Erryn reviews The Sceptic by Lily Morton. Published May 26, 2022, 356 pages. The audiobook was released Feb 15, 2023, is 11 hrs and 18 mins and is narrated by Joel Leslie. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read it: I love Blue and Levi.
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.
This is the first book in the Arcana Books series featuring characters from the best-selling Black and Blue series.
Buy from Audible | Amazon | Add to Goodreads
My review:
I adore Lily Morton and will seize anything of hers I can get my hands on. The Sceptic easily gets added to the cannon of ‘my favorite’ Lily books. Oh, and narrated by Joel Leslie just made the book perfect in even more ways.
Now, I adore Blue and Levi and was glad to see them – even if only as secondary characters. This book centers around Will with some scenes from Jem’s point of view – to keep things interesting.
Will’s got a tragic backstory. No two ways about it, he’s seen more trauma than the average Lily character and each time he had to open up and share a bit of his past, I almost wanted to weep. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and promise that everything would be okay. He wouldn’t have believed me – but I would’ve tried.
He’s doing okay for himself right now – with a job in the occult bookstore – but he knows it’ll soon be time to move on. He’s becoming attached to the people around him and that’s always led to trouble in the past. In the meantime, though, he’s willing to go on a bit of an adventure with Jem and a crew of crazy people who document poltergeists and other psychic phenomenon. Will’s tagging along as the sceptic. The problem? With Blue as his best friend, he actually believes in otherworldly beings. Just because he can’t see a spirit, doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
Well, the adventures are pretty dramatic and I would’ve been long gone from that home, had I been part of the crew. But Will’s determined to help both the family who own the haunted property and the malevolent being who’s stalking them. Oh, and if he happens to get to spend more time around Jem, that’s pretty okay too.
I enjoyed this story tremendously. I knew nothing of poltergeists when I started – and I’m not sure I know much more, but I had fun. Oh and, of course, the love story was so perfect in every way. Totally easy to fall in love with Jem and Will and so happy for their happy ending.
Just a great audio and I’m so glad I got to listen.
My rating:
10/10 Pots of Gold – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.
She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing because how else would she get to spend her time with hot, funny men?
And finally, she believes that love conquers all. Except the heat index in July. Nothing can conquer that bastard.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 