The Passenger [Paperback]

Joie Lesin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2007

The musky scent of skin, a brush on the shoulder, a gust of bitter air--all forewarn Elizabeth a spirit will soon seek her help to pass from this world to the next. Yet a living man's wounded soul offers her the challenge of a lifetime. Set in the 1940's, The Passenger tells the story of Elizabeth Reilly who travels to the Clemente Vineyard to help the spirit of an old man find peace and loses her heart to the son he left behind.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Romance Publishing (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978536894
• ISBN-13: 978-0978536893
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,313,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable read, May 23, 2007

By 

Patricia A. Guittar (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Passenger (Paperback)

I wanted to read a different book, so I bought this author unknown to me.

I really found the story quite entrancing and memorable. Romance, mystery, etc. All with a plot that kept me reading till the end. Didnt want to put it down. So for a complete change in a story, try this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, October 20, 2010

By 

LAS Reviewer "The Long and the Short Of It Re... (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passenger (Paperback)

Elizabeth Reilly has finally accepted life with her "special" abilities. Will the man she loves accept them too?

Elizabeth can communicate with the dead. Elizabeth considers her abilities more of a curse then a gift, and for most of her life, she blocked the abilities, hoping to live a normal life. However, when an old man named Paolo Clemente dies in her arms, she knows she has to help his spirit find peace. Paolo believed his wife and son to be dead, but Elizabeth discovers they are alive and well in California. Soon she finds herself in California on the Clemente vineyard run by Adriana and Gio, Paolo's wife and son.

Not wanting Gio to think she's crazy, Elizabeth decides not to tell him that she can communicate with the spirit of his dead father. While she's not comfortable with lying, Elizabeth believes it's better if Gio thinks she knew his father when he was alive. However, Gio is still skeptical of Elizabeth's story. He suspects that Elizabeth might be running some sort of scam. Wanting to protect his mother, Gio demands that Elizabeth keep the reason for her visit a secret from Adriana until he decides the time is right. As Elizabeth and Gio spend more time together, the tension between them builds. Will they acknowledge their attraction before it's too late? What will Gio say when he learns about Elizabeth's abilities?

Elizabeth is certainly a strong woman. Her ability to communicate with the dead has made her life very lonely. People instinctively shy away from her and her family. Rather than letting this defeat her, Elizabeth grew into the wonderful and caring woman who held a stranger's hand as he died. Another thing that I admire about Elizabeth is that she was unwilling to settle for just any man. She is determined that she will never be with a man who doesn't fully accept everything about her, including her ability to communicate with the dead. While she loves Gio, she is prepared to let him go if he can't handle the truth of her abilities.

Gio is a man with a heart of stone. However, somewhere very deep in that stone is a soft spot. Gio believes that his father had abandoned him as a child. Then Elizabeth walks into his life and tells him differently. Not only is Gio extremely resistant to changing his long held view of his father, but he also resists his growing reaction to Elizabeth just as strongly. In an attempt to push her away, Gio is cruel at times, and it was very difficult for me to patiently wait for his stone heart to soften. However, once it does, he reveals himself to be a kind and caring man.

I enjoyed reading The Passenger. Paolo and Adriana's story is heartbreaking, but out of that tragedy comes the possibility of new love between Gio and Elizabeth. I recommend The Passenger to anyone looking for a touching romance with a splash of the paranormal mixed in.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A very different romance, July 25, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passenger (Paperback)

Since she was a child, Elizabeth had possessed a rare gift of communicating with the dead, and sometimes helping them with their unfinished business. This was the case with Paolo Clemente; a kind man she met on a streetcar. Elizabeth held the man's head in her lap as he passed from life to his other existence, but he was not at rest. Something was left undone. He wanted her to take him home to his family.

Paolo's son Giovanni loved the vineyard. It was the only thing of his missing father he had, but Giovanni was also bitter when it came to his father. Despite what his mother thought, Giovanni believed his father had deserted them. Paolo's spirit followed Elizabeth to the vineyard, hoping she could create peace in Giovanni's heart. Even though his family members welcomed her visit, Giovanni was distrusting. Would Elizabeth succeed in bringing Paolo's love to his family and heal Giovanni's bitterness or would she fail her mission? Find out in this delightful novel by Joie Lesin.

I really enjoyed this book, with its interesting plot, humor and an unusual storyline. I was very impressed with the way it all came together.

Armchair Interviews says: Bringing love from the "other side" makes for a good story.