Ghostly Encounter by Suzannah Daniels

Ghostly Encounter (Ghostly Series #1)

By Suzannah Daniels
8th July 2012

Ghostly Encounter (Ghostly Series - Book One), a young adult paranormal romance

Seventeen-year-old Mia Randall longs for someone to take her mind off her heartrending breakup with her first real boyfriend. When she meets Benjamin, he does exactly that.

There’s only one problem. He’s a ghost.

Private Benjamin Alexander Richards, a Confederate soldier, is captivated by Mia the moment he lays eyes on her. He declares that Mia is his soul mate, despite the fact that she was born nearly a century and a half after he died.

But that's not their only obstacle. A much more menacing ghost lurks nearby. One summer evening by the light of a full moon, a ghostly encounter entangles Mia's life with Benjamin's in a way that she never imagined.

I really loved this book and I managed to finish it in one sitting because I couldn’t make myself put it down even when it meant getting on five hours sleep. The way Daniels built her story always kept me on the brink of my seat in anticipation of what was going to come next. Daniels writing is

stunning and every chapter was beautifully written, the story was slow at first but I can’t say it bothered me because the writing was brilliant. 

This was my first ghost story so I wasn’t really sure what to expect but this book far surpassed my expectations, I loved that Daniels incorporated history into the story and I loved learning about the civil war and the conditions in which the soldiers lived. It was great to be thrown back to a time that is so unfamiliar to us now and it was great to see how easy it was for Mia to fit into Benjamin’s world.

I loved Mia’s character, I instantly liked her and formed a connection to her character. She starts the book feeling completely miserable because she’s still deeply in love with her ex-boyfriend; her first love, which almost any young girl can relate too and it was the little touches that made her situation believable; the fact that she still has his pictures, she wholeheartedly believes that it is her fault they broke up. It’s her insecurities that make her character believable and it was a welcome relief after reading about so many characters that claim to be insecure, when in fact their actions say otherwise.

Benjamin is a real southern gentleman and his character charmed me from the get go. Daniels wrote him beautifully and I found him believable, he was charming and polite as I expected

someone from the 19th century to be. He spent years searching for something that could change his fate and he had no idea he would find it in the 21st century, even so he understands that sometimes you can’t change your fate, you just have to cherish the time you have left.

At its base this is a love story and it is beautiful and haunting to say the least. It explores the concept of soul mates, the effects the war had on relationships and how love can surpass any amount of time. I loved that their relationship was completely innocent, this book wasn’t about a build-up to sex, it was simply about two people getting to know each other and falling in love.

I loved Mia and Benjamin’s relationship because it wasn’t thrown in my face from the onset. Their relationship developed naturally and it was great to see the relationship grow, as they tend to do in real life. I was nearly in tears at the ending because this story is truly heart-breaking and although I had some idea of what was going to happen, I wasn’t prepared for it. I only hope that the next in the series brings happier times. This is a love story that’s full of happiness, tinged with sadness and full of hope.

Check out Suzannah Daniels blog here

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- Stephanie