Possession (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Book 2)

After reading the first book I bought the box set but am reviewing book two of the set here so I can review each book individually as they should be. After my rave review of book one I must say I am sorely disappointed with this one. The biggest flaw was the character inconsistencies! Goodness, they were literally all over the place and I feel like I was reading the story with different characters inserted into it to replace the old ones. i.e.: The dreamy hero of book one goes into narcisistic sociopath mode where he is a melodramatic martyr one minute than a jealous lover the next. Consequently, the poor confused heroine who was a mature and admirable (albeit inexperienced) MC in the first book became a borderline tstl indecisive dolt who waffles in and out of misunderstanding after misunderstand with the hero. The originally modern, almost Machiavellian sister's sole role in this book is to become a one dimensional nagging matchmaking mama but somehow still overlooks all the other social mores of the time so the heroine can conveniently go out and have her adventures.

In addition to the character inconsistencies, there are only so many times in a single book where the "villain escapes" (yet again! Darn!) plot can be revisited before I want to start beating my reader against my head to give myself a lobotomy. Last big beef? We find out in this book that the hero must be summoned by the heroine to appear. Okay, I'll accept that, except he appeared often...without being summoned by her and then at other times, for example, when she desperately needs him, he doesn't come to her...because she didn't summon him! Gah! Does he need to be summoned to appear or not? You can't have both. Seriously. My eye is still twitching from all this craziness and I may need Botox to fix it. Book one was a five star. Book two was a two star. I'm going to go ahead and continue on to book three since I bought the box set. Fingers are crossed this derailed series gets back on track in book three.

This is an amazing addition to The Medium Series as we delve further into Jacob's unfortunate circumstance, that of a ghost unable to move on to his next destination. It would seem that his family; however, is being targeted by a demon capable of possessing others. His family isn't safe, but there is nothing that he as a ghost can do. Emily is ready to take down this demon and unravel the mystery behind who is targeting Jacob's family and how Jacob did in fact die. A new love interest is introduced for Emily, but obviously I am in love with Jacob and want Emily to end up with him even though he's a ghost...a ghost she can actually touch.

Some reviewers took issue with that aspect of this story. It was just too ridiculous for them to accept that Emily could touch Jacob. I have to laugh at this. What part of speaking or summoning ghosts from the afterlife is any less fantastical than being able to touch one, and there is a purpose behind this little twist to our ghost story. It wasn't as if the author decided to make it possible for Emily alone to touch and communicate withhim just for the heck of it.

The issue of skin color and class is also addressed in this book, which I appreciated. I knew Emily would navigate the waters of such hatred and uncertainty with flying colors despite the pain it caused her to be treated with such disdain and indifference. All the while, Jacob, who comes from the higher echelons of society is forced to reconsider just exactly what class and circumstance mean in relation to his growing feelings for Emily, someone who would be deemed unacceptable in society. These emotional conflicts combined with the danger that this demon and whoever has summoned it represents make for an amazing addition to the series.

Having read this, the second book in the series, I am even more impressed with C.J.Archers' writing ability than ever. While most historical novels are really romance, this series has managed to be historically accurate with some romance but the main focus is on mediums and at the time was often called spiritualism. During this era seance was considered entertainment and most were eventually exposed as frauds. The main characters are real mediums and the stories are extremely enjoyable yet thrilling as spirits and ghosts cannot truly be controlled. This is an adult series as well not due to erotica like alot of historical books but violence and Victorian ways make this well worth your time to read

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the series, the follow-up was not quite a good. The characters are scattered and more indecisive. At one point I was skip reading just to finish. I hope the third wraps things up a bit.

I truly love this series! Filled with mystery and suspense of the paranormal feel, this is a series that should be a part of everyone's collection. I can not wait to see how it ends in the next book - which I am downloading as I write. Thank you for sharing this series with us - particulaly the first book being free. For that is what made me read it