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Fright Court #1

Fright Court

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Sarah Anderson has found her dream job: Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court. Dream job, that is, until she’s attacked in the open courtroom by a vampire defendant. And until she’s forced to take self-defense lessons from her boss, the enigmatic vampire James Morton. And until she learns that she can’t share the truth about any of that with her best friend, Allison Ward – even over delectable cupcakes from the Cake Walk bakery.

Soon, Sarah is surrounded by vampires, griffins, and sprites – all members of a secret supernatural court. And when a deceptively easy-going reporter starts to ask questions, Sarah wonders just what answers she is supposed to give….

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First published March 22, 2011

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637 people want to read

About the author

Mindy Klasky

111 books541 followers
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.

In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.

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5 stars
342 (33%)
4 stars
379 (36%)
3 stars
237 (23%)
2 stars
49 (4%)
1 star
19 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,411 reviews80 followers
June 26, 2019
This was a fabulous, fun, light fantasy read that was really enjoyable and showcases the knowledge of the author's previous life as a litigator.
Profile Image for Shamekia.
433 reviews
Read
November 21, 2019
Oh how I love paranormal-romance-comedy. And Mindy Klasky is one of my go-to authors for this genre. If I want to have a good time from page 1 to the end then I pick up one of her books.

I won't bore you with spoilers and teasers, but I will recommend this book (and any of her others) if you like fun, girly beach reads that are easily devoured.
Profile Image for Mel.
193 reviews
November 15, 2011
I loved the Girls Guide to Witchcraft books. I really like Mindy Klasky's voice and find her books are really easy to read in the way its really easy to listen to your best friend tell you stories about her life over a couple drinks. While the tone was the same in Fright court and the parts I thought would be predictable weren't I just didn't love it as much as I loved the other books.
Profile Image for Wattle.
346 reviews26 followers
January 4, 2018
4.5 stars out of 5.

My new fave! Sign me up for this ride! I need to read more of the series ASAP - and then I discovered there's only one more book, written 6 years after the first. Am I allowed to be worried?!

Fright Court is apparently set within another fictional world created by Klasky in the Jane Madison Series (which I've not read, but I'm going to!) You definitely don't have to have read one to get the other.

In Fright Court, Sarah has landed a new job as a clerk for the night court. But what she doesn't know is that as well as the regular court proceedings, there's also supernatural trials. Vampires? Check. Fae? Definitely.

Sarah manages to get dragged into vampire politics (of course). There's a reporter sniffing around who wants to do a story on the Night Court, which James agrees to, as it might give them leverage against those that think the court being open at night is a waste of time.

There is a twist (that I will not reveal, because spoilers) and I thought it added a great element to the story. I am so curious about where it goes next!

I really enjoyed Sarah, and her boss, James. What I assume are the beginnings of a love triangle develop - however, as much as a loathe those, I can work with this.

The writing and pacing were great. Sarah has human drama as much as supernatural, and I liked how her worlds clashed. As much as I enjoyed this, it did feel a little incomplete (or maybe I'm projecting, because I just wanted more!) It was a very amusing read - I caught myself laughing out loud more than once.

Definitely recommend if you're a fan of light-hearted paranormal/fantasy reads.
Profile Image for J.M. Jeffries Jeffries.
Author 48 books67 followers
November 23, 2011
Fun book with a surprise that totally took me in an unexpected direction. I'm hoping this isn't the only book because it seems there so much more story to tell.

Sarah Anderson had spent several years going from one unsatisfying job to another until she applies for a job as the Court Clerk of the Night Court in Washington D.C. If you're thinking of the old TV series Night Court, you're right. The difference is that the judge and most of the court personal are vampires and other assorted magical creatures. On her first night, Sarah is mauled by a vampire and is ready to quit again, yet this job intrigues her like no other she's had before.

Fasten your seat belt for a fun read. Mindy Klasky had a friendly, witty writing style that I truly enjoy with characters, who despite their flaws, are completely fascinating.
Profile Image for Vivienne.
Author 2 books112 followers
March 26, 2014
A delightful romp from Mindy set in the same fictional universe as her Jane Madison series. In those novels the concentration is upon witches and I don't recall vampires being mentioned - yet it seems they do.

The link between that series and this novel is the presence of The Cake Walk bakery and descriptions of cupcakes that made my mouth water.

Profile Image for Marsha.
3,053 reviews58 followers
May 17, 2019
(3.5 Stars)
I know that we shouldn't judge a book by its' cover but too often we do. In the case of "Fright Court," the cartoony cover leads on to believe that the story will be comical. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is more of a introduction into a paranormal world that is filled with mystery, intrigue and promises of romance. I happen to love all of those things but felt a little let down when there were not moments of laughter. The concept of a paranormal night court is humorous but the content was not.

Sarah Anderson has just landed a job as Clerk in the Night Court of Washington D.C. The former law student is looking forward to this new opportunity until she discovers that the night court deals with supernatural crimes and criminals such as vampires, sprites etc. Things go from bad to worse when a defendent attacks her. Her vampire boss, James Morton tries to glamour her into forgetting what happened but it seems it doesn't work on her. So, he does the next best thing and begins training her on how to protect herself.

As Sarah adjusts to working for the courts she is contacted by Chris Gardner, a reporter who wants to do an article on the feasibility of the court. She declines at first but when she mentions it to her boss he advises her to do it in hopes that the article will assist in helping a councilman see that the court should not be cut down. Sarah finds herself attracted to Chris but she also is attracted to her boss. My, my, my....what's a girl to do?

This was a pretty interesting read for me. I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding. However, towards the end, the author's explanation of Sarah's abilities became a little convoluted for me. I am planning to read the second book in this series because I am curious as to where this series is headed but I will reiterate once again that I am not a fan of the covers for these books. Hopefully, the author will reconsider the covers in the future.
Profile Image for Southern Today Gone Tomorrow.
497 reviews61 followers
April 3, 2018
Written by Mindy Klasky, Sarah has started working at the night court, where she quickly learns that there are creatures that go bump in the night and this is where their crimes are judged.

Sarah was hired by the mysterious and protective Head of Security (let me look up his name because it has been almost a month and for reasons I will get into in the next review I forgot about this novel) James, who very clearly has feelings for our main girl. And he is the kind of vampire that I do like. He has history, but keeps it to himself, he is protective, but gives her the skills to protect her self.

I really did enjoy this (I think free) read.

That being said, the fact that only this book and the next exist in the series at this point, I would say only read this one and stop. Don’t read the second.

This is a romance, but it is a sweet, light-hearted romance.

I will say that I didn’t enjoy Chris, but that might have to do more with the second novel.

Sarah’s character was also engaging and different enough to make her interesting, even though her heritage makes no sense, in my opinion.

If you like urban fantasy stories, I would say give this one a go. But don’t read the second novel. Like, just end with this one, okay?
Profile Image for Tammy.
640 reviews7 followers
October 2, 2019
Sarah was a night court clerk who was attacked by one of the defendents that was on trial that night, who happened to be a vampire. The head of security and the judge were also vampires and the other night workers were some kind of shifters.
This story had so much potential with all the diffrant characters that were available in the night court, all the mayhem that could have occurred on a nightly basis, but instead it turned into a love triangle with the word vampire thrown in every now and then to remind you that one of the men was a vampire. nothing even happened to Sarah after being bitten, she went on like it was a mosquito bite...
I came close to DNFing this story, but I dont like to do that if possible. Im giving it two stars because it had great potential to be so much better, but I dont think I will continue with this series..
Profile Image for Theresa Derwin.
1,136 reviews43 followers
May 29, 2020
Legally Blood

After dropping out of her law degree Sarah has drifted from job to job, until she gets a job as a Court Clerk at the Night Court. Unfortunately she's attacked in her first night - by a vampire. Her boss James drags her out, feeds her blood and tries to enfold her or take her memories, but it doesn't work. Of course she has to keep the job, learn how to cope with vampire and do the minutiae of the job. There's chemistry between her and James, and her nd a journalist doing a report on the court. There's witty dialogue, a mystery as to why she can't be enfolded and who the mysterious villain Richardson is. Great fun and a great book for a continuing series.
Profile Image for Jennifer Johnson.
436 reviews10 followers
May 19, 2018
Mindy Klasky impresses again!

I enjoyed Mindy's series Girls Guide to Witchcraft so much I felt this series was worth a read and I am not disappointed. I love a good paranormal mystery / romance and Fright Court was definitely good. I never knew what was going to happen before it did and was really happy with how the story played out. Even though the stories can be read as a stand alone I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see how the story / romance continues.
Profile Image for M.R. Cullen.
Author 4 books12 followers
June 4, 2019
Fright Court is an interesting novel. Nothing much seems to happen for the first three-quarters of the story. But, the last quarter is a flurry of activity. I rather liked it. The narrator - and lead character - Sarah reminds me a lot of myself. Unable to settle down, taking a long time to find her true passion. She held the story together very well, as did the supporting characters.

I'll definitely read the next book in the series. This was the perfect story for that last half hour of the day, tucked up in bed reading, to just unwind and de-stress from the day.
Profile Image for Rambling Rose.
195 reviews3 followers
June 5, 2019
Good storyline, but ugh... a love triangle

I really enjoyed this storyline, but unfortunately it included the most annoying love triangle. Yuck. Don’t get me wrong, I like to see the H fight for his h, and I even like some jealousy sprinkled in here and there (as long as it’s not OW drama). BUT, I hate a for-real, drawn-out love triangle as a plot device in a romance. It just makes the h seem wishy-washy and immature. So, as much as I enjoyed the story I won’t continue onto the next book because the love-triangle has no end in sight. Blech.
Profile Image for S.
816 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2019
This book had a very slow build but the last few chapters really had my interest. I'm disappointed that this book may not get a follow up. It was published in 2013 and I read this in December 2015. It does have another book that somewhat follows it, but I think that's tied to another series. I doubt there will be much about Sarah. I'm just curious about her interest in the two men and what happens with her friend.
63 reviews
December 10, 2021
A really cool take on vampires.

I don't do a lot of revues, and they are usually 4s or 5s because they are books that intrigue me and I know I will read bits and pieces, if not all of them, repeatedly. Also, acts and scenes from the old sitcom kept floating to the surface. I had really enjoyed the show at the time and I kept seeing the casts' faces in the court descriptions.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
281 reviews2 followers
June 4, 2018
Fun and captivating

This book was great and I an going to continue to read the series, no question. The premise was interesting and then all the surprises made me eager for more. Excellent read.
Profile Image for Starla.
951 reviews
December 26, 2018
I had to read this series as I ran out of Magical Washington witches. I loved the stories about Jane that after meeting Sarah when Jane was at the bakery then later the Night Court. I am so happy I moved to the vampires. I am loving this serie now too.
Profile Image for Melissa.
149 reviews4 followers
March 24, 2019
Great start of a new series. Sarah takes a job as the Court Clerk at Night Court. She had no idea that there was another type of court for non humans until she is attacked by a vampire. Great plot and characters.
1,343 reviews4 followers
July 14, 2020
A mystery, a history, and a bit of a romance all in one book.

Her new job was court reporter for the Night Court, little did she know this night court wasn't only for humans, but sprites, griffins, shifters, and vampires!
Profile Image for More Books Than Time  .
2,519 reviews18 followers
December 4, 2021
Wow. A good story, interesting, developed characters, good writing, plenty of plot and subplot plus a dollop of romance, Fright Court is a wonderful find. I almost didn’t bother getting this after being disappointed in book after book in this genre.
1,101 reviews4 followers
February 18, 2022
So different in a good way

It’s great to find a series that is so fresh and different! Mindy Klasky has used the paranormals we all know and love to read about, thrown in some totally new paranormals, and created a whole new venue for their interactions.
Profile Image for Maria.
1,734 reviews
June 10, 2017
Interesting beginning to a new series. Paranormal lite and romance lite.
Profile Image for Donna.
4,135 reviews57 followers
January 1, 2019
Fright Court is a light hearted fun romp that will leave you with a smile and wanting more. This story is filled with surprises and I enjoyed every page.
Profile Image for Morgan Blomstedt.
370 reviews
January 21, 2019
I found Mindy Klasky's books to be fun reads. They are always interesting and generally have a great twist!
Profile Image for Willow Salix.
Author 5 books13 followers
February 24, 2019
Not a bad little book, there was a few little twists in it that I didn't catch coming but overall it was a little slow paced for me.
Profile Image for Leila Scott.
10 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2019
Quirky, amazing story

I got this book for free, but it was such an amazing read, the story comes to life,I couldn't put it down
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews

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