If The Spirit Moves You by Dale Chase

Title: If The Spirit Moves You
Author: Dale Chase
Publisher: Lethe Press
Length: 180 pages
Buy the Book: Amazon

Blurb:

They say ‘Love never dies’… and neither does the passion between men when written by erotic storyteller Dale Chase. If the Spirit Moves You offers readers a collection of stories featuring spirits who cannot deny their attraction to mortals; these ghosts seek out warm flesh, but not to harm but to hold. And seduce. From a screenwriter’s ethereal muse to an amorous haunt in a library, good spirits promise that anything that can go bump in the night will end with a satisfied moan.

Review:

If The Spirit Moves You is a collection of eight short stories with the theme of randy ghosts. The collection is really quite funny and tongue in cheek (yes, those cheeks too) as the stories explore sex and companionship from either a human or ghost perspective. I found the first five stories to be quite highly entertaining and enjoyable, often laughing out loud at the bald and raunchy prose choices. The last three stories are good but weren’t my favorites. Overall the collection is entertaining and enjoyable as it looks at sex and ghosts in funny, quirky, and raunchy ways. I think a lot of readers will thoroughly enjoy these short stories.

Each story is told in the first person from either the ghost or the human perspective. The language is utterly raw and totally raunchy. The sex obsessed humans or ghosts pull no punches with what they want and this is often in your face but done with humor so it’s not offensive. Also a lot of the characters are historical so the civilized, somewhat uptight demeanor clashes with erotic and racy dialogue. The stories are also sweet and romantic as they look at companionship and desire beyond simply sexual satisfaction, although the sex is a huge part of the stories.

My favorites of the group – and I liked these four equally well – are the middle stories of Stacks, Homeowners’ Nightmare, The Object of My Affection, and The Ghost and Mr. Muir. The first deals with a literary ghost in the library that helps a new author keep faith in the process and maybe a little creative help. This is a funny and entertaining story and mixes ribald language with almost uptight characters. The writing is delightful and the story is very interesting. The ending is the real highlight in my opinion. The second story deals with a dead gay couple locked to their old home and develop crushes on the new owners, another gay couple. This story had me laughing from start to finish as the ghosts fight and fuck their way through owners until finally getting obsessed with the new couple. Their antics and the eventual ending are simply great and thoroughly entertaining.

The final two stories are equally engaging as one deals with a haunted, sex obsessed antique that simply can’t get enough. When the owner starts to become addicted, his partner takes a drastic step. While the last story is more romantic about a successful author that runs away to the shore to get away from everything and discovers a heart broken sailor lingering in the isolated cabin. These stories are very different but offer companionship as an equal and important focus as sex. Very similar are the three remaining stories that continue this theme.

The writing and language feel similar from story to story but the change in focus, while still staying with ghosts, gives each story a fresh and interesting take. These offerings are dark, funny, raunchy, and totally sex obsessed without being empty erotica simply meant to get a reader off. Instead the sex is simply part of all of the characters – a rather big part – but never overwhelms the story so you forget there are connections, romance, and life still to be had.

I think a lot of readers will really enjoy this collection. Pick it up if you’re looking for some bawdy language, a lot of sex, and some great humor with a dash of romance. In a sea of ghost stories these really stand out.