I Read Indie: SUMMER HEAT Blog Tour: Review of HAUNTED RAINE by R.E. Hargrave

Title: HAUNTED RAINE

Author: R.E. Hargrave

Source: ebook for review

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Distracted by the everyday routine of raising children, being a wife, and keeping a home, Lorraine Morrissey let life pass her by. Her wakeup call comes when she realizes that with their children gone, her husband Richard is rarely home, and she’s filling her solitary days with trivial tasks. A crazy idea to save her marriage leads to a summer beach vacation unlike any she’s ever taken; one that involves unknowingly buying a haunted house.

My take...

This short story was absolutely fantastic and downright creepy. I love hearing about ghosts and spirits and Hargrave nailed the suspense in only a few pages. Yes, even though this is a short story and a quick read, you experience so much.

Raine is introduced to a past that goes back long ago. Although the past wasn't pretty and there was some horrific things that happened, it was interesting none the less. But answers will fall into place for Raine as the past is laid out before. She was brought to this house for a reason and understanding those reasons will be scary at first until Raine is able to fully embrace it. And maybe, she will be able to save her failing marriage in the meantime.

I am a sucker for short stories, especially if they are wrote well. And Hargrave writes really well. I love her ability to give detail without it being too much. Yes, you know the ones. Those books with description/detail overload? But not this read. Perfect balance of story and detail.

I definitely recommend this short read to any and all who love a good ghost story and need a book to read between those longer ones. Give yourself some time to sit back and relax as you partake in the goodness Hargrave will dish out. You will walk away from this one happy with the turn of events. I promise.

Check out an excerpt from the story....

The fast approaching ground disappeared, replaced by an old, worn, wooden floor.

I shook my head to try and clear it of the cobweb fuzziness I felt. Raising my

hands in front of me, I didn’t recognize them. They were dark brown, dry, and

the skin was cracked in places. They didn’t feel connected to my body either. My words got stuck in my throat when I tried to ask what was going on. Swallowing

to clear the blockage, I surveyed the room. Before me burned a dwindling fire

inside an old-fashioned stone hearth, and to my right, old shuttered windows

were thrown open, letting the cooling night air in.

“Girl!”

The hoarse male voice startled me. I spun around, becoming aware of heavy skirts

tangling in my legs.

“Yes, sir.” The voice, thick with a low country accent, wasn’t mine either, but

the sound had passed through my lips. What the . . .

“How many sacks of cotton did you pick today?”

A tremor settled into my arms as panic tightened my chest. Tall and wide, the

white man advanced on me. I skittered back toward the hearth at the look of

hatred on his face.

“None, sir. I’s sorry, but my momma –”

“There are no excuses, Jesse. Rain or shine, y’alls task is at least two sacks a

day while the cotton’s a blooming.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did your momma get her two sacks picked?”

Beyond my control, my head shook side to side, and I curled in on myself more

while taking another subtle step back. Warning sirens were going off, but it was

obvious, I had no say over my faculties, nor did I have any idea what was going

on. “She’s got the sick, sir.”

In slow motion, his hand rose, and I took in every detail: thinning, greasy

brown hair slicked back from a shiny forehead, a narrow beak of a nose stretched

down the length of his long face to a thin pair of pale pursed lips. His green

eyes were bloodshot with the drink that wafted from his mouth. The yellowing

linen shirt he wore was opened down to his mid-chest, exposing pale, untoned

flesh. Proof that he relied on others to get the work done.

“‘She’s got the sick, sir,’” he sing-songed, mocking me. “Not my problem, girl.

What is my problem is that you owe me four sacks’ worth of cotton, and have

nothing to pay with.”

At his words, an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. I didn’t like where this

was going and took another step back, bringing me a little closer to the fire

and the iron tools I could see in my peripheral vision.

“But I can think of another way that you can start paying up.”

When he came at me, I spun to grab the poker. Before I could reach the tool,

arms enveloped me from behind, yanking me back until I collided with a hard

chest.

Author Bio--

R.E. Hargrave is a fledgling author who has always been a lover of books and now looks forward to the chance to give something back to the literary community. She lives on the outskirts of Dallas, TX with her husband and three children.

Links:

7/1-Guest Post: Kim

7/2-Promo/excerpt: Jennifer Garcia

7/2-Review: Philomena Callan