This debut novel by Rikki Goodwin features few characters, an atmospheric setting, and enough haunted house techniques to rattle a ouija board. Hazel and her boyfriend Dimitri are invited for a weekend to a bed and breakfast by their friends Finn and Lucy. Finn and Lucy are checking out the cheap B&B to determine if they want to buy it, and Finn wants to employ Hazel and Dimitri to help run it. The weekend is a perfect opportunity to break free of their jobs and their routine, until they arrive and meet the owners.
The owners are expecting one couple, not two, and Hazel and Dimitri’s presence appears to annoy them. Soon, all is forgiven and the foursome are allowed to spend the weekend in the mammoth lodge themselves. The B&B is rumored to be haunted. Never mind what is lurking in mirrors, or mysterious doors in dark hallways. As the unnatural occurrences become more visible and alarming, the Hazel and her friends must contend with giving up their dream future or becoming haunted forever.
Lovers’ Leap starts with a gripping opening chapter. The narrative follows the tangled pasts of Hazel and Finn, once lovers, before they split and became friends. As the unsettling events increase in the house, the couples turn to each other. Will their relationships and friendships survive? Or will the house consume them all?
The creepiness factor is dialed up in this delightful novel. While this is her first book, Rikki Goodwin writes like an author who has plenty of experience keeping readers awake at night. Her characters have murky motivations and pasts, and the backstory adds a nice ectoplasmic layer to the haunting tale. Ghost story aficionados will revel in the spectral scenes, and those who want a bit more than ghosts will be in for a treat as well. Though the third act becomes heavy in exposition, the climax powers through to a satisfying ending and epilogue.
Haunts of tortured souls and tortured memories abound in Lovers’ Leap. Do yourself a favor and check into a B&B yourself with this book under your arm.