Customer Reviews

Ghost Orchid

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I was always told that you can't judge a book by its cover, but with Ghost Orchid you can! The story inside is just as beautiful as the cover. Both are as rare as the ghost orchid on the cover. Author D.K. Christi has woven her knowledge of the Florida Everglades and nature into an exquisite, enchanting love story where a rare ghost orchid plays a magical, pivotal role for all the characters.

The story opens with a lonely, middle-aged woman, Mel, taking her daily walk at the Audubon Society Sanctuary, reminiscing about her lost love and other secrets of her past. Although melancholy, she feels blessed to have experienced a "Great Love" in her life. She longs to see her estranged lover "just once more before she dies" and is happier among the sights and sounds of nature than anywhere else. She's a solitary figure at the sanctuary, but she's a "regular" and is known and well-liked by the staff.

The story switches back and forth between Mel and Neev, a statuesque beauty who quit modeling to study philosophy at Oxford University. Neev loves photography, so eventually decides to pursue that career, a path that takes her to exotic locations around the world. She lands a plum assignment with a famous photographer, Roger Andrew, who is always seeking a rare "find" in nature. Roger is much older than Neev, but he becomes her mentor and best friend and they have a loving relationship.

Although Roger and Neev share many things, she never confides to him about her family life or her reluctance to visit Florida. And Roger doesn't talk much of his ex-wife and son. Roger is passionate in his mission to uncover a "rare find," so when he learns that a ghost orchid is blooming at the Audubon Society Sanctuary, he convinces Neev to accompany him.

For reasons I can't reveal without spoiling the plot, Neev is as passionate in her dislike of her mother as Roger is about his drive to find the elusive flower. Neev was raised by a devoted German couple and always wondered about her father. She longs to know more about him, but harbors little hope for a "love of her own."

Something happens to Mel at the same time the rare orchid is spotted. That's a tragedy, but it creates the magic in this story, bringing the most unlikely people together in the most magical ways.

What happens to Mel? Why has Neev chosen such a solitary, lonely life? What is so unique about this particular ghost orchid? Does it really have mystical powers? Who is the mysterious amateur photographer who becomes Roger's email friend? And how do Roger's Florida relatives fit into the picture?

D.K. Christi answers all those questions in a masterful way, with near-perfect pacing, believable, likable characters--and a little help from a rare ghost orchid.

I highly recommend this haunting, exquisite love story.

ENDNOTE: There are some coincidences that could be considered as contrived by the author, but with a story this well-written and beautiful in its symmetry and uniqueness of plot, who would question that?

Reviewed by Betty Dravis, July 22, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books

Mel, consumed by her love for a man who shares her passion but cannot commit to her, finds consolation in her daily walks at an Audubon Society sanctuary near the Florida Everglades. Her daughter, Neev, raised by foster parents, does not understand nor can she forgive her mother for abandoning her and deliberately keeps her at arm's length. A former model and graduate of Oxford University, Neev interns under Roger Andrew, an acclaimed photographer with National Geographic. As the two travel to exotic locales, they enter into a romantic relationship which deepens into an affectionate friendship. Roger's passion is shooting scarce and endangered flora, and when he learns that a Ghost Orchid, a rare form of the orchid family, is blooming at an Audubon Society sanctuary in Florida, he cannot miss this opportunity. Knowing Neev dislikes the area where her mother lived, he nevertheless asks her to accompany him there. Neev agrees, setting in motion mystical occurrences surrounding the Ghost Orchid connecting Neev's past to her present and future.

Ghost Orchid is a lovely story brilliantly depicted through the author's poetic prose and vibrant descriptives. Characters are well-developed and intriguing, as are the locales portrayed. Readers will fall under the spell of Christi as she weaves a magical tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness.

I started to read this book several times. Other matters would take me away from it, and by the time I'd return, I'd need to start again. Finally, I told myself to sit still and give it a chance. I was rewarded by that decision with the gift of a well-crafted story about a woman I think I must have known if only in my youthful fantasies.

While this is not the sort of fiction I usually read, its title, however, pulled me in and drew me to the book. When I realized that a lot of the story is set in the Everglades, I was hooked. (He said with illogically sequenced metaphors.)

I want to say that this is a romance book, but I'm not sure. The characters are fascinating, the plot compelling, and the narrative descriptions of nature are exquisite and accurate. The story is not only about romance and beautiful people being involved with one another, however, although that does play a part. It is more about the mystery of the elusive flower for which the book is named, and the subtle suggestion that the orchid itself somehow channels the love known in life by the ghost of a character and draws together, as if by the will of the orchid, the people she loved.

Once into it, I didn't want it to end. I predict the same for most of you and suggest you give it a try.

Ghost Orchid is a fantastic novel. If you are looking to be taken on an emotional roller coaster through an excellent and unpredictable plot, then you must read Ghost Orchid. Mel is a woman who takes daily walks at the Audubon Society Sanctuary, lamenting about love lost. Not only did she lose her lover, but she also lost the love of her daughter, who she gave up for adoption. Neev, Mel's daughter, wants nothing to do with her mother, and despite her formal education, can't shake the feelings of abandonment and betrayal. But when the Roger Andrew, a noted photographer, discovers that a ghost orchid is blooming at the Audubon Society Sanctuary, he convinces Neev, his intern, to travel down to the Florida Everglades. Little did they know how their lives will change and the magical power of the Ghost Orchid.

D.K. Christi is a true romantic and her writing is absolutely enchanting. She has a way of bringing the scenery out of the pages and into life with her words. The characters are so deep and well-crafted. You truly feel as if you are traveling with Neev and Mel through their lives. There are so many twists and turns in the plot that you will experience a series of powerful emotions, such as love, loss, betrayal, and forgiveness. I absolutely recommend that anyone who enjoys reading a moving and emotional romance purchase Ghost Orchid. It has become one of my favorite stories that I will continue to re-read in the future.

Zee at Fire Pages [...]

Originally posted at: [...]


Author D.K. Christi says "Ghost Orchid is the story of the human heart and the relationships that give life meaning, including those with the natural environment." It is based around her real-life sighting of this rare plant in 2007.

So moved was she by the experience she began writing a story - this story. And it shows in the empathy she portrays with her characters, and the way she weaves her story around the true setting of Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
Her story has it all, betrayal, loss, love, forgiveness. It is the way she puts them all together that creates the amazing impact upon her readers.

This story has more twists and turns than many mountain switch-back roads. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Ms. Christi leads you off down another avenue. Her descriptions of the sanctuary had me zooming off to search it out online. I found a video of the Ghost Orchid and can understand why Ms. Christi was so influenced by it. That is what reading this book does to you. You want to `be' there, so you can walk beside her characters. Each and every one of them has an integral and influential part to play in her story.

Her story is unusual in as much it spans many years, both backwards and forwards as the orchid weaves its spell upon each character across the generations. Not everyone can write a story spanning three generations successfully, but Ms. Christi does it superbly.

This is a story where to review the characters in detail will detract from the brilliance of the whole. Still, each one carries its own vibrancy onto the page, and Ms. Christi's style has its own magic which breaths life into every word she writes as does the beauty of her setting.

Author D.K. Christi is a true romantic. Her ability to describe the beauty in nature is only surpassed by the inner beauty she portrays in finding true love. She writes as though she has experienced this beauty. Her characters draw the reader into a web of emotion, anguish and intrigue.
The illegitimate birth of a girl left with foster parents in Germany, takes the reader on a journey to the jungles of Brazil and the Everglades in Florida photographing the beauty of nature. A mystery controls the life of the heroine seeking answers and yearning for an elusive love. Finding a rare flower, a Ghost Orchid, becomes a magnet that brings together lost loves, unfolds hidden secrets and serves to unite and heal. To learn more, read the book synopsis. Better still, read the book. You may discover your own hidden desires.

This is a well-written story of crossed paths and missed connections that all fit together like a puzzle. I thought this was an enjoyable read and I found it at times amusing and at other times sad. I really appreciated the details given about the flowers and the rest of the scenery. I'm now encouraged to look up this flower online, just so I can see for myself what it looks like.

Five stars
Reviewer: Sunshine

Ghost Orchid