Review: Enlightened by A.D. Spencer

I hadn’t thought much about life after death … or the idea the soul can still feel love and pain long after it loses its earthly embodiment. But, that shocking truth called out to me … first in my dreams, and then in broad daylight. Spirits walk among us every day … enlightened by my journey; I am now among the seekers. What would you do if you suffered a life altering head injury? What if your normal life evolved to … paranormal? 

Baylie Storm’s head injury did just that. She becomes tormented by unwelcome dreams, laced with messages from beyond the grave. Baylie is unaware that a dark spirit has been awakened, and her long-time friend, Tyler Caldwell is the target. Determining the identity of the message sender becomes paramount to solving a murder, long hidden behind closed doors. As Baylie and Tyler work together to unravel the mystery, their romance intensifies … so do the threats on his life.
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This book reminded me of the books I read as a teenager, stories about strong female characters, when young adult books didn't particularly exist, and I think I would have loved this as a teenage girl. With this in mind, I read this in this mind-set. I'm not knowledgeable about the paranormal genre nor young adult but I found this a refreshing, pleasant read.

Baylie instantly struck a chord - she's strong, confident and thoroughly un-angsty, with a can-do attitude. Absolutely the kind of female lead that I look up to. Perhaps this isn't an entirely realistic teenager but I don't read books so I can read about real life, I read to escape. Her relationship with Tyler was sweet - the build from just friends, to boyfriend and girlfriend, being something a lot of people will be familiar with. 

The story pushed forwards nicely with good pacing and great use of Baylie's visions. Though Enlightened is far from the end of Baylie's story, it did  tie up nicely and I didn't feel as if I had been left hanging, as can often happen with serialised stories. The final scene between Baylie and Tyler was wonderful and promising, and I look forward to seeing what happens between them in the future.

Enlightened is available on Amazon on Kindle and in print.
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A.D. Spencer has published short stories, articles, and song lyrics (produced in 2000). She graduated from Drury University in 2001, and operated a successful insurance agency for several years before perusing her creative desires. A.D. Spencer has been writing since childhood, and has passed the love of writing on to her children.

A busy mother of three, A.D. Spencer stays actively involved her children's sporting events and also enjoys fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports with her husband, James.

Enlightened is her debut novel. The sequel, Cursed, is nearly complete.