The Life of Reilly

by Sue Civil-Brown

Lynn Reilly has landed her dream job as a schoolteacher onbeautiful Treasure Island. She should be happy as a clam,but someone is keeping her from enjoying her new life. Hernutty aunt Delphine is determined to set her up with her veryeligible (and very cute) neighbor, Reverend Jack Marks.

The only problem is…Delphine is a ghost.

A meddling aunt is one thing. A relative stirring up troublefrom the grave is quite another. Especially when Delphine'smatchmaking shenanigans include trickery, humiliation andan alligator named Buster! But with all Delphine's outrageoushaunting high jinks, it looks as if Lynn and Mark won't standa ghost of a chance!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Humor

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Magpie67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not as good as Hurricane Hannah, it did have Buster the Alligator... and a talking bird. It's an island and refuge for both parties who fall in love. Both have been jilted. One, a preacher, decided religion was about delivering messages from God to live a better life than what was good for the church of the parish he was working for... money talked there but Mark wasn't interested in that and he left the parish and the prestige... so did his fiance. She was all about the prestige, the name and the money. Lynn, a scientist, was involved with a professor who stole her working thesis while she was away dealing with her Aun'ts death. He even had it published. Since Lynn was an intern, her protests of him stealing her work were not believed or... her ex led her to believe that decision. Mark is still a preacher and Lynn is now a science teacher on the island. Lynn and Mark really discover each other only after the meddling ghost/spirit of Delphine arrives. Delphine wants Lynn to be happy, to pursue life, to love a partner in life... A series of events occur chancing that fate; that both parties will fall in love despite the odds.... Gambling a huge past time on this island... may the odds be ever in your favor. Ha! Cute title, preachy at times with a couple sizzle sex scenes... I thought the ending was flat but I enjoyed the theology lesson.

[Freud's Nightmare · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems that the author(s) tried to push multiple agendas at the expense of the plot; agendas which got muddled together as a result. Other than exposure to some very out-of-place theoretical concepts regarding religion and science – subjects poorly suited for the fluff that the book was clearly intended to be – the sporadic comedic elements were the sole redeeming qualities. Basically the ecology, physics, and religious themes were likely too intense to appeal to the readers who typically seek this fluff, while those who would appreciate such themes would be deterred by the fluff. In the end it would seem that the reader is confronted with a literary train wreck. In the future, I’ll avoid this author.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book! I love Buster the Alligator and his talking parrot buddy. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this book.

I thought it was a very amusing and original storyline but it was very slow at times for me and didn't always hold my attention. Towards the end though, it picked up quite a bit.

I enjoyed the lifestyle the author portrayed on the island, so carefree and relaxed and that the Reverend was not all uptight but just as relaxed as the island life.

[LuAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty much what I expected it to be - pure fluff. You know the story - boy meets girl, blah, blah, blah - girl's dead aunt haunts her. You heard it right - the ghost of her dead aunt. Oh, and did I mention the talking bird and ultra-friendly alligator? I'm not usually a fan of romance stories and now I remember why. It was cute, but also rather predictable.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book - kind of like cotton candy for the brain - but a decent little romance. Lynn Reilly, the new tropical island school teacher falls in love with her neighbor, Jack Marks, the island's pastor. Basically a quick and easy romance.

[Ratforce]

If you enjoyed the supernatural elements of Twenties Girl , then you might also like another story about a well-meaning but meddlesome ghost. The Life of Reilly has the same warmhearted, light, and funny feel as Twenties Girl , complete with a ghost determined to improve our heroine’s life.

[Ann (Noumena12) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fine...nothing to get too excited about.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

So the one star is for the talking parrott and the friendly alligator. That's about all this book had going for it. I would like to see more of Buster the alligator though. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

bout to start

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as fun and engaging as Hurricane Hannah, this book was kind of boring. The best characters were the alligator and the bird.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of cute. A quick read with a good enough story.

[Googlehead69]

Sort of book that I don't want to admit to enjoying, but I read 100 pages of it this morning, and am looking forward to the next 100......

[Phoenix Titus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book but I felt that it left out some details that would have helped it make more sense. I also felt like the ending was a bit anticlimactic.

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was slow and didn't hold my interest enough to make me want to finish it. It had the makings of a cute story if the author had expanded on the humorous elements.