Ghostly Interference is the first book in the White Rune Series by Jan Sikes, a perfect read for fans of romance and the paranormal. Preoccupied with thoughts about his work and the new project assigned to him, Jag Peters almost runs over a red Harley. “Watch where you’re goin’ you crazy bastard! You nearly killed me,” the rider tells him before speeding off. Filled with guilt, he tracks down the rider to offer an apology. At the bar, he almost collides with a dark-haired woman, and when he apologizes, he understands the rider he almost ran over a while ago was a woman. Rena Jett needs no apology, and she does not want Jag close to her. But the strange thing is that she is attracted to him. The twist involves her brother’s ghost and a magical gift that might just be the key to her happiness.

This is a beautiful, heart-warming story that follows the path to love traveled by two characters with opposite personalities. Jan Sikes did a wonderful job in writing strong characters, making them both genuinely flawed, each of them possessed by their fears, worries, and misgivings about the world they live in. The romance is not explosive, and I loved the fact that the attraction grows between the two characters in a natural way. The ghost appearing to Jag and Jag’s obsession with karma are elements that enrich character development and flesh out the plot. Ghostly Interference is written in gorgeous prose, featuring well-crafted dialogues that enhance the plot with strong themes of love, family, and humanity. While this is a hugely entertaining story with memorable characters, it is also one that invites readers to ponder realities beyond the physical, especially the fact that the dead are always close to us.

Ghostly Interference is the first book in the White Runes Series by Jan Sikes. The story kick-starts with Jag Peters getting jolted from his thoughts as he braces for impact when his car veers to the opposite lane to avoid hitting a Harley. Jag lives a peaceful life and believes in the virtues of karma as inculcated by his mother, who has a penchant for yoga and spirituality. Determined to wipe his karma slate clean, he searches for the biker to apologize and is surprised to discover that the rider he almost got killed is a hot female biker. Rena Jett lives in the fast lane and has nothing in common with Jag. And it is because they are so different that they have so many things to share. When Jag claims to have visions of a phantom soldier that appears to be Rena’s brother who died on his Afghanistan tour, she will have to take a chance with her heart as her brother told her in a letter with a rune stone enclosed.

Sikes’ third-person point of view is incredibly effective. It allows the reader to get in and out of the minds of other characters as it is not limited to a single point of view. It reinforces a point of urgency, especially as the appearances of Sam, Rena’s deceased brother, foretells an important event. The narrative’s tension springs from Rena’s side as brought about by the company that she has known in living her life on the edge. The premise of a ghost guiding the living is not unique in literature and film, but there is an enjoyable thrill in finding out if Rena will find a happily ever after, as the story puts a new twist on the notion of opposites attract. Amidst the danger, jealousy, mysticism, and romantic ideals, Ghostly Interference conveys a clear message of what it feels like to find love in the most unexpected place.