There is no such thing as ghosts. Or is there?  Two authors sharing a surname take on the ghostly theme in two very different books.  The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong and I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong.

Ruby Vaughn was introduced in The Curse of Penryth Hall as a former socialite, war-time ambulance driver, housemate of an old man and solver of ghostly mysteries.  In this second book of the series the reader is treated to the backstory of housemate Mr. Owen, and a group of séance attendees all looking for something different.  When there is a murder and Mr. Owen is accused, Ruby calls in Ruan Kivell, to help clear Owen. 

The Secret of the Three Fates has plenty of suspects, very little evidence and plenty of people eager to point a finger.  Ghosts are easy to find, but not all that helpful.    The Fates are the mediums and eager to supply a supernatural motive, but Ruby and Ruan must consider all the evidence, including the secrets Mr. Owen is holding back.

Ruby and Ruan have a bit of a romance going, but it was not advanced much in this book.  There is always something holding them back.  Both Ruby and Ruan have a past.  Ruby is quite determined her past will not get in the way of her living the life she wants.

The supernatural aspect of the story is ever present, but the down-to-earth real evidence is what Ruby and Ruan search for.  These are interesting characters that grow a bit with each story.  They still need development, but I’ve learned enough about them to want learn more about them.

I picked this one up because I have enjoyed other Kelley Armstrong books.  I’ll Be Waiting is part mystery, which I enjoy, and part horror, which I generally do not enjoy.  And completely creepy.  Yep, that about describes this book. 

Nicola Laughton’s friends find a beach house and a medium/professor of parapsychology in order to help Nicola move on from the death of the love of her life.  There is a lot going on in this story.  Some of it seemingly supernatural, some not.  Secrets, hidden agendas and, let’s just say bugs, are just a few of the complications in this beach house adventure.

The focal point of the book is Nicola.  Armstrong’s character development is the highlight of any of her books, but even more critical in a genre I’m not crazy about.  But Nicola’s struggle to connect with her lost love’s ghost, remain sane, and understand the truth makes this book worth reading.  There will be revelations.  There will be betrayal.  I thought the betrayer was a little obvious but the revelations enhanced the story.   Is creepy your style?  Read I’ll Be Waiting!

I give both books 4 stars.  Good writing but needs just a bit more to make me love it.  I will probably not pick up any more Kelley Armstrong ghost/horror stories, but I will likely continue reading the Jess Armstrong’s Ruby Vaughn series. 

Both books were provided by the publisher through Net Galley.  My reviews are my honest opinion.

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About The Secret of the Three Fates

American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn’t entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare books shop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.

The Great War left grieving families willing to sacrifice anything for the chance to say goodbye to a lost loved one. Mr. Owen is no exception. He is desperate to speak to his son, but he doesn’t want to face the spirits alone. When the séance—hosted by a trio of mediums billing themselves as The Three Fates—goes awry, Mr. Owen’s secrets begin to unravel, threatening to reveal a history that he has been running from for half his life. Something Ruby knows all too well how to do.

When Ruby finds one of the Three Fates murdered the night of the seance, she and Mr. Owen quickly become the prime suspects. To clear their names, Ruby enlists the help of Ruan Kivell, the folk healer Pellar who helped her weeks before in Cornwall. As their investigation progresses Ruby and Ruan realize someone is determined to prevent them from uncovering the truth about what happened to the dead medium.

About I’ll Be Waiting

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car crash, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body….

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong’s full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life–if she can.

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