Maggie Holliday has recently purchased an historic Virginia manor when her life is turned upside down on its axis. A strange sound one night led her to the attic, where she bumped into a dream man come to life. Oddly enough, this man, Ethan, is dressed in a Civil War era uniform and keeps calling her Isabel.

As it turns out, the sinfully seductive Ethan is the ghost of a soldier put to death over the love of a woman… Isabel. He has been waiting for Isabel to return to him and is convinced Maggie is her reincarnation. Just as Maggie is coming around to believing him, an enemy from their past life has shown up in a reincarnation as well, and he will do anything to keep Maggie for himself.

I have to preface the rest of this review by saying this was my first book I’ve ever read in the Blaze line from Harlequin and the jury is still out on whether or not I’ll be reading any more. I’ve been assured by multiple people that the things about this story that totally put me off are not typical of this category line but even so it will be a long time before I decide to try another one, when and if I decide to give it another shot.

I absolutely love the premise of the story in The Haunting. After all who can resist a sexy soldier ghost searching for his long lost love who just happened to be reincarnated in to a modern day academic? Not me that’s for sure! I was even willing to set aside my initial misgivings about the fact it was not just a Blaze, but an Extreme Blaze to give it a try. The story was beautifully written and I love Hope Tarr’s style and think she did a wonderful job bringing Ethan and Maggie to life. I especially loved the concept that every soul on earth has a specific task they are expected to complete in this lifetime and that is what guides their life. This idea is woven throughout the entire story and gives the love story an added depth. There is a fantastic twist at the end I never saw coming as it was an idea I never even though of.

Ethan and Maggie/Isabel are wonderfully developed and grow so much by the end of the story. Their insecurities and Maggie’s disbelief over what Ethan tells her are very real. If such a thing could happen in real life and happened to me, I’d probably react almost exactly like Maggie, though I’d have probably been in near hysteria over a ghost showing up in my attic and telling me I’m his dead lover. The villain is portrayed well also, even if his sexual inclinations were a bit too sick and twisted for me to be comfortable during the scenes presented in his point of view.

Now for what I didn’t like about the story… Granted I am admittedly not exactly an erotica fan though I do read and enjoy it now and again when a particular author or storyline catches my attention. The Haunting appealed to me enough on both of these counts which is why I tried it. Unfortunately, this sexual content in this story was way too much for me. The language doesn’t bother me as it gives the book a grittier, earthier feeling. The sex scenes though blew my mind and almost made me quit listening more than once. I am very grateful I was not listening to this one in the car though or I’d have been positively mortified should one of the explicit scenes happened while my windows were open! It was primarily the details in the villain’s perspective that got to me. He is one sick sex fiend and the details of what he did or wanted to do were something I most certainly could have done without.

I guess a simple way of putting it is that I absolutely loved The Haunting, except for the strong sexual content that makes up so much of the book. However, readers who enjoy “naughtier” books with a strong plot and well developed characters will positively adore this book.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved.