Ruined by Paula Morris

Ruined
by Paula Morris

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Fantasy / Young Adult

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

Rebecca is left with her 'Aunt' Claudia, a French Quarter Tarot card reader, and her daughter Aurelia while her father is out of the country. Adjusting to a new city, new school, and new friends is harder than she imagined, but after sneaking into a nearby cemetery late one night - her life becomes a lot stranger.

It's a good old New Orleans ghost story! I think I enjoyed this story more for the fact of picking out all the places Rebecca lived, visited, went to school, ate at, and what-not around the city. It's fun to actually have the detailed places set in my mind first and to then build the story around them. It's a good history lesson as well, for the cities past and people. Though it got a bit cheesy at the end, the book throughout was enjoyable and very true to the New Orleans culture.

Likes: Lisette's annual journey to here home through the city.

Dislikes: It became very predictable and the ending happened too quickly for my taste.

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