The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street
By: Karen White
Published Year: 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 374
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Melanie Trenholm should be anticipating Christmas with nothing but joy--after all, it's only the second Christmas she and her husband, Jack, will celebrate with their twin babies. But the ongoing excavation of the centuries-old cistern in the garden of her historic Tradd Street home has been a huge millstone, both financially and aesthetically. Local students are thrilled by the possibility of unearthing more Colonial-era artifacts at the cistern, but Melanie is concerned by the ghosts connected to the cistern that have suddenly invaded her life and her house--and at least one of them is definitely not filled with holiday cheer....
And these relics aren't the only precious artifacts for which people are searching. A past adversary is convinced that there is a long-lost Revolutionary War treasure buried somewhere on the property that Melanie inherited--untold riches rumored to be brought over from France by the Marquis de Lafayette himself and intended to help the Colonial war effort. It's a treasure literally fit for a king, and there have been whispers throughout history that many have already killed--and died--for it. And now someone will stop at nothing to possess it--even if it means destroying everything Melanie and Jack hold dear.
First Impressions
This cover! This is the book cover my Christmas dreams are made of! To be honest, I didn’t read the summary too closely. I have read some of White’s previous novels and really enjoyed them, so I was excited to read one of her Christmas stories.
What I thought
Maybe I should have read the summary a little more closely?
This is the 6th installment in the Tradd Street series. Melanie can see and communicate with ghosts. Just before she is set to host part of a progressive holiday dinner, she sees new ghosts in her house that are causing problems. Add on top of that the issues that her husband is dealing with in regards to writing his latest novel and fending off his arch nemesis from trying to film in their house and you have a lot going on.
The funny thing about this book is that it came out in November, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it because I wasn’t in the holiday spirit yet. I did pick it up shortly after Halloween, feeling much more ready. Then I saw that it dealt with spirits (duh Lindsey, just read the title closely), and realized I could’ve started it before Halloween and still been good!
Sometimes when you pick a book up in the middle of a series it can be hard to get your bearings. I didn’t find this to be the case with the Tradd Street series. White did a really nice job of making sure that past relationships and events were explained. While I’m sure that I don’t know or understand all of the subtleties, I didn’t find myself not enjoying the story because I felt lost or like I was missing something.
Melanie and her husband Jack were a lot of fun. They’re newlyweds and very flirty, but they are also friends. I really enjoyed their relationship and it was probably the biggest aspect that makes me want to go back and read the other books in the series. I think Jack redeems Melanie a lot. She could be a very annoying character, but he balances her well. She is a bit petty and impulsive and I’d be curious to see how she managed to get rid of spirits before Jack or before the help of her half sister.
My biggest criticism of this book is that in all honestly, it wasn’t that Christmassy. It felt more like a regular story that was just happening at Christmas time. In fact, because of the spirits and their nature it felt more like a Halloween story.
This story and the characters are a lot of fun. Is this a book that will get you in the Christmas spirit? No. But will you enjoy reading it? Yes. Karen White is a solid author and she did not disappoint. I am definitely intrigued by this series now and am looking forward to seeing how the rest of them come out.