My first blog tour with Blackthorn Book Tours for 2021 presents a romantic drama with a paranormal twist.
About the book
When a grieving mother turns to an ancient Buddhist ritual for solace and mistakenly awakens a vengeful spirit, dark karma threatens to destroy everything she holds dear…
Struggling with depression after the death of her young daughter, Jennifer flees to a healing center in the Sri Lankan jungle. Encouraged to visit the local temple, she finds unexpected meaning in the beliefs of Buddhism. But it’s not long before she becomes entangled in the mystic—and dangerous—world of village folklore, and the slippery, transferable energy of karma.
Still, the jungle works its magic, and Jennifer begins to recover. Returning to Santa Monica, she rebuilds her life through painting, even opening her heart to a new love. But when her deceased daughter appears begging for help, and mounting bodies baffle the police, she battles to repair the shift in karma and free her daughter’s soul.
My review
An engaging tale that walks you through Jennifer’s journey to a happier life, sprinkled with tragedy.
After the accidental drowning of her eight year old daughter, Jennifer follows her sister’s advice and journeys to Sri Lanka for a three month yoga retreat. While there, she finds peace through the practices of Buddhism.
Once back in Santa Monica, Jennifer’s life continues its upward spiral with new love and a return of her creative talent. However, months of strange coincidences persuade her to confront the possibility that she is somehow linked to a spate of brutal murders in her neighborhood.
This is a descriptive novel, and I applaud Wanner for her excellent depictions of Sri Lanka and especially for Jennifer’s paintings. I loved reading about her artistic practice and could see the paintings clearly.
The characters are likewise well drawn, and though I found the dialogue stilted and unnatural, it didn’t stop me from seeing Jennifer, her friends and family as real people and caring about what happened to them.
The book opens with a compelling hook. Jennifer is in bits after her daughter drowned in their backyard pool. It’s heartbreaking and immediately sucks you into the drama. Jennifer’s guilt and grief are easy to understand, and I cheered her every step out of the darkness into the light.
Unfortunately, the paranormal aspects didn’t engage me as much as the drama. The inciting incident was so obvious to me that I was infuriated it took the characters until the final 10% of the book to realize what was going on. While the karmic elements of the hauntings seemed to tie into the theme of the book, I found the association to the brutal murders out of place and the resolution dissatisfying.
I love a good ghostly murder as much as anyone, and the plot had plenty of potential for a really chilling horror, but I found the story was more firmly focused on Jennifer’s recovery from loss rather than the paranormal mystery.
If you love romantic dramas and don’t mind a side of paranormal suspense, this novel is definitely for you.
I award A Twist of Karma…
About the author
WENDY WANNER writes supernatural suspense novels based on folklore and cultural idiosyncrasies, with a touch of the paranormal. With a BA in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA, Wendy’s interest in cultures and religions drives her to travel the world, encountering different beliefs and traditions which surface in her novels.
A passionate reader and traveler, Wendy is also an avid dancer, yogi, and SCUBA diver who surfs and paddleboards every chance she gets. An Arizona desert girl at heart, Wendy is the mother of two boys and now lives in Dubai with her Scottish husband.
Author links:• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendywannerbooks/• Website: www.wendywannerbooks.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wendy_wanner• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendy_wanner_author/
Iseult Murphy 
Yikes, I can’t imagine how horrible it would be for a parent to lose a child in the backyard pool. Yeah, that would draw me right in, too. Good review. It does sound like a pretty good book, just that it could have been tied together (structured?) better.
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It’s a powerful opening. What a truly horrific event. It’s a good drama but I would have liked more of the horror element to suit my tastes. I’m a horror nut though! Thanks Priscilla.
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