Out of the Past by Glenda Poulter

Emma Tanner and her business partner, Sharon Paul, own a prestigious antique store in Fort Worth, Texas. After the acquisition of a particular antique and being drawn to it, Emma seems to change and she begins to suffer nightmares.

 

Emma and Sharon have arranged to go on a buying trip to Charleston. But her lover, Mandy, isn’t too happy about her going. Things haven’t been too good between them and with Emma’s bad dreams, Mandy feels things are different with this particular trip.

On their arrival in Charleston, right from the outset, Emma has feelings of déjá-vu. The unmistakeable feeling of being in Charleston before is overwhelming. She knows exactly what is round each corner, the history of the place and all about the people who lived there in the past. When Emma begins experiencing visions of people and times gone by, she knows it’s more than her imagination playing tricks on her. Someone is reaching out to her. Is it possible that Emma was someone else in a past life? Or is there another explanation for the strange goings on? Does the antique Emma acquired before leaving Texas have any bearing on what is going on? Emma needs help and guidance. Who or what will help her?

During the course of some startling revelations from the past, Emma finds a way to put her own life back on track. Is it possible Emma may also find a way of mending her dying relationship with Mandy with help from beyond the grave?

This is Glenda Poulter’s second book. It is vastly different to her first book, which I also enjoyed very much. Glenda has gone with a paranormal historical romance this time. She’s written a wonderful heart warming story and the book is well edited. A book that once I started, I simply couldn’t put down. This is one of those books I wanted to feverishly turn the pages of, but had to make myself slow up to enjoy the story. The story is split between the past and the present. The first part tells of the present time and events that directly link into the past. Next we read of bygone Charleston beginning in 1886 and ending in 1918 and some of it’s history as well as the fictional characters the story centers on. It is easy to see that Glenda has spent a lot of time on the research. The final part is back to the present.

The main character in the present is Emma, she plays the largest part and has many dimensions. Emma interacts well with all the other characters, all of which play their own parts in furthering the story. Just as the main character Annie and other characters do back in the past. The past and the present eventually intertwine and both have lasting consequences for the people involved and the eventual outcome of the story.

From the vivid scenic descriptions, I could visualize the characters and their surroundings. Like watching a film.

There is a lot of emotion and heartache radiating off the pages, both in the past and the present. The story has been written with sympathy and understanding by the author.

After I’d finished this book, I found myself going back over certain parts of it again. The story and the characters have made a deep impression on me.

If you like a historical romance and you are a fan of the paranormal, I would advise you to give this book a go. I was not disappointed. This is a keeper and will be re-read soon.