Aida Brassington
There are things Patrick Boyle will never forget: the sound of his own neck breaking at the moment of his death in the fall of 1970, the sweet taste of his mother's chocolate cake, and the awful day his parents abandoned him in his childhood house-turned prison.
There are things Patrick Boyle will never forget: the sound of his own neck breaking at the moment of his death in the fall of 1970, the sweet taste of his mother's chocolate cake, and the awful day his parents abandoned him in his childhood house-turned prison.
Nineteen-year-old Patrick wonders for decades if God has forgotten all about him or if he's being punished for some terrible crime or sin over a lovely forty years trapped in an empty home. But when Sara Oswald, a strange woman with a mysterious past, buys his house, old feeling reawaken, and a new optimism convinces him that she's the answer to his prayers.
Things are never simple, though, especially when she begins channeling the memories of his life and death in her writing.
Well the other day one of my Twitter followers asked me to read a book she has been working on that she is going to independently publish. she said be honest be blunt review it on your blog even if you dont like it. I love the courage and confidence this takes.
Be warned this is a short book. Too long to be a short story. Too short to be a novel. Which is why she chose to publish independently rather than query this one out but it is just too cute to miss.
I do not mean to make it seem like a nothing of a story by saying it is cute. This is a supernatural romance, a ghost story, and if you are anything like me you will just fall in love with the male lead Patrick because he is so sweet without being super sappy and cheesy. I like that he is a realistic guy.
There are bits in this book that for real made me laugh out loud. My family kept asking me what was so funny but I could not stop reading to explain it to them. Other parts in the book made me scratch my head wondering how the hell it fit in because, at the time, it made no sense. Eventually things get explained and I felt better about the confusion I had.
This is a book you will want to read in one sitting because some of the stuff that happens you will want to keep track of and I personally find it easier to do if I can sit down and read uninterrupted. That did not happen with me and rarely does because, well, I got a ton of kids.
Now let me tell you a bit about the story. Watch out there will be spoilers here! If you do not wish to be spoiled skip this section to the bottom for a SPECIAL OFFER! You are not going to want to miss it. TRUST ME.
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Patrick was just an average kid in 1970. 19 years old. Graduated from High School. Works at his Dads garage as a mechanic. His number came up in the draft and he was due to go in for his physical to go serve in Vietnam War.
One morning he woke up to the smell of his mother cooking pancakes. He ran, tripped down the steps and broke his neck. Yes, he dies. Not a hero but as a victim of an accident.
Here is where stuff is sad. His parents go through a great deal of grief and they decide they cannot stay in the house. Too many memories of their only child and it hurts.
Since the house is paid for his parent choose not sell it. Patrick is a ghost, a kid trying to deal with his feelings of being left behind. He is alone stuck in the house he grew up in. He cannot go outside he cannot escape. He can only touch things that were once his. Everything else feels like quicksand. So he cannot sit down on furniture or touch anything that was not in his room. Before his parents pack up the house he squirrels away a few of his things so he has something to do with his afterlife. His parents empty out the house and that is the last he sees of them.
Time passes - he has no real idea how much - when one day a young woman who has bought the house comes in. He finds out that the year is now 2010.
During the course of several strange events he falls for this young troubled woman.
How? I'm not telling. You need to read it to find out.
This book is part taking a leap of faith part ghost story part and questioning your belief system.
I thought it was a neat look at the supernatural. You never really know if Sara really sees Patrick or is she really crazy. Is her being there all a dream he is having (yes in this story ghosts can dream and he has some very lovely dreams)
I really enjoyed this story and it left me wanting MORE
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OK now if you think I have intrigued you enough I have an offer for you.
I want you to leave me a comment. I want you to say "SUE, I wanna read this!" and tell me why, even if you just say "I want a free book". Go for it.
One week from the day this post goes up I will then pick a comment at random (it will be fair because I am gonna have someone not involved chose a number) and that person will win a copy of this story for their own to download as a gift from the author.
NOW if you are an author and would like me or one of the other folks here at SYTYCW read your book let us know you can contact us on Twitter @SYTYCW or via e-mail SYTYCW@live.de
Between Seasons is available in Paperback, for the Nook and the Kindle (click Amazon button below) It is also available at Smashwords
