Four years ago, Emily Shea and Staff Sergeant Brett Leeds agreed to part with no strings attached. Sparks flew during their brief affair, but fate intervened, sending Brett overseas. When an unexpected pregnancy derailed Emily’s own plans, her attempts to locate Brett were soon overwhelmed by the challenges of single motherhood. Now, Brett has returned home, and Emily is forced to share her … secret.
Despite feeling betrayed, Brett is determined to forge a relationship with their son, Tyler. As the former lovers battle both their inner demons and their mutual desire, another presence enters their lives—Tyler’s imaginary friend. Soon, however, the chilling evidence points to a different conclusion: a ghost has formed a dangerous connection with their son. Emily’s attempts to help both a lost soul and a friend in need spiral toward a deadly confrontation, and Brett must race to save Emily before he loses her again—forever.
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I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook about Emily Shea and Staff Sergeant Brett Leeds agreeing to part with no strings attached after a very romantic time together. Brett is overseas and an unexpected pregnancy derailed Emily’s own plans, her attempts to locate Brett were soon overwhelmed by the challenges of single motherhood. This is not just a love story about Emily and Brett but goes into history about a possible ghost who has contacted Emily and Brett’s son and I could stop listening to this. The narrator, Kristen James does an excellent job and describing all the characters and what they are going through.
I loved this book from start to finish! Ghost and spirits very believable! I had the audible. Wow, just wow! Very well written and performed!
This book dragged me in on page one and didn’t let me go until the final period on the last page. I had a hard time putting this book down. There was a couple of spots where I did skim over a few paragraphs that got a little long winded but other then that I loved this book. I am all about paranormal reads, and ghosts just happen to be my favorite. I am not a huge romance reader and this book does center a lot of romance, I am impressed it kept my attention so well.
In the book Emily and Brett met 4 years ago and had a whirlwind 2 week affair. Both agreed it would be no strings attached. Brett was headed to the Air Force to be a EOD Tech and Emily was headed back to college to finish her senior year and become a vet. Neither one wanted to admit they had begun to have feelings for each other so at the end of the 2 weeks they parted without looking back. Until a few months later when Emily finds out she is pregnant. She knows that her and Brett’s parting was the end, and that his schooling and training in the Air Force was all he could handle at the time so she decides not to tell him about the baby.
Now 4 years later Brett is back in town and Emily has Tyler their son now 3 1/2 years old. She knows she has to tell him now before he finds out on his own. Brett steps right into his role as a father, and Emily and him do their best to keep their feelings to themselves for each other which are still in place even after the 4 year separation. Both also have their own demons to battle with. Emily has lost everyone who has ever been close to her and Brett has PTSD from his years of deployment. There’s also a new presence in their life in the form of a 12 year old boy ghost who died over 300 years ago that Tyler picks up as a friend from a ghost tour and invites to come home with him. Brett who at first does not believe in ghosts tries to help Emily with the haunting, and in the mean time their feelings grow stronger for each other. Can they fight their demons, rid themselves of the haunting, and become a family?
There are a few sex scenes in the book, some violence, but very few and very light cuss words in the book. Katherine Knight has done an amazing job with this story. The book is filled with feelings that grab you by the heartstrings. Like I said I am amazed at how well this romance help my attention.
I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.
I got this audible thru an ARC, Advanced Review Copy with an honest freely given review.
I thought this audible was great and the story being told brought everything more clear and understand better.
I thought this characters were brillantly done.
Great read. Loved Emily and Bretts story. Emily Shea and USAF Staff Sergeant Brett Leeds have a short and wild, no strings attached, fling and then go their separate ways. Four years later, and after a couple of deployments, Brett returns home and receives some life changing news from Emily. In the process, Emily soon discovers that there’s more than one haunted soul in need of help. Recommend this book.
So much happened in this book. Both Brett and Emily had so much to deal with and overcome. Throw in a ghost and you have yourself an enjoyable and intriguing story. Find yourself a porch swing, a good comfy blanket and enjoy.
Audiobook Review…Kristin James is a new to me narrator who I will now look for more from. She took a story I was familiar with, since I had read the book first, and brought it to life. The characters emotions were real, the happenings in the book seemed to be real, and the story was real. Kristin’s voice was easy to listen to and she has a real talent in changing her tone to match what the story was needing. Kathryn Knight wrote an amazing book and Kristin did an amazing job narrating the book.
eBook Review…I am a fan of Kathryn Knight’s other books. Each one I have read, devoured, and loved. Haunted Souls is the same way. I received the book, started it, and could not put it down. I felt like there was a bonus story in this book. The story of Tyler and his ghost friend, Josiah, was the main story with the bonus of Emily and Brett’s love story.
The ghost story gave me goose bumps so many times. I could not imagine being in Emily’s shoes watching her 4 year old son interact with a person only he could see. Yet, Emily never doubted Josiah’s existence. Josiah did not directly interact with Emily but he did let her know he was there, many times. With each of these times I reacted in fear for Tyler and awe of how calm Emily managed to stay. I believe I would have acted more like Brett. The disbelief of what his son was saying and being unsure how to react. I am thankful that Tyler had his mom to protect him, believe him, and help him get Josiah back to his mother.
Emily and Brett’s story was not unique in that a soldier comes home on break. Girl gets pregnant and soldier goes back to war. The difference is how Emily handled it. Instead of freaking out, she did what she had to do to keep her baby safe. The choices she made were not easy. I admired how she became a single mom, struggling, yet never giving up. I also admired how she handled Brett’s coming home and finding out about Tyler. She didn’t place blame, in fact she shouldered more blame that she should have. She trusted that Brett would be able to step into their life and put Tyler’s happiness first. Brett did not disappoint either. He became the man that both Emily and Tyler needed. Kathryn Knight wrote their love story in very real terms. It was not instant fall back into a relationship. There were trust issues to deal with, histories to come to terms with, and a friendship to reestablish. The attraction was still there, but both knew they needed more to become a family.
I certainly recommend checking out Haunted Souls.
Oh my gosh!! This book Haunted Souls by Kathryn Knight was oh so good and so scary at times. I loved listening to it. Emily and Brett had so much heat and chemistry in their brief time together that it produced a child that Brett had no idea about for several years. Brett was in the military and had served 2 overseas tours that ended in him coming home after a devastating accident. Emily was a single mom to Tyler and she finally called Brett to tell him about Tyler. To say he was angry, was the understatement of the year. They had a very rocky reunion.
Emily and her friend Gail had both taken their sons on a haunted ghost tour of the jail house in their town. Gail had to leave early and so it was just Emily and Tyler. It seems that Tyler made a “friend” in a ghost named Josiah and that is where problems started to arise in their home. To top it off, Brett didn’t believe Emily and he was still having a hard time trying to forgive her for not telling him about their son.
The title of the book is so good,because it seems like every main character in the book really has a haunted soul. There were parts that I cried at, got scared at and even had to fan myself from the steamy parts between Brett and Emily. I received an ARC of this audio book in exchange for an honest opinion. I absolutely loved it. This is the second book I have listened to on audio book. Give this book a try, it will make you believing in second chances and maybe even ghosts!
HAUNTED SOULS is a stand-alone, contemporary romantic suspense with a paranormal element. This is not a series, but Claire and Max from Gull Harbor do return for a couple of chapters!
There were a lot of references to Emily’s friend, Caitlyn. So much so, that I looked to see if one of Ms. Knight’s previous books featured her, but alas it does not appear to be.
I don’t often mention the book covers, because I’m not usually swayed one way or the other by the cover. Let’s face it, on Kindle or Audiobook the cover is rarely noted past the time of purchase. This time I want to just say that it is a perfect representation. It is a lovely collage of the most important elements of the story with an equal balance of dark and light. Kudos to the artist.
I loved this story that balanced the history of mid-eighteenth century America with the present day life on Cape Cod and the lives of three little boys and their mothers…yes three, because Tyler has a schoolmate whose family story is integral to the plot.
So many emotions were brought out, explored, and embraced. From the opening line, Emily’s raw fear and anxieties are evident. Life has beaten her down, until she is the type to faint in fear, but she remains as strong as possible for her little boy. Of course, I was cheering for the man who was a fleeting fling four years ago to become her knight in shining armor. Read it and find out if he did.
I think at this point, I would read a cereal box if it were written by Ms. Kathryn Knight. I look forward to her bringing me more of her audiobooks as they become available.
Narration: The narrator, Kristin James did a wonderful job of bringing each character their own voice. My favorite was her portrayal of Tyler. She does a three and a half year old boy beautifully in all of his mercurial moods.
Note: while I was given this book as a gifted audiobook copy, my opinions are my own and are given freely.
Title: HAUNTED SOULS
Series: N/A
Category /Genre: Paranormal Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Listenability: NSFW
Received from: Kathryn Knight (as an Audible gifted copy)
A ghost to love and fear. This story is touching on many levels, scary on a few, and shows that even if you have a ghost, a person can be the real monster. This is a nice romance and a good ghost story. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to this book via audible. I really enjoyed listening to this story. The narrator did a great job. I found the story and characters well written and developed. I found the story hard to put down. I recommend reading. (I received this audible book as an arc and am leaving a voluntary honest review)
This is a great paranormal fiction book with a sexy twist! I really enjoyed this one as it had romance as well as a creepy factor.
This story made me ache as these two tried to work things out. The pain of not knowing he had a son for 4 years devastated Brett. Emily knew she was a bad person by not telling him, but in her own right she did try. It seemed fate was against them. When Brett came back to town 4 years later, she braved the truth instead of lying to him. There was always something deep between these two, but circumstances and ambitions drove them apart. This story has a Gothic feel to it with the ghosts added in, but that is what will drive these two to rethink their relationship. This story is well developed and emotional. It made me think about some of my choices in life. How different my life would be if I made different choices.
Emily and Brett were once an item, but Brett leaves Emily alone to go for training. Emily searches for Brett, but comes up short and must raise Tyler alone. Brett returns to the surprise that will change his life. During a tour to a local historic prison, Tyler meets a friend, Josiah. Bringing Josiah home with him, Tyler promises to share his mom. Emily thinks Tyler has an imaginary friend until things start to go bump in the night. Kathryn Knight has a way with twisting so many lives into one story and bringing together the spiritual and physical worlds. Haunted Souls is a haunting tale of how different things were in the past, yet how strong the love between a mother and child is. There are so many characters, each with their own issues that weave together this story of love, trust and second chances. I cannot wait for another story by Kathryn Knight,
Kristin James brings this haunting tale to life. Her ability to narrate the intense, haunting drama as it unfolded, made me have goosebumps. Ms. James ability to keep all the characters distinct really helped with the ease of following the story. The suspenseful scenes kept me on the edge of my seat as Ms. James narrated. I hope to hear more from Kristin James.
Enjoyed Brett and Emily’s story , Fate does pull people back together when needed , it also has some paranormal aspect to the read, with their son befriend a 12 year old ghost haunting their home . (though if wasn’t there it would not have pulled away from the story), it does touch on PTSD and Domestic abuse. Good read overall for a new author to me
I offered to review this audiobook because I am such an an avid reader but also almost exclusively audio due to my schedule. Because of this, and the fact that a bad narrator can destroy a great series, I can be very critical of narrators. Especially when books have a single narrator required to speak with different voices for multiple characters. Most cannot do it without having some errors where they use the wrong ‘voice’ for the wrong character. Kristin James does a great job in narrating this book! It was a very enjoyable listen and I didn’t have any issues distinguishing between characters.
As to the story, I am not one to give a lot of specific story details since I feel you should read the story for that, and Haunted Souls will not disappoint! The story was well done and the author did a great job of not over dramatizing the ghost in their mist. If you enjoy the paranormal, you will enjoy this story. If you enjoy a good romance, you will enjoy this story. The book includes interesting characters, lots of twists and turns in the main story, and several good underlying stories within that will make you want to keep listening until the story is over.
I received a free review copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What do a single mother, a soldier with PTSD, an adorably precocious toddler and an 18th century ghost have in common? They are all amazing characters featured in this sexy, yet suspenseful romance.
Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to read this book at first. I don’t do ghosts! Horror ain’t my thing ladies and gentleman. However, I am happy to report that this novel is in no way classified as horror. Our ghost is actually rather friendly! Not exactly Casper friendly, but he gets on really well with Brett and Emily’s son, Tyler.
Let’s start our discussion with less ghostly endeavors, and focus instead on the romance side of things. Brett has returned home to the States after an incredibly difficult tour in-country to suddenly discover he is the father of a young boy. He initially seems intent to regard Emily with hatred and disdain for keeping the existence of his son a secret for so long. The closer he gets to his son though, the more he realizes that there’s an undeniable attraction between him and Emily that can’t be ignored anymore.
Hot damn these two are smokin’ hot! They only had a two week affair years before, and are hesitant to start anything up again with the added complication of their son in the picture. Not to mention Brett’s PTSD, which was handled with absolute perfection by the author. But good God they can’t keep their hands off each other! Their love scenes are filled to the brim with heat, passion, tenderness, and a bit of neck nibbling. My favorite!
Now for the ghostly factor. I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this feature of the novel! Our 12 year old ghost, Josiah, died all alone in a jail cell in 1757, and throughout the book we slowly uncover his sad and tragic story. It actually ties in rather well with the rest of the story to show how strong family connection can be. At first, Brett doesn’t believe there’s a ghost who seems linked to his son, but as the novel progresses we see how the family bonds and becomes closer because of this ghostly apparition.
That being said, I think the fact that Josiah was so friendly and non-threatening meant that at times he was almost pushed to the side in order to focus on another story line. For example, Emily is also trying to help her friend escape an abusive marriage, and although Josiah plays an important role at one point during this story, it was kind of hard to see how all the stories blended together evenly. Overall though, I really enjoyed the ghostly aspect of this novel, and wouldn’t give it up! I would have liked to hear some kind of speech from Josiah at some point in the novel, as we don’t hear the majority of the conversations he has with Tyler. I guess I just wanted more from him!