Shades of Gray

I recently received Shades of Gray (#354) in a GoodReads First Reads giveaway.  And no, it's not that book!  This Shades of Gray by M. J. Simon has only one shade of gray, and it's a malevolent ghost, at that.

In this unusual paranormal romance, Paige Malone, best-selling true crime author, is finally persuaded by her best friend Riley to come back to the shores of Lake Michigan to settle near her.  Riley's found the perfect house for her overlooking the lake.  There are only two problems with the property; handsome Irishman Duncan O'Connor has waited five years to buy this property for himself to house his studio and art gallery, and the place is haunted.  Since Paige has already signed the paperwork, she and Duncan settle into an uneasy truce.  When Paige moves in, the odd happenings begin.  Romantic purple prose mysteriously appears on her computer, and Abigail, the stray dog she has adopted, is uneasy in the house.  When the activity increases and becomes dangerous to both Abigail and Paige, her friends rally around to discover what or who is behind the occurrences at the house.  What they find is totally unexpected.

I basically liked this book.  It has strong characters and a really intriguing plot twist I never anticipated.  The problem is that the book is poorly edited and proof-read.  Spellcheck doesn't correct the homonyms used incorrectly nor does it recognize the many misplaced apostrophes and commas.  These were so common they were downright distracting.  That's a shame, especially since the author has an advanced degree herself.  If you can get past these blemishes, I think you'll find a good yarn to curl up with on a cold winter's afternoon.