Review: The Estate by J. Paulette Forshey

Reviewed by Sandra Scholes

It is rare to find anyone whose dreams are real, but Cuillean Kelley thinks it is a possibility. Every night he wakes up after the same dream where a beautiful woman invades him and has him feeling as though his encounter with her was as real as breathing. His journey to the outskirts of Savanna takes him to where he can find a series of books, ones so rare he has a doubtful chance of actually finding them. These books he is looking for are to help the beauty in his dream world – she is trapped in a cruel prison not of this earth, and he wants more than anything to set her free.

J. Paulette gets right to the heart of the story with Cuillean going to find the books he needs so badly. The story sounds so poetic as though it were a dream even though he is awake, and shows how determined he is to give his dream woman a chance at life. As it is set during the time of the American Civil War, not everyone likes Cuillean being around them as they think he is a Yankee, but there are others who welcome him into their area even if he is a little worse for wear and unkempt.

There are plenty of rumours about an old house with ghostly and grizzly goings on after a murder, and the owner who originally wanted someone to catalogue his collection of arcane books. As no one has enough guts to go into the house, Cuillean is the one who thinks it would be good to give it a go. I loved the fact that Friday the 13th was chosen for when the ghostly events happened as the number alone is sure to give folk the willies.

Though it takes some time to get to the naughty bits, this is a very satisfying short novel many will enjoy reading on the train, bus or plane - it's a real after work fix.

Rating:

Buy: The Estate