Thursday, March 13, 2014

Haunting Joy by Lena Goldfinch

 
About the Book
Joy's new dress has a secret - one with a little supernatural history, one that's a little more than she expected. It all starts one ordinary afternoon, as seventeen-year-old Joy tries on some thrift-store clothes her grandmother gave her. The little white dress fits perfectly. Trouble is, now it won't leave her alone. Soon Joy is swept up in an extraordinary journey to help a ghost complete some unfinished business. If only that didn't involve Joy driving through dangerous intersections... Or calling up her high-school crush, Nick... Or getting stuck at a cemetery after dark. Will Joy accept this ghostly challenge to be "more"? And just how far will she go to uncover the truth?
"I never believed in ghosts. Until it happened to me." Light Paranormal, Short Novel

My Thoughts
So this was probably my least favorite so far of Lena's but I still enjoyed it! The main reason I didn't love it as much is probably because I've always personally found the idea of ghosts to be a bit ridiculous. That being said, the author did a great job of making this story not ridiculous and I actually had a bit of fun reading it! Joy was a great heroine and Nick was a pretty cool hero. It was interesting to find out the details of what had happened to Beth along with Joy and the whole thing reminded me of the movie Now & Then! And a random side note, I loved the Psych reference!
So in short this was a well-written novella that lovers of paranormal books are sure to enjoy!

Meet the Author
LENA GOLDFINCH writes fantasy and romance for teens and adults. She's a sucker for a good old-fashioned romance, whether it's a novel, novella, or short story, young adult or adult, fantasy or realistic, contemporary or historical. Elements of romance, fantasy, and mystery have a way of creeping into her writing, even when she's writing something light and contemporary. Her latest release is TAKE A PICTURE, a lighthearted contemporary romance for teens and new adults, which includes a bonus short story, CHAIN REACTION, a prequel to HAUNTING JOY. You can learn more about Lena and her books on her website.

Giveaway
Lena's got some sweet treats for a couple of readers! One winner (U.S. & Canada only) will receive a paperback copy of one of Lena's books (winner's choice) plus some candy, and the other winner (can be international) will receive an e-book copy of Lena's latest release, Take a Picture. Both winners will be announced on Saturday, March 15th. You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

3 comments:

Amber Holcomb said...

Even though the genre/premise wasn't your thing, so glad you gave it a try and ended up having fun with it, regardless! I've found a few paranormal reads this past year that I've really enjoyed. :) And Haunting Joy has a great mix of serious and sweet, I think!

Thanks so much for participating in the tour with all these great reviews this week! *Hugs*

~Amber

Lena Goldfinch said...

I echo Amber's thanks for stepping out of your comfort zone a bit and giving a"ghost book a try". So glad you enjoyed Haunting Joy, and I'm pleased to hear you didn't find the ghost aspect ridiculous! ;) Though fun to write, it also provided me the opportunity to explore the very deep topic of loss and the ties we have to family and friends. (But in a way that didn't put me into a depressing place! :))

Thanks, Abbi!

Abbi Hart said...

Amber-It was a really great mix of serious and sweet! I enjoy a lot of paranormal books/movies/shows but for some reason the ghost thing is one that I've never gotten into! You are welcome! Thanks for hosting this tour!

Lena-You are very welcome, thank you for writing books I can enjoy even though the genre is not one I usually like!

Post a Comment