Book Review | Spirited Quest (Deerbourne Inn Series) by @_JulieMHoward #paranormalmystery #bookrevie
top of page
  • N. N. Light
    • May 17, 2019
    • 3 min read

Book Review | Spirited Quest (Deerbourne Inn Series) by @_JulieMHoward #paranormalmystery #bookrevie


Title: Spirited Quest

Author: Julie Howard

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Book Blurb:

Paige Norman believes in a tangible, explainable world. When her ghost-hunting niece comes for a visit, she tries not to scoff. But someone, or something, is stirring up trouble at the Deerbourne Inn and her niece, Jillian, is at the center of the mystery.

Paige is certain the handsome Aussie photographer is behind the unexplained disturbances, and she warns her niece to stay clear. Meanwhile, Jillian gets to know the otherworldly Lady of the Deerbourne, who foretells an encounter with "two men." Then the pranks turn dangerous. Has her niece attracted a stalker or has she conjured an evil presence? Can the culprit be the man who has captured her heart?

My Review:

Paige is a divorcee and the editor of the local paper. She’s excited to have her niece, Jillian, come for a visit but she’s not sure about all this paranormal stuff Jillian seems obsessed with. Paige is a by-the-book reporter and she doesn’t believe all that nonsense. But when strange occurrences start happening at the Deerbourne Inn, Jillian passes them off as spirits. Paige thinks it’s a possible stalker and her sights are set on a photographer also staying at the inn. Paige does some investigating and confronts Jillian with her suspicions. Jillian denies it but Paige is confident. Will she unmask the culprit in time or will it be too late?

I love a good paranormal mystery and I was excited to read this one. The pacing was good and the mystery overall was well plotted. Unlike Paige, my sights for the culprit were set on a different person. The more I read, the more I liked my suspect. A surprise twist at the end caught me by surprise. A real whodunit.

Two things I didn’t care for in Spirited Quest. First, is the choice of Paige as the main POV. The main theme of this story is paranormal so having the POV be Paige seems wrong. It should’ve been Jillian, the paranormal investigator. The whole time I was reading, I kept wondering when we were going to switch to Jillian’s POV. FYI, it’s all in Paige’s POV. The author did appease me somewhat by having Jillian’s thoughts expressed through her blog posts.

Second thing I didn’t like was Paige’s constant negativity when it came to Jillian and her paranormal beliefs. It’s fine to describe Paige’s negative thoughts once or twice but all the time was a little much. It got repetitive after awhile and honestly, dragged down the plot.

Overall, this is a good addition to the Deerbourne Inn series. A fast read and a spooky mystery to curl up to on a rainy afternoon or while making your commute home from work.

Favorite Character/Quote: Jillian. I love her view on life and enlisting the help of spirits. Though, I really wish there was more of her in this story. It’s not in her POV but in her aunt’s and if I was honest, I would’ve much rather have had Jillian’s POV.

My Rating: 4 stars

Buy it Now:

Author Biography:

Julie Howard is the author of “Crime and Paradise” and “Crime Times Two.” She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Learn more at juliemhoward.com.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @_JulieMHoward

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

Tags:

bottom of page