Book Review: Inn at Last Chance

Book: Inn at Last Chance (Last Chance book #7) by Hope Ramsay

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Jenny Carpenter is the unrivaled pie-baking champion of Last Chance, South Carolina's annual Watermelon Festival and the town's unofficial spinster. With her dream of marriage and children on hold, she focuses on another dream, turning the local haunted house into a charming bed-and-breakfast. But her plans go off course when the home's former owner shows up on her doorstep on a dark and stormy night . . .

Mega-bestselling horror writer Gabriel Raintree is as mysterious and tortured as his heroes. His family's long-deserted mansion is just the inspiration he needs to finish his latest twisted tale, or so he thinks until he learns it's been sold. The new innkeeper proves to be as determined as she is kind, and soon Gabriel finds himself a paying guest in his own home. As Jenny and Gabe bring new passion to the old house, can she convince him to leave the ghosts of his past behind-and make Last Chance their first choice for a future together?



Rating: 2 stars

Review:

Oh, this started out so good but the story quickly fizzled.

The story is about Jenny Carpenter who despite only being 36 years old, she acts like a really old lady. She wears old baggy clothes and shows no interest in her appearance and also seems to believe she’s an old spinster. She has recently purchased the old Jonquil House with plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast.

But on one stormy night Gabriel Raintree showed up at the place demanding a room even though the place wasn’t up and running yet. He was a bestselling writer of horror books and also the former owner of the home.

But after sending the writer packing, Jenny sat down to read a book but something strange happened. She wasn’t quite sure if she had just dreamed the strange occurrence because there was no way that it happened. The next morning not thinking anything else about it Jenny continue with getting the house ready.

Gabe's life is filled with strange things happening and having grown up in the small town his life has also been filled with tragedy including the death of his older brother Luke back when they were kids. And being back in town seems to have re-awakened a few ghosts (although he doesn’t believe in them).

Gabe was able to stay at Jonquil House after he had injured himself due to Jenny's dog and he took up residence there to write his latest novel. But as Gabe settled in, more and more strange things started to happen. And it had him wanting to know the truth behind his brother's death.

There is also an eccentric loner Zeph Gibbs who may or may not have had anything to do with Gabe’s brother’s death. Something happened to Luke and Zeph seems to want everyone to believe that he was the cause of it and has chosen to take the blame for the accidental death for nearly 25 years.

As I said this started out good and spooky but then the story started to lose focus and in the end I was disappointed because this felt like a retelling of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte but with ghosts added. I'm not surprised since the book was mentioned quite a few times in this story and there were a lot of scenes similar to Jane Eyre.

This story turned into nothing short of a boring novel. Even finding out what was the cause of all the strange occurrences didn't do anything to boost this story along with who was responsible for Luke's death.

Despite the book turning into a bore, I did think the author did a really good job with writing the haunted eerie scenes but I thought the attempts at romance between Gabe and Jenny lacked chemistry. Even when Jenny got a make-over (I saw that coming a mile away) and set out to seduce Gabe (not my words the author’s) there was still no chemistry between them.

So in the end, this was a bit of a let down.