Midnight Hearts

Celia Ashley’s debut novel, “Midnight Hearts”, is set in modern rural Pennsylvania. It is an erotic love triangle with the third individual a mystery. The first chapter immediately chills the readers whisking them into the eerie world of unknown menace and half-seen images.

Ethan Taylor is a contractor who restores period homes. Perry Madison inherits her grandmother’s house, which has passed through several generations. When she takes possession of the property, she finds a lascivious entity that both seduces and controls her. Madison slides into this twilight world of sensation unable to control her reactions to the seductive spirit until Ethan arrives as a reminder of the physical sphere.

Madison finds herself immediately attracted to the muscular contractor. She both welcomes and fears the attraction. The entity, which she can neither escape nor understand, enjoys the prospect of using Ethan for its own purpose. She’ll be the tool in the demented scenario. Determined not to draw the unsuspecting man into her dilemma. Ethan might also be her only possibility of escaping the evil that inhabits her, stealing her memories and using her body.

The plot of "Midnight Hearts" is intriguing and entices the reader as well as the vulnerable Madison.  Ms. Ashley expertly inserts renovation details and steamy scenes. Despite his malevolent nature, the ghost lover has the hottest scenes. The only issue with the story was an excess of adjectives and vivid verbs that occasionally causes bumps in the flow. Overall, the book is an erotic ghost story with mortals re-enacting the tale of lost love. 

Morgan Stamm