Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle Review

I enjoyed these reviews of Lancaster House and The Middle Aisle because Carly is an author also, and it's always great to hear another author's viewpoint. Thanks, Carly!

This review is from Carly Fall's blog:

MY REVIEW – 4.5 STARS

The first thing about this book is that it needs a new cover. The cover as it stands now (with the hand) simply doesn’t do this book justice.

Now, on to the content of the book.

Zoe is a 25 year old who has had a rough few months. I felt her pain, and can’t image two major life-altering events such as the ones she went through at that age. She’s an interior designer that has come into some money, and when she finds the Lancaster House with its oddities and the need for some TLC, she is sold.

Andre is the original builder and owner of Lancaster House, which makes him the resident “ghost.” As Zoe starts to rehab the house, he can’t help but join her, and needless to say, this freaks her out. Eventually, they meet and the attraction is immediate.

I loved the way this story was told, which was from Zoe’s perspective as she talks to her psychiatrist. She’s intelligent and well-spoken, but sometimes her defiance came across as a little childish to me, but it was easy to forgive her for it because I’d act a little childish as well in her position.

Andre…I was immediately in love with Andre…like I couldn’t put the book down in love with him… and my only regret was that we never got a true glimpse into his head. And when it was revealed what he was, it felt a little like a “jump the shark” moment, yet as the story came together, I became more accepting of it, and understood why the author did it. But honestly, the story would have been wonderful without that detail being added.

There were a few things I didn’t understand about the book, but I can’t go into it without revealing spoilers, and obviously they didn’t bother me enough to lower my rating of the book.

This book is well written, and the author was descriptive enough to make me feel like I really, really want to visit Lancaster House for…real. Unlike other reviews I read of this book, I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the ending. Maybe one more scene could have been added, but I closed my Kindle with a big smile on my face and felt like the story was finished. And that I wanted to read it again.

There are very few books I read anymore that stay with me, but Lancaster House did. I absolutely adored this book, the writing, and the characters. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to see where Andre and Zoe go from here.

Here's Carly's review of The Middle Aisle, taken from Goodreads:

4.5 STARS

Because I loved Lancaster House so much, I was nervous about the second book. I liked the way Lancaster House ended, and I felt as though the story was complete. I was worried that this would just be dragging the story out, but thankfully I was wrong. The Middle Aisle is told in the same way as the Lancaster House, and the whole cast of characters is there. There are twists and turns throughout the book, and one especially took me totally by surprise. It was a great book, and I am glad that the author continued the story. Loved it!