying it. The main character, Emily, is immediately likeable and the plot rattles along at a brisk pace to a predictable but satisfying end. I thought it could have been a little longer – I would have been interested to learn more about some of the ghosts – but perhaps the author will tell their stories somewhere else?

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha. You always wonder with a novella, being a short tale in itself, whether it will manage to hit all the elements you want in a story and whether it will be quite enough. Well in some respects the answer to the second question is no as this was such a great tale I could probably have read more, specifically about Emily and her haunted house and its former residents. As for the first part of the question – did it hit the spot – that is a resounding yes.

Now I don’t want to say too much ab out the plot as the blurb tells you all you need to know, but this is a book which not only contains a ghostly cast, and a deep rooted mystery but also a little bit of cheeky romance and a good dose of humour. I loved the tongue in cheek way some of the scenes played out, the evidence of Emily’s ‘gift’ in being able to see the ghosts that perhaps others didn’t notice quite so much, and the underlying plot of growing malevolence as the spirits became disturbed. But as to whether that was due to the presence of the film crew or something else you will have to read to find out.

The characters in this book were great and I quickly grew to like Emily, distrust others and see the slow build of the unhappy spirits and unrest within the house. The centre of the story is not as obvious as you might expect but certainly there is a nod to TV series such as Most Haunted notably the scepticism with which you watch the discovery of ‘orbs’ and ‘cold spots’ in their various settings, the not quite believable experts on the ‘Supernatural’ and the producers you suspect have more than the presentation of fact on their mind. All in all this book both kept me hooked and racing through, as the pacing is strong and compels you onward, but also had me smiling from start to finish too. Yes it is capable of chills and darkness, but by god if this doesn’t make you chuckle and smile in parts too then I’d be very surprised.

Great stuff.