Once Upon a Moonlit Path

Lord & Lady Widcombe travel to Castle Keyvnor with their two daughters, Samantha, Cassandra & youngest son Tobias for the will reading of Lord Widcombe’s uncle. Lady Cassandra Priske also has her black poodle, Oscar with her., Cassy is more than terrified. After all, the castle is famous for its hauntings & she does see a man dressed all in black watching her as they arrive. But the very last person, dead or alive, she expects to find there is the rakish Jack Hazelwood, Lord. St. Giles, heir to the Duke of Margate. whom she spent the last season hiding from. Jack has travelled to the Castle with his friend Lord Michael Beck. Jack has been attracted to Cassy from the first time he saw her defending a friend. We get to meet some of the relatives & their friends who have arrived for the will reading & I look forward to reading their stories. The chemistry between Jack & Cassy was hot & their characters well developed for a novella. However it is Oscar that steals the book. This is a well-written novella that kept me engrossed. I originally read it as part of the Vexed book of three novellas but it was so good it deserved it’s own review

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook via NetGalley. This novella is a quick read with lots of potential that would have been much better as a full-length novel. Although Jack has admired Cassy from afar for quite some time, the culmination of their romance feels rushed and the trusted forged between them unlikely at best. The issues that lie between them are resolved with so little difficulty that they seem mere trifles when in reality, Cassy's concerns about Jack's ability to remain faithful to one woman, and Jack's fears for Cassy's very sanity are in truth very serious issues that cannot be merely swept aside in the course of an afternoon. These are issues better tackled in a longer format than the novella. Still, this is a fun, entertaining ghost story that fans of Gothic romance with enjoy by fire on a chilly autumn afternoon.

Do you believe in ghosts? Well Lady Cassandra Priske does because she has seen them most of her life! When her family is summoned to Keyvnor Castle for the reading of her great uncle's will, she knows the tales are true it being haunted when she sees an aberration in the window upon arrival. What she doesn't expect to find is Lord Jack St Giles, a notorious rake who she has spent a year avoiding. But Jack came expressly to see her and try to win her over because she is all he has been able to think about. When ghosts start appearing that only Cassy can see and her family are trying to keep it secret in case she is thought mad, Jack begins to wonder what is really going on. As Jack spends time with Cassy and her adorable poodle Oscar (yes he steals the show at times!) his feelings only strength. But what is really happening to Cassy? Are there really spirits only she can see? This is a delightful novella that kept my attention with the development between the main characters and all the wonderful secondary characters. I could not keep from smiling and wondering what was gong to happen! You will really enjoy this tale and will want to read more by Ava Stone.