I love historical settings, old crumbling mansions, and dangerous romantic elements. Naturally, as a huge fan of Gothic mysteries and romances, this book appealed to me on every level. While danger lurks around every corner, Jack and Kitty discover they are kindred spirits in many ways. As Kitty and Jack get to know one another, they begin unraveling a puzzling mystery involving the former owners of Portis House,and a strange evil force effecting the patients. Thankfully, she finds an unlikely ally in Jack Yates, a war hero, whose identity is being kept secret from the other patients, and most of the staff. So, she allows Kitty to stay, despite her lack of training.īut, Kitty will soon discover she has her work cut out for her, not only with the men she is to care for, but with the house itself.

But, her boss is very desperate for nurses, so much so, her own job is on the line. She falsifies her resume to find work as a nurse, but right away ‘Madam’ calls her out on it. Porits House is the perfect place for a young woman on the run to hide out, and Kitty Weekes desperately needs a place to lay low. But, this book is more than just a chilling paranormal tale- it is a mystery, a story of friendship, and a sweet, poignant love story. James is a 2014 NAL publication.Īn old mansion converted into a medical facility for ‘shell-shocked’ soldiers is the perfect, atmospheric backdrop for a spooky ghost story. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it? But something more is going on at Portis House-its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War.

Silence for the dead by simone st james