From NY Times Bestselling Author, Angie Fox, a hauntingly fun holiday addition to the USA TODAY bestselling Southern Ghost Hunter seriesShe needs a Christmas miracle…Verity Long is ready to deck the halls, jingle some bells, and maybe, just maybe have a merry Christmas with her boyfriend’s stuffy family. Truly, if she doesn’t extend the proverbial olive branch to the overbearing Wydells, she’s … she’s afraid she’ll hit them over the head with it.But when her boyfriend’s mother pulls a shocking stunt, Verity finds herself with a big decision to make. And if that’s not enough, there’s an unexpected guest at her door. It’s the ghost of the woman who helped rescue Verity’s pet skunk three years ago that very night. And now she’s there to change Verity’s life as well.*A “between the books” stand-alone holiday story you don’t want to miss!
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The Ghost of Christmas Past by Angie Fox is a “between the books” holiday story. It can be read as a standalone, but The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries are an entertaining series of books that are not to be missed. I was instantly drawn into The Ghost of Christmas Past with Verity, Frankie, Lucy and Ellis. I like Angie Fox’s engaging writing style which makes for a pleasant to read story. The book has delightful characters (except for Virginia) with my favorite being Frankie the German. He is a ghost that was a gangster in the 1920s. I just love his snarky dialogue and he finds some new friends in this story that allows us to see Frankie’s softer side. Virginia is my least favorite character who decides to humiliate Verity once again. This is a humorous retelling of Charles Dickens classic tale. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a magical tale with surprising spirits, a grating gift, alarming animals, lopsided lights, a gangster ghost and one painful party.
The Ghost of Christmas Past is the latest Southern Ghost Hunter Mystery by Angie Fox. It is Christmas Eve and Ghost Hunter Verity Long has a serious dispute with her boyfriend, Deputy Ellis Wydell, and his mother, Virginia, which leads Verity to stay home from thE Wydell family gathering.
Soon after Verity is left alone, she is visited by the ghost of the dear lady that rescued Verity’s dear pet skunk, Lucy. Led to make a similar Christmas Eve rescue, Verity and her ghostly sidekick Frankie the German head to the old mill to do a rescue of their own. However, it is not only an animal rescue, but also a visitation leading Verity to a new position in the Wydell family.
With tones of the iconic Christmas Carol, this is a scary sweet tale of ancestral visitation in order to rescue the family for the future. As all of the books in this series, Angie Fox does a perfect job of meshing two planes in the efforts of settling spirits and solving crimes. Once again, Ms. Fox has crafted a lovely, and seasonal, story. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!
You knew it had to happen…Verity gets her own Christmas Carol. Verity takes on three ghosts to heal her heart and start healing the rift between the Wydells. I absolutely loved this take on an old tale and am reminded that the greatest gift may be love but hope isn’t far behind.
It’s Christmas Eve and Verity is sort of looking forward to spending the evening with her boyfriend, Ellis – that’s great….however the invite came from his mother and the party is to be held as a family gathering. Let’s just say Verity isn’t thrilled about spending one second with her almost ex mother in law. Yes, it’s complicated. The woman is a very nasty person and can make any situation very uncomfortable. But Verity is being an adult and is going to give her another chance. It follows all of the other chances and Verity says no more and decides not to attend the party. More than one ghost says “not so fast” and they proceed to put on their own version of Charles Dickens Christmas tale. Verity gets the past and future bits…..including a sleeping bear.
Frankie comes along for the ride, of course and the ghost who sets Verity on this holiday journey is the woman who rescued the awesome little skunk, Lucy, the other love of Verity’s life. How can Verity say no? Let’s just say that Verity finds that she means much more to this family than she could ever imagine. I have to say I wanted a full length book rather than a novella but that’s because I love spending time with Verity, Frankie, Ellis and Lucy.
The story of Verity and Frankie,the gangster ghost, has just the right amount of spookiness and charm. It had me thinking of my interactions with others at this time of year and maybe re-evaluating. I read it in an evening and it gave me a lovely Christmas glow. I think this series just gets better with every book that comes out! Wonderful story!
Oh my what a good book. I was so happy Verity got to take care of some old business. I feel it was time it was done. The whole story was like Scrooge in a way. She was visited by 3 ghost and she saw what needed to be done to help the Wydell family. They seem to all be grumpy after so many years of negativity. I hope that going forward more of the Wydell family will come around to Verity and see that Virginia was wrong. I am also glad the last ghost showed Verity where she would be if she kept up the attitude toward Virginia. I think this was a great holiday book and look forward to more.
This novella is such a timely addition to this series because as I’m writing it’s November so all the Christmas feels are more than welcome. Verity is a southern girl with charm and courage aplenty and together with her curmudgeonly and definitely non PC resident ghost Frankie she’s frequently helping both humans and spirits to find answers and hopefully peace. Her relationship with her boyfriend Ellis has recently come under strain as not only does he have an interfering, controlling mother but Veritys work frequently puts her in danger. Still it’s Christmas Eve and Verity is off to a family party so what could possibly go wrong ? Well her future mother in law has a surprise in store and then there’s an old friend who turns up but as it’s Christmas could Verity be in line for even more ghostly visitors ?
I know the title gives more than a nod to a rather famous story by a certain Mr Dickens but I honestly didn’t connect this until Verity met her final ghost. I thought at its heart this was about families and how it’s all too easy to become disconnected and it was a very timely message that although not pushed on the reader did make me pause. My only issue is Ellis as I just feel Verity deserves more. To me Ellis feels weak and I always just want him to take more of a stand. That being said I really enjoy this somewhat cookie series and particularly enjoy Frankie because he’s just so irreverent which is always fun .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
Verity finally stands up to Virginia Wydell on Christmas Eve before the annual party. She stays home instead and gets a visit from an old friend who sends her on a ghostly errand. Needless to say the errand is a lot more dangerous than Verity and Franky thought it would be. With the help of a ghost verity sees the future and finds how her actions have caused major consequences for not only her future but the Wydell family as well.
Verity learns an important lesson this Christmas season. No matter how much you don’t get along with your family, they are still your family. You might be the one holding it together or the one that is keeping someone from giving up.
While short, I feel this is a very important book because the events affect her relationship with Ellis. I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see what happens next to Verity and Franky.
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*
pets, ghosts, gangsters, family-dynamics
Of course it’s a very good story, but my favorite is Lucy the delightful. Yes, the pet skunk! Second best is Frankie’s abashed love for the three silly bear cubs. People? Ghosts? Well of course they are part of the story, but really!
LOVED IT!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Moose Island Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
The Christmas Carol meets the south. In this wonderful Christmas Eve story, we find some truths, that we all should remember in life. Not to mention we finally get the story behind Lucy and how Verity ended up with her as a pet. And guess what?! Frankie does have a soft side you would never believe, he had me laughing in this one.
This little book touched me. Not only is it a wonderful addition to the Southern Ghosts series, there are moments of laughter and tears. Angie Fox wrote a story to remind us to be true to who we are and not let others change us.
Verity Long, ghost hunter extraordinaire, wants nothing more than to spend Christmas Eve with her boyfriend. However, when his mother pulls an unforgivable stunt, it ruins her festive mood. She is later visited by the ghost of an old friend, who asks for a favor. While on the job, Verity meets three more ghosts, who also need something from her. Will these ghosts revive Verity’s festal spirit? Can she help her boyfriend’s family?
Verity continues to amaze me with her selflessness towards ghosts. She treats them no differently than she would the living. I applaud Verity for finally taking a stand against Virginia’s toxic vitriol. There is only so much verbal and mental abuse a person can take from a hateful person. What I like the most about Verity is how she knows when she is in the wrong. It may take a ghost or two to make her realize this, but she willingly changes her ways.
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST is book 8.5 in Angie Fox’s paranormal series, SOUTHERN GHOST HUNTER MYSTERIES. The novella can stand alone. However, to understand the characters and the background, it is best to read the prior books. I adore witnessing a sweeter side of Frankie the Gangster. Under all that bad boy swagger is a man who cares about animals.
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST is a sweet, modern twist to the traditional story, A Christmas Carol. I cannot wait to read Verity and Frankie’s next ghostly escapade.
Review courtesy of Romance Junkies