Book Review: The Haunting of Leigh Harker by Darcy Coates

 

Goodreads Summary: Sometimes, the dead reach back...
Leigh Harker’s quiet suburban home was her sanctuary for more than a decade until things abruptly changed. Curtains open by themselves. Radios turn off and on. And a dark figure looms in the shadows of her bedroom door at night, watching her, waiting for her to finally let down her guard enough to fall asleep.

Pushed to her limits but unwilling to abandon her home, Leigh struggles to find answers. But each step forces her towards something more terrifying than she ever imagined.

A poisonous shadow seeps from the locked door beneath the stairs. The handle rattles through the night, and fingernails scratch at the wood. Her home harbors dangerous secrets, and now that Leigh is trapped within its walls, she fears she may never escape.

Do you think you’re safe?

You’re wrong.

Goodreads Rating: 4.06 stars with about 200 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Ghosts, Thriller, Gothic, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 35/50 

2021 Reading Challenge: #41 Read a book where the main character is elderly (find the complete challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm off for the next few days while we deal with our move. Yay! I'm super ready both to be done packing and to be in the new house. I'm also super excited to not have to work for two days.

I've wanted to read more horror for a while, and I recently discovered Darcy Coates on Kindle Unlimited. The Haunting of Leigh Harker seemed pretty interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I managed to pry it out of my hands the first night, and then the following night, I was up until 4 am reading it because "I've only got eighty more pages left." Man, that was stupid. I was so tired the next day! It was definitely worth the read, though. 

I really liked how this book started out creepy. There wasn't a slow build to gain suspense. From the first page, I was curious as to what was happening to Leigh, who she was, and why she was in the situation, she was in. Given that I stayed up until 4am reading it, I think it's safe to say that I never lost interest either. 

I cheated a little bit on where I put this on the challenge. Leigh is very much the main character, and she's not elderly. However, an elderly woman in the story is very much a pivotal character in the book. This story very much couldn't happen without her, and thus this book landed on #41. Plus, I didn't want to burn one of my last two free spaces. 

I really enjoyed the story, and I liked figuring out with Leigh what was going on and more about her. If you need all of the character's backstory upfront, this is not a book for you. Most of Leigh's story isn't fully explained until the end of the book. It is, however, under 300 pages, so it's not that long of a wait. I'm actually really impressed that this story was able to be told in so few pages. 

I felt like a lot of the ending was pretty predictable, but I still felt engaged with the story. If it had been anything else, it just wouldn't have made sense with how the book played out. There were some surprises mixed in, but the overall went how I expected. Sorry for being so vague. I'm trying really hard not to spoil everything. Many of the themes within this book were reminiscent of a very famous thriller movie from the late 90s.  I still think it's worth the read and would recommend it to someone who likes Horror and wants to be a little creeped out but not outright terrified. It's also good if you don't want to dedicate a lot of time to a book but still get a good story. 

Book Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu

 

Goodreads Summary: Someone, or something, must be haunting the ship. Between mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths, the guests of the Titanic have found themselves suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone from the moment they set sail. Several of them, including maid Annie Hebley, guest Mark Fletcher, and millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, are convinced there's something sinister--almost otherwordly--afoot. But before they can locate the source of the danger, as the world knows, disaster strikes.
Years later, Annie, having survived that fateful night, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship. When she happens across an unconscious Mark, now a soldier fighting in World War I. At first, Annie is thrilled and relieved to see he survived the sinking. But soon, Mark's presence awakens deep-buried feelings and secrets, forcing Annie to reckon with the demons of her past--as they both discover that the terror may not yet be over.

Brilliantly combining the supernatural with the height of the historical disaster, The Deep is an exploration of love and destiny, desire and innocence, and, above all, a quest to understand how our choices can lead us inexorably toward our doom.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.37 stars with over 5,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy, Adult, Thriller, Ghosts

Goodreads Challenge: 29/50 (Oh hey, I'm finally ahead of schedule. Which is good because Shadow Rising will probably set me back) 

2021 Reading Challenge: #24 Free Space, Pick any book! (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is having a delightful Saturday. Monday is my birthday, so I took yesterday off work and was actually productive. I cleared out my desk at work since I'm going full-time remote (Yay, no more commute! Not that I've had one for a year and a half.) I also did a bunch of laundry and some homework. For dinner, the husband and I tried a new-to-us place. It was a bistro in a bowling alley and surprisingly upscale (luckily only in looks, not in price.) Chris had the ribs, and I had some of the best gluten-free pizza I've had in seven years of having to eat gluten-free. We were going to go to the zoo today, but it's scorching and humid, so no. I imagine we'll probably just go walk around the mall like cool kids to get out of the apartment for a bit. Also, Reading Challenge Co-Conspirator, Tress, has a birthday on Tuesday. Go give her some love on her blog. Tress's blog can be found here. 

Okay, so book review time. If you recall, a few weeks ago, the husband let me loose in Barnes and Noble. The Deep was one of the two books that I picked up while I was unsupervised. I've wanted to read more fiction about the Titanic, and so I saw the cover realized that The Deep was about both the Titanic and its sister ship, the Brittanic. Fair warning, this review is going to be kind of full of spoilers because I can't really discuss my thoughts on this one otherwise. I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

The Deep by Alma Katsu takes on an interesting perspective and combines the sinking of the two ships with the paranormal. I think this book is a perfect example of an interesting premise, poor execution. It really needed to be scaled down by a content editor. The book is just over 400 pages, and there are somewhere around ten (maybe more) perspectives that are shown in the book. Off the top of my head, I think there were perspectives from Annie, Caroline, Mark, the Astors, The Astor's servant, Violet, Dai, Les, Mr. Stead, Charlie, a doctor, and Annie's Mother. It made it really hard to stay into the story, mainly because most of these points of view felt like nothing more than filler. They didn't really add to the story. Their primary purpose was to provide additional experiences as to why the ship was haunted, but it mostly just felt like I was reading the perspective of all 2,230 people on the Titanic.

A lot was going on in this book. I felt like I was reading Girl Interrupted if it were set on the Titanic and influenced by Irish folklore. The haunting and ghosts felt understated. As I mentioned before, there were many people's stories told to explain how it was haunted. However, it mostly boiled down to ominous feelings other than one seance where the paranormal activity was easily explained away. What little it did touch on beyond that seemed easily forgotten. I didn't find the horror aspects of this scary, and honestly, a lot of it felt predictable where Annie was concerned. The main "thriller" aspects were surrounding secrets that Caroline and Mark were hiding. After 300ish pages of a discombobulated story, is fully explained in 30 pages towards the end of the book. The entire book essentially boiled down to the sinking of the two ships was because a pissed-off ghost regretted choices they made while alive and had to deal with the consequences.

I really wanted to like this book. I love history, and I've always been fascinated by the unfortunate happenings of the Titanic.  However, there were just too many characters' perspectives that felt like they didn't need to be there. The hauntings were lackluster, and for being labeled as horror, it wasn't scary at all. I've been debating giving it a two or three rating, and I will give it a two. Honestly, there just wasn't enough there that I did like to warrant the higher rating. I was incredibly frustrated most of the book because of how disjointed it was. I hardly ever read more than one book at a time, and I think I've read a few while struggling to get through this one. I will, however, give credit where credit is due. This book did actually take the time to include LGBTQ+ relationships. There's one included that felt genuinely real to me, and I thought it was well done. It didn't feel like it was included just to be trendy. I felt like the characters did love each other, and honestly, if they had their own prequel of before they got on the Titanic, I'd read it. I just didn't feel like they had a lot to do with the specific story at hand. I also think that the author hinted towards a polyamorous relationship. I don't know if the three characters involved were in a true relationship with one another, but it definitely seems like they could have been if their circumstances had been different. I definitely applaud Alma Katsu for including that in the story.

Book Review: Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang

 

Goodreads Summary: Ignoring the dead can get you killed...

All Charlie Payne wants is to lead a normal life and to be a good mom. But Charlie’s not exactly normal. She's from a long line of witches, and she can see the dead.

Susan Tate has inherited a beautiful old southern mansion on the coast. Unfortunately, the property came with a million necessary repairs. And ghosts.

When Charlie meets Susan, the woman is desperate for help. Taking on a spirit who doesn’t want to see the light can be dangerous but ignoring it? Ignoring the dead can get you killed.

Haunting Charlie is the first in a spine-tingling new Supernatural Suspense that will have you clinging to the edge of your seat. If you like Darcy Coates, Shani Struthers, or JL Bryan, then you will love the Witches of Palmetto Point Series by Wendy Wang!

Goodreads Rating: 4.13 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Ghosts, Fiction, Witches, Urban, Supernatural, Mystery

Goodreads Challenge: 17/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #25 Read a book by a Self Published Author (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Weekend, readers!  I hope everyone is doing well. I picked up Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang on Kindle Unlimited. I wasn't really sure where I would put this on the challenge, but it sounded interesting and had me curious. It worked out that it's self-published. 

The first scene really drew me into Charlie's story. It takes place with her working in a call center. I actually took a screenshot of the first page and sent it to Tress because it was so dead-on, and we had a good laugh about it. If Wendy didn't have call center experience, she really did her research. 

Because the book is so short, it got into the paranormal pretty quickly. I was impressed because it still gave quite a bit of backstory into Charlie's life. She was really relatable, and I felt sorry for her with everything going on with her jerk of an ex-husband, Scott. Her affinity for ghosts was interesting, and it reminded me of the show Dead Files. There was definitely a lot of thought about how Charlie would interact with the spirits and what the ghosts could do. 

Charlie ends up using her ability to try and help solve a series of girls going missing from their town. The story behind what's happening to them goes back to the 1800s and continues today. When I do the genre listing, I just copy what's on Goodreads, which I think is just people's bookshelves, so it may not always be accurate. This one got considered a mystery, but I didn't really feel like there were any surprises to it. It made it pretty clear who was at fault for the girls going missing and why. It was creepy, but I don't really think it had a lot of mystery to it. 

So this next piece, I generally don't care about, but I know it will bother a few people. There are a handful of places where there are commas in the middle of words. Stuff like this use to really put me off on some books, but now the closer I get to publishing my own book, I realize it's just part of the process, and it happens. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Haunting Charlie. I'll probably read a bit more of the series since it's on Kindle Unlimited, but I'm trying to be good and not get completely sucked into my typical binge of series for now. This book was a quick and interesting read, and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a mix of paranormal meets True Crime.

Book Review: Everwild and Everfound by Neal Shusterman

 
Goodreads Summary: After the events of Everlost, Nick and Allie are on separate paths--and Everlost, the limbo land of dead children, is at war in this riveting novel from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Neal Shusterman.
Nick wants to help the dead reach the light at the end of the tunnel, but Mary Hightower, their self-proclaimed queen and a dangerous fanatic are determined to keep them trapped in Everlost for all of eternity. Traveling in the memory of the Hindenburg, Mary is spreading her propaganda and attracting Afterlights to her cause at a frightening speed.

Allie travels home to seek out her parents, along with Mikey, who was once the terrifying monster the McGill. Allie is tempted by the seductive thrill of skinjacking the living, until she discovers the shocking truth about skinjackers that makes her question her place in both worlds.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.21 stars with over 12,000 ratings

Genre listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Supernatural, Adventure, Ghosts, Death

Goodreads Challenge: 9/60

2021 Reading Challenge:  #16 Read a book with a person on the cover ( Find the complete challenge here)

Goodreads Summary: In the stunning conclusion to the Skinjacker trilogy by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Neal Shusterman, the final battle for the very soul of Everlost rages on. As Mary Hightower slumbers in a glass coffin waiting to be reborn back into Everlost, her allies and henchmen begin to carry out her terrible mission. Mary's army is joined by a newcomer: Jix, a spy for the Mayan King of Everlost. A furjacker who skinjacks great cats, Jix has his own agenda.
Meanwhile, Mikey McGill desperately tries to rescue Allie the Outcast. At his side is Nick the Chocolate Ogre, who has become pure chocolate and hardly remembers himself at all. Mikey encounters a creature that scares even the mighty McGill: a scar wraith, whose touch can extinguish an Afterlight forever.
As fights and schemes come to a head, it becomes clear that the outcome of this battle will determine not just the fate of Everlost but the fate of the living world as well.

Goodreads Rating: 4.30 stars with over 9,700 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Supernatural, Adventure, Ghosts, Death

Goodreads Challenge: 10/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #37 Read the next book in a series you've started (find the entire challenge here)

Other Reviews on the series: Everlost

Book Review:

Happy Wednesday, readers! I decided to do a combined review for Everwild and Everfound by Neal Shusterman. I would do separate reviews, but I got distracted and then was around 200 pages into Everfound, so I just decided to do one review. 

Everwild and Everfound follow the story Everlost started with Nick and Allie and some of the friends they meet. Towards the end of Everlost, Nick really starts to learn his purpose in the afterlife. Nick, Allie, Mikey, and some of their allies plot on how to take down Mary, who won't let Afterlights move on. 

What I liked most about this series is the world-building. The idea of two separate realities being co-existing to an extent is fascinating to me. Just little details like deadspots and how things cross over gave the story a lot of character. I also liked how there were different powers and different reasons for why those powers exist. The reason that Allie, Jix, and the other skinjackers could walk between both worlds wasn't all that surprising, but I liked the spin that it gave those characters. 

Part of the world-building that I think would just be a remarkable story on its own was Jix's King's ability to unremember. Essentially, he would decide he didn't remember something being a rule or law of Everlost, and it'd just wholly change the physics of whatever it was. It was really fascinating. It's just another detail that Shusterman gave readers that was just really well done.

Allie was the strongest character in the series by far, but I didn't really care for her ending. Overall the series ended as it should have, but her personal conclusion to the story fell a little flat. I think that Nick had the most appropriate ending. It could be interesting to see a continuation of his story, but I doubt there will be one. I thought that Mary's ending was pretty appropriate as well and really fit with her character. Initially, her and Nick's relationship just made me cringe because it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Through much of Everwild and Everfound, there's this idea that they love each other even though they're enemies. I never really got that because I didn't think there was a lot of chemistry there, but then it really gets explained towards the end of Everfound, and that reasoning made sense. Mikey and Allie's relationship was probably the only one that didn't make me roll my eyes through most of it. Jill and Jix's wasn't too terrible either.

There ends up being another character called a Scar Wraith, largely in Everfound. Initially, his placement in the story seems kind of weird. He doesn't really fit the story thus far and kind of stands out. Until the end, I wondered exactly what his purpose was going to be because he's just such an odd addition that he can't possibly just be there for background. I won't give too much away, but he ends up being a really intricate part of how the series unfolds.  

I think of the three books my favorite was Everfound. There is so much that happens in it that just brings the story altogether. Everything comes full circle in it, and there's a certain sense of balance to how it all plays out. Everything leads up to the need for that balance, and I really enjoyed it. All three of the books were really good, and Everwild didn't have that middle book syndrome where it dropped and was just a vessel to get from point A to B. It had its own unique story and was pretty enjoyable as well. Nick, Allie, Mikey, and Mary all had to take their own journies and really had to do some self-discovery. 

Overall, I really enjoyed each of the books. If you like dark YA fantasy, this would definitely be something I'd recommend. They aren't super long, with Everfound being the longest of the three books at a little over 500 pages. The entire series puts an exciting spin on death, the afterlife, and purpose. Neal Shusterman has a way with details that really make this story pop.  I give both Everwild and Everfound five moons.

Book Review: Everlost by Neal Shusterman

 

Goodreads Summary: Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...
...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

Goodreads Rating: 3.96 stars with over 30,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Supernatural, Ghosts

Goodreads Challenge: 7/50 

2021 Reading Challenge: #15 Read the first book in a series you've wanted to start (find the full challenge here

Book Review:

Happy Monday, readers! I am eagerly waiting until it's a good time for bed because I am exhausted. I read an actual book this weekend. By that, I mean a physical book instead of an e-book. For Christmas, the husband and I had bought our friend a trilogy of books by Neal Shusterman. I had got her hooked on the Arch of Scythe series, and after finding more of his work, she thought this one sounded interesting. After she read it, she thought I'd like it as well and loaned me the first two while she read the third. 

The friend was right. I really enjoyed Everlost quite a bit. I can't remember the last time I read YA either, so that was nice. Everlost takes a fascinating take on kids dying. In the Skinjackers series, kids end up in Everlost when they die but didn't make it to where they were supposed to go. In Allie and Nick's case, they were in a car crash and bump into each other in the tunnel to the light. 

The world-building of Everlost is fantastic. There are just little nuanced details sprinkled in that just seem really well thought out. There's this whole aspect of what they can touch or stand or do based on whether or not something died there. It's really interesting, and I felt like it really made the characters interact with their environment. There are also exerts from books that two of the characters write before each chapter. It's very similar to the journal entries before each chapter in the Scythe trilogy that Neal Shusterman wrote. I enjoy them because it gives you additional details about the world that may have not otherwise made it into the story. They're very centered around the perceived rules of Everlost.

I can't really explain why, but this book in my mind was a cross between The Maze Runner and Peter Pan. I tried to explain it to my friend when we discussed the book, and I couldn't give actual reasons for it. It's just that the entire time I was reading it, I either thought of Peter Pan or Maze Runner. 

Character-wise, I liked Allie and Leif more than Nick. I thought he was kind of whiny, and then the whole story arc between him and Mary was just eh to me. I kind of rolled my eyes during a lot of it. Mary was probably my least favorite character. She just seemed kind of uppity to me. I thought The McGill's storyline was pretty interesting, and I figured out who he was pretty quickly. I thought many philosophical questions were surrounding The McGill, but if I go into them, I think that'd give more spoilers than I've probably already given. 

Overall, it's a good story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA Fantasy/Paranormal type stuff. It's under 400 pages and moves pretty quickly. So if you want more of a light read, it'd be good for that. Even though it does cover death, it doesn't come across as particularly morbid. It's a little sad in some spots because of the deaths, but it stays pretty light and humorous. There are even some well-placed puns. I'll definitely be reading the second book soon. The only reason I didn't pick it up last night was the kindle was closer, and my bed was comfy.

Book Review: Suddenly Psychic by Elizabeth Hunter

 

Goodreads Summary: Every woman goes through changes in their forties.Just not… these changes.

Robin Brannon was a normal wife, mom, and antique shop owner until a brush with death turned her day-to-day life upside down. Now she and her two best friends are seeing things that belong in a fantasy novel. Ghosts. Visions. Omens of doom. Nothing that belongs in the peaceful mountain town they call home.

Added to that, Robin’s marriage is on the rocks, her grandmother’s health is failing, her mother is driving away the customers at her shop, her teenage daughter refuses to get her drivers’ license, and her left knee aches every darn morning.

Robin doesn’t have the time, energy, or knees to unearth the secrets buried at the bottom of Glimmer Lake, but fate doesn’t seem to care. Some secrets are just dying to be exposed.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Ghosts, Romance, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery

Goodreads Challenge: 39/60 (I'm picking up steam!)

2020 Reading Challenge: #47 A book by an author named Elizabeth/Beth or a variant (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, Readers! I am SO glad it is finally the weekend. Finding something for the Elizabeth/Beth variant was surprisingly tricky. I really expected to see a ton of books to fit in this category, but it took me a while to not only find one but find one that grabbed my interest. I had picked up a few and just could not get into them. However, when I found Suddenly Psychic, I thought it seemed like a cute story idea and gave it a shot. 

Suddenly Psychic is a shorter read- around 300 pages and was really easy to get into. I instantly liked Robin, and even though I'm not a mother or in my 40s, I found her relatable and funny. I liked how she, Monica, and Val were all different personalities but were still really close. They each had their own voice, and I felt like it was easy to distinguish who was who. 

I felt like there was a surprising amount of Ghosts in Suddenly Psychic, which was refreshing. I feel like some books just limit the ghost interaction to weird noises, or feelings, or whatever. Suddenly Psychic had several ghosts, and most had some kind of background story or interaction with Robin. I loved the way she was able to conjure them. I thought it was different and really interesting. Some of the interactions were actually mildly creepy, which I thought was great. 

There was a bit of mystery in Suddenly Psychic. I thought it was a little predictable, but I honestly didn't mind that much. It made sense for the story, and I don't know that every mystery needs to be an absolute rollercoaster of who committed the crime. The presented information seemed logical for the characters and added up to the build-up with the final ghost. Boss Ghost? 

Buried underneath all of the Ghosts and psychic powers (heh, pun intended), there's a terrific story about a group of women feeling lost and not sure who they are going through the process to find themselves. Robin is often found reciting, "Is this my life?" negatively during the beginning of the story. However, after everything she goes through, it becomes "I can't believe this is my life," but with a positive spin on it. 

I really loved this book, and I can't wait to read more in the Glimmer Lake series. I think the next book follows Val, who was a lot of fun in this book. Suddenly Psychic is a quick read that stays light-hearted and funny even during some darker times of the story. The characters are relatable and entertaining. I stayed interested through the entire book and didn't want to put it down. Plus, there are ghosts!

Book Review: The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

 

Goodreads Summary: There's something wrong with Ashburn House...The ancient building has been the subject of rumors for close to a century. Its owner, Edith, refused to let guests inside and rarely visited the nearby town.

Following Edith's death, her sole surviving relative, Adrienne, inherits the property. Adrienne's only possessions are a suitcase of luggage, twenty dollars, and her pet cat. Ashburn House is a lifeline she can't afford to refuse.

Adrienne doesn't believe in ghosts, but it's hard to ignore the unease that grows as she explores her new home. Strange messages have been etched into the wallpaper, an old grave is hidden in the forest behind the house, and eerie portraits in the upstairs hall seem to watch her every movement.

As she uncovers more of the house's secrets, Adrienne begins to believe the whispered rumors about Ashburn may hold more truth than she ever suspected. The building has a bleak and grisly past, and as she chases the threads of a decades-old mystery, Adrienne realizes she's become the prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful.

Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.02 stars with over 8,600 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Gothic, Ghosts, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 36/60 (Still really behind, because of who I am as a person)

2020 Reading Challenge: #17 Read a Suspense or Horror book (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

I have no idea what day it is, and I blame The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates. I've been up very late reading this book since I started. It's totally a good idea to read a horror book beginning at 2 am, just FYI.

It may have just been the haunted house and potential for ghosts, but I was instantly drawn into Adrienne's world. I thought she was a likable character. Her story was a little bit of a sad one, but it was short, so the introduction to her wasn't bogged down with all these details of her life before the book starts. I dig that she named her cat Wolfgang.

At first, I wasn't sure if The Haunting of Ashburn House was actually going to be scary. It didn't seem like it at first, but I was enjoying the story, so I didn't mind too much. Some things were a little bit creepy at first, but I wasn't turning on the lights to make sure the ghosts weren't in my apartment. That all changed around chapters 29 and 30. 

I'll try to be vague because I don't want to ruin the surprise in the book, but I wasn't expecting the haunting thing to be what it was. Hopefully, that makes sense. The clues were to what was going on were kind of there, but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't really try to figure it out. I just wanted to be in the moment reading. 

I really liked how the story concluded (again, trying to be vague because I don't want to give spoilers). I thought it was kind of a sweet ending, which was surprising for a ghost story. The one knock I really have is the friends that Adrienne made. The sweetness kind of seemed a little fake to me, but I could just be jaded and expect there to be ulterior motives behind nice gestures. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't even halfway through, and I was telling friends to read it. I also went through and added a bunch of Darcy Coates' books to my want to read list. It was one of those books that just caught my attention early on and never let go. There were a couple of spots that I thought were kind of funny as well, so it was a nice balance. A lot of Darcy's books are on Kindle Unlimited, so after I finish an author requested review, I'll probably go on a book binge. 

Book Review of Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

Goodreads Summary: Jade loves her new apartment—until a ghost joins her in the shower!
When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn't count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord.

Being an empath has never been easy on Jade's relationships. It's no wonder she keeps her gift a secret. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it's up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her. Except she'll need Kane's help to do it—and he's betrayed her with a secret of his own. Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?
Goodreads Rating: 3.77 stars with over 8100 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery, Ghosts, Empaths, Witches
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository

Book Review: 

This is the second book by Deanna Chase that I've read, and I'm completely blown away by her ability to create such a detailed paranormal universe. Haunted on Bourbon Street follows Jade Calhoun, an Empath in New Orleans. There's so much detail in her work, it's almost overwhelming (in a good way). 

I really liked Jade as a character, especially the fact that she's a glass bead maker and instructor. I've been making jewelry for 20 years now (Oh gods, I just aged myself) and I've always wanted to learn to make my own beads. It's a fascinating process to watch, so to bring this to life in Haunted on Bourbon Street was really incredible to me. I felt like Jade was a really strong main character. I liked how she was sassy and stood up for herself.

I thought it was interesting how detailed this book was. There was so much effort put into describing all of the characters and any powers they may have. They all had some kind of backstory, which was nice. It wasn't a flat story just about Jade. I felt like multiple stories were going on that gave a complete picture.

The Ghost aspects were... interesting... I'll be honest I was not prepared for there being a relationship with a ghost. That being said, I really enjoyed the ghost hunter part of the story. I love Ghost Hunter type shows, so this made it a fun read. I will say, aside from the identity of Jade's Ghost friend, I had the rest of the mystery surrounding the haunting figured out as far as how many ghosts there were wreaking havoc.

I didn't hate the relationship with Kane. I actually found him really sweet and caring. There was a bit of an ego, but I think it worked well for his character. I'd be curious to learn more about his own power. It was unique, and I'm glad it got showcased towards the end of the story.

The book leads to there being more to Jade's power, and I'm interested to see what that is. I'll definitely be on the look out for more of Deanna Chase's books. The two I've read so far have been pretty impressive.

Book Review of Dying to Forget by Trish Marie Dawson

Goodreads Summary: "...With trembling fingers, I reach up and touch the hard and chiseled contours of his chest while Ryan's large and strong hands roam over my entire body, feeling and squeezing everything. I've never been touched like this before and my insides are starting to freak out.

"I want you, Piper," he murmurs into my neck.

My mouth drops open in surprise and even though my brain seems to be telling me to jump and run out of the room, I’m unable to move, stuck firmly to the same place on the mattress. With my nerves on high alert, I glance at the door repeatedly, sure that someone will come bursting through it at any second but the steady thumping of the music downstairs reminds me that no one can hear what is happening in this room. No one cares that Ryan Burke took me, of all people, into a bedroom. That realization hits me suddenly. Oh. My. God. What am I doing here?"

Piper Willow dies the summer after her high school graduation but she doesn’t make it to Heaven or Hell…instead she finds herself in a spiritual terminal called the Station. She’s given only two choices: Return to Earth as the subconscious for a person in need of some outside assistance, or move on and spend an eternity lost in her own sorrow and pain.

Does Piper have what it takes to save a life - to be the nagging voice inside someone else’s head - or will she fail and end up lost and tormented in limbo...forever?

Goodreads Rating: 4.09 with 995 reviews
Genre Listing: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Ghosts, Death, Teen, Contemporary

Get the Book:  Amazon, Book Depository
My other reviews of Trish Marie Dawson's books: Dying to Remember

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

Wow. This book is intense and pretty dark. If you can't handle morbid death related things, this book is probably not for you. I, on the other hand, found it absorbing.

The premise of the book is that if a person is depressed and thinking about committing suicide, they get a Volunteer placed in your head. It's the Volunteer's job to make your life better and try to talk the person out of committing suicide. The suicidal person doesn't know the volunteer is in their head, and the volunteer stays there until the person either doesn't need them anymore or commits suicide. If the person ends up dying, they get sent to the station, where they have two choices. Either become a volunteer and try to save lives or spend eternity in their special hell.

In this paranormal book, we meet Piper, who frankly has to deal with a lot of crap no one should have to deal with. She ends up becoming a volunteer, and we follow her through her death, training, and two of her assignments. I felt connected to Piper, and I felt sorry for her. I just wanted to be able to be her friend and talk her through the things she was going through, but once she dies and starts volunteering the book lightens up a little bit (that seems odd to say). It's still pretty dark because it's dealing with death, but Piper's comical while being a volunteer.

I find the premise of this book interesting. I've been interested in death-themed books lately, and this fit in with that. It's a different take on a very dark and controversial subject. Even though it's young adult, I appreciated that Piper went through some tough situations and didn't spend the entire book swooning over boys. As a reader, you get the sense that she genuinely cares about her assignments and wants to help them succeed.  I'm amazed that it's under 200 pages. It leaves a complete story, but at the same time the ending hooked me in, and I want to read the second book- Dying to Remember.

Four out of five moons

Book Review of A Gift of Ghosts by Sarah Wynde

Goodreads Summary: Akira Malone believes in the scientific method, evolution, and Einstein's theory of relativity. And ghosts.

All the logic and reason in the world can't protect her from the truth she can see and communicate with spirits. But Akira is sure that her ability is just a genetic quirk and the ghosts she encounters simply leftover electromagnetic energy. Dangerous electromagnetic energy.

Zane Latimer believes in telepathy, precognition, auras, and that playing Halo with your employees is an excellent management technique. He also thinks that maybe, just maybe, Akira can help his family get in touch with their lost loved ones.

But will Akira ever be able to face her fears and accept her gift? Or will Zane's relatives be trapped between life and death forever?
Goodreads Rating: 3.84 with over 600 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Paranormal, Ghosts, Romance
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

This supernatural book has been sitting on my kindle for some time now. It's one of the copious free e-books I find and download, and tell myself that I'll eventually get to them. I have an addiction to free e-books. Sometimes their hits sometimes they're not. A Gift of Ghosts by Sarah Wynde was not a hit for me.

At the start of the book, I was reminded of the show Haven (which is based on some Stephen King stuff that I haven't read). Girl gets lured into a strange town, has an unusual ability, but that's totally okay because everyone else in the town is odd too. I liked the initial ghosts too. I thought they were charming, especially Rose and Henry.

I think there was a loose reference to Alice and Wonderland with a quote about 'six impossible things,' which I appreciated. There was also a quote  on page 123 that I liked, which said: "Once you've accepted the impossible, questioning the improbable is only sensible."  The Ghosts and these quotes are about where I draw the line at liking this.

I have a lot of issues with this book. I never really feel like Akira grows in the story. I don't think there's a whole lot of depth to her, Zane, or the rest of his family. The ghosts have way more depth and character building than anything else. Akira has all of these secrets, and they get released at the end of the book, but even when getting to those secrets, I don't feel like she gained much depth. Also, she claims there's so much she doesn't know about ghosts. I'm fine with characters not knowing things, but too much not knowing makes it seem like the author just didn't want to write it into the story.

Then we get to the love story. What? No seriously what? I get that there's a lot of tension between the two, but one or two flirty texts, and then you're having office sex? How is science talk even remotely sexy? In addition to that, we find out that Zane's house is haunted by his mother. Cool another ghost, but she's angry. So instead of that, we get a chapter that spans over months of time. No ghost stuff, just a couple of sentences about Akira and Zane did stuff. It felt like the rest of the book was just being phoned in at that point. "House is haunted; mom's pissed.... Akira and Zane went Kayaking!"

I'm not even going to touch the part of the story where Ghost-Mom possesses Akira, kills her, and then brings her back to life so they can all have Thanksgiving dinner together. What?

I want to give this book a rating of one, but I like the ghosts a lot, so it gets a 2.