Author: Asta Idonea
Publisher: MLR Press
Length: 37 Pages
Category: Paranormal, Contemporary
At a Glance: I mostly enjoyed this compact little story with quirky characters, even if one main aspect didn’t work for me.
Reviewed By: Lindsey
Blurb: When Zach moves into his new flat, the last thing he expects is a nocturnal house guest.
Zach is thrilled with his new flat, until strange noises disturb him. Who wanders his home at night, laughing and singing, and why is the place always spotless when he never cleans? There was no mention of a house guest in the contract, but it seems Zach has a nocturnal visitor.
Bogdan never expected to end up in Zach’s tiny flat, but now that he’s here, he intends to make the best of it. Zach seems preferable to his last master, and he waits for the right moment to announce his presence. He doesn’t count on Zach’s determination to seek out the truth himself in the meantime.
Review: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up for this book. I figured it sounded interesting, based on the blurb, but with only thirty-seven pages, and the fact this is a new-to-me author, I just didn’t know. When it was all said and done, I was left with mixed feelings. Mostly I enjoyed it, but there were a couple aspects that kind of put me off.
I finished The House Guest in a half hour or so during my lunch break. The author was able, despite the short length, to flesh out the characters quite a bit, which was surprising and not an easy task with so little page time to work with. I found myself enjoying what I did get to know of Zach and Bogdan as individuals. The author did a great job of writing quirky characters and an interesting premise. A paranormal house guest with a penchant for deep cleaning—that sounds like something totally up my alley (and where can I get one?)! I deeply enjoyed Bogdan’s cute little shenanigans and Zach’s confusion as to what the heck was happening.
It’s hard to fully explain what irked me about the story, not without spoilers, but I’m gonna give it my best shot. It wasn’t the writing style. It wasn’t the individual characters (who I actually adored). It was how their romance was written and came together, or, more specifically, one aspect that just didn’t sit well with me. I felt the way the two get together and the way their “relationship” comes to fruition pretty much took the emotional connection, and subsequently, the romance aspect, out of the picture and made what Bogdan and Zach shared based on the physical piece only.
Even though the romantic element fell a little short for me, I really enjoyed Zach and Bogdan as individuals, and I found this to be a cute read with eccentric characters, little angst, and a wee bit of sexy times. All in all, a nice little way to pass a lunch break.
You can buy The House Guest here:
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