Miss Kitty says There’s More to Paranormal Than Fangs and Fur
Introducing Miss Kitty
Introducing Miss KittyMiss Kitty is not a fan of paranormal romance as a rule. After all, she has her own fangs, and she prefers not to associate with canids of any kind, even those who most often wear human clothing. Stories that revolve around pack tensions in canine societies or the fated soul-mates of vampires or demons leave her cold.
No, Miss Kitty likes humans. Or what they leave behind. The stuff of their souls. This appears most often in ghost form, and there is little Miss Kitty prefers to a good ghost story. Of course, Lady Markham, passing away happily in her sleep at the age of 103 after a plate of delicious lobster, probably won’t leave a ghost. Ghosts are born from untimely deaths, violent deaths, which means that most often when ghost stories are written they are not romances. If not straight up horror (which Miss Kitty can take or leave) they’re mysteries. But often enough, those mysteries contain a romantic element that pleases the feline soul.
Today, Miss Kitty would like to make a few recommendations of novels of ghostly sort.
The House Between Tides by Sarah Mine
This is not, strictly speaking a ghost story. Rather it is a Gothic in the style of Mary Stewart. The ghosts whisper in the corners of every room in the titular House, and echo in every beautifully crafted sentence.
The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman
Miss Kitty is an unabashed fan of Ms. Goodman’s books for adults, though she worries about the author’s family given the recurring tropes and themes in her novels. This is the most overtly paranormal of Goodman’s adult mysteries, but there are paranormal YA novels that Miss Kitty has not tried.
The Lily Dale mysteries by Wendy Corsi Staub
Speaking of authors who write both YA and adult, Wendy Corsi Staub has set novels for both age groups in the very real, very mystical town of Lily Dale, NY, where mediums live, and visitors arrive to hear from dead loved ones and learn about the Spiritualist movement. The adult novels would qualify as cozies in Miss Kitty’s books.
Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels
This book was written in 1968, but Miss Kitty never promised you that all the books would be new! But it is, IMKHO, a primally perfect ghost story. Scary, sad, exciting, romantic, and with an ending that is all that and more.
Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James
Miss Kitty loves all of St. James’s books, but this is her very favorite. All the novels are standalones, so you can read whichever one you like to start. They’re all historicals with healthy (or unhealthy) doses of ghosts and strong romantic elements.
Have you read any good ghost stories lately? Let Miss Kitty know in the comments!
I forgot to mention Velda Johnston as another author who does gothic/supernatural type mysteries of the Barbara Michaels ilk very well. Her book “The Underground Stream” is as Michaels like as they come, with a heroine recovering from an emotional breakdown who worries that what she sees and feels in an old house on vacation is related to her past condition rather than to something supernatural. There is a family mystery and a nice little romance as well. The heroine is not as interesting as the average Michaels heroine (with probably less backbone sometimes and not as much of the patented Michaels wit) but it’s still a very enjoyable read. I have read some of her other books that I could track down at the local library, but as her works have not been digitalized, to read her novels, the only option is scouring libraries and second hand book stores. Or succumbing to sometimes outrageous prices from used sellers on Amazon.
Miss Kitty’s nearest library doesn’t have many older gothic books, but with a card to the NYPL, many more books become available. The search for The Underground Stream is on!
There are some older, HTF books that are excellent ghost romances: Echoes and Whispers by Erin Grady, Holly Lisle’s books mix past lives/ghost stories: Midnight Rain, I See You, Last Girl Dancing, Night Echoes. Jove has a list of Haunted Hearts books https://www.fictiondb.com/series/jove-haunting-hearts~13300.htm Casey Clayborne did a series that was funny (Ghost of a Chance is the one I remember best) and Emily Carmichael did funny ghost romances also. Rachel Gibson has a funny ghost in her book “Not Another Bad Date”. Nora Roberts did a serious ghost in her In the Garden Series.
There should be more aiding and abetting by ghosts in romance! I have a soft spot for the old gothic romances. Does anyone remember the Ghost and Mrs. Muir? That was one of my favorite movies when I was little. I don’t know why I haven’t read the book, but plan to some day.
Some authors that I’ve read that incorporated ghosts: Marie Treanor’s Darke of Night series and several by Amanda DeWees.
On the gentler side, I also recommend a Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle, The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope and A View of the River by Kathleen Eagle (this was a surprise, I had no idea there were ghosts in this Halloween romance when I picked it up).
Oh, Miss Kitty loved the Ghost & Mrs. Muir. And She hasn’t read either Treanor or DeWees or Pope!
Great list Miss Kitty!
I absolutely love Barbara Michaels, “Ammie Come Home” and the whole Georgetown trilogy that Ammie kicks off concluding with “Stitches In Time”. I personally think Stitches is among Michael’s best work combining a ghost/supernatural element with an amazing story that encompasses many different types of strong women and examines and celebrates traditionally “women’s work”.
I also enjoy Simone St. James very much with “Silence For The Dead” one of my favorites among her works.
I found Susanna Kearsley because her first MM paperback here in the US had “In the style of Barbara Michaels” written across the front. My all time favorite book of hers is “The Shadowy Horses” which has a genuine “ghost/spirit” in it.
I am always on lookout for great romantic suspense in the vein of “Ammie Come Home” and Barbara Michaels, namely: genuinely scary and atmospheric (without being “gross out” horror) with a great story and well written characters.
A couple series have really worked for me in this vein First is Amanda Stevens’ Graveyard Queen series – heroine is a restorer of graveyards who can see ghosts. The first is THE RESTORER. These can be genuinely creepy rather then cutesy and have a nice mix of mystery with some romance. The second is the Wide Open series by Deborah Coates, first of the same name. The main character is a soldier home on leave from Afghanistan for her sister’s funeral. She suspects that her sister’s death was not an accident. Really dark underpinnings here, but very well done.
I will definitely have to look for the Coates. I read the Stevens and liked them a lot!
I love Susanna Kearsley’s books. They aren’t precisely ghost stories, but I think of them as being in the Mary Stewart tradition.
Agreed! Very Mary Stewart and one of MK’s favorite authors.
I don’t ordinarily read ghost stories, but Simone St. James’s books are always so consistently good. And as a romance reader, they always play a central role too. I love all of them!
I just finished Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions which I’ll be reviewing here. A bit slow to start but once it got going… *shivers*
Ooooh. Must give that a try!!