🧳👻 Spotlight: The Passenger by Joie Lesin - A 1940s Ghost Story of Love, Loss, and Second Chances

Item: The Passenger
Author: Gina

"Sometimes the journey isn't about where you're going-it's about the history you carry with you."

👋 Welcome to my stop on the GoddessFish Tour

Today's spotlight shines on The Passenger by Joie Lesin, a historical fantasy novel set in 1940s California wine country. This atmospheric tale blends ghostly encounters, family secrets, and romance into a story of connection and change.

Post Highlights

🔻 Keep scrolling to enter the giveaway! 🔻

📝 Book Details

The Passenger
By Joie Lesin
Published by Wild Rose Press on August 21, 2024
Genres: Historical Fantasy
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 312

A Literary Titan Book Award Recipient.
Received an honorable mention from Independent Book Review's "The Best Books We Read in 2024."

Burdened with her empathic gift, Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of it and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of an old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home.

Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who abandoned him as a child. To help the father pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger.

Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction. Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?

In this scene, tensions run high as Elizabeth shares a confined space with Gio. The journey ahead is uncertain, and the unspoken emotions between them ripple beneath every glance and movement.

Excerpt from The Passenger

Elizabeth's stomach churned in nervous knots. She squirmed on the cloth seat, and her foot twitched. If he heard her erratic heartbeat, he'd realize how frantic she was-and hot. Perspiration built up on her forehead. Grabbing the metal handle, she rolled down the squeaking window, and inhaled the pure air. The fragrances of the forest filled her senses-the resinous scent of pine, the earthiness of soil, and damp detritus of fallen branches and decaying leaves. The surrounding land was alive, vibrant, and something more she couldn't quite identify. Somehow, the vehicle they drove in and the path it traveled seemed out of place.

Gravel on the uneven road crunched and ground under the truck's tires. Elizabeth sat straight in her seat and stole stiff, awkward glimpses at Giovanni. A frown marked his lips. His lean, well-defined face held soulful eyes bringing to her mind images of the sad little boy he must have been.

A thin red scar stretched down his right cheek and she itched to run a finger along the faded edges. She'd caress his stubble-shadowed chin and tell him how terribly his father missed him.

Instead, she stared out the truck window.

📚 Where to Find The Passenger

Available on Amazon:

🛒 KINDLE | PAPERBACK

If the above links don't direct you to your country's Amazon page, please feel free to contact me-I'm happy to provide the correct link.

Using my Amazon affiliate links doesn't change the price you pay. Amazon shares a small commission with me, which helps keep this blog running-thank you!

Do you prefer to shop locally?
🛍️ You can also purchase The Passenger from your favorite indie bookstore online.

Bookshop.org is an excellent option that supports indie authors-and book bloggers like me-while avoiding the big-box route.

Also available at:
📘 Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple Books | The Wild Rose Press

📌 Click the Pinterest Save button to pin it to your TBR board!

About Joie Lesin

Award-winning, Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and poet. She is most recently the author of The Passenger (The Wild Rose Press, 2024) and her work is also featured in Scribeworth Magazine. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including mermaids and ghosts. Joie writes character-driven, emotional, atmospheric tales about heartache and hope.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

💭 Final Thoughts

Thank you to Mariann and Judy at Goddess Fish Promotions, Joie Lesin for sharing The Passenger, and The Wild Rose Press for supporting this spotlight.