Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow spin an excellent tale of a romance that’s almost destroyed by lack of trust and communication. In Nick’s defense his life has often been full of disastrous relationships, rejections and ridicule of his gift for both precognition and work with ghosts. He knows John has always been supportive but their relationship has always been easy up to this point. They didn’t have to talk things out before, others never wanted to so he doesn’t know how. John has never had a relationship that was as important as his is with Nick. They both seem to let things slide. Going to investigate and help the spirits with unresolved problems at the crash site seems to give them a separation from their everyday lives. That, along with continuing to work to repair the rift seems to help them learn that love has to be much more than good sex with one another.

There are many well constructed characters in this tale. Michael John’s best friend, Greg the reporter, Andy who helps precipitate a crisis for John and Nick, Alicia Nick’s Dad’s girlfriend and Josh the brother Nick didn’t know he had until after the crash are great additions to the story.

The authors have done a great job with Nick, John and their relationship. It’s not easy to build a relationship but these authors do it within the challenges facing them at the crash site. This is one of those stories I just couldn’t put down.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

John McIntyre is a jack of all trades doing what he can, and living on an Island in Scottland. He is hopelessly in love with Nick.

Dominic “Nick” Kelley is a psychic/seer who is trying to come to terms with his gift while writing a book that John talked him into starting.

Nick and John are trying to make a relationship work when a ghost comes taking all of Nick’s time and energy. Will it ruin the perfect harmony they had together before Nick started seeing this ghost?

Giving up the Ghost is an awesome love story between two men. The sexual scenes were very, very hot! Ms. Davitt and Ms. Snow sure know how to make a reader squirm. Nick and John are such good characters one forgets they are reading a book. This book is an extremely emotional ghost story that leaves you guessing until the end. It will have readers questioning if there is an afterlife, and knowing that sometimes things that happen are not as they seem.

Reviewer: Michelle Naumann

Rating: 5 Stars

Heat level: H

John McIntyre does not believe this is happening.  His lover, Nick Kelley, is becoming more and more distant and John doesn’t know how to reach him.  Nick keeps dreaming about death, but even though he scours the Internet, there is no mention of its meaning.  What he doesn’t realize is that John is feeling rejected and knows that something is wrong, although John has no idea exactly what it is.

Giving Up the Ghost starts about a year after Laying a Ghost.  Although Giving Up the Ghost can be read stand-alone, I think it is better to read these books in order.  There are a number of situations in this story that would lose their impact, if you have not read the first book.   Nick and John both grow through this book.  The first bloom of lust is wearing off.  A dour Scotsman, John has to deal with being in his first relationship.  He does not know how to react to Nick’s growing emotional distance.  No matter what he does, he just keeps feeling rejected.  Of course, it doesn’t help that Nick is trying not to let his dreams bother him, or let his dreams worry John.  Of course, they still can’t keep their hands off each other.  However, there is some truth in that old saying that sex does not solve everything.   They are using sex as a sticky plaster over the gaping wound in their relationship.  Both of these characters make mistakes; they both have to learn how to talk to each other.  Apart from their personal relationship, they have to deal again with the ghosts, but this time, the ghosts are vengeful.  Ms. Davitt and Ms. Snow definitely know how to play on my emotions.  The pure emotional heartache they craft into so many of Nick and John’s conversations is just remarkable.  Giving Up the Ghost is a worthy continuation of Nick and John’s story.   I would love to see more of these two; I just don’t know if my emotions could take it!

Michelle Naumann

Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Review from Literary Nymphs

John and Nick are having problems, but John has no clue as to what’s going on and is feeling helpless in the face of the mess their relationship has become.   When he suggested that Nick start writing a book as a way to occupy his time during the winter months, he never expected the effort to absorb Nick to the point that they no longer relate to each other outside of bed.

Nick thinks he might be going crazy.  He hasn’t come across any new ghosts in their remote island home in Scotland, but his dreams are becoming nightmares that are slowly driving him to the edge.  The worst thing about it all is that he can’t tell John what’s going on inside his head.  Really, he doesn’t trust himself, how can he expect John to do so?

Hard times are coming.  Nick and John need to face them together or their relationship might not survive.  They love each other, but if they aren’t talking how are they going to maintain their connection?

Giving Up the Ghost is a touching story about what happens next after the boy gets the boy.  Nick is a tortured soul because of his “psychic” talents and he is perfectly foiled by John who is down-to-earth and impossible to unnerve.  Their difficulties are so real that you can easily see yourself making the same mistakes.  John and Nick never fail to draw you in and make you experience their struggle to stay together.  The emotional scenes are wrenching and the sensual scenes might melt your screen. 

Plan on getting Giving Up the Ghost and reading it soon.  It’s skillfully written and you will enjoy the journey with the characters.

Reviewed by Haley: five stars.

John McIntyre and Nick Kelley are living their lives in what seems to be happy bliss when Nick begins to pull away from John. As John struggles to understand Nick just grows more and more distant. What John doesn’t know and what Nick won’t tell him is that he is getting premonitions and he doesn’t’ know how to explain them to John. Sure, John knows that Nick is a psychic but their time in Scotland has been ghost free and Nick isn’t sure he isn’t just going crazy. Then comes the phone call that sends them across the Atlantic and into a mess of an estranged father, a gold digger, and angry ghost eager to have Nick all to themselves.

Giving up the Ghost is the second book in the Laying a Ghost series. While it can stand alone I recommend reading Laying a Ghost first in order to gain a true appreciation of John and Nick’s relationship. Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow have written a story that sinks its claws into you and refuses to let go. I love John and Nick, I love that they aren’t perfect and that as much as they love each other they both still make mistakes. Being the second book in the series Giving up the Ghost brings us to a point in Nick and John’s relationship where they are over the first “you are perfect” part of any relationship. They have been together about a year and both men are learning that things have to be discussed instead of ignored if the relationship is going to make it. John is probably my favorite character, as this stoic Scotsman who has to learn to move beyond the traditional way a man is expected to behave. He grows into a more mature partner in the relationship and I loved him even more by the end. Nick also grows and learns in this novel and not just emotionally but psychically as well. The sensual scenes aptly displayed the various emotions that the men were feeling; from the mechanical, just having sex because it was expected to the tender, touching, emotionally charged lovemaking that shows just how connected these two men truly are. I can’t wait to read the third book in this wonderful series, Waking the Dead, and find out what happens next.