Title: The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble
Authors: Eleanor Harkstead and Catherine Curzon
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Length: 35 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Paranormal
At a Glance: Ah, there’s angst…a little. There’s romance in spades. The lighthearted banter between the two ghostly men draws you in, and when the two spirits finally realize what we, the reader, knew all along—that they belong together—your heart will heave a happy sigh.
Reviewed By: Carrie
Blurb: When a ghostly dandy and his roguish companion try their hand at matchmaking, things definitely go bump in the night.
For centuries, foppish Captain Cornelius Sheridan and brooding John Rookwood have haunted the mansion they duelled and died for. Now these phantom foes must join forces to save both their home and their feuding descendents.
But when Captain Sheridan sacrifices his afterlife for the sake of true love, will Rookwood risk everything to keep his companion by his side, or is it too late to say “I love you”?
Review: The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble by Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead
A novella in the Captivating Captain’s Series
This is a short story set in the Captivating Captains series by these two wonderful authors. I’m not going to call this book three since it is a short novella, but it is an excellent addition to the series. These books are about Captains, in all their forms, and so far we have skipped through time and space to explore two different kinds. It is only fair we now straddle time and space and have a couple of ghostly apparitions who will captivate you as they meddle in the lives of their generation’s later offspring.
Captain Cornelius Sheridan has haunted his beloved house for centuries, trapped with the man who killed him, the rogue John Rookwood. Of course, he killed John also as they both died in a dual over the very mansion they are now doomed to haunt in perpetuity. Clad in his shimmering gold silk suit, Cornelius has remained the dandy he always was, just as that dastardly bully, John, has remained the confoundingly handsome man he was in fleshly form. Their push and pull with each other has never waned, and if Cornelius had to be stuck for eternity haunting his house, then, well, doing it with John isn’t the hardship he would have you believe. There have been literally centuries of misunderstandings between the two, but there is also a familiarity now, a softening around the edges and a certain affection but Cornelius would never admit it—at least not first.
In walk two of their ancestors, as turned around as the two ghostly men were when they were alive, each one thinking they know what the other wants, and neither owning up to their feelings nor talking to the other. Dan and Jenny, both descendants to the famed Sheridan and Rookwood, have come to the mansion so that hopefully they can figure out what to do with the supposedly haunted old house. Will their lives run parallel to their ancestors? Or will everyone, ghosts included, finally own up to the way they feel? Finally, Cornelius and John have a common goal; instead of trying to scare off these two interlopers, they suddenly, desperately, need to communicate with them and try to fix what is wrong between the two.
As Dan and Jenny broke from their own kiss, Dan’s gaze quite suddenly, quite definitely, met John’s. He blinked, then closed his eyes and opened them again. Then he put his lips to Jenny’s ear and John heard him whisper, “Don’t freak out, but there are two ghost men having a bit of a moment in the middle of the rug.”
Ah, there’s angst…a little. There’s romance in spades. The lighthearted banter between the two ghostly men draws you in, and when the two spirits finally realize what we, the reader, knew all along—that they belong together—your heart will heave a happy sigh. This story paces really well for a novella, and has a definite buildup, climax, and conclusion. It’s totally engaging, with colorful characters—there’s a ghost cat for heaven’s sake—and it’s a pleasure to read. Curzon and Harkstead have a definite knack for scene setting and that comes through clearly. I definitely recommend this story for anyone wanting a ghostly short story that is sweet, funny, endearing and romantic. I have loved this series and recommend not just this novella but all the books.
You can buy The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble here:
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