Reviewed by Dan

TITLE:    I’ll Still Be There

AUTHOR:     Keelan Ellis

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:     180 Pages

BLURB:

The summer after high school, Eli Dunn and Jess Early explore an abandoned brothel in the rural Florida Panhandle. They’ve always kept their mutual attraction unspoken, but in an upstairs room at the end of the hall, everything changes. Suddenly, all the longing Eli and Jess have tried so hard to conceal bursts free, and passion like they’ve never experienced comes to light, along with the ghosts of Clay Bailey and Silas Denton, murdered owners of the brothel. And Clay and Silas have no problem possessing Eli and Jess in order to express their love for each other, without thought for the living.

Deeply disturbed by the experience, Eli and Jess part and try to get on with life as best they can. But after several years, Eli returns to Florida, only to find that Jess has made some questionable choices. These eventually lead him back to the abandoned house and a confrontation with Eli. Old scores are settled and Eli and Jess reunite. But Clay and Silas’s ghosts aren’t finished yet, for they’ve always believed in the power of open and honest love.

REVIEW:

I stumbled on this book on Amazon when I was looking for another book that I was reviewing. It showed up in that spot mid-page where it teases you with other books you might enjoy. I liked the blurb and went back to our blog list and found no one had claimed the book, so I decided to give it a shot.

I’m happy to say that I made a wise decision. I’ve always been a huge fan of good ghost stories, so this book was right up my alley. The book is told in two different times. The story of Eli and Jess runs from 2002 to the current time. The story of Clay and Silas runs from 1938 to 1968. The juxtaposition of the way gay men were treated in both times made for an interesting story.

Eli Dunn and Jess Early have been friends since they were twelve years old. They obviously are a couple, at least to everyone else they know, only they don’t realize it themselves. Right after high school graduation, a trip to the local haunted house changes everything. When both young men are possessed by ghosts some wild monkey sex occurs. Afterwards, when the young men come back into control of their bodies they are both totally freaked out. Eli is so freaked out that he changes his plans to go to college and joins the military immediately. He goes off to Iraq and doesn’t come home for four years. A little extreme on the personal acceptance in my opinion, but hey, each to his own!

What will happen when Eli comes back to town and finds Jess is supposed to get married to their other best friend Cassie? What will happen when the ghosts start talking?

I don’t want to give any more spoilers. I enjoyed this book very much. The way the author wrote both sets of MC’s stories, flipping back and forth between them, gave the reader an understanding of the entire story, and why the ghosts are there. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story, that isn’t really scary.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

ARe