Sex and the Single Vampire (Dark Ones, #2) by Katie MacAlister

Sex and the Single Vampire by Katie MacAlister

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If Allie doesn't find a ghost soon, her short career as a "Summoner" with United Psychical Research Association will be a thing of the past, so naturally she is delighted to find what she thinks is the tortured spirit of a gorgeous, naked, wounded man. But the cranky spirit, who looks exactly like the dishy man who has been haunting Allie's dreams, doesn't need her help since he isn't a ghost, but rather Christian Dante, best-selling author of vampire romances and Moravian Dark One. Of course, Allie wants some answers from the arrogant and domineering Christian, but he is more interested in working out the exact nature of their relationship, since fate has chosen Allie as his "Beloved."(

~~~~~~



7/1/2006

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. The beginning was a little rough. We seem to be introduced to the main character, Allie, in the middle of her character development. She finally comes together further into the book as we learn more about her history but it made for a little confusion early on. I kept feeling like I had missed reading a previous book that should have told us more about her. (The author also gives her an annoying habit of saying 'Poop' that is a huge turn off). But as the story unfolds it got much more interesting to the point that I could not put it down and sat up well into the night to finish it. I look forward to more books by this author.

ETA-- 3/08 and I now realize why as this is technically #2 in the series. LOL Have the rest on MT. TBR.


ETA-- 6/20/14 -- I decided to reread this as I recently read the first book in the series and to be honest I did not really remember reading this one years ago. I guess that I have a greater appreciation for this type of book because I probably would have rated it 4 stars this time around.



View all my reviews

Haunted Love by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Haunted Love by Cynthia Leitich Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Spirit, Texas, is a town of secrets, and as the new owner of the local haunted movie theater, Cody Stryker is juggling more than his fair share. When a mysterious new girl comes to town and runs afoul of the ghost that lives in his theater, Cody’s caught in the middle and needs to figure out exactly who he can trust. HAUNTED LOVE is a short story by New York Times Bestseller Cynthia Leitich Smith -- set in the same dark universe as her novels TANTALIZE, ETERNAL, and BLESSED.
~~~~



I quite enjoyed this short story. There was enough action to keep you reading and enough depth to the characters to make you interested in what happens to them. For a short story, well written.



View all my reviews

***Kindle Edition

Supernatural Born Killers (Pepper Martin #9) by Casey Daniels

Supernatural Born Killers by Casey Daniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Former cemetery tour guide and reluctant medium Pepper Martin is thrilled when she gets her job back—with a promotion. But her new position is turning out to be more than she can handle, especially with the dead clamoring for her attention…

As Garden View Cemetery’s new community relations manager, Pepper is feeling overwhelmed with planning the annual party to attract new sponsors. Luckily, some of the cemetery’s permanent residents have volunteered to give Pepper a ghostly hand, and she’s not about to turn away the help. But when a murdered ghost starts leaving puddles everywhere, Pepper quickly finds her newly acquired free time occupied.

The dead man is her ex-boyfriend Quinn’s former partner Jack Haggarty—and he isn’t going away until Pepper figures out the real reason behind his murder. And while Quinn recently had a brush with the afterlife, he still isn’t ready to accept Pepper’s abilities—or offer his skills as a detective. Now, Pepper has to convince Quinn she’s the real deal and investigate Jack’s death—before someone else meets their end in a watery grave...


~~~~~

So now that Pepper had grown on me and I can honestly say that I am loving this series I come to an end.

Pepper is back in Cleveland and has been hired back at Garden View. She renews her romance with Quinn (sigh) and her parents move to town. Needless to say Pepper's life is in an uproar (as usual). Add to all of this an infatuated millionaire, Superman, and several ghosts and you have the makings for an interesting read.

I saw that Casey Daniels is currently working on a novella starring Pepper and I look forward to reading it as soon as it is published to see where things go from here.




View all my reviews

Wild Wild Death (Pepper Martin #8) by Casey Daniels

Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Her job has been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But when her cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper soon stumbles upon another deadly mystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she's after a clever murderer-one whose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.



So this is the first book in the series that I can actually say that I loved. Maybe because Pepper is in a new environment. Or because I actually like her new love interest (unlike Quinn who I can not stand). Or because Pepper is not quite so shallow in this book (or I was just able to overlook the shallowness). I was heartbroken when Pepper lost her ability to see the ghosts and I teared up with she, without hesitation, accepted her Gift back. My only unhappy moment in the book was when she left everything behind and returned to Cleveland. Not sure that I am happy about that. I was kind of looking for the fairy tale ending. Guess we will see what happens in the next installment.



View all my reviews

A Hard Day's Fright (Pepper Martin #7) by Casey Daniels

A Hard Day's Fright by Casey Daniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



What happened to a teenager named Lucy one night in 1966 after a Beatles concert? She rushed the stage, kissed Paul, started home with her friends, and was never seen again-until cemetery guide and unintentional PI to the dead Pepper Martin sees her as a ghost. Lucy's spirit can't rest in peace until her body is found and buried. But how will Pepper track down a missing corpse after forty-five years?

~~~~~



This was definitely my favorite of the series so far. Granted I figured out the mystery way early on in the book. But I loved Pepper's involvement with Ella and her family. Surprisingly enough I did not find Pepper any where near as annoying as usual. The last 3 chapters blew me away emotionally and the cliff hanger is great! Can not wait to read the next one............. You are growing on me Pepper!!



View all my reviews

Tomb with a View (Pepper Martin #6) by Casey Daniels

Tomb with a View by Casey Daniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cemeteries come alive for amateur sleuth/reluctant medium Pepper Martin.

Cleveland's Garden View Cemetery is hosting a James A. Garfield commemoration. For tour guide and reluctant medium Pepper Martin this means that's he'll surely be hearing from the dead president himself. And when she's assigned to help plan the event with know-it-all volunteer and Garfield fanatic Marjorie Klinker, she'll wish Marjorie were dead...too bad someone beats Pepper to it.

~~~~~~



I hate writing a review for this series. I am so wishy-washy about it. I really don't like Pepper at times. She is very shallow and annoying. Then she does something to redeem herself in my eyes, for a little while. I am enjoying the mysteries in this series more and more. The characters still need some work. I don't like most of the main characters, like Pepper and Quinn. lol But I will keep reading and ultimately that is what the author wants, I would guess.



View all my reviews

Dead Man Talking (Pepper Martin #5) by Casey Daniels

Dead Man Talking by Casey Daniels

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Move over American Idol. Reality TV has come to Cleveland and Pepper Martin is a part of it!

When Pepper arrives at a down-on-its-luck cemetery to help with a restoration project she learns, to her dismay, that there’s going to be a contest to restore the cemetery grounds. Even worse—it’s going to be the basis of a local reality TV show, Cemetery Survivor. One team will be made up of genteel Historical Society ladies and the other—Pepper’s group—will be convicts on probation. Pepper Martin in day-glo? Now that’s a fashion don’t!.

There’s also a ghost waiting for Pepper. He claims he was wrongly convicted of killing a young woman. But it seems there’s quite a bit he’s not revealing. Pepper agrees to try to clear his name, but digging for the truth could put her in grave danger....

~~~~~



I just can't decide if I like this series or not. I find Pepper annoying and irritating, but then, she has moments where I think that I might actually be starting to like her. Then something happens to make me change my mind. I enjoyed the mystery of the book. I enjoyed Pepper's interaction with her 'team'. I was even happy about her finally resolving some of the issues in her love life. But then it all blew apart at the end.
I will read the next book, because I just can't stop now. Definitely a love/hate feeling with this series though.



View all my reviews

Night of the Loving Dead (Pepper Martin #4) by Casey Daniels

Night of the Loving Dead by Casey Daniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pepper Martin, heiress-turned-cemetery-tour-guide, has her hands full with work, two hotties, and the ghosts who won't let her rest --- or work, or shop --- in peace ...

The last thing Pepper wants during her Chicago business trip is more ghosts seeking her help, as they've been doing ever since she hit her head on a tombstone. Then again, being bored stiff during a seminar might actually be worse than being with bored stiffs.

The specter of Madeline --- a young woman in a lab coat --- wants Pepper's help. Before she died, Madeline worked with Dan Callahan, the sexy, mysterious doctor who once saved Pepper's life. According to Madeline, Dan's in danger. But, little does Pepper know, there's more to the story, including a devious doctor --- and an obsessive, crazy love ...

~~~~



I was just about ready to give up on this series. I really don't like Pepper and her relationships are ridiculous. Something about the books just seem so fake. But then, about one third of the way through the book, things started getting interesting.

I actually enjoyed this book. The mystery was interesting, maybe because it was about Pepper and her Gift. But I found myself actually finding excuses to keep reading. Hopefully the next book continues this trend and I can continue on with this series.



View all my reviews

Tombs of Endearment (Pepper Martin #3) by Casey Daniels

Tombs of Endearment by Casey Daniels

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Cemetery tour guide Pepper Martin never imagined she'd get to meet rock legend Damon Curtis, the bad boy poet who made millions of teenage girls scream. After all, he kicked the bucket years before she was born. But thanks to her newfound ability to chat up the dead, Pepper's got a front row seat perfect for swooning over the still-sexy Damon's latest lyrics. He's convinced that his former bandmate Vinnie Pallucci murdered him back in ‘71, and he's promised Pepper she won't get any rest or peace until she helps him prove it.

But when Pepper goes behind the music, she finds Vinnie with a knife in his heart and the rest of the band members running for their lives. And if Pepper doesn't snare the killer soon, Damon's next hit from the great beyond might be her swan song.


~~~~~

Well Pepper is just as ditzy as I remember her from previous books and on top of that she now has an out of control libido. She seems to have the hots for every guy she meets, including the dead ones. Sigh.

Overall this was an okay mystery. I am not a fan of Pepper Martin, but I am going to continue with the series in the hopes that maybe she grows on me.



View all my reviews

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), Dave McKean (Illustrations)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another great Gaiman read even if it is aimed at a younger audience.

The story starts out a bit dark with the murder of a family with the exception of a baby who just through a string of coincidences manages to toddle off to the local graveyard. When the killer realizes that his true target has escaped he goes looking for him only to be waylaid by the occupants of the graveyard who want to protect the baby. He is adopted by a set of ghostly parents and raised by an entire graveyard full of guardians.


After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

~~~


We get to follow along as Bod -- short for Nobody Owens -- grows up in the graveyard. Along the way he realizes that he is not quite like the other occupants. We follow him through to 'adulthood' and it is quite the adventure.

Highly recommended for all Gaiman fans as well as anyone who wants a little light, fun reading with a bit of a dark edge.



View all my reviews

Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger

Heartless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

~~~



This fourth book in the Parasol Protectorate series was not as fast paced as previous books. So it was a bit slower of a read, but a lot of interesting things happened. We learned a lot more about Alexia and her history as well as that of several of the other characters. Lot of things happened which lead to some pretty major occurrences. To top it all off along comes Prudence. Can not wait to see how the final book ties all of this up!!



View all my reviews

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls (Ghost Hunter Mystery #5) by Victoria Laurie

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When M.J. Holliday and the crew of her cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, venture to the haunted ruins of Dunlow Castle in Ireland, drawn by the legend of hidden treasure, they hope the road will rise up to meet them, that the wind will always be at their backs-and that the resident phantom won't push them off a cliff. If they treasure their lives, M.J. and her ghost busters need to get the drop on the menacing phantom...

~~~

Another great book in the Ghost Hunter series. With each book the spirit/phantom/demon that the team has to go up against seems to get a little worse and the story line seems to get a little darker. That is just fine with me. I love all of the characters although some of MJ's qualities are beginning to worry me. Her selfishness is showing a bit and her constant honey and buddies are annoying. She also acts very impulsively and somewhat stupidly at times. The fact that I feel like her character is a real flawed person is probably a good point for the authors ability to make her characters real. Very much looking forward to the next in the series after reading the sneak peek in the back of this book.



View all my reviews

Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun (Ghost Hunter Mystery #3) by Victoria Laurie

Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A demonic guest terrorizes a haunted hotel

When ghost hunter and medium M.J. Holliday appears on a television show called Haunted Possessions, she encounters an evil knife that releases a demon. Now all hell has broken loose in the haunted hotel where M.J. is staying?and it?s up to her to give the uninvited guest an early checkout.

~~~



I really do enjoy Laurie's writing. This series is beginning to remind me a bit of her Psychic Eye series (which is not a bad thing). The stories are getting a bit darker and involving not only ghosts, but demons and other dark things, as well that the evil people who come with them. I like that the plot keeps me guessing right up to the end. I do feel like there is a little bit of excess at times. Too many details and repetition and every now and then I don't really like MJ a lot. I would also like to see MJ and Steven's relationship explored a bit. It is kind of stagnant, like the author is still trying to decide if they are going to be a couple or not. But overall I am enjoying the series and am looking forward to the next one.



View all my reviews

Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend (Ghost Hunter Mystery, #2) by Victoria Laurie

Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Victoria Laurie's ghoulishly great follow-up to What's a Ghoul to Do? in her new Ghost Hunter Mystery series

Northelm Boarding School on Lake Placid has the worst bully of all-a demon by the name of Hatchet Jack. M.J. Holliday, along with her partners Gilley and the handsome Dr. Steven Sable, are ready to send him back to the portal from whence he came. The school's summer construction, an uncooperative dean, and the very tempting Dr. Delicious are all trying to distract M.J. from her ghost hunting. But with a demonic disturbance as great as Hatchet Jack, she must focus and show no mercyto send him to detention for an eternity-in hell.


~~~~


Definitely loving this series. The mystery aspect of this book was a bit darker. MJ is dealing with the ghost of a murderer and his victims, so the plot was darker than the first book which imo made this an even better story than the 1st. I really love the development of the characters, though I would like a little more. I want to get to know them all a little better. Looking forward to the next installment.



View all my reviews

What's a Ghoul to Do? (Ghost Hunter Mystery, #1) by Victoria Laurie

What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


M.J., her partner Gilley, and their client, the wealthy, de-lish Dr. Steven Sable, are at his family's lodge, where his grandfather allegedly jumped to his death from the roof-although Sable says it was foul play. But the patriarch's isn't the only ghost around. The place is lousy with souls, all with something to get off their ghoulish chests. Now M.J. will have to to quell the clamor-and listen for a voice with the answers...

~~~


This is one of those fun quick paranormal series with some great quirky characters and a solid enough plot to make it worth reading. I love Laurie's writing style and am thrilled to have a new series of hers to follow. Moving right along to #2 in the series with the hopes that it just keeps getting better.



View all my reviews

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bloodier than Fried Green Tomatoes!
Funnier than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

Welcome to Gil's All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer. . . .

Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around--until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them one hundred dollars to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley.

But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg. Seems someone's out to drive Loretta from the diner, and more than willing to raise a little hell on earth if that's what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the diner's troubles, they'll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig Latin.

And maybe--just maybe--the End of the World, too.

Gory, sexy, and flat-out hilarious, Gil's All Fright Diner will tickle your funny bone--before ripping it out of its socket!

~~~~~~~



I really enjoy Martinez's writing. Considering that this was his first novel I have to say well done. What a fun read. I fully intend to find more of his books to read soon.



View all my reviews

The Chick and the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery #2 by Casey Daniels

The Chick and the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery by Casey Daniels


From the Publisher
Ever since the former rich girl-turned-Cleveland cemetery tour guide banged her head on a headstone, she sees dead people. Worse still, she hears them—and they won't shut up! Now it's Didi Bowman, a poodle-skirted relic from the Great Beyond, who's bending Pepper's ear, complaining that her famous author sister, Merilee, has done her wrong. Trouble is, if Pepper proves it, she'll break the hearts of millions of Merilee's fans. And if she doesn't, Didi's ghost may never go away.

Pepper needs peace and quiet (and rent money), so the cash-strapped ex-heiress agrees to take a job as Merilee's secretary and dig around the family tree. But when she unearths more than she bargained for—like an illegitimate daughter, a bunch of illicit love affairs, and a possible murder—suddenly a very poisoned pen is all set to write Pepper out of the story permanently.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another quick, cute book in the Pepper Martin series. If your looking for a fun, light read then this series is just right. Pepper is still ditzy, but getting a little better. The mysteries are fun and the read is quick. Looking forward to the next one.


View all my reviews.

Don of the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery #1 by Casey Daniels

Don of the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery by Casey Daniels


From the Publisher
She sees dead people

Beautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life -- until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiancé took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry.

Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took a turn for the worse when a head-on collision with a headstone left her with an unwanted ability to communicate with the disgruntled deceased . . . and now Pepper has a whacked Mafia don demanding that she hunt down his killers -- and threatening to haunt her until she does.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a light fun Paranormal Cozy. The main character, Pepper, is a bit ditzy. The author went a little heavy on the mob speak, but for the most part it was a good read.



It looks to be a good start to a series of cozy mysteries with Pepper Martin and I am looking forward to reading the next one.


View all my reviews.

Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris

Book Description:
While in Memphis, psychic Harper Connelly senses-and finds-two bodies in a grave. One of a man centuries-dead. The other, a girl, recently deceased. Harper's investigation yields another surprise: the next morning, a third body is found-in the very same grave.

My Oinion
Excellent book. I am really enjoying this series and look forward to reading the next right away.

When Harper arrives at a cemetery for a demonstration of her abilities to a college class, everyone is shocked when she discovers the body of an 11 year old girl whom she had been hired to find a year earlier when she disappeared. This leads to suspicion from the police and an investigation which keeps Harper and Tolliver in town.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the story as well as getting to know Harper and Tolliver better. I did not figure out who did it until the very end and while the ending was a bit rushed, it was still en excellent read.

Ghost Of A Chance by Yasmine Galenorn

Chintz'n China #1

From the Publisher
Emerald O'Brien is the owner of the Chintz 'n China Tea Room where guests are served the perfect blend of tea and tarot reading. She never set out to be a detective, but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there's no turning back... When the ghost of Susan Mitchell asks for Emerald's help in convicting her own murderer, Emerald can't refuse. Along with her friends-an ex-supermodel and a cop-and her new love interest, Emerald must search for clues to solve the mystery

My Opinion
This was an okay read.

The idea behind the story is interesting and the main character is believable.

Emerald is a divorcee, raising two kids on her own, trying to support her family with her business which is a tea/china shop where she also does the occasional tarot card reading. She is known as the town witch, so it is no surprise when a ghost appears at the foot of her bed one night asking for help. The story takes on a bit of a mystery and I did not figure out the twist, so that is something. I had a little trouble with the added subplot of the Mr. B & U. It seemed almost like an unnecessary part of the story and it seemed to me that the author was attempting to put more of a horror twist on the story than I could read into it. (If that makes any sense) I did enjoy the interaction between the other characters, although I don't really care for Andrew much. I almost feel like he is going to be a problem. I suppose we will see in the other books in the series.

Anyway, I have the second in the series as well and will read it as well as the rest as I come across them.