Dead of Night: Crossroads Queen, Book 2

Crossroads Queen #2

by Annabel Chase

For Lorelei Clay, no good deed goes unpunished....

Reluctant ghost whisperer Lorelei Clay wants a working moat, which is the only reason she agrees to help with yet another supernatural situation. The simple ghostbusting job quickly escalates when Lorelei discovers the involvement of a powerful and ancient collective not known for their social skills.

Lorelei wants nothing more than to get back to her renovations and her life of solitude, but it becomes painfully clear that if she can’t fix this small-town problem, Fairhaven is going to suffer big-time consequences.

Dead of Night is the second book in the Crossroads Queen urban fantasy series.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Vampires, Demons, Romance

Audible Audio

First published July 20, 2023

About the author

Annabel Chase is the author of urban fantasy and cozy mystery novels. She would love to live in a magical town where she can shop at Ready-to-Were for the the perfect outfit, flirt with hot angels and vampires, and cook gourmet meals without exerting any effort. Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Annabel-Chas... or on her website at www.annabelchase.com.

Reviews

[julia ☆ [owls reads] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick and fun read! I did enjoy getting to know a little bit more about Lorelei, but there are still way too many questions about her?? And considering this is the second book in the series, I'm not a big fan of that. The introduction of different supernaturals was pretty cool, though, as well as all the Alicia shenanigans.

[Jumms · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing

This book had barely any impact on the storyline. I really liked the first book and was ready to dig into this one. And it came across as more of a filler or something the author had to put out. The only redeeming thing was Lorelai's interaction w a certain little girl and even that was annoying. She says she doesn't want to get involved and does things half a$$. Even her initial interaction w Bruce made no sense. She only did it out of curiosity, not because there was any evidence anyone was being harmed. And that action brought more trouble to the ppl of the town with no repercussions to her. Things felt very disjointed.

Then I feel as if her relationship with Kane took 2 steps back. We learn a smidgen more abt Lorelai but all it does is bring more questions than answers. I honestly almost stopped reading mid book.

The other plus side and what saves this book are the secondary characters. Gun, Josephine, Otto, Dan, Ashley and the others are well written. I almost want to know more about them than the main characters. The next book will make or break this series. I guess I'm disappointed because the first book had such promise.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead of Night is book two in the Crossroads Queen series by Annabel Chase.

Well not a lot happens in this installment and as for the mystery it was good, but it didn’t have to happen. Lorelei could have avoided the issue on Theodore Street and if she did then we wouldn’t have had the issue of The Collective and all the deaths that occur in this novel.

I did enjoy following our heroine around, getting to know a little more about her, and the kid that comes to visit her at the Castle. I am disappointed in that we haven’t learned more about Lorelei. Their are still lots of questions and very little progress in this area. I’m frustrated with the author keeping us in the dark on Lorelei and why she wants to be alone.

What saves this novel is the secondary characters who are unique and interesting. I’d like to know more about them, but I had fun with Ashely, Otto, Ray, and others.

Dead of Night was an enjoyable paranormal mystery to read.

Rated: 3 Stars

[Catherine S · Rating 2 out of 5]

My main thoughts: better than the first book but STOP it with the secrets already: the reader is still being kept in the dark to the extreme. The author still isn’t revealing key info about Lorelei and it’s moving from “mysterious” to “frustrating and confusing” real fast.

I feel like I’m reading to find out what her deal is and not concentrating on the plot. It’s distracting and an odd writing choice. It was fine in the first book, but I thought we would finally get questions answered in this one. I also think the loner vibe is dangerously leaning towards a trope- every time the story leads to Lorelei having a connection that connection falls away.

Overall I found this book extremely frustrating but somehow still good (probably due to the shorter length)- a fast and easy read that was interesting enough to keep me going since I’m not choosy and also a fast reader. And I do really like Lorelei! I just want more information!

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

A much better story arc in this second book! I actually really had fun reading this story. The downsides are the EXTREMELY slow moving progress in character depth and relationships. But, the writing is engaging enough that I’ll pick up the next book.

[LLyza / Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’adore ! J’adore ! Avez-vous rencontré Kane ? Ce prince des enfer, non vous devriez il fait des cocktails fabuleux 😜

[Fernanda Fatio · Rating 3 out of 5]

not much progress from the first book

There was a small conflict which might have ramifications in the next few books. Another minor problem with a kid which will probably turn in nothing. We still don’t know who/what she is. There are some hints with the creature who killed the assassin but that’s all. Not much progress on the relationship between her and Kane. The seems interested but keeps the distance. He comment about not touching his hands but touching the fae because hers was cleaner was disgusting. Kane recoiled at that and should have said words on this. There was no excuse for the rudeness. The Alpha showed up to say “don’t know, don’t care” and left. Why was he in this book again?
We are no closer to understand her reasonings as we were in the beggining of the first book and if Ms. Chase pull another ending as she did on her Midnight Empire series, I will be mad. I want to give the author another chance as this story seems interesting.

[Sheia (Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just take it as it is, ride it out and enjoy. This series is for entertainment and passing the time only. No deep connect or greater purpose here.

[Shamell Klinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect

Breezed through this in a day. And it was a great read. Fast paced. No lulls in the storyline. But we're still trying to figure out just what our FMC is. Its driving me crazy. I can't settle on any idea. Starting 3rd book now.

[~Jennifer~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books are quick reads and I’m enjoying them. There is still no romance,but ground work is still being laid. My one big complaint is it recaps and repeats.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dead of Night is the second book in the Crossroads Queen series. I decided to continue this series to see if we would get any further developments in the romance because I was confused why this series was marketed as a romance when there was no romance in the first book and so far, there is still no romance happening but I do know who the love interest is now. It seems like the author is trying to have an enemies to lovers thing going on between the characters and it's just not working for me because it's not true enemies to lovers. The characters obviously like each other and get along and have a friendship. When something goes wrong, the first person that they go to is the other person but when someone brings up their friendship they try to deny their friendship which was confusing for me. I also wanted to see if this book would give us a little bit more insight about Lorelei because after she was introduced to me in Book 1 she still felt like a stranger. A pet peeve of mine that I have in books is when authors create a character a certain way but then make them act against the way that they created them in order for the plot to happen and how I see it, that's what happened in this book. Lorelei keeps telling us why she moved to this small town is because she wants to not be around people and isolate herself but throughout this book, she keeps interfering in people's lives and it always doesn't end well. In my opinion, if she really wanted to be isolated away from everyone else she wouldn't be interfering in everyone's business. The plot of this story felt like a lucid dream and maybe that's because I was reading this while I was sick but the ending made no sense to me and the way that magic was used in the end confused me. I did enjoy aspects of the first book in the series which made me want to continue but I felt that this one took big steps back when it came to character and plot development. This author might just not be the match for me and that's okay.

[Clarabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

La partie de Scrabble… trop drôle ! 😁

Dans ce deuxième tome, Lorelei accepte de déloger un locataire récalcitrant pour les besoins d'une vente immobilière. Seulement voilà, elle va se heurter à un cocktail explosif (fantôme, entité démoniaque, La Société puissante et sanguinaire). Gloups. Elle pensait se remplir les poches avec une petite mission d'une journée et elle est de nouveau plongée au cœur du bourbier. C'est une solitaire, habituée à se débrouiller sans l'aide de personne. Toutefois elle a atteint ses limites et va toquer à la porte du bar de Sullivan Kane. Trop sexy pour être honnête. 😅

On retrouve également la Guilde des assassins, la rencontre improbable entre notre prince torride et l’alpha des loups autour d'une sacrée partie de Scrabble, vraiment drôle ! Il n’y a pas de romance mais des relations émoustillantes. Et franchement, il me tarde de poursuivre la découverte car les secrets sont nombreux !

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Kindle Unlimited
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

Annabel Chase's Dead of Night is the second installment in the author Crossroads Queen series. It has been six months since Lorelai Clay moved to the sleepy town of Fairhaven, Pennsylvania from London where she thought she would find peace and quiet while refurbishing the Bluebeard Castle. Anabel lives in a town that is close to the Crossroads, which means there are all sorts of paranormals living in town. Including a Prince of Hell, Kane Sullivan, who also heads an assassin guild.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[AJ]

We get it. Really, she wants to be left alone and never talk to a single person. For their own good, of course. It's tiring and repetitive and would make for a very boring book and life. Move on already.

And after that long in her "castle" there is only one room that is finished? I thought my progress was slow.

[Mary Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annabel Chase always writes such interesting female characters and Lorelei Clay is no exception. She's magical, can see and control the dead she can also look into a.persons mind and make their worst nightmare real...........but that's not all she can do or is. Lorelei is in hiding she refuses to share with anyone what her magical abilities actually are, we know what she isn't, a necromancer, a witch, a demon, a vampire, a werewolf or a far and not I she she any minor supernatural whatever Lorelei Clay is she's special. Then there's Dane a demon, a price of hell, commander of thirty legions who is.so nice to Lorelei and so intrigued but when she needs help he is there ready to do whats needed. There are other characters an alpha werewolf, a blind vampire and a mate assassin to name.but a few. Lorelei allows nobody to get close.to her, she just wants to be left alone.and renovate her new home....Blackheads Castle or the Dump depending who you talk to......... Unfortunately for her she has chosen for her.home the site of.a.very special.crossroads where lots of.different magical planes converge instead of the normal.two. This means no quiet life for.Lorelei she would.move it she could.but all her.money is tied up in the castle so she's stuck dealing with the trouble that keeps.finding her door................ I did think this was going to be a three book series but it's not.It's going.to.run for six books so.plenty of time still for.people to keep.asking Laurelei what are you?..........

[Zaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai tout autant aimé ce tome que le précédent, peut-être même plus !
Tout ermite qu'elle dit être, Lorelei se retrouve de nouveau embarquée dans une aventure un poil horrifique en acceptant de rendre service à une des habitantes de Fairhaven. Ce qui ne devait être qu'une petite négociation rapide avec un supposé fantôme tourne finalement à quelque chose de bien plus sérieux, qui la verra travailler main dans la main avec quelques membres de la Guilde des Assassins.

Comme souvent avec cette autrice, c'est un roman que j'ai dévoré, l'ambiance vraiment plaisante à retrouver (et c'est nettement moins crado/gore que le tome précédent), et Lorelei est vraiment attachante. Elle a beau clamer qu'elle veut rester seule et isolée, elle est finalement généreuse et finir par accepter la compagnie qu'elle ne recherchait pourtant pas au départ. Les fantômes avec qui elle vit en coloc (forcée) sont toujours aussi présents, et Ray montre ici un côté très touchant.

Toute l'action et les péripéties reposent autour de ce qu'a trouvé Lorelei dans la maison du "fantôme", cela paraîtra peut-être insuffisant aux yeux de certains, mais pour moi on est plus dans de la cosy fantasy que de l'urban fantasy, donc ça colle bien avec la vibe générale que je ressens.

Et puis ce tome est tellement drôle ! C'est typiquement le genre d'humour qui me fait rire, le sens de la répartie que j'adore, et je ne compte pas le nombre de phrases que j'ai surligné tout au long de ma lecture.

Un excellent tome donc, et comme d'habitude avec Annabel Chase : vivement la suite !

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lorelie agrees to check out a house with a possible ghost problem in trade for some work on her moat. But it seems it is more than a ghost, leading to more problems.
In this book, more comes out about her powers, Kane, the town, new enemies and surprisingly some friends. Adding to the mix is ghost Ray’s granddaughter, Alicia, which causes some more problems.
This is a very interesting story, quick, easy reading, good characters with some surprises and humour along the way.
This is not quite as involved as the first book but still a great installment in the series. Looking forward to learn more about Lorelie, her possible relationship with Kane (at least I think that is where this is going). And more about the town Fairhaven with it’s unusual residents.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Simplistic plots with anti climatic resolutions but I enjoy the series because of the sparky internal dialogue and occasional quips between characters.

Author is also good at keeping the what's her power/ type of supernatural schtick going without being annoying.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Feeling wary about this series after a punchy, enjoyable start. The entire plot in this installment was just Lorelei being selfish and violent and then not feeling appropriately about killing multiple people for almost no reason. I also didn't like the cringe, vaguely offensive lesbian jokes made.

I'm hoping this was just a dud and will trepidatiously continue into book three.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story and main character that drew me in deeper with each book. The first one had me hooked. As a person who prefers my own company best most of the time, I related to the main character on that level immediately. But Lorelei is so much more than she seems at first, not just in power, but in who she is deep in her soul and it’s a lovely journey to witness.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 better than the first book

[Jennifer Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

[Briar 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still no answers on WHAT the mc is but I’ll be patient. Kind of. 😂 I still really enjoyed this book even though not much more happens. They are fairly short so I don’t hold it against them.

[Aarann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first book, but still a solid three-star read. I don't think this series is ever going to be must-read, but it's keeping my focus, I like the world, I'm cautiously interested in the main character, and the supporting cast has some real potential. We'll see what happens when the author drops what "species" Lorelei is, but I'm enjoying it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars, a quick fun read

[Levie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is she hades or something like that?! I’m dying to know

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars ⭐️

This was a very easy and quick read and/or listen. This is the second book that showcases Lorelei Clay, a ghost whisperer who just happened to move into a town that is unfortunately, a crossroad for all of supernatural kind.

She was hoping to move into her fixer upper home (that some would call a castle) and spend the next few years living all by herself. Little did she know that her life was going to become just a little bit hectic.

This book is where Lorelei realizes that there is more going on in her city than she thought possible. She realizes that she is going to have to get involved if she still wants the life that she imagined.

This is one of those books that is enjoyable, but doesn't require too much from the reader. It's fun and things happen fairly quickly.

[Booky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the premise but was hoping the story would progress more. These read like novellas, have the same blueprint for the story line and very little progression in character development, but damn do they keep me interested despite giving me nothing. It’s time I break up with this series but I’ll be keeping my eye on the author.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story

I think this series has potential but needs more descriptive language. There needs to be more transition between scenes. Characters are introduced abruptly without much information. I always feel there is something lacking. The characters are good but I need more back story.

[Les chroniques de Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se mettre au vert, tranquille, loin des fantômes. Ça, c’était le plan de Loreleï en quittant Londres pour Fairhaven et en achetant une vieille bâtisse nommée le Château de Barbe-Bleue avec un cimetière surprise attenant, sinon, ça ne serait pas drôle.
Dès le tome 1, la petite ville a bien compris qu’elle avait un « je ne sais quoi « de pas humain et, de son côté, que les habitants avaient un « je ne sais quoi aussi » de pas très naturel, genre sorcières, métamorphes, vampires et autres démons comme Kane, ce sexy proprio de bar et accessoirement prince des enfers.
Cette fois-ci, c’est un deal avec « Big Boss », une agente immobilière, qui va la confronter à un gardien de maison des plus discrets. En échange, on lui refait les douves du château pour pas cher, c’était trop tentant.
Loreleï, qui communique avec les morts, mais pas que, va encore exercer ses talents pour résoudre le mystère, s’entourant d’une belle brochette d’aide de camps. Pour celle qui voulait rester toute SEULE, tranquille, c’est encore raté ! Et quand un petit rappel de son passé, de sa nature propre et bien cachée, arrive sur son domaine, en est à deux doigts de la catastrophe !
A nouveau un tome qui nous emmène entre enquête, humour et secret. Même si Loreleï nous en dévoile un peu plus, on reste sur notre faim.
Une héroïne comme je les aime ! Pas badass, j’me la raconte mais plutôt discrète, ne m’emm*rdez pas, chacun chez soi. Elle continue à cohabiter avec ses deux fantômes, conversant à grosses doses de punchlines bien calibrées et continue à tisser des liens avec la communauté et autres sociétés secrètes. En parlant de lien, ça flirtouille gentiment avec le Kane, le démon, enfin lui surtout. C’est qu’il craquerait bien pour la nécromancienne solitaire.
Un ensemble rythmé, cohérant et vraiment sympa avec cet humour pince sans rire qui colle à la peau de l’héroïne. Je me dirige donc vers le tome 3 pour en apprendre un peu plus sur Loreleï Clay.