Cindy Miles
Paranormal Young Adult
288 pages
Scholastic Point
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
On a misty cliffside, mystery and romance await. . . .
Ivy Calhoun's life has been turned upside down. Her new stepdad has uprooted Ivy and her mom, bringing them to live in an actual castle in the misty Scottish countryside. There are stone-faced servants and shadowy corridors, and the ancient walls seem full of secrets. Ivy is at once frightened and intrigued.
Especially when she meets Logan, a gorgeous, elusive ghost who has haunted the castle grounds for decades. Ivy is immediately drawn to him . . . but Logan is not the only spirit around. Something dark and deadly is afoot, and soon Ivy finds herself in mortal danger.
Is Logan exactly what he seems? Could his mysterious past be tied to Ivy's present? And can Ivy stop herself from falling in love with him?
MY THOUGHTS
Forevermore is a quick and engaging read; the type that doesn't test boundaries, push the envelope, or challenge us emotionally, but one that keeps us interested throughout and leaves us with a sweet smile on our faces nonetheless. The story itself is not overly complex, Ivy and Logan's relationship largely drama-free and their supernatural problems resolved with relative ease, but Ms. Miles ensures we are utterly charmed by Logan's thick Scottish brogue and deeply intrigued by the eerie hollowness of the highlands. A couple short hours will see the entirety of this story read from beginning to end, and we then set it aside with all the warmth a pleasant, sweet story leaves lingering in its wake.
Ivy is not a young woman whose layers we peel back chapter by chapter, instead she's simply someone we enjoy spending a short chunk of time with, content with what we do know of her and without a driving need to know more. Despite a strong focus on the romance between her and Logan, she doesn't fall for him instantly or build her days around seeing him again, rather she shows an appropriate amount of fear and hesitation given Logan's ghostly status, and even when they've moved beyond fear, a declaration of love is thankfully a bit longer in coming.
Like Ivy, Logan is a fairly straightforward character, a cute love interest with an undeniably attractive accent that causes our hearts to stutter a time or two in their regular rhythm. He's everything we might dream of meeting should we ever find ourselves in Scotland (minus the ghost part), and his romance with Ivy is full of soft murmurings and quiet hopes for a magical outcome for the two of them, leaving us comfortable and happy even though we know their story will not be one our minds cling to as we begin our next read.
Overall, Forevermore is the perfect light escape into the murky depths of the highlands, the rich brogue of majority of the characters making the story feel almost as though it's being read aloud, and we breeze quickly through it before filing it away as something to be picked up when having a bad day.
Rating: 3.5/5
Find Cindy:
This
book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review.
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.
Are we talking Scotland as in the land of gods such as Barrons and Ryodan?!! Oh no, that's Ireland. Darn it all!! I guess Logan can't quite compare even with giving our heart a little stutter. He is only a ghost after all, and you know me (and I know you! lol!) we need some solid flesh behind our obsessions!!
ReplyDeleteStill, this sounds like a read that would put a smile on my face. Wonderful review, Jenny!
Yes, a relationship with a ghost just wouldn't work out for us, we need to feel ;-) BUT, I will say I like how this one ended, Logan and his accent are pretty darn adorable.
DeleteWell a haunted castle and hunky ghost sounds nice
ReplyDeleteRight? Yes to sexy Scottish ghosts.
DeleteIs it just me or that boy on the cover looks weird. I mean he's like ghost but smudgy ghost. The review, yes Tanja the review (sorry Jenny) I haven't heard of this one before but it sounds like one of these books that has a great plot but nothing more. I need sometimes something like that after all the rollercosters. Great review Jenny! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree Tanja! This book is the perfect type of book to read in between all the roller coaster books:) And he does look a bit smudgy.
DeleteDo they use dialect? I mean, I love me some Scottish boys and brogues but I don't generally like reading it. Throw in a few "ayes" and "lasses" and that's more than enough for my imagination to take over.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember all that well, how bad is that? I read it a couple months ago. From what I do remember, there were lots of "ayes" and "lasses" and "kens", but nothing so thick that it was hard to understand. It was authentic while still being readable.
DeleteThis sounds like it would be great on audio if the right narrator was picked. Sometimes I don't need to be challenged and just entertained :)
ReplyDeleteI would so listen to this on audiobook if the narrator had the right accent!
DeleteI love the sound of the setting! How many YA books have we had set in Scotland? But I have to admit this is not a book that attracts me because Logan is a ghost. Ghost romances creep me out.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it though, Jenny!
Lovely review!
I think you might actually like this ghost romance Nick, it doesn't turn out quite as expected in the end. But, zombies completely creep me out so I get staying away from certain types of stories!
DeleteSounds like a lovely book. And I like straight forward characters. There's no beating around the bush trying to figure them out.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. There was no angst to their relationship and I REALLY liked that about it:)
DeleteI know this is probably awful for me to admit, but I am having a hard time getting past that cover. It does nothing for me. Add in the fact that it's a ghost story (not something I enjoy) and you gave it a mid-range rating, I'll probably be passing on this one, Jenny.
ReplyDeleteBut I still love you! :D
Hahaha I still love you as well. It's not my favorite image on the cover, but I do like the colors at least. It didn't bring anything crazy new to the table, but the accents were sexy and it was a short, fun read.
DeleteOooh. A bad day book? You can never have too many of those.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I have a whole stockpile of them:)
DeleteThis is actually the first I'm hearing of this book, and I'll be honest and say I'd normally totally overlook it based on that cover. It sounds like a fast, sweet read though, and sometimes that's exactly what you need, right? Great review, as always, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteExactly. Sometimes I just want a cute, light read without a lot of drama, and this was that. Plus accents:)
DeleteI am so glad you liked this one. I picked it up yesterday and I was really hoping it would be a good one. I just love reads like this one!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Jenny!
Yay! Can't wait to see what you think!
DeleteThis reminds me a little of The Deepest Cut, what with ghosts and SCOTLAND! (Speaking of Scotland, I want to meet a charming Scottish guy! Looks like I'll be visiting Scotland in the near future :D) I think this is the perfect read for me right now since I'm craving quick/breezy reads! Oh and even though Logan looks extremely young on the cover, he sure isn't bad looking :P
ReplyDeleteMe too Shirley, me too. Or I need the husband to learn to speak with a Scottish accent. Whichver ;-) Hope you like it!!!
DeleteExcellent review, Jenny! You make me want to give up my thing for not reading ghosts as love interests, as this sounds cute and a fun, airy read. For some reason, all the ghost-as-love-interest books I've read lately I can't jive with in the end. I think because in my head the ghost is a ghost, see through, non corpreal. This sounds fun though. :)
ReplyDeleteNormallly ghost stories with a romance are not my thing, but this one was entertaining, and I like how the ghost thing was dealt with in the end:)
DeleteOh no, I have a SERIOUS weakness for Scottish accents, so now I'm going to break my TBR pile-expanding ban and add this. :-) This sounds like an engaging, sweet story and I'm glad you had a good time with it! I won't feel so bad cheating on my ARC pile with this if I do it at the beach this weekend, cause that doesn't count, right? Awesome review Jenny!
ReplyDeleteME TOO LAUREN! And anything read at the beach totally doesn't count as cheating on your TBR pile ;-) It's a rule somewhere. I'm sure of it.
DeleteIt's interesting - I don't know that I've seen a lot of paranormal YA picked up by Scholastic, and I didn't expect that to be a Scholastic cover either. I don't know if I've ever seen it use the blur-edges-special-effects kind of thing. Scottish highlands and a light paranormal read still sounds like fun, and I'm glad you enjoyed it :).
ReplyDeleteI will pretty much read anything set in Ireland or Scotland, and I was really glad I picked this book up even if it didn't blow me away:)
DeleteThis sounds like fun. I don't get why I can't get haunted like that, but then maybe it's because I need to go to a Scottish castle. Hm... want to go? :) I need a good light book right now. Hm... might have to get this one...
ReplyDeleteI do want to go. Yes. Let's make a plan. *runs to look for flights*
DeleteAren't they? Definitely my favorite along with Irish. Then Aussie and British:)
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for Ireland/Scotland books as well. Hello Fever Series. *dies just thinking about Ryodan and Barrons* The cover is a bit cutesy, but I liked the story itself:)
ReplyDeleteThis just sounds like a nice Sunday afternoon escape. I am a total sucker for Scotland and Ireland settings..my husband laughs because I don't have a drop of Irish in me..but this is the number one place I want to visit on my bucket list! Wonderful review Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this one at all, but it sounds quite interesting. I'm not one for stories about hauntings and what-not, but I may give this a try after all.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this one until now, Jenny. The angst and drama free romance is a huge plus right after the Scottish love interest of course. I like books where you can sit back and enjoy the story without thinking too hard. I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI like these lighter reads a lot. I'm thinking this is one I'd enjoy. So glad to hear it was good!
ReplyDeleteAh so that sounds actually pretty cute! I might check it out if I have some free time.. and who doesn't love a hot accent :)
ReplyDeleteI just recently saw the cover for this book floating around the blogosphere, but this is the first I've actually read anything about it. It sounds like a cute read!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this is set is Scotland is enough to get me interested. I think I'll save this for a rainy day when I'm in the mood to start and finish something in one sitting and not expect to much. I am glad you enjoyed this one Jenny.
ReplyDelete