Review: The Ghosts Between Us by Brigham Vaughn

31 March of 2019 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

Grab a box of tissues and jump right in.

The Ghosts Between Us By Brigham Vaughn

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Released: March 1, 2019

Publisher: Two Peninsulas Press

Series: The West Hills, Book 1

Synopsis

Dr. Christopher Allen knows how to deal with death. He’s a psychiatrist who works with hospice patients and their families, helping them cope with grief and letting go. But Chris’s job doesn’t prepare him for the sudden death of his devil-may-care brother Cal.

At Cal’s funeral, Chris is completely thrown when he meets Elliot Rawlings, an artist Cal has been dating. Chris is hurt to discover that the brother he knew as straight was actually bisexual. Elliot is angry and resentful of having been kept hidden from Cal’s family.

After the funeral, a night of drinking at the bar with Cal’s friends leads to Chris and Elliot falling into bed together. The next morning, they’re overwhelmed by guilt and grief and agree to never speak of it again.

But Cal’s apartment needs to be packed up and Elliot reluctantly agrees to help Chris, as well as answer some questions about Cal’s life and their relationship. Despite their guilt and initial dislike for one another, they sort through the pieces of Cal’s life and begin to fall for each other.

Despite his best efforts to fix things, Chris’s family seems to be crumbling around him and he begins to question who he is and what his role with them is. As his feelings for Elliot grow, Chris must decide if they’re worth further damaging his fragile relationships with his friends and family.

Elliot’s rough upbringing has left him distrustful of getting close to anyone, much less another man who isn’t willing to acknowledge him in public. The odds seem stacked against Chris and Elliot, but if they can overcome them, they may be able to lay Cal’s ghost to rest, along with their own demons.

Reader Advisory: This story deals with themes related to alcoholism, death (of secondary characters), and past abuse/neglect.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Grab a box of tissues and jump right in.

The last week or so has been one where I’ve read books by new-to-me authors. The Ghosts Between Us is the first one I’ve read by Brigham Vaughn and I loved it so much. It was a fantastic introduction to her writing.

It’s a wonderful story but I must warn you there is more than a little angst so it may not be for everyone. I happen to enjoy a good angst-y story and this one was perfect. The blurb for the story describes it so much better than I ever could. You get all of the important highlights of the book but you really must read the story to appreciate the depth of it.

This is yet another one of those books that I just don’t know how to put into words how much I loved it. It’s not only a love story with an unusual beginning and a very rocky road, it’s also a story about family and how the loss of a child can break a relationship. But amidst all of the tough things to read there is also hope that things that are broken can be repaired, even if they are never quite what they were before.

The Ghosts Between Us will stick with me for a while. There were several interesting side characters and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Scorcher

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About Author

Brigham Vaughn

Brigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

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ARC provided by and original Review Tour hosted by Signal Boost Promotions