Personal trainer Will Golding has been looking forward to a getaway with his best friend, Baz, a journalist researching a book on ghosts. But on the first day of their camping trip on the Isle of Wight, Will takes a walk on a secluded beach and spies a beautiful young man skinny-dipping by moonlight. Ethereally pale, he’s too perfect to be real—or is he?
Lonely author Marcus Devereux is just as entranced by the tall athlete he encounters on the beach, but he’s spent the years since his parents’ violent death building a wall around his heart, and the thought of letting Will scale it is terrifying. Marcus’s albinism gives him his otherworldly appearance and leaves him reluctant to go out in daylight, his reclusiveness encouraged by his guardian—who warns him to stay away from Will and Baz.
The attraction between Will and Marcus can’t be denied—but neither can the danger of the secrets haunting Marcus’s past, as one “accident” after another strikes Will and Baz. If they don’t watch their step, they could end up added to the island’s ghostly population.
I read Wight Mischief for the first time in 2013 and while I didn’t remember a lot of details, the imagery still was with me when the book came through the blog for its re-release. I really wanted to visit the Isle of Wight again through J.L. Merrow’s words and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
Wight Mischief plays to J.L. Merrow’s strengths with vivid atmospheric imagery and characters who come to life on the pages. I had a real soft spot for Will throughout. Every reader knows the warm fuzzy feeling of connecting and rooting for a character with all their literary loving heart. Will was my dude. He was everything I love wrapped in a big, beautiful humble package. His unwavering loyalty and one sided crush on Baz frustrated me to no end, but I also understood it given their age and history.
Myself, I love a mystery and one with a paranormal bent is even better. The ghost hunting angle that came with Baz’s research set the scene for the tension that flows from start to finish. The research leads them to Marcus’s doorstep and the connection between Marcus and Will was obvious, but also not easy. Marcus is a successful author with a mysterious past and an overbearing caretaker who adds some delicious tension and a character I could love to hate. The story needed a clear villain and Leif delivered.
The mystery evolves along with Marcus and Will’s relationship. I liked reading about Will’s change of affection from Baz to Marcus. It was refreshing and I was happy reading about Will’s happiness. Their relationship wasn’t without its angst but the angst wasn’t overdone considering everything else going on.
And there was a lot going on. Honestly if you are looking for full blown romance, you are going to be a little disappointed. Will and Marcus don’t have a ton of page time together, but the time they do have is intense and they do spend a lot of time pining for one another. That did make the end that much sweeter for me as their HEA was well earned.
Wight Mischief has characters to love, to hate and ones you want to throttle. There’s the mystery, the ghost stories and the Isle of Wight itself which is a character all on its own. I quite enjoy reading a story with all manner of elements and a mystery needs a lot of movement to keep the reader, well, mystified and engaged. Because there were the other elements in the story as well; the romance between Will and Marcus, the changing dynamics between Will and Baz, the new friendships made, etc., the mystery didn’t have to be overly complex and I’m glad it wasn’t. I wanted to read about it, but I didn’t want it to outshine Will and Marcus. In the end the balance worked for me as a mystery lover with bonus romance.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
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