An Illicit affair and a mysterious death echo through the ages in Bittersharp, a Southern Gothic ghost story about love, betrayal, and the quest for redemption.
ISBN : 978-1-73-612701-8
Published: 3.16.2021
Pages : 321
Available formats: paperback, Kindle
In 1927, Eve Boland travels to Virginia to visit her cousin Luke and falls under the spell of his wife: beautiful, brash, gin-drinking Corrine. As Eve becomes enmeshed in Luke and Corrine’s life at Hollister House, she inadvertently sets off a chain of events that lead to a death and a terrible secret she must keep for the rest of her life.
In 2018, Rachel Shepherd finds her father dead in the haunted mansion of local ghost story lore that he and his young wife, Lily, had been renovating into a bed and breakfast. Something is wrong at Hollister House. Rachel has dreams of a dark-haired man, which turn into nightmares. After she sees the frightening apparition of a woman who has haunted her memory for years, Rachel becomes convinced that exposing the truth about what happened in 1927 holds the key to freeing Hollister House of its past. She enlists the help of Isaiah, her first love from a decade ago, and together they discover a mysterious mosaic mural, an album of disturbing photos, and Eve Boland’s diary.
As the secrets of the summer of 1927 are revealed, Rachel learns that the worst horror of all may be living with the ghosts of the past…
Publisher's Weekly
Editor's Pick
Bittersharp Review
"Burrows debuts with a creepy and effective haunted house story, dual-tracked to interlace contemporary terror with sordid romantic drama. In 2018, Rachel Shepherd arrives at the old Virginia mansion her father and stepmother are converting to a B&B—to discover her father has hanged himself and left a fearful suicide note, her stepmother Lily is behaving bizarrely, and that Rachel herself keeps seeing an apparition of a woman in a red dress. Flashbacks to 1927 find Eve Boland visiting her cousin Luke, while her friendship with his actress wife Corrine takes dark turns. In the present, when Rachel enlists newly renewed flame Isaiah for help, their discovery of Eve's diary and a stash of photos launches them into a battle with a ghost fighting to protect her secrets.
Burrows' choice to give the historical side as much attention as the modern aftermath pays off in a richly integrated story that forces the reader to simultaneously—and uncomfortably—engage in both romance and horror aesthetics. Opening with Eve as a feisty old lady uncowed by the murderous presence in her home, only later to disclose her relationship to Corrine's ghost, Burrows ties Corrine's presence to Isaiah and Rachel's first breakup, and the timeline pulls together emotionally as Eve's diary in 1927 starts to reveal the facts. Deep characterization makes Eve, Corrine, and Rachel all feel like protagonists in a women's story that leaves the men in their lives more tangential.
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Pacing is thoughtful and solid, so that Rachel's discoveries, Eve's disclosures, and Corrine's increased paranormal activity keep pace with one another. The revelations regularly surprise, while never feeling like they come out of nowhere, and Burrows uses the shared physical space of the two stories effectively. Charging Rachel and Lily's already strong antagonism with the power of Corrine's takeover of Lily's body gives a delightfully terrifying sense of the past literally grabbing into the present.
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Takeaway: Readers who love relationship drama—whether historical, romantic, or spooky—will find this ghost story grabs hard and refuses to let go.
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Great for fans of: Anne Rivers Siddons's The House Next Door, Tananarive Due's The Good House."
Reader Praise for Bittersharp
(on Amazon.com)
"I was really impressed with the writing of the author. The characters felt well developed, the story was interesting and kept me up reading late."
"This story had my focus the entire time. I thoroughly recommend it for a beefy, gripping, mysterious read with ghostly hauntings, romance and deceit. It’s all going on."
"A beautiful story that takes you from 1920's Old South into modern day, with a twist."
"The plot kept me guessing between the twists and turns. I really enjoyed how the author masterfully wound in the ghost story and spooky moments without it feeling forced or disingenuous."
"Some nights, I couldn't put this book down. I had to know what was coming next. Great character development."
"Dual-timeline ghost story set in modern times and the 1920s. The author does a great job of evoking the feeling of that era, from the clothing and décor to the attitudes and zeitgeist of the time. I really enjoyed that aspect of it, and found the book reminiscent of Kate Morton’s work."
"Full of history and mystery...Lots of interesting twists. Kept me turning the pages. Excellent book."
