Osgood As Gone is a fun, unique, paranormal mystery book that I recommend to anyone! It's got so many elements of the supernatural and urban fantasy thriller. There's a lot going on in this one book, the first book in The Spectral Inspector series. What makes this book unique? First and foremost, the protagonist is a badass, non-monogamous queer detective boomin' with wit, sass, and insight. I could seriously read about Prudence Osgood for years to come. She is real, down-to-earth, and doesn't take any bullcrap from anyone! And with all of her pros, she also has a comparable list of cons. Beckett explores both her strengths and weaknesses which just made me love her even more seeing her from every angle. My hope is that she takes the internet and book world by storm and everyone gets to know her.

There are so many cool topics covered in the book: cults, music/vintage music, supernatural elements, conspiracy theories, drug addiction, insane dreams/parallel dimensions, sex exploration, computer forensics/hacking, AND even true crime! Everybody will be able to connect with and enjoy something from this book. And Beckett's writing just makes it so easy, too. The pacing of the story is excellent and it helps make this book super hard to put down!

I already think this will go on my list of Top 5 favorite books of 2019. We still have a few months to go, so I can't swear by it. But I know I loved it that much! 5 stars! So now I just have to sit here eagerly awaiting the second book in this series. Patience is NOT my strong suit. But in the meantime, perhaps I can encourage as many people who find any of what I have said interesting to buy this book so that we can discuss it together!

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 - full review to come after the LOHF readalong!

This book was so unique and so much fun! It definitely sparked my interest in reading more by Carlton Mellick. 5 crazy stars!

You can catch my full review on the Night Worms blog: https://nightworms.com/blogs/news/alex-pearsons-offbeat-horror-review-the-haunted-vagina-by-carlton-mellick-iii

Wowza - what a story! The stories told by Tara are something you would expect to hear about in the 1800s or something. But in reality everything happened in the last 20-30 years. Tara was born into a survivalist family preparing for the end of the world. She has no birth certificate and could pick her birthday each year. Her mother is a healer with herbs and plants while also serving as a midwife. To see Tara go from this story to her present is remarkable. A fun read and very inspiring! 4.5 stars!

I have said it many times before and I am sure I will continue saying it: I LOVE a coming-of-age story! I love when kids or teens band together and go out to solve a mystery or defeat a big bad beasty. Something about stories like this one just take me back to my own youth where I was invincible as long as I was part of my group of friends. We could do anything. We were the Goonies. We were the Monster Squad. We were walking down railroad tracks without a care in the world.
Nothing else mattered.

Dog Days O'Summer provides everything you need or want in a coming-of-age story. And this tale is centered around some bad happenings in a small town in the 90s. And it just so happens that the big bad has something to do with werewolves!

The way this story was written, I was easily transported back to my headspace when I was that age. The dialogue, the fears, and all the relationships the boys had with each other, parents, and teachers all made sense to me.

Newman and Gunnells crafted a great story in a quick 200 page read. You will definitely be able to shut the world out and finish this in one sitting if you wanted to. But you can also make it last a few days if that's your style, too. I never got lost or confused with the story or where it was going. So if coming-of-age, nostalgia, and werewolves get you going, then I highly recommend this one! And if they don't, I still recommend it because this one will change your mind! 4 stars!

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Coming off the crazy ride of FIfty Shades, I thought this book would go a different route. But it seemed to be more of a love story with a thriller aspect (sex trafficking, domestic abuse, arranged marriages, international culture differences, etc) than it did a full blown erotic romance. There was barely any sex and when it was there it was quite tame. This book makes me wonder if she's trying to bridge the gap and become a thriller writer instead and just used Fifty Shades fame and money to make that happen.

It was hard to connect with ANY character in this book. And the main character was a little too whiny.

Have you seen Love Actually? Yes? Okay, good. Imagine the relationship and story between Jamie (Colin Firth) and JAurelia (Lucia Moniz). It was so cute and innocent and flirty. Now imagine that same relationship with boring sex that was supposed to be riveting and without all the cute incorrect use of grammar like "Just incases!"

I can't say that I would recommend this one as I am drawn a little more toward the style and story of the Fifty Shades book more than this one. If this begins a trilogy or series I will not be reading any more of it. 2 stars.