Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: The Sceptic

SERIES: Arcana #1

AUTHOR: Lily Morton

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 365 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2022

BLURB:

As the best friend of a psychic, Will Buchanan can’t help but believe in the dead. It’s the living that he finds to be problematic. However, after a spate of betrayals, he finally has the chance of a new life within his grasp, and he’s not going to risk it for anyone or anything. Staying safe is the name of Will’s game.

Jem Dawson defines the word temporary. A talented cameraman, he’s here today and will undoubtedly be gone tomorrow chasing adventure and danger. But, while he’s in York, he’s made it clear he wants Will, and Will can’t help liking the charming daredevil.

This inconvenient attraction results in Will accompanying Jem to the site of a notorious poltergeist outbreak. A malevolent spirit has targeted a family, and now the ghost hunting team for whom Jem does camerawork are going to be locked down in the house for three days.

The house is strange and filled with sinister and violent undercurrents. One by one, the group experiences threatening incidents, and as events escalate, Will has to ask himself if he’s risking not just his heart but also his life with this impulsive gesture.

REVIEW:

While Lily Morton is best known for her romantic comedies, she has also become a master of the paranormal, combining fascinating, ghostly happenings with heartwarming love stories, mixed with a touch of her trademark humor. The Sceptic is both scary and sweet and filled with winsome characters. Like any great ghost story, it’s creepy, terrifying, and made me worry about the main characters even though I logically knew they’d be okay in the end. It seems logic doesn’t matter when there’s an evil presence around even corner. This is an excellent, creatively written novel.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in hoping we’d see more of Blue’s best friend and squat-mate, Will Buchanan, so I was thrilled to hear he would be starring in his own series – Arcana – a Black and Blue series spin off. Will is so deserving of his own happy ending with someone special in his life, and that someone special is Blue’s friend, Jem, from The Quiet House.

Will was homeless for ten years since being thrown out at seventeen for being gay and then later losing his home after a nasty betrayal. Now, Will is temporarily living with Blue and Levi (where Rosalind the ghost loves him) and working in an occult bookshop adjacent to Tom’s. He’s working to get his life together and wants to start anew without the stigma of living rough.

Cameraman Jem Dawson periodically visits the bookshop to see his friend Blue, but also to see Will whom he’s set his sights on. He’s a warm, funny, adventurous guy who naturally charms everyone, Will included. Will has a crush on Jem and Jem is smitten with Will. Unfortunately, Will becomes a bumbling, clumsy, silly mess when in Jem’s presence.

In many ways, these men are opposites: while Jem is open and honest, Will is wary; Jem is gregarious, Will is introverted; Jem has a loving family while Will has none and has known too much betrayal and abandonment. Will has learned through his hardships that nothing and no-one lasts forever. People you befriend leave or get tired of you, he’s convinced. He feels he’s not quite a part of Blue’s found family and fears that he wouldn’t be missed for long if he left York.

Jem’s nursing an injury that has temporarily sidelined his usual wildlife photography work. He’s been hired to film a YouTube ghost hunting group investigating a family home that’s been commandeered by a poltergeist. He wants Will to join the group as a sceptic – even though Will believes in the paranormal – because it would be good for the show to be balanced with a cynic and he could help Jem. Aaaand, they’ll be able to spend time together.

I found the paranormal aspect of this story scary and riveting, particularly when Will and Jem were in danger. They went into the situation not knowing if the haunting was a hoax or not. They become a solid ghost hunting team.

Will eventually becomes comfortable – no longer awkward – around Jem and really fancies him, but time with him has an expiration date. Sooner or later Jem will get another job offer that will take him somewhere halfway around the world. Jem will leave just like everyone else that he’s lost in his life. But they can’t resist pursuing a romantic relationship even though they don’t know how to reconcile being with each other with Jem’s career always taking him far from home. It’s a scrumptious slow burn!

One of the beautiful parts of this book is Will’s transformation from feeling like an undeserving outsider standing on the periphery of Blue’s found family to becoming an integral, beloved member of the group.

“I sense that I’m changing slowly. All these new friendships and found family are making me put down tendrils that will one day become roots. Maybe I won’t be alone forever.”

By the conclusion, Will is comfortable and happy in York and ready for more adventures with Jem. The epilogue is fantastic! The Sceptic is a must read for any fans of Blue Billings and Levi Black. If you haven’t read the Black and Blue series yet, start there to get to know all the lovable characters from York. Highly recommended.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon