Duck Duck Ghost (Hellsinger #2), Rhys Ford

 


Duck Duck Ghost CorrectedRating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Genre: Gay Paranormal Romance

Tags: Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Ghosts, Series

Length: 240 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Dreamspinner Press (pre-order, available 09/08/2014), amazon.com (to come)

 

Stop by On Top Down Under on September 5th, when Rhys Ford will be here as part of her Duck Duck Ghost blog tour!

 

Blurb:

Paranormal investigator Wolf Kincaid knows what his foot tastes like.

Mostly because he stuck it firmly in his mouth when his lover, Tristan Pryce, accidentally drugged him with a batch of psychotropic baklava. Needing to patch things up between them, Wolf drags Tristan to San Luis Obispo, hoping Tristan’s medium ability can help evict a troublesome spirit haunting an old farmhouse.

With Wolf’s sister handling Hoxne Grange’s spectral visitors, Tristan finds himself in the unique position of being able to leave home for the first time in forever, but Wolf’s roughshod treatment is the least of his worries. Tristan’s ad-hoc portal for passing spirits seems to be getting fewer and fewer guests, and despite his concern he’s broken his home, Tristan agrees to help Wolf’s cousin, Sey, kick her poltergeist to the proverbial curb.

San Luis Obispo brings its own bushel of troubles. Tristan’s ghost whispering skill is challenged not only by a terrorizing haunting but also by Wolf’s skeptical older cousin, Cin. Bookended by a pair of aggressive Kincaids, Tristan soon finds himself in a spectral battle that threatens not only his sanity but also his relationship with Wolf, the first man he’s ever loved.

Review:

To say that Wolf Kincaid screwed up would be a major understatement. The readers were introduced to Wolf and Tristan Pryce in Fish & Ghosts, when Wolf, a paranormal investigator, was hired by Tristan’s family to debunk Tristan’s claim of the large family estate, Hoxne Grange, being haunted. The large mansion had been left to Tristan by a beloved uncle, at the frustration of other greedy family members. Wolf was to do an investigation, declare Tristan crazy, and then the family would be yanking away the only home Tristan had ever known

Only it didn’t quite work out that way. Not only was Wolf witness to paranormal activity, but he (kinda/sorta/maybe) brought danger to Tristan and his home. Along the way? He fell in love with the man who can see ghosts. We watched the guys battle – each other and the hauntings – until they finally got it right and discovered their love – and lust – for each other. Everything was perfect, right?

Well, about that…

Apparently Wolf’s mother, who helped rid the Hoxne Grange of a pesky bad ghost, left some of her enhanced honey lying around before the getting-rid-of-the-pesky-bad-ghost-thing and Tristan used it to make baklava, that everyone ate. This, of course, had Mr. Skeptic Wolf questioning everything he had seen. Did he really see a ghost trying to kill the man he was quickly falling in love with? What about everything else that happened that night? Of course, the questioning leads to an argument between the new lovers and they separate until both can clear their heads.

Tristan had never been involved with anyone before Wolf came into his life but he’s no pushover. Wolf may be Mr. Bad Ass, but Tristan can hold his own, as is proven when he ignores Wolf’s texts for awhile. After a little nudge from Wolf’s mother, Wolf finally gets the balls courage to go begging forgiveness with his tail between his legs. Wolf’s cousin Sey is having a bit of a haunting problem at her place in San Luis Obispo, so maybe a little road trip might be just what it takes to bring the two stubborn men back together. With Tristan being a talented medium, it’s a win, win, right? Well, maybe not. When they show up at Sey’s, not only are they met with shotgun blasts (I loved Aunt Gildy), but Wolf’s skeptic ways take a backseat when confronted with a particular ghost – a ghost who is doing everything in its power to hurt Wolf’s man.

In Fish & Ghosts, it took a bit for me to warm up to Wolf, but I can say I totally loved him in Duck Duck Ghost. It was nice watching him do his damndest to prove to Tristan that he’s the man for him. There are more than a few “aww…” moments as he does this. Tristan, I fell in love with immediately way back when. He’s shy, but like I said, no pushover. His family has spent years trying to convince him that he’s crazy, but he’s anything but.

Then there are new characters introduced. Sey, the cousin, lives in what would be called Creepyville (to me, anyway) – a Doll Hospital. There are dolls, doll parts (including eyes, etc.) all over the place. I’m not a fan of old, creepy dolls so this was perfect for me. Strange, huh? There’s Aunt Gildy. She’s a riot. She comes across as this senile old woman but she’s anything but. She’s funny until she gets access to weapons, then everyone (including the ghosts, I’m assuming) have to run off and hide. Then there is Cin, one of the few Hellsingers who still speaks to Wolf. Cin is called in when Wolf and Tristan need extra help to remove the ghost who is haunting Sey’s place. I liked Cin right off. Another bad ass like Wolf, Tristan was able to hold his own with him as well. I hope to see more of Cin in future books. There’s a certain guest of Sey’s the reader will want to slap more than once. I won’t say more than that.

Wolf’s eccentric family is back, including Ophelia Sunday, who now works at Hoxne Grange. His mother is back as well, but only for a little while. Jack, the ghost dog with the red ball, also makes a few appearances. Well, the ball does anyway. *grin*

I’m a huge fan of ghost stories and I can say that this is not the norm. The ghost is not the typical one you’ll see in some other books. This one doesn’t go away politely after an exorcism or seance. It’s out to kill, for reasons brought out in the book. I love the way everything came together – and the reasons behind the haunting.

Overall, this is a great continuation of the Hellsinger series. It was nice watching Wolf and Tristan work out their issues. There’s nothing like seeing a man brought to his knees (pun intended) while trying to prove to someone how he really feels. Wolf did that nicely. The sex, as always with Rhys Ford, is hot as hell and well written. A very good story. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

I loved the ending.

 

This book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 



2
Leave a Reply

avatar
1 Comment threads
1 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
2 Comment authors
CindiKazza K Recent comment authors
  Subscribe  
newest oldest
Notify of
Kazza K
Admin

Great review, Cindi. I love the characters names and the story sounds just a little different – always good to see.

And baklava. I am addicted to baklava!