I really enjoyed Nina Bruhns’ first SIM, Catch Me If You Can, published a few years back. It was good enough to keep me reading her subsequent releases, even if none of them were as satisfying. Her latest, however, comes the closest. While far from perfect, Ghost of a Chance is an entertaining paranormal romance.

Almost two hundred years ago, Tyree St. James accidentally killed his best friend’s woman. The friend cursed him to haunt the earth for two hundred years, or until he fell in love with a woman who was willing to die for him. For all intents and purposes, Tyree lived the following two centuries as a ghost, able to walk through objects, seen by only a few select people. With one week left until the curse ends, he has resigned himself to his fate. Then Clara Fergusson walks into his afterlife.

An aspiring writer from Kansas, Clara came to Frenchman’s Island off the coast of South Carolina to do research on the infamous pirates Sullivan Fouquet and the dastardly Tyree St. James. She doesn’t expect to meet a man who’s deluded enough to think he’s St. James himself. Tyree is just as surprised that Clara can see him.

Meanwhile, a series of fires begin to break out all over town. Each of them seems to be related to his past with his old friend Sully. Tyree and Clara both want to know if there’s a connection. They begin to work together, and soon find it hard to resist each other. Clara knows better than to get involved with a man who’s certifiable, especially one who tells her he’ll be gone in less than a week. For his part, Tyree knows that getting close to Clara could put her life in danger. But knowing these things can’t stop them from pursuing what they both want.

Bruhns’s writing is strong and the storyline is intriguing, making for an enjoyable read. It has a well-developed plot, with the mystery surrounding the fires and the old secrets that may be involved. Much of the story is told with a light touch, with humorous moments and easy banter between the hero and heroine. Occasionally this results in some silly moments. The first time Clara sees him, Tyree is so surprised that he tries to convince her that she’s having a dream. Clara decides that if this is her dream, she should take advantage of it. She kisses him, which inevitably leads to sex, all before the end of the first chapter. The whole scene seemed a little over the top and may not work for every reader. For the most part, though, the characters’ nice rapport makes for a fun, light read.

Clara and Tyree aren’t as developed as the plot, so the love story isn’t as effective as it could have been. But Tyree’s charm goes a long way toward compensating for the murkiness in his characterization. It’s interesting to see how he’s lived as a ghost for two centuries, especially in a town where he’s viewed as a villainous character who came between his best friend and his true love. He’s not as fully fleshed-out as he could have been, but he’s still an intriguing character to read about. Clara is more problematic and there is little insight into her thought process. For instance, for nearly all of the book, she believes Tyree is alive and merely delusional. I was never quite sure how she managed to rationalize this when she’s seen him levitate and walk though walls and closed doors. Plus, there’s the issue of how she could fall in love with someone she thinks is crazy. I never could get a handle on what made her tick. She’s mostly a cipher. The love story ends with a number of nice moments that could have been really moving if there’d been more to the characters, allowing the reader to become more invested in them and the relationship.

The lack of really strong characters prevents Ghost of a Chance from being a great read. It’s still a pretty good one, lightly entertaining and more engaging than many SIMs I read these days. It teetered on the brink of whether or not it deserved a recommendation. Ultimately, I liked it enough to say yes, although with the reservations I mentioned. The reader shouldn’t expect a really emotional and affecting love story, but for a reader who wants an unusal and fun book, this will do very nicely.