Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Ghost
SERIES: Executioners #1
AUTHOR: J.M. Dabney
PUBLISHER: Hostile Whispers Press
LENGTH: 184 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 23, 2018 2nd edition
BLURB:
Gideon Jane earned the name Ghost for his reclusive nature when he joined a group of guys in Powers, Georgia in a band called Executioners. It had been his way of settling into small town life after living in New York for the past twenty years. He loved the band and his small organic farm. What he didn’t love was being single, but it appeared it was his new reality. He didn’t want his ex back, although he did want something. What that was eluded him until the evening he walked into Nightingale’s Books.
Small town girl Harper Sage knew pain, and she’d lived with it—she had the scars both mental and physical to prove it. It would’ve been easier to hop in her car to find safety and anonymity, but Harper stayed to prove she was stronger than hurled fists and bruising prejudice. She found herself within the safety of a close-knit group of rough bikers and bar bouncers. That didn’t mean it was all perfect.
What’s a girl to do when she craves normalcy and acceptance: she just smiles. Choices are made, some with dire consequences and others that bring her closer to her dream. Will she make the right decision or finally discover escape is her best option?
Author Note: This book contains scenes of violence and descriptions of self-harm.
REVIEW:
Ok. So you guys know I have stupid moments. And if you don’t, I’m letting you know, I do. Often. When I made a comment about Ghost and his story, I was talking about this being a m/f book. And it is. To a point. Stupid ass me forgot about Harper and she’s a trans. M to F. The only thing that makes her not completely female, is that she has something between her legs. So I wasn’t even thinking of it in any other way. She’s a girl. Period. So as I said, this is the first m/f of all the series and it’s a beauty.
Harper is used to pain. Having know she was in the wrong body from an early age, she was bullied constantly. Especially when she bought her first dress. Her own parents were indifferent to her and her best friend, Kyle and his parents, basically took her in. They didn’t care she was different. They loved her no matter who she was. Kyle’s mom even helped her learn to apply her makeup. But as the bullying and things got worse, Harper turned to cutting. And after Kyle learned what she was doing, he begged her and asked her to promise not to do it again. So she found another way to get pain, in the form of Bill. Who is psychotic. He lives to humiliate Harper and put her in the hospital or whatever. And being who she is, she feels she deserves it. She couldn’t be more wrong. No one deserves to be hurt. Well, maybe psychotic people or murderers and stuff. You get the drift. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt because she’s different. Everyone thought her and Joker were going to be together, but they are just close friends. The man that got her going in ways she hadn’t dreamed again, was Ghost (Gideon). Gideon was patient with her. He never pushed her. He never hurt her. He always told her she was allowed to say no. He made sure she knew she was always the one in control and nothing would change that. But Bill doesn’t want to give Harper up and he’s determined to basically kill her. And he’s tried to several times, as well as Gideon. This last time, he almost did kill Gideon and Joker as well. And Harper feels full of guilt. What if she lost the men who showed her the only love she’s ever known?
I love Harper. And it breaks my heart the hell she’s had to endure. No one should have to go through that shit. I love that Joker and others do everything to make sure she’s safe and protected. But they can’t stop something she does. She has to make that decision on her own. And she finally does. She breaks it off with Bill, but Bill doesn’t want to let her go. He gets off on hurting her and causing her harm. When Gideon joins in her protection detail, I’m ecstatic. Not only does she get someone who wants to protect her, she gets a man who is the Prince Charming she’s always wanted. Along with dogs as well. Gideon treats her like a queen. She often doesn’t know how to deal with it, but she’s doing her best. And Gideon constantly does everything he can to show her, she’s desirable as she is. For him, she has the perfect body. He’s bisexual, so he has the best of both worlds. Now don’t take that the wrong way. But often trans people have dysphoria issues because of what’s between their legs. And because Gideon is bi, he can accept every single inch of her with no problem. And it made me so damn happy. Harper needed some love and happiness in her life finally and she was getting it. Now if they could just get rid of Bill.
I love, love, love this story. It was perfect, even in it’s harsh moments. And it does have some. Attempted murder, self-mutilation, (cutting) and other things. If it’s a trigger, be careful. Otherwise, enjoy a beautiful story.
RATING: 
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