Ghost Love By Nelli Rees

Welcome Everyone to my 1st posting for Bewitching Book Tours!
 

I'm so excited that I feel like I drank a post of coffee already this morning.  First off let me say a HUGE "THANK YOU" to Roxanne over at Bewitching Book Tours! She was subjected to a test of her patience while dealing with me during the making of this post for sure. I don't know if I would have made it without you, Roxanne. I have a new button on the side that will show you all the goods at BBT!
 

 

I'm going to share with you some great excerpts from 'Ghost Love', an introduction to the author; Nelli Rees and my review.  Also stick around for a chance to winning some Fabulous prizes!!  I am pleased to introduce you to Nelli Rees' 'Ghost Love'. 
 

Ghost Love 
Nelli Rees
 
Genre: Romance (with a hint of the paranormal)
 
Publisher: Phaze
 
Date of Publication: 20th January 2015
 
ISBN: ISBN-13 978-1-60659-849-8
ASIN: B00SNYRXH8
 
Number of pages: 332
Word Count: 90,000
 
Cover Artist: Niki Browning
 
Book Description:
 
In the madcap, chaotic days when Communism crumbled in the USSR, Tonia meets and falls in love with Englishman, Peter Monroe. Despite the protests of her family and the more strenuous objections of the KGB Tonia agrees to marry Peter only for him to mysteriously disappear.
 
Twenty years later a life-toughened Toni must revisit these bitter-sweet memories when she finds herself and her daughters endangered by the consequences of that love affair.
In her despair Toni comes to realize that true love really does conquer all … even death.

Available at   Phaze Amazon BN ARe
 
Excerpt:
 
Prologue
 
Present Day: Dorset, England
 
Excitement being a kindred spirit to fear, Toni was undecided as to whether it was a trickle of fear she felt shivering down her spine or a trickle of excitement. 
As she sat staring at the screen of her laptop, the darkness shrouding the room seemed to draw in on her: her head swam, her palms became clammy. Tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked them away, hoping that by doing so the message on her screen would disappear. It didn’t.
 
Peter Monroe wants to be friends on Facebook
 
Hesitantly she maneuvered the cursor over the ‘connect’ button and pressed ‘enter.’ The screen mutated to show the Facebook page for ‘Peter Monroe.’ It was Peter! She recognized the profile photograph instantly. She’d taken it. She remembered posing him in front of the bandstand in Gorki Park on that spring day back in 1990, remembered laughing at the stupid faces he pulled, remembered the way his long chestnut hair flopped over his forehead, remembered…
 
How could she forget? He had been her one true love.
Love. A word made empty by misuse…by overuse. She wondered how many had ever endured the touch of real love, that soul-eviscerating sensation that comes when you know you have found your soul-mate. Very few, she decided. Perhaps this was all for the good: true love brought anguish in equal measure to joy. As the last twenty years had taught her, finding true love was a bitter-sweet blessing. Her fingers trembled as she typed.
 
Is it really you, Peter?
 
The reply was instantaneous
 
.
Yes…I’ve missed you, Tonia.
 
She couldn’t stop herself: the tears flowed down her cheeks.
But…
 
She paused, terrified that what she would type next might cause this marvelous mirage to vanish.
 
But I thought you were dead?
 
The seconds ticked by, then:
 
I am. 
 
Now with a sneak peek like that, let's meet the author, Nellie Rees.
 

About the Author: 
 
Nelli Rees, born in Moscow, trained as a linguist and a musician. With her future husband Englishman Rod she worked and traveled around Russia, finally coming to live in England in 1998. Nelli has had several successful careers: recording a critically acclaimed nu-jazz album “Jazz Noir”, becoming an award-winning jewellery maker, writing a book “Glass Bead Jewelry Projects”, and doing all this whilst being a mother and a wife. “Ghost Love” is Nelli’s first novel and draws heavily on her own experiences as a young woman in Soviet Russia and the obstacles she and her husband-to-be faced during those difficult times. 
 
www.ghostlovebynellirees.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/nellirees.author
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32558285-nelli-rees
Video of Nelli performing "Falling In Love Again":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2J5Phukc8Y
1
 
I had received an eARC from Bewitching Book Tours(BBT)in exchange for my honest review a head of time; so that I might share it with you today.  
What fascinated me about the book was the setting in the year of 1989. That was the year I graduated high school, George Bush Sr. became President, and Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 
 
The late 80's/early 90's - relations between the Soviet Union and the United States were fraught with tensions between the two superpowers. It is set in a time period that many of us saw and can relate to. Or know of someone like a parent, that also was when the revolution of technology had exploded as we entered a new decade. 
 
This book was a fast paced read that had me guessing to the end and left me sitting there with a surprised look and a dropped jaw. The unexpected twist was mind boggling. 
 
We start in Moscow,and we see things from Tonia's PoV. I found it appealing as Nellie builds the story around our main female character: Tonia, with the familiarity of her own personal background. I don't normally find many book with geographic location with the likes of this one. And I was able to visualize the scenes and the characters being built as if I was right there. The relationships with the other characters developing just like that in "real" life that has you understanding how the puzzle pieces come together at the end.
 
But don't go thinking that you have it figured out in the middle of the book. You will end up with a surprise or two. I was able to feel the shy blush associated a bud romance with Tonia as she meets and spends her time with Peter. But you can also cross scenes where you're feeling loss,anxious,happiness,terror,horror, sadness and empathy with not only Tonia, but the rest of the cast too. This paranormal thriller keep you come back for more. It's pages had me enthralled over the duration of three nights. I have to admit that in the first sitting, I knocked out 83 of it's 332 pages before my e-reader startled me after the third or fourth time it clunked me in the forehead as I keep falling asleep.  
 
Now the question is will there be a sequel? I certainly hope so!! I put in my plead for it right here and now Nellie. This book is able to cross several categories including: Young Adult, paranormal and suspense. It's a "clean read" that is more believability that we don't see much these days. But I can say that it has that feel of 'If I Stay' and 'Lovely Bones' to it and it would be in fine company with them.
 
Given that, I would confidentially give this book a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars. But of course that is my opinion,so I offer it up to you to check this book out for yourself. I don't think you will be disappointed at all!
 

 

Let me tell we have some FABULOUS prizes to give-a-way to some every lucky visitors!! There are 14 ... YES ...14! That is 14 prizes for my lucky readers from pretty jewelry items made with lampwork beads, to many things for us readers to enjoy like Signed copies of 'Ghost Love',and Nellie's bead book. For those Jazz listener there is a special little something there for you too!

Tour giveaways:
 

Prize 1: "Pink Flowers" Necklace from Nelli’s "Jewelry for All Seasons" collection (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver findings, crystals and hand dyed silk ribbon);
 

Prize 2: "Malachite Mystery" Pendant and earrings (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver findings and chain, crystals);
 

Prize 3: "Tiger! Tiger!" Earrings (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver findings, crystals);
 

Prizes 4-7: Bookmarks with glass bead ornamentation (handmade lampwork beads, crystals, steel dividers);
 
Prize 8: Signed paperback copy of 'Ghost Love';
 

Prize 9: Signed copy of Nelli’s book 'Glass Bead Jewelry Projects';

Prize 10 - 14: Signed promo copies of Nelli’s album 'Jazz Noir'.  

 

 

For even more chances to win this Great swag please visit BBT here:

http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/2015/05/now-on-tour-ghost-love-by-nelli-rees.html

So as I for now I bid you a fair "Adieu".  Please be sure to try for those wonderful prizes before you leave.  I love comments and try my best to reply to them all.  Until next time ...

Toodles,
Tricia