The Secrets Of Ghosts

The Language of Spells #2

by Sarah Painter

Step back into the magical world of Pendleford with Sarah Painter’s new book The Secrets of Ghosts. Don’t miss the magical, heart-warming from the bestselling author of The Language of Spells! On her twenty-first birthday Katie Harper has only one wish: to become a real Harper woman. Mystical powers are passed down her family generation after generation – some even call them witches – yet every spell Katie attempts goes disastrously wrong.When her magic does appear, it’s in a form nobody expected and suddenly Katie is thrown into a dangerous new world with shadowy consequences. For the realm of the deceased is not as peaceful as she once thought. The dead are buried with their secrets and only Katie can help the ghosts of the past finally find peace.If that is what they are looking for…

Genres: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Witches, Magic

362 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2014

About the author

Sarah Painter is the author of the bestselling magical novel, The Language of Spells, and its follow-up, The Secrets of Ghosts.

She has written 'book club' fiction with atmospheric settings and historical elements (In The Light of What We See and Beneath The Water), and a 'wonderfully dark and twisty' supernatural thriller, The Lost Girls.

Sarah's latest venture is an exciting new urban fantasy series, Crow Investigations. Yes, she finds it hard to stick to one genre!

Before writing books, Sarah Painter worked as a freelance magazine journalist, blogger and editor, combining this 'career' with amateur child-wrangling (AKA motherhood).

Sarah lives in rural Scotland with her husband and children. She drinks too much tea, loves the work of Joss Whedon, and is the proud owner of a writing shed.

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I got on a mini-magical realism kick and finished this book too. I read the first book in this series back in 2015. I gave that one (The Language of Spells) 3 stars, and the sequel to that is a strong three stars too. I think the main issue is that nothing really grabbed me in this one. I thought following both Gwen and Katie didn't really work this time. Gwen is dealing with trying to get pregnant and Katie is hell-bent on figuring out her Harper power. Katie is naive as anything for most of the book and I thought the ending was just so-so.

It's been 7 years since the events in the last book. Katie is now 21 years old and trying to still learn from Gwen so she can come into her Harper powers. Katie is a waitress at a private home turned hotel and is hoping that eventually she will be able to be like Gwen (wise woman that everyone seeks out in the village). When Katie finds a dead body her whole world gets turned upside down and she starts to have birds and ghosts talk to her. Gwen is troubled and hopes that there is someway to shut off Katie's powers since talking to ghosts is not a power anyone wants.

Katie is naive. She ends up liking a bad boy (with honestly no redeeming qualities) and does joint investigations with him as well as trying to figure out things solo. Even though Katie is warned her powers could be dangerous she doesn't care because she doesn't want to be seen as a kid and wants to be special and not ordinary like her mother. There was a lot going on there that I wish I had felt was resolved. I don't see what the big deal would be if Katie didn't have magical powers. And I have to say her "practicing" with Gwen didn't seem to be much of anything. I recall in book number one it didn't make much sense how the magic in this world works and it still doesn't.

We unfortunately don't get too spend much time with Gwen. Gwen is dealing with not being able to get pregnant and no spells or potions are helping. She is feeling lost and vulnerable. Her and her now husband Cam barely feel present in this one. Merely there to prop up Gwen.

The secondary characters are okay, just needed more developing. I was interested when I heard there were more witch families and how they try not to settle near each other cause things would happen. I wish that Painter had explored that more.

The writing was okay, but the flow was off. I found myself getting bored and wanting the story to hurry up and finish already since it was a lot of Katie investigating, the guy she liked being "charming" and then her being mad that things were not working out how she wanted them.

The ending was interesting, we get to know a bit more about Katie's powers. But everything seemed a little too pat when we found out how much it could be costing Katie to use magic.

I haven't seen a third book in this series appears, so am assuming that this is the final book.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read about Katie whose family have magical gifts. As Katie awaits her own gift she struggles with learning magic & starts to doubt whether she's on the right path. Then she sees a ghost and everything starts to change. A story of magic, family, life, friendship, weirdness, danger and love. Another great book by Sarah Painter & a must read.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

tl;dr: Katie is an idiot.

I had a nice review of this all written, and then I didn't save it. -_-

The action was weirdly jumpy (like, they're standing across the room from each other and then suddenly they're kissing) and the dialogue often seemed stilted/cliched. I have no idea what the hell is wrong with Katie that she can't figure her shit out. Seriously, she is the cause of almost all of her own problems. Just freakin' talk to people instead of assuming shit! Quit ignoring your intuition! Maybe don't let the ghost bully you into something you think might be wrong! Geez lady, get a clue.

So frustrated with Katie's supreme idiocy throughout the book. It's not cute to be dumb. No shade to the author; I loved her other book. The world Painter has built is a good one, I just fucking hate Katie.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I read and enjoyed Sarah Painter’s debut novel The Language of Spells, it was a fantastic book feauting witches, but not the kind you might imagine – there were no capes or pointy hats or warty noses in sight, and I very much enjoyed getting to know more about Pendleford, which was the setting. It sounds like such a fantastic village, so I was super pleased when it was announced not only was Sarah releasing a second novel The Secret of Ghosts, but it was taking us back to Pendleford! WOOP. Back to Katie, and Gwen, which was such a fantastic idea; I only realised how much I missed them once I was back with them again, and it was safe to say their story was far from over, as we see Katie trying very, very hard to come into her Harper powers, something which is proving very disheartening and difficult as the novel opens.

Katie Harper knows that the Harper women are special, they have magical abilities, like her Aunt Gwen, who can find lost things and who is a dab hand at making magical potions and creams that help the folks of Pendleford, so Katie’s desperate to finally learn what her powers are… but they’re just not playing, and she’s starting to feel like a failure. Until, one night whilst working at the Grange, the local hotel, Katie stumbles across a dead man which sets off a terrifying chain of events, and leads her to Max, a con-man, with a deadly smile and wicked sense of humour. When Katie’s magical abilities finally make an appearance, everyone is surprised when it turns out Katie can see ghosts, but it’s not that simple, and her Aunt Gwen is warning her to be careful, but Katie loves her new powers, and is determined to use her powers for good, consequences be damned.

I have to admit that it did take me a little while to get into The Secrets of Ghosts, for some reason it just took ages for it to click for me, and I definitely think the second half is a much stronger read than the first half. It eventually did get to the point, thankfully, where I was just reading, reading, reading, desperate to read more and discover just what Katie’s new powers were going to do. (They wreaked havoc, lemme tell you, and it’s quite a cool power, but still not the power I would choose if I could have a witchy power). I probably would have got into it much easier if I’d just finished the first novel The Language of Spells, but it did happen and I very much enjoyed getting to know Katie a bit better. Gwen was relegated to a smaller role this time around, but her presence was definitely felt and definitely enjoyed whenever she did appear. I’d love to have an aunt just like Gwen, she’s amazing. Katie’s power creates a very interesting story featuring a girl called Violet, and I liked whenever she appeared as I knew it was a chance to know a little bit more about her, and why she was trapped at the Grange, I warmed to her just as much as Katie did, and I didn’t want to let her go! (Painter could TOTALLY go and write a historical novel about Violet, and I would DEVOUR it because Violet’s life sounded tragic, but very interesting).

I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret of Ghosts. It was just as magical and just as enjoyable as The Language of Spells and I am soooooo glad Sarah Painter decided to go back to Pendleford. Katie is such a fascinating character, and it really helped me warm to her because she was my age (but going through a waaaaay tougher time than me, let’s be honest). I was never quite sure of Max, because of his grifter/con-man ways, but he did seem rather sincere whenever he was with Katie, so I was very happy to give him the benefit of the doubt; although I still prefer Cam, let it be known. Max is going to have to try harder to beat Cam in the men-I-love stakes. I really do love magical fiction and I think Sarah Painter is one of the best at giving you a realistic look at magic and all that comes with it. I don’t think I believe in ghosts (and I’m only saying ‘think’ so a ghost doesn’t decide to come and haunt me and prove me wrong), but I always love reading about them in books, because in books anything can happen, that’s how it works, and it’s fantastic. I will eagerly be awaiting a new Sarah Painter, she’s become an author whose work I very much enjoy and I look forward to reading many more books from her!

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried with this book but just really wasn’t feeling it. The main character is immature and whiny, the plot flat, and the actual writing dull. I wish I’d liked this as much as others seem to have, but I have so many books to read that when I got 32% into the book and realized I was still bored to tears, I decided to ditch it. Unfortunately not worth the time I’ve spent on it.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this arc and what a delightful read. I admit, I love books that are supernatural but with a more grounded approach. As Katie Harper turns 21, she is still waiting to take her place among the Harper women hoping for her special gift to arrive. The mysterious women have magical powers and are known by the locals for being witches. Unlike many other stories with hokey characters, this takes us for a ride as Katie falls for a handsome dodgy skeptic, just when her powers emerge. Family members fear her gift is a curse of some sort, and no one knows how to help because it is unnatural speaking with the dead. Katie may be the only bridge to uncover the dead's secrets, but at what risk to herself?
This was a cute read, I really enjoyed it. Now I have to find the book that came before "The Language of Spells".
I must add, what I loved about this is it isn't so fantastical that you expect unicorns and glitter explosions. Again, the magic is natural and never verges on the ridiculous.

[Deborah Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Sarah Painter never disappoints.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

At different points throughout The Secrets of Ghosts, I found myself thinking about how it might be kind of cool to have some sort of special ability or to be able to communicate with spirits. Don't worry, I definitely changed my mind by the end of the book. I'm plenty exhausted and achey from my nursing career, I don't think I need ghosts siphoning my energy and/or trying to kill me. While the Harper family is really fun to read about, I think I'll pass on their particular brand of supernatural dilemmas. :)

With that being said, I really enjoyed this book, probably even slightly more than The Language of Spells. In The Language of Spells, Katie Harper was a young teenaged girl with an interest in her Aunt Gwen's abilities and a fierce desire to find her own identity. While Katie is all grown up in The Secrets of Ghosts, she is more determined than ever to find her own magical Harper ability. When Katie's special talent begins to manifest as some sort of ability to communicate with the dead, Gwen fears that it is more of a curse than a talent. Slowly, Katie finds that the dead are not always resting in peace and may have dangerous agendas that will endanger her own life. Torn between a fear of the unknown and the Harper family need to use her abilities to help others, Katie has more to worry about than the fact that she's falling for a mysterious young man who claims to be a con-artist. Love, life, death--they're all powerful sources of confusion that Katie must fight to understand.

Again, this book was extremely easy to read and very predictable, but it was an enjoyable reading experience. I enjoyed the fact that the hotel where much of the novel took place dated back to the late seventeenth century and was thus full of history and restless spirits from earlier generations. I love old houses and buildings and that really added to my enjoyment. I also enjoyed the fact that Cam and Gwen's romance I was so fond of in the first book played a part in Katie's story as well. I really hope that Sarah Painter writes more books about Katie Harper, as I feel that the possibilities are endless when it comes to a magical family and a "witch" with an infinity for the dead.

Four fun stars!
☆☆☆☆

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret of Ghosts. Sarah Painter
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
I didn't realise this was a follow on from book one The Language of Spells, which I've not read. It was still fairly easy to understand, though if I’d read book one some of the conversations would have stood in better context instead of my having to read between the lines. My bad...Still, it was an enjoyable, escapist read, light hearted romance and a bit of paranormal who dunnit. I didn't guess how things would turn out, that came as a pleasant surprise, I do enjoy books that can impress me plot wise with how things work out. So many are just predictable and though that works mostly, when the endings are different to what I expect it adds to the reading experience.
I liked Katie, she's so determined to be a success within the family and so frustrated at the lack of magic so far, that when the ghosts start turning up she sees benefits and a purpose for her, disregarding potential dangers. That can have a drastic effect on her and the family. Max, he was an enigma much of the while, and there was a very subtle, gentle romance building between him and Katie, which was fun and made for a change from the insta love of so many novels. (though I like those as well, properly done, just its good to have variety) Priced at £3.99 for 279 pages its long enough to let the reader get really into the plot. Its not one of those breath holding, heart stopping, peeping round the pages books but more a gentle meander though an adventure, with a side of romance. Though its connected to book one, its a complete novel in itself. I’d certainly be ready to read more from Katie and the family and friends.
Stars: Three and a half, good gentle story.
ARC supplied by Netgalley

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

The first book in this series was nice. A little predictable but interesting enough, a pleasant read.

This book is a mash of whiny, angsty bad choices with the MC vacillating between gauche and cynic, pubescent lust and Victorian sensibilities, can-do attitude and damsel in distress. Nothing is coherent, consistent or credible and I don't like anybody.

Also, I hate lip service feminism, where you call someone sexist for going all macho dad on a girl's date, but you still have a subplot where the entirety of a person's existence (worth, relationship, fulfillment) is tied up in whether or not her womb will catch.

Screw that.

[Theodora Vanyar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overview:
Blurb: Katie Harper is turning twenty one and hopes, on this birthday, she will finally come into the powers she has been working towards for years. Most of the Harper women are known for being "wise women", each having their own abilities. For Katie, her power suddenly appears in the wake of a death at her workplace. Now, she can see and talk to ghosts! Secrets abound with her new-found powers and danger from unexpected sources.

Trigger Warnings:
Death, Food, Gore, Murder

Body Count: 3, technically?
The Specs:
• Series: While not part of a named series, this is the sequel to "The Language of Spells", which I likely should have read first. Whoops.
• Genre
o Technical Genre: Metaphysical Fiction, Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction, Ghost Fiction
o Theo Genre: Feminist Fiction, Magical Realism
• Page count: 304
• POV: Limited 3rd
• Publication information:
o Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
o Language: English
o ISBN-13: 9781472054807
o ASIN: B00HELJII8

Other Fun Stuff:
To Read or Not To Read (Again): Bookshelf, to read again.

Thoughts:
This particular book was read with the intention of it being an escape. I didn't realize it was the second book in a series, but it did stand alone quite well.
Katie...is an interesting character. She starts out this fearful little rabbit of a person and grows as the story does, over the course of just a few days, I believe. But the way it was handled was believable and engaging. Her not-a-boyfriend Max is quite the interesting character himself. Being a grifter, he seems genuine in his desire to turn over a new leaf and is the first to admit that he is a work in progress.
The story itself was a delight to read. While this is my first introduction to the world of the Harper women and the magic they possess, I feel like The Secrets of Ghosts was a strong novel about women who are delightfully flawed and human, even with magical powers.
I will be reading more by this author.

Was it engaging?
Yes, but sometimes the pacing was a bit off. And Katie and Max's chemistry seemed a little rushed.

Favorite Character:
Violet, the ghost.

Representation, Morality, and Sexism Tests:
• Bechdel–Wallace Test:
o Purpose: to establish actual female characters that act independently of male characters in a story.
 Do two female characters talk about something other than a male character? Yes
o Pass or Fail: Pass
• DuVernay Test:
o Purpose: to establish characters of color in a story.
 Are there fully actualized characters of color? No
o Pass or Fail: Fail
• Ellen Willis Test:
o Purpose: to show balance in characters regardless of gender.
 Would two related characters still work to carry the story if their genders were reversed? Yes
o Pass or Fail: Pass
• Hays Code Test:
o Purpose: to ignore outdated and queer-degrading/punishing standards that once were the standard for produced mass media.
o Part One: outdated moral guidelines
 Are there any outdated "moral content" rules gloriously kicked in the teeth by this story?
 Are there people of color allowed a happy ending?
 Is there an interracial couple?
 Is there profanity used at all?
 Is there one or more homicidal acts and/or murder?
o Part Two: queer representation
 Are there queer characters that get a happy ending?
 Is there an illegal or otherwise distasteful age gap between characters, queer or otherwise?
 Do the queer characters die tragically, violently, or at all?
o Pass or Fail: Fail
• Mako Mori Test:
o Purpose: to assure that in the story there is at least one female character independent of a male character's story.
 Is there a female character? Yes
 Does she get her own arc? Yes
 Does it do anything other than serve to support a man’s story? Yes
o Pass or Fail: Pass
• Sexy Lamp Test:
o Purpose: to assure that a female character in the story serves as an active protagonist, not just a device to be used by the male main character.
 Would the plot fall apart if the female character was replaced by a sexy looking lamp? Yes
o Post-It Note Caveat:
 Would the character be able to be replaced by a Sexy Lamp with a sticky note on it for information conveyance? No
o Pass or Fail: Pass
• Tauriel Test:
o Purpose: to help support the existence of competent, independent female characters regardless of a romantic sub-plot.
 Is there at least one woman in the story? Yes
 Is this woman competent in her chosen occupation and not immediately shown up by a newcomer male character? Yes
 If she has or develops a love interest during the story, either implied or explicitly stated, does she suddenly abandon her job and/or chosen path to support or pursue said love interest? Nope!
o Pass or Fail: Pass
• Vito Russo Test:
o Purpose: to establish more characters that are on the SAGA (Sexuality And Gender Acceptance), QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) or LGBTQIAP+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic/Bigender, Transgender, Queer/Genderqueer, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic/Agender, Pansexual/Panromantic, and others not listed here) spectrum.
 Is there a character on the queer spectrum? No.
 Are they a character beyond their orientation? Not applicable.
 Do they actually affect the plot? Not applicable.
 Is the character something beyond a punchline? Not applicable.
o Pass or Fail: Fail

Review format updated 10 June 2019

[gail lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series, and I enjoyed the first one so much that I automatically purchased this one without reading a sample. The character Gwen was mature and caring and likable in the first one, but all she did in this book was say she didn’t know anything, and it was all her fault. She was absolutely no help to her niece, who was confused and desperate. The plot was either missing or incomprehensible. The characters made no sense. Disappointment.

[Debbie Reale Hallowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading

This is a quick read with some light romance and a murder mystery to make it move along. The author does not pay attention to her timeline (weeks/days passage) but it's entertaining.

[Becca Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

picked up for the cover. Was okay, but didn't suck me in. Characters were kind of flat, and the main character's insistence that the ghost was good/needed her was kind of wearing - especially since everyone else was definite that ghosts were "bad." Skimmed about a quarter of the book.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Sindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a bit repetitive. I also felt like I knew what was going on way to long before the characters figured things out, but I still enjoyed the story.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This mediocre novel was actually much better than the first book. However two BIG discrepancies at the very beginning bothered me so much that they interfered with enjoying the book.

The Language of spells centered on Gwen Harper who has a magical talent for Finding as well as being a healer. She has inherited a house from her great aunt Iris who served as a local healer. We learn that her mom can read fortunes, an ancestor could speak to the dead, but her sister Ruby has no magic at all.

This story centers on her neice. In the last book, Ruby's daugter specifically corrected someone saying her name wasn't Harper. She had her Dad's last name. But in this book she has the name Harper.
Also in the first book, one of the plot points at the end was that Gwen destroys Iris's journals that contained people's secrets to gain trust from the townsfolk. Yet in this book, our hero studies those journals.

If it weren't for these glaring continuity errors, I would have rated this three stars instead of just two.

[The Man from DelMonte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is even more scrappy than its predecessor. We all feel for Kate, desperate to come into her powers and yet, when she does so, we worry that she has a power that could easily kill or warp her.
The twist in the story was so obvious that I wondered why we took such a long time to resolve it. And, for all that Kate seems to have to give of her own life to enact magic, she doesn't seem to suffer any ill effects. She makes it possible for her aunt to concieve which is hardly a trivial thing. Indeed the story arc of Gwen's infertility was unnecessary somehow, more to keep Kate's aunt involved than to contribute anything else. And the introduction of another magical family just 'happening by' at crucial points was jarring.
And my goodness! Didn't everything happen in a rush at the end?
The annoying thing is that the author is capable of so much more. Feels a bit like my old school reports. "Could try harder"

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admittedly had high expectations for this book, it had all the things I love.

Magic - check
Mystery - check
Romance - check

It starts very slow and feels haphazardly put together. The protagonist, Katie, spends so much time brooding over why she hasn’t developed a power that she becomes whiny and irritating. But things get interesting when she finds a dead man in a hotel rooms. I am now enjoying the book. Her power is both exciting and scary because she can talk to ghosts! The romance is definitely forced but I liked Max so I didn’t mind. The ending however was a bit of a disappointment, now we are rushing through without answering all the questions, and once again it felt a bit thrown together.

Magic - No magic wands
Romance - Forced but sweet
Mystery - Okay
Conclusion - I’m glad I read it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read three books in this series and just realized that I've read the stories of the crone, the mother and the maiden. Well done there! This book is about the maiden. She comes from a long line of magical women but she's full of fear that she won't be one of them herself until she realizes that some of the people she's been chatting with are ghosts. This story wasn't quite as compelling as the other two but I think that's more me than the book. This isn't quite the story I wanted to read. I'm kind of goofy about books featuring witches. I love them so much but I have strong opinions on what things should be like for those witches. This book had way more uncertainty and fear than I liked.

[Ulrike · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just bland.
I must admit I haven't read the first one (didn't even know that there IS a first one) - so I was quite often irritated by hints about things which (obviously) happened in Book 1...
I didn't like Katie at all... stubborn..
And Max.. hmm, his story was kind of "jumpy" - from here to there - is he a good guy or not?
Funny though I always saw James McAvoy as Max - so if there's ever a movie - take my advice "lol".
Gwen was ok, but also kind of floating through the pages quite unmotivated.

Otherwise - won't read Book 1 for sure. It took me way too long to finish this one.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick fun read about a girl from a long line of witches coming into her witch powers. Of coarse, she does not have normal powers and no one knows how she should use them. Katie and her friend Anna are very likable personalities. And Matt is the con artist that uses his good looks and charm to get his way in life. The history of the town and people is very interesting. And the concept of the ghosts is certainly an interesting way of thinking about ghosts. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the paranormal.

[Shari Ring Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming

Love the way this author writes whimsical witch magic stories that are so down to earth. I loved reading again about Gwen, Cam, and focusing this time on Katie. Part fantasy, part coming of age, part romance, fiction, and mystery, this book is well written and a very fun read. I even picked up a little witchy wisdom from the characters.

[EmmyT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. (Didn't know how to comment without a rating, so a neutral 3.) I've barely started this book and don't know if I can continue. (Enjoyed The Language of Spells, and the Prequel--Book 3.) I'm annoyed that Katie is called Katie Harper. Yes, she's a Harper woman, but she's Ruby's daughter and her last name is not Harper. I forget her surname from The Language of Spells.

[Amy Voelker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the story in the first book and wanted to see how things continued. This was a strong sequel focusing on Katie 7 years after book 1. Katie is now 21 and hoping to come into her power like her Aunt Gwen. There is a mystery here to unravel and of course a bit of romance too. It got a little busy trying to follow both Katie and Gwen at times but overall a fun read.

[Sharen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! This cozy has everything I love in cozy books……charming characters, Magisck (real, not stage magicians), ghosts, evil doers doing evil deeds (no graphic violence), mysteries to solve, romance (no graphic sex), no editing issues, and no cliffhanger endings.
So, curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and enjoy!

[Cheryl Bott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy, Enjoyable Read

Light summer read with likeable characters. Looking forward to another one from the series. Not as deep as Hoffman, but i recommend if you like magical stories.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with this author and this series! I've been looking for someone comparable to Sarah Addison Allen and this works! Thank god. I've read everything by S.A.A. and I haven't been able to find someone who fills her shoes - Sarah Painter does a damn good job!

[Phyllis Handy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in a series

It was a good book. A bit scary, but not too much. It was the sequel to another of the author's books, and I wanted to know what happened to them. I hope there is another sequel.

[Cherry McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading The Language of Spells I was looking forward to this one. Somehow it didn't hold my interest as much. There were pages toward the last third of the book that contained more of the paranormal. I'm a sucker for any character that can speck to ghosts.