Reviewed by Ami
Title: A Distant Drum
Author: Amy Rae Durreson
Heroes: Alex & Nik
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 89 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 20, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Christmas is coming… but Alex is running away.
Panicked by the prospect of spending Christmas with his boyfriend’s disapproving parents, Alex flees to the old houseboat in the Norfolk Broads his uncle left him. But when a freak snowstorm traps him there, Alex soon realises he’s not the only heartbroken lover haunting the shores of Halsham Broad.
Two hundred years ago, drummer boy Jack Sadler drowned skating over thin ice to meet his lover. Now, whenever the Broad freezes over, he returns and brings a curse with him.
And every night Alex spends trapped in the icebound boat, he hears the beat of a distant drum draw closer…
Review:
Well, if you take out the creepy ghost from the equation, Amy Rae Durreson’s A Distant Drum in its core, is actually a very tender romantic story, that perfectly suits my mood in this rainy season (I live in Jakarta, Indonesia, okay, December equals rainy not snowy).
Alex, unable to deal with the idea of family Christmas with his boyfriend, Nik, just yet, convinced that Nik’s family will hate him, decides to run away from London to his deceased uncle’s houseboat at Norfolk. In the houseboat, Lady Lily, which was Alex’s sanctuary all those years ago with his uncle, Gabe, during the time when Alex’s parents didn’t welcome him, Alex is forced to reassess his choice. Especially when Nik comes to be with him — making Alex understand that Nik is not simply going to give up on their relationship.
But Durreson’s adds that ghost story … it amplifies the atmospheric sense of a haunting winter. Durreson just has a way with words, and she is able to make me feel the chill and my blood temperature drops. I loved the background details of the ghost. I loved how Durreson worked with it as well, and gave it a wonderful ending.
Thus, if you’re looking for a touch of thrill, not mind being a little creeped out, for your holiday/winter read, I recommend this one for sure.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*
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