Didn't get beyond the 2nd chapter, so no rating.

This is book two of the Southern Ghost Hunter series. There were a lot of references to the first book, which I haven't read, but they were summed up nicely, so I didn't feel too far behind.

This was a light, fun read and I enjoyed the characters, especially Verity, who is a quick-thinking, back-talking spitfire who can see ghosts, thanks to the spirit of a gangster that she accidentally grounded by pouring his ashes in her rose garden. Other than Ellis, the other characters are mostly wallpaper in the background, having already been introduced in book 1, I think. I also like how Verity used Frankie and Jackson to question the other ghosts in the library, I thought it was a novel way to sleuth.

The plot was excellent, between finding the Darla's killer to uncovering all the secrets that were stolen, I couldn't put the book down. There was a lot of action too, but some of it was a little far-fetched. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times.

Spoiler

If Ellis and Verity got shot and immediately blacked out long enough to be dragged in the house and the house set on fire, how is it they were apparently fine enough to climb down a tree and then drive to confront the suspect?

Overall, an enjoyable read and I will pick up the next one, if only to see the fallout from the conclusion of this book.


Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 1/2 stars, mostly because I've really enjoyed this series.  But this one was...scattered. Very disorganized, and I'm not quite sure what the plot was. There wasn't a mystery, really. The MC, Katz, is kidnapped right after her wedding, there's a ghost in the house next door, arsons around town and just a mess overall.  The story didn't so much unfold but was told to you.  It's kind of like when someone tells you about a dream they had, but while interesting, is really just a collection of random thoughts shoehorned into a story. 
 
Overall, not horrible (God knows I've read worse) but kind of a disappointment.  It felt like the story was thrown together without any planning.  Hopefully the next book in the series has a little more meat to it, otherwise I'll say goodbye to Katz and her cats.

Spoiler

There were a lot of plot points that were lost. What happened to Katz's necklace and bridal veil? Didn't they bother looking for it? Why did Colleen's brother suddenly develop a drinking problem and hit on Katz? A lot of things in this story just didn't add up.

In this, the second of the Forensic Genealogist series, Morton is trying to find a missing ancestor named Mary Mercer. Mary disappeared in 1911 and her great-nephew is trying to find her before he dies.

First of all, let me start off by saying that I understand that some action is needed to spice up a story when the subject is something as dry as genealogy - but - inserting Hollywood-type shoot-em-up action and 007 spy shenanigans really ain't the way to go. The story was strong enough to span the book, especially with the flashbacks setting the scene for manor life in the early 1900s. So, like the first book, the action was a little over the top, unrealistic and really damn annoying.

Overall, a riveting tale of lost love, heartbreak and tragedy, and I enjoyed watching Mary Mercer's story unfold as the book went on. I would've given 4 or more stars, but that B-movie action really detracted from the plot.

3 1/2 stars

Cute short story, and a good first in a new series. Murder in Cherry Hills has Kat Harper newly returned to her hometown when she finds her neighbor's cat, Matilda, on her doorstep and her neighbor murdered in her apartment. Can Kat catch a killer?

I enjoyed the characters, I look forward to seeing them gain dimension as the series goes on, as well as developing Kat's back story. Great plot, too although it wasn't so much solved as narrated.

Because the story was so short, only 60 or so pages, you don't get a lot of detail needed to set up a new story. Because of this, you don't "meet" the victim and the reader has to rely on the MC to "tell" the reader about past events, motivations, etc, so it becomes less a story and more of a narrative. Which may work in fiction, but it's not very effective in mysteries.

Also, I thought Matilda the cat would have more substance in the story. From the description, I thought the cat would find some way to tell Kat what she'd seen. But no, not really. The cat ended up being a part of the background except for one scene.

So, overall, a promising start to a new series but not without limitations due to story length. A few more pages and this would be a solid book.

Superb book! Along with a great mystery with plenty of twists and turns, there was a story of love, loss and renewal. It even had a happy ending.


13 year old Shona is murdered and her shattered family moves to South Africa. Decades later, brother Tom returns to his home town to scatter his mother's ashes. He attends a class reunion and reunites with a childhood friend, Rory, and his wife Sarah, who was best friends with his dead sister.

After the reunion, they learn that the man convicted of killing Shona has been exonerated and freed after DNA evidence excludes him as the killer. But who is the real killer? And just how well do you think you know your family and friends?

This book was easy to sink into, with realistic characters and an intricate plot. I thought I knew who-dun-it from the beginning, but was proven wrong again and again. I thought the character actions (and reactions) were very real, from Sarah's grace in accepting all the changes and even her inner turmoil as her world fell apart. It as refreshing to see a strong female character portrayed so realistically, but in such a positive light.

Overall, an amazing book that will stay with me for quite some time, and one I will recommend to others.

How We Got To Now takes you through how small discoveries changed the world, from sound to cold, to light, you name it. Someone discovered how something worked, and it took off and changed the world into how it is today. This was a series I saw on PBS some time ago, so I heard some of it before.

Pretty good book, but all the nuggets of interesting information got buried in too much rhetoric. Succinct is not a word I would use to describe this book. The writing style was to introduce, tell anecdote/trivia, then spend another 50 pages rehashing everything in different words. Over and over. I'd get about halfway through a chapter and skip to the next one. Seriously, if this book was half as long, it would be 5 stars.

So, interesting but very wordy. Perhaps watching the whole series on TV would cut the content down a bit. Yeah, probably. Go watch the series. It's probably on PBS.

Also, half a star deducted for talking about Edison in glowing terms with no mention of Tesla. Booo!! HISS!!!

I liked this one better than the second one, although the ending left me with more questions than answers. I liked how a clue from the first book was brought up in this book. A couple of new characters in this one, adding more depth to the character pool(not like it needed it but still a good thing) I like that these are quick, fast reads; not so much detail that it bogs the story down and adds filler. Looking forward to the next!

Good but not as great as the first one. Still the same loveable cast of characters, you get a little more of Meredith's back story and more of the hunky Pete.

However, there were some inaccuracies that detracted from the story.

Spoiler

First of all, law enforcement agencies never close for holidays. They don't. Any cop will tell you. Sheriff Marge was on duty but not the FBI? Come on, give me a break. And let's say the FBI were kind enough to give all of its agents a long holiday weekend, do you really think they wouldn't make an exception and send one guy to pick up a haul of smuggled gold? And this is a small town where everyone knows everyone else, but apparently not the guy in charge of the bank? But ok, let's say that is true. What the hell kind of Sheriff leaves the smuggled gold in the hands of a civilian, in a public building, completely unsecured? Sorry, the whole story line was so ridiculous.

Second, what the hell is Meredith's problem? She doesn't see Pete for like what, 4 days? Then they go on a vroom vroom motorcycle date and she falls apart because she didn't tell him immediately that her ex-fiancee was killed and she was a (not very) suspect? What the hell Meredith, get a grip, it's not all about you. And what the hell is it about here that every man in a 20 mile radius wants to marry her? Are all the other women ugly? Does Meredith have some kind of special magnetic boobs or something? What? WHAT?

Overall it was a good book and can't wait to start the next. But there were issues to this book that lowered it from 4 stars to 3.