I've been lazy lately. Sometime last week, I finished reading A Ghostly Light, which is part of Juliet Blackwell's "Haunted Home Renovation" mystery series, featuring general contractor Melanie Turner.

Mel is excited when her friend Alicia hires Turner Construction to renovate one of San Francisco's historic lighthouses. Before work even gets started, however, Alicia's abusive ex-husband shows up at the site. He claims he's changed and wants Alicia back, but Mel is hearing warning bells. When the man tumbles down the lighthouse stairs and lands at Mel's feet with a knife sticking out of his chest, Alicia becomes the primary suspect. Now, it's up to Mel to find out who else may have wanted him dead, including the ghost of an abused woman who's known for pushing men down the stairs.

In addition to looking into the history of the lighthouse, trying to speak to its ghosts, running her business, and dealing with her rambunctious family and her new boyfriend Landon, Mel is invited to tour an old home for sale. While there, she gets an alarming sense of deja vu. Later, she learns that the house belonged to her great-grandparents, and her mother spent time in the home as a little girl.

The story moved along at a good pace, and it kept my interest. Once again, though, the killer turned out to be someone whom I wasn't given a fair chance to guess at, which disappointed me. Another thing that I didn't like was that I fully anticipated Mel would buy the house she felt so connected to. Instead, at the end of the book, Landon bought a house and asked her to move in with him. It wasn't really clear if he bought THE house, or simply A house. Part of me almost hopes he didn't buy the home that Mel was thinking about, because that would have been awfully manipulative. I don't know. The ending left me feeling frustrated, more than anything.

Favorite lines:
♦ Other than his humans, food was a priority for Dog. Food, and squirrels.
I love quotes about Dog!
♦ "Sometimes I lie awake half the night worrying about quark masses."

Overall, a wonderful story. Would have been worth five stars but for the aggravating end. Giving this one four:

****

I stayed at the office for lunch today, which allowed me to finish reading Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank. It's the first book in her "Nightwalkers" series.

The Nightwalkers are the nonhuman races, such as demons, vampires, and lycanthropes. Jacob is the Enforcer for the Demons, and it's his job to punish any of their kind who harm humans. On patrol one evening, Jacob saves Isabella from falling out of an open window. He has spent centuries alone, but he is inexplicably attracted to the small human woman. Jacob, Isabella, and the other Demons soon learn that Bella is actually a Druid--from a race of nonhumans who were supposedly eradicated by Demons. However, Isabella's research seems to indicate that Demons and Druids once worked closely together. Her newly formed bond with Jacob has awakened her own powers, making it clear she is Jacob's equal when it comes to her ability to eradicate errant Nightwalkers.

Now, it's up to the Demons to begin rebuilding their society by seeking out the same Druids they once persecuted almost to extinction. Along the way, Jacob and Bella must also contend with dissent among Demons, as well as the growing menace of human Necromancers, who have the ability to Summon Demons and pervert them until they transform into the Demons of human nightmares.

The world building was interesting. The prose was a bit purple. I used to lap that up, but these days, it leaves me feeling rather blah. I confess that I was a tad uncomfortable with Demons being the "good guys", even though the author portrayed them as noble.

Favorite line: She even had the requisite pair of cats.
OMG, I just realized that this is the last mention of Isabella's cats! What became of them?! *frets over the cats*
Least favorite line: "Eleven! Eleven years old?"
See? Stalked by eleven-eleven, even in the books I read!

A decent enough story. Main characters fell in twu wuv too quickly for my taste. Oh, and Isabella was allegedly a ravishing beauty, nearly 30, but still a virgin. Um, okaaaaay. Not that that's a bad thing, but I find it difficult to believe she could have been so gorgeous, yet never had a serious relationship until Jacob. Sheesh. Eh, giving this one four stars:

****

I actually finished this book on the weekend, but have not gotten around to reviewing it since.

*irons hands*

I read The Seventh Witch by Shirley Damsgaard. The book is part of her "Ophelia and Abby" mystery series.

Ophelia, along with her grandmother Abby and her adopted daughter Tink, travels to the Appalachians to celebrate Great Aunt Mary's 100th birthday. Ophelia hails from a long line of witches who have long called the Appalachians home. However, not everything in the small, mountain village is all sunshine and roses. Another witchy family seeks vengeance against Abby for something that occurred decades ago. It's up to Ophelia to uncover long-buried secrets and protect her family, all while butting heads with the headstrong Aunt Mary, who isn't ready to have her position as head of the family usurped by a young upstart like Ophelia.

The story had a lot of subplots woven in. Ophelia is meeting some of her family members for the first time, and while she finds most of them likable and charming, she and Great Aunt Mary seem to grate on one another's nerves. Ophelia has a run-in with the local "wicked" witch, a woman named Sharon Doran, her father and her daughter are sneaking off to map out ley lines, she's trying to figure out why her family deeded its most precious piece of property to the Dorans, and in the meantime, Ophelia discovers one of the locals, dead in his home, an apparent victim of the vindictive Sharon. As if that weren't enough to keep Ophelia busy, she encounters undercover DEA agent Ethan, whom she has met up with before back home in Iowa. Now, Ophelia has to worry about his safety, too, as he tries to make a case against the Dorans for a drug operation.

What's a witch to do?

:D

Fun story, a bit intense at times, but it was good to see Ophelia actually embracing her heritage instead of trying to deny it, as she was doing at the beginning of this series. This book was published in 2010, and I don't see that anything else was ever added to the series. That would be a shame, considering I've enjoyed the series, and things were just getting interesting between Ophelia and Ethan.

Favorite line: "Our magick is as old as the earth. We know things you can't even begin to understand."

Very good, five stars:

*****

About mid-week, I read the ebook Ghost Hall, which is the fourth part of the "Ghost Files" series, written by various authors. This one was written by Michelle Wright.

In this story, Monty and Ellen are sent to Belgium by a wealthy California real estate mogul. He purchased an old city hall there that is reputedly haunted. The fact that no workers stay for more than a day lends credence to the theory.

Monty would like to treat this as a romantic, all-expenses paid vacation, but Ellen knows they're there to work, and she keeps him on track. When they investigage the building, Ellen seems to be possessed by a strong, evil spirit that almost causes her to throw herself from the balcony. Now, they know they're up against something dark and malevolent. A ghost of a young girl appears to Ellen, and the numbers on her arm provide some valuable clues as to who, or what, may be haunting the hall.

SPaG in this one was horrible. At least twice, the author used the world "variable" when she meant to use "veritable", and it was a veritable nightmare to read. Another thing that annoyed me was Monty making some crack about Ellen's "time of the month". Turns out, it was Ellen's time of the month, and that somehow became a running theme throughout the rest of the story. WTF? I think we readers are all aware that characters in books fart, poop, pee, and menstruate. We don't need to read about it, ffs.

Favorite line: ...why is it always a marathon walk to the departure gate? Is it to weaken us so we all go quietly into the plane?

After the first book in this series was so spectacular, the rest have been spectacular fails, and this was the worst of the lot. Two stars:

**

Last night, I finished reading Inspector Specter by EJ Copperman. It's part of the author's "Haunted Guesthouse" mystery series.

Innkeeper Alison's nemesis, Detective Anita McElone, comes to ask Alison for help. Although it pains her, because she doesn't believe in ghosts, McElone wants Alison to see if she can communicate with the ghost of her former police partner, who has died under mysterious circumstances.

Alison goes to Ferry's apartment, but he doesn't remember much about his death. However, he is able to provide information on cases he was working before he died, and Alison uses that as a starting point for her investigation. It would be simpler if she could talk to McElone, but the good detective seems to have disappeared, at least, according to her husband, she has. Now Alison must solve Detective Ferry's murder, find Detective McElone, and run her guesthouse, all while babysitting for her best friends' baby while they go away for a romantic cruise.

The story was fun, but not utterly engrossing. The plot seemed a bit convoluted, as Alison was dashing to and fro, trying to put the pieces together. Not helping is that one of her resident ghosts, Maxie, was acting even more odd than she normally does.

Favorite lines:
♦ There was a time when this sort of negotiation could have been done quickly and efficiently in a fraction of the time with actual conversation between the two parties, but technology had now advanced us to a point where a simple exchange could take half an hour.
♦ Babies are terrific audiences; they think the same joke is hilarious four thousand times in a row.
♦ If he'd been holding a stick and yelling something in fake Latin, he could have been one of Melissa's friends playing Harry Potter.

Not my favorite in this series. Only giving it a three:

***

On Wednesday night, I completed A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell. The book is part of her "Witchcraft Mystery" series.

When Lily's familiar, Oscar, bumps into a woman in Aunt Cora's Closet, Lily is hit with a lawsuit. Hoping for a peaceful resolution, she goes to visit the woman in her vintage clothing shop, only to find Autumn Jennings deathly ill. Lily summons help, but Autumn later dies. When cause of death is determined to be poisoning, Lily finds herself among a short list of suspects. Eager to clear her name, she takes it upon herself to start asking questions of Autumn's neighbors and associates. The situation becomes murkier as Lily learns Autumn had no family, precious few friends, and that she'd recently acquired a supposedly cursed trousseau. Along the way, Lily encounters a strange dog walker, a sinister cupcake baker, and a dour homicide detective. At least she has her own friends to help, as well as her boyfriend, Sailor.

Good story, good pacing, and wonderful characterizations. Lots of little subplots were woven together, making the entire book more interesting as a whole. The only drawback in my opinion, was Oscar. He comes across as more of a petulant brat than a stable familiar for Lily.

Favorite lines:
♦ It really dilled my pickle...
♦ "Okay, any actual advice for my meeting the mayor, beyond wardrobe?" // "Don't mention eels." // "Eels." // "Or seesaws." // "Why on earth would I mention eels or seesaws?" // "Exactly."
♦ "I mean, I know I was the one who first suggested it, but I guess I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that the big showdown we're all so afraid of is with the cupcake lady."

Enjoyable, as with the others in this series. Five stars:

*****

This afternoon, I finished reading Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan. It's part of her "Second Chance Cat" mystery series.

Sarah's friend and employee, Rose, takes it upon herself to deliver a purchase to a customer. She ends up in the hospital, after being struck on the head and falling unconscious. When Sarah rushes to the hospital to visit her, Rose claims she saw their customer's dead body being dragged through his home before she was knocked out. It's an incredible tale, and Rose gets her dander up when she feels no one believes her. She enlists the aid of her fellow senior citizens to investigate. Sarah is dragged into the investigation once again, as is her rescue cat, Elvis. The man's wife claims he cleaned out their bank account and left her for another woman. Now the question is, did someone murder him, or did he fake his own death?

Characterizations were well done, even Elvis, and the plot was convoluted and interesting. I would have enjoyed the story more, however, if Rose hadn't acted like a petulant child. I guess the best way to indicate you're angry at your friends for wondering if you're a doddering old woman is to act like a spoiled brat by throwing them out of your hospital room and refusing to speak to them. I like feisty old ladies in stories, but not when they behave like precocious, sullen toddlers. I'm also not liking that the author seems to be waffling now on a love interest for Sarah.

Favorite line: "Sometimes people make a commitment and they mean it when they make it, but after awhile they find out they just don't have what it takes to keep it."

Still a little perturbed with Rose in this one, but I'll give it a four:

****

Just finished reading Ghost Fire, which is the third installment in the eseries "Ghost Files". This one was written by Eve Paludan. Once again, this author failed to live up to the first book in the set. At least this story remained firmly in Monty's first person pov.

Monty and Ellen are in Venice, CA to celebrate their anniversary. On the trip, Ellen wants to visit the art gallery of a former professor of hers, whom she was close to as an undergrad. When they arrive at the gallery, Ellen immediately senses a foreboding presence. It's a poltergeist, and it has been setting small fires all over the gallery. Diego, Ellen's former professor, is at his wit's end. The gallery is scheduled for its grand opening in only a few days, and he asks Ellen and Monty to help. Monty can't help feeling resentful, but Ellen can't say no.

They soon learn that, in addition to the poltergeist, there is the ghost of a horse, along with an evil chupacabra spirit that is killing animals in the area. Ellen and Monty are aided in their quest by a psychic cab driver, a former nun who paints dead people, and a family who creates art from organic material, including animal bones.

The story had its moments. It was exciting, although almost too much so. The author tried to create banter between Monty and Ellen, but she fell short of the lively discourse from the first book. The writing was somewhat unsophisticated, and I actually found the mental telepathy between Ellen and Monty to be distracting.

Favorite line: I'm sure that Dr Seuss could have written a rhyming book about all of the girl stuff in a Sephora store.

This was a mix between exciting and disappointing. Average score:

***

Spent a portion of the day reading Ghost Soldier, which is the second installment of the e-series "Ghost Files". This one was written by Evelyn Klebert.

Well. I could tell the author changed. The characters remained the same, but she didn't write them with the same panache as the previous authors. It began in first person pov again (Monty's pov), but a few chapters switched to third person pov to follow Ellen. Just, no.

While on vacation in New Orleans, Monty and Ellen are asked to come to a military base to investigate an allegedly haunted house. Ellen is taken aback at the sheer level of activity in the home, and her reticence makes Monty nervous, too. Ellen learns that there is an entity that is entrapping and feeding on the energy of other lost souls, and it's up to her and Monty to break the hold the creature has over the others.

This story was more creepy than the first one, and I missed Monty's wit. Klebert tried to keep both characters in-character, but she fell short. Still, the plot was engrossing, and I liked how Monty and Ellen worked together.

Favorite line: When I become the last hope, the odds aren't always so good.

In a word, disappointing. Three stars:

***

Over the course of two evenings, I read the ebook Ghost College by Scott Nicholson and JR Rain. It's the first in a series, but subsequent books appear to be credited to different authors. I don't know if that means they'll follow the same characters (in a round-robin format) or if the next books will branch out in different directions.

This story was wonderful. It's told in first person pov by skeptical ghost hunter Monty. He and his wife Ellen use a two-pronged attack when conducting their investigations. Monty relies on his technology, while Ellen is "sensitive". Monty doesn't really believe in ghosts, but he does believe in his wife, whom he adores. Their banter throughout was one of the best parts of the story. Monty and Ellen are called to investigate a small, religious college, where staff and students have been hearing voices, seeing shadows, and finding objects moved.

Ellen quickly connects with a young girl named Sophia, and Monty's instruments fail when the batteries are drained. When Ellen convinces him to act as a conduit to allow Sophia to communicate with them, Monty finds himself in a battle between good and evil, as he and Ellen try to save Sophia from the man known as the Dark Master.

This was a fun, engaging story. Even though it was short, Monty and Ellen are portrayed well, and I loved that Monty had so much faith in Ellen, despite the fact that he didn't experience the things she could.

Favorite lines:
♦ But this was also Southern California, where there were only two seasons: Oscar season and everything else.
♦ Middle age is hell, old age will probably be worse, and after that...well, we'll all find out when we get there.
♦ Me, I tended to ignore higher callings, because they entailed responsibility, and all I wanted was the next round of chocolate pancakes.
A man after my own heart!

Loved this one, and I am looking forward to reading the rest! Five stars:

*****