Book ~ "For the Love of Jazz" (2012) Elke Feuer

From Goodreads ~ Restoration architect Josie Fagan takes on a project with lawyer and senator’s son, Patrick Pullman. It’s the perfect match. She needs his endorsement to save her business and he wants to restore his ancestral Chicago home. Love wasn’t part of her plan. Neither was being asked to stay at his home, haunted by ghosts, or discovering she has a claim to his home – which she adores. When she finds out his family may be responsible for her aunt’s disappearance fifty years ago, it's a race to unearth the truth before she loses not only her business and her heart but her life.

Patrick can’t deny his attraction to Josie and is willing to take a chance on love since his broken engagement a year earlier. Things become complicated when he learns of their family connection and her claim to the home he loves. He doesn’t believe in ghosts or that his family is involved in her aunt’s disappearance, so insists they work together. But when he starts seeing his uncle’s ghost and threats are made on her life, he’s forced to confront the possibility his family could be responsible.

The ghosts of their aunt and uncle forge a connection through them but is what they feel love or just the ghosts living out their unfinished lives?

Back in the 1950s in Chicago, Lola was a jazz singer and William was a rich guy.  They met, fell in love and got married.  The problem?  Lola was black and William was white.  Lola disappeared, never to be seen again.  On the first page, we know that Lola has been shot by someone she knows (so I'm not revealing any spoilers).

Fifty years later, Patrick has hired Josie to restore his Uncle William's house, who has recently died.  She has to have the house finished in six months.  To accomplish this, they both live in the house to ensure things stay on track.  But there is an electric connection between them right away ... will living in the same house be a good idea?

Then Josie discovers her mother's sister was Lola (up to this point, she didn't know her mother even had a sister).  William's brother (and Patrick's father) is a senator and a rich white guy who was against the marriage ... did he have anything to do with Lola's disappearance to protect his career?  Joe owns the club where Lola used to sing and was in love with her at one time ... did his wife, Pearl, get rid of Lola out of jealousy.  William's friend, Gary, who is now the lawyer for the estate, had met Lola first and had fallen in love with her ... but did he really step aside when he saw that Lola and William were in love?  With so many people with reasons to get rid of Lola, Josie sets out to discover what happened to her aunt.  When Patrick realizes the connection, he helps Josie find out what's going on.  Plus we have the spirits of Lola and William helping them out.

This book was part romance, part mystery and part paranormal ... I'm not usually into paranormal stories but enjoyed it here since it was key to the storyline.

I liked the writing style and got into the book more once Josie discovered that Lola was her aunt and the mystery began. There were so many possibilities of who it could have been ... we don't find out until the end (interesting twist and I was okay with who "dunnit").  This book will appeal to readers who like mysteries with some romance.