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Review of Ruby Hill by Sarah Ballance w/giveaway

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Giveaway: $10 gift card to Amazon or BN.  Rafflecopter link is at the bottom of the post.  Good luck!

 

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Ruby Hill

Author: Sarah Ballance

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance

Categories: Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Ghost Story

Erotic Elements: NONE

Publisher: Entangled Ever After

Heat Level: Sensual

Word Count/Length: Approx 12,000 words

AMAZON – http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003WKYEJI

BARNES &  NOBLE – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/sarah-ballance

KOBO – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Search?query=Sarah%20Ballance&fcsearchfield=Author

 

~Blurb

Corbin Malone said goodbye to everything good when his brother Cash died, including the love of his life, Ashley Pearce…until his captain assigns him to babysit a group of ghost hunters at Ruby Hill Lunatic Asylum. They’re set on disproving a supernatural cause for a cluster of strange deaths, and Ashley is leading the investigation. He doesn’t need the hassle, but he won’t let anyone else protect her, regardless of the threat.

Ashley didn’t know her ex-boyfriend, the man who blames her for his brother’s death, would head the police detail guarding the abandoned asylum. But her long family history with Ruby Hill calls to her, and even he won’t convince her to back down. Until something darker stirs in the shadows of the asylum—something so evil, she’s not sure she and Corbin will survive the night.

 

Excerpt #2:

Lunatics. Ghosts. Murder.

The media grabbed the story like rabid dogs, shredding and tearing the meat of the so-called facts until nothing was left but gristle and hyped-up gore. Rumors took flight. Poltergeists, demons, a portal to hell, and all because torture had to leave a mark. Ruby Hill certainly had.

So had Corbin Malone.

From the drive, Corbin twisted his head her way. The moment his eyes met hers left a scar on her heart.

Either he hid his emotion well or he lacked any. Not a flicker of reaction crossed his face. He simply turned to watch the car retreat through the gate, a security guard stepping over to shut and lock the leggy ten-foot barrier as soon as the vehicle’s rear bumper cleared.

Then, in a move so painstakingly slow it had to be deliberate, Corbin found her again. Blue eyes pierced her with such force she took a step backward. As she stumbled, the slowest of smiles crept across his face.

But he was not the threat.

She heard the asylum’s whispers. This was personal.

She hugged herself tightly.

Yer gonna die.

Review:  

I’m such a cheater.  I read this book when it first came out a couple of years ago from a different publisher.  It creeped me out then and it still did this go round.  The only thing that was brought to my mind when I read Ruby Hill now is a comparison to the PennHurst State Hospital in Pennsylvania.  I’ve watched shows on that place and wow, its sad and creepy at the same time.

I’m really glad that Ruby Hill has found a new home at Entangled.  Its a great ghost story/thriller but its also a  story about second chances and forgiveness.  Corbin and Ashley are more than your average characters.  Having dated before the death of Corbin’s brother Cash, Ruby Hill holds more secrets than either one of them can fathom.   If I said anymore, it would be consider a spoiler and you know how Harlie is about that.  😉

Again, I can not stress the complete awesomeness (yes, I said it) of Ms. Ballance’s story.  Its creepy, spooky and spine tingly.  I would be neglect to say something about another character in the book.  Its the atmosphere.  Yes, atmosphere.  It takes hold of you and doesn’t let go.  I’ve read a lot Stephen King and when I read “The Shining” I learned about atmosphere in a book.  It grabs you, surrounds you and becomes a character on its own.  Ms. Ballance brings this character to the forefront and it stays with you long after you have finished the book.

I’m still trying to figure out one part of the story.  The story, Ruby Hill remains unfinished in my opinion.  Oh yes, Corbin and Ashley’s story is finished, well a girl can hope that Ms. Ballance will revisit them but I’m talking about the place Ruby Hill.  There is much more to that place and Ms. Ballance writes it that way.  Well, she revisit it?  Don’t know but I’ll be the first one to read it if she does.

Once you start reading Ruby Hill, you will not stop until its finished.  Its atmospheric, tense and it will scare you.  And Harlie doesn’t scare easy.    Find this gem of a story again from Ms. Ballance.  I loved it then and I fell more in love with Ms. Ballance’s writing this time around.

recommend-harlies- new

 

 

 

 

5harlies

 

 

Bio Sarah Ballance

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). Though she adores romantic suspense, she writes in many genres. Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found at http://sarahballance.com.

 

~Contact Links
Website: http://www.sarahballance.com/

Blog: http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahBallance

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.Sarah_Ballance
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5 thoughts on “Review of Ruby Hill by Sarah Ballance w/giveaway

  1. Ooh, this sounds awesome! I haven’t read a book like this for some time, so I will have to check this one out. 🙂
    Great review! Thank you for sharing.

  2. You’re right! It was Hawthorne. *slaps face* That was a good book, too. Ruby Hill was just exceptional. Creepy, thrilling and just awesome.

    Harlie

  3. Thank you so much for this wonderful review – I’m absolutely delighted you enjoyed the book so much! This one hasn’t been published before. I think you’re probably thinking of Hawthorne, which was set in an old Louisiana plantation home and released from Astraea Press in 2011. I can definitely see the parallels and I’m thrilled you did as well. These are two of my favorite stories. 🙂

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