Tag Archive | Jill Bisker

REVIEW: The Way Forward by Jill Bisker

Jan2

The Way Forward by Jill Bisker

Series: The Ghostly Way #2

Read: December 17, 2015

Format: Kindle Ebook

My Book Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Romance

 

Laney sees dead people. It’s a gift she’s recently discovered, and a gift she wishes she could give back.

The Way Forward is the follow up to Jill Bisker’s debut novel, Finding the Way Back. What I love about reading an authors first book, then going on to read their second or third, is seeing how much they’ve grown as an author. In FTWB, at times I grew a little bored at all of the details given, but with TWF, Ms. Bisker has found the perfect balance of describing just enough to set the scene without bombarding the reader with too much superfluous information.

In book 1, Laney discovers the ability to see and speak to ghosts when she takes on the task of de-cluttering and renovating her recently deceased grandfather’s house, with the help of her cousin, Connie. It is during that ordeal that she also meets and falls for ghost hunter Emmett.

In book 2, things are not all cupcakes and roses for Laney and Emmett. He’s pressuring her to learn to use her gift and help ghosts move on, while she’s trying her hardest to suppress her ability. But really, it’s hard to blame her—being nearly killed by a ghost would make nearly anyone hesitant to use their gift!

When Emmett informs her that a ghost is haunting a little boy, against her better judgment, Laney agrees to try to help. She gets more than she bargained for when the boys father—a recent widower—shows romantic interests toward her, causing more friction in her relationship with Emmett.

TWF does a great job of guiding us through Laney’s journey of finding out more about her gift, all the while trying to help free the little boy of his ghost, on top of her own ghost drama in her own home!

You can certainly read this book without reading book 1, however you’ll miss out on the blossoming romance between Laney and Emmett which occurs in book 1. I think any fan of ghosts and romance will enjoy this story.

 

BONUS: Coming early 2016, Ms. Bisker is releasing an ebook short featuring the ghosts from book 1—read the full story of their tragic romance!

 

 

Disclaimer: I designed the cover for this book so I do receive a small monetary compensation for sales of the book. This in no way affects my review of the book. If I wanted to be dishonest, every book I design covers for would be a 5 star read! 😉

REVIEW: Finding The Way Back by Jill Bisker

Oct7

Finding The Way Back by Jill Bisker

Read: September 2015

Format: Ebook (Kindle)

My Book Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Ghost Story (paranormal, light romance)

 

I put off reading Finding The Way Back for a while because I don’t typically read adult fiction. I’m pretty sure I’ll be 19 forever, though my body may age. That said, I know Jill Bisker personally and I designed her cover, so I gave it a chance.

Finding The Way Back is the story of Laney, a young woman going through a divorce. She’s picking up the pieces of her life and learning to be herself again now that she’s no longer under the spell of her loser of a (soon-to-be) ex-husband. To help get her mind off things Lancey’s mother invites Laney and her cousin Connie to live in and fix up the old house their grandfather lived in. As it turns out, Gramps had a bit of a hoarding problem, there’s hardly any room to move around the old house he’s packed it so full!

As Laney and Connie begin their mission of clearing out the house—trashing the junk, dispersing sentimental items to the family, and selling the valuables on eBay—things really get interesting. As it turns out, the house is haunted and the women’s mothers’ never bothered to share that little bit of information on them. Let me tell you, there are some creepy moments in this book that made me wonder what I was thinking reading this on my Kindle in bed in the dark late at night!

So, when the ghost makes it’s appearance, Connie does what any intelligent girl does: she calls the Ghostbusters. Okay, not really, but close enough. She invites a guy she knew in high school, Emmett, plus some of his friends, to come scope out the joint. Emmett is a hobby ghost hunter. And hot. Really hot. Laney tries to deny the attraction but it’s there. So as Laney and Connie attempt to cohabit the house with a ghost, Emmett becomes their knight in shining armor.

I liked the romance in this book, it was a slow build that didn’t seem sudden and out of nowhere. The ghosts were the perfect blend of spooky, creepy and wondrous. And Ms. Bisker created a fabulous story for the haunting of the house. As a bonus, there were some local details in the book that made me chuckle because I know those things oh so well. Not to mention the little points of humor scattered throughout the story (I loved the closet scene with Emmett and Laney!)

There were some things I didn’t enjoy as much. I found some parts of the book to be too over detailed (I read YA, remember? We gloss over the details for the most part in YA!) and sometimes it felt a little repetitive.

Overall, I did enjoy this story and I will be reading (and reviewing!) the sequel which is due to come out from Melange Books this fall.

 

Disclaimer: I designed the cover for this book so I do receive a small monetary compensation for sales of the book. This in no way affects my review of the book. If I wanted to be dishonest, every book I design covers for would be a 5 star read! 😉