Friday, June 1, 2018

Release Day Review: Wight Mischief by JL Merrow




Title: Wight Mischief
Author: JL Merrow
Release Date: June 1, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 209

Dreamspinner Press


A ghost of a chance at love.

Personal trainer Will Golding has been looking forward to a getaway with his best friend, Baz, a journalist researching a book on ghosts. But on the first day of their camping trip on the Isle of Wight, Will takes a walk on a secluded beach and spies a beautiful young man skinny-dipping by moonlight. Ethereally pale, he’s too perfect to be real—or is he?

Lonely author Marcus Devereux is just as entranced by the tall athlete he encounters on the beach, but he’s spent the years since his parents’ violent death building a wall around his heart, and the thought of letting Will scale it is terrifying. Marcus’s albinism gives him his otherworldly appearance and leaves him reluctant to go out in daylight, his reclusiveness encouraged by his guardian—who warns him to stay away from Will and Baz.

The attraction between Will and Marcus can’t be denied—but neither can the danger of the secrets haunting Marcus’s past, as one “accident” after another strikes Will and Baz. If they don’t watch their step, they could end up added to the island’s ghostly population.

First Edition published by Samhain Publishing Ltd., November 2011.





3.5 Stars

So, while I'm a big fan of JL Merrow's books, lately, they've been pretty hit or miss for me, this one, unfortunately, was a near miss.

I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters, except Will, who was lovely, even if naïve and oblivious. Frankly, he was the only one I didn't want to see drop off a cliff and die, so that's a plus for him.

Marcus was supposed to be Will's romantic interest, and while they had some scenes together, they weren't quite enough to make me feel their connection. Never mind that Marcus was very quick at jumping to conclusions no matter how many times William tried to show he was trustworthy.

Then we have Baz, Will's supposed BFF, who was a first-class twatwaffle. I say supposed because while Will was certainly his friend and loved him, I felt as if Baz mostly used Will, be it for blowjobs or to feel better about himself compared to Will. Truly, the only reason I was happy that Will transferred his crush to Marcus, was that Marcus actually seemed interested in Will in return and that it made Will cut the umbilical cord with Baz.

The mystery wasn't really a mystery, seeing as it didn't take long to spot who the bad guy was. I guess I could forgive Marcus for not realizing it sooner, considering he'd lost both his parents and this guy brainwashed him into believing a different version of how they died.

Overall, while not my favorite JL Merrow book, it was a somewhat entertaining read, and other than me disliking both Marcus and Baz, Will shone in it, so that made it marginally better for me.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

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