How are you, my dear friends and readers? My apologies for neglecting this blog, as I have to say I have been spending much of my time watching dramas and not to mention reading. How come there are no reviews,  I can imagine some of you asking. Well, it is because I have been reading Chinese novels lately but didn't have the time in posting them. You see, usually I will try to have a brief English summary (or translation) after writing my thoughts in Chinese and as much as I want to write them, my mind keep telling me to do otherwise, ha. Anyways, this post is about Sungkyunkwan Scandal, a Korean drama which I watched some months ago but the purpose of this post is to share my thoughts after reading the Chinese book version of it (written by Jung Eun-gwol). Usually I'm the person who would read the books first before watching the movies (dramas), but in this case it is vice versa since (i) I didn't know there is a book version until later, and (ii) my idol, Micky Park YuChun starred in this drama. To keep this post from an idol raving post, I would try to keep this post focused on the drama instead of Micky, or at least the role he played as a diligent and down-to-earth scholar.

Set in the late Joseon era during the reign of King Jeongio, Sungyunkwan Scandal is a story revolving four youths during the time they are studying in Sungkyunkwan University. The society during that period does not allow females to be educated, thus Kim Yoon Hee, a girl disguises herself as her brother (under his name, Kim Yoon Shik) to enrol into that University to make ends meet for her family, while at the same time she earns extras by becoming a substitute test-taker (which is an illegal act) for the entrance examination in the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University. There, she befriended the intelligent and upright Lee Sun Joon (starring Micky Park YuChun), the playboy Goo Yong Ha (starring Song Joong-ki) and the rebellious and hot-tempered Moon Jae Shin (starring Yoo Ah-in).

Studying in Sungkyunkwan is a challenging task to Yoon Hee as she has to keep up with the heavy school works besides keeping her disguise from being discovered. However, the most difficult task is trying to act nonchalant with so many men around her and trying not to act like a huge sissy while insisting to keep her clothes on whenever there are events such as soaking in the lake, playing in the field or even sleeping topless. Little did she know that Yong Ha and Jae Shin harbour suspicions over her gender but they remain silent and protect her in their own ways.



As the days passes, Yoon Hee begins to fall in love with Sun Joon yet she couldn't tell him the truth, for fear of expelling from Sungkyunkwan. On the other hand, Sun Joon begins to question his liking towards Yoon Hee and is afraid that his emotions towards her is unnatural and immoral, since he thinks Yoon Hee is a guy. It is only during an outing when Sun Joon accidentally discovers she is a woman and their feelings towards each other soars thereafter. Still, they have to keep their acts calm and together and the moments they are together alone are so rare and precious.

To complicate matters, Yoon Hee has an admirer in Joseon's most famous courtesan, who thinks he is an intelligent and righteous fellow unlike her other clients. Meanwhile, Jae Shin has a secret identity as he anonymously posts poetic essays about the unfairness and unsatisfactory views on the state of Joseon. Now posting such essays are illegal acts and he could be sentenced to jail or receive severe punishments, and it is through these times that he receives assistance from his three trusted friends.

ISBN-13: 9789573330165
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: September 2013
Format: Paperback, 254 pgs
Source: Personal Library

ISBN-13: 9780062197269
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: January 2013
Format: Trade paperback, 410 pgs
Source: Personal Library

ISBN-13: 9780679781387

Set in Britain during the 1950s, this is a story narrated by Dr Peter Cleave, a psychiatrist over an incident which happened to the Raphaels during his work at a countryside mental institution. Stella Raphael, who is the lead character of this story, is supposed to have a happy family. After all, she and her husband has a ten-year-old son and her husband has the hope of becoming the next superintendent at the mental institution. However, she has done the unthinkable and has an affair with Edgar Stark, who is a patient of Dr Cleave.

Not only that Edgar is mentally disturbed, but he also shows no remorse after he gruesomely murdered his wife and think what he did is justifiable. The reason he murdered his wife is because he thinks his wife had a lover and even a small and mundane gesture would ignite his anger. In other words, he simply has this disillusion that his wife is betraying him.

Not deterred by his past, Stella sees him as charming and a talented artist who shows passion in his sculpture. Their relationship started when Edgar, among many parole patients, is asked to restore an old conservatory which is ruined when they moved into the house. They were living in London before then.

The story then escalates to the point where Stella decides to ditch her family and follows Edgar after he managed to make an escape from the institution. But soon that attraction slowly fades and Edgar began to show his dark side when he starts to get violent with her. What happened then, I shall leave it to you to read it yourself but I would say this is one of the best books I read since the beginning of 2012. Aside from the characterisations, the setting and the plot, what I liked is it is written in a narrative style and from an observer's point of view. Dr Cleave's POV is refreshing in a way that you may view it as a medical case study as well as reading what he had experienced throughout the ordeal.

What I felt while reading this book could be described as a roller coaster experience. There are times I felt intense after reading what Edgar had done with his ex-wife; the things he had done to her are unbelievable and gruesome. Then, there are also times when I felt angry at Stella. I was angry that she failed to recognise the danger she would be in and at some points even gave excuses when Edgar behaves irrationally. After all, how reliable Edgar can be? And what about her family, especially her young son? She did give readers the impression that she is bored with her life; after all Max barely showers her with love and attention, but still . . . to get involved with a mentally disturbed patient is simply appalling.

That said, Asylum is a great literary fiction that had my attention from the first page right till the end. I understand that there is a movie (starring Natasha Richardson, Hugh Bonneville and Ian McKellen) based on this novel which was released in 2005 so I might check that out too.

ISBN-13: 9780385613507
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Published: December 2010
416 pgs
Source: Personal Library

Before I start off with the review, I have to thank Kristy for recommending this book to me. Kristy is not a fellow bookblogger, but a staff (who is also a friend to me) working at a bookstore which I used to patronise frequently until my office relocated. Anyway, I was on leave from work the other day to collect some books from her when she shoved this book, You Against Me by Jenny Downham to me. "I think you might love this," that's what she said. I took the book from her, thinking it is a contemporary YA romance based on the cover. However, there isn't a blurb behind the cover except one short sentence printed on it: "You want this to be a love story?" Of course my curiosity was piqued.

Seeing my perplexed look, Kristy plucked the book out of my hands and began to tear off the plastic sheets that wrapped the book neatly and securely. "There, now you can find out how you like it." I flipped the cover and I read the blurb on the bookjacket. And I liked what I read, so I bought it together with those books she had reserved for me. I read this book the following day, and couldn't put it down. Are you still with me? I'm sorry I rambled, but I just want to share with you how this book came to me, and that I owed Kristy for recommending such a great book to me.

The story begins with Mikey McKenzie's family crumbling down when his younger sister, Karyn, being sexually assaulted by a guy named Tom Parker; a guy whom most of her school mates knew she had had a crush on him. The thing is, they were drunk with their friends at a party at his house and no one knew what happened except his younger sister, Ellie Parker. Though Tom is being charged, there are also some speculations surrounding Karyn though it is minimal. Just when you already felt the tension there, the momentum shifted when Mikey and Ellie met each other. Mikey wanted revenge for his sister, so he thought Ellie would be a good target to start with. However, the more Mikey knows Ellie, his feelings start to change.

Ellie, on the other hand, is a lonely girl who doesn't has many friends in school. To make things worse, her life has became a scrutiny to others in school now that her brother is charged for sexual assault. However, her world changes after she befriended with Mikey and she felt he is the only person who could understand her. For the first time in her life, she felt loved until she began to realise who he is.

You Against Me is a terrific contemporary YA novel that touches on family, loyalty, choice and of course, love. However this book is not suitable for younger readers for its topic, plus it has themes on alcohol and drugs. What I loved about this story is aside from the story is told, the characterisations are great and though Mikey and Ellie have their flaws and all, the way they are portrayed are real and honest. I felt for them, and I sympathised with them for the situation they were in. And then of course, I didn't know who I was angry with most. Mikey for his revenge plan, Ellie for her lies (I wouldn't want to say more to avoid spoilers), or Tom being the one who has started it all? I could only describe my reading experience is equivalent to riding a roller coaster ride, because I just don't know where it would take me and how far/steep the fall would go.

ISBN-13: 9781608870080
Publisher: Palace Publishing Group
Published: November 2010
12 pgs
Source: Personal Library

There was one passage (as above) which I liked, as it reminds me of a famous quote by Mohandas Gandhi - "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." But of course Confession is not only a story about revenge, but a psychological one which makes us to think and take a deeper look into humanity and the social problems we face today. Confession has been made into a film and it has been selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards. I hope there will be an English edition of this story next. And as for this manga edition, I can only say that Marumi Kimura has totally left me in awe of her work.

当爱重返身边, 才发现,
你, 一直都在。

好久, 好久没好好地坐下来享受读着张小娴的书了。每一回读她的书籍, 都会被她细腻的文笔深深感动着。 那种感觉, 久久都会停留在我的脑海里, 挥之不去。她的文笔, 象施了魔法般把我带进她的故事世界里, 让我觉得故事里的人、事、物仿佛都在我的身边。我想，这就是张小娴的魅力吧。她的故事总能触动着我的心。

在〈我的爱如此麻辣〉中，她以一贯细腻、流畅的文笔，再一次把读者带进她的爱情世界里。故事中的女主角叫夏如星；她的生活本来过得无忧无虑，但自从父亲得了血管瘤离开人世后，她的人生开始起了变化，从此也改变了她对所有人世间的看法。因为父亲是开麻辣火鍋店的，本来对烹饪一窍不通的她，为了保留父亲所留下的麻辣火鍋店，决定下定决心要把麻辣火鍋店的生意做好，而另一个原因就是麻辣火鍋曾给父亲留下美好的儿时回忆。为了这些，她不想辜负他。

为了找寻麻辣火鍋的秘方，夏如星竟无意中发现爸爸藏了大半輩子的秘密。原来除了她，夏如星发现父亲在另外兩個相隔萬里另有两个女兒！这个突如其来的发现简直是晴天霹雳，令夏如星不知所措。但夏如日和夏如月毕竟是她的姐姐，夏如星没有理由不把父亲的死讯告诉她们。就因这事故把夏家三姐妹相聚在一起；她们的共同点就是经营父亲的麻辣火鍋店，使它起死回生 （父亲在世时，生意本来一落千丈，负债累累）。

除了夏家三姐妹的故事，〈我的爱如此麻辣〉其实是记载了夏如星和青梅竹马李浩山信件交换的种种心情。夏如星透过这些信件，与浩山分享着她生活上的所有点滴，包括她和姐姐们如何相遇和在一起的心得。虽然隔著萬水千山（浩山在马拉威当义工，夏如星则在香港），但浩山的信总为她带来温柔的慰藉，更让她领悟到人生其实可以很简单，只看个人如何对待各自的生活与目标。浩山曾对夏如星说，人与人的相识相遇，都是因缘聚合，而缘分是永不流逝的餐宴。他的这番话不止深深地烙印在夏如星的心里，更深深地感动了我。没错，如果我与你没有因缘，我们如何在这茫茫人海中相遇又相知呢？

It's been a while since I have read a Chinese novel; and even if I do read them I don't do a review on them because my main focus is on English novels. However I have to make an exception here simply because I loved this book so much! (Correction: I love all Amy Cheung's books because her writing is beautiful and poetic; and her stories always touches my heart.) For this English review, I will take a different approach from the Chinese in including the spoilers.

Amy Curry's life is never the same again ever since her twin brother Charlie has gone off to North Carolina for a rehab program but the worst hit was her father's death due to a car accident. She has been living in California all the while until her mother moves to Connecticut for a teaching position, leaving her alone to finish off her junior year of high school and then she'd start her senior year in Connecticut later. It'd be easy if things are being left off that way but one day her mother decided that she wants Amy to drive cross-country style to Connecticut and has made arrangement with a family friend's son to travel with her.

Amy has no recollection of Roger Sullivan despite her mother's assurance that they knew each other when they were younger, but she went along with her mother's idea if that makes her happy. They shouldn't have any problems or worries since her mother has pre-planned the itinerary and have made hotels arrangements for them, but they decided to make a detour to Yosemite and they think it'd be an experience to visit the National Park. However, it doesn't just end there. Eventually they decided not to follow her mother's pre-planned itinerary and made more detours to Colorado, Kansas, Graceland and Kentucky until her mother is furious about her and cuts off the access to her credit card, leaving both of them on a tight budget and all. But that doesn't seem to worry Amy and Roger as they have never feel so happy and at ease in their life. It is also at this moment that they start to get to know each other more, and though Amy starts to develop feelings for him she isn't sure if he feels the same since she thinks he still misses his ex-girlfriend.

ISBN-13: 9780671657864
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 1988
221 pgs
Source: Loaned from friend

I rarely read non-fiction. To be exact, I hardly read them unless the subject interest me or someone has highly recommended them to me. I read Many Lives, Many Masters based on the latter and let me say this is one of the most interesting and enlightening reads I read in years. I have to confess while writing this, I am still pondering over the subjects (or the encounters experienced by the author and one of his patients) mentioned because it is such a thought-provoking read and most of all, I am afraid I may not do justice to this book but still I am going to give it my best shot.

Many Lives, Many Masters is the true story of a prominent psychiatrist (who is the author of this book), his young patient, Catherine, and how past-life therapy that will change both of their lives. To begin with, Catherine is plagued by nightmares and anxiety for years but she is reluctant to seek any medical assistance initially. When these troubling issues continue, she decided to seek help through Dr. Weiss. Dr. Weiss had tried out a few therapy sessions with Catherine but did not see any improvement in her, finally he tried the hypnosis therapy and Catherine began to recall her past lives that answers her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks.

From a medical perspective, Dr. Weiss is both astonished and skeptical by this findings but he keeps an open mind and continues to use this therapy as he keep an eye on Catherine's progress as the sessions go along. As each session goes by, both Dr. Weiss and Catherine have learned something more about Catherine as well as her past lives and how each of her past life has, in one way or another affects her present life. What most astonishing is, Catherine is mentally stable and does not have any hallucination or sleepwalking issues but she is able to recall a few of her past lives providing sharp and accurate details. Now at this point, Dr. Weiss is very intrigued by Catherine's past and the fact how she is able to relate the encounter of her past lives given she is neither an actress nor an imaginative person in nature. But that is not all, at times Catherine is able to send philosophical messages in her subconscious state during the sessions and this has further intrigued the non-spiritual and with a scientific mind Dr. Weiss.

Dr. Weiss later learned that the messages Catherine has conveyed are from the Master Spirits and through those messages, I learned that we are all inter-connected; and that we have a purpose for living and it is through the lessons we learned and to teach others, we all will attain a happy, harmony and a balance life. I also learned that one is always responsible for the deeds he has done, and why our actions matter and will inadvertently affect our present or future lives.

To put it simply, Many Lives, Many Masters allows the readers to think more deeply about their lives and to reinforce the idea that what we are today are the consequences of what we did in our previous lives (that explains why some people are born with certain talents). Well, I wish I could elaborate more about this wonderful book but I won't considering this post is already long enough, instead I shall share with you a few lovely passages from the book:

"Balance and harmony are neglected today, yet they are the foundation of wisdom. Everything is done to excess. People are overweight because they eat excessively. Joggers neglect aspects of themselves and others because they run excessively. People seem excessively mean. They drink too much, smoke too much, carouse too much (or too little), talk too much without content, worry too much. There is too much black-or-white thinking. All or none. This is not the way of nature. ... In nature there is balance. Beasts destroy in small amounts. Ecological systems are not eliminated en masse. Plants are consumed and then grow. The sources of sustenance are dipped into and then replenished. The flower is enjoyed, the fruit eaten, the root preserved.

"Humankind has not learned about balance, let alone practiced it. It is guided by greed and ambition, steered by fear. In this way it will eventually destroy itself. But nature will survive; at least the plants will. ... Happiness is really rooted in simplicity. The tendency to excessiveness in thought and action diminishes happiness. Excesses cloud basic values. Religious people tell us that happiness comes from filling one's heart with love, from faith and hope, from practicing charity and dispensing kindness. They actually are right. Given those attitudes, balance and harmony usually follow. These are collectively a state of being. In these days, they are an altered state of consciousness. It is as if humankind were not in its natural state while on earth. It must reach an altered state in order to fill itself with love and charity and simplicity, to feel purity, to rid itself of its chronic fearfulness. ~ Pg 209-210

"How is it that you say all are equal, yet the obvious contraditions smack us in the face: inequalities in virtues, temperances, finances, rights, abilities and talents, intelligence, mathematical aptitude, ad infinitum?"

The answer was a metaphor. "It is as if a large diamond were to be found inside each person. Picture a diamond a foot long. The diamond has a thousand facets, but the facets are covered with dirt and tar. It is the job of the soul to clean each facet until the surface is brilliant and can reflect a rainbow of colors. Now, some have cleaned many facets and gleam brightly. Others have only managed to clean a few; they do not sparkle so. Yet, underneath the dirt, each person possesses within his or her breast a brilliant diamond with a thousand gleaming facets. The diamond is perfect, not one flaw. The only differences among people are the number of facets cleaned. But each diamond is the same, and each is perfect.

When all the facets are cleaned and shining forth in a spectrum of lights, the diamond returns to the pure energy that it was originally. The lights remain. It is as if the process that goes into making the diamond is reversed, all that pressure released. The pure energy exists in the rainbow of lights, and the lights possess consciousness and knowledge. And all of the diamonds are perfect." ~ Pg 211-212

---

This section has got nothing to do with books or movies, but I am a huge fan of Lu Chen (刘谦)and I want to wish him a Happy Birthday since it is his birthday today!

He will be performing here on 31st July for his World Magical Tour 2010 and I was disappointed that I am not able to attend. Nevertheless I am satisfied enough to watch his appearance on a TV variety show every weekend, and hopefully next time I'd get the chance to watch his performance in person.

ISBN-13: 9780802798220
Publisher: Walker & Company
Published: December 2008
368 pgs
Source: Personal Library

I think Perfect Chemistry is one of the best YA romance I read this year, besides Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols that is. But then again, these books are not all about romance but also about the difficulties and some issues teenagers faced today.

Told in alternating narratives - Brittany Ellis and Alex Fuentes, Perfect Chemistry tells a story of the differences between our two protagonists and how they overcome their difficulties and find love in the end.

When Brittany and Alex first met, they were assigned as lab partners in their Chemistry class. Brittany is beautiful and popular in school, while Alex is viewed as an outcast since he is known to be a gang member of the Latino Blood. It is obvious that they do not belong in each other's world, but their Chemistry teacher refused to budge on Brittany's request to change partners so they are stuck with each other.

Truth be told, Brittany and Alex aren't like what others think they are. Brittany might give people the impression she is living a happy and perfect life, but actually no one knew she is unhappy with her parents and that she loves her sister dearly despite she has severe cerebral palsy and she is always taking some time to keep her company and so forth. Alex, on the other hand, is not as bad as what he has portrayed to the outside world. Deep in his heart, he wishes to go to college and lead a decent life. The reason he is a Latino Blood member is to keep his family safe and that it would exempt his two younger brothers from joining the gang.

The story took a turn when Brittany and Alex start to look at each other differently the more they know each other as the days went by, but that was before Alex took a bet with his friends that he could have Brittany in a matter of time. Meanwhile, Brittany has fell in love with Alex and decided to ditch her glitzy life and be with him, after all she knew she isn't perfect, and her relationship with her boyfriend has began to fall apart. Alex has wanted to leave the gang all the while, but something kept him from doing so and this is where the intensity and the complexity of the plot set in as readers read about the struggle between Brittany and Alex, and the consequences thereafter.

What can I say? I enjoyed this book immensely! What I loved about this story is it shows two people of different status and race falling in love, and most of all they are not afraid to make changes and be real not only to others but to themselves as well. I liked the alternating narrative as it allows the readers to view from their standpoint; I also liked the way they used two types of fonts at the opening of each chapter as a representation of them. Because this story covers issues like drugs, sex and some gang activities, it is not recommended for younger readers.

Finally, I was thrilled that I managed to borrow Rules of Attraction (which I'm currently reading) that features Alex's younger brother, Carlos. Like Alex, he is another interesting character and I cannot wait to see what is in store for him.

(Click here for other bookbloggers' reviews.)

ISBN-13: 978-0140374551
Publisher: Puffin Classics
Published: September 1995
185 pgs
Source: Personal Library

ISBN-13: 9781416571735
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: March 2009
256 pgs
Source: Personal Library

I have not read anything by Jennifer Echols, so I bought Going Too Far after reading several good reviews on it. I have to say I totally enjoyed the reading experience. Packed with teenage angst, intense and not to mention romance, this is one of the best YA novels I have read this year!

Seventeen-year-old Meg McPherson wants an escape. To sum things up, she wants to get away from school, her parents, and even her life. And by doing so, she seeks thrills and excitement and this lead her into trouble when she and her boyfriend, Eric, crossed line with a cop (who is known as Officer After) when he caught them at a railway bridge.

Charged for underage drinking and not to mention illegal drug use (it is actually Eric's doings but of course the cop couldn't care less), Meg has to ride along with Officer After and to submit a report as a form of punishment as well as a reminder to other teenagers about the consequences and also what she has learned from these experiences. Eric managed to escape from this thanks to his parents, while Meg's parents have gotten used of her troubles and think it is best to sort things out on her own, but deep down they do care a lot and want everything the best for her.

Just when Meg thinks her spring break is totally ruined, one of the things she did not expect is finding out that Officer After is just a 19-year-old guy, and that she is attracted by him. But what she does not know is that Officer After has also developed feelings for her along the way and she would soon discover his reason over his obsession with the railway bridge.

What can I say? I totally enjoyed reading Going Too Far! One of the things I admired about Meg is she is frank and is not afraid of consequences. Though she may seem rebellious at times, that is her method of dealing with all the stress and problems she has faced and my heart totally ached for her after learning what she has gone through during her early teenaged years. Officer After is another interesting character because he too, has his issues. His righteousness will definitely charm you off but on a certain level he is vulnerable too so I could see the connections between him and Meg.

I look forward to reading other releases by Jennifer Echols.

(Click here to read more reviews of Going Too Far.)

The True Spirit of Christmas
by Marajo Tenderass

Lots of people
Crowds everywhere
Rushing and pushing and shoving,
Going nowhere.
It's Christmas time again
Have to get all those things done
Hustle, bustle, quickly,
We must beat the sun.
Must get this and must get that
Maybe this nic, maybe that nak
When did it happen?
When did we lose track...
It's a race, yes it is
We are running, yes we are
But lets not forget
Before we get too far-
What is really really important
Doesn't take much to figure out
Take time to love
and love from the heart.

ISBN-13: 9780380773527
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: September 2003
373 pgs

Sara Fielding is unlike the other females in her village Greenwood Corners, for starters she has a streak for adventures and it is not surprising considering she is a writer and she would venture to anywhere for research for her books.

To find out more about the gambling clubs and how they operate for her next book, she leaves the shelter of her safe, country cottage in Greenwood Corners and into Derek Craven's world, for he is the proud owner of a well-known gambling club and she is sure she could find any information she could get from that place. However, Sara did not expect she could meet Derek in person so soon, after she has somehow saved him from an assault.

Derek Craven is a handsome, tough and a tenacious man. Unlike Sara, he came from a working-class background but he rose from poverty to become the wealthy lord of London's most exclusive gambling house through his wit and lots of filthy, hard work. His unhappy childhood has made him a hardened man, and he does not trust people easily. After the assault incident, Derek has no choice but to allow Sara to enter into his club, and though he would not admit it, he is somehow fascinated by her courage and her impeccable manners.

Slowly, they attracted and fell in love with each other, but one of Derek's past lovers is very angry of him for severing all ties with her and she is going to make him and Sara pay at all costs.

Other reviews:
Book Binge
Reading Adventures
The Book Smugglers
(Let me know if I missed yours.)

ISBN-13: 9780451227997
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Published: November 2009
335 pgs

When bricks crumble, the fireplace falls;
When children cry, the mothers call.
When lies are told, the sins are built,
Within the waves, hide all our guilt. ~Pg 20

I enjoyed reading The House on Tradd Street by Karen White so much so that I read the next installment, The Girl on Legare Street right after I finished that book.

Well, where shall I begin? For starters, let's say I loved this book more than The House on Tradd Street. Don't get me wrong, I loved that book, but this book is better in my opinion. And also, I loved seeing Realtor Melanie Middleton and True historical crime writer Jack Trenholm are back together again working on another project - this time around it is the mystery and secrets surrounding her ancestral home on Legare Street.

Melanie is still recovering from her bewilderment on inheriting a historical estate on Tradd Street as from the previous book, so when Ginnette, her estranged mother suddenly returns to Charleston and told her she needs to protect her after receiving a premonition (readers who have read The House on Tradd Street would know that Melanie and Ginnette have psychic abilities) and she fears Melanie might be in great danger from a supernatural force, which she sensed has got something to do with the house on Legare Street left by her late mother, Sarah Manigault Prioleau as she had left some clues behind and she is determined to unravel the secrets behind the old house.

Melanie is still feeling terribly hurt by her mother's sudden departure thirty-five years ago, but she gave in to Ginnette's offer to stay in the house on Legare Street, since her historical house on Tradd Street is under major renovation and plus, Jack Trenholm offers to help them in investigating the mystery. Melanie might not want to admit it, but she could not help but feel attracted towards Jack although at times she is confused by the way he talks and acts around her. To heighten the complexity, Rebecca Edgerton, a reporter and an old friend of Jack, enter into the picture and Melanie is not sure if she is unhappy over her insistent probing on the house or that she is getting too cozy with Jack. Either way, it irritates her but she is soon caught up by the intrigue and the secrets of the Legare Street's house and besides, she is also interested to find more about her supernatural protector, who had kept her accompany since she was staying in the house on Legare Street when she was young and knowing that he is somewhat linked to the mystery.

What I loved about this book is the great characterization and the author has a way in building the tension and suspense. I find myself flipping through the pages quickly and/or holding my breath most of the times while reading this book and immersed into the story deeply that at times I have to remind myself that this is not a true story and that Melanie is only a fictional character. Rebecca gets on my nerves and I have to admit I do not really like or trust her in the beginning of the story, but you know how one's opinion will change once the story slowly unfolds in front of your eyes and that things might not be what it seems at first.

I enjoyed reading the history of the Legare Street's house, and I was really intrigued by the family tree of the Prioleau's family and some others. Though the story is nicely wrapped up, I felt a little perplexed over a particular character towards the end and I hope the next book (considering if there is a sequel, that is) will be able to shed some light on the issue.

Last but not least, I want to thank Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting for sending this book to me for review.