Customer Reviews

Spirited Away

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a romance novel junkie (I read several a week) and am always thrilled to discover good new authors. But it's even better to discover a GREAT new author. Spirited Away is truly one of the best romances I've read in several months. The writing was excellent and engaging, the plot clever and fast-paced, characters were delightful, and above all the romance was out of this world (literally and figuratively).

Also, not only did the author do a great job of balancing the romance with a hint of mystery, but the mystery itself was truly interseting. Often I feel like any "suspense" factor is thrown in as a token plot turn, only to interefere with the relationship development (which is why I pick up a romance in the first place!). But Ms. Miles managed to have me equally engaged in the romantic and mystery resolution.

This is one of those books where I was torn between wanting to read it all in one sitting, and forcing myself to put it aside from time to time just to make it last longer. When I finished, I had that bittersweet feeling of a great romance - the one that leaves you smiling because it was so good, but a little bit sad because it's over and you have to say good-bye to the characters.

I was really surprised to learn that Spirted Away is the first published book by this author. It was really outstanding, not merely as a "first effort," but I enjoyed it much more than books by authors who've published dozens of novels. On the other hand...I was also a little bit dismayed to realize it was her first published work because it means that I can't get ahold of anymore of hers?! I have to wait until November?!?!

I can't recommend this book highly enough - give it a try, even if you're not normally a fan of paranormal. The characters and romance were completely engaging, even if ghosts aren't your usual cup of tea. And my advice to Ms. Miles - please, please...write faster!!! ;)

I love this book. Its one of the most romantic books i have read in a long time. Its purely fun, non-serious reading. Its not written the best, but its really hard to put down. If you like sweet, fun, romantic books, this is IT!

Parental Advice: (not to give anything away at the end, but if you have a kid or teen reading this) the end of the book has a sex scene. It is the last two or three pages of the book. The rest of the book is mostly just mushy, but you do get several comments like, "If only i could touch you, I would take you right here." but nothing happens till the end. You can do what my mom does, she proof reads it, then tapes up the raunchy stuff- that way i can still enjoy it.

Spirited Away by Cindy Miles is her first novel and it was great!It was mix of historical and modern romance with a great mystery. Andi is a archaeologist who finds herself solving a 1292 mystery. The mystery comes in form of very handsome ghost,Dragonhawk. Be prepared to read through the night! Looking forward to her next'Into Thin Air' coming out Nov 6, 2007.

If you are looking some more good summer reading check out 'The Secret Gift' by Jaclyn Reding, 'Crazy For You' by Kate Angell, 'The Ice House' by Minette Walters,`There Goes the Bride' by Lori Wilde, 'Kisses To Go' by Irene Peterson and 'Remember the Alimony' by Bethany True.

oh, yeah... Stardust of yesterday by Lynn Kurland. And Kurland was indeed better. Though I liked the stuff with the tree and the twisted yew. Still a "busybody" butler who drives his lord "daft" was lifted directly from Kurland. Someone trying to hurt the girl while she's away from her knight, followed by a phone conversation where he asked her to come home, was as well. And squire Jason is just like Kurland's squire Jason in This is All I Ask. Obviously Miles is a Kurland fan - so am I.

Once I started SPIRITED AWAY, I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters. Andi (the heroine) was adorable--intelligent, inquisitive, extremely likable. Tristan was, well, as Andi put it...GRRR. What a chilvarous hunk. I laughed out loud several times in the scene where Andi went to Tristan's room to talk to him and found him in his drawstring sweatpants with his manly chest (GRR:-). She had to force herself to quit staring just so she could carry on a conversation (ignore! ignore! ignore!) And I didn't figure out the mystery until the end, so the plot held me throughout. There was no sagging middle here because if there had been, I'd have quit reading. Life's too short.

But the main thing I absolutely loved about this book was the author's voice. That elusive quality that makes the words she writes come out totally different from the way anyone else could write them. When I came to write an Amazon review (as I do for any 5 STAR book I read--and they are few and far between), I was so surprised to read someone's review that said SPIRITED AWAY was identical to another book called Stardust of Yesterday that I purchased that book and read it. While Lynn Kurland's book is good, it's nothing like SPIRITED AWAY and I'm still trying to figure out why someone thought it was. Yes, there is a knight who's a ghost from the 13th century. Yes, there is a modern day heroine. Yes, the knight has companions (have you ever heard of a lone knight?) And yes, there was a butler. So? The author's voice and writing style is entirely different, the storytelling technique is entirely different, the characters are entirely different, the type of book is entirely different.

SPIRITED AWAY is a whimsical paranormal that will leave you with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. I can't wait to read INTO THIN AIR and HIGHLAND KNIGHT. This author is a GEM!

okay, to start with, I enjoyed the book. It was worth my time and money for the hours I spent reading it. The characters were likeable and the situation not too far-fetched (given it's a ghost romance).

That being said...it was a total knock-off of another book. Yes, after just a few pages, I thought to myself "I've read this before". And I had. The author even thanks the first auther as being an inspiration. This book is just another rendering of Lynn Kurland's 'Stardust of Yesterday'. And the similarities are so glaringly obvious, I'm not sure how or why a publisher bought and put it out (given all the original manuscripts that are rejected, this is the second book I've read that's obviously NOT an original idea!)

Basically, if you've read Lynn's book, you've read this one. Fearsome medival knight murdered in his own dungeon, becomes a ghost. Girl shows up at castle and the two fall in love with the help of: ghostly knights who train and joust on a regular basis, a butler whose family has been in service to the ghost since the beginning (sound familiar?). The villian comes back by taking over a body and attempting to come back permantly and is surprised when-Slight Spoiler here-the knight is freed from his ghostly state by the girl and they fight to the death with swords.

There's even a point in this book where the Andi leaves the castle, upset and is away for several days. Tristian gets her back by, yes, having the butler hold the phone and calling her to order/beg her to come back.

There wasn't a whole lot original in this book. Even they way they talk, the way sentances are formed are classic Lynn. Still, if you liked Stardust of yesterday, you'll probably like this one. Like Lynn, the intimacies were held to a minimum and only fully indulged after they were married. There is a few swear words, a few annoyingly 'hip' phrases like 'he was a hottie', and the final love scene is definitely more detailed than lynn ever gets.

Is it worth the money? Yes and no. If you can, get it first from the library and read it to see if you think it's worth buying to read again. Nothing quite compares to Stardust of yesterday, but...I think I'll probably keep this one. I enjoyed it enough to give it a second read.

When I went to my local bookstore today I had no clue I would pick up such a gem of a book. I really enjoyed this book and basically went through the whole thing in one sitting. I liked the characters, you could feel their emotions and relate to them completely. I also liked the complexity...it was a fun easy read but it also makes you think. What was in this book that is missing in others is the relationship between the hero and heroine. When you can't touch someone the emotions make up the entire basis and I could really tell how much they cared for each other. It was not about the physical but more about the pure relationship. I would highly recommend this book to any paranormal romance fanatic...such as myself. Its lighthearted and not as intense as some of the vampire romances I have read but it leaves you with a really happy feeling at the end...and I can't wait for the next book in November.

What a charming debut novel! Just recently I discovered Cindy Miles' books and am certainly glad I did. Spirited Away was the first and absolutely loved it.

Tristan de Barre, a 13th century Knight, known as Dragonhawk, is murdered along with his knights and their souls cursed to roam Dreadmoor Castle for all eternity. Now in the present day, when archeologist Andi Monroe is sent to excavate some of the castle's remains, to her delight quickly finds herself swept away with the Dragonhawk legend and determined to solving the 700 year old mystery. With the help of Tristan's and his garrison's ghosts. It has a sweet blend of romance, fun, mystery and of course medieval knights that will sweep you away. With a good plot line and cast of characters, a few twists and turns this book kept me reading till the end.

I would defiantly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a lighthearted, cute historical meets complimentary romance.

I blindly picked up this book without reading reviews which is something I rarely do. It seemed like a cute lighthearted fast read and I was right on the mark.

Tristan DeBarre lived in the 13th century, when a trusted fatherlike figure, feeling betrayed from the loss of his son, curses Tristan and his knights to a "life" of eternally walking as dead. Tristan and his knights wander aimlessly over Dreadmoor Castle for over 700 years, not knowing all the details of how they are trapped there, when a bad storm upends a tree baring medieval artifacts and bodily remains. Enter Andrea Monroe, an archaeoligist, who is called in to uncover these remains and try to resolve who they belong to and why they are there.

As soon as Andrea, or rather Andi, arrives, she immediately realizes two things. 1. She is undeniably attracted to the castles Lord, Tristan De Barre, and 2. she senses a spirit who is trying to communicate with her. As a scientist, she can't believe any of it is real, but she cannot deny the overwhelming evidence that there are in fact ghosts at Dreadmoor castle. Especially when she learns without a doubt, that Tristan is one of them.

Tristan and Andrea are nothing less than soulmates drawn to one another, but can never experience the intimacy of touch. Instead, as they spend time with one another, they build a loving bond while trying to determine what their relationship means to one another.

This, overall, was a delightful read and all the knights, Tristan included, were such wonderful characters. I certainly hope this author has plans of building out each of the knights stories in addition to Tristan. A very fast read, it's simply romantic. The chemistry is wonderful, and I was hoping for a little more steam, but seeing as how the two main characters literally couldn't touch one another, it was definitely more on the tame side. Regardless I enjoyed the romance and the supporting characters. Every now and again, the writing became stale. Cindy Miles certainly has a knack for repeating her phrases over and over again, but I breezed through it regardless. She did not dilute the story with secondary storylines. Everything was core to the main story and it made it much easier to enjoy. This is definitely a fast pick me up when you're not sure what to read.

If you are looking for light quirky fun romance, this is a good book to hold you over. Cindy Miles writes in a young manner, yet conveys the old world charm properly. Tristan and Andi are great characters. The strong heroine has a refreshingly cool job - Archeologist. The chemistry between the two characters is there as well. There have been reviews, commenting on the likeliness to Stardust of Yesterday and yes, I agree - the characters and story is similar. However, I personally preferred this book over the other. Stardust is good. But the writing in this one appealed more to me and the heroine was more realistic to me. I also read the 2 follow up books from Cindy Miles and while I liked book 1 and 2, book 3 was just ok due to an unexplained happy ending. (no spoiler here - a romance does have a happy ending)