Mary BehreRezensionen

Solid middle of the road paranormal read. I read the first of the series and skipped the second and didn't feel that I really missed anything. The heroine's psychometry worked well for the story here. I did guess the villain but there was a decent red herring. The hero's actions sometimes seemed forced for the story and I thought he was a total ass to his brother most of the time. Jimminy. May or may not go in with the series.

Enjoyable story of a psychic and a cop. I typically prefer stories like this one where not everyone has powers. I like the juxtaposition of the person with powers against the normal rest of the world. I liked the heroine and the hero both. The plotting mostly made sense. There were however a few places where things were unnecessarily obscure just to drive the story along. The ghost set up was pretty good. The reason this didn't get 5 stars from me though was the ending. I felt it was a pretty big fail. First the charming and caring hero freaked over the whole psychic thing which made him no better than the ex husband and I felt a major thrust of the book was how he was so much better than that guy. Then he sent her away alone after knowing that she was in danger just because he was disgusted with her powers etc. Then the nice other cop had to talk him into not being such a dick about it. I wanted my hero to be a more stand up and understanding guy. Major disappointment.

Still worth the read though.

Though I did greatly enjoy the first book in the series, I liked Guarded even more. Dev, the love interest, didn't give off as much of a macho vibe as Seth, and he didn't give Shelley, our female MC, any presumptuous nicknames like Seth did with Jules. I also thought that the romance built much more naturally in this book, where the situations that brought Jules and Seth into contact felt very contrived.

Much like the first book, the mystery of this one was good and I didn't foresee the ending (though in all fairness, I don't think the author really gave us enough information to figure it out in advance to being told). I did think it was kind of strange that Dev seemed to have very little inner conflict about whether or not to handle things by the book when Shelley ended up involved in the crime; that being said, different people would handle that situation with varying degrees of hesitance, so I suppose this could be realistic.

One complaint that I had was that, even though several scenes take place in Shelley's veterinary clinic, no real veterinary medicine happens on screen at all. The book never pretends to be any kind of medical drama, but I felt like Jules did several florist-y things in her book, and as a vet student myself, I was excited to see veterinary medicine in a novel. The fact that I didn't disappointed me, and probably only me.

Aside from that, my only real complaints were minor inconsistencies or other brief, strange moments. One that particularly sticks out to me is at the very beginning of the book, where the main character, who has the ability to communicate with animals, recalls that she hadn't communicated with a dog since the day her childhood one died. Immediately afterward, she communicates with a dog with no problems. Later, it was mentioned conveniently that this dog was the only one who didn't seem to have a problem with communicating with her, but I thought that should have been mentioned from the getgo. Also, no reason was ever given for that one individual dog to communicate with her when no other ones did. After his role in the opening of the story, I don't remember him ever coming up again.

In general, though, this book was very enjoyable and I definitely intend to get my hands on the third one eventually and find out how the sisters' story ends.

This is a paranormal romance novel about a woman who can see ghosts and gets accidentally wrapped up with a murder case (as well as with the attractive cop who's trying to solve it). I'm not a regular romance reader, but I actually really enjoyed this novel. The mystery aspect was very well-written, and I didn't see the ending coming until shortly before it was revealed.

Most of my complaints about this story were honestly things that rubbed me the wrong way but that I think are normal for the romance genre (hence why I don't usually partake in it). I didn't like the obviously contrived ways that the main characters were forced into close physical contact in the early scenes, before the relationship had developed properly between them. The author's hand was very noticeable there. The connection between them and the initiation of the physical aspects of their relationship also seemed a little too immediate to be realistic, but that just may be a personal difference between me and the characters.

Finally, there were a few minor aspects about the love interest that I found more a turn-off than anything else. One of them was that he called the main character "precious" before any kind of romantic relationship had begun between them. It wouldn't have bothered me if he had waited until they had started showing more direct interest in each other, but when guys try to use pet names on women they're not involved with, it just comes across as sleazy to me. Another was that he was worried about her safety at one point, so he stole her keys so she couldn't go home alone, where she would be in potential danger. I see the logic behind that decision, but it still really bothered me. He could have just as easily woken her up and told her he didn't feel it was safe for her to be home alone, but his actions were much more controlling and took away her agency. That kind of decision doesn't fly with me.

All in all, though, the book was enjoyable. These complaints were truly minor issues when taken with the work as a whole, and I am definitely interested in continuing the series.

This book started off a little slow for me. But once Shelley and Dev hit the road to go to Tidewater, it really picked up for me, and I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. Shelley is a veterinarian who is able to communicate telepathically with animals. This really comes in handy in her job, and in solving the mystery of who is stealing the rare zoo animals. The zoo keeps denying the animals are stolen, so clearly something bad is happening there.

This is the second book in the series. People and events from the first book are present, but I think you can enjoy this book on its own.

The main premise of this series is about 3 sisters that were separated as children who each have some form of psychic abilities. The first two books were about Jules and Shelly. In Jules book Zig Harmon was a young patrol officer that ended up injured. This novella is his story which has him getting second chance at love along with a mystery of a missing baby.

It’s always nice to get a story about a secondary character from previous books. Zig and Karma had a relationship in college but she just left one day without any explanation. Now she’s back 8 years later and needs Zig’s help in finding her friends baby. Problem is the town thinks the mother tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge taking her baby with her. Now she’s in a coma and the town thinks the baby is dead. Karma doesn’t believe this and needs someone to help her find the baby. Along with the search Zig and Karma also have to work through the pain of their past and the strong feelings they still have for one another.

Best part was a sneak peak at the end we get of Hannah’s story who we have been given so little information about so far as she was the youngest sister who was adopted at 3 in a private adoption.

Hands down the most shocking reveal in a story I've read this year.. And it wasnt just shocking it was sick, twisted, and sad.

I've been waiting for Hannah's story since the first book came out. We were given so little information about her so to finally find out who she is and what her crift was exciting. She had the gift of Psychometry which is a form of extra-sensory perception characterized by the ability to make a connection to a person from an object by making physical contact with that object.

Hannah had a great childhood with her adopted parents and helps them run their bar. One night a man who is so torn up with grief sits for hours at the bar. Hannah knew he needed a human connection that night so she takes him home for a one night stand. Months later she gets word that her two sisters are looking for her and that they live in Tidewater. Hannah eventually makes her way there but doesn't contact them right away. She instead take's a job in a local restaurant where it turns out her one night stand is co owner of.

Niall Graham was a marine when he first met Hannah. He was grieving the loss of two good friends and was a little lost at the time. He was forever grateful for what she did for him that night. Now he's back in Tidewater having to help run the family restaurant with his brother after his mother has an accident. He's pretty surly and suffers from PTSD if he's is in any type of enclosed space. He cannot believe that the new person his brother just hired is the one woman he's never been able to forget about but who he thinks stiffed him the next morning by giving him a bogus number. He's not real open to having her around at first.

Hannah ends up touching a knife in the restaurant that a killer had touched and she witnesses that person committing a murder. She continues to accidentally touch things the killer has through the story and this person was sick in the head and we get a front row seat to some twisted stuff.

I've enjoyed all the books in this series and had been looking forward to all 3 sisters finally reuniting. I was just a little disappointed on how long that took in this book to finally happen. I think it would be cool to have a book where all three sisters have to use their abilities together to solve a crime or murder. Hopefully this isnt the end of the series but if it is it was a good paranormal romantic suspense series and I look forward to seeing what's next from this author.

This series is a perfect mix of paranormal, suspense and romance along with the reuniting of 3 sisters that were separated when they were young and in foster care.

Jules, who was in the first book, can see and talk to dead people, Shelley, who is the lead in this book, is a vet and able to communicate with animals and Hannah, we haven’t been told yet of what she can do.

As with the first book the heroine manages to get herself in the middle of a murder mystery that also involved animals from a zoo going missing. The hero in this one is Dev Jones who is a detective with the Tidewater Police Department who played a large secondary role in the first book. We as the readers knew he had some connection with Shelley from the past and had figured out she was the one of the sisters Jules had been looking for years. Dev is a large burley man but he has such a sweet disposition you couldn’t help but fall in love with him the moment you met him.

Even though the suspense parts of the books are somewhat dark the majority of the books are lighthearted and humorous. Shelley’s insecurities about everyone in her life either dying or leaving her was a bit over done at times but overall I really liked the story and loved her and Dev together.

Still don’t know much at all about the 3rd sister but I’m looking forward to meeting her in the next book and for all 3 of the sisters to be finally reunited.

I love finding new authors!! Mary Behre new series is about sisters that have special gifts who were separated when they were young and adopted by separate people. First up is Jules Scott who see’s ghosts. Jules is not too fond of her gift and her dialog with the ghosts was some of the funniest moments in the book. Not only can Jules see dead people but she directionally challenged and could get lost even standing in front of her own door. Jules was an instant likable character that sucked you into her story from the start. There has been a murder and the murdered victim comes to Jules for help. As the story goes along we find out there was a connection between them that ends up putting Jules in danger.

There are plenty of characters we meet along the way. The hero is a Detective that happens to live next door and they have quite the interesting first meeting. Seth was divided down the middle at first with both his attraction to Jules and but also his devotion to his current case that ends up involving the murdered woman.

The author not only manages to make you laugh she also kept you on the edge of your seat with the suspense and mystery. I looking forward to reading the next sister’s book in the series who has to ability to talk to animals.

Mourning the death of his fellow Marines, the hero meets a stunning kind hearted bartender one night in Chicago. The heroine can see visions via metal objects and when she sees how desperately the hansom quiet man needs her, she brings him home. They spend one night together before the hero leaves to go back to Virginia. She left him with her phone number but then the hero is hurt to realizes it's a wrong number. They think to never see each other again. Then fate intervenes. The heroine is in Virginia to find her estranged sisters when she takes up a job as a waitress in a local restaurant. There, much to her surprise, she finds out that her boss is the one night stand. She's giddy with the idea of rekindling their relationship but is hurt when he makes it clear that they're to be nothing but employer and employee. But their chemistry is enough to make that idea less than impossible. On top of that, the heroine keeps suffering from visions showing her a murder and a woman serial killer activating in the small town. I think this was nice but nothing special. I really loved the hero. He was trained to be a gentleman who apologized when he swore in front of a woman and who was stern and literal to the heroine's carefree hippy attitude. They were so difference but opposites attract and they certainly attracted to each other. I thought the plot was okay but nothing marvelous or unexpected. I did like the idea of a female villain- it was a change from other suspense romance novels. But it had a very level pace without many spikes in intensity or intrigue. The rekindling of the hero and heroine was hot and probably the only 'passionate' scene in the book besides their original meeting. I found myself complacent with the story-neither in love or in hate.

Once close friends in high school, the hero and heroine unfortunately allowed life to drift them apart. But for the hero, time hasn’t lessoned the love he harbored for so many years. Now a seasoned detective, he’s finally gotten the reason, slash, the courage to make the trip out to see her again. And it seems his timely reappearance is more than welcome. The heroine has won the job of her dreams as a veterinarian assistant and has to fight constantly to prove herself. She’s always enjoyed the company of animals to humans so when she begins to take note of mysterious disappearances of zoo animals she’s determined to find them and save them. Queue the entrance of the unnaturally beautiful and super sweet man she always believed to be out of her league. She asks for his help and it ecstatic when he accepts. Together, they secretly investigate the mystery. This book felt like a suspense novel without anything suspenseful about it. First it’s about missing animals and then about murder but the plot was never really engaged in either. The romance was nice, the only decent thing about it but even the sexual tension between the characters couldn’t save it. Sad

I really enjoyed meeting the third and final Scott sister. Niall and Hannah were just as awesome as a couple as the couples that came before them. One of the things I love about the Tidewater series is that it has a great cast of secondary characters. We get to see a lot of old and we get a few new as well in ENERGIZED.

The opening chapter of ENERGIZED did a great job of showing the reader how absolutely into each other Niall and Hannah were going to be for the rest of the book. They both develop lot of feelings in a very short amount of time, but because of communication issues, it takes them a long time to realize what the other feels. I found Hannah to be independent, secure in her abilities, and just an overall fun person. Niall was super broody for a lot of the book, but he grows on you as he shows his true self. They were really a great match and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop.

I loved the murder mystery of ENERGIZED. I had NO clue who the bad rotten egg was until it was revealed. I was truly SHOCKED and in fact, thought it was someone else. The overall storyline didn't feel over at the end of ENERGIZED so I hope we have another book coming and I really want to see all of the sisters together for an entire book, we didn't get enough of that. Here's to hoping.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A woman who can talk to animals is desperate to figure out who is stealing animals from the zoo. Luckily, she knows just the detective for the case…

Opening Sentence: The coffee sucked.

The Review:

Shelley is a veterinarian in the small town of Elkridge. Her gift for being able to talk to animals has helped her immensely at her job. All is not well in the town though. Animals have been disappearing from the local zoo. While excuses have been made for why this is the case, Shelley knows better due to what the animals have told her: someone is stealing the animals, and some new tiger cubs are the next target. Shelley obviously has no way of proving this, so she decides to call Dev Jones, a college friend who is now a cop.

Dev has had a crush on Shelley for as long as he can remember, so he jumps at the chance to see her again. His hopes to sweep Shelley off her feet go awry though when bodies start showing up and Shelley starts looking good as a potential suspect. Now, time is running out for them to find out who is behind everything. Will they be able to figure out who the culprit is before it’s too late?

I really wanted to like this book. I’m a huge animal lover, and I really liked the idea of a heroine who could communicate with animals. Unfortunately, that aspect of the book wasn’t enough to keep me from being disappointed. I found myself bored much of the time, as the pacing of the plot just felt off to me. I was also often annoyed by Shelley, specifically with her constant use of the word “frack” or “fracking” to replace a certain curse word. Using it one time is cute, but using it repeatedly got old real fast. Shelley’s reasoning for not wanting to get too close to Dev also didn’t ring true for me, and I just found myself rolling my eyes a lot, which is never a good sign.

The one bright spot in the book is the chemistry between Dev and Shelley. From the minute they see each other, there’s a spark, and I was just dying for them to finally get together. While it wasn’t enough to save the book for me, it definitely deserves to be mentioned.

Ultimately, I was just let down by this book. I figured out pretty early on how some parts of the plot were going to be wrapped up, and I just never felt any urgency to know what was going to happen. I like to try and read more than one book from a series before making up my mind on whether to continue, but I honestly don’t see myself picking up book 3 any time soon, if ever.

Notable Scene:

A huge, blurry mass appeared so quickly in front of him, it seemed to pop into existence from nowhere.

Blam!

It flew at his chest, knocking him to the ground. Dev’s head smacked the pavement. Tiny stars burst to vibrant multicolored life in front of his eyes.

The something was large and furry and pinning him. Still he managed to get his hand free. He reached for his sidearm, which…shit!…he’d left locked in the trunk of his car.

The damned beast burrowed its muzzle against his cheek and rumbled a deep, throaty growl.

A bear?

Cold fear slid down his neck. Or that might have been the animal’s bloodthirsty drool. He might be a city boy, but he’d heard all about bear attacks in small towns like this one. He held perfectly still, eyes closed, playing dead as he tried to get a sense of the animal’s size. If it were a bear, it wasn’t full grown. A cub, maybe? But a big one.

Relief at the thought evaporated at the next.

Where there’s a cub, there’s a mama bear somewhere. Dev couldn’t just lie there; he needed to protect his vital organs before the animal figured out he was still warm enough to chew on. He rolled onto his side and into a ball, protecting his head, face, arms, and torso.

The bear seemed to tighten its hold on him. Its breath coming hot and nose hair curling against Dev’s ear.

He was going to be eaten by a bear in the middle of this damned street while everyone in Elkridge was out to lunch.

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Guarded. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Good, but I liked Spirited more. The whole thing with the zoo just didn't seem that believable. And Shelley's resistance to Jules' wanting to be family seemed unrealistic...like it just existed to add a little more conflict. Definitely still an author I want to watch, though!

I actually started reading the 2nd in this series first, but since they follow separate protagonists, it didn't really cause a problem. It was pretty good. I'm not generally a romance fan, but the mystery and paranormal aspects were strong enough that I kept reading (although I kind of skimmed over the various sex scenes - they always seem to slow down the plot!). The 2nd one, Guarded, is next on the list to read, and I'll read the third one, too. Considering this is a first novel, and in a genre that's not a favorite of mine...and it STILL held my interest...I know this is an author I want to keep an eye on.

Shelley and Dev share a past friendship but went their separate ways. Now Shelley needs help and she calls him in hopes he will be able to help her crack a case that's close to her heart. When Dev receives an email from Shelley he doesn't have to think twice about riding to the rescue. Not only does he want to reconnect with the woman he had feelings for the past, he wants to help his friend Jules reconnect with her lost sister.

I thought the characters in SPIRITED were stubborn but they have nothing on Shelley. A lot of her stubbornness comes from fear of having someone she loves walk away from her like they have in the past. She's scared that the sister she has been longing for or the man she is falling in love will break her heart when they eventually leave. She walls her self off so she doesn't have to deal with the pain. On the other hand she's pretty fierce. She can communicate with animals and the ones at the zoo keep disappearing. No one believes her when she says it's foul play but she refuses to give up on them and fights for what she believes.

Shelley and Dev pulled off the romance. There's instant chemistry on both sides even though there's tension along the way. Watching them grow on each other to the point that they refused to let go was a journey in its own, but they really fit well together and it showed. Shelley's ferret gave us plenty of comic relief when the three of them were together. I really loved the reunion between Shelley and her Sister Jules. You expect there to be a lot of crying and hugging but circumstances make it so much smoother than that. There are a lot of feelings on both sides but I was happy with the way things happened.

The plot flowed smoothly from situation to situation. The author did a great job of linking the book to the series but also making it feel like a whole new story. I really love all the investigative work both books have had and I'm really excited to see how the 3rd sister and book fits into the dynamics that SPIRITED and GUARDED has set up.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

--Actual rating 4.5 Skulls

Guarded is the second novel in the Tidewater series and it's a remarkable undertaking. These books straddle numerous genres with a nod to the paranormal whilst adding both suspense and even humour! If you enjoy solving a mystery and trying to work out " whodunit " then this book will be a delight. Add some hot law enforcement, a ghost or two and ever present danger and it's a book to keep the reader eager to turn the pages.

Once upon a time there were three sisters and each one had a unique talent that could be seen as either a gift or a curse. These girls chose to call it their " crift" but nothing could save them from tragedy. The loss of their parents changed their lives and these three young girls were separated and destined to lose the only family they had left. Now grown up they still hope that one day Lady Luck will smile on them and they will find each other.

Shelley has trained hard in her life and now she's doing what she's always wanted, she's a veterinarian but her life is far from perfect. Shelley has the ability to communicate with animals but she's no modern Dr Doolittle! It's a talent that should make her work easier but something strange is going on. Animals are going missing from the local zoo and Shelley is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and her solution is to call her old friend Dev who is now a police detective.

Dev met Shelley in college and always knew that he was attracted to her but Shelley and his friend were an item so he never made his move. Now she's asking for his help and he has no intention of passing up the chance to get reacquainted with her but something just doesn't add up. When Dev and Shelley start investigating they open up a can of worms that brings danger to Shelley's door . The possibility of black market animal trading is just the tip of the iceberg and pretty soon a deranged killer starts closing in!
This author writes such fun stories. It's filled with enough romance to please those who enjoy that aspect of a tale but has the addition of suspense and mystery. I loved trying to work out just who, what and why but thought the first half of this book was a little slow . Lots of humour and setting of the scene but it didn't pull me in quite as quickly as I'd hoped.The second half certainly makes up for it though as it's fast paced and just gathers momentum at break neck speed!

The "crift" that Shelley has of communicating with animals was very well explained and I could picture in my imagination very easily what was happening but it's a bit of a strange one ! The author never explains just why these characters have these abilities but it's fiction and not fact so I can forgive that. What I found amusing was Shelley's weakness with certain animals and thought Ms Behre gave a very plausible explanation as the story unfolded.

The highlight of the story though has to be a certain man eating ferret! Reading about Shelley's furry companion and her antics was truly hilarious. Surprisingly there is sadness here and it's emotional to read about the loss of one of the characters but the author does not dwell on that, no she presses on with the dramatic conclusion as the red herrings are finally laid to rest.

This ended up being action packed and very entertaining . There's a couple of characters introduced that I would certainly like to read more about . Steamy passion between the hero and heroine and enough twists and turns to keep my attention . I look forward to reading more from this author who constantly surprises me.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Vivacious Valkyrie - Marta:
*eARC received from the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

--Actual rating, 4.5 Skulls

Jules Scott knows what it's like to be different because Jules is psychic . She's seen dead people for as long as she can remember, but communicating with them is always hard to do. Ok, hiding from so called 'normal' people that she's psychic isn't easy either, but somehow she's managing. When she has an encounter leaving a fancy dress party with the ghost of a murder victim, it's clear that Jules has to do something. Confused and sickened by the horrific vision of the poor girl's death, Jules enters the wrong apartment and meets Detective Seth English. At first, Seth thinks she's a burglar, and then when he sees her costume he believes that she's a prostitute! Convincing him it's an honest mistake is the least of her worries though as Julesfinds herself more then just a little attracted to the hot Detective, but somehow she needs to try to pass on the information about the dead girl.

Seth is investigating a series of robberies. Is it possible that there is a connection? Jules keeps getting more mixed up with Seth's investigation, and pretty soon her innocence is questioned and she is treated like a suspect! Jules can't simply explain that she keeps seeing and hearing ghosts because no one would believe her. The killer is still at large and it looks as if Jules is directly in his path!

I started reading this thinking that it was a paranormal romance and was so very wrong! This is a fast paced, quirky mystery full of humour that just happens to have a romance in it and what a romance it is!

Seth is one very hot policeman with more than a few ideas about how he wishes to proceed with the heroine Jules. As for Jules, she has an interesting family background which will lead on quite nicely to other books I think, and her strong and engaging personality really shone through. Her life has been a difficult one but it hasn't soured her and the author has cleverly allowed the reader to slowly unravel the mystery surrounding Jules and her family.

Ms Behre has written a very well thought out book that will definitely appeal to lovers of romantic suspense whilst also having a paranormal storyline. This was a fun read with plenty of sexual tension and I really enjoyed it. I'm so looking forward to reading any other books that this author writes and definitely recommend it.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Although there were humorous and sexy moments, Spirited ultimately fell short of its potential thanks to an inconsistent plot, poor character development and bad dialogue.

Opening Sentence: Juliana Scott looped the strap of her black Prada clutch over her wrist and imagined scaling her apartment building in five-inch stiletto boots.

The Review:

Juliana “Jules” Scott is a spunky 27-year-old with a tendency for getting into trouble thanks to her so-called “crift” – a term she uses to describe her “cursed gift” that allows her to communicate with ghosts. Of course it makes sense that she’s wary to tell people that she talks to dead people; a childhood spent bouncing between foster homes and a disastrous marriage have proven that she can’t tell anyone unless she wants a visit to a psychiatric ward. (Except for her adoptive parents who seem to take everything incredibly well.)

So what is Jules supposed to say when an overzealous ghost manipulates her senses and climb through Seth English’s open window as 2 am? The fact that the ghost has done something no ghost has ever done before fades in comparison to the fact that Jules has suddenly developed the ability to read the X-rated mind of the Greek Adonis staring back at her. Which makes the fact that he’s also a policeman intent on arresting her and her new next-door neighbor all the more fun.

Seth is more of the love-‘em-and leave-‘em type of guy. He’s in the middle of an investigation that could make his career and his new next-door neighbor has become a big distraction. But he has no choice when Jules gets literally pulled into a murder investigation and becomes a target. It quickly becomes apparent that Jules holds the answer to the growing string of mysterious deaths and that their meeting was anything but coincidence.

Let me preface my review by saying that I really wanted to like this book. And I’m pretty forgiving when it comes to what I think of as a “tabloid read” –– the kind of lighthearted story that can be repeatedly picked up, read for a few minutes and put down again over a span of time without feeling like you’ve lost anything. Insta-love is almost always a component of these types of stories because there isn’t enough character development to make a reader believe in or care about anything else. Some factors may vary, but what it really boils down to is a literary equivalent of a stick figure drawing; an attractive man, an attractive woman, some inciting incident that causes friction and voila! It’s not meant to be a cerebral exercise and I keep that in mind when it comes to my expectations.

But even “tabloid reads” need to meet some baseline expectations with dialogue, character and plot and Spirited fell pretty short of mine. There were so many “WTF?” moments in this story that I started to think Behre had cut-and-pasted the manuscript for another story over this one.

A ghost that speaks in medieval prose? Random and not even done well.

Jules continually developing new powers with no explanation? Annoyingly convenient.

Seth’s insistent usage of “precious” when talking to (or about) Jules? Creepy as hell because all I could think of was Gollum, the detestable creature in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Ultimately, the number of issues I had with the story outweighed the lighthearted fun that it promised. Though I’ve never read any of Behre’s other work, she seems to be a fairly prolific and well-liked author. Perhaps Spirited is just a one-off, a singular black spot in an otherwise shining career, but it’s conclusion is also the end of my interest in this series.

Notable Scene:

“Use your key next time, precious,” the cop growled in her ear, spinning her around. Then the cuffs were blessedly off. “You could have climbed into the window of a psycho. Good thing for you it was me. You got lucky.”

Jules rubbed her sore wrists. “Gee, I never knew getting lucky could be so disappointing.”

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Spirited. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

The opening chapter to SPIRITED was fantastic and it only got better from there.

I want to start out by saying how much I loved Jules parents. What a loving couple they are and I can see how much their influence has had an impact on Jules after her rough start in life. Jules wants nothing more than to ignore her gift. She wants nothing to do with ghosts and wants to live as normal a life as possible. When a woman is murdered and the evidence points to her she has to help solve the murder with the clues that the ghost lays out for her. I enjoyed Jules personality and heart. Her character was well planned and executed.

Seth English is a detective and meets Jules as she climbs into his window dressed as a hooker. He is ready to haul her down to the station for breaking an entering when his neighbor comes out and confirms that she is his daughter. Seth from the moment he laid eyes on her, wanted her. The distractions she causes him during the case both pulls him close to her while he fights to push her away. Their romance is filled with sexual tension and is anything but smooth but when they stop fighting each other and give in feels right.

The humor, mystery, storyline and characters made this series a keeper on my bookshelf. Not only were the main characters great to read about but I felt so close to the secondary characters as well. I am very much looking forward to reading Shelley and Dev's story next in GUARDED.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.