Review: Grave Refrain by Sarah Glover

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Pages: 448

Received: Received from publisher in exchange for honest review

Release Date: February 14, 2012

Publisher Synopsis:

Andrew Hayes, a brilliant but troubled musician, has been haunted since childhood by memories of his muse. One night from a San Francisco stage, he spots her, but before he can reach her, she vanishes from sight.

Desperate to find the woman, he accepts a curious offer to stay in the city, moving into a dilapidated Victorian undergoing renovations that stir up far more than dust.

Andrew’s life soon becomes even more chaotic with the arrival of martini-swilling ghosts and a troupe of flesh-and-blood stoner spiritualists bringing bad tidings from the Great Beyond.

The dark side of his obsession creates visions both thrilling and menacing, and as he struggles to solve the mysteries threatening him, Andrew discovers his life is repeating a refrain more deadly than he’d ever imagined.

Inspired by the sexy noirs and comedies of the past, Grave Refrain transports the reader to a place where the things that go bump in the night not only thrill you, but might just take your breath away for good.

My review:

This book was definitely an interesting read for a romance novel, nothing like what I was expecting at all! I have not read many romance novels, to be honest, but I am so glad I read this one (I have a preconceived notion about romance novels and this one definitely changed that for me!) This book really blew me away because it so much more than just a love/romance story. I have to start out by saying that I do believe in ghosts, so this story really creeped me out even more!

So I don't usually do this but I have to mention the cover of the book. I absolutely loved it! After reading the book I feel that it definitely captures the whole feeling of darkness that the story has to it. This is definitely a book I would pick up in stores if I saw just because of the cover.

Sarah has amazing descriptions that really make you feel like you are feeling it yourself. In talking about the band's music playing she writes:
Sound exploded against the walls. Sound so raw and vibrant...
I love reading something that uses such descriptive words, it makes me fall into the world the author created even more. And with this book I definitely feel into Sarah's world!

I enjoy my romance novels but this one definitely had so much more to it than just boy meets girl and falls in love. The martini-swilling ghosts are there for a reason, and it quickly becomes apparent that they are not going to let anyone rest until they can. The ghosts really give this book a creepy aspect, there were parts where I was actually kind of frightened imagining this happening (remember I do believe in ghosts). I think this gave a nice touch to the story and made it more than just a regular romance, there was actually a story and plot behind it.

What made this book fun too was how Sarah added in a little bit of science behind the story. *THIS NEXT PART IS KIND OF SPOILERISH!*

I really thought it was interesting how Sarah incorporated a little section of science behind the debunking of ghosts. Emily being a grad student studying psychology uses the ghosts as a premise behind her grad paper, despite the fact her professor does not believe in ghosts.

*SPOILER OVER*


The characters were easy to connect with throughout the story as well. I really enjoyed Emily's character because she was a strong woman who didn't rely on Andrew for everything. She took things in her own hands and would go off on her own often. I find in a lot of the romance novels that I've read the girl always needs to be taken care of and is not able to do things on her own.

This story was definitely a great read, though it was a little long, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. And the ghost aspect definitely made this one an amazing read! Be sure to watch out for a guest post from Sarah and a giveaway in the next few days!!