Oleander House

I don't normally 'do' horror themed books so for me to give 4 stars means something. It's a good story, well told, that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. To be perfectly honest, right at the beginning, when the history of Oleander House was disclosed I decided not to read this book at night. Nope, no nightmares for me, thank you very much!

This was a m/m romance novel, but one that was well written with an interesting plot aside from the personal relationship. A young man named Sam Raintree has obtained a job with a paranormal investigative team. He joins them at Oleander House, the site of their most recent investigation. He meets his co-workers, including co-owner of the business Bo Broussard. Sam feels an instant attraction to Bo, despite learning he is married with children. But if Bo is straight, why is he flirting with Sam?

The strong point of the book was the paranormal investigation. The house was the site of multiple murders more than once with only one person left alive, but traumatized. Another strong point of the book was the characterization. Although there show more were six primary characters, they were introduced in a way that was never confusing. Each character was unique and had their own personality. The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. I know it's the first in a series, but even so the story felt unfinished. But overall this was well done. If you like watching Ghosthunters on TV you would like this book. Three and a half stars. show less

This is the first book in Ally Blue's PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS series. Sam Raintree joins Bay City Investigations which is a small business that specializes in ghost purging until they are asked to check out the old Oleander House. Being the first book in a series thr beginning is kind of slow as you meet the characters. The story is written with Ally Blue's terrific style. The romance between the closeted owner, Bo, and Sam is fleshed out slowly to keep you wondering. I found the series a great read.

I read this book in one go because yes it's very good and engaging, but mostly I was just scared shitless to go sleeping with the lights off if first I wasn't sure that the monster was gone and dead and send back to whatever dark hole it came through!!

So for those easily impressionable I suggest to not start reading this book late at night...

3,5 stars. It was not really great, BUT it gave me goose bumps and it was riveting. The mystery/haunted house part was good - I might have (for a split second) been a tiny bit scared...It read a bit like a movie, if that makes any sense. So I give the stars for the good mystery.

The M/M part was not so much my cup of tea, because of: Insa-love (nearly always a no go), the waist-long raven black hair of one MC (I had a bad Anita-Blake-reminiscence...I don't like that long hair in a guy and it is totally unpractical as well) and both MCs remained shallow and pale and absolutely uninteresting. There were some promising moments, when the closeted MC could not hide his attraction, but even this got old fast.

Unfortunately the mystery got me show more hooked and I am off to part 2... show less

I got this as a Kindle freebee and I like m/m, paranormal and I'd heard of Ally Blue - so I was expecting to really enjoy this. However, while it dealt with the fantastic, it was written so mundanely. None of the words or ideas sang, and a lot of the details were just boring. Then there was the romance - I actually found the romance aspect really difficult. Except for the gay part, the lines used was what every philandering man uses - I’m not fulfilled, she doesn't get me, the passion's not there, I’m just hanging in there for the kids…. The fact that one of the men was married as really disturbing for me, and quite a turn off. I couldn't like the lover who seduced him either. If the person is married, male or female, my advice show more would be to back off, not to aggressively go out and seduce them, so they can find their inner selves. Didn't like either of them by the end, felt sorry for the wife. show less

After reading one other novel by this author I was unsure if I wanted to try out another as I just hadn't been impressed. However, I have to say that in my opinion there was a definite improvement seen in the writing style and I was impressed by it.

In this story Ms. Blue gives us a tale of a haunted house and the Bay City Paranormal Investigation Agency that is hired to take a look. Sam is the newest employee of the group and is looking forward to the Oleander House as his first assignment. However, when he meets Bay City's lead investigator, Dr. Bo Brossard, he is instantly sure he wants to do more than just investigate paranormal phenomena. Although Bo seems equally attracted he is not only married, but can't even admit to himself show more that he is gay. As the investigation proceeds new, horrifying discoveries are made and an unspeakable evil is uncovered. Sam is determined to find out what is going on despite the threat to his sanity and the threat Bo poses to his heart.

This book had a more horror story quality to it than I expected although it wasn't so prevalent as to turn me off from the book. There were also things about Sam I didn't like, especially in his dealings with Bo. I have mixed feelings about the adultery aspect but feel that this is an issue that people who work with others they are attracted to have to deal with. In that manner I felt it was realistic even if I didn't particularly like it. The story was generally straight forward and I found it quite interesting. This really isn't a romance at all and I think those who have picked it up thinking it is will be disappointed. There were a couple editing errors and I think a little more attention in this respect would serve the publisher well.

Overall I enjoyed the story and it has left me curious to check out the next of the series. show less