The Dead Romantics | Book Review.

Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Romance novel, Fiction, Paranormal romance, Humor, Ghost story

I thought I was over books that were based around the main characters being an author until I read The Dead Romantics. I was bought this off of my wishlist by someone from the FB group Booktok Baddies and I'm very thankful for that. I didn't know much about it but as lot of the people in the group were giving it praise so I thought I would tick it off my TBR. 

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a very well known author, she keeps it to herself as best as she can, she's due to finish a book series but there is one big issue, she went through a breakup and no longer believes in love. How can she, an author writing about love, write lies when she herself can't fathom the writing about love (can you blame her).

The biggest obstacle she is having to face is her very handsome new editor Ben refusing to give her an extension on the book, this spells disaster for more than just her career it will ruin the woman who she ghost writes for too. Whilst in the midst of disappear over what she could possibly do, she receives the one phone call she prayed she would never get, her father has passed away and her family need her home at once. 

Florence knew she had to return, as much as she avoided going back in the 10 years she's been away, she needed to be there for her fathers funeral, you see Florence has a gift which haunts her, growing up around her father who works in a funeral home made it that much worse, florence could see the dead, and she saw just that not long after arriving back in her hometown.. the strangest thing is, the ghost is her new editor Ben. 

Florence keeps a lot inside, growing up around ghosts did a number on her but she tried to turn her life around and focus on books rather than ghosts but now she has returned home she feels uneasy about what to expect, I mean how would you feel if you was literally haunted your whole life? Thinking she would see her father's ghost for her last goodbye she set off back home but a turn of events that she never saw coming happens, the ghost she ends up seeing is Ben, her new editor, why him? Why there? How did he die? How did he end up there? I had so many questions going through my head the whole time I was reading the book.

Not only did she have to go home for her fathers funeral and finish ghostwriting a book to hand in to Ben, now he was there haunting her! From the description of him, it doesn't sound like the haunting would be scary, more so nice to look at, but it would still freak me the fuck out and it makes it that much worse that before he turned into a ghost they shared a kiss, they had a lot of chemistry and now another good thing in her life is gone. I want to emphasize that although this book can be sexy at times, it's not smut, Ashley doesn't delve into sex she describes it vaguely keeping the reader wanting to know what happens next, which I liked, it meant there was more to fill in the gaps.

When Florence first saw Ben I was sure she had manifested him, she couldn't get him out of her mind since their kiss and it makes perfect sense to me that you can  start to see things when something has changed your brain chemistry like the death of a loved one (I'm speaking from experience). When I realised that this wasn't the case and saw the bond the both shared I was worried Florence was going to break her own heart all over again, she was falling for a ghost there was nothing right about this, It's such a random turn of events to be happening at one of the most devastating times in her life.

It's clear how much Florence loved her dad, they shared a gift that both of them would only ever get to experience and now he is gone, she is alone dealing with this gift which feels more like a curse to her. Her dad planning his own funeral showed just how little of a burden he ever wanted to be, but parts of that plan he made Florence and her siblings had to decrypt and of course Florence was the one person who could do that. Clearly their connection with one another was more than just ghosts, they had a connection like no other. 

One thing I would of liked to have seen was Florence's siblings and Ben's perspective in all of this, it was solely based off of Florence's, yes it works, I also needed some more personality when it came to Ben, what stood out about him besides the way he looks? How did he feel going through all this? On the other hand Ashley has a way of bringing Florence's emotions out in the pages of this book, she cleverly incorporated Florence's gift of ghost sight by also making her a ghost writer which is a cool little play on her her history which makes it clear this isn't about Ben, this is about Florence and her gift. 

Towards the end of the book I was a little frustrated, I'm sure those of you who have read this will know what part I'm on about, It felt very unnecessary to do that to Florence. Besides that I loved the book, a ghost writer who sees ghost is one of the most ironic things you could base a book on yet it went well together, turned into something some may find unexpected, I kind of saw where it was going but then again I love to let my thoughts ruin things for me. I hope to read more of Ashley's books, her writing style is fresh and has a good pace to it, I don't feel like she drags out a story which usually makes me too bored to read on. 

Have a cosy day

↞༶↠