Romantic Ghost Stories

Lisa Rohlmann is a freelance writer in Shelburne, Ontario.

In her introduction, Burtinshaw recalls two mysterious childhood
playmates, Jamber and Axelmoe. At night, these otherworldly creatures
would sleep beside her and protect her from the boogieman. Burtinshaw
firmly believes that these invisible playmates were more than just a
figment of her imagination. She also believes that the ghosts in the
stories told to her over the years were just as real for the people who
experienced them.

As the title implies, the 50 or so stories in the volume deal with love
and all its aberrations, from jealousy and rejection to outright hate.
The stories are organized into five sections: “Star-Crossed
Spirits,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Ties That Bind,”
“Lovelorn,” “A Romantic Miscellany,” and “Three’s a
Crowd.”

One of the stories features Hungary’s infamous “Blood Countess”;
her husband taught her the fine art of sadomasochism, and the result was
so devastating that the Emperor finally ordered her walled into her own
torture chamber for the rest of her life. Readers will be baffled but
also intrigued by the story of two huntsmen who killed each other for
the love of a woman. In another tale, a beloved husband and naval hero
is killed in a duel; while his wife mourns, his ghost haunts the dueling
ground.

This is a fascinating and entertaining collection.