Sinister Summer

Wicks Hollow #1

by Colleen Gleason

Alternate cover edition of ASIN: B09BMG9F6H

A Ghost Story Romance & Mystery

A sexy professor.
A logical lawyer.
A determined ghost.
And a very real killer...
Welcome to Wicks Hollow: a cozy town near Lake Michigan filled with quaint houses, eccentric residents, and more than its share of ghosts, murders, and romance.

Diana Iverson needs a break--from her stressful job, from her philandering boyfriend, and from the rest of her fast-paced life. When she inherits her eccentric Aunt Jean's home on Wicks Lake, Diana takes a much-needed vacation in the cozy little town.

But when the lake house becomes the scene of multiple break-ins and other unsettling events, Diana begins to suspect Aunt Jean’s death was not as innocent as it seems.

And then there’s Ethan Murphy, the sexy college professor who lives next door… He appears to know a lot more about Aunt Jean than he should, and Diana doesn’t trust him.

But most of all, there's Aunt Jean herself…who seems determined to communicate with Diana—from beyond the grave.

A ghost story romance set in a small town, featuring a cozy mystery about a ghost that just won’t rest until justice is served. The perfect blend of romance, suspense, and ghosts.

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Paranormal Romance, Gothic, Fantasy

356 pages, ebook

First published July 31, 2021

About the author

Award-winning, NEW YORK TIMES and USA Today bestselling author Colleen Gleason (who also writes as Colleen Cambridge) has written more than fifty novels in a variety of genres…but always feature smart, strong women determined to right wrongs and get shit done.

Colleen lives in the Midwest United States where she is fortunate enough to be working on her next book.

She loves to hear from readers via her website, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Reviews

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gleason introduces us to Diana Iverson, a successful lawyer who has just won a big case and expects to become partner by year’s end. We quickly learn there is a little something special about Diana and her success rate, but that will have to wait as something has happened to her dear Aunt in Wick Hollows.

Wick Hallows is a lakeside community in Michigan and apparently Diana’s Aunt Jean has died and leaving her everything. Diana take time off to settle the estate and make decisions from the cats to her love life. When she arrives in Wicks Hollow strange things happen. She isn’t sure about the handsome neighbor who lets himself in and someone breaks into her Aunt’s home.

Sinister Summer was a fun, paranormal murder-mystery that kept me engaged. I enjoyed Jean’s circle of friends and the friction between Diana and Ethan the next-door neighbor.

The supernatural or paranormal elements involved moved objects, and ghostly messages. Nothing scary, but there are hints that the folks in Wicks Hollow are a little different. We meet a Witch and Ethan’s own sister likes to read hands.

The story offers a romance, complicated by Diana’s Chicago boyfriend. (a cheater) whom she is taking a break from. The romance developed nicely, allowing for a slow build, friendship, and chemistry.

The mystery was well done and complicated by an outsider. I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery, but it falls between that and maybe a Kendra Elliot novel. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a lot of fun. It had mystery, ghosts and quirky characters. It was just what the ‘Ghost Story Junkie” ordered. The paranormal elements were tame enough as not to freak out those that are hesitant about venturing into a book labeled as “ghost story”. I loved the little town on Lake Michigan…to bad it was fictional. The heroine…Diana, was almost a little too hung up on the “it can’t be true…everything should be either black or white” camp…but she didn’t take away from the story and did begin to lighten up. I believe this book is either part of a series or the author is thinking of making it a series. Whichever…I hope there is more of Wick Hollow coming up.

[Vavita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot! The main female character was a bit hard to like because she was working a lot and missing visiting her grandmother. But with time she saw the light.
The main male character, well, I want one of those! he, he!
And there were ghosts! So cool!


More details to come!

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small town. A ghost of the good kind. Tarot Cards that won’t stop forecasting. A murder and a delightful romance. This cozy mystery was a fun and suspenseful read. It certainly didn’t hurt that I’m a big fan of the author, Colleen Gleason.

Diana is a big city, major law firm, lawyer. She’s the kind that works constantly and is in line for partnership. When she finds out her aunt, and the only relative she is close to, has died, she takes leave and goes to the small town of Wick’s Hollow for the funeral. It’s also up to her to handle her aunt’s affairs. She moves into her aunt’s large old home, not far from a lake front. When a scraggily looking man walks into her house like it’s his, she is shocked. He’s been away and had no idea her Aunt Jean had died. Diana dislikes him on sight and wants him out of her aunt’s home. Ethan is also shocked because he had heard about Diana for years and had no idea she was an uptight something that rhymes with kitch. Cold as ice. To be honest, you can’t really fault her. He has hair down his back, a long unkempt beard and old clothes on. But since he’d been on some kind of expedition in a third world country(or something of that sort)you can’t really fault him, especially since he and Jean were great friends and he never had to knock when she was home.

Eventually, he gets the hair and beard taken care of and Diana is delighted with what’s underneath all the hair. Still it takes her awhile to trust, especially when her house keeps getting broken into. Tarot cards are moved out of the box they are in and specific cards seem to be telling her to take notice. Diana isn’t having any of it. Jean was a believer and highly skilled in tarot reading, but Diana doesn’t believe. Then there’s the nightmares that start the first night she is there. Someone or something seems to be wanting to tell her something. And I am going to leave the major details at that.

I absolutely adored this small town setting and the people that go along with it. It’s a summer resort town and all the local people all know each other. Aunt Jean’s circle of friends were a fun, even though very nosy, group. They welcome her into the group and it’s not long before she realizes that Ethan is part of that group as well. Turns out he’s a professor and published author. He’s the good guy sort, although he’s sworn off woman after a bad break up. On Diana’s part, she has a boyfriend who’s a cheater and she is trying to come to terms with that. She’s also grieving the loss of her aunt, especially since it had been five years since she’d last seen her. And now Diana stands to inherit quite a bit of money. I really enjoyed the main characters, plus the people in the group were pretty unique and/or eccentric.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but have read my share over the years. It’s just not my go to genre. However, I have loved every book I’ve ever read by this author. Her Gardella Vampire Hunter series is one of my top urban fantasy/paranormal romance series ever, and that’s saying a lot. I wasn’t even sure it was going to be a cozy until I really got into the story. But, add in a ghost and a fairly hot romance and I was hooked! Sure, this isn’t going to scare you into having nightmares or anything, but I really enjoyed my time with this ghost story mystery/romance. If this is your thing, I would recommend this to adult(sexy times)romance or cozy mystery fans. I fully intend to read the next one.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its never a good thing for me when I read:

It was nearly six o'clock on Friday, and she was finishing an eighty-hour week -...
My brain went into ocd maths mode and I ended up working out how much time she had spent sleeping (factoring in that the week started at midnight Sunday and ended Friday 6pm.) Turns out she actually got more sleep than I do! (It was 1.30am when I started reading this)

Having worked out the number of hours, I read on - only to find a glitch. Its nearly six o'clock. She barreled around the corner in the depths of the nearly-empty suite to find her legal assistant typing busily at her desk. "It's after six-thirty on a Friday." . Where did the time go??

Anyway, I carried on reading and found myself enjoying the story. Some aspects were lovely - the tarot cards were nicely done and Ethan was very well written. I liked the paranormal aspect immensely - some genuinely creepy moments - and the romance developed slowly.

However, the inclusion of Maxine was a real turn-off. I don't know why a lot of authors think its amusing or interesting or even a good idea to include some old biddy who treats people with utter contempt and is allowed to get away with it because 'she has a heart of gold'. No she doesn't. She rides roughshod over everyone else, deliberately takes things that don't belong to her, sticks her nose into everyone's private business and is nothing more than a bully.

Seriously now. Would YOU like to live with someone like that? Small-town America - shudder..

Anyway, I read to the end, despite Maxine's awfulness. The subplot with Jonathon was fine, but the ending was just too confused for me with too many 'bad guys' and it lost a lot of believability. One plot would have worked, but two was just too much for me.

However, I read to the end,(which is pretty good for me!) and I liked both Diana and Ethan. If I wipe the memory of Maxine from my brain , this deserves three stars - mostly for the believable paranormal aspect which was intriguing and enjoyable.

[Word Queen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This falls under a meh book for me. It had some decent parts but overall, it was pretty bad. Not the worst I’ve read or listened to but nowhere close to being in the decent to good categories for me. There were too many plot holes, inconsistencies, mistakes, unresolved or unconnected issues, overly descriptive word use, flat, one dimensional undeveloped and annoying characters with over used stereotypes and tropes and the storyline was predictable, had an easily guessed bad guy, no suspense and too much unrealistic dialogue and actions. The storyline of a ghost leaving giving clues to a crime was interesting just unfortunately not executed well at all.

I listened to the audiobook version and while I like when some authors narrate their own work, this was not one of those times.

This author really needed to hire a narrator or the very least an audio editor and practice/do a few retakes. There were volume issues, noises in the background like opening doors, pings from computers, pages sliding, what sounded like background talking, and her overly loud swallowing/lip smacking/spit movement, some spots sounded like she took a drink, but the biggest issue with her reading I had was all the errors she made with word pronunciation, random stops/pausing like she’s reading the lines for the first time, lots of stutters and mistakes, run on sentences, lack of any sentence/paragraph/page/chapter breaks/punctuation use, and complete flubbering of sentences. It sounded like she didn’t practice before hitting record and it reminded me of a student reading a section aloud in their high school English class. Rather than re-record a correct reading, she just barreled through. Her sound effects were also over the top and atrocious.
Examples: “marhogany,” “exjuastion,” “prime piece of pland,” emphasizes and yells “unfortunately” yet says the assistant says this in an undertone, “no vwa-ifi,” and something like “she always wor-used to being at work.”
She also runs straight through without any pauses for punctuation, time/scene changes, or thoughts. There are no pauses between paragraphs or chapters. As she reads about Diana getting the news in her office of her aunts death, she immediately says next “3 weeks later” as if it’s the same sentence, not a new sentence, section, point in time or a period between the two sentences.

The time elements here were always off and no effort was made to correct discrepancies or inconsistencies in the wording of the timelines.
Examples:
~she’s carrying stuff to her office “at nearly 6 pm on a Friday” then rounds the corner into her office (30 seconds later on the book counter) and tells her assistance “I can’t believe you’re still here it’s after 6:30.”
~Diana repeatedly notes it’s nearly 11 pm at a party and when they finally leave it’s still nearly 11 pm yet as they go across the lake home in the canoe, the sun has just set and “as the sun rapidly sets in the west, there’s a last streak of red in the sky as the sun just dipped below the horizon behind the trees.” Mind you she also states the moon is high in the sky illuminating the black water/trees. Now this is supposedly mid June in Michigan. I don’t know what Michigan she’s in, but sunset at 11pm at night with red in the sky and a moon high in the sky just doesn’t match. It’s like this edit didn’t get caught and she wrote the scene in two separate times. This is a rewrite to fit in a series apparently so I’m not sure if the time inconsistencies are due to poor editing or just poor writing.

The writing is another off putting point for me. Many of the conversations between characters sound extremely juvenile and unrealistic especially those between Diana and her assistant. Every other sentence from her assistant includes her calling the lawyer “girlfriend.” Example: “you need a break girlfriend,” “look girlfriend, you need some space.” The conversations felt chunky, clunky, and something from a high school paper. There’s also so many inconsistencies with the characters and times. She constant flips back and forth calling Gene Diana’s aunt/great aunt then about 1/3 of the way through the book states Gene is Diana’s father’s sister. Yet a few sentences later returns to calling her the great aunt. In chapter 4 a “new” character Ethan doesn’t know is introduced yet in chapter 2 this character was described as a close friend of Ethan’s who he regularly hangs out with. There were so many inconsistencies and poorly written sections. The book was also so overly descriptive it was distracting and became nauseating. The book could’ve been 3/4 the length without everything having 4-5 descriptive adjectives or 2-3 similes describing it. This felt more like a contractual word count play than to add anything valuable to the story. Nothing could just be described as it was, it had to described with overly flowery descriptors and similes. One instance she describes the cat’s tale with 3 similes in one sentence. It’s a tail. Just. A. Tail. I got to where I was annoyed and having to struggle to continue because of the writing.

The characters were flat and I couldn’t connect or care about any of them. They were rather annoying and mostly cliched.
The MC Diana was just not likable to me. She was pretty immature and rather dumb for being described as some strong willed, brilliant, hot shot attorney. Her lack of confidence and decision making was very annoying and not at all what I’d expect from someone who claims they’ll be partner by 35 and later in the book by 30 and who handles the highest profile cases in her firm. She’d be lucky they hired her at all in reality. She’s very hostile, abrasive, judgmental, and overly emotionally unstable and seems to use people when it suits her. Definitely not logical as the cover states. She came across as an entitled brat who thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips but then plays the indecisive, blind, unconfident, I can’t be alone, can’t do anything right, who would want me card every other sentence. I didn’t get strong, smart, stand on her own female vibes from her at all like the aunt seems to have always described her and the townspeople regard her.
Ethan was a decent character though his infatuation and quick “I’m in love” with someone I just met seemed odd and verging on creepy. Also, the entitlement for letting himself into the house he now knows belongs to Diana without permission after she confronts him the day before about just walking in without permission to get his beer he won in a bet was a little over the top since he’s supposed to be “raised right” and so polite and mannered.
Maxine was definitely the worst character and the most annoying and grating. It is a very worn out and dumb trope to have some grouchy old lady who is rude, entitled, abusive, and a busy body that everyone in the town just loves because she’s “so cute and has a big heart.” Please. I can suspend reality to an extent but in no world would everyone love an old lady who is loud, abrasive, physically and verbally abusive, who talks with her mouth full—spitting food at people, constantly interrupting, overbearing in every conversation, disregarding everyone’s else’s time, opinions, and feelings, into everyone’s business, stealing from people so she can have an excuse to get into their business and personal lives, argumentative, demanding, always right and let’s not forget slaps people with her cane, even tourists walking by when she’s aiming for someone else without an apology. This is not a person everyone would love and think is cute. Nor would they want to associate with her. Every scene she was in made me cringe and want someone to put her in her place and teach her some manners. She alone made me want to stop reading.
The constant slut shaming or degrading gossip of Ida for her new relationship, the stereotype portrayal of Juanita, and the stereotypical slow talking, not very bright sheriff were also a huge deterrent for me.
The characters were very one dimensional, stereotypical and not well developed. None were likable and none made me want to see what happens next for them. The only characters I found really likable and interesting? The cats and Katie the lab.

*****This part of the review contains spoilers*****





The storyline could’ve been much better without all the fluff descriptions, the constant referral to Ethan’s muscles, ida’s clothes/nail color, and Diana’s breasts, and lots of editing. It had great potential just very poorly done execution. It was obvious from the beginning who the killer was, what the motive was, and that Diana would jump from one man’s bed to the next. Quite literally since she spends the night with Jonathan, in his bed though they don’t actually sleep together, but by the next morning is falling for Ethan/ends her engagement/relationship with Jonathan and by evening is in Ethan’s bed sleeping with him. Rebound much?
Their relationship progressed unrealistically quickly, like a matter of hours. He forces himself on her when to his knowledge, she is still engaged, but then notes how he wouldn’t respect her if she cheated. Never mind how respectable he is for pursuing her and forcing himself on her. It’s also off putting she is convinced Jonathan loves her and she’s so upset, so afraid of ending things with him and goes on and on about how she should forgive him, forget, and knows he truly loves her yet a chapter later when Ethan starts paying attention to her she’s suddenly over Jonathan and says she “doesn’t give a rats ass about Jonathan.” It was just too fast and unrealistic and very clearly a rebound for an insecure woman who appears to need to be with someone, needs attention, and can’t be alone.

There wasn’t a thrilling mystery here. The ending was beyond predictable, rushed, and full of plot holes. There were references to things that felt like they were meant to mean something significant then either totally forgotten, contradicted, or seemed to vanish. I couldn’t tell if Jonathan and the other guy were in it together or were their crimes two separate things? I had to re read the chapters dealing with their crimes 3x to figure it out. We have a random murder for money to pay surprise gambling debts. Then we have a big to do about a case Diana is working on Md a random pollution issue which is also randomly connected to her uncle when he was a real estate agent in the 60s and sold the property. (Of course he didn’t know of the pollution issues *eye roll* because of course her family would be innocent and not know or have covered something up for a sale as a new agent when he had the original building plans which clearly show a pollution issue. He was just apparently bad at his job). As they’re all discussing this random pollution issue it’s suddenly remembered and jumped to it’s connected to a stranger who came to town for a golf tournament then also randomly jumped to another stranger somehow connected to stranger 1 was seen in town the days the house was broken into yet not remembered when asked several chapters earlier did you see any strangers in town on the days leading up to Gene’s death or the days of the break in (yet Maxine, who saw the men, “sees and knows everyone”, “no one can hide from her or anything get passed her.” Another eye roll). And suddenly stranger 2 is in custody guilty yet it ends there without any reason why he did the crimes or how stranger 2 was connected to the smoking gun document confirming the pollution or if he and stranger 1 were in it together. Then there was her “thing.” What was her “thing” she did in the office? It’s only referred to, many times, as her “thing she does in her office.”
I felt zero suspense or emotion other than annoyance and cringy nauseating feelings.

Overall, don’t recommend and I won’t continue the series. I don’t foresee pursuing this author again, but maybe if she had a different series without the romance, stereotypes and her narrating, I’d give her one more try. This story had a lot of potential and had some things going for it that could’ve made it a decent to good read, but as one reviewer noted, too many things spoiled it.

[Lesly Sarabia · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad es un 3.8
Pues no estuvo mal, sin embargo, esperaba más, desafortunadamente la autora no desarrolló la historia tan bien (a mi parecer). El romance se sintió como que apenas comenzaba ya para la parte final del libro y el misterio se resolvió muy rápido. Eso sí, estuvo bastante entretenido, me lo terminé en nada pero no lo volvería a leer.

ENG:
It was ok, I finished it in a blink but the book has many plot holes, the romance was kind of slow burn but at the same time was kind of insta-love, so, it felt odd. The mystery wasn't very good, in fact, everything was resolved in a few pages and it was just meh. Anyway, I enjoyed it, nevertheless, I won't read it again.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been so much better if it was not riddled with editing errors. I realize that it is a rewrite of a previous book to make it fit the series but I wondered aloud how any editor could have made such glaring mistakes more than once. Introducing main character to a new person in chapter 4 when he had named the same person in chapter 1 as a friend. Flipping back and forth whether Jean was Diana’s aunt or great aunt even though she was the sister of Diana’s father. Using the wrong last name for someone just 2 paragraphs from when it was last mentioned. It drove me crazy.

[Ewa ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept me interested and wondering until the end.
A little slow, but fun (Tuesday Ladies).

[Amanda Siegrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read with suspense, romance, and a dash of paranormal.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, hooked from the first chapter. Need to read the next.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you believe in ghosts?

Diana can't believe that her aunt is gone and she feels guilty for not taking time out from work to go see her. She needs to decide what to do with her aunt's things and the sexy neighbor that thinks that he can just stroll in when he feels like it. Someone is out to get Diana she just needs to follow the clues that her aunt is leaving her. Ethan knows that he can't act on his feelings for Diana knowing that she is involved with someone & that eventually she will going back home. But he knows that he needs to protect her from getting hurt, he just needs Diana to trust him. Will they be able to find out who is trying to destroy everything? A good read

[Share · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure where or how I found this book but the spooky cover, the title and the promising story of "A Sexy Professor, A Logical Lawyer, A Determined Ghost and A Very Real Killer" lured me in.

Unfortunately, everything after fell short of the mark. The book was half story, half unnecessary descriptive adjectives. I appreciate descriptive writing but this was over the top and I found it more annoying than helpful to set the scene.

Diana, the main character was dull and boring and I did not connect with her or any of the other characters. The only one with any sort of personality was Maxine.

I kept waiting for it to pick up and get exciting but for me, it sadly never did.

[Andretta Schellinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I would enjoy this book initially, and boy was my first reaction wrong. It is a really good book, by a talented author, and now I have yet another series to read.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

When Diana, an attorney in Chicago, wins a major case for her environmental law firm she's thrilled with the victory. Wanting to share her news with her fiance, Jonathan, a cardiologist, she remembers that he's at a convention in Vegas. But when she suddenly develops a migraine right as she answers a call from Michigan, she knows that something terrible has happened to her Aunt Jean. Her beloved Aunt whom she hasn't seen in several months has died in her sleep. So she flies off to Vegas for some comfort, only to find Jonathan in bed with another Doctor from his practice--ending their engagement. She flies back to Chicago and her boss gives her time off to take care of her Aunt's estate and stay for a much needed vacation. She has another big case coming up soon, and he wants her ready for it. At this rate, she'll make partner by the time she's 30.

Going back to Wick's Hollow, Michigan is just the thing that she needs. Aunt Jean believed in her tarot cards so when she gets inside the house, the ones left for her scare her. Diana used to spend her Summers with her Aunt and Uncle, so she's well versed in tarot cards.

Her first night there, her Aunt's young, handsome neighbor, Ethan, just came back from Peru and walks into the house like it's his own. He didn't even know that Jean had died 2 weeks ago, but he meets her gorgeous niece and is shocked. Jean bragged about her to anyone who would listen to her. But this beautiful, cold woman is nothing like he expected.

When strange things start happening inside the house, Diana knows that her Aunt is trying to talk to her from beyond. Her migraines have suddenly returned with a vengeance every time something related to her aunt happens. But she doesn't think anyone will believe her.

Surprisingly, Ethan does without any doubt. When feelings develop between them, Ethan begins to think that her ex-fiance was after her money this whole time. Even though he's a doctor, Diana is worth millions now. But Diana's not convinced because she ended their engagement and she never signed the will Jonathan kept insisting on.

Now they need to figure out who would kill her Aunt and why? Soon it becomes apparent that Diana is next.

[Summer Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, but not quite what I was expecting. This was my first read from this author (that I know of), but based on the title and description I anticipated a moody Keri Lake-esq read. After reading it, I’d consider it a less thorough Danielle Steele novel with a bit of Sandra Brown. It just felt much more dated than I hoped for.

I couple of things did bother me though; namely, the romance and development of the MMC. The MMC just felt a bit more flat and his backstory wasn’t very realistic. He claimed to have no idea that one of his female students was interested in him, regardless of her continually inserting him in his life. Maybe my college experience was a bit different because it took place after Larry Nassar, but I’ve never met a male professor who didn’t clearly understand and maintain professional boundaries. There’s also the MMC’s many accolades…his extensive experience didn’t match the casual and unsure character we were given.

Lastly, several aspects felt underwhelming and underdeveloped: the romance—it was sweet but very straightforward and progressed way too simply, the ghosts, and lastly the general paranormal/super power. The odd, sort of extra later of consciousness super power was a neat addition—but felt funky because there wasn’t enough of an explanation.

I rated this 4 stars because I think the majority of my issues with it were due to my initial expectations and lack of familiarity with this author.

[Darla Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana Iverson just learned her eccentric aunt died at home and she has inherited the house so she's taking a break from her high stress job and her cheating boyfriend. Aunt Jean supposedly died in her sleep, but after multiple break-ins and other unsettling events, Diana has come to believe that her aunt was murdered. Can she get to the bottom of things before things get even worse?

This was the first book in the Wicks Hollow series and it was one fabulous read. I really enjoyed getting to know the various characters and the town. The book was well-written with well-rounded and sometimes quirky characters. The mystery will keep you guessing as the story pulls you in. I did want more definitive answers at the end which seemed a bit abrupt to me, but maybe those answers will be in the next book which I'm looking forward to. I do recommend this book.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was basically a romance with a murder mystery and some paranormal thrown in to the mix. I had some troubles connecting to the FMC, Diana, based on a personality that seemed to teeter between scared to death (of herself) and bitch. There were some blatant references to a bad relationship with her mother, but no solid explanations. Her fiancé, Jonathan, was a tool. Period. Even more than expected based on the ending. There were some definite editing issues that required backing up and re-reading a section to confirm it was editing and not something missed. For example, leaving a party at midnight but watching the sunset at the lake. I'm not certain I connected with the main or secondary characters enough to continue the series. Which will not be about the characters in this story.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Mystery, danger, romance, and a ghost and some paranormal activity thrown in too. And everything was wrapped up neatly in one package by the end. If you like these elements you will enjoy this book too.

Diana Iverson, an up and coming lawyer, goes to Wick's Hollow, near Lake Michigan, to take care of her Aunt Jean's affairs when her aunt dies suddenly. Diane is haunted by strange dreams and Aunt Jean's tarot cards turning up by themselves and slowly she realizes that maybe Aunt Jean did not just die in her sleep. With the assistance of her sexy neighbor Ethan Diana slowly comes to believe that things are not always black and white. When the climax of the story happens I was surprised at the perpetrator. I didn't have a clue!

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinister events happen as soon as Diana arrives at her Aunts house... How ever, she does not believe in the supernatural.. Ethan and Diana get off on the wrong foot, a little bit of foot and mouth disease have them both hating each other. Not sure what i think about the plot, had a hard time trying to work it out myself. But i think i get the gist of it with out giving anything away in my review. The main characters were okay, but i found the old ladies more interesting which should not of been the case at all. It should be the main characters that shine! Anyway, i would read more novels in the future.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flashy Mystery
Welcome to Wicks Hollow: a cozy town near Lake Michigan filled with quaint houses, eccentric residents, and more than its share of ghosts, murders, and romance. Dana Iverson needs a break--from her stressful job, from her philandering boyfriend, and from the rest of her fast-paced life. When she inherits her eccentric Aunt Jean's home on Wicks Lake, Diana takes a much-needed vacation in the cozy little town.
This is an interesting tale of mystery, paranormal and love. It is an amazing story. I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

[Cheryl G]

DNF at 20%

This has to be one of the most unlikable FMCs I've ever tried to read. And I read A LOT. She was abrasive, belittling, presumptuous, snooty, and dismissing. I simply can't root for a woman that stays in a relationship with a man after she catches him cheating on her. If she has no respect for herself, then I have none for her, and if I can't root for the FMC then I'm done with the book.

I'm also not a fan of elderly women that believe the can behave and speak however they want just because they're of "an age".

There are probably good things about the plot or side characters or something but I'm so hung up over how much I dislike the FMC, I can't tell you what they are.

[Karen Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summer fun

I was completely invested from the beginning and couldn't put this book down! Diana's story was well written. It was fast paced and exciting. The supernatural elements of the story were extremely well done. The other characters and animals played great roles too and I couldn't help but cheer when Diana finally smartened up as far as romance went, both with ending things and giving in to what seemed meant to be. I know the other stories are about other characters but I need to know more about Diana and her professor!

[Jeannine Wickliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story with a ghost

This is a new author for me and really enjoyed the story and the characters. This story is filled with twists and turns with a surprising ending. Diana is a successful lawyer, whose Aunt has died and she goes to Wick Hollows to decide what to do. Then strange things start happening. With the help of Ethan and Diana's Aunts friend's she investigates what is going on. With the help of her Aunt Jeans ghost they find answers. But not everything is what it seems. Can't wait to read more books by Colleen Gleason

[D.A. Henneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully cozy ghost story with a mystery to solve and two people falling in love... what's not to love? The author does a terrific job making us feel right at home in Wicks Hollow, a fictional place in the very real state of Michigan, where friends and neighbors band together to help a friend in need.

I loved the animals having a starring role in the story and the busybody nature of the older ladies in town. It all made for a very fun read. The use of Tarot cards in the plot was Chef's Kiss *mwha*!

This cozy supernatural mystery has binge potential!

[wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't sure

what to expect. So fascinating once you get into it. Very interesting, entertaining, funny, sweet, sad, heartfelt. Loved this book my peeps can't wait to read more about Wicks Hollow. You're going to love the characters they're so very very entertaining. Love those older ladies. Hoping to hear more from the Tuesday Ladies. Not a dull moment couldn't put it down. Kudos to Colleen Gleason well done!. If you want ghost, cats, dogs, mystery, love, intrigue this books definitely for you. Enjoy.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty entertaining story

The writing flowed easily. The murder mystery wasn't bad. The romance was appealing . The main characters were well developed, and the supporting characters were varied and contributed well to the plotline. I enjoyed the ghost and the tarot cards and the pets.

This is my first read by this Author. I liked it enough that I wouldn't hesitate to read more of her books.

[D.L. Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all

A ghost story
A sweet romance
A mystery
Diana inherits her aunt's lakeside cottage, and her problems begin. Except for meeting Ethan, the hunk next door.
This is a great book with a wonderful cast of characters.
I like that everyone in town accepts that the ghosts are real & aren't frightened of them. Looking forward to reading the other books by Ms. Gleason.

[A_Friend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinister Summer

A fantastic ghostly mystery romance. Fantastic read, characters and storyline. A lawyer gets the news her aunt had passed away, so she leaves to go back home and take care of things. She hadn’t seen her aunt in a year and hadn’t been home in about ten years. She figures out a lot about her aunt, her own love life and a new life. You’ll have to read to find out all. I hated to lay it down. Definitely a must read

[Dicentra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to take away a star for Maxine...

All in all a good book. I'd say 3.5 stars because the last quarter of the book frustrated me so much I couldn't quite go to 4. And because Maxine is so infuriating, absolutely loathe her, she made me so angry. I love this author's Phyillida Bright books but I have to say I'm disappointed because it's becoming clear, between the two series, that she doesn't like dogs and that's a travesty.