The Uninvited is the first book I have read by Cat Winters but it won’t be the last. I love most historicals and when you mix in ghosts and fantastic writing, I’m completely on board.

Set in the year 1918, the story pulled me right into the life of Ivy Rowan. Ivy is a twenty five year old woman who lives with her parents and brother on their farm when the war and the Spanish influenza hits their small Illinois town. A bit of a twist here is that both Ivy and her mother have always been able to see the ghosts of their family and when they did, it was typically an omen of something else. The story begins with Ivy waking up from being knocked off her feet by the flu to a nightmare. After finding out her brother was killed in the war, she finds out her father and brother did something unimaginable to a local German man and that is the act that pushes her to leave.

On her own for the first time in her life, Ivy heads to town and walks right past the scene of the crime. As she does, she sees the brother of the man who was killed by her father and brother and Ivy immediately feels the need to figure out a way to overcome the guilt she feels. This is where her relationship with Daniel begins. It starts as one where they attempt to comfort each other but it eventually turns into more.

I loved seeing the change in Ivy. She is initially presented as this sheltered, homebody but now that she is on her own, she really does anything she wants to, including helping gather the sick, go to a jazz club, and even have sex for the first time. As she struggles to balance her feelings for Daniel and the anger she has toward the government/war and her family, Ivy also has to figure out what she really wants out of her life now.

One thing I will say here is that Cat Winters writes so beautifully. The way the story flows and the writing itself, pulled me into this time where people were afraid to be seen as unpatriotic and panicked that either the APL or the flu would come for them next. As Ivy begins to connect the dots, she realizes what she needs to do. I can’t really say a lot about what happens as I don’t want to ruin this story for anyone. Just know that while it is a bit of a slow ramp up, the rest of the story moves along well and I thought the ending was perfectly done for these characters.

If you are looking for a story that combines interesting characters, a bit of paranormal, and a twist you may not see coming, definitely check this one out. I am glad I finally had the opportunity to read one of Cat Winters’ stories and I will absolutely be checking out her other books.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy!