House of Seven Spirits

Julie Howard whisks you off to the Australian Outback in this first of her new series. I was delighted to be reunited with Jillian after her story in the Deerbourne Inn series (Spirited Quest). No need to have read that book first (though it's a good one!). Each are their own, and Ms. Howard does a good job keeping them separate, but with any spin-off or series, it rewards the reader who's read the others. I enjoyed her other book, and have read the first in her Crime series, so I knew this one would not let me down. Jillian is a believable, engaging character who I immediately like. Mason's a pretty good boyfriend, too, with his own journey. The secondary characters are also well drawn out. The setting was superb. I felt like I could feel the burning heat of the sun, experience the arid desert and dirt kicked up, and taste the food (or need for water). Not a scary ghost story, but rather a mystery, it had the perfect blend of paranormal and mystery. I highly recommend it.