Darkhouse by Karina Halle

I received this book from the Author as part of the First Reads promotion on the Goodreads website.

When I read the description of this book, I just had to apply to read it and luckily I got picked, here's what was dangling on the hook that snared my interest so much:

There’s always been some­thing a bit off about Perry Palomino. Though she’s been deal­ing with a quarter-life cri­sis and post-college syn­drome like any other twen­tysome­thing, she’s still not what you would call “ordi­nary.” For one thing, there’s her past which she likes to pre­tend never hap­pened, and then there’s the fact that she sees ghosts. Luck­ily for her, that all comes in handy when she stum­bles across Dex Foray, an eccen­tric pro­ducer for an upcom­ing web­cast on ghost hunters. Even though the show’s bud­get is non-existent and Dex him­self is a mad­den­ing enigma, Perry is instantly drawn into a world that both threat­ens her life and seduces her with a sense of impor­tance. Her uncle’s haunted light­house pro­vides the per­fect cat­a­lyst and back­drop for a hor­rific mys­tery that unrav­els the threads of Perry’s frag­ile san­ity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dan­ger­ous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.

I have to say right off that as keen as I was to read this book, once I started I found it a bit hard going, it was almost like trying to wade through treacle to get into it BUT after the first couple of chapters I found it got easier as I got used to the style of writing and was caught up by the plot. 

I didn't find Darkhouse particularly frightening but there were moments when I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next and to make sure that everyone was OK! The interaction between Perry and her family gave more understanding to the choices that we're told she's made in the past and why she's doing what she does through the book. She's easily likable as are her Sister and Cousins, even Uncle Al has his moment to star when he tells her the history of his lighthouse.

As a first book I'd say this sets up the interaction between the major characters very well, at the end you are left wanting more, to know what happens not just in the work between them but also in their personal life. That Perry is attracted to Dex is painfully obvious to all but his feelings towards her seem confused to me and I cant wait to discover what they really are and how that relationship will develop. Also I really hope to find out more about 'Creepy Clown Lady'. Who she is, what she is even and what she knows about our two protagonists. 

I cant wait to get my hands on Red Fox and see what happens next!