Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Past Midnight by Mara Punrhagen

Past Midnight
by Mara Purnhagen
Publishing on September 1st 2010 by Harlequin
Paperback, 208 pages

With parents who have their own popular ghost-debunking TV show, it's hard for new girl Charlotte Silver to keep a low profile, especially when her parents' work follows her to high school in the form of two angry ghosts.

Charlotte Silver wants to live like a normal person, spend her senior year in one school and go around with normal people - well is this too much to ask for? Not for a normal person like you and me but for Charlotte, whose parents make their living by going to haunted places just to prove that they are not haunted this was a bit difficult. Once people found out about her celebrity status, she and her family were considered more of "ghost-busters" than ghost-debunkers. But when her family moves to Charleston and decides to be there for sometime, Charlotte starts to believe that there nomadic life would come to a temporary end after all. But all changes when she is to her brand new house, by 2 very angry, impatient ghosts, uhh no, not ghosts but "balls of energies" - as her parents like to call them. What follows is a quest to help them find what they are seeking through her.

I totally enjoyed Past Midnight. At 200 pages, it was fast, thrilling and I was anxious to know what was about to happen. It was slightly predictable but I am one of those who believes that the ride is what matters and not the destination. This novel is not just about real ghosts but also about facing our ghosts as well. It is about facing about facing your problem head on, I loved that. I loved the fact in the end Charlotte came to accept that she was never going to be normal, and she was happy about it. I loved how Charlotte evolved in this novel and I am looking forward to reading the whole series :)

"It isn't the big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones."— Jean Webster

Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham

Hugh and Bess 
by Susan Higginbotham
Published August 1st 2009 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published October 29th 2007)
Paperback, 320 pages

Forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just 13 years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he really loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work? 

Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built. 

Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham's impeccable research will delight avid historical fiction readers, and her enchanting characters will surely capture every reader's heart. Fans of her first novel, The Traitor's Wife, will be thrilled to find that this story follows the next generation of the Despenser family.

Set in the 1300s, Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham is a great historical novel about 2 people brought together by fate and there lives under the rule of Edward III. 

Elizabeth de Montecute (Bess) is not happy when she learns that she is to be married to Hugh Le Despenser whose father, Hugh Le Despenser the second,  was the lover to King Edward II and who was executed in a very gruesome manner along with his grandfather.  Young Hugh after the death of his father had to spend sometime in prison under King Edward III, but was released later on and served the King loyally since then. Hugh is always trying to prove himself and that he is nothing like his father and when the King suggests he marries Bess, daughter and heiress of the King's closest confidants, Hugh is not pleased but would never let this opportunity pass either. 

I loved every art of this story. I think I loved Hugh, inspite of him loving and leaving Emma. But I think what I loved most was "watching" Bess grow from slightly spoilt girl of 13 to a women who was loving, caring and well aware of her duties as a wife of one of the greatest Knights who has led England to many victoreis. 

I loved Susan's style of writing, it is smooth, it flows like the calm river and there are no ripples that I can really talk of. There was not even one phase where I was bored.  I was reading this book every waking/feeding/ semi-waking hour I could find with Aarya :). I definitely want to read more of her books. And my sister is escited to get to read this book as well. 

If you have not got around reading this one yet, you most definitely are missing out on a great historical fiction novel.  Susan Higginbotham definitely has found an ardent fan in me.  


Thanks to Dar, for sending this one to me. I won it at a contest at her lovely blog. 

Currently Reading...

Hi Guys, Sorry for being away for so long AGAIN :-)

I am just enjoying being on holiday and being a mom...Life revolves around our little angel and we have named him 'Aarya' :-)

He is 2 months old today and I am slowly getting ready to get back to work as well. He has started recognizing us and talks a lot about things he alone knows and you can high pitched screams when he wants to drive a point home :-)

He sleeps through the day and keeps us awake in the night, we are trying to bring him into our schedule... but I am sure it isi going to take some time :D

I have not been reading much but started recently reading ...

It is a lovely story set in the 1300's, here is a little about the book -

Forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just 13 years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he really loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work? 

Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built. 

Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham's impeccable research will delight avid historical fiction readers, and her enchanting characters will surely capture every reader's heart. Fans of her first novel, The Traitor's Wife, will be thrilled to find that this story follows the next generation of the Despenser family.

Hope all of you are having a nice time out there :)

"It isn't the big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones."— Jean Webster