Book Tour: Spirit of the Revolution by Debbie Peterson; Review + Giveaway

Spirit of the Revolution
Author: Debbie Peterson
Format: Paperback & E-book
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publish Date: 24 January 2013

Only divine intervention could have guided Jolena Leigh Michaelsson to the doorstep of a ramshackle manor in Pennsylvania, bringing her face-to-face with the man she has waited her whole life to find. There is just one problem. Mathias McGregor died two centuries ago…
 Mathias, Revolutionary War ranger and spy, battles his conscience and his heart when he finds himself falling for the beautiful violinist invading his home. Jolena is mortal and deserves far more than what he as a spirit can offer her.
 When Jolena’s family motto leads them to unearth a valuable coded message—the very message Mathias died trying to deliver to General Washington—Jolena vows to unravel the mystery surrounding the cryptic document. But someone else wants the message, and he’ll stop at nothing to get it, not even murder.
 Divine intervention brought them together—will it also allow them to find forever?

   Amazon

Excerpt

“Oh—” Carolyn cast a brief glance downward and shrugged. “That’s just a document that belongs to a friend of mine. She asked me to preserve it before it fell into ruin. The piece is a record pertaining to her family history, that sort of thing.”

“Really,” Paul replied. He glanced down at the table and spied the printed copies of Jacob’s letter. He then placed his box atop those prints. “My keys,” he said, patting his pockets. “I don’t know what I did with my keys.”

“He’s holding his keys in his hand. What’s he trying to get away with here?” asked Sam as he stepped ever closer to Paul’s position.

“Oh, here they are, right here,” Paul said as he pretended to withdraw them from his pocket. He picked up the boxed tray along with the top most copy of the letter tucked tightly against the bottom and bid Carolyn a good afternoon.

“We cannot allow that miserable dog to have that,” Sam spat.

“No, we can’t and we’re not going to,” Mathias said. “We’re going to follow him outside and take it back.”

My Review:

Whenever I read a romance with a ghost as one of the main characters (it doesn't happen that often) I'm always a tad worried about how the author will make it work. I love a happy ending and if I don't get one, then I'm disgruntled, but it's hard to get one when the heroine or hero is decidedly dead. Luckily, Debbie Peterson pulls this off really well, and I was definitely satisfied with the HEA.

Jolena is drawn to a run down house in Pennsylvania, and sets about restoring it. Soon after moving into her new home, Jolena realises that she is not alone. Mathias, and his friends, have been living in the house (originally Mathias' home) since their deaths in the Revolutionary War. Together they work to discover the reason behind the mission Mathias died trying to carry out.

I loved the interaction between Jolena and the ghosts. Once she got over the initial shock, Jo is surprisingly unperturbed by the presence of ghosts in her home. They're all really friendly and throughout the book, they develop close friendships, and they become like brothers to her. Except of course, for Mathias, that is an entirely different kind of friendship!

The mystery they work to unfold, of what their mission was about, keeps the story moving at a fairly quick pace. It certainly snags your interest! Then there's the added danger brought by the devious Paul, who is determined to get his hands on the historic documents Jolena and the boys unearth.

Mathias' and Jolena's romance is a slow burner. At first, they both try to deny and ignore their feelings as it's impossible for them to be together. But eventually they both come to realise how deeply they care for each other. I really enjoyed the dream scenes where they could be open together, I won't say any more though, I don't want to give any spoilers away!

Overall, the author draws you into this intriguing romance that mixes history and an impossible love. I loved how the story comes together at the end, and I'm very glad that Mathias and Jolena had their happy ending!

*I received a review copy from the author, for my honest review.

About the Author

Debbie has always had a soft spot for fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, and happily ever after endings. Stories of love and make believe filled her head for as long as she can remember. However, it was her beloved husband who encouraged, cajoled and inspired her to take up a pen and write some of them down.
 Her journey to published author could fill quite a few pages, but in June of 2010, she submitted her debut novel, “Spirit of the Rebellion” to her wonderful, patient, editor at The Wild Rose Press. A few short months after Rebellion’s release, her second novel, “Shadow of the Witte Wieven” was published through InkSpell Publishing. Her third novel, “Spirit of the Revolution” will be released May 31, 2013, through The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy conjuring her latest novel, Debbie spends time with the members of her very large family. She also pursues her interests in family history, mythology, and all things ancient and historic.
Author Links: Website  Blog   Twitter   Facebook

Giveaway 

Debbie will be awarding a custom made piece of jewelry to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only). This necklace called "The Jolena" was designed especially for this giveaway by "Shandra Kay." She will also award an e-book copy of Shadow of the Witte Wieven. The winner will have the choice of selecting a Mobi, epub or PDF copy of this book.

To enter leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning, you can follow the tour and comment on other stops. The tour dates can be found here. Good luck!