Review & QA – “The Haunted Heart : Winter”

August 27, 2013 by Pip

 

Title : The Haunted Heart : Winter

Author : Josh Lanyon

Publisher : JustJoshin Publications 

AMAZON ~ B&N ~ SMASHWORDS ~ ARe

Genre : M/M, Contemporary

Length : 48,222 words (e-book)

Published : August 25, 2013

Rating : ★★★★★

 

B L U R B :

The Haunted Heart series. Four seasons. Four ghosts. Two hearts.

Still grieving over the sudden death of his lover, antiques dealer Flynn Ambrose moves to the ramshackle old house on Pitch Pine Lane to catalog and sell the large inventory of arcane and oddball items that once filled his late uncle’s mysterious museum.

But not all the items are that easy to catalog. Or get rid of…

Winter.

Since Alan died, Flynn isn’t eating, isn’t sleeping, and isn’t spending a lot of time looking in mirrors. But maybe he should pay a little more attention. Because something in that 18th Century mirror is looking at him.

Read an Excerpt!

R E V I E W :

It is no big secret that I love pretty much everything Josh writes. He has this way of reeling me in, and keeping me enthralled until the end. I love Coldplay – but they sometimes take criticism for sounding the same. I don’t care. Sure, they have a signature sound – but it is a sound I love! In some ways Josh’s books are the same – he has a signature voice and, to be honest, some of his characters have similar traits but after 50 plus books it is only obvious that there will be a common thread somewhere – he obviously writes characters he loves and identifies with and again .. I. Don’t. Care. He is the Brandmeister! 🙂 In fact I embrace it. Give me a Tucker or a Perry in every book! I love his characters, I love his mysteries, I love his quirky sense of humour. I. Loved. This. Story!! I sunk into it like it was my favourite armchair! And so to the reviewy bit ….

It is ten months since Flynn’s best friend and partner, Alan, died suddenly. He is not coping at all. He needs a break, maybe a change of scenery – and to get away from his parents and everyone who knew the old Flynn, the happy, funny Flynn – the Flynn before his life was ruined. So he goes to stay in his late, Great Uncle Winston’s house and begins the laborious process of cataloguing all the items from his Uncle’s museum. Included in the inventory is a mirror, which, as “luck” would have it, is in his rooms at the house he is sharing with current tenant, Kirk Murdoch.

24 year old Flynn has never lived alone before – he has either lived at home, with his parents, or with Alan – the first time living on your own can be scary! Factor in the mirror and the weird stuff that starts to happen with it, as well as the fact that he isn’t sleeping, isn’t eating, isn’t listening to the doctor and taking his meds, clinging to memories of Alan as if his life depended on it – he is an emotional wreck, so close to breaking point. And he really broke my heart. I was right there with him, feeling his pain – feeling like you cannot carry on when you lose someone who was your life. Such powerful writing. Anyway… one night things really come to a head, and a hand, and a whole freaking body in a mirror!! So he runs for help from the only one there, Kirk Murdoch, Mr 404A. 🙂

Kirk is 39, ex military and now a writer, he is used to a quiet house. Since Flynn has moved in his quiet life has been disrupted, all the pacing he hears Flynn doing in the room above keeps him awake – but things are upped a notch now, when Flynn needs his help. He agrees, and so their quest begins – to find the who’s, the what’s, the how’s – everything about that mirror! Given that this is a mystery I can’t really tell you much more without ruining it – what I can say is this : writing spooky stuff must be really difficult, it can read as a camp Scooby Doo episode – Josh, however, has done a great job of creating a goosebump inducing tale! The story behind the mirror is incredibly sad, I had chills as the story of Ines unfolds. Heartbreaking. And as for Kirk …. well… his story is just beginning! But I can tell that he is going to be a keeper! I really hope we get an alternating POV in these books, as I am itching to get inside his head!

This book, for me, felt like coming home. The style, the content, the cover – everything just worked beautifully! Coupled with the fact that I am in the middle of a Supernatural DVD marathon – well, it all just clicked! Like kreepy kismet 😛 Go! Buy the Book! You will love it!!

Rated 5 stars by Barb

 

 

 

Q U I C K   Q & A   W I T H   J O S H . . . .

1. Was your Wattpad writing experience fun? And will you be doing it again?

The Wattpad experience was fun although the jury is still out as to whether it will ultimately have been “successful.” The story has had 18,000 free reads so far. What does that ultimately mean? I don’t know! I hope it means that a lot of interest was drummed up for the final version.

2. How did you tackle the writing with a total PG rating? Did you write it with everything in and then omit the smexy? Or have you gone back and inserted it? And no innuendo, mister!! 😛

The final version is almost 10,000 words longer, so a lot was omitted in the Wattpad edition. But that’s typical of my rough drafts. I did know how that sex scene was going to go, though. I knew what Kirk and Flynn would talk about and the type of sex they would have, so it was just filling in the details. 😀

3. Will Spring be next? and will it be on Wattpad too? annnd any idea when?

Spring is next and it will be next year. Toward Halloween, actually (which I wince saying because I know readers are going to be WHAAAAA–?! ) Next up that Egyptian mummified cat is going to cause some problems around the old homestead. And Dr. Kirsch is going to raise his ugly head. And Kirk is going to do something that will upset a lot of readers — as well as Flynn.

So you’ve got the scoop on that one! 😀

I’m not sure about doing it again on Wattpad, although at the moment I think I probably will. It will ultimately depend on sales. If it looks like Wattpad hurt sales too much, then that will be a timely lesson.

4. So what’s next? Dare I ask about Kit and JX?

Wellllllll, I’ll probably write another quick short story. I have to get my name out there again. Then it’s a toss up as to whether “Kick Start” or “Boy With the Painful Tattoo” goes next. They will both be written this year, but Boy is going to have a longer period of lying fallow and being formatted and edited, so it might make sense to charge ahead with Kick Start. Especially since the audio books are being finished up now.

5. I saw you said that Fair Game 2 is contracted for next year. Squeeee!! Is that true?

“Fair Play”, the sequel to “Fair Game” is contracted to Carina Press for next year. I’m looking forward to writing that one. They also took “Stranger on the Shore”, the romantic suspense novel that you liked the sound of. B – *nods*.. yes. I did! and I do! Yahoo!!

6. Sneaky, sneaky man!!! “The Parting Glass” – when? and oh my god, thank you!!! “In a Dark Wood” Tim ❤ Luke … that’s not a question – just a statement of fact 😛

G I V E A W A Y

For a chance to win this book (and there will be 2 lucky winners) all you need to do is comment, and what I want to know – which was your first Lanyon? 

Normal T’s & C’s apply. Entries close August 30th

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