Ghostly Touches

Ghostly Touches is the first book in the Broken Vows trilogy by Salem Cross.

Synopsis

They came to me in the dead of night.

I should be used to ghosts, I’m a necromancer after all. But the three men who show up at my house aren’t the spiritual beings I’m used to. These Ghosts are part of a brotherhood so secret that they were thought to be a myth.

When they ask for my help, I leap at the opportunity to aid these warriors.

But none of us expected my help to come with a price tag. Now our souls are bound to one another and unfortunately, being this close to each other secrets are starting to slip out. I can’t afford to have anyone know who, or what, I really am, but with a curse hanging over our heads and with someone suddenly after us we’ll have to stick close if we want to survive. With the Ghosts looking out for me, I should be safe… right?

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Trigger/Content Warnings & Tropes

Graphic violence/ murder

Graphic sexual content

Monster/ Teratophilia

Reverse harem

Breeding

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Review

If you love strong, sassy, confident women this book is for you because Willow is a total bad ass. I am absolutely obsessed with her character. There is still so much to uncover in this book and its hard to say much without spoiling anything. But I can't wait to find out more about Willow and her parents.

"I though there was a wild energy about her. But sitting here quietly in her presence, I realize it's not wild at all. That would mean it's untamed or uncontrolled. But Willow wields her power with skill. It gives her confidence, insight, and a wealth of knowledge someone as young as her could never dream of possessing."

And the guys...what can I say...sometimes you love them and sometimes you hate them. Except for Jonah, how do you hate that puppy. But I do think that Willow is unfair with poor Kwil, he's her perfect monster and I don't think he deserves to get grouped in with the other Ghosts.

"It's dangerous to be such a temptation to a monster like me."

And her reaper?!

Okay! I can't say anymore! 🤐

I'm going to go crazy waiting for the next book with that cliff hanger but I can not wait!

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Notable Highlights

These are the men they tell us about when we're children, assuring us the monsters in our closets or under our beds aren't there because the Ghosts that walk between worlds have already come to destroy them.

Want? Desire? No...Those words are too inadequate to describe the depth of the emotion running through me. This singular obsessive need I've developed for Willow Harvest has left me altruistic and nearly feral.

Everything has changed. I can feel the certainty of that as strongly as I feel this connection to the woman in front of me. For whatever reason, I couldn't feel a pull towards her before, but now as I stand here facing her, I can. As if our souls needed to touch to find the connection. Now that they have, I have a feeling that I'll always be able to trace it back to Willow, no matter where we are.

"You told me once that just because something is ugly on the outside doesn't make it evil or ugly on the inside," Kwil says after a long silence. "Do you still stand by that?" Willow crosses her armsover her chest and tilts her head slightly to one side. "Of course." Her hip pops over to one side as she places weight on one leg. "I don't just spout common sense and not use it." "I hope that is true."

"Our souls are stuck together, asshole...

My knee jerk reaction is to slap its hands away. Why am I so stupid? Was I dropped on my head frequently as a child? Maybe one too many balls to the face during recess? I'll have to ponder this question later since I immediately reap the consequences of my mistake.

Two souls tied together, destined to find one another and to never seperate again. Though rare, true mates aren't unheard of. And the same stipulations befall them once they've found one another: distance pains them, touch is important and contanst. I have a mate now.

"When he kisses me, it wouldn't matter if he had a thousand tentacles and ninety eyeballs. The feeling it stirs in me is indescribable, but awe-inspiring comes pretty close," she confesses softly.

"But I also enjoy when you're inside me,"she says. "That feeling is...It's heaven and hell colliding and the epic-ness comes in the aftermath when I'm quivering under your touch.

"You think you're a scary monster, Mystery Man. Well, you're right. These vibrations are super scary," Willow teases as she leans towards me. "I would hate to be vibrated at."

Since when did I develop a breeding kink?

"You may look like a monster, but honestly, it's the man walking away that makes me nervous."

Her gaze is warm, and suddenly I feel huge again, but not like the monster I had been. I feel like I can take on the world when she looks at me. Is it this whole soul thing> If so, I love it even more.

We fought for it, and Greg managed to get his hands on it. The moment he did his body turned inside out. He was cursed to live like that. It wasn't a long life. He died pretty soon afterwards."

This thing between us, I don't hate it. I actually feel more whole now than I did before. I can feel how much better everything is when you're here. Whatever happens from here on out, I'm by your side to protect you from monsters, Ghosts, and anything in between. I'll be whatever you want me to be: a protector, friend, or whatever else.

I swear I'm tonguing the lock box to heaven...

"Theo, it's not hard to see that you care about the men around you. You work tirelessly to be a warrior, a brother, and a friend. Anyone who doesn't see that within the first five minutes of being around you is an idiot. You're their king."

"Remember to stop and take a deep breath sometimes, Theo. If you can't appreciate where you are now, the fight to continue onwards may feel endless, and the sacrifices you've made to get here may eventually feel pointless."

"Her soft whimpers were nice to listen to, but wait until you hear her scream your name."

"It's dangerous to be such a temptation to a monster like me."

"How does it feel to be trapped in the embrace of a monster."