Close to You ( A Downside Ghosts Holiday Story)

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Churchwitch Chess Putnam has seen, and banished, her share of ghosts, but not of the Christmas Past variety—the holiday has been illegal since the Church of Real Truth defeated the undead and took control of the world in 1997.
Yet when she and her boyfriend, Terrible, make a trip to an abandoned auto junkyard, they find more than the rusted auto parts and spare tires they’d bargained for. They also run across a creepy Miss Havisham-type hell-bent on reuniting with her long-dead husband just in time for Christmas—even if it means taking Chess and Terrible down with her into the City of Eternity…
If Chess and Terrible don't manage to keep these ghosts in the past, they won't have a future...

Review

****I received this arc from Netgalley for my honest review****
Does it get any better than Chess and Terrible? I think they are my favourite couple ever. They are stand out, one of a kind just the fricken best there is.
Close to you is just a short journey into Stacia Kane's brilliant, dystopian, urban fantasy series.
We get a crazy bride, a junk yard and almost like a sick and twisted Christmas horror at one point....with a twisted ghostly Santa and a Carpenters song that will stay stuck in your head for the rest of the day.. And of course we get some steamy moments where we get to be a fly on the wall with Chess and Terrible (go the mutton chops). For a short this really packed a punch for me, I always want more of this world almost immediately after finishing a book, its just an amazing series.

Have you read any of the previous? No? Then I advise you get on it!!
This world is dark and unlike anything you have ever read, and if you haven't read the previous books you are going to be a little lost reading this novella.
5 stars from me. 

 

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Ward Against Death (Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer #2)

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The last thing Ward de'Ath wants is more trouble. On the run from both the law and the criminal underworld, Ward and Celia flee Brawenal City only to stumble into the mansion of a powerful evil necromancer. And when Ward discovers the man possesses a dangerous grimoire, his duty leaves him no choice. He can't allow the necromancer to keep the grimoire. But the mansion is filled with monsters--human and undead--and Ward has no way of telling who's friend or foe. The only person he can trust is Celia who dominates more of his thoughts and feelings everyday. But there are still laws in the way of anything but friendship. She's still dead and he's still alive . . . for now

Review

****Entangled Publishing, LLC, via NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review *
This is the second book in the Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer series. In this follow up, we pick up as Cecilia and Ward are running for their lives. Ward's finally beginning to understand he's not the under talented necromancer he once viewed himself as. They find themselves emerged further and further into a world of power hunger, dark magic, and a new slue of characters that bring a whole new set of issues and challenged with them.
I did read book 2 and this was a great addition to the series. This series isn't about the romance even though there is tension, you find yourself begging the characters just to get it over with, but that's not the theme of this series. The theme of this series is the adventure, the mystery, and the magic. The pace was fast and kept you completely entranced in the storyline. We meet new enemies and a new world as our characters fight for survival. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 2 years for the third! 

 

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Ghosts of Kingston Cottage

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She believes in ghosts.
Medium and paranormal investigator Arabella Pierce is sent with her crew to Kingston Cottage, a haunted Maine seafarer’s cottage on an isolated island, but for this investigation, her boss has stuck them with skeptical reporter Lucas Brown. Though he’s hot as they come, Arabella can’t trust a man whose sole job is to discredit her and the work she does. Not after what happened with the last few skeptics...
He believes in evidence.
But Lucas isn’t as skeptical as he seems—he wants the truth, no matter what that is. When the ghosts appear, he and Arabella must work together—in tight quarters—to convince the resident ghosts to move on before a storm strands the entire crew on the island. If Arabella can put aside her prejudices, she and Lucas just might have a shot at a lifetime.

Review

****Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley provided me with an ARC copy of this book for my honest review *
Arabella Pierce has trust issues. Not that she's always been that way but after several painful break ups, the last one revealing that the man she was in love with was not who he said he was, she's hesitant to take the leap again. Oh yeah, and she's a medium working for Revenant Investigations as a paranormal investigator.
Lucas Brown is a skeptic. It's worked to his advantage, landing him a job investigating and reporting for Debunker Media. The job puts him in close contact with paranormal investigators and anyone claiming to have a gift pertaining to the dead. However his task isn't to find the paranormal, it's to protect the public and make sure the investigators are genuine.
First, I want to say that this was a fun story, an easy read that kept you interested. That being said I'm going to state that "instant love" drives me nuts! Unfortunately that was the theme between our two main characters. "Instant love" for me feels cheesy, it cheapens the story line and any real emotion you can read on the lines. Had this been a full length novel where we could really get thorough with our hauntings and the people investigating them I have no doubt this book would have been a 4 star rating if not more. Being only 70 or so pages there was a lot to cover in that short amount of time. It kept the pace fast but not horrible as can sometimes be the case with novellas. I could have done with less details and attention to the sex scene. Not because I'm a prude, but because it really just felt unnecessary. It wasn't vulgar or over detailed but just something I noticed. I really wanted more of these characters. They were interesting and there's so much potential to turn this into other stories with other investigations. As for the actual investigation, it was a very romantic story of why the cottage was haunted and had a great HEA for everyone involved. I just would have loved more length! 

  

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