wolfie0516 reviewed on
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed the book. As one reveiwer (and the book itself) states, Sebastian is a cold and hard man, but he is a war hero who has faced death and atrocities. He's had to kill people, cruelly interrogate them to get info, witness his comrades being wounded and dying, as well as being critically wounded himself. To deal with this, he's had to distance himself from his feelings. The issue of his being wounded and suffering a slow recovery actually provided a common ground for him and Olivia. Olivia also faced death when she was attacked and shot in the same incident that killed Sebastian's brother and sister-in-law. They were more aware of and sensitive to each other's pain in a way that others were not, as well as dealing with the limitations they faced with their recoveries, which didn't come quickly enough for either one. The "ghostly" aspect also created a common bond for them. They were the only ones to keep seeing the Black Earl's ghost, and at these times were when strange events would take place for the two of them with each other. Their relationship sort of paralleled the one the Earl had with his lady wife, except with a redeeming quality. The Black Earl was cruel, and died without ever becoming a more decent human being or a better husband to his wife, whom he imprisoned in his dungeon and left for months at a time while he sought to fight more battles and make war. Sebastian faces these same issues - cruelty, plans to continue fighting in the war, leaving his wife and castle as soon as he gets married, etc. He even accidentally locks Olivia into the same dungeon cell that the Black Earl used for his wife. The Earl's ghost appears repentant and wants to help them get together and live in a way that is opposite to the way he chose.
The only part that seemed confusing to me was that even though they start in an adversarial manner, they develop a friendship along the way. The confusing part is that although I become convinced that they accept they have a mutual attraction and develop respect and friendship for one another, they and everyone else keep saying that they don't like each other. That made me question what was really going on with them. How can he call her "my heart" and expect us to believe he still dislikes her. It is also sometimes hard to differentiate what "really" takes place between them versus what happens to them in their "dream states" or "ghost-influenced" states.
Overall, I thought it was a great book and liked to see how he softened up and came to value and desire a home and family rather than running away to the sea and needing to constantly face danger.
The only part that seemed confusing to me was that even though they start in an adversarial manner, they develop a friendship along the way. The confusing part is that although I become convinced that they accept they have a mutual attraction and develop respect and friendship for one another, they and everyone else keep saying that they don't like each other. That made me question what was really going on with them. How can he call her "my heart" and expect us to believe he still dislikes her. It is also sometimes hard to differentiate what "really" takes place between them versus what happens to them in their "dream states" or "ghost-influenced" states.
Overall, I thought it was a great book and liked to see how he softened up and came to value and desire a home and family rather than running away to the sea and needing to constantly face danger.
