If You've Got It, Haunt It, by Rose Pressey

If You've Got It, Haunt It by Rose Pressey
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying, I usually love cozy mysteries with a touch of paranormal...

I'd read one of Ms. Pressey's self-published books on Amazon, because it was free. When I saw this book at my local library I decided to give it a try. The combination of vintage clothes, cats, ghosts and psychic gifts was after all, a proven winner for two other authors....

Yep, this book felt like a combination of Annette Blair's Vintage Magic series, which I love and Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mysteries, which I like. Ms. Pressey's book, not so much. This one felt very much like a first novel, when Pressey has quite a few self-published titles out there. I can usually get through a good book in less than a day. This book took me almost all of the three week check out period to slog though.

Pros: Funny characters, but they were over-powered by the cons.

Cons: -Cookie Chanel. Really?? What were your parents thinking? It's not cute, it's cruel, especially when the villain says, "You're a smart Cookie," at the end of the book. Blech.
-Too much vintage. I felt like Ms. Pressey went on and on and on about each item of clothing.
-The cat. *Sigh* I usually like animals in books and I truly believe that animals can sense things we don't, and may perfectly well see ghosts. But don't ask me to believe they can use a Ouija board! The cat spells better than most people I know, for crying out loud.
-The Ouija board. The one thing I agreed with Cookie about was not wanting to use it. Put it away.
-Plot holes. There were several that kind of made me crazy (the author can't seem to add to 3, for example, coming up with 4 hankies in a package of three).
-Weak mystery.
-And did I mention too much vintage and too much description of said vintage??

I see that this author has 12 different series on the go. Maybe she should settle on a few for a bit, and see if that helps tighten up her writing. Whatever, I'm glad this was a library book, and I won't be searching out anymore titles by this author.

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Spider's Trap, by Jennifer Estep

Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is book 13 in a long running series, some of which I have read, many of which I haven't. Spider's Trap has made me want to go back and read them all!

Gin is now in charge of Ashland's Underworld, having bumped off the previous supreme overlords ;) She doesn't seem too happy about it, but she's dealing. Unfortunately, the underbosses, aren't happy at all having Gin in charge and she has been the target of several assassination attempts herself.

(view spoiler)[The book pretty much starts right off the bat with another assassination attempt, but this time the target isn't Gin.

This book kept me interested throughout, with plenty of fun characters surrounding Gin to balance out the Big Bad, who just happens to be related to a Very Bad Man that Gin ran into many years before as a young girl. (hide spoiler)]

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In Search of the Paranormal: The Hammer House Murder, Ghosts of the Clink, and Other Disturbing Investigations, by Richard Estep

In Search of the Paranormal: The Hammer House Murder, Ghosts of the Clink, and Other Disturbing Investigations by Richard Estep
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"When other kids my age were running around kicking a soccer ball, I was far more likely to be found curled up with a spine-tingling book about ghosts and haunted houses..." -Richard Estep, In Search of the Paranormal, Ch. 2.

This description could be me. Unlike the author, while I am still fascinated with the paranormal, ghosts and hauntings, especially, I don't particularly want to meet one! So when I saw this book was available on NetGalley, I requested it and was pleasantly surprised to be given a copy.

I totally enjoyed this book. It helps a little that Mr. Estep is "local," as in, he lives, works and investigates paranormal happenings here along the Colorado Front Range, so I was actually familiar with many of the places in this book. I'm always interested in reading about the history of the front range, and really all of the west. And I can relate to the expat Brit, since I've been married to one for nearly 25 years ;) Some of the English locations are places that I've been or at least heard of, as well.

All in all, I found the cases well recounted, with Mr. Estep being completely honest that in a lot of cases, they just don't get much of anything. There's no padding or embellishing the actual "ghost hunt" to make things more exciting. The investigations are as scientific as you can get when you're looking at something defined as "events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding." -Oxford Dictionaries, emphasis mine. When something does happen, an explanation is looked for, rather than automatically assigning something to paranormal activity.

For me, an amateur history buff, a lot of the appeal comes from the local history, tales and lore given about each location. If you're interested in ghost hunting or the paranormal, as well as a bit of history, pick up this book for yourself.

*I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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Reading List for June

1. Spider's Trap, Jennifer Estep. Sci fi/Fantasy. ARC.
2. In Search of the Paranormal, Richard Estep. Paranormal. ARC.
3. If You've Got It, Haunt It, Rose Pressey, Paranormal Cozy Mystery
4. Dark Debt, Chloe Neill. Paranormal, Sci-fi/Fantasy
5. Spelled, Betsy Schow. Sci-fi/Fanstasy

That's just what I've got lined up to read right now. The first three are in progress, but I keep getting sidetracked by life and haven't been able to finish even one! And when I do manage to run away and read, I tend to hide in the bathtub, and welp, can't take my Kindle in there ;)

The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer, by Krista Davis

The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer by Krista Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second book in the Paws and Claws series. Holly Miller is back in Wagtail for good, helping her Oma run their bed and breakfast.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I loved this one. For one thing, there's a lot less Ben (though he's in there). I do see this book going down the typical love triangle path eventually with Ben and Holmes, but for now the men are just secondary characters with bit parts to play.

This book is set during Howloween in Wagtail, and is full of fun activities for pets, their people and everyone else too. A group of ghost hunters is in town to film a TV pilot, and one of their hangers-on is popping up and being a pain in the rear. Mallory is obsessed with the leader of the ghost hunters, Mark, claiming they're going to be married, when really he wants nothing to do with her. Mark just wants to get back together with his ex-fiance, Eva, a ghost debunker.

When Mallory ends up dead in what seems to be an accident there seem to be a lot of people who aren't upset about it, and both Holly and Officer Dave have a gut feeling that it wasn't an accident.

The plot is fun with a nice cast of characters. I'm looking forward to book 3. I have enjoyed these two books sooo much more than Ms. Davis' Domestic Diva series! So far there's no obnoxious anti-heroine in the middle of everything!

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A Sliver of Shadow, by Allison Pang

A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

2nd book in a trilogy.

I can't say I hated this book, it had some redeeming features, but they were few and far between. And the ending.... I really had a tough time finishing this book. I have to admit to skipping around, because I just couldn't deal with all the jerks.

Jerk #1 Ion
Jerk #2 Robert
Jerk #3 That Damned Unicorn, Phin
There are even more, but 3's already a crowd.

Ion was an ass in the first book, using Abby and abusing her trust, yet for some reason Abby thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. Umm, no. He's a Incubus, who eats your dreams and really treats you like crap.

Robert, cheating dirt bag and yet Charlie stays with him, blaming Moira for the whole lot. Takes two to tango, sorry Charlie.

Phin just freaking makes me crazy. Blech.

I HATED the end with a fiery passion, I HATED the love triangle (because frankly I hate the entire concept of the love triangle trope! Please, make them stop) and actually yes, quite frankly, can say, I HATED this book.

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The Diva Wraps It Up, by Krista Davis

The Diva Wraps It Up by Krista Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was ok. A whole lot better then the other one I picked up at the library at the same time, The Diva Paints the Town. I can't seem to get past the first 50 pages in that one! Yes, I know I am reading them out of order, but when I couldn't get into one, I moved on to another. I will likely try and read more in the series, because I did enjoy the book over all, once I gripped a bit out loud while reading it, haha.

It's Christmas, the neighborhood is out in full force, decorating for the holidays and swapping cookies (by the way, I made the Famous Pinwheel recipe, and it was flat out GROSS! I took one bite and spit it straight in the trash. My husband and daughter did exactly the same! What a waste of time and ingredients. Don't let the simplicity of the recipe fool you, it has NO redeeming qualities and I can't even think of ways to fix it so that the taste matches the lovely way these cookies look! Unless of course you like the taste of flour, then go for it...).

The cast of characters seemed a bit much, sometimes it was hard to keep them all straight, and the plot a little (lot?) convoluted. Sophie seems nice, as in a bit of a doormat. I don't care if they share a dog, what the heck is with her and her ex? He & Sophie divorce and then he hooks up with the Wicked Witch of the West (the complete opposite of Sophie, really) and still wanders back to Sophie on a regular basis. In this book he seems to spend more time with his Sophie than he does with Natasha.

Which brings me to my next point, get rid of Natasha. She's a stone cold bitch (and I think one reason that I can't get into the 1st book I tried) and a domestic diva with her own show?? Really, decorating for the holidays in pink and orange and then silver and black, why would anyone listen to her??

(view spoiler)[The victim is a lying, money grubbing bitch in her own right, trying to kill her husband's boss and make his wife look nuts, all so she can have money to spend again. Frankly, her death seemed like a gift to everyone.

And is it just me, or did Luis' wife Liza seem all too calm and collected at the end, for someone who discovered he'd been cheating on her with the victim, tried to kill her and then tried to kill Sophie too? I mean, if I discovered my husband was such a rat, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be in a holiday mood. (hide spoiler)]

My biggest gripe? The whole freakin' love triangle (although in this case it's more a square) between Sophie, Mars, Wolf, Alex. I am getting utterly sick of author's using this super formulaic plot device. I don't read a cozy for the romance, I read it for the mystery. And I would rather the mystery not be who the protagonist is going to end up with!

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