When new young creative retreat leader Zoe finds herself living the dream with her beloved husband Theo in a beautiful and mysterious Cotswold manor house in the heart of England's loveliest countryside, who would have thought evil could have found her?
But she is disturbed by frightening dreams and visions of a lost ghostly child. And when two unexpected visitors - James and his mysterious and extraordinarily beautiful girlfriend Natasha - arrive at the centre, Zoe is the only one to feel uneasy, other than her friend and confidante, actress Alice Nazari. When Natasha starts to perform a series of inexplicable supernatural healings, all the guests in the retreat centre are captivated; and so too is Zoe's husband, unconventional priest Theo, who Zoe feels sure would be the first to sniff out any hint of spiritual deception.
More and more chilling paranormal events occur which lead Zoe to the conviction that everyone in the retreat centre is in great danger, and none more so than Theo and herself. But Theo, it appears, is totally entranced by the seemingly angelic Natasha. And all the while a desperate ghost child calls out to Zoe, through a series of appearances both to Zoe and to Alice.
Feeling unsupported by the very man she had believed would protect her forever, Zoe has no choice but to follow her own instincts and enter into the heart of evil; an evil nobody would ever have guessed would visit this spiritual centre. An evil which includes shapeshifting, sorcery and spiritual deception of the most subtle and devious kind.
This contemporary paranormal thriller completes the story of the two sisters Juliet and Zoe which was begun in the prequel, Mystical Circles.
The book is ideal for fans of paranormal and supernatural thrillers, and new adult gothic fiction such as The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
"The scenario at first seems familiar but as unexplained events stack up, an insidious menace develops. The characters interact in a combination of naive and increasingly sinister ways... the last sections are very fast-paced with some nicely-worked twists. One to read with the lights on and door bolted in a cosy Cotswold cottage!" (David Smith, author of Searching For Amber, Death in Leamington and Love in Lindfield)
"The paranormal theme is dominant... the child added a sense of vulnerability and tension. The revelation about the child and her role in the drama added to the climax. The setting is credibly drawn and adds to the gothic feel of the novel, because modern gothic it certainly is." (Fran Hill, author of Being Miss)
"I took A Passionate Spirit on holiday with me. I loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning, the characters got inside my head and I couldn't put the book down. I was really very surprised at how spooked I felt considering I was on a sunny beach in Tenerife very far removed from the Cotswolds." (Janice, Amazon reviewer)
"The book has drawn me in; I've spent many hours reading this page-turner. I must say I finished one chapter just before going to bed, and I really felt very spooked and spent a lot of time considering the implications of people who mesmerize people." (Amazon Customer)
Industry Reviews
"A creepy tale of distorted ambition: SC Skillman grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go until the end. She goes great insight into the human spirit and how it can be distorted by ambition. Creepily good stuff." (Fiona Veitch Smith, author of the Poppy Denby Investigates mystery novel series)
“The scenario at first seems familiar but as unexplained events stack up, an insidious menace develops. The characters interact in a combination of naive and increasingly sinister ways... the last sections are very fast-paced with some nicely-worked twists. One to read with the lights on and door bolted in a cosy Cotswold cottage!” (David Smith, author of Searching For Amber, Death in Leamington and Love in Lindfield)
“The paranormal theme is dominant... the child added a sense of vulnerability and tension. The revelation about the child and her role in the drama added to the climax. The setting is credibly drawn and adds to the gothic feel of the novel, because modern gothic it certainly is.” (Fran Hill, author of Being Miss)
“I took A Passionate Spirit on holiday with me. I loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning, the characters got inside my head and I couldn’t put the book down. I was really very surprised at how spooked I felt considering I was on a sunny beach in Tenerife very far removed from the Cotswolds.” (Janice, Amazon reviewer)
“The book has drawn me in; I’ve spent many hours reading this page-turner. I must say I finished one chapter just before going to bed, and I really felt very spooked and spent a lot of time considering the implications of people who mesmerize people.” (Amazon Customer)
