“Somewhere the Bells Ring” by Beth Trissel

Title: “Somewhere the Bells Ring”
Author: Beth Trissel
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Year: 2011
Genre(s): historical romance, fantasy
Part of a Series: Yes, third book
Rating: 

Why I read it: Because I won it from the author

Summary: Bailey Randolph was caught with pot in her college dorm room and her family exiled her to the ancestral home Maple Hill in Virginia for the holidays. It isn’t too bad a punishment, especially when Eric arrives. He’s haunted by his experience in Vietnam and not in the mood to deal with someone caught with drugs. But he still finds himself drawn to Bailey, even after she starts talking about running into a ghost in the house. The two team together to solve the mystery before Christmas. Will they be able to do it?

Review: I thought this was appropriate as Christmas is Wednesday!

It’s a short story so it is a quick holiday read. And a good one, though it may seem like Bailey’s parents overreacted a bit to her having a small amount of pot in her room. But that could also be the generation gap and the changing attitudes. But she is an interesting main character. At first, she’s lost. Kicked out of school and essentially exiled by her family, she doesn’t know what she is going to do. So she wanders aimlessly around Maple Hill. Until Eric and Edward enter her life.

Eric is also an interesting character. Traumatized by his experience in the war, he’s not happy to be discharged from the military. He’s also not fond of Bailey’s…activities…in school. But he’s still drawn to her anyway. Even when she talks about ghosts in the house. He must think she’s still doing drugs when she talks about ghosts! Yet he helps her solve the mystery anyway.

The mystery is well done. It kept me interested. Why was there a ghost haunting Maple Hill? What happened between Edward and Claire? What was Edward looking for? And how does it relate to Eric and Bailey? All these questions kept me reading. Trissel can do paranormal very well and you can tell from her writing it is something she likes.

Bottom line: A good, quick holiday read.

Sex: None

Moonlight Musing

Do you have a favorite Christmas book?