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Ghost Seer #1
Ghost Seer
9 hrs and 54 mins
There’s just something about Clare. Apart from the ghosts….
When her eccentric aunt passes away, no-nonsense accountant Clare Cermac inherits more than just a small fortune. She receives the gift of communicating with ghosts. While Clare may not believe in spirits, it’s hard to overlook the shadowy talking dog appearing on her bed or spectral cowboys tipping their hats to her in the streets of Denver. And when she locks eyes with sexy - and living - Zach Slade, there’s certainly no ignoring him either.
A former deputy sheriff, Zach is leaving a painful past behind in Montana for a new life in Denver as a private investigator, a job that has him crossing paths with beautiful Clare. Not that she minds. After the restless ghost of a Wild West gunman demands her assistance, Clare finds herself needing Zach more and more - and not just for help.
There’s just something about Clare. Apart from the ghosts….
When her eccentric aunt passes away, no-nonsense accountant Clare Cermac inherits more than just a small fortune. She receives the gift of communicating with ghosts. While Clare may not believe in spirits, it’s hard to overlook the shadowy talking dog appearing on her bed or spectral cowboys tipping their hats to her in the streets of Denver. And when she locks eyes with sexy - and living - Zach Slade, there’s certainly no ignoring him either.
A former deputy sheriff, Zach is leaving a painful past behind in Montana for a new life in Denver as a private investigator, a job that has him crossing paths with beautiful Clare. Not that she minds. After the restless ghost of a Wild West gunman demands her assistance, Clare finds herself needing Zach more and more - and not just for help.
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published April 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
May 5, 2016
Moderately entertaining way to kill some time.
I don't regret buying it but I was hoping for more.
I don't regret buying it but I was hoping for more.
Read
November 3, 2016I'm not quite sure this was the read for me. I think I'm going to put it on hold for now. I just can't get into it and the MC is a bit...I don't know, annoying maybe? Either way, putting this on hold.
March 31, 2014
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
I was first drawn to this title because of its eye-catching cover and interesting premise; the fact that it’s book 1 in a brand new series, and features a ghost dog spirit guide were definite pluses as well. The pacing and romance were a little slow moving at times, but overall I enjoyed learning about the infamous vigilante Joseph “Jack” Slade and exploring the rules that make up Robin D. Owens’ spectral universe. I also liked the police angle that the ex-deputy sheriff brought to the story even though at times his refusal to believe his own eyes was infuriating.
GHOST SEER isn’t your typical ghost tale in that there are a lot of laws that govern Clare’s “gift”. For one, should Cermac fail to accept her new found sight, she’ll die. Two: if she refuses to help her spectral charges, she’ll go mad. Definitely a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type scenario. Clare’s not offered much of a choice in the matter, and as a result, her whole life is turned upside down in only a few days. It’d be a big adjustment for anyone and I thought the author did a great job of illustrating Cermac’s reluctance to believe in the impossible. She even goes so far as to hire a top-of-the-line shrink in the hopes of conquering her crazy. Another interesting aspect of her gift is that it’s limited to a specific time period—between 1850 and 1900, to be exact—the Wild West’s hey days which was a clever way of explaining why Clare only sees cowboy ghosts.
Zach Slade is an interesting character and I liked the police POV that he brought to the story line. Owens aptly describes his “cop face” and I enjoyed seeing different situations from his perspective because he points things out that I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. I also liked how the author incorporated the One for Sorrow nursery rhyme into the narrative by foreshadowing future events with different numbers of crows. However, I couldn’t help but be annoyed by Slade’s inability to accept the paranormal in his life. I realize that as an ex-deputy sheriff he’s overly rational, but his outright denial of hard evidence came off as contradictory.
The pacing was a little slower than I would have liked, and at times the plot seemed a little too straightforward. There’s an unexpected element of danger thrown in towards the end that was a bit of a tough sell because its connection to the main story arc was tenuous at best. The romance felt halted in that there’s an instant connection between the two characters, but then it’s quickly snuffed out, only to be rekindled and smothered several more times before finally settling somewhere in the middle. My favourite aspect was by far Enzo—the ghost dog—he’s a fun mix of wise spirit guide and playful canine companion. He manages to be both freaky and cute at the same time.
I enjoyed the multitude of unique elements that GHOST SEER brings to the table, although the delivery could have been slightly better in my opinion. Mind you, this series is just getting started so, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what GHOST LAYER has to offer in September.
I was first drawn to this title because of its eye-catching cover and interesting premise; the fact that it’s book 1 in a brand new series, and features a ghost dog spirit guide were definite pluses as well. The pacing and romance were a little slow moving at times, but overall I enjoyed learning about the infamous vigilante Joseph “Jack” Slade and exploring the rules that make up Robin D. Owens’ spectral universe. I also liked the police angle that the ex-deputy sheriff brought to the story even though at times his refusal to believe his own eyes was infuriating.
GHOST SEER isn’t your typical ghost tale in that there are a lot of laws that govern Clare’s “gift”. For one, should Cermac fail to accept her new found sight, she’ll die. Two: if she refuses to help her spectral charges, she’ll go mad. Definitely a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type scenario. Clare’s not offered much of a choice in the matter, and as a result, her whole life is turned upside down in only a few days. It’d be a big adjustment for anyone and I thought the author did a great job of illustrating Cermac’s reluctance to believe in the impossible. She even goes so far as to hire a top-of-the-line shrink in the hopes of conquering her crazy. Another interesting aspect of her gift is that it’s limited to a specific time period—between 1850 and 1900, to be exact—the Wild West’s hey days which was a clever way of explaining why Clare only sees cowboy ghosts.
Zach Slade is an interesting character and I liked the police POV that he brought to the story line. Owens aptly describes his “cop face” and I enjoyed seeing different situations from his perspective because he points things out that I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. I also liked how the author incorporated the One for Sorrow nursery rhyme into the narrative by foreshadowing future events with different numbers of crows. However, I couldn’t help but be annoyed by Slade’s inability to accept the paranormal in his life. I realize that as an ex-deputy sheriff he’s overly rational, but his outright denial of hard evidence came off as contradictory.
The pacing was a little slower than I would have liked, and at times the plot seemed a little too straightforward. There’s an unexpected element of danger thrown in towards the end that was a bit of a tough sell because its connection to the main story arc was tenuous at best. The romance felt halted in that there’s an instant connection between the two characters, but then it’s quickly snuffed out, only to be rekindled and smothered several more times before finally settling somewhere in the middle. My favourite aspect was by far Enzo—the ghost dog—he’s a fun mix of wise spirit guide and playful canine companion. He manages to be both freaky and cute at the same time.
I enjoyed the multitude of unique elements that GHOST SEER brings to the table, although the delivery could have been slightly better in my opinion. Mind you, this series is just getting started so, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what GHOST LAYER has to offer in September.
April 20, 2014
It seems to me that ghosts might be the new vampires in UFtown, with two fairly big names publishing their own book on it. I simply hope the next few works will be more interesting.
Ghost Seer has at least its own plot outside the main couple. But unfortunately I can't really say that it's gripping or action-packed. Even with the heroine's life on the line, there's no urgency to the story. Both she and the hero are pretty bland and monochromatic. No world building to talk of. I can't decide whether Otherness is known, unknown, unbelieved.
The book took a nosedive at the end when the fantastically absurd villain appears on stage. And what the ghosts couldn't do, he did. He lost all credibility to the story.
Ghost Seer has at least its own plot outside the main couple. But unfortunately I can't really say that it's gripping or action-packed. Even with the heroine's life on the line, there's no urgency to the story. Both she and the hero are pretty bland and monochromatic. No world building to talk of. I can't decide whether Otherness is known, unknown, unbelieved.
The book took a nosedive at the end when the fantastically absurd villain appears on stage. And what the ghosts couldn't do, he did. He lost all credibility to the story.
April 9, 2014
3.5 stars
This book went head-to-head against Spirited in the Genre Book Showdown on Badass Book Reviews!
I enjoyed Ghost Seer and thought it was a good start to the series of the same name. I will be looking forward to future adventures with Clare and Zach and may even check out some of this author's back catalogue.
Clare has just discovered she has the gift to see ghosts when Ghost Seer begins and is having a hard time with it. She is a composed, successful woman and seeing ghosts makes her question her sanity. I thought that Clare's journey to acceptance was believable, especially when her choices were either to accept her gift, go mad, or die. I'm interested to see how she will continue to balance her newfound powers with her healthy dose of skepticism.
Ghost Seer suffered from a tepid romance subplot. Clare and former police officer Zach Slade had a lot of chemistry and their playful banter at the beginning of the book was super cute, but there was just too much sex for this story. I appreciate a good sex scene, but I want it to fit within the overall pacing. I felt like there needed to be more development between Clare and Zach on a personal level before they took it between the sheets. There was so much back and forth between these two that I got whiplash. I was disappointed in the way the Zach acted when he found out about Clare's gift. It felt like he was being set up to be an understanding, dependable guy but then acted like a jerk when it came down to it.
Ghost Seer had some great supporting characters, especially Enzo the ghost dog. I loved his character and the way he guided Clare through this new world. He was a great mix of knowledgeable guide and spunky canine companion -- not to mention the touch of creepiness he brings when it seems like his is more than just Enzo. I also really enjoyed the character of Ms. Finton. She came into this book a demure, older lady and then completely steamrolled everyone to get what she wanted. Her easy acceptance of extraordinary situations also added a much-needed levity to the story, which tended to get bogged down by both Clare and Zach's constant doubts. I was less enamored of the aggressor in Ghost Seer. He felt tacked on at the end to add an additional obstacle for Clare and Seth instead of appearing organically in the story.
Ghost Seer had pretty good world building overall. It has a common, modern setting, but it developed the mythology behind Clare's ability very fully. Clare's ability was looked at within the context of her family, having been passed down to her by her aunt. Through old family videos and letters, Clare was able to start piecing the history of her gift together and Enzo was there to help fill in any missing links. This helped the book create a developed and defined world.
Though I did like Ghost Seer, I felt like the story had some pacing issues. It would plod along for a while before anything really interesting happened and would then whip through those events, only to begin plodding again. As a reader, I had to consciously stick to this book because it would have been easy to put it down in some of the slower sections.
Another thing that bugged me was the cover image. While the cover for Ghost Seer is instantly eye-catching, I came to dislike it more and more as I read the story and learned about Clare. I don't think it fits her at all and she would probably laugh at wearing an outfit like that.
Ghost Seer gave Clare and Seth a firm relationship basis and a direction that they can head in together. It settled Clare more fully in the "ghost world" and Seth became more comfortable as a private investigator. Even with its kinks and uneven pacing, I am interested in seeing where this series and the couple of Clare and Zach go in the future so I will definitely be picking up the next book in September.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing an ARC copy of this book!
This book went head-to-head against Spirited in the Genre Book Showdown on Badass Book Reviews!
I enjoyed Ghost Seer and thought it was a good start to the series of the same name. I will be looking forward to future adventures with Clare and Zach and may even check out some of this author's back catalogue.
Clare has just discovered she has the gift to see ghosts when Ghost Seer begins and is having a hard time with it. She is a composed, successful woman and seeing ghosts makes her question her sanity. I thought that Clare's journey to acceptance was believable, especially when her choices were either to accept her gift, go mad, or die. I'm interested to see how she will continue to balance her newfound powers with her healthy dose of skepticism.
Ghost Seer suffered from a tepid romance subplot. Clare and former police officer Zach Slade had a lot of chemistry and their playful banter at the beginning of the book was super cute, but there was just too much sex for this story. I appreciate a good sex scene, but I want it to fit within the overall pacing. I felt like there needed to be more development between Clare and Zach on a personal level before they took it between the sheets. There was so much back and forth between these two that I got whiplash. I was disappointed in the way the Zach acted when he found out about Clare's gift. It felt like he was being set up to be an understanding, dependable guy but then acted like a jerk when it came down to it.
Ghost Seer had some great supporting characters, especially Enzo the ghost dog. I loved his character and the way he guided Clare through this new world. He was a great mix of knowledgeable guide and spunky canine companion -- not to mention the touch of creepiness he brings when it seems like his is more than just Enzo. I also really enjoyed the character of Ms. Finton. She came into this book a demure, older lady and then completely steamrolled everyone to get what she wanted. Her easy acceptance of extraordinary situations also added a much-needed levity to the story, which tended to get bogged down by both Clare and Zach's constant doubts. I was less enamored of the aggressor in Ghost Seer. He felt tacked on at the end to add an additional obstacle for Clare and Seth instead of appearing organically in the story.
Ghost Seer had pretty good world building overall. It has a common, modern setting, but it developed the mythology behind Clare's ability very fully. Clare's ability was looked at within the context of her family, having been passed down to her by her aunt. Through old family videos and letters, Clare was able to start piecing the history of her gift together and Enzo was there to help fill in any missing links. This helped the book create a developed and defined world.
Though I did like Ghost Seer, I felt like the story had some pacing issues. It would plod along for a while before anything really interesting happened and would then whip through those events, only to begin plodding again. As a reader, I had to consciously stick to this book because it would have been easy to put it down in some of the slower sections.
Another thing that bugged me was the cover image. While the cover for Ghost Seer is instantly eye-catching, I came to dislike it more and more as I read the story and learned about Clare. I don't think it fits her at all and she would probably laugh at wearing an outfit like that.
Ghost Seer gave Clare and Seth a firm relationship basis and a direction that they can head in together. It settled Clare more fully in the "ghost world" and Seth became more comfortable as a private investigator. Even with its kinks and uneven pacing, I am interested in seeing where this series and the couple of Clare and Zach go in the future so I will definitely be picking up the next book in September.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing an ARC copy of this book!
April 2, 2014
An Urban Fantasy with heart and humour, Ghost Seer is one to add to your To Buy Lists!
Urban Fantasies can vary wildly in tone, while still remaining part of the same genre. You've got your action-packed ones featuring badass, leather-clad, Katana-swinging heroes and heroines, and then there is another selection focused on slightly older characters and more mystery based. They're quite different, but I enjoy both depending on my mood. I often think of the latter type as a more grown up version of its bratty counterpart, but each has its place on my shelves. Ghost Seer belongs to this latter, slightly more refined category, and of that, it's among the most enjoyable I've read.
Told in alternating POVs between reluctant ghost-seeing heroine Clare, and recently ex-police officer Zach, it follows Clare's acceptance of her new paranormal "gift" passed down from her aunt, and Zach's acceptance of his new life as a disabled person, after being shot through the shin in the line of duty. Both journeys are similar, in a way, in that they examine the various stages a person might go through when their whole worlds are turned on their heads; shock, denial, anger, stubborn refusal to accept what is. And because both are going through such turmoil, it's probably the worst time ever to begin a new romantic relationship, but the heart, and the libido, wants what it wants. And, personally, I love a nice bit of complication in my romances!
Aside from this excellent and compelling characterisation, the story also focuses on Clare's first "case" as a ghost seer. That being to assist ghostly cowboy Jackson Slade to right his worst wrong before he can be at peace. To help Clare along the way, she has a talking ghost dog, Enzo - who is more than he seems, I'm sure! - to steer her in something close to the right direction. I loved Enzo! Every good UF needs a quirky sidekick character, and he was a pretty fantastic one!
Overall, Ghost Seer was a winner for me, and story I look forward to continuing. -4 Stars! ★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Urban Fantasies can vary wildly in tone, while still remaining part of the same genre. You've got your action-packed ones featuring badass, leather-clad, Katana-swinging heroes and heroines, and then there is another selection focused on slightly older characters and more mystery based. They're quite different, but I enjoy both depending on my mood. I often think of the latter type as a more grown up version of its bratty counterpart, but each has its place on my shelves. Ghost Seer belongs to this latter, slightly more refined category, and of that, it's among the most enjoyable I've read.
Told in alternating POVs between reluctant ghost-seeing heroine Clare, and recently ex-police officer Zach, it follows Clare's acceptance of her new paranormal "gift" passed down from her aunt, and Zach's acceptance of his new life as a disabled person, after being shot through the shin in the line of duty. Both journeys are similar, in a way, in that they examine the various stages a person might go through when their whole worlds are turned on their heads; shock, denial, anger, stubborn refusal to accept what is. And because both are going through such turmoil, it's probably the worst time ever to begin a new romantic relationship, but the heart, and the libido, wants what it wants. And, personally, I love a nice bit of complication in my romances!
Aside from this excellent and compelling characterisation, the story also focuses on Clare's first "case" as a ghost seer. That being to assist ghostly cowboy Jackson Slade to right his worst wrong before he can be at peace. To help Clare along the way, she has a talking ghost dog, Enzo - who is more than he seems, I'm sure! - to steer her in something close to the right direction. I loved Enzo! Every good UF needs a quirky sidekick character, and he was a pretty fantastic one!
Overall, Ghost Seer was a winner for me, and story I look forward to continuing. -4 Stars! ★★★★
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 28, 2014
If I hadn't read this for a book club, I don't think I would've made it past the 25% mark. I had to force myself to finish it.
Clare Cermak inherited an absurd amount of money from her aunt. Also, the ability to see ghosts, and her labrador retriever, Enzo. Enzo is a ghost dog. She meets Zach Slade, no relation to the ghost of the notorious gunman she's tasked with helping pass to the other side.
I can't think of a single plot point in this book that felt natural. The entire thing felt contrived and forced. Nobody acted like a real person. They all acted like the cardboard cutouts the plot demanded of them. Clare goes back and forth on how she feels about her "gift," but the plot forces her to accept it because otherwise she'll die. Not that we're allowed to feel it nibbling at her soul little by little; no, we get accounts of how cold she is, and people fretting about her. Supposedly her gift is very strong, but I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. If it means things were supposed to be easy for her, why does she struggle with the basics for so long?
The plot, itself, is very slow-moving. A timeline is introduced, and Clare expresses dismay she has so short a time. Then she putters around working on other things, like moving into a whole new house that she buys after she learns about the time crunch. Even the down-to-the-wire finish drags on. For heaven's sake, one minute Zach is pondering using a helicopter to get them there on time, the next he's talking her into a two-hour nap.
The relationship between Clare and Zach made me roll my eyes. They go back and forth, for no reason other than that the plot demands they're in one another's lives for a scene, or separated for dramatic purposes. Their urgency to sleep together is laughable, after her reluctance to jump into anything too quickly. All sense of desire is communicated through Zach's erections, and the guy sounds like your average teenage boy, in that regard. Another guy complimenting Clare gets him hard, in one scene that made me snort aloud. Their big blow-up, throw-down fight is ridiculous, and his reasons for coming around are arbitrary.
Worst of all, this book uses "Gypsy" as a shortcut for exotic, mystical, and sensual. What makes Clare special, you see, is that she has "Gypsy" ancestry, and the conclusion of the book has Clare "Gypsy dancing" while Zach fantasizes about her in a belly dancer costume. I had to close my eyes until my nausea passed. So much about the depiction is wrong that I won't even correct the author on the right way to refer to the people whose culture she's pissing on.
I might've understood some of this book's flaws if this were a debut author. She's not. The writing is stilted, dialogue contrived, plot thin, characters one-dimensional. The author spends a chatty few pages telling us about all the research she did, leaving me with the distinct impression it was wasted. In short, I will be staying far, far away from this author, and I recommend you do the same.
Clare Cermak inherited an absurd amount of money from her aunt. Also, the ability to see ghosts, and her labrador retriever, Enzo. Enzo is a ghost dog. She meets Zach Slade, no relation to the ghost of the notorious gunman she's tasked with helping pass to the other side.
I can't think of a single plot point in this book that felt natural. The entire thing felt contrived and forced. Nobody acted like a real person. They all acted like the cardboard cutouts the plot demanded of them. Clare goes back and forth on how she feels about her "gift," but the plot forces her to accept it because otherwise she'll die. Not that we're allowed to feel it nibbling at her soul little by little; no, we get accounts of how cold she is, and people fretting about her. Supposedly her gift is very strong, but I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. If it means things were supposed to be easy for her, why does she struggle with the basics for so long?
The plot, itself, is very slow-moving. A timeline is introduced, and Clare expresses dismay she has so short a time. Then she putters around working on other things, like moving into a whole new house that she buys after she learns about the time crunch. Even the down-to-the-wire finish drags on. For heaven's sake, one minute Zach is pondering using a helicopter to get them there on time, the next he's talking her into a two-hour nap.
The relationship between Clare and Zach made me roll my eyes. They go back and forth, for no reason other than that the plot demands they're in one another's lives for a scene, or separated for dramatic purposes. Their urgency to sleep together is laughable, after her reluctance to jump into anything too quickly. All sense of desire is communicated through Zach's erections, and the guy sounds like your average teenage boy, in that regard. Another guy complimenting Clare gets him hard, in one scene that made me snort aloud. Their big blow-up, throw-down fight is ridiculous, and his reasons for coming around are arbitrary.
Worst of all, this book uses "Gypsy" as a shortcut for exotic, mystical, and sensual. What makes Clare special, you see, is that she has "Gypsy" ancestry, and the conclusion of the book has Clare "Gypsy dancing" while Zach fantasizes about her in a belly dancer costume. I had to close my eyes until my nausea passed. So much about the depiction is wrong that I won't even correct the author on the right way to refer to the people whose culture she's pissing on.
I might've understood some of this book's flaws if this were a debut author. She's not. The writing is stilted, dialogue contrived, plot thin, characters one-dimensional. The author spends a chatty few pages telling us about all the research she did, leaving me with the distinct impression it was wasted. In short, I will be staying far, far away from this author, and I recommend you do the same.
April 7, 2014
Ghost Seer by Robin D. Owens is the first in a new urban fantasy series. Owens offered up a delightful start and I look forward to continuing the series. Mini review: A gift, talking ghost dog, ominous crows and manifestations with a side dish of romance kept me engaged.
Clare Cermanc’s eccentric aunt has passed away leaving her wealthy and the reluctant owner of a gift. She suddenly finds herself able to communicate with ghosts. She isn’t thrilled but the consequences of ignoring it could be deadly. It’s also pretty darn hard to ignore a ghost dog who talks incessantly and a cowboy who needs help crossing over. Zack Slade has just returned home to Denver, after being seriously injured as a deputy sheriff. When their paths cross, sparks fly but Clare may need more from him then hot kisses.
Clare is an accountant; she is a facts and figures kind of gal and she struggles to accept the gift bestowed upon her. Her struggles in the beginning made my connection to her rocky but the more Owens’ revealed, the more I began to like Clare. Zack is all cop from the way he enters a room to the way he assesses you. He is at a crossroads, and I liked getting to know him. Zack has the sight, although he refuses to acknowledge his gift. He refers to Clare’s ability as woo-woo and of course I now have a soft spot for him. The romance began as a heated attraction, cooled off and then slowly evolved. I am not a hundred percent behind it yet, but enjoyed their chemistry and the way they enhance each other. Secondary characters from Zack’s new boss to an eccentric old woman added to the tale. I have a feeling Owens’ has just scratched the surface with these characters and their abilities.
Ghost Seer was a wonderful beginning to a series full of possibilities. There are strict rules surrounding the gift bequeathed to Claire and some of them are not pleasant. Clare’s first case as a Seer had us exploring the Wild West as she helps a notorious outlaw. Enzo, the ghost dog, is a guide of sorts for Clare. I loved how he was both excited puppy and guide. Together Clare, Zack and Enzo make an interesting team and work well together. I liked the banter; suspense and twists Owens’ brought to the tale. The pacing was well done as she created the world, explained the gift and assembled our team. Little tidbits and foreshadowing of things to come left me tingling. The plot had a few twists, and a few over the top moments but I liked the flow, and potential. While there is still more I want to know, I am excited to continue the series.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Clare Cermanc’s eccentric aunt has passed away leaving her wealthy and the reluctant owner of a gift. She suddenly finds herself able to communicate with ghosts. She isn’t thrilled but the consequences of ignoring it could be deadly. It’s also pretty darn hard to ignore a ghost dog who talks incessantly and a cowboy who needs help crossing over. Zack Slade has just returned home to Denver, after being seriously injured as a deputy sheriff. When their paths cross, sparks fly but Clare may need more from him then hot kisses.
Clare is an accountant; she is a facts and figures kind of gal and she struggles to accept the gift bestowed upon her. Her struggles in the beginning made my connection to her rocky but the more Owens’ revealed, the more I began to like Clare. Zack is all cop from the way he enters a room to the way he assesses you. He is at a crossroads, and I liked getting to know him. Zack has the sight, although he refuses to acknowledge his gift. He refers to Clare’s ability as woo-woo and of course I now have a soft spot for him. The romance began as a heated attraction, cooled off and then slowly evolved. I am not a hundred percent behind it yet, but enjoyed their chemistry and the way they enhance each other. Secondary characters from Zack’s new boss to an eccentric old woman added to the tale. I have a feeling Owens’ has just scratched the surface with these characters and their abilities.
Ghost Seer was a wonderful beginning to a series full of possibilities. There are strict rules surrounding the gift bequeathed to Claire and some of them are not pleasant. Clare’s first case as a Seer had us exploring the Wild West as she helps a notorious outlaw. Enzo, the ghost dog, is a guide of sorts for Clare. I loved how he was both excited puppy and guide. Together Clare, Zack and Enzo make an interesting team and work well together. I liked the banter; suspense and twists Owens’ brought to the tale. The pacing was well done as she created the world, explained the gift and assembled our team. Little tidbits and foreshadowing of things to come left me tingling. The plot had a few twists, and a few over the top moments but I liked the flow, and potential. While there is still more I want to know, I am excited to continue the series.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
April 3, 2014
Fairly decent urban fantasy. This is the start of a series that will feature the same couple. So it doesn't have a typical HEA but a HFN. I expect that the couple will have their problems as the series continues.
The ghost set up was okay but I felt like the rules and psychic abilities of the heroine were a bit arbitrary. Plus everyone she met seemed to have psychic abilities. It seemed a bit too much. There was too much sex and not enough action on the ghost saving front. The sex scenes disrupted the flow of the story and other than maybe the first where they got together were just unnecessary. There was no sexual tension that they were fulfilling. Really just no need for them in this book that should have been more focused on the action.
Also there was something off about the writing style something about the way the characters thought to themselves that was annoying.
There were good elements. I liked the way that ghosts were everywhere and she couldn't concentrate to drive and the way that she had problems with breaking the law and such to fulfill her ghost laying duties. Although even here while she was breaking a law the outcome was just too easy. Let's cut back on sex scenes and add more tough ghost laying stuff to ramp up the tension and interest.
Don't know if I'll continue with the series or not.
The ghost set up was okay but I felt like the rules and psychic abilities of the heroine were a bit arbitrary. Plus everyone she met seemed to have psychic abilities. It seemed a bit too much. There was too much sex and not enough action on the ghost saving front. The sex scenes disrupted the flow of the story and other than maybe the first where they got together were just unnecessary. There was no sexual tension that they were fulfilling. Really just no need for them in this book that should have been more focused on the action.
Also there was something off about the writing style something about the way the characters thought to themselves that was annoying.
There were good elements. I liked the way that ghosts were everywhere and she couldn't concentrate to drive and the way that she had problems with breaking the law and such to fulfill her ghost laying duties. Although even here while she was breaking a law the outcome was just too easy. Let's cut back on sex scenes and add more tough ghost laying stuff to ramp up the tension and interest.
Don't know if I'll continue with the series or not.
August 30, 2016
This book reminded me of why I previously had read only one book by this author.
Ghost Seer isn't terrible, it's just blah. The main characters are flat and do and say things that make no sense. We are treated to scintillating dialogue like this:
"I like you." ...
“I like you, too,” she said.
“You’re special,” he said, and her expression closed down again.
“I don’t want to be special. I want to be normal.” Her voice turned crisp.
“Okay,” he said mildly. “But you’re rich.”
Her body relaxed into the seat, and the curve to her lips returned, her arms uncrossed. “Yes, that I am.”
Excerpt From: Robin D. Owens. “Ghost Seer.” Penguin Group US, 2014-04-01T04:00:00+00:00. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
I got through the whole story, even if I easily was distracted by riveting things like doing laundry, but I have no great desire to read the next book in the series. I just hope I remember this the next time I'm tempted to read one of Owens' books.
Ghost Seer isn't terrible, it's just blah. The main characters are flat and do and say things that make no sense. We are treated to scintillating dialogue like this:
"I like you." ...
“I like you, too,” she said.
“You’re special,” he said, and her expression closed down again.
“I don’t want to be special. I want to be normal.” Her voice turned crisp.
“Okay,” he said mildly. “But you’re rich.”
Her body relaxed into the seat, and the curve to her lips returned, her arms uncrossed. “Yes, that I am.”
Excerpt From: Robin D. Owens. “Ghost Seer.” Penguin Group US, 2014-04-01T04:00:00+00:00. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
I got through the whole story, even if I easily was distracted by riveting things like doing laundry, but I have no great desire to read the next book in the series. I just hope I remember this the next time I'm tempted to read one of Owens' books.
April 29, 2014
I am a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book more because it started off real cute and I LOVE the cover!
However, Clare and Zach moved too quickly for my liking and I didn't like the way their romance 'blossomed'!! I hated that Clare wouldn't accept her 'gift' and the way she went on with Enzo, looking at him, touching him and yet not believing he was there... I wasn't convinced about this at all.
Not enough excitement for me and sometimes quite bland.
However, Clare and Zach moved too quickly for my liking and I didn't like the way their romance 'blossomed'!! I hated that Clare wouldn't accept her 'gift' and the way she went on with Enzo, looking at him, touching him and yet not believing he was there... I wasn't convinced about this at all.
Not enough excitement for me and sometimes quite bland.
April 4, 2014
This joint review was originally published at The Book Pushers
Thoughts on heroine
Lou: I really enjoyed Clare’s character. At the beginning she is resisting this new gift of hers with all her might. She doesn’t easily accept it; she worries she’s got something mentally wrong with her or if she’s somehow got a brain tumour. She sees and hears this ghostly dog talking to her and she tries her best to ignore Enzo but she can’t. While see struggles to come to terms what is happening to her, deep down you know that she’s fully aware of what’s happening to her. She knows it’s something to do with her eccentric and crazy Aunt who is now deceased. Clare, throughout the book, sort of goes through stages of her new abilities. Anger, sadness, grief and then acceptance. While she was so frail because of her abilities, I loved how sure and confident she was in her sexual attraction towards Zach.
E: Owens has been on my auto-buy list for over a decade which now includes 4 different series. Out of all of them I think Clare has been the most challenging for me to immediately like. She seemed completely overwhelmed by everything for about half the book but when she started coming into her own I loved the mental strength she displayed. In addition to her strength regarding her new gift, I was glad to see that she refused to be with someone who didn’t respect her for all of who she was. I also enjoyed how she never lost the accountant piece and her love for numbers. I thought retaining that aspect kept Clare anchored in the here and now while trying to deal with her sudden life changing events.
Marlene: Owens is on my auto-buy list too! I practically count the days until she has another book in the Celta series. But Ghost Seer was different, and Clare felt like a different kind of heroine for Owens.
I liked Clare, but I did start to wonder when she was going to “wake up and smell the ectoplasm”. She resists her new talent for a long time, and through a lot of stuff that would make most people figure out that their world has just expanded. (She was also a lot naive about the shrink Bradley) At the same time she has a practical side that keeps her very grounded–accounting is not the profession for those subject to flights of fancy. Clare is used to having things add up, and when the ghosts enter her life, things definitely stop adding up! But part of what made Clare a heroine worth following is that once she accepted her new life, then anyone who wanted to be in her life needed to accept the new her, ghosts and all. She wasn’t willing to overlook Zach’s inability to respect her whole self in favor of his very hot body. Clare is the whole package and she stands up and refuses to be with someone who won’t respect her as she IS. (And Enzo is adorable but damn hard to ignore!)
Thoughts on hero
Lou: Zack I also really enjoyed. Clare and Zach both have their own individual conflicts there were rock solid. Zach is just learning and coming to terms with not being a cop anymore. He’s struggling with his injuries and he’s bitter and angry surrounding the incident that caused the injury to his leg. He’s not an easy person and he has some hard edges to his personality. Zack doesn’t like the idea of being a private investigator because it’s not a public servant job. He struggles with the idea of it not being a calling. There’s a scene where he can’t apprehend a subject like he would have done as a cop. But like Clare, despite his issues, he’s confident and sure about his attraction to Clare. He wastes no time in flirting with her and letting her know he’s interested in her. But soon afterwards it’s Zach that pulls away when he learns about Clare’s abilities. I think it’s going to be Zach that will take longer to heal and come to terms with his new life.
E: Zach was fun. He was a lost angry man trying to come to terms with losing his chosen profession, some physical ability, the realization there was an extra dimension in the world, and that he was involved in it. He cared so much about helping people, especially those who could not afford to pay that feeling forced to move to the private sector really hurt his sense of self. I loved how he had every intention of rejecting private sector work until he met his clients or others in need and then he couldn’t turn them down. I enjoyed his reaction to Clare and her acceptance of him and his struggles to fully accept her along with his “premonitions.” I am going to enjoy watching him continue to grow over this series.
Marlene: Zach made a very interesting hero. He spends the book coming to terms with the life he has now, and how it differs from the life he had before–the life he thought he wanted. He clearly has a LOT of backstory, and not all of it is revealed in Ghost Seer. The events of the story change him quite a bit; not just from a sherriff to a private investigator, but also that he begins to accept his physical limitations and that the woo-woo elements of his instincts and premonitions are real. And he changes from someone who never settles down and has no ties, to someone who is building a family-of-choice, whether he wants to be adopted by all the people involved or not.
Favourite scene
Lou: I loved the scenes with Enzo. He was hilarious. He reminded me of Doug in the film, Up. Ghost Seer surprised me with it’s humour. It had suspense, paranormal, romance, humour and a feel of the Old West. It really was a mixed bag. The romance wasn’t instant and I was happily surprised when I realised this series will follow Zach and Clare because the book ends on the start of their new romance. And the romance was wonderful in its sensuality and heat factor.
E: I think my favorite scene was when Zach was first introduced to Mrs. Flinton and that gracious old lady completely steamrolled over both him and Mr. Rickman to get what she wanted. She continued to do that throughout the book and included Clare as one of those she mothered. Mrs. Flinton provided some needed comic relief as well as the aspect of a motherly figure to two people who desperately needed one. I do hope she continues to act along those lines because she quickly became a favorite for me.
Marlene: I absolutely adored Enzo. For a ghost dog, he had an incredible amount of personality. Also no slobber and he doesn’t require his human to “scoop his poop”. He’s just about perfect. But Mrs. Flinton stole the show. She’s the grandmother everyone wishes they had, with a core of absolute steel under the fluffiness. Anytime she was manipulating people (for their own good, of course) she was awesome.
Dislike
Lou: I suppose my only dislike was I felt the beginning of Ghost Seer was a little shaky. I found it took sometime to get started and thought the heroine spent a lot of time in bed in the early scenes. I would also loved to have known how the gift of Seer is passed down in the family. But I suspect we’ll learn more about the nature of her gifts and who the Otherly spirit is that sometimes takes hold of Enzo’s ghostly body.
E: I am accustomed to Owens’ stories building slowly but I thought this one contained some extraneous material at the beginning involving Clare’s family. While it did serve to set the stage for other events Owens then later told what she showed more than once so I found myself wondering why the scene towards the beginning existed.
Marlene: The start of this one was a bit slow. Because it took so long for Clare to accept her gift, the “woe is me” parts went on too long and repeated the reasons why she HAD to accept her gift multiple times.
Misc. thoughts and grade
Lou: I really enjoyed Ghost Seer, and I’m so glad I picked up this arc. The plot is engaging and I loved the story of Jack Slade and I can’t wait to see what other ghostly historical figures will appear in future books. The romance is very strong and I can’t wait to see how Zack and Clare will fare now that Clare has accepted her gift, and I want to find out what gift Zach has that was hesitantly hinted at throughout the story with the crows.
I give Ghost Seer a B+
E: I think Ghost Seer is a great start to a new series by Owens. I enjoyed meeting Clare, Zach, Enzo and the other prominent characters. I also thought the inclusion of history, ghosts, and the dangers of ignoring what you should be doing very captivating. It was enjoyable to watch Clare and Zach both start to find their footing in their new lives as well as deal with the detritus from their past. I am really excited to see what Owens has in store for future installments.
I give Ghost Seer a B
Marlene: Once I got into it, I really enjoyed Ghost Seer, and I’m looking forward to the next book, Ghost Layer. Although this particular ghost has been laid to rest, there are lots of possibilities for more Wild West ghosts to need help–it was a turbulent and colorful time, with more surviving legends than facts. It’s also going to be fun to see how Clare and Zach’s romance proceeds–as good as they are together, I don’t think it’s going to be all smooth sailing, as Zach tries to accept his own gifts.
Ghost Seer did remind me of another series where someone inherits a talent for seeing ghosts through a family legacy. If Ghost Seer appeals, you might want to try Meg Benjamin’s Medium Rare.
I give Ghost Seer a B
Thoughts on heroine
Lou: I really enjoyed Clare’s character. At the beginning she is resisting this new gift of hers with all her might. She doesn’t easily accept it; she worries she’s got something mentally wrong with her or if she’s somehow got a brain tumour. She sees and hears this ghostly dog talking to her and she tries her best to ignore Enzo but she can’t. While see struggles to come to terms what is happening to her, deep down you know that she’s fully aware of what’s happening to her. She knows it’s something to do with her eccentric and crazy Aunt who is now deceased. Clare, throughout the book, sort of goes through stages of her new abilities. Anger, sadness, grief and then acceptance. While she was so frail because of her abilities, I loved how sure and confident she was in her sexual attraction towards Zach.
E: Owens has been on my auto-buy list for over a decade which now includes 4 different series. Out of all of them I think Clare has been the most challenging for me to immediately like. She seemed completely overwhelmed by everything for about half the book but when she started coming into her own I loved the mental strength she displayed. In addition to her strength regarding her new gift, I was glad to see that she refused to be with someone who didn’t respect her for all of who she was. I also enjoyed how she never lost the accountant piece and her love for numbers. I thought retaining that aspect kept Clare anchored in the here and now while trying to deal with her sudden life changing events.
Marlene: Owens is on my auto-buy list too! I practically count the days until she has another book in the Celta series. But Ghost Seer was different, and Clare felt like a different kind of heroine for Owens.
I liked Clare, but I did start to wonder when she was going to “wake up and smell the ectoplasm”. She resists her new talent for a long time, and through a lot of stuff that would make most people figure out that their world has just expanded. (She was also a lot naive about the shrink Bradley) At the same time she has a practical side that keeps her very grounded–accounting is not the profession for those subject to flights of fancy. Clare is used to having things add up, and when the ghosts enter her life, things definitely stop adding up! But part of what made Clare a heroine worth following is that once she accepted her new life, then anyone who wanted to be in her life needed to accept the new her, ghosts and all. She wasn’t willing to overlook Zach’s inability to respect her whole self in favor of his very hot body. Clare is the whole package and she stands up and refuses to be with someone who won’t respect her as she IS. (And Enzo is adorable but damn hard to ignore!)
Thoughts on hero
Lou: Zack I also really enjoyed. Clare and Zach both have their own individual conflicts there were rock solid. Zach is just learning and coming to terms with not being a cop anymore. He’s struggling with his injuries and he’s bitter and angry surrounding the incident that caused the injury to his leg. He’s not an easy person and he has some hard edges to his personality. Zack doesn’t like the idea of being a private investigator because it’s not a public servant job. He struggles with the idea of it not being a calling. There’s a scene where he can’t apprehend a subject like he would have done as a cop. But like Clare, despite his issues, he’s confident and sure about his attraction to Clare. He wastes no time in flirting with her and letting her know he’s interested in her. But soon afterwards it’s Zach that pulls away when he learns about Clare’s abilities. I think it’s going to be Zach that will take longer to heal and come to terms with his new life.
E: Zach was fun. He was a lost angry man trying to come to terms with losing his chosen profession, some physical ability, the realization there was an extra dimension in the world, and that he was involved in it. He cared so much about helping people, especially those who could not afford to pay that feeling forced to move to the private sector really hurt his sense of self. I loved how he had every intention of rejecting private sector work until he met his clients or others in need and then he couldn’t turn them down. I enjoyed his reaction to Clare and her acceptance of him and his struggles to fully accept her along with his “premonitions.” I am going to enjoy watching him continue to grow over this series.
Marlene: Zach made a very interesting hero. He spends the book coming to terms with the life he has now, and how it differs from the life he had before–the life he thought he wanted. He clearly has a LOT of backstory, and not all of it is revealed in Ghost Seer. The events of the story change him quite a bit; not just from a sherriff to a private investigator, but also that he begins to accept his physical limitations and that the woo-woo elements of his instincts and premonitions are real. And he changes from someone who never settles down and has no ties, to someone who is building a family-of-choice, whether he wants to be adopted by all the people involved or not.
Favourite scene
Lou: I loved the scenes with Enzo. He was hilarious. He reminded me of Doug in the film, Up. Ghost Seer surprised me with it’s humour. It had suspense, paranormal, romance, humour and a feel of the Old West. It really was a mixed bag. The romance wasn’t instant and I was happily surprised when I realised this series will follow Zach and Clare because the book ends on the start of their new romance. And the romance was wonderful in its sensuality and heat factor.
E: I think my favorite scene was when Zach was first introduced to Mrs. Flinton and that gracious old lady completely steamrolled over both him and Mr. Rickman to get what she wanted. She continued to do that throughout the book and included Clare as one of those she mothered. Mrs. Flinton provided some needed comic relief as well as the aspect of a motherly figure to two people who desperately needed one. I do hope she continues to act along those lines because she quickly became a favorite for me.
Marlene: I absolutely adored Enzo. For a ghost dog, he had an incredible amount of personality. Also no slobber and he doesn’t require his human to “scoop his poop”. He’s just about perfect. But Mrs. Flinton stole the show. She’s the grandmother everyone wishes they had, with a core of absolute steel under the fluffiness. Anytime she was manipulating people (for their own good, of course) she was awesome.
Dislike
Lou: I suppose my only dislike was I felt the beginning of Ghost Seer was a little shaky. I found it took sometime to get started and thought the heroine spent a lot of time in bed in the early scenes. I would also loved to have known how the gift of Seer is passed down in the family. But I suspect we’ll learn more about the nature of her gifts and who the Otherly spirit is that sometimes takes hold of Enzo’s ghostly body.
E: I am accustomed to Owens’ stories building slowly but I thought this one contained some extraneous material at the beginning involving Clare’s family. While it did serve to set the stage for other events Owens then later told what she showed more than once so I found myself wondering why the scene towards the beginning existed.
Marlene: The start of this one was a bit slow. Because it took so long for Clare to accept her gift, the “woe is me” parts went on too long and repeated the reasons why she HAD to accept her gift multiple times.
Misc. thoughts and grade
Lou: I really enjoyed Ghost Seer, and I’m so glad I picked up this arc. The plot is engaging and I loved the story of Jack Slade and I can’t wait to see what other ghostly historical figures will appear in future books. The romance is very strong and I can’t wait to see how Zack and Clare will fare now that Clare has accepted her gift, and I want to find out what gift Zach has that was hesitantly hinted at throughout the story with the crows.
I give Ghost Seer a B+
E: I think Ghost Seer is a great start to a new series by Owens. I enjoyed meeting Clare, Zach, Enzo and the other prominent characters. I also thought the inclusion of history, ghosts, and the dangers of ignoring what you should be doing very captivating. It was enjoyable to watch Clare and Zach both start to find their footing in their new lives as well as deal with the detritus from their past. I am really excited to see what Owens has in store for future installments.
I give Ghost Seer a B
Marlene: Once I got into it, I really enjoyed Ghost Seer, and I’m looking forward to the next book, Ghost Layer. Although this particular ghost has been laid to rest, there are lots of possibilities for more Wild West ghosts to need help–it was a turbulent and colorful time, with more surviving legends than facts. It’s also going to be fun to see how Clare and Zach’s romance proceeds–as good as they are together, I don’t think it’s going to be all smooth sailing, as Zach tries to accept his own gifts.
Ghost Seer did remind me of another series where someone inherits a talent for seeing ghosts through a family legacy. If Ghost Seer appeals, you might want to try Meg Benjamin’s Medium Rare.
I give Ghost Seer a B
November 11, 2015
The overall feeling I've got, now that I've finished reading ... is Charm.
Clare Cermak is an upstanding citizen, highly regarded Accountant, a CPA. She also has just inherited M$20 from her weird great aunt Sandra (I had a chuckle about that!). The catch is, she sees dead people, and dead dogs and unless she comes to grip with her 'power' she'll die or go crazy.
Zach Slade, a damaged ex-Deputy has moved to Denver to be closer to his mother and to escape Montana, where a workplace accident deprived him of his much-loved career.
So two damaged people and the case of Jack Slade of the Pony Express. I didn't realise till the end when reading the notes that Jack was an actual person. No wonder the story just really hung together.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
Clare Cermak is an upstanding citizen, highly regarded Accountant, a CPA. She also has just inherited M$20 from her weird great aunt Sandra (I had a chuckle about that!). The catch is, she sees dead people, and dead dogs and unless she comes to grip with her 'power' she'll die or go crazy.
Zach Slade, a damaged ex-Deputy has moved to Denver to be closer to his mother and to escape Montana, where a workplace accident deprived him of his much-loved career.
So two damaged people and the case of Jack Slade of the Pony Express. I didn't realise till the end when reading the notes that Jack was an actual person. No wonder the story just really hung together.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
January 4, 2015
I didn’t like Clare from the beginning. Anyone that doesn’t believe in ghosts and keeps up this constant state of denial even though the facts are staring them in the face . . . talking to her, touching her, helping her and telling her things that are true. Clare thinks she’s losing her mind, even though her aunt had the gift and therefore it should come as no great surprise. She has tests run on herself, pays a huge fee for a psychiatrist twice a week and even says a brain tumor would be better than seeing ghosts. Yes, she actually says that. I couldn’t believe I read that. I can’t even fathom someone even joking that a brain tumor would be better than seeing spirits of dead people and animals. I really can’t stand when people deny that ghosts exists. It’s not like they’re magical creatures with wings and horn that come from fairyland. They’re spirits of people and animals that lived—they were real and now they’re just dead. The spirit left the body and now it’s free to wander. Nothing make-believe or crazy about it. So that’s why I really didn’t like Clare in the beginning, she kept insisting over and over and over that something was wrong with her. It was really annoying.
I also didn’t like her profession at all. I can’t stand suit-wearing, tight laced, uptight, crisp and clean, neat freak, highly organized, hair up, number-figuring women in what I think are boring fields, like accountants. That is so absolutely boring to me. It’s so boring reading about how they like numbers and she’s got a place for everything in her bag, carefully organizing and putting things away. It doesn’t make for good reading and it’s just drier than a bone to read. I really dislike when space is taken up for mundane details that would be better served with something interesting.
And she also had a clingy, needy quality that wasn’t very attractive. The first day, within hours of meeting Zach Slade, she’s thinking of him when buying a house. Who does that? Talk about fast forwarding and jumping gun. She thinks of having a bigger house with room for kids and having the sexy Zach has a husband. Geeze, this lady is desperate.
“She set a bookmark into the pages, closed the book, and put it in the outer pocket of a leather computer bag. The middle compartment showed four other books.
She tucked her cell into her bag, pulled out a portfolio and slipped her notes inside, returned it to the tote, and moved her coffee cup from his side of the table and sipped. Her eyes studied him over the rim.”
I hate when authors go off on these tangents of trivial, unimportant, mundane, and BORING details! It makes me want to scream! I’d rather organize my bathroom than read this. It’s so freakin boring reading about someone like this. AHHHH!
Pg. 37 “He glanced at Clare, who’d placed her cup in her saucer and watched him with a gaze that he suddenly noticed had shadows. She wasn’t as simple as he’d thought. Again, interesting.”
“Shadows” in someone’s eyes makes a stranger interesting?
Zach mentioned he had a former boss, and Clare flinches, and says she has one of those too. Zach thinks she presented more puzzles. I’m sorry, what were the first puzzles, like why is she obsessing over organizing her computer bag? That would be about it. And what’s the mystery of having a former boss? She had a job, and doesn’t now. There’s not a whole lot of options for why that would be.
“Clare turned her wrist to look at her watch. A person who still wore a watch so she could see the time faster than reaching for her cell or personal computer or tablet—which Zach also bet she carried.
Yep, one damn intriguing woman.”
One damn intriguing woman just because she wears a watch instead of looking at all the gadgetry she’s sure to have…I just don’t know what to say. The author is so clearly and obviously trying so hard it’s just glaring.
Pg. 45 “A lot of commonalities between them, and the shadows in her eyes, and something just different combined into a hell of an attraction for him.
Can’t forget the shadows!
Pg. 46 “The more he looked at her, the more he thought he saw strain around her eyes, as if those shadows bedeviled her.”
Pg. 70 “Most of all she liked the interest in his changeable blue-green eyes.”
Pg 81 “Then her pupils focused and the shadows in her eyes became shades of emotion he couldn’t fathom.”
Clare comments that the shrink prescribed heavy-duty meds and that she didn’t want drugs. So now her morals kick in. She doesn’t want to take meds, but she wants what could potentially be incurable—a brain tumor—which would require medication, surgery, etc. Makes sense.
Clare, for being so supposedly responsible, lets Zach pay for her at every turn. A man she talked to ordered coffee and left her to pay for it, so she says that to Zach, and he ends up paying for the coffee and the soup, most of which she didn’t even eat. I don’t like women that let men pay for them without putting up a fight at all, like because they’re women it’s predetermined that a man has to support them while they don’t pay for anything, and she should’ve paid for it because making him pay for unfinished soup is unfair.
She also thinks of him everywhere she goes. Once he comes into her life she sees him everywhere, and I don’t like when authors are so present in the writing you can visualize them manipulating things and forcing the characters together at every single opportunity. Clare goes out for lunch and thinks about Zach coming, and says she’ll order soup so she won’t have to worry about having lettuce in her teeth if Zach shows up. Seriously, she picks her meal based on a hypothetical meeting with someone who’s a stranger to her. Who does that? And what are the chances of him picking the one restaurant where she’s at in town? Well, the odds are pretty dang good because guess who shows up? Zach. Of course! Of course he shows up, it was so freakin predictable. The author was literally slamming these two together every single chance she got.
She didn’t even accept her gift until pg. 124. Imagine sitting reading a book for over 100 pages, half the entire book, where a character is in denial. It’ll drive you crazy. And just when I thought it was over it was still going on. When she said she accepted it she didn’t really accept it, no, because pg. 136 she’s still saying she has to choose! Omg, just someone put me out of my misery already.
“She could feel his location in her mind, like a chill spot in a certain direction.
He sighed gustily, spraying droplets of vanishing, ectoplasmic goo all over her. See, she was accepting this with so much grace she could make jokes. Ha. Ha.”
Was he in a certain direction, or wasn’t he? That doesn’t make any sense. And what I had to actually look again, but nope, I was right; there wasn’t anything funny in that line. That wasn’t a joke at all. Some senses of humor are just not there.
“We should play, too.”
“I believe in you!”
“But you hear me, right? Huh, huh? I looove you, Clare. Always liked when you came. You brought treats. Do you have treats here?”
“We are going out! We are walking with other ghosts! Hooray!”
Enzo. What can I say about Enzo? Despite being a name on Vampire Diaries that I like, the dog was annoying and stupid.
The rules were crazy. “The human mind can only handle ghosts from one slice of history.” Her aunt had 30 years and of course Clare the nonbeliever gets 50 years, and she’s more powerful than her aunt! Again, predictable. She can go to Montana, Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, etc. anywhere with ghosts of the Old West. Well isn’t that something? You can’t even travel to a state that don’t have ghosts from your personal “slice of history.”
Pg. 14 “Enzo opened his eyes, and for an instant she thought she saw a glint of something more than dog, something older, wiser.
Then Enzo blinked and rolled to sit and looked like a goofy pooch again. I will help. It will be fun! I love you and you love me! Thank you for the petting!”
Pg. 28 “For the first time, that Other spirit she sensed also inhabited Enzo’s body came to the fore, looked at her with dark, dark fog moving in the eye sockets, thundered in her mind.”
“Enzo followed, circled and circled again, and when he looked up at her, his eyes were all innocent dog.”
“You believe in ME, in US, in ghosts. In your GIFT!”
Pg. 139 “His eyes were dark but didn’t hold that more-than-dog otherworldliness that creeped her out.”
Pg. 148 “She swallowed, and some of the shadows receded from her gaze.”
“The dog nodded with no hint of that huge Otherness that sometimes spoke through him. The huge, weird, strange, awesome Otherness.”
Pg. 184 “His eyes held stormy secrets.”
“And closed her eyes, willowed against him—such a solid man.”
These are all examples of her many uses of shadowy, secretive eyes, Enzo’s overblown personality and just awful wording.
“Tasted him as he rubbed his tongue against hers. Felt the tightening of her nipples in desire, and more, she felt his erection, as solid as the man.”
“She’d been sweating while working, and now she dampened, all over and under and between with the flush of arousal. She ached for him, for intimacy, for completion.
For release.
He’d been sweating, too, doing more than working inside and walking around outside. That should have turned her off. It didn’t. His smell went straight through her and had her sex clenching with need.
Yes, he smelled right.
She pulled away, still leaning against him. “Zach. I’m all sweaty. I mean, I’ve been packing.
His gaze swept the room: the organized empty boxes against the wall, the half-filled ones just beyond the kitchen threshold. The arm around her back fell and his fingers touched her bare leg below the hem of her short dress, feathered along her skin. He grinned. “Nice.”
She dampened all over, under, and between? Wtf? And he was doing more than working inside and walking around outside, so was he running outside, jogging, walking a lot, fighting someone, not inside at all, what? This doesn’t make any sense! And why would he touch her like that, just reach down and “feather his fingers along her skin.” Was it because her dress was short, because of the feel of her bare skin? And saying nice like that is so demeaning to me, like a boy with a toy that happens to please him.
Then to top that incongruous scene off, he says “you smell like woman. You taste like Clare.” Then “Peachy, the pink under your golden skin. Redder, fuller lips just for me.”
Well who else was she supposed to taste like? This sounds like caveman talk. This is one of, if not the, clumsiest attempt at a sex scene I’ve ever read. It’s like 2 teenagers fumbling and bumbling around doing things that don’t make sense. They’re not virgins so this shouldn’t be happening. It’s making me uncomfortable to read it and it’s a major turnoff. I’ve read few books where while reading the romantic scenes I’m as unaffected as if I was reading my schoolbook. The things they’re saying are short sentence fragments, disjointed thoughts, inane comments and the actions don’t make sense or go together with what’s said or done previously. I’m just confused.
Here’s an example of the writing, which I couldn’t stand. “Tears and pity for herself. Wah. Wah. Wah.”
Who says that that’s above the age of like 10? Way to sound like an immature baby. And that is what she sounds like, whining and blabbering on and on about her problems of inheriting the gift all the freakin time. Act like the woman you’re supposed to be.
The sense of time was all warped. The author kept making dire references to Clare dying or going mad if she didn’t accept her gift, which didn’t have any effect on me whatsoever because there was no evidence that Clare would go mad or die, just the author saying it. She had this tendency to for every single thing in the book tell readers things rather than letting us experience it or give examples to demonstrate it. It was all talk and no action. I feel like there should be theatrical music playing because it was a joke. Clare’s going to die if she doesn’t accept her gift? Who cares! Let her die. And the author also made references to there being dangerous ghosts that could kill her or something if she didn’t help them, like Jack Slade being dangerous, but I didn’t pick up on that at all. There was no danger anywhere in this book. The author said there was, but there wasn’t. Note to authors: instead of beating readers over the head with something take the time to actually make the things happen that you’re saying is happening, not just say it and we’re supposed to take your word for it at face value. The worst part was the romance scenes where all the author literally could say was Zach’s erection. That was it. He kept getting hard all the time at a drop of a hat—when he smelled “Clare” cuz apparently that’s a new scent out there, when he looked at her, when he thought about her, etc. The sex fell apart because the author blew over every single scene, not giving enough detail, not enough feelings and emotions and things readers require. Instead it was like she needed him in her. He wanted to be in her, over her. She needed him over, under, in her. He brought her release. They found release together. Bore me to freakin tears, is this sex in a romance novel or a visit at the doctor’s office? Why is this so clinical? Like sex ed, man sees woman, has an erection. That’s what happens folks. Just read this book if you want to know a man’s reaction. Gosh I’m so bored I’m going to fall asleep. Who’s getting anything out of this? I could get more turned on during biology class learning about plants.
There was no chemistry between Clare and Zach. She liked Zach because he was sexy, and aside from having shaggier hair than she likes, blue-green eyes that the author pointed out too many times to keep up with, and a floppy foot, I’m not even sure what Zach looks like. Clare, either. Cuz there’s no descriptions of their looks basically besides their eyes. Trying to picture a scene was like trying to draw someone you’d never seen before. The author kept hammering it in there that Zach was interested in Clare for more than sex but I wasn’t buying it at all. Their relationship was just unappealing and they started having sex with no prelude, and Zach wanting the sex from the beginning was off-putting
Immediately he noticed her to be a pro because of her clothes then says it’s a lovely contradiction because she was talking to herself or reading out loud. He was a sucker for lovely contradictions. Really? Who loves contradictions that much and just notices it like this?
pg. 197 "Yeah, she was sexy as damn all, lovely, repeatedly presented riddles, and had haunting eyes that continued to suck him in."
Sexy as damn all? What does that mean?
&if you like riddles so much why don't u buy a Rubik's cube or do a puzzle, and since shadows are so appealing spend some downtime in the woods at sundown. Seriously, this is the basis for his attraction, puzzles and shadowy eyes? Really romantic stuff.
She comments that Barclay ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and he says Clare, you're a treasure, and she smiles and says I know! Are you kidding me?!?!? This excuse for a woman considers herself a treasure? How is she a treasure, exactly?
"Then she pulled against him so she could feel him, the tensile strength of his muscles, hard. So, so sexy. He held her tight and that felt so good! A person, a solid being, interacting with her.
Oh, yes, yes, yes!
Big hands, big erection. All hers, soon, but she had to breathe."
pg. 224 "They smiled, but one of those shadows was in her eyes and she thought it applied to him in some way."
"If he looked at her too long, too closely, his dick stood right up. And if he unexpectedly caught a whiff of her--Clare of that exotic perfume she wore that revealed that true wild self of hers--he wanted to start a-nibblin' on her and get her under him, over him--get into her fast."
What is happening here? No one talks like this! I think I've finally figured it out, the author just isn't that good at writing, love scenes in particular and then moving on down the line to writing in a man's perspective, thinking like a man. This isn't working. I'm convinced no one actually has thoughts like this. It's so clumsy and contrived. And "a-nibblin'"?! That doesn't even sound like Zach at all. It's completely out of character and you can't do that, not to mention it sounds completely stupid. Is this was passes for romance these days? I'm about to go a-throwin' up, get this book away, up and over the side of the trash can--get it out of my sight fast.
There was some weird phrases that I just didn't understand, like "he let it wisp through him" and "they fetched up against the side of the elevator" and "enough beats for Clare's mind to wing to the puzzle box."
The author was in here the whole time, I never once forgot someone was writing this. Good authors can pull readers in and make them forget they’re reading about fictional characters. Bad authors bulldoze through by planning every single thing out in a heavy-handed manner and writing unrealistically to see their own goals through. This reads like a beginner, someone writing for the first time in their life
It’s just amazing the things people write and you just wonder did they think this was good, that their characters were likable, that we’d agree with their thoughts and actions, that their book was worth reading? I would have been really mad if I would’ve spent money on this. Some books just shouldn’t be written if they’re not bringing anything new to the table. This didn’t bring a new concept, it didn’t bring humor at all, it didn’t bring anything interesting. It just wasted so much of my time, time I’ll never get back that I could’ve spent reading a good book, and that’s really maddening. I honestly can’t say one single good thing about this book. There was nothing that I liked and nothing that would entice me to read the second because I don’t care what happens to ANY of these characters. I can’t read the second one. The thought makes me crazy.
And by the way, who is that on the cover? That’s not Clare Cermak. Clare Cermak, despite that Gypsy ancestry the author kept hitting home, would never wear that and didn’t wear anything even remotely like that in the book. Peasant blouse cut up to above her belly button and a scarf tied around her head. Looks like it was dress like a Gypsy day in high school for spirit week and so these naïve school kids ran out to a thrift store and did what the limited selection allowed them to do for their own interpretation of a Gypsy. Throw your hip out and you’ve got one cheap cover.
When you create a character you have to keep it consistent. You can’t have them dress a certain way on the cover and in the book they’re wearing suits and dressing like a businesswoman or a grandma. And that circle thing on the cover bears absolutely resemblance to anything that happened in the book. I don’t know what that is or what it’s doing on the cover.
Seriously. Wherever you are when you read this--throw it down. And run faster than you've ever ran in your life. When you see the words Ghost Seer and Owens just run.
I also didn’t like her profession at all. I can’t stand suit-wearing, tight laced, uptight, crisp and clean, neat freak, highly organized, hair up, number-figuring women in what I think are boring fields, like accountants. That is so absolutely boring to me. It’s so boring reading about how they like numbers and she’s got a place for everything in her bag, carefully organizing and putting things away. It doesn’t make for good reading and it’s just drier than a bone to read. I really dislike when space is taken up for mundane details that would be better served with something interesting.
And she also had a clingy, needy quality that wasn’t very attractive. The first day, within hours of meeting Zach Slade, she’s thinking of him when buying a house. Who does that? Talk about fast forwarding and jumping gun. She thinks of having a bigger house with room for kids and having the sexy Zach has a husband. Geeze, this lady is desperate.
“She set a bookmark into the pages, closed the book, and put it in the outer pocket of a leather computer bag. The middle compartment showed four other books.
She tucked her cell into her bag, pulled out a portfolio and slipped her notes inside, returned it to the tote, and moved her coffee cup from his side of the table and sipped. Her eyes studied him over the rim.”
I hate when authors go off on these tangents of trivial, unimportant, mundane, and BORING details! It makes me want to scream! I’d rather organize my bathroom than read this. It’s so freakin boring reading about someone like this. AHHHH!
Pg. 37 “He glanced at Clare, who’d placed her cup in her saucer and watched him with a gaze that he suddenly noticed had shadows. She wasn’t as simple as he’d thought. Again, interesting.”
“Shadows” in someone’s eyes makes a stranger interesting?
Zach mentioned he had a former boss, and Clare flinches, and says she has one of those too. Zach thinks she presented more puzzles. I’m sorry, what were the first puzzles, like why is she obsessing over organizing her computer bag? That would be about it. And what’s the mystery of having a former boss? She had a job, and doesn’t now. There’s not a whole lot of options for why that would be.
“Clare turned her wrist to look at her watch. A person who still wore a watch so she could see the time faster than reaching for her cell or personal computer or tablet—which Zach also bet she carried.
Yep, one damn intriguing woman.”
One damn intriguing woman just because she wears a watch instead of looking at all the gadgetry she’s sure to have…I just don’t know what to say. The author is so clearly and obviously trying so hard it’s just glaring.
Pg. 45 “A lot of commonalities between them, and the shadows in her eyes, and something just different combined into a hell of an attraction for him.
Can’t forget the shadows!
Pg. 46 “The more he looked at her, the more he thought he saw strain around her eyes, as if those shadows bedeviled her.”
Pg. 70 “Most of all she liked the interest in his changeable blue-green eyes.”
Pg 81 “Then her pupils focused and the shadows in her eyes became shades of emotion he couldn’t fathom.”
Clare comments that the shrink prescribed heavy-duty meds and that she didn’t want drugs. So now her morals kick in. She doesn’t want to take meds, but she wants what could potentially be incurable—a brain tumor—which would require medication, surgery, etc. Makes sense.
Clare, for being so supposedly responsible, lets Zach pay for her at every turn. A man she talked to ordered coffee and left her to pay for it, so she says that to Zach, and he ends up paying for the coffee and the soup, most of which she didn’t even eat. I don’t like women that let men pay for them without putting up a fight at all, like because they’re women it’s predetermined that a man has to support them while they don’t pay for anything, and she should’ve paid for it because making him pay for unfinished soup is unfair.
She also thinks of him everywhere she goes. Once he comes into her life she sees him everywhere, and I don’t like when authors are so present in the writing you can visualize them manipulating things and forcing the characters together at every single opportunity. Clare goes out for lunch and thinks about Zach coming, and says she’ll order soup so she won’t have to worry about having lettuce in her teeth if Zach shows up. Seriously, she picks her meal based on a hypothetical meeting with someone who’s a stranger to her. Who does that? And what are the chances of him picking the one restaurant where she’s at in town? Well, the odds are pretty dang good because guess who shows up? Zach. Of course! Of course he shows up, it was so freakin predictable. The author was literally slamming these two together every single chance she got.
She didn’t even accept her gift until pg. 124. Imagine sitting reading a book for over 100 pages, half the entire book, where a character is in denial. It’ll drive you crazy. And just when I thought it was over it was still going on. When she said she accepted it she didn’t really accept it, no, because pg. 136 she’s still saying she has to choose! Omg, just someone put me out of my misery already.
“She could feel his location in her mind, like a chill spot in a certain direction.
He sighed gustily, spraying droplets of vanishing, ectoplasmic goo all over her. See, she was accepting this with so much grace she could make jokes. Ha. Ha.”
Was he in a certain direction, or wasn’t he? That doesn’t make any sense. And what I had to actually look again, but nope, I was right; there wasn’t anything funny in that line. That wasn’t a joke at all. Some senses of humor are just not there.
“We should play, too.”
“I believe in you!”
“But you hear me, right? Huh, huh? I looove you, Clare. Always liked when you came. You brought treats. Do you have treats here?”
“We are going out! We are walking with other ghosts! Hooray!”
Enzo. What can I say about Enzo? Despite being a name on Vampire Diaries that I like, the dog was annoying and stupid.
The rules were crazy. “The human mind can only handle ghosts from one slice of history.” Her aunt had 30 years and of course Clare the nonbeliever gets 50 years, and she’s more powerful than her aunt! Again, predictable. She can go to Montana, Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, etc. anywhere with ghosts of the Old West. Well isn’t that something? You can’t even travel to a state that don’t have ghosts from your personal “slice of history.”
Pg. 14 “Enzo opened his eyes, and for an instant she thought she saw a glint of something more than dog, something older, wiser.
Then Enzo blinked and rolled to sit and looked like a goofy pooch again. I will help. It will be fun! I love you and you love me! Thank you for the petting!”
Pg. 28 “For the first time, that Other spirit she sensed also inhabited Enzo’s body came to the fore, looked at her with dark, dark fog moving in the eye sockets, thundered in her mind.”
“Enzo followed, circled and circled again, and when he looked up at her, his eyes were all innocent dog.”
“You believe in ME, in US, in ghosts. In your GIFT!”
Pg. 139 “His eyes were dark but didn’t hold that more-than-dog otherworldliness that creeped her out.”
Pg. 148 “She swallowed, and some of the shadows receded from her gaze.”
“The dog nodded with no hint of that huge Otherness that sometimes spoke through him. The huge, weird, strange, awesome Otherness.”
Pg. 184 “His eyes held stormy secrets.”
“And closed her eyes, willowed against him—such a solid man.”
These are all examples of her many uses of shadowy, secretive eyes, Enzo’s overblown personality and just awful wording.
“Tasted him as he rubbed his tongue against hers. Felt the tightening of her nipples in desire, and more, she felt his erection, as solid as the man.”
“She’d been sweating while working, and now she dampened, all over and under and between with the flush of arousal. She ached for him, for intimacy, for completion.
For release.
He’d been sweating, too, doing more than working inside and walking around outside. That should have turned her off. It didn’t. His smell went straight through her and had her sex clenching with need.
Yes, he smelled right.
She pulled away, still leaning against him. “Zach. I’m all sweaty. I mean, I’ve been packing.
His gaze swept the room: the organized empty boxes against the wall, the half-filled ones just beyond the kitchen threshold. The arm around her back fell and his fingers touched her bare leg below the hem of her short dress, feathered along her skin. He grinned. “Nice.”
She dampened all over, under, and between? Wtf? And he was doing more than working inside and walking around outside, so was he running outside, jogging, walking a lot, fighting someone, not inside at all, what? This doesn’t make any sense! And why would he touch her like that, just reach down and “feather his fingers along her skin.” Was it because her dress was short, because of the feel of her bare skin? And saying nice like that is so demeaning to me, like a boy with a toy that happens to please him.
Then to top that incongruous scene off, he says “you smell like woman. You taste like Clare.” Then “Peachy, the pink under your golden skin. Redder, fuller lips just for me.”
Well who else was she supposed to taste like? This sounds like caveman talk. This is one of, if not the, clumsiest attempt at a sex scene I’ve ever read. It’s like 2 teenagers fumbling and bumbling around doing things that don’t make sense. They’re not virgins so this shouldn’t be happening. It’s making me uncomfortable to read it and it’s a major turnoff. I’ve read few books where while reading the romantic scenes I’m as unaffected as if I was reading my schoolbook. The things they’re saying are short sentence fragments, disjointed thoughts, inane comments and the actions don’t make sense or go together with what’s said or done previously. I’m just confused.
Here’s an example of the writing, which I couldn’t stand. “Tears and pity for herself. Wah. Wah. Wah.”
Who says that that’s above the age of like 10? Way to sound like an immature baby. And that is what she sounds like, whining and blabbering on and on about her problems of inheriting the gift all the freakin time. Act like the woman you’re supposed to be.
The sense of time was all warped. The author kept making dire references to Clare dying or going mad if she didn’t accept her gift, which didn’t have any effect on me whatsoever because there was no evidence that Clare would go mad or die, just the author saying it. She had this tendency to for every single thing in the book tell readers things rather than letting us experience it or give examples to demonstrate it. It was all talk and no action. I feel like there should be theatrical music playing because it was a joke. Clare’s going to die if she doesn’t accept her gift? Who cares! Let her die. And the author also made references to there being dangerous ghosts that could kill her or something if she didn’t help them, like Jack Slade being dangerous, but I didn’t pick up on that at all. There was no danger anywhere in this book. The author said there was, but there wasn’t. Note to authors: instead of beating readers over the head with something take the time to actually make the things happen that you’re saying is happening, not just say it and we’re supposed to take your word for it at face value. The worst part was the romance scenes where all the author literally could say was Zach’s erection. That was it. He kept getting hard all the time at a drop of a hat—when he smelled “Clare” cuz apparently that’s a new scent out there, when he looked at her, when he thought about her, etc. The sex fell apart because the author blew over every single scene, not giving enough detail, not enough feelings and emotions and things readers require. Instead it was like she needed him in her. He wanted to be in her, over her. She needed him over, under, in her. He brought her release. They found release together. Bore me to freakin tears, is this sex in a romance novel or a visit at the doctor’s office? Why is this so clinical? Like sex ed, man sees woman, has an erection. That’s what happens folks. Just read this book if you want to know a man’s reaction. Gosh I’m so bored I’m going to fall asleep. Who’s getting anything out of this? I could get more turned on during biology class learning about plants.
There was no chemistry between Clare and Zach. She liked Zach because he was sexy, and aside from having shaggier hair than she likes, blue-green eyes that the author pointed out too many times to keep up with, and a floppy foot, I’m not even sure what Zach looks like. Clare, either. Cuz there’s no descriptions of their looks basically besides their eyes. Trying to picture a scene was like trying to draw someone you’d never seen before. The author kept hammering it in there that Zach was interested in Clare for more than sex but I wasn’t buying it at all. Their relationship was just unappealing and they started having sex with no prelude, and Zach wanting the sex from the beginning was off-putting
Immediately he noticed her to be a pro because of her clothes then says it’s a lovely contradiction because she was talking to herself or reading out loud. He was a sucker for lovely contradictions. Really? Who loves contradictions that much and just notices it like this?
pg. 197 "Yeah, she was sexy as damn all, lovely, repeatedly presented riddles, and had haunting eyes that continued to suck him in."
Sexy as damn all? What does that mean?
&if you like riddles so much why don't u buy a Rubik's cube or do a puzzle, and since shadows are so appealing spend some downtime in the woods at sundown. Seriously, this is the basis for his attraction, puzzles and shadowy eyes? Really romantic stuff.
She comments that Barclay ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and he says Clare, you're a treasure, and she smiles and says I know! Are you kidding me?!?!? This excuse for a woman considers herself a treasure? How is she a treasure, exactly?
"Then she pulled against him so she could feel him, the tensile strength of his muscles, hard. So, so sexy. He held her tight and that felt so good! A person, a solid being, interacting with her.
Oh, yes, yes, yes!
Big hands, big erection. All hers, soon, but she had to breathe."
pg. 224 "They smiled, but one of those shadows was in her eyes and she thought it applied to him in some way."
"If he looked at her too long, too closely, his dick stood right up. And if he unexpectedly caught a whiff of her--Clare of that exotic perfume she wore that revealed that true wild self of hers--he wanted to start a-nibblin' on her and get her under him, over him--get into her fast."
What is happening here? No one talks like this! I think I've finally figured it out, the author just isn't that good at writing, love scenes in particular and then moving on down the line to writing in a man's perspective, thinking like a man. This isn't working. I'm convinced no one actually has thoughts like this. It's so clumsy and contrived. And "a-nibblin'"?! That doesn't even sound like Zach at all. It's completely out of character and you can't do that, not to mention it sounds completely stupid. Is this was passes for romance these days? I'm about to go a-throwin' up, get this book away, up and over the side of the trash can--get it out of my sight fast.
There was some weird phrases that I just didn't understand, like "he let it wisp through him" and "they fetched up against the side of the elevator" and "enough beats for Clare's mind to wing to the puzzle box."
The author was in here the whole time, I never once forgot someone was writing this. Good authors can pull readers in and make them forget they’re reading about fictional characters. Bad authors bulldoze through by planning every single thing out in a heavy-handed manner and writing unrealistically to see their own goals through. This reads like a beginner, someone writing for the first time in their life
It’s just amazing the things people write and you just wonder did they think this was good, that their characters were likable, that we’d agree with their thoughts and actions, that their book was worth reading? I would have been really mad if I would’ve spent money on this. Some books just shouldn’t be written if they’re not bringing anything new to the table. This didn’t bring a new concept, it didn’t bring humor at all, it didn’t bring anything interesting. It just wasted so much of my time, time I’ll never get back that I could’ve spent reading a good book, and that’s really maddening. I honestly can’t say one single good thing about this book. There was nothing that I liked and nothing that would entice me to read the second because I don’t care what happens to ANY of these characters. I can’t read the second one. The thought makes me crazy.
And by the way, who is that on the cover? That’s not Clare Cermak. Clare Cermak, despite that Gypsy ancestry the author kept hitting home, would never wear that and didn’t wear anything even remotely like that in the book. Peasant blouse cut up to above her belly button and a scarf tied around her head. Looks like it was dress like a Gypsy day in high school for spirit week and so these naïve school kids ran out to a thrift store and did what the limited selection allowed them to do for their own interpretation of a Gypsy. Throw your hip out and you’ve got one cheap cover.
When you create a character you have to keep it consistent. You can’t have them dress a certain way on the cover and in the book they’re wearing suits and dressing like a businesswoman or a grandma. And that circle thing on the cover bears absolutely resemblance to anything that happened in the book. I don’t know what that is or what it’s doing on the cover.
Seriously. Wherever you are when you read this--throw it down. And run faster than you've ever ran in your life. When you see the words Ghost Seer and Owens just run.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2014
2.5 stars
When Clare’s aunt Sandra dies she doesn’t just come into a lot of money, she also inherits the gift to see and help ghosts. The gift comes with a friendly ghost dog, who is also a helpful guide, named Enzo. Clare had to decide to believe in her gift or die. She also meets Zach, an ex-policeman who still hasn’t accepted his own disability. Clare’s first ghost is the famous Jack Slade, who was a kind of Wild West gunman in his time.
Ghost Seer is the first novel in Robin D. Owen’s new series Ghost Layer. The series looks like it will follow both Clare and Zach. While focusing on the central couple is what many UF’s do, this read like a Paranormal Romance for me. The novel switched between both Clare and Zach’s POVs with some violations. The main focus of Ghost Seer seems to be coming to terms with circumstance (fate?), and turning it positive. On the outside this is a sweet romantic story, but the characters separately slowed the book down for this reader.
Clare discovers her gift, but like any of us would, decides that she’s going crazy. She even seeks professional help. When she meets a woman who she knows is respectable, the woman mentions she not only sees Enzo, her ghost dog, but likes him. At this point Clare still thinks she’s crazy, she doesn’t do the logical thing and ask about this. Instead she decides it isn’t logical at all. She gets sicker and sicker, still not believing. I didn’t find this part of Clare believable. There are a ton of things I don’t believe in, but if a ghost dog started hanging out with me, even talking to me in my head, and some nice lady who knew nothing about me is all says, “Hey, you have an awesome ghost dog.” I’m going to say thank you and thank ghost gods I’m not a loon.
Zach isn’t any better. He sees emotion in Clare’s eyes and I’m still unsure if this is his a part of his gift or not. He’s got it bad for Clare, but has a hard time showing his emotions. The true emotional roller coaster going on in his head is clear to readers. At the start of the novel he is leaving his old town where he was involved in an accident. He blames the accident that left him injured on his ex-partner. The problem is he blames her but then blames himself and instead of coming out and showing his misery, even eternally, it just showed as confused. I kept feeling that maybe soon I would get it, but that never happened.
The ghost dog stays a mystery. Clare describes him as two people. The first is dog like and the second is her ghost guide who is sometimes very random with what he says. She never asks him about this, or asks him much of anything useful.
Okay, so what’s good here? The sexy scenes are very good. The first two are very hot and keep the book moving forward. Despite character flaws Ghost Seer it has a cute romance and a dash of history that was well researched.
There is danger and a plot other than Clare’s acceptance to her fate. There is a random guy in the library who decides to use Clare to his advantage. He isn’t ever really developed or that important to the story other than the blips of conflict he creates. I know, bad guys aren’t always that important, but the moment someone says this guy is crazy he somehow becomes more interesting, and the fact I felt he was more device than character was frustrating.
Ghost Seer wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t feel the characters were natural and I had issues with their motivations. I can’t recommend it other than by saying I’ve seen some very different opinions on this book, but it really didn’t do it for this reviewer.
- Elizabeth
When Clare’s aunt Sandra dies she doesn’t just come into a lot of money, she also inherits the gift to see and help ghosts. The gift comes with a friendly ghost dog, who is also a helpful guide, named Enzo. Clare had to decide to believe in her gift or die. She also meets Zach, an ex-policeman who still hasn’t accepted his own disability. Clare’s first ghost is the famous Jack Slade, who was a kind of Wild West gunman in his time.
Ghost Seer is the first novel in Robin D. Owen’s new series Ghost Layer. The series looks like it will follow both Clare and Zach. While focusing on the central couple is what many UF’s do, this read like a Paranormal Romance for me. The novel switched between both Clare and Zach’s POVs with some violations. The main focus of Ghost Seer seems to be coming to terms with circumstance (fate?), and turning it positive. On the outside this is a sweet romantic story, but the characters separately slowed the book down for this reader.
Clare discovers her gift, but like any of us would, decides that she’s going crazy. She even seeks professional help. When she meets a woman who she knows is respectable, the woman mentions she not only sees Enzo, her ghost dog, but likes him. At this point Clare still thinks she’s crazy, she doesn’t do the logical thing and ask about this. Instead she decides it isn’t logical at all. She gets sicker and sicker, still not believing. I didn’t find this part of Clare believable. There are a ton of things I don’t believe in, but if a ghost dog started hanging out with me, even talking to me in my head, and some nice lady who knew nothing about me is all says, “Hey, you have an awesome ghost dog.” I’m going to say thank you and thank ghost gods I’m not a loon.
Zach isn’t any better. He sees emotion in Clare’s eyes and I’m still unsure if this is his a part of his gift or not. He’s got it bad for Clare, but has a hard time showing his emotions. The true emotional roller coaster going on in his head is clear to readers. At the start of the novel he is leaving his old town where he was involved in an accident. He blames the accident that left him injured on his ex-partner. The problem is he blames her but then blames himself and instead of coming out and showing his misery, even eternally, it just showed as confused. I kept feeling that maybe soon I would get it, but that never happened.
The ghost dog stays a mystery. Clare describes him as two people. The first is dog like and the second is her ghost guide who is sometimes very random with what he says. She never asks him about this, or asks him much of anything useful.
Okay, so what’s good here? The sexy scenes are very good. The first two are very hot and keep the book moving forward. Despite character flaws Ghost Seer it has a cute romance and a dash of history that was well researched.
There is danger and a plot other than Clare’s acceptance to her fate. There is a random guy in the library who decides to use Clare to his advantage. He isn’t ever really developed or that important to the story other than the blips of conflict he creates. I know, bad guys aren’t always that important, but the moment someone says this guy is crazy he somehow becomes more interesting, and the fact I felt he was more device than character was frustrating.
Ghost Seer wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t feel the characters were natural and I had issues with their motivations. I can’t recommend it other than by saying I’ve seen some very different opinions on this book, but it really didn’t do it for this reviewer.
- Elizabeth
April 17, 2014
3.5 Stars
I’m not one to pick books with ghosts only because, well, I’m a scaredy-cat but after seeing the very intriguing cover, I just had to take a chance. Ghost Seer is not a horror themed ghosts, but it’s more of an urban fantasy or paranormal read with a hint of suspense. I found this book to be quite entertaining.
Clare was given a very extraordinary gift by her aunt who recently passed away. Along with a lump sum of money, Clare was given the gift of the ability to see ghosts. Unfortunately, this gift of hers comes at a high price. If, in any way, she ignores it, she can go mad or simply die. Without any choices, Clare will have to deal with a ghost who seeks her help to cross to the other side. It looks like Clare’s fate will be helping these ghosts to deal with unfinished business. But it won’t be without help from a very cute dog, Enzo and her new found love Zack.
I enjoyed the romance between Clare and the ex-sheriff, Zack Slade. I love that they were interested despite the obvious emotional baggage the other carries; Clare with her new ghost talent and Zack with his leg disabilities. Self acceptance is a biggie for these two and I think that’s what kept me turning the pages. I needed to see them find their peace.
I like Clare and her denials of the phenomena of ghosts are almost hilarious. Right from the start, she is haunted by a ghost dog named Enzo who became her guide to her new life. Their conversations and how Clare’s attempts to ignore him in public made me laugh. Enzo is just adorable. Owens also surprised me by adding history in the story. She infused this book with western history which I thought was totally cool.
I wasn’t blown away with this Ghost Seer, but I enjoyed it enough. It was a bit slow for my liking, but the story line was entertaining. I think this series has potential and I’m hoping for a bit faster pace in the second installment. I definitely would love to read more of Clare’s adventures and her side kick, Enzo.
Review copy provided by publisher
I’m not one to pick books with ghosts only because, well, I’m a scaredy-cat but after seeing the very intriguing cover, I just had to take a chance. Ghost Seer is not a horror themed ghosts, but it’s more of an urban fantasy or paranormal read with a hint of suspense. I found this book to be quite entertaining.
Clare was given a very extraordinary gift by her aunt who recently passed away. Along with a lump sum of money, Clare was given the gift of the ability to see ghosts. Unfortunately, this gift of hers comes at a high price. If, in any way, she ignores it, she can go mad or simply die. Without any choices, Clare will have to deal with a ghost who seeks her help to cross to the other side. It looks like Clare’s fate will be helping these ghosts to deal with unfinished business. But it won’t be without help from a very cute dog, Enzo and her new found love Zack.
I enjoyed the romance between Clare and the ex-sheriff, Zack Slade. I love that they were interested despite the obvious emotional baggage the other carries; Clare with her new ghost talent and Zack with his leg disabilities. Self acceptance is a biggie for these two and I think that’s what kept me turning the pages. I needed to see them find their peace.
I like Clare and her denials of the phenomena of ghosts are almost hilarious. Right from the start, she is haunted by a ghost dog named Enzo who became her guide to her new life. Their conversations and how Clare’s attempts to ignore him in public made me laugh. Enzo is just adorable. Owens also surprised me by adding history in the story. She infused this book with western history which I thought was totally cool.
I wasn’t blown away with this Ghost Seer, but I enjoyed it enough. It was a bit slow for my liking, but the story line was entertaining. I think this series has potential and I’m hoping for a bit faster pace in the second installment. I definitely would love to read more of Clare’s adventures and her side kick, Enzo.
Review copy provided by publisher
February 29, 2020
I actually gave up on this book a couple of times.
It has some semi-interesting characters and ideas, but it's unbalanced and not engaging at all.
First, the MFC 'struggles with her gift' for impossibly long time. She whines, and whines, and whines on and on about how she 'can't possibly believe in it'. There's a whole throw-away episode of involving a psychiatrist who 1) not written believably at all; 2) is supposed to be 'very good and very expensive', but the next time we see him (after she first told him she talks to ghosts, and then told him she's fine and doesn't need to see him anymore), he is flirting with her, as in with a woman who was until recently his patient telling him she can see ghosts. Really, very professional.
Please also note, that while she whined for forever about how she can't possibly believe and accept that she can see ghosts, the moment her by then boyfriend tells her that he can completely accept that she has a gift, but is unwilling to think he himself does too, she immediately tells him that she doesn't want to ever see him ever again and he can't just pack his things and go, bye-bye. Really.
The boyfriend himself also has an issue he whines on and on for most of the book. His character has an interesting set-up, but incredibly boring execution. He also mostly has only 2 modes: wallowing in self pity or thinking about sex.
The whole issue with the ears was just as dragged on and unexciting.
Overall, 'dragged on' and 'boring' are the themes that are maintained throughout the book, with regards to most of the introduced issues. And the writing doesn't make up for things either. There are just too many annoying details that seemed not thought-through.
It has some semi-interesting characters and ideas, but it's unbalanced and not engaging at all.
First, the MFC 'struggles with her gift' for impossibly long time. She whines, and whines, and whines on and on about how she 'can't possibly believe in it'. There's a whole throw-away episode of involving a psychiatrist who 1) not written believably at all; 2) is supposed to be 'very good and very expensive', but the next time we see him (after she first told him she talks to ghosts, and then told him she's fine and doesn't need to see him anymore), he is flirting with her, as in with a woman who was until recently his patient telling him she can see ghosts. Really, very professional.
Please also note, that while she whined for forever about how she can't possibly believe and accept that she can see ghosts, the moment her by then boyfriend tells her that he can completely accept that she has a gift, but is unwilling to think he himself does too, she immediately tells him that she doesn't want to ever see him ever again and he can't just pack his things and go, bye-bye. Really.
The boyfriend himself also has an issue he whines on and on for most of the book. His character has an interesting set-up, but incredibly boring execution. He also mostly has only 2 modes: wallowing in self pity or thinking about sex.
The whole issue with the ears was just as dragged on and unexciting.
Overall, 'dragged on' and 'boring' are the themes that are maintained throughout the book, with regards to most of the introduced issues. And the writing doesn't make up for things either. There are just too many annoying details that seemed not thought-through.
June 14, 2016
2.5
Entertaining enough to have been worth a read, but nothing to write home about. While the whole idea of a ghost seer is an interesting one and Claire and Zach could have been interesting characters, the truth is that I was bored for most of this book. Never enough to put the book down, but enough to just kind of plod along.
It takes at least half of the book for Claire to come to terms with her powers and I got very ver tired of the redundancies of her denials. Ditto for Zach; he just basically had the same thoughts of denial about his situation over and over and over again.
I disliked Claire, on top of everything else. I found her a fairly weak heroine. In fact, she's basically helpless without Zach there to save her. She even managed to fall down and twist an ankle while running for her life on a flat surface. She's THAT sort of heroine.
Further, I thought the kidnapping felt like a forced ploy to add tension and still failed to do that. He was defeated easily and contributed nothing needed to the plot.
All in all, it wasn't all bad, but I have the next two in the series, as I picked them all up at the library. But I don't think I'll be bothering to read them.
Entertaining enough to have been worth a read, but nothing to write home about. While the whole idea of a ghost seer is an interesting one and Claire and Zach could have been interesting characters, the truth is that I was bored for most of this book. Never enough to put the book down, but enough to just kind of plod along.
It takes at least half of the book for Claire to come to terms with her powers and I got very ver tired of the redundancies of her denials. Ditto for Zach; he just basically had the same thoughts of denial about his situation over and over and over again.
I disliked Claire, on top of everything else. I found her a fairly weak heroine. In fact, she's basically helpless without Zach there to save her. She even managed to fall down and twist an ankle while running for her life on a flat surface. She's THAT sort of heroine.
Further, I thought the kidnapping felt like a forced ploy to add tension and still failed to do that. He was defeated easily and contributed nothing needed to the plot.
All in all, it wasn't all bad, but I have the next two in the series, as I picked them all up at the library. But I don't think I'll be bothering to read them.
April 25, 2014
I thought this one was a good start to a new series. I liked that there wasn't an info dump, instead we learned about what Clare could do as she did. I loved the odd ball characters that Clare was drawn to. Enzo ended up being a favorite part, how can you not love an exuberant dog, one who is a ghost.
Zach, was interesting. I liked how he had to come to terms with whether he could live with what Clare could do. I also really like how Zach has a touch of things too and by touching Clare it gets stronger.
Then there is the "old lady" who fully accepts Clare and Zach and what they can do, even has some gift of her own.
I think it will be fun to see how Clare helps ghosts pass with the coming books.
Zach, was interesting. I liked how he had to come to terms with whether he could live with what Clare could do. I also really like how Zach has a touch of things too and by touching Clare it gets stronger.
Then there is the "old lady" who fully accepts Clare and Zach and what they can do, even has some gift of her own.
I think it will be fun to see how Clare helps ghosts pass with the coming books.
February 10, 2014
I'm a fan of Robin D. Owens' Celta's HeartMates series. When I saw she was starting a contemporary series I jumped all over it.
Clare and Zach are both trying to adjust to big changes in their lives. Neither were given a choice about the new direction their futures were headed, and each dealt with that change differently.
The paranormal aspects of this novel are intricately woven in to the story. I never question the appearance of Clare's ghosts or the manifestations of the other paranormal elements of the story. In that, Owens did an excellent job of building her world.
Though the romance was slow-moving, the story itself was engaging and fun. I very much look forward to the next book.
3.75 out of 5
Clare and Zach are both trying to adjust to big changes in their lives. Neither were given a choice about the new direction their futures were headed, and each dealt with that change differently.
The paranormal aspects of this novel are intricately woven in to the story. I never question the appearance of Clare's ghosts or the manifestations of the other paranormal elements of the story. In that, Owens did an excellent job of building her world.
Though the romance was slow-moving, the story itself was engaging and fun. I very much look forward to the next book.
3.75 out of 5
March 6, 2015
Ok this wasn't one my favorites. I liked it alright it was just a little boring. Nothing really happened until close to the end. The characters were ok but not great. I don't know if I am going to read more of this series or not.
May 25, 2017
I really tried to like this book. The premise was promising but the book was just a blah for me. I could only get through a few pages without needing a nap. The main characters are flat and do and say things that make no sense. Not for me.
February 12, 2018
So predictable. I could have written the plot myself and I'm not a writer. The romance was strange - he liked her, he didn't, he liked her again. She let him make all the decisions regarding whether they saw each other or not which was really not satisfying. The ending was a little sappy. But if you're in the mood for a predictable, feel good, happy ending book with paranormal aspects, then this is the one for you!
September 11, 2017
Good book. Takes place in Colorado. I like the characters a great deal. They've got things to work thought but nothing that makes me crazy. Plot was put together well. I'll definitely keep reading the series.
August 5, 2014
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Straight-laced Clare has to come to terms with the fact that she can now see ghosts and keep her fingers crossed that her new love interest doesn’t think she’s completely nuts when he finds out. While the premise was interesting, the book as a whole didn’t end up working for me.
Opening Sentence: The minute he walked through that door, Zach Slade’s career, the one he loved, was over.
The Review:
The synopsis for this book had me very interested in reading it. Unfortunately, I ended up being largely disappointed. I often found myself coming up with excuses not to read, and that is never a good thing.
Clare’s life has certainly taken a turn for the unexpected. First, her aunt dies, leaving the majority of her fortune and estate to Clare. Suddenly a millionaire, Clare has to decide what direction her life should take. Then the ghost of her aunt’s dog shows up, telling her that she’s inherited her aunt’s gift for seeing the dead, and that she needs to take on the responsibility of helping ghosts find peace. As any person would do, Clare immediately makes an appointment with a therapist. Soon though, she begins to find it harder and harder to ignore the fact that something supernatural is certainly happening to her.
Zach Slade is a man with a chip on his shoulder, having recently retired as a police officer due to an injury suffered in the line of duty. Now back in Colorado, he’s trying to start his life over. When he runs into Clare one day, he feels his life is finally starting to look up. Little does he know that Clare is going to make him question what is real and what’s not. Will he be able to accept her newfound gift, or will he write her off as crazy?
As often is the case with books I don’t end up liking, I had a very hard time connecting to either Zach or Clare. Zach is incredibly bitter over the injury he suffered, and it makes him very hard to like. I can understand being upset at having your career derailed, but he’s had time for his leg to heal, and he needs to accept his life as it is now. His constant ruminating about it becomes very annoying as the book goes on. As for Clare, I never really got a good feel for her character. Her constant denial of what’s happening to her gets old, and it continues even after she accepts that she really is seeing ghosts. Not having a character to root for makes the plot drag on.
On the subject of Clare and Zach, I also had a hard time believing in their connection as a couple. It all just happens so fast. I’m much more a fan of the slow build up of chemistry, so I have a harder time when the hero and heroine fall into bed together when they barely know each other. I felt like I was constantly being told how attracted they are to each other, rather than their actions showing how they felt about each other.
All in all, I just didn’t end up liking this story very much. The plot dragged, I didn’t like the characters, and the romance fell flat. It made it very hard for me to make it through to the end. As much as I don’t usually like quitting a series after just one book, I’m not sure that I can muster up the will to read book 2 whenever it comes out.
Notable Scene:
“Let’s check out the box.”
Clare went to the table, opened the sack, and took out the box. Frowning, she stood directly under the light and studied it, tilted her head, then pushed down near the end of one side.
Nothing happened. “I think it’s supposed to be like a teeter-totter,” she said. “But it’s stuck. Maybe I should get some wood oil or something.”
“Maybe I could try?” Zach held out his hand.
She walked over and gave it to him. “That’s the top, and the panel that should move. I had a puzzle box when I was a kid, and you slid a couple of pieces of wood to open it, so that’s how I thought this one opened.”
Something was a little off here that Zach couldn’t put his finger on. “But now you think it needs to be pushed.”
“Yes,” she said in a stifled voice, rubbing goose bumps on her arms.
He reached out and put his arm around her waist, tugged her to stand beside him. With her came a nice trickle of cool air that seemed to swirl around his foot. Holding one end of the box, he pressed down with his thumb, felt a little give. He pushed harder, keeping the pressure steady. With an odd creak the box opened.
His breath whooshed out. Clare gave a strangled cry.
Inside was a mummified human ear.
FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Ghost Seer. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Straight-laced Clare has to come to terms with the fact that she can now see ghosts and keep her fingers crossed that her new love interest doesn’t think she’s completely nuts when he finds out. While the premise was interesting, the book as a whole didn’t end up working for me.
Opening Sentence: The minute he walked through that door, Zach Slade’s career, the one he loved, was over.
The Review:
The synopsis for this book had me very interested in reading it. Unfortunately, I ended up being largely disappointed. I often found myself coming up with excuses not to read, and that is never a good thing.
Clare’s life has certainly taken a turn for the unexpected. First, her aunt dies, leaving the majority of her fortune and estate to Clare. Suddenly a millionaire, Clare has to decide what direction her life should take. Then the ghost of her aunt’s dog shows up, telling her that she’s inherited her aunt’s gift for seeing the dead, and that she needs to take on the responsibility of helping ghosts find peace. As any person would do, Clare immediately makes an appointment with a therapist. Soon though, she begins to find it harder and harder to ignore the fact that something supernatural is certainly happening to her.
Zach Slade is a man with a chip on his shoulder, having recently retired as a police officer due to an injury suffered in the line of duty. Now back in Colorado, he’s trying to start his life over. When he runs into Clare one day, he feels his life is finally starting to look up. Little does he know that Clare is going to make him question what is real and what’s not. Will he be able to accept her newfound gift, or will he write her off as crazy?
As often is the case with books I don’t end up liking, I had a very hard time connecting to either Zach or Clare. Zach is incredibly bitter over the injury he suffered, and it makes him very hard to like. I can understand being upset at having your career derailed, but he’s had time for his leg to heal, and he needs to accept his life as it is now. His constant ruminating about it becomes very annoying as the book goes on. As for Clare, I never really got a good feel for her character. Her constant denial of what’s happening to her gets old, and it continues even after she accepts that she really is seeing ghosts. Not having a character to root for makes the plot drag on.
On the subject of Clare and Zach, I also had a hard time believing in their connection as a couple. It all just happens so fast. I’m much more a fan of the slow build up of chemistry, so I have a harder time when the hero and heroine fall into bed together when they barely know each other. I felt like I was constantly being told how attracted they are to each other, rather than their actions showing how they felt about each other.
All in all, I just didn’t end up liking this story very much. The plot dragged, I didn’t like the characters, and the romance fell flat. It made it very hard for me to make it through to the end. As much as I don’t usually like quitting a series after just one book, I’m not sure that I can muster up the will to read book 2 whenever it comes out.
Notable Scene:
“Let’s check out the box.”
Clare went to the table, opened the sack, and took out the box. Frowning, she stood directly under the light and studied it, tilted her head, then pushed down near the end of one side.
Nothing happened. “I think it’s supposed to be like a teeter-totter,” she said. “But it’s stuck. Maybe I should get some wood oil or something.”
“Maybe I could try?” Zach held out his hand.
She walked over and gave it to him. “That’s the top, and the panel that should move. I had a puzzle box when I was a kid, and you slid a couple of pieces of wood to open it, so that’s how I thought this one opened.”
Something was a little off here that Zach couldn’t put his finger on. “But now you think it needs to be pushed.”
“Yes,” she said in a stifled voice, rubbing goose bumps on her arms.
He reached out and put his arm around her waist, tugged her to stand beside him. With her came a nice trickle of cool air that seemed to swirl around his foot. Holding one end of the box, he pressed down with his thumb, felt a little give. He pushed harder, keeping the pressure steady. With an odd creak the box opened.
His breath whooshed out. Clare gave a strangled cry.
Inside was a mummified human ear.
FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Ghost Seer. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
September 9, 2016
Basic Plot: Clare inherited the ability to see ghosts and put them to rest when she also inherited her aunt's estate. She has to accept her gift and help a notorious figure from the past go on to the other side.
This was an interesting read. It was a surprisingly compelling rollercoaster of emotions and interactions between the main two characters. Clare was a refreshing change of heroine. As a former CPA and overall rational person, she isn't the typical kick-butt heroine one usually sees in these books. There's a learning curve as she learns about her ability (and it's hilarious that her guide is a ghost dog- I like Enzo) and she is definitely not physical. Even Zach is different. He's got a crippled leg from a gunshot wound, and while he's still a very competent ex-cop, he's got limitations. This book was an obvious romance, as they fell into bed as soon as was reasonable for practical people to do. I think Clare and Zach's meeting was one of the most realistic, reasonable meetups I've seen in a book like this. Aside from some rather laughable dialogue during one sex scene (they repeated each other's names over and over in the course of several pages. I about died of awkwardness on the author's behalf), their interactions were pretty believable.
The overall plot of laying the ghost to rest was pretty good, even if he got ignored a lot in favor of Clare finding a new house and doing completely pointless/useless research into the life of the ghost (which, in retrospect, did have a purpose, but only as an author tool, not because Clare needed the research). It seemed to keep up a decent pace, even if sex scenes seemed to interrupt things more and more as the book went on.
I can't really say why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. It is definitely something I would normally categorize as a solid 3 and a light popcorn read, but today feels compelling enough to rate a 4. Maybe I'm just being generous, but I really did enjoy it and look forward to reading more in this series.
This was an interesting read. It was a surprisingly compelling rollercoaster of emotions and interactions between the main two characters. Clare was a refreshing change of heroine. As a former CPA and overall rational person, she isn't the typical kick-butt heroine one usually sees in these books. There's a learning curve as she learns about her ability (and it's hilarious that her guide is a ghost dog- I like Enzo) and she is definitely not physical. Even Zach is different. He's got a crippled leg from a gunshot wound, and while he's still a very competent ex-cop, he's got limitations. This book was an obvious romance, as they fell into bed as soon as was reasonable for practical people to do. I think Clare and Zach's meeting was one of the most realistic, reasonable meetups I've seen in a book like this. Aside from some rather laughable dialogue during one sex scene (they repeated each other's names over and over in the course of several pages. I about died of awkwardness on the author's behalf), their interactions were pretty believable.
The overall plot of laying the ghost to rest was pretty good, even if he got ignored a lot in favor of Clare finding a new house and doing completely pointless/useless research into the life of the ghost (which, in retrospect, did have a purpose, but only as an author tool, not because Clare needed the research). It seemed to keep up a decent pace, even if sex scenes seemed to interrupt things more and more as the book went on.
I can't really say why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. It is definitely something I would normally categorize as a solid 3 and a light popcorn read, but today feels compelling enough to rate a 4. Maybe I'm just being generous, but I really did enjoy it and look forward to reading more in this series.
April 25, 2014
Review from Backchatting Books
Clare Cermac inherits more than she bargained from her eccentric aunt. Not only was she gifted several million dollars, she also got the gift to communicate with ghosts. If she can't find a way to reconcile the existence of supernatural woo-woo with her ordered existence and help ghosts, her resident ghost dog assures her she will die.
Clare, like most stereotypical accountants, is happiest when she is facing cold, hard facts (which is why the cover does nothing to reflect her personality). When she starts seeing and hearing ghosts, she immediately makes an appointment with a therapist and a brain specialist as she is convinced she is going mad. Clare's background suits her new 'profession' in many ways as she has a high attention to detail when it comes to researching her gift and her new ghostly client, Joseph "Jack" Slade. Clare's gift comes with a pretty hefty restrictions which affect where she can live and which ghosts she can interact which make this more than your average ghost story.
Zach was seriously injured on the job and forced to retire as a police deputy. He resents not being able to do the one job he feels qualified for and reluctantly takes on a private investigation gig. Zach, like Clare, refuses to acknowledge he has a gift but I suspect this will change given his association with Clare and his landlady, Mrs Finton, who has a rich interest in supernatural happenings.
The romance aspect was probably the weakest section for me as it seemed to yo-yo between warp speed and a snail's pace. I did however really enjoy the scenes when Zach and Clare worked together so I'm hoping the pacing will be cleaner in the next book. The secondary characters are uniformly charming and bring some much needed levity to the serious side of the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I have high hopes for the next in the series.
Clare Cermac inherits more than she bargained from her eccentric aunt. Not only was she gifted several million dollars, she also got the gift to communicate with ghosts. If she can't find a way to reconcile the existence of supernatural woo-woo with her ordered existence and help ghosts, her resident ghost dog assures her she will die.
Clare, like most stereotypical accountants, is happiest when she is facing cold, hard facts (which is why the cover does nothing to reflect her personality). When she starts seeing and hearing ghosts, she immediately makes an appointment with a therapist and a brain specialist as she is convinced she is going mad. Clare's background suits her new 'profession' in many ways as she has a high attention to detail when it comes to researching her gift and her new ghostly client, Joseph "Jack" Slade. Clare's gift comes with a pretty hefty restrictions which affect where she can live and which ghosts she can interact which make this more than your average ghost story.
Zach was seriously injured on the job and forced to retire as a police deputy. He resents not being able to do the one job he feels qualified for and reluctantly takes on a private investigation gig. Zach, like Clare, refuses to acknowledge he has a gift but I suspect this will change given his association with Clare and his landlady, Mrs Finton, who has a rich interest in supernatural happenings.
The romance aspect was probably the weakest section for me as it seemed to yo-yo between warp speed and a snail's pace. I did however really enjoy the scenes when Zach and Clare worked together so I'm hoping the pacing will be cleaner in the next book. The secondary characters are uniformly charming and bring some much needed levity to the serious side of the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I have high hopes for the next in the series.
July 4, 2014
Alex, I'd like to buy HOW THE FUCK WAS THIS BOOK PUBLISHED for 500? Oh, and add in AND IN A FUCKING SERIES, NO LESS for 2000?
I've read some really, really bad books in my time and this ranks up with the best (worst?) of them this year. It's one of those terrible books that deserve a whole lot of moving gifs.
Both main characters are bland. The hero is better than the heroine because all she does is whine. Whine, whine, fucking whine. It's ten times worse because she's whining about things she, herself, has chosen to do.
For example, her great Aunt dies before the story starts and she apparently leaves the heroine with a whole lot of money. So she quits her job because she doesn't need the money THEN COMPLAINS ABOUT NOT HAVING A FUCKING JOB AND LIVING OFF A TRUST FUND LIKE HER PARENTS. There's like pages of her telling us how shiftless not having a job makes her and how she needs a jobs because her parents were such bad people. Um, cry me a fucking river? Oh wait, just drown in that fucking river.
The hero is still bland but, at least, he doesn't whine like a baby over everything.
The biggest problem beside the characters is that this entire story is just telling. We don't see much and what little we do see is completely uneventful.
Like, the heroine makes an appointment for a therapist and the book then jumps to right after the appointment where the heroine just complains about the therapist.
It's so boring. I don't care that the heroine makes "snap judgements" or that she makes a list for the new, bigger house she's going to buy.
This book is terrible. It's horrible. Don't, for the love of god, read this shit pile.
I've read some really, really bad books in my time and this ranks up with the best (worst?) of them this year. It's one of those terrible books that deserve a whole lot of moving gifs.
Both main characters are bland. The hero is better than the heroine because all she does is whine. Whine, whine, fucking whine. It's ten times worse because she's whining about things she, herself, has chosen to do.
For example, her great Aunt dies before the story starts and she apparently leaves the heroine with a whole lot of money. So she quits her job because she doesn't need the money THEN COMPLAINS ABOUT NOT HAVING A FUCKING JOB AND LIVING OFF A TRUST FUND LIKE HER PARENTS. There's like pages of her telling us how shiftless not having a job makes her and how she needs a jobs because her parents were such bad people. Um, cry me a fucking river? Oh wait, just drown in that fucking river.
The hero is still bland but, at least, he doesn't whine like a baby over everything.
The biggest problem beside the characters is that this entire story is just telling. We don't see much and what little we do see is completely uneventful.
Like, the heroine makes an appointment for a therapist and the book then jumps to right after the appointment where the heroine just complains about the therapist.
It's so boring. I don't care that the heroine makes "snap judgements" or that she makes a list for the new, bigger house she's going to buy.
This book is terrible. It's horrible. Don't, for the love of god, read this shit pile.
July 3, 2016
It's difficult for me to rate this one. I almost DNF'd it repeatedly because I despise characters that seem to live in denial. And Clare didn't even accept her psychic gift until halfway through. Yeah, 50 fucking percent of this story was Clare refusing to accept the truth in front of her. I want a strong heroine, not a weak one. But alas, things started picking up around 60%. I'd say the second half of this story is worthy of 4 stars - it was quite fun! But the first half? Barely 1 star. BARELY.
I enjoyed Zach, though HIS denial was almost as annoying as Clare's. He acted, though. As opposed to Clare just hiding under her blanket.
My other big complaint is the sex. Way too much time spent on sex scenes that weren't especially steamy or original. I skimmed them after the first two.
I'll definitely continue with the series, I'm really digging Zach+Clare, Enzo, and the ghost seer ability. But I pray the author eases back off the number if sex scenes. And I hope we're finished with living in denial.
But you can see why rating this is a hard one. 1 star, 4 stars, but 2 stars doesn't feel like it's enough. I guess we're going with 3 stars, with the clarification that it's an awful beginning to what ended up being an enjoyable story. That works.
I enjoyed Zach, though HIS denial was almost as annoying as Clare's. He acted, though. As opposed to Clare just hiding under her blanket.
My other big complaint is the sex. Way too much time spent on sex scenes that weren't especially steamy or original. I skimmed them after the first two.
I'll definitely continue with the series, I'm really digging Zach+Clare, Enzo, and the ghost seer ability. But I pray the author eases back off the number if sex scenes. And I hope we're finished with living in denial.
But you can see why rating this is a hard one. 1 star, 4 stars, but 2 stars doesn't feel like it's enough. I guess we're going with 3 stars, with the clarification that it's an awful beginning to what ended up being an enjoyable story. That works.
September 4, 2014
I really wanted to like this book, really. I kept reading (through gritted teeth), hoping that it would get better. But once I was half-way through and I was disliking the main character more each page, I let myself give up.
She just plain whines too much. She has enough money to buy a multi-million dollar mansion in Denver, but she still manages to whine about that!
The other male protagonist is more likeable (except what on earth does he see in the whiner??) but it was not enough to make me read on. So the date that I finished this book is really the date I gave up on it.
I would not recommend this to anyone!
She just plain whines too much. She has enough money to buy a multi-million dollar mansion in Denver, but she still manages to whine about that!
The other male protagonist is more likeable (except what on earth does he see in the whiner??) but it was not enough to make me read on. So the date that I finished this book is really the date I gave up on it.
I would not recommend this to anyone!
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