Samhain Publishing, $4.50, ISBN 978-1-60928-462-6
Paranormal Romance, 2011

Boone Butler and Delia Concannon were once sweethearts, but it was hard to keep the passion alive when his brother murdered her father. Twelve years later, Boone is compelled by the Sorrowful Angel of Boogey Hollow (don’t ask) to come home to that town because Delia is in trouble. Indeed, Delia has been haunted by the sounds of a woman sobbing in her bedroom. And… and… oh, that’s it, I give up.

The problem with Ain’t No Sunshine is that this is a rather disjointed story, with the author jumping from scene to scene in a pretty abrupt manner. This is an issue for me because in the first place, I have no idea what all this Angel and sobbing drama is about, so the abrupt cuts only increase my confusion. As far as short stories go, this one is otherwise fine for its length. Strip away the paranormal elements and I will get a pretty readable, if rather familiar, tale of two star-crossed lovers haunted by the skeletons in the family closet. But put in the paranormal elements and I find myself scratching my head and wondering why all this woo-woo stuff won’t just go away.

This one would have been a far better read if it had been a contemporary romance. Its length doesn’t allow the author much room to expand the paranormal elements into something more tangible and coherent, so the end result is a rather confusing read for me.