Me and My Ghoulfriends

I found the book to be entertaining but often a bit too slow paced. More than once did I want to take Larue and shake her senseless.

The story starts nicely, then a few chapters in, it starts to drag on and on and on without much happening and then, 3 chapters to the end, everything happens.

Like I said, it's a nice entertaining book but some chapters could have been done without or, at the very least, having Larue go on more than one investigation.

This book grabs your attention immediately with the first line of the book. If you like ghosts and witches then this will provide both for you. I just love how Abe Lincoln has nominated himself as her personal life coach. LOL! This book is sure to thrill paranormal lovers. I know I loved it and I plan to read book 2.

This was a very interesting read. I would also like to say it highlights my point about finding the right narrator for the audiobook. This book has some dialogue that can seem juvenile if not presented properly. The narration was performed in a mature manner and helped elevate the book. I read another series with similar dialogue but with a very youthful narrator, that was unsuccessful all around. This is why it is crucial to have the right combination of story and read for the audio. It really can make it or break it.

I generally enjoyed the concept, I am usually a sucker for the ghost themes. This one has some fun turns, President Lincoln is a real hoot! I was also intrigued by the other spirits she encounters. I wish more of the book show more were about the ghost hunting and helping, less about the moping around because of a guy.

Larue is a great character, most of the time. She does see a bit immature at times. I love her banter with her BFF Mindy, although they are a little slow on the uptake. I would have loved to see more hi-jinks from them. Mostly it was a case of tell about events after rather than showing them while they are happening.

The whole book is from Larue's POV, which limits things a bit. I under stand why we can not get some of the other characters, I just wish there were more narrative insights.

This is a pretty light romance, and bedroom free, totally clean. I expect there will be more romance in the next book, this one was mostly angst.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Klett, who does a fantastic job. She has a great tone that transcends the youthful dialogue. Had she not kept the maturity in her read, this could have been a very different review. Her pace is terrific, just swift enough to keep the story moving when it lagged. Her voices were great, she didn't try to butch it up for the men but she did give them a masculine touch. I will definitely be looking for more of her reads!

Overall, this was a good read and entertaining. The beginning is engaging, the middle lags, and then the end kind of leave you hanging. Not a huge cliff hanger, but definitely not resolved.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own. show less

Me and my Ghoulfriends – Larue Donavan series Book #1
Author: Rose Pressey

Synopsis:
There's always fun to be had on a ghoul's night out.
By day, Larue Donavan is a down-to-earth bookstore owner. But by night, she's a world-renowned psychic investigator dedicated to helping lost spirits find peace. Dead people won't leave her alone and Abraham Lincoln thinks he's in charge of her lovelife.
Larue can handle ghosts and undead presidents. It's the living that drive her crazy. When Callahan Weiss moves to town, the handsome newcomer opens a coffee shop right next door. She's smitten from the start, but she's not the only one -- The boutique owner across the street has her eye on Callahan too, and uses witchcraft to fight dirty. When Callahan show more gets hit by a love spell, Larue will need more than a little help from her ghoul-friends to save the day...

Our Review: [Provided by LITERAL ADDICTION’s Guest Reviewer, Carlyn McKechnie]
One of the best things about this story is the ghosts that follow Larue around. Abraham Lincoln, affectionately called Abe, is constantly trying to get her married. He’s convinced she’s becoming an old maid (she’s only in her twenties mind you!). Another ‘friend’ is an old lady who annoys Larue constantly, trying to get Larue to talk to her husband whom she left behind for her. Each of the ghosts provided a giggle for me at some point.
The interactions between Mindy and Larue were hilarious as well -- as most best friend conversations are.
Larue's romance was lovely to read and I felt her pain when things started to go wrong.
Brianna was a great villain because most of us have met someone like her in our lives, which made her very easy to hate, and even funnier when the ghosts started tormenting her.

LITERAL ADDICTION’s guest reviewer gives this book 4 out of 5 skulls, and calls it “a light hearted and heartwarming story”. The only thing that would have made it better for Carlyn was if there was more action in the middle of the story. We would recommend this book for young adult to adult audiences, and fans of paranormal romance with a lot of wit. show less

This book is about a book store owner who can see and talk with ghost. In addition to the store Larue goes to haunted places and tries to help ghost cross over. At times ghost attach themselves to her. This can cause some difficulty, (and provides the reader with some amusement), until Larue is able to get them to cross over or leave. I am hoping that a particular ghost will make "guest" appearances in future books. I would like to see more of Larue going to haunted places and seeing what kind of adventures await her there. I think this is an area with a lot of potential to explore. There is a best friend, a hot guy and romance in this book. But nothing a young adult could not read and enjoy. I enjoyed it.

DNF - Thought I was getting into it, but then I was just getting annoyed by the writing. Great narrator (listened to the narration, and have enjoyed her reading many other books), but the writing was lacking in many areas.

psychics, ghosts, witches, paranormal, romance, no-gratuitous-erotica

Nice light paranormal romance with no erotica. Many humorous situations, but the pace of the book was rather slow to my perspective.
Whispersync bargain with Elizabeth Klett doing a fine job as narrator.