Keep Me Ghosted

Sophie Rhodes Romantic Comedy, Book 1

By: Karen Cantwell

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

Ghosts. Do you Believe?

Sophie Rhodes doesn't have a choice. She's surrounded by them.

Desperate to pay the bills, 29-year-old Sophie ignores the advice of her stuffy spirit-friend, Marmaduke Dodsworth, and takes a job with the handsome Dr. Callahan, an optometrist with a desperate situation of his own. The good doctor's problem? He has a spirit-friend as well: One with a fiery crush and a vicious jealous streak.

When chemistry starts to brew between Sophie and Dr. Callahan, his green-eyed ghost wreaks some bad-tempered havoc, scaring away his patients and putting Sophie on edge. Will Sophie give up the ghost and quit the new job, or buck up and find a way to rid Dr. Callahan of his pesky specter, freeing their romance to find a life of its own?

©2013 Karen Fraunfelder Cantwell (P)2013 Karen Cantwell

Fun story.

Any additional comments?

I am not a reader of the romance genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The story in unusual, the performance was well done, and the humor is fun. You won't be disappointed.

the book does feel just like those old comedies: s

When an audiobook starts with the heroine complaining about her companion Marmaduke, and you aren’t 100% sure that said companion is human or dog, it’s a winner. And, for the unaware, Marmaduke is former human, now ghostly companion of the heroine in this story, Sophie.

And Sophie is having a rather trying time of things. She is desperately seeking employment, and the interview for the receptionist’s position at the doctor’s office is not going as expected, in fact, his behavior is so strange she should be leaving as she questions his sanity and her safety.

Yet, all is not so simple: Sophie desperately needs a job, and the doctor desperately needs a receptionist that will work for longer than a few days. And, it isn’t as if Sophie is scared off by the ghosts, having Marmaduke in her life (a man who is certainly British and more than a touch stuffy) has given her a certain tolerance. Dr. Callahan just feels rather gobsmacked and unable to contend with a declining practice, employee issues, ghosts and Sophie’s rather direct manner.

I enjoyed the characters and their light and tentative steps to a romance. There were several giggle out loud moments, and both humans and ghosts have multiple quirks and unusual additions to their characterizations: at times I did feel the story pacing was sacrificed for yet another quirk or unusual element, even though many were funny and did give some depth.

The narration for this story is provided by Nan McNamara, and her delivery is perfectly suited to the story. She manages to give the readers a ‘wink and a nod’ in the most ridiculous moments, and I kept thinking that her narration felt appropriate for the story. Imagine acting out an I Love Lucy episode to someone who was unfamiliar with that comedy and you are close to McNamara’s approach to this book. In fact, the book does feel just like those old comedies: sweet, a touch over the top, and wholly entertaining. While the mystery doesn’t really enter until late, and from there the pace is fast and furious, the story is a fun respite for an afternoon’s break and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author via AudioBook Jukebox. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

great ghostly mystery/romance

Any additional comments?

Sophia Rhodes has a ghostly problem, two to be exact. One night, when her boyfriend cheated on her with her friend, Sophia met her ghostly companion, Marmaduke Dodsworth. Because of this, finding another job has been extremely difficult. Going against the advice of Marmi, Sophia takes a job as a receptionist for Dr. Callahan, aka “Cal,” who also has a ghostly companion, Moonflower. All seems to be going well except for one thing; Moonflower has a severe case of green-eyed jealousy and keeps driving Cal’s clients away. When Mrs. Wiley, another client who’s a medium, tells Sophia that Moonflower is a ghost as a result of some witchcraft gone awry, the trio team up to end Moonflower’s tirades. Will they succeed?

The characters are well-developed, entertaining, and engaging. The dynamic between them is hilarious and fun to listen about. The plot is well-developed and, despite initial feels of a fluffy chick-lit, turns into a suspenseful, intense story despite lack of action. The clean romance is also believable and realistic despite the ghostly problems.

Narrator, Nan McNamara does a great job of bringing this delightful listen to life. Her use of different voices brings the author’s unique characters to life and makes them easily distinguishable. She easily switches between different voices and internal dialogue and smoothly handles plot transitions with ease. Her nice tone and pacing are well-suited for the book. People who like chick-lit, ghosts, mysteries, and clean romance will enjoy listening to this book.

Loved it

Great book and reader. Lots of humor, and the romance was great without being sappy. Can't wait to listen to the next one.

Loved it

It kept me wanting to hear more. Narration was fun to listen to, very well done! I will read more of her.

good but could have been better

it's a good lighthearted comedy. it started with a nice story but then became boring when the evil spirit Moonflower entered. I did not enjoy the sole part where she was present as it is so unbelievable episode with witchcraft and spells obained from internet.
I really enjoyed the narrator. she was able to create all the different characters with just a slight modification of voice. I will try to find more stories narrated by her.
overall an okay story.

Excellent light reading

Excellent light reading. Nothing serious, but it's a great way to pass a few hours. The narration is superb.

Fun but not memorable

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Keep Me Ghosted is a cute, fun romance, but perhaps not quite as cute and fun as I would have hoped. The romance is more on the sweet side than the steamy, although Sophie and Cal are a good couple. They’re both a little quirky, but enjoy each other’s company. Of course, as Moonflower gets more and more destructive, they need to find a way to get rid of her before she destroys their blossoming romance or, even worse, Cal’s business. I don’t know, I guess I didn’t buy that they were “meant to be together.” I feel like Sophie’s a little flaky for him. She means well, but a couple of her decision are more than iffy. And I think she falls in love in like a day and a half, but in her defense Cal might just be perfect – handsome, caring, donates to charity, works as a vision therapist.

The ghost bits were a good addition. Marmaduke is funny, he’s sarcastic and wordy. I really liked him and I’m glad Sophie stuck by him. I think I liked his relationship with Sophie more than the romance with Cal. The paranormal peak was a bit odd, didn’t necessarily fit with the slow build up. There was also a scene near the end that I personally didn’t like, even though I guess it fit with the overall spirit of the story.

Nan McNamara did a good job as the narrator. She captured Sophie’s voice well. Sophie’s almost 30, but acts younger a lot of the time, and Nan gets the tone right. She portrays her humor well and her swooning around Cal. I got tired of the mooning over the guy, but that’s not the reader’s fault. She also succeeded in reading the other characters in a way that set them apart and made them recognizable. It was a good one to listen to, light and funny but not so absorbing that I forgot what was going on around me.

Enjoyable enough, but I’m not going to remember it in a month.

ghosts with a twist

Would you consider the audio edition of Keep Me Ghosted to be better than the print version?

Both are good

What was one of the most memorable moments of Keep Me Ghosted?

Loved this story..ghosts with a twist. Sophia is a very likeable character as his her bobs Dr. Callahan. Each with their own quirky ghosts. And the adventure of trying to solve the issue wiith Cal's ghost are both a by scary and funny. Especially the Not now's. Read for yourself you will enjoy this book.

Which scene was your favorite?

All

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't know

Any additional comments?

No

Sweet Read

A delightful listen. While at first blush it seems a fluffy chick-lit, there is a really engaging story here! I really liked all the characters. They were fun and quirky, my favorite sort!

Sophie is a delight, she is the sort of character that your like immediately. Her interactions with her ghost Marmaduke is fascinating. It is an interesting dynamic that flows throughout the books.

Cal is easy to like, even when he has a moment where you think the worst of him. I enjoyed their interactions and the slow build to romance. This is one of those times when the relationship builds even though they have an instant connection.

The story is an enjoyable read but not a lot of action. The pace is steady and the lack of action doesn't take away for the story. It is more of a sweet read with a touch of drama. Sometimes I like a quick read that isn't overly taxing.

It is all a single narrative, only Sophie's POV. This is not a problem, but it does limit how a reader views events. I will say this style suited the story very well.

No steam here. It is a nice romance that doesn't get smexy. A few sweet kisses is as hot as it gets.

I listened to the audiobooks and the narrator Nan McNamara is lovely. She has a nice tone and a quick pace. I love that she has clear concise voices, this is important because there are many time when dialogue is delivered character to character. I never had a doubt who was speaking. She is very well suited to the story.

According to Goodreads this is the first book in a series, I hope we hear more from this group. I am very interested in the support group. They could be fodder for many books to come.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.