Review: Spiritus by Dana Michelle Burnett

“When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.
Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the "in crowd", Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn't expect things to change.
But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.
To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he has waited a century for--A second chance.
But the closer they get, the more Becca realizes that this isn't the first time she and Alastor have known each other. Worse still, is she the one responsible for his death so long ago? And if so, did he come back for love or revenge?”

How would you react if you had a ghost haunting you? What would you do if there was someone invading your dreams and thoughts, and you were the only one who could see them? That’s what Becca is faced with in Dana Michelle Burnett’s novel, Spiritus. In this first book of the Spiritus series, Becca McAllister meets a rather charming ghost after she and her new-found friends host a séance in her new home. At first, she’s a bit frightened when the ghost, Alastor Sinclair appears to her. But she slowly begins to fall in love with him, even as it seems her life as a normal, high school girl begins to fall apart. Spiritus is a book that is romantic, captivating, and a little chill-inducing. It will leave you wishing for the next book in the series. Who knows? It may even leave you believing ghosts just a little bit, too. 

I rate this book: 

I literally could not put this book down. And once I was done, I was immediately searching for the next book in the series, which isn’t out yet, sadly. I love how the author shapes the ending in such a way that it leaves you craving more. I also really enjoyed the fact that Becca, the main character, was completely believable. I felt like I could really connect with her while I was reading because she wasn’t the prettiest or most popular girl in the novel; she was just a normal, seventeen year old girl, trying to survive high school. Granted, getting through high school is hard enough as it is. But can you imagine adding in the extra stress of being in love with a ghost? So, while Becca is a very believable and relatable character for the reader, she is also incredibly remarkable because of what she has to – and does – overcome in the book. If you like romantic and haunting novels with characters and a plot that completely draws you in, then I would definitely recommend that you pick up Spiritus. You won’t be disappointed. 

Spiritus is the first novel in Dana Michelle Burnett’s new paranormal romance series by the same name. The second book, Haunted, is expected in the spring of 2012.

Dana Michelle Burnett was born and raised in beautiful Southern Indiana. She spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines, including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more.  Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak 2006.  Burnett still lives in Southern Indiana. She continues to manage NanasAtticStore.com and works on her writing every day. Her site, DanaMichelleBurnett.com has more information about upcoming projects and appearances, or you can also check her out on Facebook.