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Ghost Seer #2
Ghost Layer
What lies beneath…
Clare Cermak’s adjusting to a new man in her life—and a lot of ghosts. The passing of Clare’s aunt gave way to a sizeable inheritance of not only money, but also the ability to communicate with the dead. At the same time, she met Zach Slade, a private detective with a rough past, and just like Clare, he’s not yet ready to accept her gift—or his own.
But Clare has another matter to look into. A multimillionaire needs her help after relocating an old ghost town to his mountain estate. The bones of a murdered prospector are making nightly appearances in his guests’ beds. When the gold miner’s ghost contacts Clare, she promises to help find the name of his killer—but someone doesn't want the past revealed and might find her first…
Clare Cermak’s adjusting to a new man in her life—and a lot of ghosts. The passing of Clare’s aunt gave way to a sizeable inheritance of not only money, but also the ability to communicate with the dead. At the same time, she met Zach Slade, a private detective with a rough past, and just like Clare, he’s not yet ready to accept her gift—or his own.
But Clare has another matter to look into. A multimillionaire needs her help after relocating an old ghost town to his mountain estate. The bones of a murdered prospector are making nightly appearances in his guests’ beds. When the gold miner’s ghost contacts Clare, she promises to help find the name of his killer—but someone doesn't want the past revealed and might find her first…
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 2, 2014
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831 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 8, 2014
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.
I know it’s only September, but I am beyond confident when I say that GHOST LAYER was my least favourite novel of 2014, and here’s why. Clare is an incredibly dense heroine; she doesn’t learn from her mistakes, and consistently made really poor judgement calls throughout this book. The author also used a ridiculous amount of caps to basically point out key elements to readers which I found beyond insulting. The romantic elements didn’t jive at all either. The mystery itself wasn’t horrible, albeit very predictable; the only good aspect of the whole story was Enzo, the ghost dog, but even then, it was unfortunate that nearly his entire dialogue was written in capital letters. I wasn’t sold on this series after the first installment, but decided to give 2 a try because I believe in second chances. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on ME!
Owens delved a bit deeper into her GHOST SEER lore by elaborating on the different types of spooks, what causes them to Go Bad, and the reasons why they don’t always move on. Some additional background is also given on Clare’s family tree such as the specifics of her ancestress’ deal with the Other, and some weird perks like getting a heads up when their deaths are imminent. The story itself was decently constructed, and I like how there’s always some truth to these books; in this case it was that the town of Curly Wolf was based on a real place—Buckskin Joe which is near Alma, Colorado. There were two main plot threads in this installment that ran alongside each other, and although I did enjoy the extra intrigue, I was able to pinpoint who the villain was very early on. The author brought in a couple of secondary characters in an attempt to make the list of suspects longer, but I wasn’t fooled.
My main issue was with Clare (obviously!); she had absolutely zero redeeming quality in my opinion. I can deal with weak heroines who are coming into their powers, but not stupid ones. Her unwillingness to accept her gift really rubbed me the wrong way. I get that she’s in denial, however, when you’re told that you must either accept your abilities or risk death or insanity, the stakes are just too high to ignore. Normally, I’m all for girl power, and hate it when the guy tries to ‘protect’ the protagonist, but in this case Zach is an ex-cop, and actually knows what he’s talking about. Someone is trying to kill Clare, so Slade advises her to stay in her room, and wear a bullet proof vest. Instead, she gets mad at him, completely disregards his warnings, and almost gets blown up by a car bomb. This heroine is seriously too stupid to live.
I really liked Zach as a character, but the more time he spent with Cermak, the more my opinion of him declined. He’s too smart to be falling in love with such an idiot! I struggled a great deal with the romantic aspects of this story because even though there’s LOTS of sex, their relationship was severely lacking in the chemistry department. Plus, Clare kept getting mad at Slade for refusing to reveal ALL of his secrets, yet they have only been dating for a couple of weeks. I found that this couple was horribly unbalanced, and felt sorry for Zach because he was like an abused dog that keeps coming back to his owner hoping to finally do right by them even though the situation is beyond hopeless. And, speaking of canines, I loved Enzo, but Robin D. Owens needs to learn how to use italics for emphasis, and understand the importance of showing vs. telling.
The cons of GHOST LAYER far outweighed its pros which is why I will not be continuing this series. Maybe there are readers out there who enjoy this author’s writing style, but it is definitely not for me.
I know it’s only September, but I am beyond confident when I say that GHOST LAYER was my least favourite novel of 2014, and here’s why. Clare is an incredibly dense heroine; she doesn’t learn from her mistakes, and consistently made really poor judgement calls throughout this book. The author also used a ridiculous amount of caps to basically point out key elements to readers which I found beyond insulting. The romantic elements didn’t jive at all either. The mystery itself wasn’t horrible, albeit very predictable; the only good aspect of the whole story was Enzo, the ghost dog, but even then, it was unfortunate that nearly his entire dialogue was written in capital letters. I wasn’t sold on this series after the first installment, but decided to give 2 a try because I believe in second chances. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on ME!
Owens delved a bit deeper into her GHOST SEER lore by elaborating on the different types of spooks, what causes them to Go Bad, and the reasons why they don’t always move on. Some additional background is also given on Clare’s family tree such as the specifics of her ancestress’ deal with the Other, and some weird perks like getting a heads up when their deaths are imminent. The story itself was decently constructed, and I like how there’s always some truth to these books; in this case it was that the town of Curly Wolf was based on a real place—Buckskin Joe which is near Alma, Colorado. There were two main plot threads in this installment that ran alongside each other, and although I did enjoy the extra intrigue, I was able to pinpoint who the villain was very early on. The author brought in a couple of secondary characters in an attempt to make the list of suspects longer, but I wasn’t fooled.
My main issue was with Clare (obviously!); she had absolutely zero redeeming quality in my opinion. I can deal with weak heroines who are coming into their powers, but not stupid ones. Her unwillingness to accept her gift really rubbed me the wrong way. I get that she’s in denial, however, when you’re told that you must either accept your abilities or risk death or insanity, the stakes are just too high to ignore. Normally, I’m all for girl power, and hate it when the guy tries to ‘protect’ the protagonist, but in this case Zach is an ex-cop, and actually knows what he’s talking about. Someone is trying to kill Clare, so Slade advises her to stay in her room, and wear a bullet proof vest. Instead, she gets mad at him, completely disregards his warnings, and almost gets blown up by a car bomb. This heroine is seriously too stupid to live.
I really liked Zach as a character, but the more time he spent with Cermak, the more my opinion of him declined. He’s too smart to be falling in love with such an idiot! I struggled a great deal with the romantic aspects of this story because even though there’s LOTS of sex, their relationship was severely lacking in the chemistry department. Plus, Clare kept getting mad at Slade for refusing to reveal ALL of his secrets, yet they have only been dating for a couple of weeks. I found that this couple was horribly unbalanced, and felt sorry for Zach because he was like an abused dog that keeps coming back to his owner hoping to finally do right by them even though the situation is beyond hopeless. And, speaking of canines, I loved Enzo, but Robin D. Owens needs to learn how to use italics for emphasis, and understand the importance of showing vs. telling.
The cons of GHOST LAYER far outweighed its pros which is why I will not be continuing this series. Maybe there are readers out there who enjoy this author’s writing style, but it is definitely not for me.
April 25, 2015
First reads winner
When Zach was thinking over their relationship and realized they’d only known each other 13 days, 6 of which he was away in Montana, it really brought into perspective how flawed their relationship really was in the first book. This one started out better though, I was really thinking it had promise. I was hoping for more chemistry and description of the love scenes, but alas, that is not meant to be in this book. The sex is brushed right over and swept under the rug. A major pet peeve of mine is romance authors that don’t write the romance scenes. This one was noticeably funnier and sweeter than the first one, like the author flipped on her charming switch and realized she needed to be funny in here. The first scene with J. Dawson Hidgepath the ghost and Enzo was cute. It was also cute how Zach missed her when she left and wanted the smell of her with him, so he wrote a note “Missing you. Took your little bottle. A kiss will get it back.”
Some major annoyances surfaced, some old themes from the first book. The guard at Mr. Laurentine’s house had the same look as Zach so he must be an ex-deputy sheriff. The author tries to force this theme way too much. Let it unfold naturally, don’t hammer it into reader’s heads at every turn that the men are big, they have big shoulders, they’re ex-military, ex-policemen, all the time. We don’t need the character to notice impossible things like being able to tell by the look of someone that they were specifically an ex-deputy sheriff, exactly like Zach. I find it impossible to believe that anyone could look in someone’s eye and pinpoint exactly that someone specifically used to be a deputy sheriff. Made all the more unbelievable because Clare has only been around Zach for 13 days, so she would have to have amazing perception skills to target this guy’s prior profession. It’s these far-fetched, unrealistic things like this that really rub me the wrong way. They’re so stilted and contrived and it’s trying too hard.
Dora, Clare’s niece, calls and they start using words from another language out of nowhere. I didn’t even know Clare knew any words in another language, as there was no indication of that in the entire first novel, and there was no explanation in here. Main character speaks in another language all of a sudden, just go with it! Though there was a little mention of her Gypsy ancestry, there was absolutely no mention whatsoever about her living that lifestyle. Dora demands to know about her gift, knowing that the aunt left a video for her. Dora isn’t likable, I thought she was a sweet little girl and she’s like this bratty, demanding teenager.
The minute Desiree appeared in the story I started disliking this book for all of the old reasons that made the first so unlikable. In order for me to like someone they usually need to make a good first impression, or else I’ve got those bad memories I can’t forget. And Desiree did not make a good first impression. Clare realizes that the disapproving housekeeper, the jealous bimbo Missy and Desiree have all slept with Mr. Laurentine. That’s disgusting, made more so by the fact that Desiree is married to Rick, Zach’s boss. Don’t people realize we think less of the person for having the bad judgment to sleep with the other person, not the other person for being the way they are. Like Mr. Laurentine isn’t likable, he’s cocky, rude, mean, uncaring of anyone else, esp the spirits who need to pass on. He just cares about having a real ghost town and parties at his house. So I think the fault lies with Desiree for sleeping with him.
Desiree having a power of her own was a little too much, and of course Clare’s aura is beautiful. In fact, once Clare fully accepts her gift it’ll be so bright Desiree will have to wear sunglasses. Just once I think I’d like to hear your aura looks like crap. It’s really dark which indicates you’re just a terrible person, something to break up the monotony! And Zach’s is dark which shows old and new pain, and it complements Clare’s. Of course.
It was nice when Zach came up the path and Desiree says go to him, he’d like that. It was cool she could tell that Zach would like it. Though is she an aura reader or a mind reader? Just throw another gift at her. And all the shoulder nudging that Desiree was doing was srsly getting old. She’d say something, nudge Clare’s shoulder, say something again, nudge her again. Can she say anything without touching Clare? So Zach comes and I’ve been wanting them to come together since Clare left, and they’ve been missing each other so I’m hoping for some romance. I should have known better.
Zach gestures for Desiree to leave the room first, and she lifts an eyebrow and says she’s taking care of Clare. Ok, why wud a stranger be taking care of Clare? That’s just annoying. Clare says she can take care of herself, fine words but nothing but talk, and neither Zach nor Desiree deign to respond, Clare’s words not mine, because they’re having a stare off. Perfect. When all else fails just introduce another person, slap her with a power of her own and call it a plot. I wanted Zach and Clare to be alone, not have a stranger getting in stare-offs with Zach and refusing to leave, horning in on their time together.
I HATE having another character, you u don’t like, be better at doing things than the main character. While the side character is risking her life, doing dangerous things, being competent and capable and strong, and protecting the heroine, the main character is needing to be protected, being hurt, weak, needy, following orders, doing as she’s told, and letting others protect her.
A shot sounds and Desiree jumps on Clare. Clare hits her cheek hard on the ground and Desiree, who I’m disliking more and more, says “wow, you really hit your cheek. Gonna have a bruise.” How sympathetic. She didn’t hit her cheek, u tackled her. Wtf?! I think an apology is in order.
Zach is scanning the area, like a freakin machine, not even asking how Clare is. I’m really getting sick of him having to have his right hand free, so he can grab his weapon, and him scanning. When she gets hung up on something she really gets on it and won’t let it go, just keeps saying it over and over.
Desiree tells Zach she doesn’t think the shooter was aiming for Clare because she didn’t see anything. Ok, so now she can read intentions of ppl maybe hundreds of yards away, see the future and see auras? And the powers just keep on coming.
Zach grabs her arm, hurries her down the path, Clare asks to go slow because of her ribs, after her previous fall down the stairs, and he just mutters he doesn’t want her out in the open. Him and Desiree are scanning like hawks for prey, extremely annoying. Zach comments she’ll need the doctor to look at her cheek and Clare, our strong and tough heroine, lets out a moan. There u go, Clare. Make urself look like more of a baby than u already have against the woman that can somehow do all that, save u from a bullet, scan the area, and not even be winded. I am so glad Clare is our heroine! Zach says her cheek needs icing and Desiree says just “sorry” and doesn’t even mean it. Oh great. Another character I hate.
Once they get back to the house Clare comes in the room with Mr. Laurentine, Desiree and Zach and he doesn’t even hold out his hand to her when she comes in. Clare wonders if it’s because he wants his weapon hand free or another reason. Great, more problems in this relationship is just what the doctor ordered, &in case anyone’s forgotten he uses his right hand for his weapon, well the author is going to say it again, he keeps his right hand free for his weapon. Got that? Mr. Laurentine is mocking as usual, saying “fall of the path, Clare?” She says she can give the bones back of Hidgepath back and let him handle them, implying she’s leaving (was that supposed to be her standing up to Laurentine, because that was pathetic) and Zach interrupts her with a warning tone. Not cool. It continues and later Clare just says the word I and Zach cuts her off and speaking for her says she’d like to get changed. They leave and Zach asks her what’s going on, like she’s the problem. Like his behavior towards her hasn’t been cold or rude at all. He accuses her of not being committed, and she says she doesn’t want to be a psychic detective and he says well he doesn’t want to be a private investigator. And Clare just rushes over and flings herself into his arms. That’s all it takes, after the way he’s been treating her she just throws herself at him. She decides to stay, def influenced by Zach. I didn’t like the way he talked her into staying. Helping the ghost was right but him basically manipulating her into staying rubbed me the wrong way.
&don’t 4get that Zach likes puzzles. As was stated, oh about 100 times in the 1st book, Zach likes puzzles. And this one is giving the other one a run for it’s money. It might even outdo it. Zach hunts men &puzzles. Seriously, this man shud sit down every now&then and do a jigsaw if he likes them so much.
The scene at the ghost town was absolutely ridiculous. It was beaten over my head with Zach, Rossi &Desiree. It was just too much. They were scanning, they pulled their weapons out when a man already alerted them to his presence, calling out coming up behind you. Zach grabs Clare, brings out his gun. They call Enzo, Clare talks to him, Zach nods, he heard it too. Rossi relaxes infinitesimally. His steps are less sharp, louder in the dirt, cuz Desiree came out of the shadows on the boardwalk &he trusts her to protect his client. Desiree, does she have military training or something? Let me guess, she was an ex-deputy sheriff too. No? Then how is it that she has training &she’s completely competent and can do everything, while Clare is weak, moaning, &unable to do anything but help ghosts on. Enzo’s running around, causes a cold breeze, Zach grimaces, Rossi flinches. Enzo tells Clare she has to help these ghosts pass on, so she goes to get in the building with the little boy ghost. Zach puts a hand in her arm stopping her, and asks Laurentine if the building& stairs are sound. He scans the area again, his eyes focus on her&then &only then with the permission of Zach does Clare enter the building. Atta girl. Be a dependent, helpless female. It’s so admirable. Desiree had already gone inside, checked the stairs out to the second floor and tells Clare she’s safe. Wonderful. 3 ppl protecting Clare, 3 ppl more capable than her, 3 ppl risking their lives for her. Desiree feels vibrations &energy, no doubt she’ll end up with the ability to see the ghosts, surprised she doesn’t already have it bcuz she’s gotten everything but the kitchen sink thrown at her. Rossi tells her if she goes in a room stay awy from the windows. She kidna zones out &thinks of the town, &Rossi impatiently says it again. Every1 is so respectful to Clare.
Clare tells their story after, that the boy died of influenza, the mother collapses and died at the train station. And for some reason Desiree’s eyes are gleaming as she tells Clare to go on. Didn’t rly get that, seems a strange time for sum1s eyes to gleam as they hear a story about death. Clare says Hidgepath left parts from 2 toes &Desiree’s eyes sparkle. Ok, this is just getting out of hand.
After Clare gets sick from pesticide poisoning in her water, her &Zach are about to leave the room, eat&talk to Hidgepath. Desiree smiles and says I’ll go with you. This is aggravating the cap out of me. Leave them alone. Why don’t u go in their bedroom while they’re having sex&watch them. Desiree says they’re more like her ppl than anyone else there, she’s a good bodyguard. So there she goes, u can’t shake her. She crowds Clare on her other side as they go up the stairs. Zach approves. They weren’t going to let her fall again. This book is so not good for my blood pressure. There Clare is needing to be shepherded up a flight of stairs. She shud b strapped into one of those little carriers for babies.
Clare came off as rude& not genuine with almost everything she said. She would say “thanks,” just that, not she said thanks sweetly, appreciatively, gratefully, no just Thanks and I didn’t believe it. Every time she said something to Enzo or the ghosts she’d say something but the author wouldn’t say how she said it, she uses absolutely no descriptive words at all, just slams the words in quotations and leaves it at that &we’re left wondering how the characters are talking &therefore it comes off short and fake. She also always complained about the cold. When a ghost touched her she’d say she had to buy scarves&robes. That’s rude to me. Just enjoy the moment &be helpful, not complain about the cold&touching them.
Desiree rushes into the meeting her husband Tony is having with Zach&Rossi. Rossi is shocked for some reason, like Desiree is just surprising &a loose cannon, says she’s taken with Clare &I think I’m supposed to care, but I don’t. Clare comes in &I think she’s going along with Desiree& decided to crash their meeting, but no, Clare grabs Desiree, lecturing her on protocol &procedure, frowning at the casual meeting atmosphere. Protocol &procedure, that’s what ou girl stands for. How very, utterly, totally &completely 100% boring. Snooze fest.
The writing is really lazy too, so many instances where awkward wording, esp when the author tries to give them chemistry &fails, stood out glaringly like the sun on the water. “Clare reached out and took his right hand and they linked fingers and it was great.” I’m sorry, did a 5 yr old write that? That is so sloppy. Can I get some kind of emotion, some description besides it was great? The clip from the next book: “Clare sat down next to Zach and even leaned against him a little. He was much nicer than the fridge, and knew about trouble and danger.” Did she srsly just compare him with a fridge? The whole soul-eating BAD ghost in the next book reaffirms my already twice-confirmed opinion that the writing just isn't good, and it's not going to get any better because it's the same told problems. Now the old lady that's Zach's landlord or something Idr has a great-grandson that can see ghosts and there's a ghost trying to eat him, "crunch, crunch, crunch." Yep, that's really in there. I can't take any more stupid talk. First Enzo and now this. I'm so disappointed with this series. I wasn't planning on reading this one at all, but I entered to win before I read the first one and I thought I'd better read it. It's so lacking in the romance department it isn't even funny, they have "fights," she easily forgives him, she's stiff and uptight, worried about getting paid for her services, being professional, still complaining about her gift, Zach is hung up about his past, doesn't want to open up, and tells Clare what to do and is too domineering, all the while their relationship progresses too fast over an outrageously short amount of time.
When Zach was thinking over their relationship and realized they’d only known each other 13 days, 6 of which he was away in Montana, it really brought into perspective how flawed their relationship really was in the first book. This one started out better though, I was really thinking it had promise. I was hoping for more chemistry and description of the love scenes, but alas, that is not meant to be in this book. The sex is brushed right over and swept under the rug. A major pet peeve of mine is romance authors that don’t write the romance scenes. This one was noticeably funnier and sweeter than the first one, like the author flipped on her charming switch and realized she needed to be funny in here. The first scene with J. Dawson Hidgepath the ghost and Enzo was cute. It was also cute how Zach missed her when she left and wanted the smell of her with him, so he wrote a note “Missing you. Took your little bottle. A kiss will get it back.”
Some major annoyances surfaced, some old themes from the first book. The guard at Mr. Laurentine’s house had the same look as Zach so he must be an ex-deputy sheriff. The author tries to force this theme way too much. Let it unfold naturally, don’t hammer it into reader’s heads at every turn that the men are big, they have big shoulders, they’re ex-military, ex-policemen, all the time. We don’t need the character to notice impossible things like being able to tell by the look of someone that they were specifically an ex-deputy sheriff, exactly like Zach. I find it impossible to believe that anyone could look in someone’s eye and pinpoint exactly that someone specifically used to be a deputy sheriff. Made all the more unbelievable because Clare has only been around Zach for 13 days, so she would have to have amazing perception skills to target this guy’s prior profession. It’s these far-fetched, unrealistic things like this that really rub me the wrong way. They’re so stilted and contrived and it’s trying too hard.
Dora, Clare’s niece, calls and they start using words from another language out of nowhere. I didn’t even know Clare knew any words in another language, as there was no indication of that in the entire first novel, and there was no explanation in here. Main character speaks in another language all of a sudden, just go with it! Though there was a little mention of her Gypsy ancestry, there was absolutely no mention whatsoever about her living that lifestyle. Dora demands to know about her gift, knowing that the aunt left a video for her. Dora isn’t likable, I thought she was a sweet little girl and she’s like this bratty, demanding teenager.
The minute Desiree appeared in the story I started disliking this book for all of the old reasons that made the first so unlikable. In order for me to like someone they usually need to make a good first impression, or else I’ve got those bad memories I can’t forget. And Desiree did not make a good first impression. Clare realizes that the disapproving housekeeper, the jealous bimbo Missy and Desiree have all slept with Mr. Laurentine. That’s disgusting, made more so by the fact that Desiree is married to Rick, Zach’s boss. Don’t people realize we think less of the person for having the bad judgment to sleep with the other person, not the other person for being the way they are. Like Mr. Laurentine isn’t likable, he’s cocky, rude, mean, uncaring of anyone else, esp the spirits who need to pass on. He just cares about having a real ghost town and parties at his house. So I think the fault lies with Desiree for sleeping with him.
Desiree having a power of her own was a little too much, and of course Clare’s aura is beautiful. In fact, once Clare fully accepts her gift it’ll be so bright Desiree will have to wear sunglasses. Just once I think I’d like to hear your aura looks like crap. It’s really dark which indicates you’re just a terrible person, something to break up the monotony! And Zach’s is dark which shows old and new pain, and it complements Clare’s. Of course.
It was nice when Zach came up the path and Desiree says go to him, he’d like that. It was cool she could tell that Zach would like it. Though is she an aura reader or a mind reader? Just throw another gift at her. And all the shoulder nudging that Desiree was doing was srsly getting old. She’d say something, nudge Clare’s shoulder, say something again, nudge her again. Can she say anything without touching Clare? So Zach comes and I’ve been wanting them to come together since Clare left, and they’ve been missing each other so I’m hoping for some romance. I should have known better.
Zach gestures for Desiree to leave the room first, and she lifts an eyebrow and says she’s taking care of Clare. Ok, why wud a stranger be taking care of Clare? That’s just annoying. Clare says she can take care of herself, fine words but nothing but talk, and neither Zach nor Desiree deign to respond, Clare’s words not mine, because they’re having a stare off. Perfect. When all else fails just introduce another person, slap her with a power of her own and call it a plot. I wanted Zach and Clare to be alone, not have a stranger getting in stare-offs with Zach and refusing to leave, horning in on their time together.
I HATE having another character, you u don’t like, be better at doing things than the main character. While the side character is risking her life, doing dangerous things, being competent and capable and strong, and protecting the heroine, the main character is needing to be protected, being hurt, weak, needy, following orders, doing as she’s told, and letting others protect her.
A shot sounds and Desiree jumps on Clare. Clare hits her cheek hard on the ground and Desiree, who I’m disliking more and more, says “wow, you really hit your cheek. Gonna have a bruise.” How sympathetic. She didn’t hit her cheek, u tackled her. Wtf?! I think an apology is in order.
Zach is scanning the area, like a freakin machine, not even asking how Clare is. I’m really getting sick of him having to have his right hand free, so he can grab his weapon, and him scanning. When she gets hung up on something she really gets on it and won’t let it go, just keeps saying it over and over.
Desiree tells Zach she doesn’t think the shooter was aiming for Clare because she didn’t see anything. Ok, so now she can read intentions of ppl maybe hundreds of yards away, see the future and see auras? And the powers just keep on coming.
Zach grabs her arm, hurries her down the path, Clare asks to go slow because of her ribs, after her previous fall down the stairs, and he just mutters he doesn’t want her out in the open. Him and Desiree are scanning like hawks for prey, extremely annoying. Zach comments she’ll need the doctor to look at her cheek and Clare, our strong and tough heroine, lets out a moan. There u go, Clare. Make urself look like more of a baby than u already have against the woman that can somehow do all that, save u from a bullet, scan the area, and not even be winded. I am so glad Clare is our heroine! Zach says her cheek needs icing and Desiree says just “sorry” and doesn’t even mean it. Oh great. Another character I hate.
Once they get back to the house Clare comes in the room with Mr. Laurentine, Desiree and Zach and he doesn’t even hold out his hand to her when she comes in. Clare wonders if it’s because he wants his weapon hand free or another reason. Great, more problems in this relationship is just what the doctor ordered, &in case anyone’s forgotten he uses his right hand for his weapon, well the author is going to say it again, he keeps his right hand free for his weapon. Got that? Mr. Laurentine is mocking as usual, saying “fall of the path, Clare?” She says she can give the bones back of Hidgepath back and let him handle them, implying she’s leaving (was that supposed to be her standing up to Laurentine, because that was pathetic) and Zach interrupts her with a warning tone. Not cool. It continues and later Clare just says the word I and Zach cuts her off and speaking for her says she’d like to get changed. They leave and Zach asks her what’s going on, like she’s the problem. Like his behavior towards her hasn’t been cold or rude at all. He accuses her of not being committed, and she says she doesn’t want to be a psychic detective and he says well he doesn’t want to be a private investigator. And Clare just rushes over and flings herself into his arms. That’s all it takes, after the way he’s been treating her she just throws herself at him. She decides to stay, def influenced by Zach. I didn’t like the way he talked her into staying. Helping the ghost was right but him basically manipulating her into staying rubbed me the wrong way.
&don’t 4get that Zach likes puzzles. As was stated, oh about 100 times in the 1st book, Zach likes puzzles. And this one is giving the other one a run for it’s money. It might even outdo it. Zach hunts men &puzzles. Seriously, this man shud sit down every now&then and do a jigsaw if he likes them so much.
The scene at the ghost town was absolutely ridiculous. It was beaten over my head with Zach, Rossi &Desiree. It was just too much. They were scanning, they pulled their weapons out when a man already alerted them to his presence, calling out coming up behind you. Zach grabs Clare, brings out his gun. They call Enzo, Clare talks to him, Zach nods, he heard it too. Rossi relaxes infinitesimally. His steps are less sharp, louder in the dirt, cuz Desiree came out of the shadows on the boardwalk &he trusts her to protect his client. Desiree, does she have military training or something? Let me guess, she was an ex-deputy sheriff too. No? Then how is it that she has training &she’s completely competent and can do everything, while Clare is weak, moaning, &unable to do anything but help ghosts on. Enzo’s running around, causes a cold breeze, Zach grimaces, Rossi flinches. Enzo tells Clare she has to help these ghosts pass on, so she goes to get in the building with the little boy ghost. Zach puts a hand in her arm stopping her, and asks Laurentine if the building& stairs are sound. He scans the area again, his eyes focus on her&then &only then with the permission of Zach does Clare enter the building. Atta girl. Be a dependent, helpless female. It’s so admirable. Desiree had already gone inside, checked the stairs out to the second floor and tells Clare she’s safe. Wonderful. 3 ppl protecting Clare, 3 ppl more capable than her, 3 ppl risking their lives for her. Desiree feels vibrations &energy, no doubt she’ll end up with the ability to see the ghosts, surprised she doesn’t already have it bcuz she’s gotten everything but the kitchen sink thrown at her. Rossi tells her if she goes in a room stay awy from the windows. She kidna zones out &thinks of the town, &Rossi impatiently says it again. Every1 is so respectful to Clare.
Clare tells their story after, that the boy died of influenza, the mother collapses and died at the train station. And for some reason Desiree’s eyes are gleaming as she tells Clare to go on. Didn’t rly get that, seems a strange time for sum1s eyes to gleam as they hear a story about death. Clare says Hidgepath left parts from 2 toes &Desiree’s eyes sparkle. Ok, this is just getting out of hand.
After Clare gets sick from pesticide poisoning in her water, her &Zach are about to leave the room, eat&talk to Hidgepath. Desiree smiles and says I’ll go with you. This is aggravating the cap out of me. Leave them alone. Why don’t u go in their bedroom while they’re having sex&watch them. Desiree says they’re more like her ppl than anyone else there, she’s a good bodyguard. So there she goes, u can’t shake her. She crowds Clare on her other side as they go up the stairs. Zach approves. They weren’t going to let her fall again. This book is so not good for my blood pressure. There Clare is needing to be shepherded up a flight of stairs. She shud b strapped into one of those little carriers for babies.
Clare came off as rude& not genuine with almost everything she said. She would say “thanks,” just that, not she said thanks sweetly, appreciatively, gratefully, no just Thanks and I didn’t believe it. Every time she said something to Enzo or the ghosts she’d say something but the author wouldn’t say how she said it, she uses absolutely no descriptive words at all, just slams the words in quotations and leaves it at that &we’re left wondering how the characters are talking &therefore it comes off short and fake. She also always complained about the cold. When a ghost touched her she’d say she had to buy scarves&robes. That’s rude to me. Just enjoy the moment &be helpful, not complain about the cold&touching them.
Desiree rushes into the meeting her husband Tony is having with Zach&Rossi. Rossi is shocked for some reason, like Desiree is just surprising &a loose cannon, says she’s taken with Clare &I think I’m supposed to care, but I don’t. Clare comes in &I think she’s going along with Desiree& decided to crash their meeting, but no, Clare grabs Desiree, lecturing her on protocol &procedure, frowning at the casual meeting atmosphere. Protocol &procedure, that’s what ou girl stands for. How very, utterly, totally &completely 100% boring. Snooze fest.
The writing is really lazy too, so many instances where awkward wording, esp when the author tries to give them chemistry &fails, stood out glaringly like the sun on the water. “Clare reached out and took his right hand and they linked fingers and it was great.” I’m sorry, did a 5 yr old write that? That is so sloppy. Can I get some kind of emotion, some description besides it was great? The clip from the next book: “Clare sat down next to Zach and even leaned against him a little. He was much nicer than the fridge, and knew about trouble and danger.” Did she srsly just compare him with a fridge? The whole soul-eating BAD ghost in the next book reaffirms my already twice-confirmed opinion that the writing just isn't good, and it's not going to get any better because it's the same told problems. Now the old lady that's Zach's landlord or something Idr has a great-grandson that can see ghosts and there's a ghost trying to eat him, "crunch, crunch, crunch." Yep, that's really in there. I can't take any more stupid talk. First Enzo and now this. I'm so disappointed with this series. I wasn't planning on reading this one at all, but I entered to win before I read the first one and I thought I'd better read it. It's so lacking in the romance department it isn't even funny, they have "fights," she easily forgives him, she's stiff and uptight, worried about getting paid for her services, being professional, still complaining about her gift, Zach is hung up about his past, doesn't want to open up, and tells Clare what to do and is too domineering, all the while their relationship progresses too fast over an outrageously short amount of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2014
I went into this sequel with the attitude that while I wasn't blown away by the first book, I still saw plenty of good stuff to want to continue the series. After shutting the last page on the book, I'm left with an odd feeling. In a nutshell, I was dissatisfied that both separately and together, Claire and Zach didn't grow- in fact, they regressed and then had to move forward again. It felt like deja vu reading this story because in many ways it was a copy of the first book when it comes to certain elements. I'm going to skip my usual summary or this will all get entirely too long (okay, longer than my usual epic-length reviews).
Now what do I mean about the deja vu thing...
I gave the first book a pass on the pacing and ability to grab my interest right away because it was setting things up- introducing the Ghost Seer world, introducing the characters, etc. It had a slow start and really didn't start moving until over half-way through and even then it was tempered by long moments of Claire's denials. Claire and Zach had hang-ups because of her new psychic gift, her almost OCD accountant-type brain that turns all aspects of her life into an account sheet, his new disability causing him to give up a career that defined him, his need to suppress his own psychic gift, their family issues from their pasts that are unresolved so bleed into their present and their relationship commitment issues. About halfway through,things got real and dangerous with the general plot and got steamy with the romance and that's when I settled in for the ride.
Now fast-forward to this book and, well, let's just say everything I just said about book one- and I mean everything- is true again. New ghost, new case, but really the ground being covered was the same. They were nearly back to square one with accepting psychic gifts, not dealing with their pasts and dancing around each other. I waited to see if this stuff got dealt with quick and moved on, but it didn't. And then finally, long after I gave up on seeing any forward movement, there was a little at the end. Not where I wanted to be when I closed the last page on the sequel and I definitely was disappointed that this second book had the same pacing issues without the excuse of being the first book. Over half the book was Claire's dithering about her gift and about her relationship with Zach and this had me muttering several times to 'just get on with it- accept/don't accept gift, be with him/don't be with him, but just make a choice already'. I'd be more understanding if it all didn't seem like barriers just to have barriers. If the progress is to be three steps forward two steps back all the time, this will be a seriously long series and the reader can save themselves some irritation and just jump in to the middle of the book after getting the set up chapter. Whew! Okay, that's out of my system.
As to what kept me reading and enjoying this book, first of all, I enjoy the creative Ghost Seer world that Claire and Zach along with a handful of others that look like they'll be regular minor characters are part of. Enzo, the dog ghost mentor for Claire, is back and just as engaging as ever. I am very curious about the Other that share's Enzo's body sometimes.
Zach and Claire's prickly, but passionate chemistry is still there. Things are hot in their sexy times and this is the one thing they have that is simple between them. They understand each other so well even if they have trouble understanding themselves or their relationship which causes some of the trouble in their relationship.
On an aside, I don't get their hang-ups about being together even after the explanations, but that's nothing to how I feel about the character of Claire. I really don't get Claire at all. I don't dislike her, in fact, she amuses me to death, but I do think she's a bit of an oddity and not b/c of the ghost or accountant stuff. That's part of her personality and I get that stuff. Her thing about 'balance' in her relationships and need to not depend on others. The issues she takes with things seem so minor or non-existent to me. She keeps me slightly confused the whole time I'm reading. I wanted to laugh every time someone told her to do/do not something (and this was generally related to her safety after she'd been attacked) b/c this was like a signal for her back to stiffen and her common sense to get tangled. It doesn't occur to her that people tell her things because they care and not because they want to boss her around (okay, most people have altruistic reasons).
Moving on, I also enjoyed the new ghost who was quite the character, his unsolved murder, the ghost town and ranch setting along with the new characters that were well drawn and kept my interest. I want more Enzo, more Dora, and more time with Zach's mom who seems to be a key to his unresolved issues. I want more of the author's unique writing voice too that gives the stories a foreign flavor particularly Claire's voice (maybe her gypsy background coming into play?)
While much of the book didn't feel like it progressed much as to Claire and Zach's development, I did feel that the last bit showed promise of where things are going. I guess when all's said and done, I want to keep going with the series. Ironically, I'm going to recommend that the reader start with book one if they plan to tackle the series because there is a great deal of background given in the first book that makes sense in the second one. My recommendation is to Urban Fantasy lovers that don't mind a difficult yet passionate couple as their heroes.
This book was graciously provided by Penguin Group and Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
Now what do I mean about the deja vu thing...
I gave the first book a pass on the pacing and ability to grab my interest right away because it was setting things up- introducing the Ghost Seer world, introducing the characters, etc. It had a slow start and really didn't start moving until over half-way through and even then it was tempered by long moments of Claire's denials. Claire and Zach had hang-ups because of her new psychic gift, her almost OCD accountant-type brain that turns all aspects of her life into an account sheet, his new disability causing him to give up a career that defined him, his need to suppress his own psychic gift, their family issues from their pasts that are unresolved so bleed into their present and their relationship commitment issues. About halfway through,things got real and dangerous with the general plot and got steamy with the romance and that's when I settled in for the ride.
Now fast-forward to this book and, well, let's just say everything I just said about book one- and I mean everything- is true again. New ghost, new case, but really the ground being covered was the same. They were nearly back to square one with accepting psychic gifts, not dealing with their pasts and dancing around each other. I waited to see if this stuff got dealt with quick and moved on, but it didn't. And then finally, long after I gave up on seeing any forward movement, there was a little at the end. Not where I wanted to be when I closed the last page on the sequel and I definitely was disappointed that this second book had the same pacing issues without the excuse of being the first book. Over half the book was Claire's dithering about her gift and about her relationship with Zach and this had me muttering several times to 'just get on with it- accept/don't accept gift, be with him/don't be with him, but just make a choice already'. I'd be more understanding if it all didn't seem like barriers just to have barriers. If the progress is to be three steps forward two steps back all the time, this will be a seriously long series and the reader can save themselves some irritation and just jump in to the middle of the book after getting the set up chapter. Whew! Okay, that's out of my system.
As to what kept me reading and enjoying this book, first of all, I enjoy the creative Ghost Seer world that Claire and Zach along with a handful of others that look like they'll be regular minor characters are part of. Enzo, the dog ghost mentor for Claire, is back and just as engaging as ever. I am very curious about the Other that share's Enzo's body sometimes.
Zach and Claire's prickly, but passionate chemistry is still there. Things are hot in their sexy times and this is the one thing they have that is simple between them. They understand each other so well even if they have trouble understanding themselves or their relationship which causes some of the trouble in their relationship.
On an aside, I don't get their hang-ups about being together even after the explanations, but that's nothing to how I feel about the character of Claire. I really don't get Claire at all. I don't dislike her, in fact, she amuses me to death, but I do think she's a bit of an oddity and not b/c of the ghost or accountant stuff. That's part of her personality and I get that stuff. Her thing about 'balance' in her relationships and need to not depend on others. The issues she takes with things seem so minor or non-existent to me. She keeps me slightly confused the whole time I'm reading. I wanted to laugh every time someone told her to do/do not something (and this was generally related to her safety after she'd been attacked) b/c this was like a signal for her back to stiffen and her common sense to get tangled. It doesn't occur to her that people tell her things because they care and not because they want to boss her around (okay, most people have altruistic reasons).
Moving on, I also enjoyed the new ghost who was quite the character, his unsolved murder, the ghost town and ranch setting along with the new characters that were well drawn and kept my interest. I want more Enzo, more Dora, and more time with Zach's mom who seems to be a key to his unresolved issues. I want more of the author's unique writing voice too that gives the stories a foreign flavor particularly Claire's voice (maybe her gypsy background coming into play?)
While much of the book didn't feel like it progressed much as to Claire and Zach's development, I did feel that the last bit showed promise of where things are going. I guess when all's said and done, I want to keep going with the series. Ironically, I'm going to recommend that the reader start with book one if they plan to tackle the series because there is a great deal of background given in the first book that makes sense in the second one. My recommendation is to Urban Fantasy lovers that don't mind a difficult yet passionate couple as their heroes.
This book was graciously provided by Penguin Group and Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
March 5, 2016
Ghost Layer picks up a few weeks after Ghost Seer ended. Clare has one case under her belt, and Zack Slade, retired cop turned private detective has just returned to Denver after testifying in a case back in his old stomping grounds of Montana. His new boss has a job for Clare involving a very wealthy snot of a man who relocated an entire western town to his ranch and is now being haunted by a ghost. While it is great for creating an authentic atmosphere, the fact that the ghost is leaving parts of his skeleton in guest’s beds is not.
The ghost contacts Clare and wants her to help solve his murder and things get complicated. The mystery aspect was fascinating tying past histories to the present. Clare’s gift is unique, and she has finally accepted it and we see growth in her skill. Zack too is gifted, but he stubbornly denies it even as it aids him. Enzo, the happy puppy like ghost dog, is the highlight of the series with his childlike voice weaved with wisdom regarding the spirit world. The “Other” had me curious, and we learn more more about them.
It all sounds fascinating right? So why only two and half cups of coffee? The main characters. Clare gets herself in situations by not taking Zack’s advice. She claims to accept her gift, and then avoids it one moment and is all gung-ho the next. I dismissed this characteristic in the first book because of the way she came into this gift/job but for some reason she annoyed me in Ghost Layer. To her credit towards the end, she did improve immensely. The relationship slowed down which was good, but parts were awkward and weird. It tainted the overall tale for me. I am not sure if I will continue the series I think book three will make it or break it for me.
Copy received from publisher. Full review at Caffeinated.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The ghost contacts Clare and wants her to help solve his murder and things get complicated. The mystery aspect was fascinating tying past histories to the present. Clare’s gift is unique, and she has finally accepted it and we see growth in her skill. Zack too is gifted, but he stubbornly denies it even as it aids him. Enzo, the happy puppy like ghost dog, is the highlight of the series with his childlike voice weaved with wisdom regarding the spirit world. The “Other” had me curious, and we learn more more about them.
It all sounds fascinating right? So why only two and half cups of coffee? The main characters. Clare gets herself in situations by not taking Zack’s advice. She claims to accept her gift, and then avoids it one moment and is all gung-ho the next. I dismissed this characteristic in the first book because of the way she came into this gift/job but for some reason she annoyed me in Ghost Layer. To her credit towards the end, she did improve immensely. The relationship slowed down which was good, but parts were awkward and weird. It tainted the overall tale for me. I am not sure if I will continue the series I think book three will make it or break it for me.
Copy received from publisher. Full review at Caffeinated.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
January 15, 2017
3.5 stars.
I'd forgotten most of the previous book, but I'm glad I've picked this series up again. It turns out that the series has the same H/h throughout and it deals with the development and acceptance of their psychic gifts and their relationship.
The tone and plot of this book reminds me of JAK's Arcane series, but dealing with ghosts instead. It was a nice and enjoyable read. Will be interesting to see how it grows from here.
I'd forgotten most of the previous book, but I'm glad I've picked this series up again. It turns out that the series has the same H/h throughout and it deals with the development and acceptance of their psychic gifts and their relationship.
The tone and plot of this book reminds me of JAK's Arcane series, but dealing with ghosts instead. It was a nice and enjoyable read. Will be interesting to see how it grows from here.
September 25, 2017
These are good books with interesting plots. The two main characters are working through their pasts and presents to make their relationship work but not in a way that frustrates the reader, at least not me. They're both in denial of their "gifts" but at the same time they use them when they have to and are coming to grips with the woo woo stuff. I'll keep going.
October 13, 2016
I may have given this four stars, because I do enjoy the plot and the characters. But it's just soooo slooooow. I skimmed and it still took me four hours of nonstop reading to finish. And I can't really figure out what it is that should be cut to shorten things - there isn't a lot of extraneous information. I think the only thing to cut out is Clare and Zach's mental aerobics over accepting or not accepting their gifts. I spent half of the last book going through that nonsense - it's time to believe, Clare.
The next book looks a teensy bit shorter, but I'm gonna be really upset if we again spend too much page time on Clare freaking out over her psychic gift.
The next book looks a teensy bit shorter, but I'm gonna be really upset if we again spend too much page time on Clare freaking out over her psychic gift.
October 16, 2016
Basic Plot: Clare is on another case, this time to lay to rest a murdered man's ghost who's been haunting a local millionaire's recently-purchased ghost town.
This book has one of the most unfortunate titles *ever*. Seriously a bad choice. Yes, it's explained, but I was embarrassed by the mere thought of someone else seeing the title if I read it in public. Even if I know from reading the book that a ghost layer is a person who lays ghosts to rest, it still sounds excessively naughty, and kind of necrophiliac...
Either way, I don't think this book was as good as the first in the series. It got bogged down in details. Even though there were things happening pretty steadily, the pacing still felt sluggish. Zach made me want to punch him a few times by being overly-domineering alpha-male and Clare earned a few mental slugs herself by letting him tell her what to do. Enzo, my favorite character, wasn't nearly as present in this story, either, so there was a lot of letdown in it.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but I may take a short break before hunting down any more in the series.
This book has one of the most unfortunate titles *ever*. Seriously a bad choice. Yes, it's explained, but I was embarrassed by the mere thought of someone else seeing the title if I read it in public. Even if I know from reading the book that a ghost layer is a person who lays ghosts to rest, it still sounds excessively naughty, and kind of necrophiliac...
Either way, I don't think this book was as good as the first in the series. It got bogged down in details. Even though there were things happening pretty steadily, the pacing still felt sluggish. Zach made me want to punch him a few times by being overly-domineering alpha-male and Clare earned a few mental slugs herself by letting him tell her what to do. Enzo, my favorite character, wasn't nearly as present in this story, either, so there was a lot of letdown in it.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but I may take a short break before hunting down any more in the series.
January 14, 2015
Ghost Seer #2
Clare can see ghosts and she helps them in to the beyond. Her boyfriend Zach's boss arranges a very well paying job for her. The ghost of a prospector is wreaking havoc. J. Dawson Hidgepath has followed the town of Curly Wolf which was moved by Dennis Laurentine, a rich jerk. Hidgepath has been leaving his bones in the beds of ladies in Laurentine's home. The first two times it happened they re-interred them. But now Laurentine is getting angry. He wants the ghost and his bones gone.
Clare wants to help Hidgepath. He says he was murdered and he will not rest until he finds out who did it. Clare's life is in danger while she and Zach, a PI, try to figure out this 100+ year old murder case.
I have not read this author before. I really got into this story right away. I liked the love story between Clare and Zach and the learning and developing of their gifts.
Clare can see ghosts and she helps them in to the beyond. Her boyfriend Zach's boss arranges a very well paying job for her. The ghost of a prospector is wreaking havoc. J. Dawson Hidgepath has followed the town of Curly Wolf which was moved by Dennis Laurentine, a rich jerk. Hidgepath has been leaving his bones in the beds of ladies in Laurentine's home. The first two times it happened they re-interred them. But now Laurentine is getting angry. He wants the ghost and his bones gone.
Clare wants to help Hidgepath. He says he was murdered and he will not rest until he finds out who did it. Clare's life is in danger while she and Zach, a PI, try to figure out this 100+ year old murder case.
I have not read this author before. I really got into this story right away. I liked the love story between Clare and Zach and the learning and developing of their gifts.
January 12, 2017
Good read. This one has her traveling to the dude ranch of a rich, famous guy to exorcise the ghost that came along with the ghost town the rich guy bought and had transported to his ranch. The ghost wouldn't be so bad, but he keeps leaving various bits of his bones around as gifts for the pretty ladies. This means solving the mystery of what actually happened to him. interesting and fun read. I liked it a whole lot.
did-not-finish
August 15, 2014DNF around 25%
Either the writing was more stilted in Ghost Seer than I remember from the first book or I just noticed it more this time around, but I ended up giving up on this one. Claire and Zach both fell flat for me and their romance was not sexy at all. The only high point was Enzo, the ghost dog.
Either the writing was more stilted in Ghost Seer than I remember from the first book or I just noticed it more this time around, but I ended up giving up on this one. Claire and Zach both fell flat for me and their romance was not sexy at all. The only high point was Enzo, the ghost dog.
September 6, 2014
This joint review was originally published at The Book Pushers
E: I first discovered Owens through her Heart Mate series several years ago and was touched not just by her storytelling ability but with the lyrical nature of her words. As a result I have followed her to this her fourth series. We reviewed Ghost Seer, the first installment of this series earlier this year and thought it was a solid opening to a new world. As a result I eagerly requested a copy of Ghost Layer when it became available for review and I am glad I did. I thought the promise I sensed is well on its way to being delivered.
Marlene: I was one of the co-reviewers for the first book in this series, and just like my colleague above, I thought it was a good opening for a series and wanted to see where she went with it. Sometimes it takes me a while to get into an Owens series; I love the Celta series now, but the first time I read Heart Mate I was kind of ‘meh’. It got me on the second read. This Ghost Seer series seems to be getting me on the second book. I enjoyed Ghost Layer more than Ghost Seer, I think because some of worldbuilding is out of the way.
Also I adore the ghost-dog Enzo (I hope my cats can’t read this) and any scene where he bounces in has a spark of humor and whimsy to lighten the ghostly load.
E: I have to admit it took a second reading of Heart Mate for me as well but it was all she wrote after that.
Clare and Zach are going through a couple of different journeys. Each is having to deal with the knowledge they happen to have something a bit extra which needs to be controlled or it will control them. The other is navigating their still young but very intense relationship. One thing which bothered me about Ghost Seer is how it seemed to be very focused on Clare’s personal journey and left Zach very much in the support role. While the main focus of this installment was on Clare, Zach’s abilities and his reluctance to deal with them because of his past also started to play a significant role. I really enjoyed how Clare started to push Zach and insist that he share with her as he insisted she share with him. It was part of their growing relationship and something Zach needed to face so he could start to move forward again.
Marlene: The thing that makes Clare and Zach’s relationship so interesting is that they both have gifts which they have spent their entire lives denying. Because their romantic relationship came about because of changes in their lives that neither of them wanted to accept, and because any future relationship is going to require that they not only accept those gifts, but use them in tandem to help each other, their relationship sometimes took a ‘one step forward, two steps back’ rhythm. Zach is aware that he only found Clare because he got injured, but that doesn’t mean he always thinks the good outweighs the bad. A lot of Zach’s journey in this story is accepting who and what he is, and that he is part of a growing partnership.
E: There was certainly a dance involved I agree. This particular case which started with Clare and spread to include Zach helped encourage more acceptance in the use of their gifts. Clare was still dealing with relatively benign ghosts and learning more about what she should be able to do with ghosts. Almost like she was going through progressively harder ‘layings’ building confidence and learning skills before hopefully having to face evil. Zach on the other hand was struggling with his guilt about the death of his brother, his mother’s mental absence, and how he needed to pay attention to his feelings not just to help solve a case but to also protect Clare. In addition, Zach was still dealing with his mental depression and anger over his career ending injury and the resultant adjustments to how he was accustomed to living.
Marlene: The story of this particular ‘ghost laying’ added a whole cast of baddies as well as letting readers see a bit more of the workings of Rickman Investigations, now that Clare and Zach are both working for the company. It’s getting clearer by the minute that every operative at Rickman’s is not only good at his or her job, but also has some spark of supernatural talent. This crew is starting to remind me of Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters, where everyone has a psychic talent and covers problems that regular law enforcement doesn’t believe exists.
E: As always with Owens’ writing I found her supporting cast intriguing and relatively well fleshed out. I continued to enjoy the presence of Clare’s ghost dog familiar, Enzo, and how Zach started talking to him as well. I also thought the touch of him having his own role to play and rules within that role helped motivate Clare into continuing to work to claim her power. Like Marlene, I am also rather intrigued with Zach’s landlady, his employer, Rickman, and his employer’s wife. I am hoping they continue to play a prominent role and that Owens continues to divulge bits and pieces about them. I think they have some unexpected depths and more of a stake in Zach and Clare than what seems apparent.
Marlene: The case that Clare has to solve concerns a ghost who keeps leaving his bones in women’s beds. Which sounds yucky. (At least they are dry bones). The ghost wants to move on, but he’s not just a ghost. He’s also the remnant of a crime that reaches from the 1880s to the 2010s. And someone doesn’t want Clare to discover the truth, old or new. The small community that has grown up around an old ghost town, and one arrogant, rich bastard’s nearby remote mansion, contains more than enough nasty characters to commit multiple crimes, including several attempts to murder Clare. One of the things that bothered me in the story was just how evil all the red herring characters seemed to be. While the villain gets their just desserts at the end, I really wanted a few more people to get theirs.
E: I loved the inclusion of the crime, and the random dry bones. I think this particular ghost during life probably caused a lot of young women to sigh longingly, older women to smile and shake their heads, and men to either envy and want to be him or despise him. It was a lot of fun watching him unleash his charm on Clare as he tried to help her lay him to rest. And the thank you at the end **sigh**. I have to admit I was a bit curious about how the arrogant, rich bastard moved the entire town, and ended up with people who had a vested interest in the town and its history scattered between the town and his mansion. Like Marlene I had a rather strong dislike to several of the individuals and while the ending worked, I wanted retribution spread a bit further.
Marlene: The case provided some serious hitches in the growth of the relationship between Clare and Zach. Clare kept getting seriously hurt, over and over. She was poisoned, she was pushed down a flight of stairs, she was shot at, etc. She was never fully healed from any of her attacks. Zach kept trying to protect her, and got a bit overbearing about it, which caused a lot of tension. And that tension just kept ratcheting up instead of being dealt with until the end. They both got a mild case of stupid about the effect they were having on each other.
E: As I mentioned earlier, I agree with Marlene about how this case forced Clare and Zach to work on juggling their personal relationship with their professional relationship. Like always I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the little touches added to make this world seem three-dimensional. I am certainly looking forward to the next installment, especially after reading the teaser at the end. Poor Clare and Zach will have their work cut-out for them I think.
I give Ghost Layer a B+
Marlene: Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I’m glad that she’s continuing the series with next year’s Ghost Killer. I’m looking forward to exploring more Wild West ghost legends (this story was based on a real ghost) as well as watching Zach and Clare figure out the terms of their partnership. And I want more Enzo!
I give Ghost Layer a B+
E: I first discovered Owens through her Heart Mate series several years ago and was touched not just by her storytelling ability but with the lyrical nature of her words. As a result I have followed her to this her fourth series. We reviewed Ghost Seer, the first installment of this series earlier this year and thought it was a solid opening to a new world. As a result I eagerly requested a copy of Ghost Layer when it became available for review and I am glad I did. I thought the promise I sensed is well on its way to being delivered.
Marlene: I was one of the co-reviewers for the first book in this series, and just like my colleague above, I thought it was a good opening for a series and wanted to see where she went with it. Sometimes it takes me a while to get into an Owens series; I love the Celta series now, but the first time I read Heart Mate I was kind of ‘meh’. It got me on the second read. This Ghost Seer series seems to be getting me on the second book. I enjoyed Ghost Layer more than Ghost Seer, I think because some of worldbuilding is out of the way.
Also I adore the ghost-dog Enzo (I hope my cats can’t read this) and any scene where he bounces in has a spark of humor and whimsy to lighten the ghostly load.
E: I have to admit it took a second reading of Heart Mate for me as well but it was all she wrote after that.
Clare and Zach are going through a couple of different journeys. Each is having to deal with the knowledge they happen to have something a bit extra which needs to be controlled or it will control them. The other is navigating their still young but very intense relationship. One thing which bothered me about Ghost Seer is how it seemed to be very focused on Clare’s personal journey and left Zach very much in the support role. While the main focus of this installment was on Clare, Zach’s abilities and his reluctance to deal with them because of his past also started to play a significant role. I really enjoyed how Clare started to push Zach and insist that he share with her as he insisted she share with him. It was part of their growing relationship and something Zach needed to face so he could start to move forward again.
Marlene: The thing that makes Clare and Zach’s relationship so interesting is that they both have gifts which they have spent their entire lives denying. Because their romantic relationship came about because of changes in their lives that neither of them wanted to accept, and because any future relationship is going to require that they not only accept those gifts, but use them in tandem to help each other, their relationship sometimes took a ‘one step forward, two steps back’ rhythm. Zach is aware that he only found Clare because he got injured, but that doesn’t mean he always thinks the good outweighs the bad. A lot of Zach’s journey in this story is accepting who and what he is, and that he is part of a growing partnership.
E: There was certainly a dance involved I agree. This particular case which started with Clare and spread to include Zach helped encourage more acceptance in the use of their gifts. Clare was still dealing with relatively benign ghosts and learning more about what she should be able to do with ghosts. Almost like she was going through progressively harder ‘layings’ building confidence and learning skills before hopefully having to face evil. Zach on the other hand was struggling with his guilt about the death of his brother, his mother’s mental absence, and how he needed to pay attention to his feelings not just to help solve a case but to also protect Clare. In addition, Zach was still dealing with his mental depression and anger over his career ending injury and the resultant adjustments to how he was accustomed to living.
Marlene: The story of this particular ‘ghost laying’ added a whole cast of baddies as well as letting readers see a bit more of the workings of Rickman Investigations, now that Clare and Zach are both working for the company. It’s getting clearer by the minute that every operative at Rickman’s is not only good at his or her job, but also has some spark of supernatural talent. This crew is starting to remind me of Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters, where everyone has a psychic talent and covers problems that regular law enforcement doesn’t believe exists.
E: As always with Owens’ writing I found her supporting cast intriguing and relatively well fleshed out. I continued to enjoy the presence of Clare’s ghost dog familiar, Enzo, and how Zach started talking to him as well. I also thought the touch of him having his own role to play and rules within that role helped motivate Clare into continuing to work to claim her power. Like Marlene, I am also rather intrigued with Zach’s landlady, his employer, Rickman, and his employer’s wife. I am hoping they continue to play a prominent role and that Owens continues to divulge bits and pieces about them. I think they have some unexpected depths and more of a stake in Zach and Clare than what seems apparent.
Marlene: The case that Clare has to solve concerns a ghost who keeps leaving his bones in women’s beds. Which sounds yucky. (At least they are dry bones). The ghost wants to move on, but he’s not just a ghost. He’s also the remnant of a crime that reaches from the 1880s to the 2010s. And someone doesn’t want Clare to discover the truth, old or new. The small community that has grown up around an old ghost town, and one arrogant, rich bastard’s nearby remote mansion, contains more than enough nasty characters to commit multiple crimes, including several attempts to murder Clare. One of the things that bothered me in the story was just how evil all the red herring characters seemed to be. While the villain gets their just desserts at the end, I really wanted a few more people to get theirs.
E: I loved the inclusion of the crime, and the random dry bones. I think this particular ghost during life probably caused a lot of young women to sigh longingly, older women to smile and shake their heads, and men to either envy and want to be him or despise him. It was a lot of fun watching him unleash his charm on Clare as he tried to help her lay him to rest. And the thank you at the end **sigh**. I have to admit I was a bit curious about how the arrogant, rich bastard moved the entire town, and ended up with people who had a vested interest in the town and its history scattered between the town and his mansion. Like Marlene I had a rather strong dislike to several of the individuals and while the ending worked, I wanted retribution spread a bit further.
Marlene: The case provided some serious hitches in the growth of the relationship between Clare and Zach. Clare kept getting seriously hurt, over and over. She was poisoned, she was pushed down a flight of stairs, she was shot at, etc. She was never fully healed from any of her attacks. Zach kept trying to protect her, and got a bit overbearing about it, which caused a lot of tension. And that tension just kept ratcheting up instead of being dealt with until the end. They both got a mild case of stupid about the effect they were having on each other.
E: As I mentioned earlier, I agree with Marlene about how this case forced Clare and Zach to work on juggling their personal relationship with their professional relationship. Like always I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the little touches added to make this world seem three-dimensional. I am certainly looking forward to the next installment, especially after reading the teaser at the end. Poor Clare and Zach will have their work cut-out for them I think.
I give Ghost Layer a B+
Marlene: Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I’m glad that she’s continuing the series with next year’s Ghost Killer. I’m looking forward to exploring more Wild West ghost legends (this story was based on a real ghost) as well as watching Zach and Clare figure out the terms of their partnership. And I want more Enzo!
I give Ghost Layer a B+
February 23, 2018
Ebook
Grade: C
Not a review, just some thoughts for personal reference. Spoilers.
I'm not going to write a detailed synopsis of the storyline because, quite simply, I didn't like the book enough to bother. My issues with the first book continued with this book. There was almost nothing about the case that was mysterious. It was clear that the ghost was murdered and why. It was also obvious who the killer was from his first appearance. Clare and Zach continue to be unpleasant and unlikable. They're still jumping each other at every opportunity even tho it seems they don't even always like each other, either. And they've only known each other for less than a month. Also, neither one seems all that good at what they're doing even tho we're told how smart and competent they are. Again, I get that Clare's new to the ghost stuff, but knuckle down and try to learn some stuff. And both of them are still moping around about the awful things in their lives. Boo fucking hoo.
Unlike the first book, this book isn't saved by likable secondary characters. A few (Tony--the boss at the security firm, Rossi--one of the operatives, Desiree--an operative and Tony's wife--although I'm still deciding about her because she act's like she's on uppers, Mrs. Flinton--Tony's godmother and Zach's landlady, and Enzo the labrador ghost) are good, but the rest are tedious and/or detestable.
Again, I'm thinking I was too generous with 3 stars and may need to knock that down a bit. Part of that is influenced by the fact that I started book 3 and I'm barely into it and just want to shoot myself. I hate DNFing books, but am trying to ditch books/series that just aren't working for me rather than continuing to the bitter end. Life's too short to spend it reading books that aren't enjoyable.
Grade: C
Not a review, just some thoughts for personal reference. Spoilers.
I'm not going to write a detailed synopsis of the storyline because, quite simply, I didn't like the book enough to bother. My issues with the first book continued with this book. There was almost nothing about the case that was mysterious. It was clear that the ghost was murdered and why. It was also obvious who the killer was from his first appearance. Clare and Zach continue to be unpleasant and unlikable. They're still jumping each other at every opportunity even tho it seems they don't even always like each other, either. And they've only known each other for less than a month. Also, neither one seems all that good at what they're doing even tho we're told how smart and competent they are. Again, I get that Clare's new to the ghost stuff, but knuckle down and try to learn some stuff. And both of them are still moping around about the awful things in their lives. Boo fucking hoo.
Unlike the first book, this book isn't saved by likable secondary characters. A few (Tony--the boss at the security firm, Rossi--one of the operatives, Desiree--an operative and Tony's wife--although I'm still deciding about her because she act's like she's on uppers, Mrs. Flinton--Tony's godmother and Zach's landlady, and Enzo the labrador ghost) are good, but the rest are tedious and/or detestable.
Again, I'm thinking I was too generous with 3 stars and may need to knock that down a bit. Part of that is influenced by the fact that I started book 3 and I'm barely into it and just want to shoot myself. I hate DNFing books, but am trying to ditch books/series that just aren't working for me rather than continuing to the bitter end. Life's too short to spend it reading books that aren't enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2019
I don't entirely like the characters/world mechanics, but I'm interested enough that I want top know what happens... I'll still probably pick up the next book when it's available through my library...
One of my biggest gripes was that it felt like it picked up too soon: barely a week after the first book ended, so there was no offstage growth, and things started happening in this book so fast that there felt like there was still no time for the main character to learn anything about her gift... Can she please have some time to read the damn journals so she can stop floundering like a complete noob and can at least have enough knowledge to pretend to kind of look like she knows what she's doing? I feel like the complete ignorance should have been finished in book 1, and in this one she should have had some more basic knowledge, even if she ended up stumbling around a bit.. like, couldn't she have had at least a month to read a journal and transition a few minor ghosts between books before dumping herinto another big one? That would have left some room for some "sate the fans short stories" to throw in...
If the next one doesn't let her get educated I may rage quit the series. I mean, even Stephanie Plum, regardless of the fact that she's a complete screw-up, knew _how_ she was supposed to do her job before book #2, even if she didn't really succeed at it.
One of my biggest gripes was that it felt like it picked up too soon: barely a week after the first book ended, so there was no offstage growth, and things started happening in this book so fast that there felt like there was still no time for the main character to learn anything about her gift... Can she please have some time to read the damn journals so she can stop floundering like a complete noob and can at least have enough knowledge to pretend to kind of look like she knows what she's doing? I feel like the complete ignorance should have been finished in book 1, and in this one she should have had some more basic knowledge, even if she ended up stumbling around a bit.. like, couldn't she have had at least a month to read a journal and transition a few minor ghosts between books before dumping herinto another big one? That would have left some room for some "sate the fans short stories" to throw in...
If the next one doesn't let her get educated I may rage quit the series. I mean, even Stephanie Plum, regardless of the fact that she's a complete screw-up, knew _how_ she was supposed to do her job before book #2, even if she didn't really succeed at it.
March 28, 2020
I enjoyed Clare's continuing saga, although something about her interactions with the man contracting her services, a multi-millionaire with no respect for anyone, felt off. I'm not sure if I felt she should have stood up to him more, or if every interaction she had with him felt exactly the same. She keeps repeating that he doesn't respect her, but she doesn't exhibit any words or behavior to change that.
Tightly paced and well written.
Same caveat about the sex scenes, just way too much detail for me.
Tightly paced and well written.
Same caveat about the sex scenes, just way too much detail for me.
August 21, 2019
Ugh. Interesting premise, terrible romance.
I read the first book of this series awhile ago and had forgotten much about it. I read this one and remembered the details regarding the premise of the ghost seer which is interesting, but the main characters are awful. The male love interest is domineering and controlling and the female protagonist is submissive and it’s irritating to read a modern book with such a weak person for the protagonist. Not my taste.
I read the first book of this series awhile ago and had forgotten much about it. I read this one and remembered the details regarding the premise of the ghost seer which is interesting, but the main characters are awful. The male love interest is domineering and controlling and the female protagonist is submissive and it’s irritating to read a modern book with such a weak person for the protagonist. Not my taste.
November 21, 2018
A blend of mystery, suspense, developing relationship and trying to accept one's gifts that are inherently in their blood. This series can be a little slow but I think the books down the line may get better and better as Claire discovers more about the gift that opens her up to another world. Like a ball rolling down a hill, that is what I think of for this series.
October 10, 2024
Another lovely instalment in the story of Clare and Zach's romance. The new ghost project is the sending on the spirit of a ghost who, in his day, was a great romancer of the ladies. As a ghost, he keeps leaving his bones in the beds of modern ladies. This Romeo won't leave until his murder is solved.
August 24, 2025
who will win?
Greed, puts everyone in danger in this story. Clare decides that J. Dawson has been murdered and needs to find out who, why and how. Zach just has to keep Clare alive enough to solve the puzzle. While this is going on their relationship is having problems. Clare needs her independence, and Zach needs to be in control, who will win and who will lose.
Greed, puts everyone in danger in this story. Clare decides that J. Dawson has been murdered and needs to find out who, why and how. Zach just has to keep Clare alive enough to solve the puzzle. While this is going on their relationship is having problems. Clare needs her independence, and Zach needs to be in control, who will win and who will lose.
July 17, 2017
This is getting better and better! I do love the old West history and I'm glad the author details what is factual and what she made up. I'm enjoying getting to know more of the characters and her niece sounds like a real pistol.
October 5, 2017
Lovely story
October 9, 2018
Better. But I can wait for the others
Read
October 22, 2020Ghost Seer #2
This book was definitely better than the first book in this series. A solid 3 stars. Enjoy!
Read:
October 21-22, 2020 – Audible AudioBook
This book was definitely better than the first book in this series. A solid 3 stars. Enjoy!
Read:
October 21-22, 2020 – Audible AudioBook
February 16, 2022
Ghost stories
A psychic and a cop have a partnership based on solving ghost stories. Together they pay ghosts to rest. Together they develop a personal relationship.
A psychic and a cop have a partnership based on solving ghost stories. Together they pay ghosts to rest. Together they develop a personal relationship.
November 15, 2022
Great little paranormal read. It took me a while to read this, but ib don't know why. The storyline was great and the characters were good. I did love Enzo
October 16, 2024
Brava!
Very much enjoyed this. Hated to see Clare get hurt but glad she and Zach are making progress. And OMG the sex is awesome! Can't wait to devour the 3rd book!
Very much enjoyed this. Hated to see Clare get hurt but glad she and Zach are making progress. And OMG the sex is awesome! Can't wait to devour the 3rd book!
September 21, 2014
This review can be found at The Blogger Girls.
This is a difficult one for me to review because there were parts I enjoyed and then there were parts that were hard for me to get through.
Ghost Layer is about Clare accepting a case from Zach’s boss, Tony Rickman. In this case, Clare was hired by a multimillionaire who relocated a ghost town to the mountains and is now having the issue of bones mysteriously being left in beds at his house. Clare is tasked with finding the ghost and laying him to rest. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t like Clare and her supposedly psychic gift, which leads Clare into multiple dangerous situations. With Zach along for the ride, they must figure out who killed the ghost to help him move on while trying to find the person hellbent on getting rid of Clare before she discovers something someone doesn’t want known.
I must say, I absolutely adore Zach Slade. I love that he’s such a damaged hero. He hates the fact he’s disabled and does everything possible to ignore the fact he’s got a bad leg. He’s come to slowly accept his disability, though, and is just starting to accept the fact that he’s working for the private sector now. By comparison, Clare is much more accepting of her new life, even if she’s a little cautious. I like Clare in general, but in this one I felt like she was a little dense. I felt like she wasn’t learning from any of her mistakes and she wasn’t taking her life seriously at all especially since she tried to fight Zach at everything that pertain to her life when all Zach wanted was to keep her safe. At the same time, I like that she’s so independent and confident even though I feel like she could be strong without being so cold and stubborn about it.
There were several things I didn’t like about this book, though. Mainly, I felt like the relationship between Clare and Zach took a step back and went back to the ‘lust’ stage of a relationship. Honestly, I felt like this book had a lot of sex and barely any relationship development. It’s obvious that Zach loves Clare but I have no idea where that love came from because the only thing he ever thought about her was how beautiful she was and how being near her made him excited. It took the whole novel for Zach to open up to Clare and even that was just a touch of what Zach could offer. Then there’s the fact that I’m not really sure how Clare feels about Zach, except for how she’s relieved when he’s around and feels safe with him. Plus, while I think Clare and Zach make a great team, I can’t help but feel like they don’t ‘fit’ in other areas such as how Clare gets annoyed when Zach tries to help her or gets upset when Zach makes a decision for her then becomes stubborn because of that. I also didn’t really like how Zach would interrupt Clare when she was talking or tell her she couldn’t do this. While I could understand why he was doing it, I felt like he could have been less rude about it considering that’s his ‘woman’ he was speaking to.
More than that, I felt like this story wasn’t as suspenseful or ‘into’ the ghost mystery as the previous book, Ghost Seer. While this one is about a ghost who leaves his bones in women’s beds as a ‘token’ to show his interest, there wasn’t much investigation into J. Dawson as a ghost or interacting with him. However, the mystery into who is trying to kill Clare is very prominent but even a lot of the investigation for that was told instead of shown. I LOVED that this story was based around a real ghost and I absolutely love that the author bases this series on some type of legend or myth but I didn’t like that this one was so focused on who was trying to kill Clare and not the actual ghost. In the previous book, the ghost or ghosts showed up very often and spoke to Clare a lot, in this one, J. Dawson doesn’t make very many appearances (at least not in comparison to the previous book’s Jack Slade) so I was a little disappointed that this story was more ‘kill Clare’ oriented than ‘speak with ghosts’ oriented.
Overall, I really enjoyed the ghost aspect of this novel and loved how Clare is starting to get better at her ghost experiences. Learning about all of Curly Wolf and J. Dawson Hidgepath was very interesting and had me jonesing for more of that side of the story. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like how much of the book was focused on killing Clare, which made the story feel not much like a ghost story and made it drag at times. Still, I liked where it ultimately ended in relation to Clare and Zach. So much so, that I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book, Ghost Killer.
This is a difficult one for me to review because there were parts I enjoyed and then there were parts that were hard for me to get through.
Ghost Layer is about Clare accepting a case from Zach’s boss, Tony Rickman. In this case, Clare was hired by a multimillionaire who relocated a ghost town to the mountains and is now having the issue of bones mysteriously being left in beds at his house. Clare is tasked with finding the ghost and laying him to rest. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t like Clare and her supposedly psychic gift, which leads Clare into multiple dangerous situations. With Zach along for the ride, they must figure out who killed the ghost to help him move on while trying to find the person hellbent on getting rid of Clare before she discovers something someone doesn’t want known.
I must say, I absolutely adore Zach Slade. I love that he’s such a damaged hero. He hates the fact he’s disabled and does everything possible to ignore the fact he’s got a bad leg. He’s come to slowly accept his disability, though, and is just starting to accept the fact that he’s working for the private sector now. By comparison, Clare is much more accepting of her new life, even if she’s a little cautious. I like Clare in general, but in this one I felt like she was a little dense. I felt like she wasn’t learning from any of her mistakes and she wasn’t taking her life seriously at all especially since she tried to fight Zach at everything that pertain to her life when all Zach wanted was to keep her safe. At the same time, I like that she’s so independent and confident even though I feel like she could be strong without being so cold and stubborn about it.
There were several things I didn’t like about this book, though. Mainly, I felt like the relationship between Clare and Zach took a step back and went back to the ‘lust’ stage of a relationship. Honestly, I felt like this book had a lot of sex and barely any relationship development. It’s obvious that Zach loves Clare but I have no idea where that love came from because the only thing he ever thought about her was how beautiful she was and how being near her made him excited. It took the whole novel for Zach to open up to Clare and even that was just a touch of what Zach could offer. Then there’s the fact that I’m not really sure how Clare feels about Zach, except for how she’s relieved when he’s around and feels safe with him. Plus, while I think Clare and Zach make a great team, I can’t help but feel like they don’t ‘fit’ in other areas such as how Clare gets annoyed when Zach tries to help her or gets upset when Zach makes a decision for her then becomes stubborn because of that. I also didn’t really like how Zach would interrupt Clare when she was talking or tell her she couldn’t do this. While I could understand why he was doing it, I felt like he could have been less rude about it considering that’s his ‘woman’ he was speaking to.
More than that, I felt like this story wasn’t as suspenseful or ‘into’ the ghost mystery as the previous book, Ghost Seer. While this one is about a ghost who leaves his bones in women’s beds as a ‘token’ to show his interest, there wasn’t much investigation into J. Dawson as a ghost or interacting with him. However, the mystery into who is trying to kill Clare is very prominent but even a lot of the investigation for that was told instead of shown. I LOVED that this story was based around a real ghost and I absolutely love that the author bases this series on some type of legend or myth but I didn’t like that this one was so focused on who was trying to kill Clare and not the actual ghost. In the previous book, the ghost or ghosts showed up very often and spoke to Clare a lot, in this one, J. Dawson doesn’t make very many appearances (at least not in comparison to the previous book’s Jack Slade) so I was a little disappointed that this story was more ‘kill Clare’ oriented than ‘speak with ghosts’ oriented.
Overall, I really enjoyed the ghost aspect of this novel and loved how Clare is starting to get better at her ghost experiences. Learning about all of Curly Wolf and J. Dawson Hidgepath was very interesting and had me jonesing for more of that side of the story. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like how much of the book was focused on killing Clare, which made the story feel not much like a ghost story and made it drag at times. Still, I liked where it ultimately ended in relation to Clare and Zach. So much so, that I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book, Ghost Killer.
December 8, 2014
I liked the story in the first book a lot, but the main characters not so much. I am happy to say that in this book I really did like both Clare and Zach. Clare has accepted her gift of seeing ghosts and her duty to help them cross over. Lay to rest. Zach has helped her with her first case, and I did not really like him back then. But he has improved, he is slowly accepting his own psychic gift although he really doesn’t want it, due to bad memories connected to his gift.
Zach is working as a private investigator for Rickman Security, and this time, they have a job for Clare. As Zach’s landlady is Rickman’s godmother, she was the one who told him about Clare. Clare is not happy with it, she doesn’t want to become known as a medium or a psychic. It is bad enough that she sees ghosts all the time, she doesn’t want to deal with grieving people as she is not a medium, she can’t call ghosts at random. They come to her when they need her help or are ready to cross over. But as Enzo, her ghost dog, tells her that the ghost Rickman’s rich client wants to get rid of, is her next assignment, she accepts the job. If she is going to help the ghost anyway, why not get paid for it at the same time.
mr Laurentine is a rich billionaire, with a large estate in the mountains of Colorado. He purchased an old mining town named Curly Wolf, and had it transported to his lands, where he has had it rebuild and renovated as it was originally. But the town’s ghosts have come with it as well. The ones, who stay in the village, add to its legend, but the one who is leaving his bones in ladies’ beds, that is the ghost he wants to be rid off.
J. Dawson Hidgepath was a miner, and quite the ladies man. His death was ruled accidental; he fell of a cliff in the mountains, near his gold mine claim, while picking some flowers for a new lady in town. But J. Dawson tells Clare differently, he was killed and he wants to know who killed him and why.
Very reluctantly, Clare accepts the job, she doesn’t like mr. Laurentine very much. He expects her to do her job within two weeks, as he is having a big hunting party over. And a ghost leaving his bones around, chases away his guests and his staff.
mr. Laurentine also reluctantly agrees to hire Zach to look into the murder, not expecting him to be able to solve the cold case.
Having arrived at the estate, situated in a really spectacular beautiful part of the mountains, Clare is treated with disdain and distrust. It seems that no one believes in her gift, they think her a charlatan. Well, Clare will show them, especially those that have a little pit of a psychic touch themselves. They do feel the cold when Enzo touches them, and perhaps even hear or see him and J. Dawson. Of course they don’t want to admit that, even to themselves.
But that same night, someone tries to kill Clare, and only the Other, residing in Enzo sometimes, saves her life. It is not yet her time, she has much to do. Of course Zach leaves Denver immediately to be with her, and to protect her. But Clare doesn’t really want his protection, she can take care of herself. She will never be dependent on a man again.
Trying to find out what happened to J. Dawson (very irritating that J. Dawson all the time instead of just Dawson, typical American I guess) and finding the one who doesn’t want Clare to find out the truth about what happened back then, keeps them all busy.
I really enjoyed this book, it is suspenseful without being full of action, but still lots of things happen, discoveries are made. I have to admit to distrusting a certain person from the start of the book, and I was correct in my guess. Still, a very good story and I also liked the personal parts of Zach and Clare. They are both growing as characters, learning to live with what life dealt them. Zach with his disability after being shot on the job, having to leave the police force, and Clare with her unwanted gift of seeing ghosts.
I also liked that the book did not finish with laying the ghost to rest and solving the case, it had a few more chapters evolving their relationship and future. Clare demands equality in their relationship, and she wants to help Zach to acknowledge his own gift. Meeting with his mother is the first important step.
I look forward to the next book, and what Clare will learn them about the different types of ghosts. Looking at the title, I think that one will be much more dangerous and perhaps scary than the current two books. I am intrigued with this series. The premise and setting are original, and I really like it. Recommend if you like urban fantasy with ghosts.
9 stars.
Zach is working as a private investigator for Rickman Security, and this time, they have a job for Clare. As Zach’s landlady is Rickman’s godmother, she was the one who told him about Clare. Clare is not happy with it, she doesn’t want to become known as a medium or a psychic. It is bad enough that she sees ghosts all the time, she doesn’t want to deal with grieving people as she is not a medium, she can’t call ghosts at random. They come to her when they need her help or are ready to cross over. But as Enzo, her ghost dog, tells her that the ghost Rickman’s rich client wants to get rid of, is her next assignment, she accepts the job. If she is going to help the ghost anyway, why not get paid for it at the same time.
mr Laurentine is a rich billionaire, with a large estate in the mountains of Colorado. He purchased an old mining town named Curly Wolf, and had it transported to his lands, where he has had it rebuild and renovated as it was originally. But the town’s ghosts have come with it as well. The ones, who stay in the village, add to its legend, but the one who is leaving his bones in ladies’ beds, that is the ghost he wants to be rid off.
J. Dawson Hidgepath was a miner, and quite the ladies man. His death was ruled accidental; he fell of a cliff in the mountains, near his gold mine claim, while picking some flowers for a new lady in town. But J. Dawson tells Clare differently, he was killed and he wants to know who killed him and why.
Very reluctantly, Clare accepts the job, she doesn’t like mr. Laurentine very much. He expects her to do her job within two weeks, as he is having a big hunting party over. And a ghost leaving his bones around, chases away his guests and his staff.
mr. Laurentine also reluctantly agrees to hire Zach to look into the murder, not expecting him to be able to solve the cold case.
Having arrived at the estate, situated in a really spectacular beautiful part of the mountains, Clare is treated with disdain and distrust. It seems that no one believes in her gift, they think her a charlatan. Well, Clare will show them, especially those that have a little pit of a psychic touch themselves. They do feel the cold when Enzo touches them, and perhaps even hear or see him and J. Dawson. Of course they don’t want to admit that, even to themselves.
But that same night, someone tries to kill Clare, and only the Other, residing in Enzo sometimes, saves her life. It is not yet her time, she has much to do. Of course Zach leaves Denver immediately to be with her, and to protect her. But Clare doesn’t really want his protection, she can take care of herself. She will never be dependent on a man again.
Trying to find out what happened to J. Dawson (very irritating that J. Dawson all the time instead of just Dawson, typical American I guess) and finding the one who doesn’t want Clare to find out the truth about what happened back then, keeps them all busy.
I really enjoyed this book, it is suspenseful without being full of action, but still lots of things happen, discoveries are made. I have to admit to distrusting a certain person from the start of the book, and I was correct in my guess. Still, a very good story and I also liked the personal parts of Zach and Clare. They are both growing as characters, learning to live with what life dealt them. Zach with his disability after being shot on the job, having to leave the police force, and Clare with her unwanted gift of seeing ghosts.
I also liked that the book did not finish with laying the ghost to rest and solving the case, it had a few more chapters evolving their relationship and future. Clare demands equality in their relationship, and she wants to help Zach to acknowledge his own gift. Meeting with his mother is the first important step.
I look forward to the next book, and what Clare will learn them about the different types of ghosts. Looking at the title, I think that one will be much more dangerous and perhaps scary than the current two books. I am intrigued with this series. The premise and setting are original, and I really like it. Recommend if you like urban fantasy with ghosts.
9 stars.
September 4, 2014
Review at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks
http://yummymenandkickasschicks.com/?...
———-
Ghost Layer is the second book in the Ghost Seer urban fantasy series by Robin D. Owens. I loved the first book, which Julie and I reviewed
http://yummymenandkickasschicks.com/?...
I have to tell you a funny story about it. I got a package from UPS in May and wasn’t sure what it was. I hadn’t ordered or requested anything. I opened it and it was an ARC of Ghost Layer. I screamed with joy and danced around. I’m sure my neighbors heard me, probably Julie heard me in Canada. My daughter’s reaction, “It must be a book.”
Ghost Seer, the first book in the series, was a bit insta-love for some people but it felt right to me. Both Zach and Clare were going through some issues and changes which made them fit each other. I think you really need to read the first book before this one, both because it is amazing and it makes it easier to understand their relationship.
In Ghost Layer, they continue this journey. Their new professions and lives remain intertwined. And I LOVE that. It is the sort of thing I want to see in urban fantasy, where a couple is together and works together on their mystery or problems. I don’t get it very much and so I have to praise it when I do.
Some people will find their characters unrealistic. And I say – it is RARE when both of the people in the couple are honest about their feelings to themselves and mostly honest, to the other person. They have some struggles here, mostly Zach, who won’t admit he has any gift, much less talk about it. Clare doesn’t like her new work, finds people aren’t as respectful or even believe in her, as they did for her accounting work. Zach has accepted his new work now, and those aspects, where Clare is just starting her new work. Clare has been more open about her gift, fully accepting it even if others don’t. She sees and talks to ghosts, dead people. Since they have each accepted different things, it gives them a basis to understand and help each other.
The ghost and mystery are interesting. I think the history of the old west is fascinating. It relates to the period of ghost which Clare can see. (She only see ghosts from that time period.)
Clare learns more about her gift which I enjoyed. That’s more world-building. And she gets closer to Enzo, working better with him, and caring about him. Enzo is her ghost dog, a Labrador. Zach also becomes able to see and hear Enzo without Clare, using his skills even if he doesn’t admit to them.
I love that Ghost Layer focuses as much on the romance as the mystery. The relationship is front and center all the time, which is unusual in an urban fantasy series. It makes it unique to me. In reality, people aren’t focused solely on their work; they care about people as much or more than their job. Zach and Clare both grow, professionally and personally, which I also love. And I am ecstatic that they are both so smart, honest and caring. I highly recommend this series for the romance, the old west setting and the different than usual style.
5 stars
Giggle worthy quote -
“She looked down at the doggy spirit, slid her gaze toward the arrogant Mr. Dennis Laurentine with all his expectations and no belief in ghosts or her. Perhaps she could show him something.
With a gesture, she asked Enzo to sit and shake. He sat and offered his paw and she took the icy paw in hers, gave it a good squeeze. When she initiated contact with ghosts, and she always had to do that to help them, she experienced their frigid selves with cold sleeting through nerves and muscles to settle in her bones. The experience was always worse than if the ghost touched her.
She let go of Enzo’s paw and saw Mr. Laurentine and Zach watching her, the other two men, Rickman and Rossi, ostentatiously looking elsewhere.
Chin high, she strode over to Mr. Laurentine, and began to take the card, making sure her cold, cold fingers brushed his. His hand jerked and the card fell.
And Enzo lifted it to her fingers,
‘I didn’t see that,’ Rickman muttered.
‘I didn’t either,’ Rossi said.”
Books in the Ghost Seer series –
Ghost Seer
Ghost Layer
Ghost Killer (February 2015)
http://yummymenandkickasschicks.com/?...
———-
Ghost Layer is the second book in the Ghost Seer urban fantasy series by Robin D. Owens. I loved the first book, which Julie and I reviewed
http://yummymenandkickasschicks.com/?...
I have to tell you a funny story about it. I got a package from UPS in May and wasn’t sure what it was. I hadn’t ordered or requested anything. I opened it and it was an ARC of Ghost Layer. I screamed with joy and danced around. I’m sure my neighbors heard me, probably Julie heard me in Canada. My daughter’s reaction, “It must be a book.”
Ghost Seer, the first book in the series, was a bit insta-love for some people but it felt right to me. Both Zach and Clare were going through some issues and changes which made them fit each other. I think you really need to read the first book before this one, both because it is amazing and it makes it easier to understand their relationship.
In Ghost Layer, they continue this journey. Their new professions and lives remain intertwined. And I LOVE that. It is the sort of thing I want to see in urban fantasy, where a couple is together and works together on their mystery or problems. I don’t get it very much and so I have to praise it when I do.
Some people will find their characters unrealistic. And I say – it is RARE when both of the people in the couple are honest about their feelings to themselves and mostly honest, to the other person. They have some struggles here, mostly Zach, who won’t admit he has any gift, much less talk about it. Clare doesn’t like her new work, finds people aren’t as respectful or even believe in her, as they did for her accounting work. Zach has accepted his new work now, and those aspects, where Clare is just starting her new work. Clare has been more open about her gift, fully accepting it even if others don’t. She sees and talks to ghosts, dead people. Since they have each accepted different things, it gives them a basis to understand and help each other.
The ghost and mystery are interesting. I think the history of the old west is fascinating. It relates to the period of ghost which Clare can see. (She only see ghosts from that time period.)
Clare learns more about her gift which I enjoyed. That’s more world-building. And she gets closer to Enzo, working better with him, and caring about him. Enzo is her ghost dog, a Labrador. Zach also becomes able to see and hear Enzo without Clare, using his skills even if he doesn’t admit to them.
I love that Ghost Layer focuses as much on the romance as the mystery. The relationship is front and center all the time, which is unusual in an urban fantasy series. It makes it unique to me. In reality, people aren’t focused solely on their work; they care about people as much or more than their job. Zach and Clare both grow, professionally and personally, which I also love. And I am ecstatic that they are both so smart, honest and caring. I highly recommend this series for the romance, the old west setting and the different than usual style.
5 stars
Giggle worthy quote -
“She looked down at the doggy spirit, slid her gaze toward the arrogant Mr. Dennis Laurentine with all his expectations and no belief in ghosts or her. Perhaps she could show him something.
With a gesture, she asked Enzo to sit and shake. He sat and offered his paw and she took the icy paw in hers, gave it a good squeeze. When she initiated contact with ghosts, and she always had to do that to help them, she experienced their frigid selves with cold sleeting through nerves and muscles to settle in her bones. The experience was always worse than if the ghost touched her.
She let go of Enzo’s paw and saw Mr. Laurentine and Zach watching her, the other two men, Rickman and Rossi, ostentatiously looking elsewhere.
Chin high, she strode over to Mr. Laurentine, and began to take the card, making sure her cold, cold fingers brushed his. His hand jerked and the card fell.
And Enzo lifted it to her fingers,
‘I didn’t see that,’ Rickman muttered.
‘I didn’t either,’ Rossi said.”
Books in the Ghost Seer series –
Ghost Seer
Ghost Layer
Ghost Killer (February 2015)
September 16, 2014
Ghost Layer is the second book in Robin D. Owens', Ghost Seer series. Readers who are looking for a book that has paranormal, romance and a good mystery will love this series. Both the hero and the heroine have psychic gifts, but they aren't the average couple, nor are their abilities. The Old West ghosts bring a historical element to the story as well. This one has everything from mysterious moving bones to a ghost dog named Enzo. It's a real treat for readers looking for something different.
What I liked:
I love the premise for this series! Owens has done such a great job of coming up with something that original in a very saturated genre. The paranormal explosion in the literary world has given us everything from vampires to demons, but one of the original paranormal characters was the ghost. I love that Owens has brought that back. Psychic abilities are also making a comeback in books and Owens is using the combination of both to bring this series alive. Added to that you have a great mystery with each book that generally has a historical angle and some romance. The Ghost Seer books have a lot to offer paranormal purists and those readers who are looking for something besides the typical vampire book.
Zach is a great male lead! Readers will enjoy Zach's moral compass and his protective and loyal attitude. He is the epitome of an Old West law man who just happened to have been born in this century. He gives off a commanding presence and doesn't seem to be afraid of much, other than his own psychic gift. I loved the old crow rhyme taught to him by his grandmother and how that plays into his premonitions. There is so much potential with this character. I think Owens has created one of those lawmen that readers won't soon forget!
Clare has her own troubles, as she figures out how to not only accept her gift, but to use it. I found her struggle captivating and understandable. I think readers sometimes want to rush the development with a character like this. They want the author to make her accept and move on, but I don't think that's how it would realistically happen if this were a real person and when I read I wanted these people to be real to me. So I am happy that Clare is taking her time to become who she wants to be. This wasn't something she wanted and that takes a lot more time to absorb. The romance between Clare and Zach is still pretty hot and heavy, but they are learning to be a part of each others lives and how they fit together a lot better in this one.
The Old West ghosts of course Enzo the ghost dog are always my favorite part of this series. I love the way that each ghost has a problem that is keeping them from moving on. Each one adds a new historical element to the story that is so interesting. In this one Clare is trying to help a ghost who has been murdered and the closer she gets to resolution the more danger her life is in. I loved how she and Zach worked together and Enzo keeps things lively. Such a great idea for a series! I like the slant where Clare only deals with ghosts from a certain time period as well. That gives the series a more solid theme overall.
What I didn't like:
The secondary characters are a bit stereo-typical in this one. The millionaire was a was a real piece of work and I didn't feel like we got to know Rickman any better than we did before.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent series and I look forward to each new book. Owens has created not only a great heroine, but the hero is top notch as well. The Old West ghosts, as well as, the ghost dog really are the stars of the show with this one. Owens has taken a lot of different elements and added them together to make a series that readers will fall in love with. Mystery, romance, and a few ghosts... what more could a paranormal reader as for?
What I liked:
I love the premise for this series! Owens has done such a great job of coming up with something that original in a very saturated genre. The paranormal explosion in the literary world has given us everything from vampires to demons, but one of the original paranormal characters was the ghost. I love that Owens has brought that back. Psychic abilities are also making a comeback in books and Owens is using the combination of both to bring this series alive. Added to that you have a great mystery with each book that generally has a historical angle and some romance. The Ghost Seer books have a lot to offer paranormal purists and those readers who are looking for something besides the typical vampire book.
Zach is a great male lead! Readers will enjoy Zach's moral compass and his protective and loyal attitude. He is the epitome of an Old West law man who just happened to have been born in this century. He gives off a commanding presence and doesn't seem to be afraid of much, other than his own psychic gift. I loved the old crow rhyme taught to him by his grandmother and how that plays into his premonitions. There is so much potential with this character. I think Owens has created one of those lawmen that readers won't soon forget!
Clare has her own troubles, as she figures out how to not only accept her gift, but to use it. I found her struggle captivating and understandable. I think readers sometimes want to rush the development with a character like this. They want the author to make her accept and move on, but I don't think that's how it would realistically happen if this were a real person and when I read I wanted these people to be real to me. So I am happy that Clare is taking her time to become who she wants to be. This wasn't something she wanted and that takes a lot more time to absorb. The romance between Clare and Zach is still pretty hot and heavy, but they are learning to be a part of each others lives and how they fit together a lot better in this one.
The Old West ghosts of course Enzo the ghost dog are always my favorite part of this series. I love the way that each ghost has a problem that is keeping them from moving on. Each one adds a new historical element to the story that is so interesting. In this one Clare is trying to help a ghost who has been murdered and the closer she gets to resolution the more danger her life is in. I loved how she and Zach worked together and Enzo keeps things lively. Such a great idea for a series! I like the slant where Clare only deals with ghosts from a certain time period as well. That gives the series a more solid theme overall.
What I didn't like:
The secondary characters are a bit stereo-typical in this one. The millionaire was a was a real piece of work and I didn't feel like we got to know Rickman any better than we did before.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent series and I look forward to each new book. Owens has created not only a great heroine, but the hero is top notch as well. The Old West ghosts, as well as, the ghost dog really are the stars of the show with this one. Owens has taken a lot of different elements and added them together to make a series that readers will fall in love with. Mystery, romance, and a few ghosts... what more could a paranormal reader as for?
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