Review ~ The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1)by JA Templeton

Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother’s life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she’s somehow responsible for her mom’s death, Riley is desperate to see her mother’s elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley believes her life couldn’t get worse––that is until the ghost of nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon catches her purposely cutting herself. An uneasy truce quickly turns into friendship, and soon Riley’s falling hard for Ian.

Riley believes her gift could help Ian end the curse that has kept him tied to the land for centuries, but that would mean letting him go forever and she’s not sure she is strong enough to do that. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough, the spirit of the woman who killed Ian returns and she’ll stop at nothing to keep Riley from helping Ian find eternal peace. (From GoodReads)

The Deepest Cut is the story of Riley, a teenage girl who sees ghosts. In an effort to make a fresh start after her mother's death, Riley's father moves her, and her brother, Shane to live in a centuries old inn in Scotland. As it happens, the inn Riley's family occupies and the castle next door are haunted, one of the ghosts is a nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon, breathtakingly handsome,who was murdered over two hundred years prior.

Hello? The Deepest Cut had me at girl who sees ghosts, castles, Scotland, and mostly... hot ghostly guy! Seriously, what's not to love.

Riley was almost the perfect character. I really just want to give the girl a hug. She's a little broken, due to the death of her mother. She's a genuinely good person who cares about her family. She is not whiny or irritating. But... she is a cutter, using a tiny razor blade to release the pain she struggles to keep inside. Riley fights a constant battle to stop the self-abuse, but when she is overwhelmed, it's always there as a temptation. She compares herself to an alcoholic, wondering if the urge to hurt cut herself will ever completely go away.

Upon arrival in her new home, Riley sees Ian, a ghost. A gorgeous ghost. She struggles to ignore him, but once Ian realized she can see him, he won't be avoided. Ian, with his old-fashioned manners and kind nature, is instantly lovable. Murdered and cursed to an Earthbound afterlife by a jealous servant, Ian has been alone for over two hundred years.

The relationship between Ian and Riley is nicely paced. They don't instantly fall impossibly in love. They form a trusting friendship that steadily builds into something more.  Riley, in a refreshingly unselfish decision, is determined to see Ian find peace, willing to help him break his curse even if it means losing him forever.

The Deepest Cut does have some scary, hair-raising bits involving ghost Laria, the girl who murdered Ian. Laria, a truly frightening character, is determined to keep Ian from a peaceful afterlife and will do anything to keep him from moving on, including murdering again.

The Deepest Cut is a book that I found myself truly enjoying. But oh, what an ending. I was left completely hanging on, wondering what the heck was going on. Count me in for book two!

Favorite Quote ~

"All those things scared me, but what frightened me more than anything was the thought that ghosts
 could tap into our thoughts and yes, they could also see us naked.
Oh. My. God.
Ian could see me naked.
And he could read my mind, too."

Paperback, 304 pages

Published October 1st 2011 by Julia Templeton                                         

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