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Evie Preston #1
The Grey Tier: A Dead Celeb Mystery
What happens when a small town girl moves to Hollywood to pursue her dreams and winds up smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation, haunted by famous dead celebs, and working for the biggest pop star in the music industry?
Introducing Evie Preston: Small-town girl and under-the-radar healer, currently trapped in a po-dunk Texas town but yearning for something more. When fate gives her the opportunity to move to Hollywood to follow her dreams, Evie finds herself navigating through the land of glitz and glamour, and the realm of (dead) celebrities…
Raised in Brady, Texas by her minister father and her beauty shop-owner mother, Evie has been trying get out of town for years. When an old family friend gives her an unexpected gift on her birthday, Evie finally gets the chance to start fresh out west. Against her father’s wishes, she packs up her guitar, her dog, Mama Cass, and heads for California.
Once in L.A., Evie finds a singing gig at a local dive bar where she meets a slew of interesting characters including the owner himself, a former child star with a hidden past. She also scores a day job doing make-up for a famous and foul-mouthed pop diva. One of the job perks includes house sitting at a Hollywood Hills mansion. But what Evie doesn’t know is the house is also home to some famous celebrity spirits, including that of former Grunge rocker, Lucas Minx.
As if things weren’t complicated enough, Evie finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and discovers she’s being targeted by some nasty spirits. And to top things off, she’s developed a Texas-sized crush on her hot, but very dead, roommate, Lucas.
Maybe her dad was right and the City of Angels really is the City of Devils—all of them after her.
WARNING: Strong language, sexual content, and mild violence.
Introducing Evie Preston: Small-town girl and under-the-radar healer, currently trapped in a po-dunk Texas town but yearning for something more. When fate gives her the opportunity to move to Hollywood to follow her dreams, Evie finds herself navigating through the land of glitz and glamour, and the realm of (dead) celebrities…
Raised in Brady, Texas by her minister father and her beauty shop-owner mother, Evie has been trying get out of town for years. When an old family friend gives her an unexpected gift on her birthday, Evie finally gets the chance to start fresh out west. Against her father’s wishes, she packs up her guitar, her dog, Mama Cass, and heads for California.
Once in L.A., Evie finds a singing gig at a local dive bar where she meets a slew of interesting characters including the owner himself, a former child star with a hidden past. She also scores a day job doing make-up for a famous and foul-mouthed pop diva. One of the job perks includes house sitting at a Hollywood Hills mansion. But what Evie doesn’t know is the house is also home to some famous celebrity spirits, including that of former Grunge rocker, Lucas Minx.
As if things weren’t complicated enough, Evie finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and discovers she’s being targeted by some nasty spirits. And to top things off, she’s developed a Texas-sized crush on her hot, but very dead, roommate, Lucas.
Maybe her dad was right and the City of Angels really is the City of Devils—all of them after her.
WARNING: Strong language, sexual content, and mild violence.
294 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2012
42 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Michele Scott
49 books350 followersMichele Scott is an American author and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. She has written over forty novels in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? and was number 2 on the Amazon list.
Subsequently, Daddy’s Home hit #4 in the US Amazon store (over all books). She was a featured author in Jeff Bezos letter to the shareholders and one of fifteen authors invited to the reveal of Kindle Fire. Amazon also produced a short documentary about her and her writing story and featured her in a book on bestselling Amazon writers. Daddy’s Home was also a top ten bestseller on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company.
Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn!
Subsequently, Daddy’s Home hit #4 in the US Amazon store (over all books). She was a featured author in Jeff Bezos letter to the shareholders and one of fifteen authors invited to the reveal of Kindle Fire. Amazon also produced a short documentary about her and her writing story and featured her in a book on bestselling Amazon writers. Daddy’s Home was also a top ten bestseller on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company.
Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
January 10, 2013
The only excitement this book has is a interesting cover, other than that it's boring as fuck.
July 4, 2012
The Grey Tier (A Dead Celeb Mystery). Michele Scott. April 3, 2012. D’Vine Press. 274 pages. Kindle edition.
Summary
Evie Preston is tired of her small town existence. She dreams of a life bigger than Brady, Texas. When her elderly friend surprises her with the opportunity to follow her dreams, she packs up her old, VW bus and heads to the City of Angels.
After a few lonely nights, Evie lands a singing gig at a local bar, where she meets many interesting and mysterious people, including Nick, a former child star and owner of the bar with a past of his own. In addition to her nightly gig at the bar, she finds herself doing makeup for a famous pop star. When Simone, the pop star, realizes Evie is living in her bus, she puts her up in a Hollywood mansion, which just so happens to be haunted by a handsome spirit and a host of dead celebrities.
As if things weren’t strange enough, Nick is murdered and Evie discovers she is being targeted by evil spirits. Even worse, she is falling for Lucas, the handsome and very dead spirit that frequents her home.
Thoughts
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the plot at first. It seemed interesting, but living with Janis Joplin and Bob Marley? I thought it might be a little much. To my surprise, Janis and Bob were actually interesting support characters (like Elvis in the Sookie series). Who knew? I was officially intrigued. Evie is more than a small town, wannabe superstar living with dead celebrities and a hunky dead guy. She is a healer and the Black Tier is after her gift.
This book is a fun read. It has all my favorite elements – quirky characters, romance, mystery, humor and the paranormal. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!The Grey TierMichele Scott
I blog at www.milestogobookreviews.com.
Summary
Evie Preston is tired of her small town existence. She dreams of a life bigger than Brady, Texas. When her elderly friend surprises her with the opportunity to follow her dreams, she packs up her old, VW bus and heads to the City of Angels.
After a few lonely nights, Evie lands a singing gig at a local bar, where she meets many interesting and mysterious people, including Nick, a former child star and owner of the bar with a past of his own. In addition to her nightly gig at the bar, she finds herself doing makeup for a famous pop star. When Simone, the pop star, realizes Evie is living in her bus, she puts her up in a Hollywood mansion, which just so happens to be haunted by a handsome spirit and a host of dead celebrities.
As if things weren’t strange enough, Nick is murdered and Evie discovers she is being targeted by evil spirits. Even worse, she is falling for Lucas, the handsome and very dead spirit that frequents her home.
Thoughts
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the plot at first. It seemed interesting, but living with Janis Joplin and Bob Marley? I thought it might be a little much. To my surprise, Janis and Bob were actually interesting support characters (like Elvis in the Sookie series). Who knew? I was officially intrigued. Evie is more than a small town, wannabe superstar living with dead celebrities and a hunky dead guy. She is a healer and the Black Tier is after her gift.
This book is a fun read. It has all my favorite elements – quirky characters, romance, mystery, humor and the paranormal. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!The Grey TierMichele Scott
I blog at www.milestogobookreviews.com.
October 5, 2012
Reviewed as a first reads giveaway (my first!) and I'd actually give this book 3.5 stars, but Goodreads missed out on the new DWTS paddles.
First off, who wouldn't like a book that features the ghost of Bob Marley? Excellent side characters pepper this story throughout, helping to round out the book and further the plot. The main character, Evie Preston, is likable and thoughtful, perhaps a bit too goody-two shoes at times, but contrasts nicely to several more jaded characters. Although she is trying to be a musician there wasn't too much focus on that struggle, plus with the series classified as a dead celeb mystery, it reads more like she would rather be an amateur detective. A grown up Nancy Drew if you will...with good ghosts and evil ghosts and possibly shapeshifting spirit ghosts, oh my!
Romance is also a significant part of the plot; one possible love interest alive, the other a ghost -though the whole sex with a ghost inside a ball of "luster" was a bit silly to me. Not to worry for those who might steer away from romance, it was light on anything explicit, thus falling under mystery rather than romance on my bookshelves. A lot of ghost world information is imparted during these scenes, yet the author still left this reader with a few questions which will hopefully be resolved in future books.
If you like ghostly paranormal mysteries, I'd highly recommend The Grey Tier!
First off, who wouldn't like a book that features the ghost of Bob Marley? Excellent side characters pepper this story throughout, helping to round out the book and further the plot. The main character, Evie Preston, is likable and thoughtful, perhaps a bit too goody-two shoes at times, but contrasts nicely to several more jaded characters. Although she is trying to be a musician there wasn't too much focus on that struggle, plus with the series classified as a dead celeb mystery, it reads more like she would rather be an amateur detective. A grown up Nancy Drew if you will...with good ghosts and evil ghosts and possibly shapeshifting spirit ghosts, oh my!
Romance is also a significant part of the plot; one possible love interest alive, the other a ghost -though the whole sex with a ghost inside a ball of "luster" was a bit silly to me. Not to worry for those who might steer away from romance, it was light on anything explicit, thus falling under mystery rather than romance on my bookshelves. A lot of ghost world information is imparted during these scenes, yet the author still left this reader with a few questions which will hopefully be resolved in future books.
If you like ghostly paranormal mysteries, I'd highly recommend The Grey Tier!
March 8, 2014
4.5 Stars
Really liked this book. The characters are great. Especially liked Mumbles for some reason, man of few words lol. Evie is well liked heroine, she has her freak outs but is still well grounded, polite but no pushover, and kicks ass when the situation called for. The murder mystery was well done, had my suspicions halfway thought but couldn't be too sure till the end and then ended up being wrong, was on the right track though! Nice twist at then end. Romance was alright, that's why this is a 4.5 not a 5. I liked Lucas but I don't know there was just something off. And Joshua I definitely do not like, the golden boy and secondary love interest. I just wish he was out of the picture, ugh. The concept of of the afterlife was really well thought out, I am still a bit confused about the tier and such, but all in all great book, and Can't wait to read the next one!
Really liked this book. The characters are great. Especially liked Mumbles for some reason, man of few words lol. Evie is well liked heroine, she has her freak outs but is still well grounded, polite but no pushover, and kicks ass when the situation called for. The murder mystery was well done, had my suspicions halfway thought but couldn't be too sure till the end and then ended up being wrong, was on the right track though! Nice twist at then end. Romance was alright, that's why this is a 4.5 not a 5. I liked Lucas but I don't know there was just something off. And Joshua I definitely do not like, the golden boy and secondary love interest. I just wish he was out of the picture, ugh. The concept of of the afterlife was really well thought out, I am still a bit confused about the tier and such, but all in all great book, and Can't wait to read the next one!
August 31, 2012
This book was certainly an eye opener. It really made me wonder what is really in store for us when we pass on. I cannot wait to read the follow up book in 2013. I would really like to know how the author (Michele Scott) researched the information for this book and where some of the research was obtained from. (or is it just her own perspective) I would like to read a bit more on her (this) theory of the afterlife. This book is not scary at all, actually some parts made me laugh out loud, it just makes you wonder about life.
August 15, 2012
This book was a whole lot of WHOA. Another author wrote about it so I decided to give it a try.
First- it was so many genres rolled into one. Murder mystery, historical fiction, romance, paranormal. And it had ever but of crazy to go with it. But good crazy.
Synopsis- A late twenties girl leaves behind her small town life in Texas to follow her dreams in Hollywood. Where her road starts out rough she ends up falling into multiple jobs and lives that are intertwined with secrets, fame and a past murder. As they story unfold, you learn more about Evie and how different she is. Just by touching someone she can see parts of their life, and relieve some of the pain in their lives. But she finds out that she can also see the dead. The story continues with a murder that lands her in the middle of her own Sherlock homes investigation. As she uncovers the truth of things, she finds herself in trouble not only with the living, but also with a part of the dead world.
In my opinion- The living story was more fascinating to me then the paranormal aspect of it and I think it could have been written with it alone but including her ability to see into others pain. However the paranormal aspect is what will allow this to have a sequel to it as it unfolds at the end with a cliffhanger that had me yelling at my phone.
It was definitely worth the read. I killed the book in less then 48 hrs because I wanted to know what happened. And cannot wait for book two The Black Portal to come out.
First- it was so many genres rolled into one. Murder mystery, historical fiction, romance, paranormal. And it had ever but of crazy to go with it. But good crazy.
Synopsis- A late twenties girl leaves behind her small town life in Texas to follow her dreams in Hollywood. Where her road starts out rough she ends up falling into multiple jobs and lives that are intertwined with secrets, fame and a past murder. As they story unfold, you learn more about Evie and how different she is. Just by touching someone she can see parts of their life, and relieve some of the pain in their lives. But she finds out that she can also see the dead. The story continues with a murder that lands her in the middle of her own Sherlock homes investigation. As she uncovers the truth of things, she finds herself in trouble not only with the living, but also with a part of the dead world.
In my opinion- The living story was more fascinating to me then the paranormal aspect of it and I think it could have been written with it alone but including her ability to see into others pain. However the paranormal aspect is what will allow this to have a sequel to it as it unfolds at the end with a cliffhanger that had me yelling at my phone.
It was definitely worth the read. I killed the book in less then 48 hrs because I wanted to know what happened. And cannot wait for book two The Black Portal to come out.
November 9, 2012
WARNING....I did not finish this book. I tried, and I just couldn't....
**sigh**
I feel like I've started so many books recently, and all of them have been so disappointing. This one was just like the last several books I've read. However, I did make it through more then halfway before throwing in the towel, so I felt like I could rate it appropriately.
Paranormal books generally discuss topics that are unbelievable. Vampires. Werewolves. Faeries. Ghosts. All topics that I've read and loved. Some plots are absolutely ridiculous (drug abusing witch who banishes demon-like ghosts? yes please), but bc the way they are written, they don't seem absurd. In fact, they suck you in.
The Grey Tier did not capture me....like at all. Every time I read a new plot point I thought "omg...that's absolutely ridiculous", instead of "yes! gimme more!".
I mean, Evie goes from living-in-her-van-homeless to becoming a makeup artist to a super famous pop star in about 20 pages. She also finds herself living in a super swanky mansion that is haunted by Bob Marley, Janis Joplin and a 90s rockstar. I guess there just wasn't enough character development to make any of this seem plausible or "real".
It also read like poorly written fanfiction to me, which is probably another reason why I didn't like it all that much.
**sigh**
I feel like I've started so many books recently, and all of them have been so disappointing. This one was just like the last several books I've read. However, I did make it through more then halfway before throwing in the towel, so I felt like I could rate it appropriately.
Paranormal books generally discuss topics that are unbelievable. Vampires. Werewolves. Faeries. Ghosts. All topics that I've read and loved. Some plots are absolutely ridiculous (drug abusing witch who banishes demon-like ghosts? yes please), but bc the way they are written, they don't seem absurd. In fact, they suck you in.
The Grey Tier did not capture me....like at all. Every time I read a new plot point I thought "omg...that's absolutely ridiculous", instead of "yes! gimme more!".
I mean, Evie goes from living-in-her-van-homeless to becoming a makeup artist to a super famous pop star in about 20 pages. She also finds herself living in a super swanky mansion that is haunted by Bob Marley, Janis Joplin and a 90s rockstar. I guess there just wasn't enough character development to make any of this seem plausible or "real".
It also read like poorly written fanfiction to me, which is probably another reason why I didn't like it all that much.
November 10, 2012
I got this book as a Kindle Freebie. Wow! Am I glad that I downloaded it. I was hooked from sentence one and read the book in a single sitting.
Evie Preston, the protagonist, is a feisty, small town Texas girl who moves to LA with dreams of making it big as a singer. Her search for a job that will pay the rent puts her in the path of a former child star who now owns a dive bar, his regular customers, and a single name pop-star.
Evie lucks into a house-sitting gig at a house that is regularly visited by the spirits of Bob Marley and Janis Joplin and a Grunge-era rock star. Lucky Evie is able to see and interact with these spirits.
The spirits aren't visiting Evie just for the heck of it. They are there to keep an eye on her because she has a gift that spirits from the evil dark tier would love to take.
This book has a little bit of everything - love, adventure, music, murder, and brushes with the supernatural. I was able to happily suspend my disbelief and fall into Evie's world. When the big reveal happened at the end of the book, I was surprised!
Book Two is due to be published in 2013 - I can't wait to see what happens next to Evie!
Evie Preston, the protagonist, is a feisty, small town Texas girl who moves to LA with dreams of making it big as a singer. Her search for a job that will pay the rent puts her in the path of a former child star who now owns a dive bar, his regular customers, and a single name pop-star.
Evie lucks into a house-sitting gig at a house that is regularly visited by the spirits of Bob Marley and Janis Joplin and a Grunge-era rock star. Lucky Evie is able to see and interact with these spirits.
The spirits aren't visiting Evie just for the heck of it. They are there to keep an eye on her because she has a gift that spirits from the evil dark tier would love to take.
This book has a little bit of everything - love, adventure, music, murder, and brushes with the supernatural. I was able to happily suspend my disbelief and fall into Evie's world. When the big reveal happened at the end of the book, I was surprised!
Book Two is due to be published in 2013 - I can't wait to see what happens next to Evie!
October 19, 2012
I love ghost stories, but I simply could not get into this book. The plot was contrived, and Evie's interactions with dead celebrities such as Janis Joplin were too unbelievable, even if you suspended your beliefs about ghosts in general, which readers of ghost stories willingly do. I stopped reading this book in the middle. It is possible that once Evie began investigating the murder, the plot may have become more interesting. I'll never know.
November 25, 2012
I liked Evie, the would be singer, whose boss at a little bar where see sang was murder. Evie decides to investigate. I enjoyed the book but it seemed that the author couldn't decide what genre of book to write - ghost story , murder mystery, love story, or religious thesis.
May 1, 2013
Review: House/Well: I gave it a chance, and I am glad I did.
Michele Scott was nice enough to give us a signed copy of “The Grey Tier” at the LA Author Event this April. I immediately started reading this book. The synopsis described something that I was not used to reading, murder/mystery. In fact, it sounded cheesy, however I was most pleasantly surprised. I think the craziness of the plot is acknowledged by the author and has the main character take advantage of this. Makes you chuckle to yourself while reading.
(Evie welcoming the reader to her recent life)
“So, not only do I hang out with dead rock stars, I also think I am in love with one, or at least in lust… which makes me totally screwed up. But I am not crazy. I swear.”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Honestly, I kept putting the book down, but when I wasn’t reading, I kept thinking ‘man, I have to finish that book.’ The plot was interesting. Evie is a wonderfully written character with lots of ambition and a hilarious internal monologue. You fall in love with her and really want her to succeed in her chosen profession, musician. She leaves her southern, baptist home to avoid falling into the rut that most girls do when they stay in their small hometown. She takes with her, a girls best friend, her dog Cass (Momma Cass) and her vintage VW bus. She’s not a younin’ either and she has a lot of moxie which comes in handy for someone experiencing the depraved ways of Hollywood for the first time. After ‘slumming it’ with Cass, insane opportunities start to fall into her lap. She gets a part time gig at a dive bar/taco shop and is hand picked by a mega star musician to be her personal make-up artist. The mega star, Simone, needs Evie at her beck and call so she sets her up as a house-sitter in music producers mansion, while he’s out of the country.
(Evie taking in her new home)
The house was tastefully decorated – all in whites, pale yellows, and light greens, with hardwood floors, and lots of bamboo and bougainvillea. There were a handful of Buddha statues and crosses scattered throughout (at least all my spiritual bases were covered, although my daddy would have had a heart attack seeing Jesus hanging with Buddha, even if only in decor form.) It was as if a fancy Mexican hotel lobby had mated with an Asian-themed resort spa. ”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Evie does explain in the beginning of the book that she does possess a special healing power; something that she has had since the disappearance of her older sister, sixteen years ago. This power is something that is very much wanted by the ‘black’ tier or evil spirits/vibrations and they are ready to do what they must to gain Evie’s powerful ‘vibrations’. She finds all this out from the spirits that are sent to protect her and her powerful vibrations. These spirits come from the ‘grey’ tier (a mix of evil and pure vibrations) and are non-other than the famous rockers Janis Joplin, Bob Marley and an unknown musician, who was supposed to be a huge hit before he was killed, Lucas Minx.
(Simone dismissing the rumors that the house Evie is living in is haunted)
“Simone was looking at me expectantly. “Please tell me you don’t belive in that crap. Brenda also thinks we’re descended from space aliens.” She walked past her sister and smacked her lightly on top of her head. Brenda rolled her eyes.
“Um, no… not really,” I stuttered. Well, what do you expect me to say? Oh yes, Simone! Not only do I believe in ghosts, but I can touch people, get a glimpse of their psychological baggage, and help them heal!”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
The handsome spirit, Lucas, explains as much as he can to Evie about the afterlife, the multiple tiers and the bounty on her head; but the two have much more on their minds than the ‘black’ tier coming for her.
(Lucas and Evie should be discussing keeping her safe from the evil spirits)
“If I were a real man again, I would have already pursued and seduced you and completely had my way with you.”
Okay. Yep. Now my stomach really did sink. I found my voice, which sounded almost guttural when I spoke. “Well, how do you even know if you could have seduced me and had your way with me?” Jeez, I was flirting with a spirit!
He smiled. “I had some pretty good moves.”
“Oh you did, did you?” Yes, I was flirting with a dead guy.
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Of course, with a murder/mystery, you need a murder and the line-up of suspects. Enter the characters that surround Evie’s life at the bar, Simone and new characters that are introduced after the murder takes place. Every character’s attributes are considered, but you’ll be surprised with the ‘who dun it’. Since you now are introduced to these characters, you also want to know more about them and what happens to them after this mystery is solved. The Grey Tier (Essence #1) does have a highly anticipated sequel.
So why House/Well? Too much over analysis and far-out terminology for the afterlife. I think good, bad and the middle are well enough to explain what was going on, but when the names for the different tiers and characters within the tiers come up, my mind goes straight to ‘this is sci-fi’. I will be joining the rest of the fan-girls awaiting this sequel and will just grin and bear it if more ‘sci-fi’-ish terms are thrown in.
Thanks Michele!
More Evie:
I sat between Candace and Mumbles. No one ever sat between them but me. Candace smiled. She was already a good three sheets to the wind and it was only nine o’clock. Then again, she’d been pretty bombed around six when I set up for the night.
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
“Welcome to Spirit World 101, Beautiful.”
I know I should have been weirded out by all of this, but the only thing I could focus on was that he’d called me beautiful. I seriously needed to get my priorities in order.”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Michele Scott was nice enough to give us a signed copy of “The Grey Tier” at the LA Author Event this April. I immediately started reading this book. The synopsis described something that I was not used to reading, murder/mystery. In fact, it sounded cheesy, however I was most pleasantly surprised. I think the craziness of the plot is acknowledged by the author and has the main character take advantage of this. Makes you chuckle to yourself while reading.
(Evie welcoming the reader to her recent life)
“So, not only do I hang out with dead rock stars, I also think I am in love with one, or at least in lust… which makes me totally screwed up. But I am not crazy. I swear.”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Honestly, I kept putting the book down, but when I wasn’t reading, I kept thinking ‘man, I have to finish that book.’ The plot was interesting. Evie is a wonderfully written character with lots of ambition and a hilarious internal monologue. You fall in love with her and really want her to succeed in her chosen profession, musician. She leaves her southern, baptist home to avoid falling into the rut that most girls do when they stay in their small hometown. She takes with her, a girls best friend, her dog Cass (Momma Cass) and her vintage VW bus. She’s not a younin’ either and she has a lot of moxie which comes in handy for someone experiencing the depraved ways of Hollywood for the first time. After ‘slumming it’ with Cass, insane opportunities start to fall into her lap. She gets a part time gig at a dive bar/taco shop and is hand picked by a mega star musician to be her personal make-up artist. The mega star, Simone, needs Evie at her beck and call so she sets her up as a house-sitter in music producers mansion, while he’s out of the country.
(Evie taking in her new home)
The house was tastefully decorated – all in whites, pale yellows, and light greens, with hardwood floors, and lots of bamboo and bougainvillea. There were a handful of Buddha statues and crosses scattered throughout (at least all my spiritual bases were covered, although my daddy would have had a heart attack seeing Jesus hanging with Buddha, even if only in decor form.) It was as if a fancy Mexican hotel lobby had mated with an Asian-themed resort spa. ”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Evie does explain in the beginning of the book that she does possess a special healing power; something that she has had since the disappearance of her older sister, sixteen years ago. This power is something that is very much wanted by the ‘black’ tier or evil spirits/vibrations and they are ready to do what they must to gain Evie’s powerful ‘vibrations’. She finds all this out from the spirits that are sent to protect her and her powerful vibrations. These spirits come from the ‘grey’ tier (a mix of evil and pure vibrations) and are non-other than the famous rockers Janis Joplin, Bob Marley and an unknown musician, who was supposed to be a huge hit before he was killed, Lucas Minx.
(Simone dismissing the rumors that the house Evie is living in is haunted)
“Simone was looking at me expectantly. “Please tell me you don’t belive in that crap. Brenda also thinks we’re descended from space aliens.” She walked past her sister and smacked her lightly on top of her head. Brenda rolled her eyes.
“Um, no… not really,” I stuttered. Well, what do you expect me to say? Oh yes, Simone! Not only do I believe in ghosts, but I can touch people, get a glimpse of their psychological baggage, and help them heal!”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
The handsome spirit, Lucas, explains as much as he can to Evie about the afterlife, the multiple tiers and the bounty on her head; but the two have much more on their minds than the ‘black’ tier coming for her.
(Lucas and Evie should be discussing keeping her safe from the evil spirits)
“If I were a real man again, I would have already pursued and seduced you and completely had my way with you.”
Okay. Yep. Now my stomach really did sink. I found my voice, which sounded almost guttural when I spoke. “Well, how do you even know if you could have seduced me and had your way with me?” Jeez, I was flirting with a spirit!
He smiled. “I had some pretty good moves.”
“Oh you did, did you?” Yes, I was flirting with a dead guy.
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
Of course, with a murder/mystery, you need a murder and the line-up of suspects. Enter the characters that surround Evie’s life at the bar, Simone and new characters that are introduced after the murder takes place. Every character’s attributes are considered, but you’ll be surprised with the ‘who dun it’. Since you now are introduced to these characters, you also want to know more about them and what happens to them after this mystery is solved. The Grey Tier (Essence #1) does have a highly anticipated sequel.
So why House/Well? Too much over analysis and far-out terminology for the afterlife. I think good, bad and the middle are well enough to explain what was going on, but when the names for the different tiers and characters within the tiers come up, my mind goes straight to ‘this is sci-fi’. I will be joining the rest of the fan-girls awaiting this sequel and will just grin and bear it if more ‘sci-fi’-ish terms are thrown in.
Thanks Michele!
More Evie:
I sat between Candace and Mumbles. No one ever sat between them but me. Candace smiled. She was already a good three sheets to the wind and it was only nine o’clock. Then again, she’d been pretty bombed around six when I set up for the night.
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
“Welcome to Spirit World 101, Beautiful.”
I know I should have been weirded out by all of this, but the only thing I could focus on was that he’d called me beautiful. I seriously needed to get my priorities in order.”
Scott, Michele. The Grey Tier (April 11, 2012). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Kindle Edition.
June 22, 2017
A different concept. I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed the characters, Nick, Candace, Mumbles, Becky, Mr Verne, Joshua, Dwight, Simone, Lucas, & Evie. Evie takes it upon herself to track down Nick's killer, since the police do not seem to be getting anywhere. Probably not a good thing, since she's not always subtle in her sleuthing. Also, she has a little help from some celebrities who happen to be dead. One of which is a very hot, sexy, "to die for" guy, whom she falls hard for. To boot, she finds out, that her healing gift she got soon after her sister's disappearance a long time ago makes her a target for the Dark side. And they will do anything to get her soul. It is Lucas' job to protect her. But can he put aside his feelings & his attraction to her to really be there for her. The book leaves you hanging, & ready to continue with the next book.
June 2, 2020
I don't know how this ended up in my Kindle (the family library is a blessing and a curse). I hope it was a free ARC, because there were a lot of linguistic errors. The ease of how things fall into place for the protagonist require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but that's what makes this a fun fantasy read. I'd rather skip sex scenes, but the nice part of having a spirit be half of the couple meant these weren't graphic, just weird. The ending was pretty inconclusive, and if I was a young adult and the writing was better, I'd probably be interested in reading the sequel.
November 6, 2018
I loved this book!
The characters, plot, and action were very good. I was sorry when I finished the book, and found there wasn't a book 2 of this series. C'mon, Michele, where is number2? I will have to start reading her other books. It is great to discover a new mystery writer. Definitely read this book of you like mysteries, and/or paranormal books.
The characters, plot, and action were very good. I was sorry when I finished the book, and found there wasn't a book 2 of this series. C'mon, Michele, where is number2? I will have to start reading her other books. It is great to discover a new mystery writer. Definitely read this book of you like mysteries, and/or paranormal books.
January 2, 2017
Good Mix
This is a combination murder/mystery, ghost story combined with a love story. As a reader, you would normally think with all these different elements going on that the story would be a bust. In this, you would be sadly mistaken. The author does an excellent job in developing the plot line, the characters, the escalation of events, and the final surprise ending. The ending also has a logical taking off point for the next book in the series.
This is a combination murder/mystery, ghost story combined with a love story. As a reader, you would normally think with all these different elements going on that the story would be a bust. In this, you would be sadly mistaken. The author does an excellent job in developing the plot line, the characters, the escalation of events, and the final surprise ending. The ending also has a logical taking off point for the next book in the series.
June 1, 2017
Amazingly Gripping
This was so good. Every time I thought I knew what was going on something else would happen and I would have to unravel the threads some more. I loved every moment of this and would definitely recommend to others who like the supernatural.
This was so good. Every time I thought I knew what was going on something else would happen and I would have to unravel the threads some more. I loved every moment of this and would definitely recommend to others who like the supernatural.
May 28, 2018
I quite enjoyed this, although it felt a little ropey in places. I liked Evie and Nick, not so much Simone (but I think we’re supposed to feel conflicted about Simone).
The storyline was ok, and I’d like to find out more about what happens.
The storyline was ok, and I’d like to find out more about what happens.
May 5, 2023
Paranormal Wow
A paranormal mystery and then some. This was a great read and the beginning of a killer series. Interesting characters, many of whom will leave you wondering. A fun read.
A paranormal mystery and then some. This was a great read and the beginning of a killer series. Interesting characters, many of whom will leave you wondering. A fun read.
June 18, 2014
3.5 Stars
The Grey Tier
Evie Preson from small town Brady Texas. She acquired the ability to see someone's painful past after finding eagle feathers near where her sister disappeared. Her neighbor becomes her benefactor in an opportunity to move out of her Podunk little town and try to pursue a career in music.
After being thrown out of her motel room for having her dog, she's forced to sleep in her run down VW. It's not too long before luck smiles upon Evie lands a singing gig at a local dive bar which she discovers is owned by former child actor star Nick Gordin. After being hired as a MUA for major pop star Simone with a 'potty mouth', she also happens to get a nice house handed to her since friend of Simone, Blake (who never makes an appearance in the book) just so happens to need a house sitter. Why can't I get this kind of luck?
From small town in Texas, not used to how things are in LA. OK I can understand you're from a small town and daddy was a minister, but come on. There's nothing wrong with colorful language. In fact studies show people who curse a lot are more honest. Grow the fuck up Evie. She has a problem with her pop star boss who is "friends with benefits" to one of her body guards. There's nothing wrong with that, either. Why is it a man can screw as many women as he wants, b/c he doesn't want a relationship and everyone's so ok with it. But universe fucking forbid a woman feel the same way? Love isn't in Simone's plans and doesn't want a full time relationship. OK. That's totally fine. Look, Simone is a young, rich rock star with a big house, cars, etc. Maybe she doesn't want to get married and worry about someone taking it away from her much like how Donald Trump (or any other rich male executive) feels.
Evie trying to figure out who killed Nick, her boss at the bar. No one else seems to care. What she also doesn't seem to care about is the fact that she moved to LA to be a singer, but ends up being more of a detective instead. She's excited to have Simone get her an audition, but doesn't return the calls of the record exec that came to see her at the bar b/c she saw a "negative vision" from touching his hand.
Lucus and Evie falling are for each other, even though he's a ghost/spirit. When he mentioned he'd been kind of a 'bad boy' in life, and that he'd had a lot of women and if he were still alive Lucus would have already seduced Evie, he quickly left and it was awkward. Afterward,she seemed even more attracted to him. WTH Evie?! You're confused how your boss Simone could be sleeping with her body guard and not thinking anything of it, but a guy tells you he's had a lot of women and you'd probably have been one of them and THAT you're OK with?? Hey men, listen up: if you don't want a woman to have 'slept around', keep in mind neither do women want a guy who's been everywhere! Who the hell wants a man-whore?! Yuck. That's a major turn off for me. Right there I'd have told the ghost to go shove it - I'll figure this out on my own. Never mind the fact that Lucus also tells her he has to help her b/c she's a "project". So he's doing it to help get his own soul from the grey Tier up to the White, and she doesn't even seem phased by that...great...
She's also crushing on her new boss, Nick's long lost son, Joshua and owner of the bar. That doesn't go far, as all she can think about is the slutty male ghost, however is jealous of Joshua and Simone getting a little closer once they make a business deal together.
After everything the ghost Lucus has told her, Evie still sleeps with him. Wait, what? I thought ghosts couldn't do that. Wasn't that what he meant when he said "if I were still alive...". And seriously?? The guy's a slut and you go ahead and become just another number...what happened to pursuing your dreams of being a singer? I suppose Evie's too busy avoiding the creepy patron of Nick's bar, Jackson. As it turns out, Jackson has been stalking Evie and Nick, and ends up dying and heading to the Black Tier, since he wasn't too nice of a guy in life...
Then there's the mysterious "blonde guy" ghost that keeps haunting Evie's dreams and some people in waking life.
She gets Simone a lot of unwanted attention from the media regarding trying to find out Nick's murderer and thinks Simone isn't the reading for fun type when in fact she reads 3 different newspapers. Holy crap Evie, judgmental much? Evie also starts 'fudging the truth' and adding a drink (and sometimes 2) to her stressful daily routine. The only thing Evie seems to be successful in is picking up the bad habits that scared her in everyone else when she arrived.
I was hoping things would be wrapped up, but the only mystery solved is who Nick's killer is. There's no closure as to who the "blonde guy" ghost is, why Evie never followed up on the record exec in NYC, Joshua and Simone's relationship, or even Simone's relationship with her body guard for that matter. I don't mind cliff hangers, as long as I know there's another book coming. But this didn't mention anything about a follow up so that's really why I didn't give this a higher rating.
The Grey Tier
Evie Preson from small town Brady Texas. She acquired the ability to see someone's painful past after finding eagle feathers near where her sister disappeared. Her neighbor becomes her benefactor in an opportunity to move out of her Podunk little town and try to pursue a career in music.
After being thrown out of her motel room for having her dog, she's forced to sleep in her run down VW. It's not too long before luck smiles upon Evie lands a singing gig at a local dive bar which she discovers is owned by former child actor star Nick Gordin. After being hired as a MUA for major pop star Simone with a 'potty mouth', she also happens to get a nice house handed to her since friend of Simone, Blake (who never makes an appearance in the book) just so happens to need a house sitter. Why can't I get this kind of luck?
From small town in Texas, not used to how things are in LA. OK I can understand you're from a small town and daddy was a minister, but come on. There's nothing wrong with colorful language. In fact studies show people who curse a lot are more honest. Grow the fuck up Evie. She has a problem with her pop star boss who is "friends with benefits" to one of her body guards. There's nothing wrong with that, either. Why is it a man can screw as many women as he wants, b/c he doesn't want a relationship and everyone's so ok with it. But universe fucking forbid a woman feel the same way? Love isn't in Simone's plans and doesn't want a full time relationship. OK. That's totally fine. Look, Simone is a young, rich rock star with a big house, cars, etc. Maybe she doesn't want to get married and worry about someone taking it away from her much like how Donald Trump (or any other rich male executive) feels.
Evie trying to figure out who killed Nick, her boss at the bar. No one else seems to care. What she also doesn't seem to care about is the fact that she moved to LA to be a singer, but ends up being more of a detective instead. She's excited to have Simone get her an audition, but doesn't return the calls of the record exec that came to see her at the bar b/c she saw a "negative vision" from touching his hand.
Lucus and Evie falling are for each other, even though he's a ghost/spirit. When he mentioned he'd been kind of a 'bad boy' in life, and that he'd had a lot of women and if he were still alive Lucus would have already seduced Evie, he quickly left and it was awkward. Afterward,she seemed even more attracted to him. WTH Evie?! You're confused how your boss Simone could be sleeping with her body guard and not thinking anything of it, but a guy tells you he's had a lot of women and you'd probably have been one of them and THAT you're OK with?? Hey men, listen up: if you don't want a woman to have 'slept around', keep in mind neither do women want a guy who's been everywhere! Who the hell wants a man-whore?! Yuck. That's a major turn off for me. Right there I'd have told the ghost to go shove it - I'll figure this out on my own. Never mind the fact that Lucus also tells her he has to help her b/c she's a "project". So he's doing it to help get his own soul from the grey Tier up to the White, and she doesn't even seem phased by that...great...
She's also crushing on her new boss, Nick's long lost son, Joshua and owner of the bar. That doesn't go far, as all she can think about is the slutty male ghost, however is jealous of Joshua and Simone getting a little closer once they make a business deal together.
After everything the ghost Lucus has told her, Evie still sleeps with him. Wait, what? I thought ghosts couldn't do that. Wasn't that what he meant when he said "if I were still alive...". And seriously?? The guy's a slut and you go ahead and become just another number...what happened to pursuing your dreams of being a singer? I suppose Evie's too busy avoiding the creepy patron of Nick's bar, Jackson. As it turns out, Jackson has been stalking Evie and Nick, and ends up dying and heading to the Black Tier, since he wasn't too nice of a guy in life...
Then there's the mysterious "blonde guy" ghost that keeps haunting Evie's dreams and some people in waking life.
She gets Simone a lot of unwanted attention from the media regarding trying to find out Nick's murderer and thinks Simone isn't the reading for fun type when in fact she reads 3 different newspapers. Holy crap Evie, judgmental much? Evie also starts 'fudging the truth' and adding a drink (and sometimes 2) to her stressful daily routine. The only thing Evie seems to be successful in is picking up the bad habits that scared her in everyone else when she arrived.
I was hoping things would be wrapped up, but the only mystery solved is who Nick's killer is. There's no closure as to who the "blonde guy" ghost is, why Evie never followed up on the record exec in NYC, Joshua and Simone's relationship, or even Simone's relationship with her body guard for that matter. I don't mind cliff hangers, as long as I know there's another book coming. But this didn't mention anything about a follow up so that's really why I didn't give this a higher rating.
February 15, 2018
Great fun read. Ghosts and action with some mush. But be warned this was written back in 2012 and this is the only one in the series so far. I wrote this in Feb 2018
March 4, 2022
DNF, not worth it.
November 25, 2012
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Firstreads
If you are an avid reader of the paranormal genre, you soon learn that most paranormal species have very similar backgrounds in every book. Vampires drink blood, silver hurts werewolves, and ghosts have unfinished business. It’s the details each author adds that separate each story. Do vampires sparkle; does the full moon make a werewolf sex crazed; how does this spirit world work? The Grey Tier focuses on spirits, and the typical explanations aren’t given. Instead Michelle Scott gives readers an original and refreshing take on the afterlife.
After leaving a Texas small town, Evie Preston travels to Los Angeles to pursue a singing career. Her first job finds her singing in a local dive owned by Nick, an ex-child TV star. Soon Evie lands another job as a makeup artist for a pop star where one job perk is house sitting a mansion. While house sitting, Evie runs into the spirits of several celebrities. One of them, Lucas Minx, befriends Evie and explains that good and evil are trying to sway her because she is special—with a touch, Evie can see a person’s worst experience and can ease their emotional pain that goes with it, thereby bringing back the “light” to their spirit. When Nick is murdered, Evie and Lucas team up to find his murderer and fight off the evil forces of the black tier that are trying to get to Evie.
Scott does a wonderful job thinking through her spirit world. She carefully reveals bits and pieces of it throughout the book. She explains that there isn’t Heaven or Hell but rather Tiers of the afterlife where the white tier is good (like Heaven), the black tier is evil (like Hell) and the gray tier is in the middle (here on Earth). After we die, everyone has a life review where it is determined what tier you will belong to. Scott even takes readers to see a life review. It was a fun experience to “see” part of her afterlife realm.
Readers will be able to tell that Scott is an experienced writer. She lays out an intricate storyline that blends a good-vs-evil and mystery plot line. The mystery is solved in this book, but the good-vs-evil part will have readers wanting to pick up the second book to see what happens. She presents her story through a natural, easy to read writing style. The dialogue is realistic. Information is revealed bit by bit instead of being dumped all at once.
The only negative thing about the book is that it needed one last round of editing. There are several formatting mistakes scattered throughout the book. But don’t let that stop you from picking up a copy. The story’s merits are stronger than any formatting errors.
Adult readers that love mystery, paranormal and romance will enjoy The Grey Tier.
If you are an avid reader of the paranormal genre, you soon learn that most paranormal species have very similar backgrounds in every book. Vampires drink blood, silver hurts werewolves, and ghosts have unfinished business. It’s the details each author adds that separate each story. Do vampires sparkle; does the full moon make a werewolf sex crazed; how does this spirit world work? The Grey Tier focuses on spirits, and the typical explanations aren’t given. Instead Michelle Scott gives readers an original and refreshing take on the afterlife.
After leaving a Texas small town, Evie Preston travels to Los Angeles to pursue a singing career. Her first job finds her singing in a local dive owned by Nick, an ex-child TV star. Soon Evie lands another job as a makeup artist for a pop star where one job perk is house sitting a mansion. While house sitting, Evie runs into the spirits of several celebrities. One of them, Lucas Minx, befriends Evie and explains that good and evil are trying to sway her because she is special—with a touch, Evie can see a person’s worst experience and can ease their emotional pain that goes with it, thereby bringing back the “light” to their spirit. When Nick is murdered, Evie and Lucas team up to find his murderer and fight off the evil forces of the black tier that are trying to get to Evie.
Scott does a wonderful job thinking through her spirit world. She carefully reveals bits and pieces of it throughout the book. She explains that there isn’t Heaven or Hell but rather Tiers of the afterlife where the white tier is good (like Heaven), the black tier is evil (like Hell) and the gray tier is in the middle (here on Earth). After we die, everyone has a life review where it is determined what tier you will belong to. Scott even takes readers to see a life review. It was a fun experience to “see” part of her afterlife realm.
Readers will be able to tell that Scott is an experienced writer. She lays out an intricate storyline that blends a good-vs-evil and mystery plot line. The mystery is solved in this book, but the good-vs-evil part will have readers wanting to pick up the second book to see what happens. She presents her story through a natural, easy to read writing style. The dialogue is realistic. Information is revealed bit by bit instead of being dumped all at once.
The only negative thing about the book is that it needed one last round of editing. There are several formatting mistakes scattered throughout the book. But don’t let that stop you from picking up a copy. The story’s merits are stronger than any formatting errors.
Adult readers that love mystery, paranormal and romance will enjoy The Grey Tier.
September 11, 2012
I received this book through the First Reads program!
Just about everything in this book surprised me. I was initially quite put off by the cover art, as well as it's designation as a "Dead Celeb Mystery". They say not to judge a book by its cover, though, so I dove in and ended up finishing it in two days. Sometimes books are like that.
This book... well, it's very odd. Surprisingly odd. I would like to say shockingly odd but after learning that a book that stars a "screwnicorn" exists I'm not certain that this book qualifies. Among other things this book includes... evil jaguar women, Bob Marley and Janis Joplin singing together and smoking pot, fantastic fish tacos, decidedly bad vibrations, and demons that enjoy vast amounts of kinky sex. There is also ghost sex, which is apparently quite good. There is also a magical ball of energy called a "luster" which makes ghost sex possible. I'm still laughing at that one.
I think you can tell by my tone that I enjoyed this book. The book wasn't stunning incredible literature, but rather a plenty fun read that was easy to relax to. It was nice to take my mind off of things and instead be creeped out by certain denizens of the bar and roll my eyes at Simone's f-bomb dropping hilarity. The plot was solid, and actually left me disappointed when I discovered that this is going to be a series. I wanted answers! That's good, though. Who doesn't love it when you discover that you have yet more books to read?!
My only complaints come from some typos and one chapter (only three pages or so) that had inexplicable missing spaces between words. How does that mistake happen? Luckily, as I said before, it wasn't for that long. Still, that's a bit of an issue I hope gets resolved.
So, if you enjoy murder mysteries, L.A. style crazy, a variety of musical in-jokes, ghost-sex, and a very strange explanation of the afterlife... then this book is for you. It certainly entertained me. :)
Just about everything in this book surprised me. I was initially quite put off by the cover art, as well as it's designation as a "Dead Celeb Mystery". They say not to judge a book by its cover, though, so I dove in and ended up finishing it in two days. Sometimes books are like that.
This book... well, it's very odd. Surprisingly odd. I would like to say shockingly odd but after learning that a book that stars a "screwnicorn" exists I'm not certain that this book qualifies. Among other things this book includes... evil jaguar women, Bob Marley and Janis Joplin singing together and smoking pot, fantastic fish tacos, decidedly bad vibrations, and demons that enjoy vast amounts of kinky sex. There is also ghost sex, which is apparently quite good. There is also a magical ball of energy called a "luster" which makes ghost sex possible. I'm still laughing at that one.
I think you can tell by my tone that I enjoyed this book. The book wasn't stunning incredible literature, but rather a plenty fun read that was easy to relax to. It was nice to take my mind off of things and instead be creeped out by certain denizens of the bar and roll my eyes at Simone's f-bomb dropping hilarity. The plot was solid, and actually left me disappointed when I discovered that this is going to be a series. I wanted answers! That's good, though. Who doesn't love it when you discover that you have yet more books to read?!
My only complaints come from some typos and one chapter (only three pages or so) that had inexplicable missing spaces between words. How does that mistake happen? Luckily, as I said before, it wasn't for that long. Still, that's a bit of an issue I hope gets resolved.
So, if you enjoy murder mysteries, L.A. style crazy, a variety of musical in-jokes, ghost-sex, and a very strange explanation of the afterlife... then this book is for you. It certainly entertained me. :)
July 20, 2016
I think this is #10 in my el-cheapo 12-book mystery and suspense box set. As a rule, if I dislike a book enough, I'll stop reading it. (Case in point: Fall On Your Knees by award-winning Canadian author Anne-Marie MacDonald; I felt somewhat badly about that until someone else echoed my sentiments. MacDonald writes beautifully, but FOYK was full of unpleasant characters.) The least I can say about "Dead Celeb" is that it was relatively painless and I read it to the end. I guess this falls into the "youth literature" genre, and since I'm not 15 years old, it really didn't appeal much. Written in the breathless style of a teenager armed with a blog or talking to her bestie on a cell phone, complete with eloquent phrasing like "um, yeah" and peppered with annoying asides in parentheses (like this one here, see?), it was a fast-paced story in which our protagonist suspects pretty much everyone of having killed her boss, an erstwhile child TV star who owns a somewhat seedy diner. Plus, it's full of silly paranormal shit. And this comes from one who ADORES the paranormal (me! see, I did it again, the parentheses thing). I can't even be bothered to go into the details, except that they include the spirits of Bob Marley and Janis Joplin smoking weed in the protagonist's living room. Anyhoo - I've already spent too much time just typing this. I detest amateur sleuth stories as a rule and amateurish writing even more. So this one goes down as another forgettable interlude in my eternal battle with insomnia.
On the other hand, I wonder if there's money to be made in dashing off e-books...
On the other hand, I wonder if there's money to be made in dashing off e-books...
July 19, 2014
I read Dead Celeb by Michele Scott as part of the Deadly Dozen: 12 Mysteries/Thrillers set. It is part of The Dead Celeb Series
“My name is Evie Preston and I hang out with dead rock stars.” From these first words to the end, Dead Celeb is a fun read. Evie is a sensitive. With a touch she can feel a person’s most traumatic moments, so she avoids touching people. She can also ease their pain. She received these “gifts” as a child after her sister disappeared.
Evie is also a guitarist and singer. At the urgings of a close friend, she leaves her home town for LA. She struggles to make ends by working in a club and at a cosmetic counter. One day, she makes up a woman who is the sister of Simone, a famous singer. From there, Evie’s life gets complicated. She house sits for a friend of Simone’s and falls in love (lust?) with Lucas, a ghost who haunts the house. Her boss is murdered. She is stalked. There are too many secrets. Her ghost lover’s friends Janis Joplin and Bob Marley try to help, but there are limitations and rules in the ghost realm.
Read this book. Not only is it a good mystery, it is a fun book to read. You will be turning the pages, not just to solve the secrets and the murder, but to see what Evie is up to next. This book is a pure delight.
“My name is Evie Preston and I hang out with dead rock stars.” From these first words to the end, Dead Celeb is a fun read. Evie is a sensitive. With a touch she can feel a person’s most traumatic moments, so she avoids touching people. She can also ease their pain. She received these “gifts” as a child after her sister disappeared.
Evie is also a guitarist and singer. At the urgings of a close friend, she leaves her home town for LA. She struggles to make ends by working in a club and at a cosmetic counter. One day, she makes up a woman who is the sister of Simone, a famous singer. From there, Evie’s life gets complicated. She house sits for a friend of Simone’s and falls in love (lust?) with Lucas, a ghost who haunts the house. Her boss is murdered. She is stalked. There are too many secrets. Her ghost lover’s friends Janis Joplin and Bob Marley try to help, but there are limitations and rules in the ghost realm.
Read this book. Not only is it a good mystery, it is a fun book to read. You will be turning the pages, not just to solve the secrets and the murder, but to see what Evie is up to next. This book is a pure delight.
November 20, 2014
No. Just no. This book isn't good and the story isn't great either. I kept trying to figure out where the plot was, but it never appeared. It was a series of "well this happened AND then this happened AND then this happened." Just on and on with events occurring for no rhyme or reason. This book violates the rule of "show don't tell" constantly. Lucas is really there to provide hazy explanations about the tiers and afterlife. Yet the minute Evie pushes for more detail, he clams up and can't explain anything. What the heck?
I wasn't satisfied with any of this and just kept wishing for it to be over. I started skimming towards the end, because really? Who cares? I certainly didn't. I didn't develop any kind of emotion or connection for any of the characters. It was all just Evie reacting to these random events going on around her with absolutely zero character development. There were opportunities for good solid development that didn't materialize. That's probably why this is a series, so the character development will come later. I wasn't inspired to keep reading this series after this first book.
I wasn't satisfied with any of this and just kept wishing for it to be over. I started skimming towards the end, because really? Who cares? I certainly didn't. I didn't develop any kind of emotion or connection for any of the characters. It was all just Evie reacting to these random events going on around her with absolutely zero character development. There were opportunities for good solid development that didn't materialize. That's probably why this is a series, so the character development will come later. I wasn't inspired to keep reading this series after this first book.
August 21, 2013
**I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway**
I'm not a fan of first-person novels to begin with, but some authors are able to pull it off. However, the first-person perspective in this book was cheesy (too many "Say what?", "Yeah, right", etc.) I liked Cass and Mac, and the other animal characters in the story, but I felt nothing towards the other characters in the book... and, quite frankly, there were too many of them. When I got to the end of the story, I couldn't even remember who exactly the villain was. I recognized the name, but I couldn't remember what their connection to the heroine was.
I also felt the author was trying too hard to make the book seem relevant with pop culture (talking about an "iphone" rather than just a phone, etc).
Apparently there's a sequel to this book, but I have no interest in reading it. Sadly, I don't care if the heroine ever solves her problem.
I'm not a fan of first-person novels to begin with, but some authors are able to pull it off. However, the first-person perspective in this book was cheesy (too many "Say what?", "Yeah, right", etc.) I liked Cass and Mac, and the other animal characters in the story, but I felt nothing towards the other characters in the book... and, quite frankly, there were too many of them. When I got to the end of the story, I couldn't even remember who exactly the villain was. I recognized the name, but I couldn't remember what their connection to the heroine was.
I also felt the author was trying too hard to make the book seem relevant with pop culture (talking about an "iphone" rather than just a phone, etc).
Apparently there's a sequel to this book, but I have no interest in reading it. Sadly, I don't care if the heroine ever solves her problem.
March 26, 2013
**3.75 Stars** An entertaining paranormal mystery that reminds me of a Meg Cabot novel.
The Grey Tier is a quirky, fun paranormal(ghost) read with a murder mystery used as the backdrop for the story. The heroine, Evie, is very likeable and down to earth. She has a very funny, but very spoiled sidekick/employer/friend in Simone. There are a number of "love interests" throughout the novel, with one who seems to have won Evie's heart, but is he really the right one for her? And, is he the one who truly has her heart? Humm...I'm not so sure. I wasn't put off by who Evie falls for but I was surprised he seemed to fall for her so easily. I would have liked more build up and explanation of his feelings, that is my only complaint with the book.
Not sure when the second book comes out, as this is part of a series, and the story ends on a cliffhanger...but I'll definitely be reading book two, I can't wait to see how Evie will get her friend out of the jam he is certainly in.
The Grey Tier is a quirky, fun paranormal(ghost) read with a murder mystery used as the backdrop for the story. The heroine, Evie, is very likeable and down to earth. She has a very funny, but very spoiled sidekick/employer/friend in Simone. There are a number of "love interests" throughout the novel, with one who seems to have won Evie's heart, but is he really the right one for her? And, is he the one who truly has her heart? Humm...I'm not so sure. I wasn't put off by who Evie falls for but I was surprised he seemed to fall for her so easily. I would have liked more build up and explanation of his feelings, that is my only complaint with the book.
Not sure when the second book comes out, as this is part of a series, and the story ends on a cliffhanger...but I'll definitely be reading book two, I can't wait to see how Evie will get her friend out of the jam he is certainly in.
January 19, 2015
This book has too much plot that never resolves satisfactorily. Evie moves from Texas to LA, CA hoping to make it big as a singer/ songwriter. She ends up singing, waitressing, bar tending and cleaning up at a hole in the wall bar with amazing fish tacos. And working at the MAC counter at Nordstroms, where she is snapped up by a big pop star to be her make up artist and plopped into a million dollar home of a absent producer; which happens to be haunted and it turns out Evie can see dead people and she's got Jimi, Janis and Bob (Hendrix, Joplin & Marley) hanging in her living room and another ghosty who might be her new boyfriend. If the sex scenes are anything to go by.
While this is going on she is learning the secret identity of the dive bar owner, just in time for him to be murdered. And a tragedy from her childhood won't let her rest.
There is just too much disbelief to suspend.
While this is going on she is learning the secret identity of the dive bar owner, just in time for him to be murdered. And a tragedy from her childhood won't let her rest.
There is just too much disbelief to suspend.
September 20, 2013
This book is a bit of everything, all rolled in together. There is a big paranormal element to it, a romantic triangle (sort of), a diva boss, fun, surprises and more red herrings than I know what to do with.
Some parts of this book made me laugh out loud, other parts had me shaking my head - was she 'really' that stupid/naive???
This book is different, and not in a bad way. In a genre that is soaked with vampires and werewolves, it makes a change to read about spirits and the levels of "good and bad". The concept of this book is very interesting and made for a fun read.
I really enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for Book 2 when it's released. There are so many unanswered questions in it! And I need to know what Mumbles' story is!
Some parts of this book made me laugh out loud, other parts had me shaking my head - was she 'really' that stupid/naive???
This book is different, and not in a bad way. In a genre that is soaked with vampires and werewolves, it makes a change to read about spirits and the levels of "good and bad". The concept of this book is very interesting and made for a fun read.
I really enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for Book 2 when it's released. There are so many unanswered questions in it! And I need to know what Mumbles' story is!
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