Ghost of Himself: Haunted Souls Book 1, Pandora Pine

Two broken men find that Fate and enemies have more sway over their lives than either ever anticipated.  When Copeland Forbes is forced to seek help with only a name and a feeling to go on, he winds up collapsing on our Cold Case heroes' doorstep.  But when the name he utters isn't theirs, it's Jude's, they're all in for a ride that won't be forgotten any time soon.  Someone is psychically attacking Copeland and with Jude's unique heritage and his adopted family's support, they'll combine forces to rid Copeland of whoever is haunting him with deadly desires.

Jude has been a volatile enigma from the moment we met him in Dead Ringer.  But over time we've seen him soften, open up, and accept the affection of everyone in the Cold Case Crew.  What we get in Ghost of Himself is nothing short of illuminating.  His vulnerability, insight, and tenderness is showcased alongside his ever-present attitude.  While I really loved getting to know him on a deeper level I felt that he read a lot like Ronan.  I know the joke between everyone is that they're essentially brothers and more alike than either of them would ever admit, but when Jude finally gets his own voice, it's literally as if Ronan's voice is in my head instead of Jude's.  I was expecting more, something innately unique in his voice instead of just relying on his heritage and "dating" history to set him apart.

Copeland was relatively different.  I found him pretty mild and a little bland, but more like a blank slate with possibility than a throwaway character.  As we get to know him from here on out we'll get to see his magick capabilities and he'll gain depth.  At least, I hope we will.

The drama was drawn out with virtually no hints, no leads, and no investigation.  The focus was heavy on Jude's past and how it could play a role in Copeland's current predicament rather than dealing with Copeland's drama.  While this was necessary, I just wish there were more of a balance between the set up and the current conflict.  The arguments between them seemed just as disjointed as Roman and Ten's often do and are just as quickly resolved, redirected, or glossed over.  The relationship dynamic is surprisingly fantastic, though.  I truly appreciated how slow it went, thus establishing Jude's changes and giving them a more solid foundation to build on as this new series progresses.  I'm a fan of that.  The groundwork laid for the future of this series was well done; I could see it coming and was drawn into what's most likely going to be a good series.  I'm looking forward to where this is going and think this could evolve into something really great, provided that they find unique voices really quickly.

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