Oriah is currently focused on writing. She is working on a novel, another non-fiction book- a collection of stories about deepening our inner lives- and writing a weekly blog, “The Green Bough”. I thought this was a character driven novel. The characters were very well developed. My favorite character was Olive. I loved the writing style which had short chapters. I found it to be an addicting read. This is a well-done work of paranormal fiction. I’m not usually a big fan of the paranormal, but it works well here because the story is grounded in history and science since Helen is a history teacher and her husband, Nate, is a science teacher. After Helen receives a large inheritance, they give up their teaching jobs and buy property in the woods of Vermont, even though the realtor tells them the land is alleged to be haunted. This is the magic of a Vi Keeland book. It's so effortlessly and compulsively readable. It feels light, and sexy and swoony and decadent. So when the rug is inevitably pulled out from under you, you're already too far gone to save your heart from the punches you know are about to rain down on it. You're already all-in, completely in love, and hopelessly devoted to these fantastic characters.

I had high hopes for this book because the blurb sounded interesting to me; however, it didn’t live up to my expectations ☹ Along with Helen and Nate, our slightly hippyish couple, we have Olive, a teenage girl from Hartsboro, and her dad and aunt, plus various Hartsboro townsfolk. Olive was a very compelling character; she's been abandoned by her mother and is teased and bullied terribly by her schoolmates, since the town all believes her mom ran off with another man. Her bereft father isn't much help, leaving her to raise herself or rely on her aunt. She has one friend, Mike, who is a good guy, but annoys our feisty heroine with his wimpy-ness. It's hard not to fall for Olive, believe me. Even Helen will grow on you, too. And no matter what, they are so easy to picture.Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Stella. I really liked her. I appreciated her strength and optimism when being hurt in the past.

The second thing you need to know if you have this on your TBR is that despite this being marketed/shelved as horror . . . . . I don’t know why, but the publisher/author/editing team decided to give too much away ahead of time. And ohmygosh. Was I ever all-in, completely in love, and hopelessly devoted to these fantastic characters. They are everything. The banter was sexy and flirty and fun. The emotional connection was heartfelt and adorable. The physical chemistry was off the charts. I was enchanted by Stella and Hudson's love story, intoxicated by their chemistry, and frankly, I'm still catching my breath from all the ways this book hit my heart. Hamman, Cody (June 24, 2022). "The Bride: Dracula-inspired film is set for August release under the title The Invitation". JoBlo . Retrieved July 31, 2022.

Still, Helen is fascinated by the history- while Nate has been drawn into the mysteries of the local wildlife. Something is off though.