Pocket Full of Posies

Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. #2

by Angela Roquet

Little reaper, big afterlife. The promise of peace in Limbo City is threatened once again, but this time the terrorists have a more specific target in mind: Lana Harvey. The up and coming reaper thought passing her classes at the Reaper Academy was going to be her biggest challenge, but when a rebel demon sends her apartment up in flames, she realizes that her victories from the previous year haven’t gone so unnoticed after all…

To make matters worse, the Afterlife Council has taken notice of Lana, too. The Egyptian god Horus is blackmailing her into joining the Posy Unit so she can do an illegal side job for him, and Cindy Morningstar, Lucifer’s daughter, insists that she take a two-week training course with the devilishly tempting Beelzebub, much to her angelic boyfriend’s chagrin.

New to Lana and Limbo City?
If you love urban fantasy steeped in mythology, dark humor, gritty action, and paranormal romance, begin this series with book one, Graveyard Shift , today!

Spin-off series RETURN TO LIMBO CITY coming December 2021!

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural, Romance, Demons

302 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2012

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Angela Roquet is a delightfully macabre weirdo. She lives in Missouri with her irresistible BFF husband, their sweet, clever son, and a majestic marshmallow of a Great Pyrenees in a house stuffed with books, toys, skulls, owls, and glitter-speckled craft supplies.

Angela is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, as well as the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, her epic book critique group, where she’s known as Death. When not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys playing with her family and reading books that raise eyebrows.

You can find Angela online at www.angelaroquet.com

GRAVEYARD SHIFT, the first novel in Angela's Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, and BLOOD VICE, book one in the Blood Vice series, are now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, & Google.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured book 1 and 2 in less than two days. The second was just as good as the first one. I'm not sure how the author does it but she blends it so well its like you're still reading book one.

We've got Lana (our special reaper friend) and all of her friends/boyfriends along the way. Gabriel the archangel, Maalik her boyfriend..., Josie (I'd say kind of her best girl friend) Jenni (Josie's roomate, but they all become friends) Amy (someones new girlfriend who's a demon and has the cutest spiked tail) and a few other special characters I can't mention names of because they become important later on.

We actually find out why Lana is so special... and it could be extremely hazardous to her health if the wrong people find out. She goes on several missions/jobs/classes/demon training etc in this book. I did feel for her a bit though as she was tackling anything/everything and even though she was exhausted she kept going.

We've still got deities running around everywhere, other reapers (from different generations:reasons explained in this book of the why), lots of romance, kick butt heroine (even when she gets her tush kicked), humor, mystery. Honestly Angela is one of the best indie authors I've stumbled across in the last two + years and believe me I've read a lot. There were a few very minor errors in the book (spelling) but it was very limited and didn't take away from my reading, for the most part its extremely well edited. If you enjoy Paranormal Romance/Mystery/Urban Fantasy type books you'll really like Angela's. After inhaling the first two books I'll be anxiously awaiting book 3 in this series...April I think? Really hope so as I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Her first book is only 99 cents and this one 2.99...well worth the 4 bucks for both! Give her a try :)

[Boneist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough. I wish that the ebook version that I bought had been proofread, though. There were loads of mistakes, my favourite of which was "...tears steak down my face..."

[Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was... disappointing.

The style and the whit was all there, the only thing that was missing was an actual storyline. The first book was packed full of action and it was really good, I even recommended it to a couple of people. But this one, I honestly spent most of the book wondering where the story was, we literally learned nothing new about the overal story arc. well apart from that she uncreated someone

Apart from a little bit of action squeezed in at the end this was mostly descriptions of clothing, love triangles and dasmel in distress syndrome (which was highly surprising given how kick ass she was in the first book)

I liked the authors style, and whit... Shame it fell flat :(

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry I bothered. This book was in dire need of editing, proofing, and a heroine with more maturity and emotional depth than a five-year-old. Great premise, and could have been an amazing series in a more skilled writer's hands.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series with all the gods, goddesses, and reapers milling about. Lana Harvey is just great and I love her energy and enthusiasm. Great series that I look forward to reading more of.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been bored a lot lately and yet it's a bit of slog wading through this. And I certainly haven't been able to accomplish it without eye rolling. Again, editing is needed. How do you miss the misuse of abdominal for abominable? If the story were better the errors would be forgivable and forgettable but Lana is at once a stock character and yet somehow more irritating than the usual. So much of the content seems like filler between notable plot points.

[Monica Hills · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this second novel. There was none of the elements that I so enjoyed from the first book. Lana's personality seemed really stuck on herself. I also didn't like the romance part this time. It just didn't sit well with me and I had to force myself to finish reading this book.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

'm usually not a fan of Fantasy or of Angels and Demons, but I love Angela Roquet's Lana Harvey, Reaper's Inc. Series! This second installment picks up where we left our reaper and angelic friends.

Our intrepid Reaper Lana Harvey has survived a big mission and her secret, but illegal gift is not widely known. True, the Egyptian God Horus knows and is blackmailing Lana to do a side job for him. The only way she can do that is to join the special Posy Unit. She's also attracted attention from the Afterlife Council and some rebel terrorists. And, she thought she'd thought her only worry would be passing her classes at Reaper's Academy. Wrong!

When a rogue demon terrorist sets fire to her apartment, Lana realizes that she should have taken the Demon Training course that Lucifer's daughter wanted her to take. So she does, and who is her instructor? Only the handsome Lord of the Flies, Beelzebub, himself. Her angelic boyfriend, Maalik, is none to happy.

The gang is all back: Maalik, Josie, Jenni, Kevin, Amy, Gabriel, and Warren. Lana also has to interact with an old boyfriend, and she finds herself a tenant of Holly Spirit.

Angela Roquet spins her yarn with a quick pace, suspense, and mingles humor here and there. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series!

[Cherry Mischievous · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
The title is only marginally related to the book.... **sigh** ...not much meaning there. But... there's a lesson there somewhere, however after the holidays, I haven't got that much energy to dig for it...

The plot is quite straight forward. Go from A to B. Dodge hazards and done. No detours. No twists. And for a moment there, the main protagonist displayed a hint of TSTL (too stupid to live) behaviour, which hopefully will not be repeated. And of course, it's another cliffhanger...

On the up side, the story telling quality and the world building are still as wonderful as ever! And the narrator, Hollie Jackson, has gained a new fan in me.

Book 1 can be read by any age. This one however, I would recommend to 18 or older only.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 3
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (7 hours and 4 minutes listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2018...

[Natasha du Plessis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Angela Roquet's writing style as well as all her characters. Lana Harvey is at it again but she has a lot that she must do, pass her two classes, pass her demon training as well as lots of other stuff. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I am hooked!!!!

[Katter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The setting for the Lana Harvey series is pretty awesome. You wanna know what isn't awesome? Lana Harvey. She is an immature bitchy character with a short fuse who thinks everything can be solved by drinking. It's rather pathetic.

And if the main character isn't enough to put a reader off from the series, then the story might. Wanna know what happens in this book? Not freakin' much! We the readers get to read page after page about Lana studying for tests. Yep, that's a thing. Sounds great, right?

Because that's totally what every reader want's to delve into! I'm not really sure why the author thought it would be fun for people to read about classes and finals, but she wrote about it anyway. And just in case you were wondering, it wasn't fun to read about. All the heroine did was whine that classes are boring and hard -- shocking. And then she had the audacity to blame her old boyfriend Craig for making her not like school. That he was the one responsible for her lack of academic ambition.

Now don't get me wrong, Craig is a piece of crap and I don't like him at all, but the idea that this supposed adult would blame another person for her shortcomings is ridiculous. A person is solely responsible for themselves and what they do, not someone else. Lana is a such small minded juvenile character! She is in no way relatable.

Then there is some relationship drama thrown in here and there, just for the heck of it! Instead of doing what Lana should have done from the get go, she lingers, twiddles her thumbs and agonizes over her relationship. Now I can understand why the MC gets angry at Maalik for what he does, but I still feel the way she handles things with him is pretty crumby.

While Lana is busy studying for several classes she is also trying to get certified in a demon defense course, or something like that. Beelzebub is teaching her all she needs to know about what to do when going up against a horned beastie, but after being taught by Bub for a while she starts to have the hots for him and vice versa. OMG romance drama alert!

Overall the way Lana handles things is distasteful and cold. She kind of reminds me of one of those old sluts from Sex in the City (No, I'm not a fan of that show.) The whole romance drama bomb feels like a terrible attempt at hooking the reader in, however I feel that it fails to hit it's mark. The only saving Grace in this entire novel is that a demon of pain and torture is trying to hunt Lana down. That's it.

There is a bit of a show down at the end and there are some mild little surprises tossed about but it's not enough to tie everything together and keep me engaged. This book was an utter disappointment! There was such potential for this series but it gets squandered away by piddly side plots. I can't do it anymore! These books are just not for me.

I do not enjoy the characters, main, or side for that matter. All the side character were assholes! Except for Anubis. I liked him. Charlie and Gabriel were okay too. As a side note, this novel also has one of the weirdest sentences I have ever come across. "Either my eyes were still open, or tarantulas were mating on my eyelids." I have no idea what that means or how I should take it. All I know is that it grossed me out!

If you are a person who enjoys reading about a character studying for finals, you may like this book. If you're into a story that plays out like a drama you may find on the Freeform channel, you may like this book. If you like reading about a character who thinks that problems are solved with alcohol, then you may like this book. If none of that sounds good to you, then don't even bother reading this. It's a waste of time and a good setting. Throw it in the River Styx and be done with it!

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE BLURB IS REALLY NOTHING LIKE THE 'STORY'
Not Your Grandma's Afterlife…
The promise of peace in Limbo City is threatened once again, but this time the terrorists have a more specific target in mind: Lana Harvey. The up and coming reaper thought passing her classes at the Reaper Academy was going to be her biggest challenge, but when a rebel demon sends her apartment up in flames, she realizes that her victories from the previous year haven’t gone so unnoticed after all…To make matters worse, the Afterlife Council has taken notice of Lana too. The Egyptian god Horus is blackmailing her into joining the Posy Unit so she can do an illegal side job for him, and Cindy Morningstar, Lucifer’s daughter, insists that she take a two week training course with the devilishly tempting Beelzebub, much to her angelic boyfriend’s chagrin.

Not kindle unlimited, looked it up and at some point must have thought it good idea to spend 99 cents plus tax on the 3 set, and normally would have at least been worth that, more so since the books seem to normally be priced something like 3 or 4 bucks a pop, but...struggled and struggled over days {and am natural speed reader} to get through the first book, even more and longer for the other 2, and omg, how can anyone have, literally and metaphysically/spiritually , a whole world based on so many things that are automatically understood by so many, and then screw it all up, so badly and in so many ways. How can a real writer turn a book {supposedly} about grim reaper {s} in to chick-lit-ick 90210 garbage?

The bad part is cost me 99 cents and tax, the good part is could have been much worse, and the best part is didn't spend anything on any of the others because these stories are not readable.

Graveyard Shift (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. #1)
Pocket Full of Posies (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. #2)
For the Birds (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. #3)
Lost in Limbo (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. #1-3)

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved "Graveyard Shift" so I was really disappointed with the second installment of this series. The story just seemed to be a collection of moments with no cohesive plot line to pull them together. I finished this in a day because I skimmed over a lot of it.

There were so many loose ends and unexplained moments that had me WTFing. I mean the protagonist undoes someone's very existence but the how and the why she could do that wasn't explained. Hell, LANA didn't even asked how she was able to do it.

lastly, this author's biggest sin here is all. The damn. Spelling. Errors. On the acknowledgement page, the author said her sister edits her work. Ms. Roquet may want to either have a come to Jesus meeting with her sis, or hire a new editor. An example: "A collective gasp rose up from the audience, followed by excited and outraged mummers." I'm assuming she meant "murmurs" because I'm pretty sure Mummers are people in Philly who dress up in colorful costumes and strut their collective stuff in a parade on New Year's Day.

I'm not going to give up on this series, mainly because I've already purchased books 3 and 4, but boy do I hope there is a return to form in the next ones.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lana Harvey, the soul harvesting reaper & slacker has been thrust into the limelight against her will. Just because an original believer created her with an illegal gift she needs to keep secret,even from those closest to her. Unfortunately, due to events that took place in the first novel, she owes favors to several deities, and now they're expecting her to keep her oaths. That means going back to school (*sigh*), dealing with an ass of en ex-boyfriend, being caught and nearly beaten to death by rebel demons, coping with an overprotective current boyfriend and hooking up with the Lord of the Flies. Evidently, make-out sessions in Hell can be really hot;-P (For once I even felt bad for the good guy. Surely a first for me!)

The author, Angela Roquet, remains as irreverent as ever. Those who enjoyed the first novel in the series, will surely enjoy Pocket Full Of Posies as well.

[Linzi Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I would particularly flag it up to anyone who enjoyed the Morgan Kingsley books by Jenna Black.
Lana really starts to grown into an interesting character, and I love some of the supporting cast a lot. There are loads of good reviews so I don't feel to the need to add to them but it's even better than the second one and I'm off to get the 3rd in the series.

(And huge thanks to Sheryl without whom I wouldn't have even found it)

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed some editing but it wasn't bad. Not as good as Graveyard Shift, but still worthwhile

[Niki Trento · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Roquet uses inspiration from religious writings to weave the tales and deeds in this amazing series....keep reading.... you'll love them!!

[Books Lucy King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this one was a bit boring, not much happened - training, attacks, training, attacks, training, training, "bedding", training, attacks, over and over again the same scenario and in the middle of it Maalik whom I wanted to strangle for Lana, the poor Lana with such a overload and Bub (I admit, I fell for him :D I know he is a demon but what? he is amazing ...for now).
I really liked the parts with Lana and Bub, after this book how Maalik tried to boss Lana around and change her life without asking her at all (and the final tranquilize thing, like seriously? I wanted to snap him myself along with Josie and Warren), he was doing exactly what I totally hate about guys, if they think they know better then us all the time and they think that everyhing done is for our own good, I know Lana was in a dangerous situation but seriously Maalik, handle it like this? I liked you in the first book... I was really disgusted by him and felt Lana´s frustration sooo much. Yes, she could at least listen to her best friend, I know she is so freaking stubborn, but well then what this book would be about, not that much happened, anyway
Even though I felt quite bored with this one, I am excited to continue, as after the changes here in Lana´s life it could be super interesting next time, fingers crossed.

[moxieBK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost in Limbo (Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. book 1-3)
Book 2: Pocket Full of Posies — 36 chapters July 28-31, 2018

Note: There are some sexier bits in here than the first book. Because of this I cannot recommend tis book for younger readers. I would suggest readers 21+.

This book starts up pretty much right after the first one ended. It started slow, and then at around chapter eight it started to get interesting. But it still ends up feeling like a middle book. Mainly because there are a lot of repeating descriptions in it. Over and over Lana chews over these details, like she is almost worried they will come back to haunt her.

Also, Maalik pretty much drops off the story. Not sure if he is coming back, but there is not much mentioned about him, which leads to Lana taking a different route in her journey.

There are some surprises at the end of the story; even though they really aren’t.

Lana feels like a mysterious person to me. I still do not know a lot about her skills and why she possess them and what they mean, even at the end of this book. Maybe the next one will be clearer about that.

Still, an overall good, enjoyable read.

I did not see any typos and grammatical errors.

Three stars.

[Allison Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 continues to follow the death of Lana Harvey and her reaper, inc. friends. Now she is trying to join the Posy unit at the um 'suggestion' of Horus and it means going back to school. Lana doesn't care too much for school and to make matters worse, an ex is taking a course with her and he won't stop trying to not be an ex any more. Her boyfriend, Maalik continues to be scarce, infuriating Lana even more and now she is faced with the temptation of The Lord of the Flies, thanks to Cindy Morningstar's request' she take a demon defense course.

And just when Lana can see the light at the end of the tunnel, she finds herself on the radar of a she demon who takes no prisoners. What follows are demon attacks and Meng's tea and its a toss up as to which is going to kill her first. And then there's the problem of Winston... Oh what a complicated afterlife Lana leads. Will Lana and her friends make it to the placement ceremony? Will she end up happily ever after with Maalik or will someone new sweep her off her feet?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I gave the first book 5 stars. This one got 4 because it dragged a little for me in the middle, but overall, its a fun read and I recommend it.

[Corba · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give up. I can't continue reading this pap. It's such a disappointment after Graveyard Shift. It devolved from an interesting world with exciting events in Book 1 to a self-absorbed teen bodice-ripper in Book 2.

I'm guessing the editors said "OMG That first book actually sold! Quick, write some more!" and Ms. Roquet dashed off another book without much thought and definitely without much editing. And in doing so, the author managed to twist her main protagonist into a totally self-absorbed THREE HUNDRED YEAR OLD teenager.

Do you really want to read about her many boyfriends, friends who are boys, girl friends, ex's, studying (yeah, really), and her g*dd*mn hair, makeup and outfits. So. Not. Interesting.

Somewhere in there you would think that the author would stumble (at least accidentally) onto a plotline. Alas. No.

I'm parachuting out of this series before the end of Book 2. I've already wasted too many minutes on it.

[Holly Minch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read book one and immediately bought the next 6, I was not sure the story was going to hold up but it did I enjoyed this story as much if not more then book 1. I felt bad for Lana and all the secrets she has to keep from her friends I still could not like Maalik but that gets resolved. I absolutely love the character of Bub and the growth that Lana is making in this book even when everyone is pulling her in different directions and treating her she still tries to do what she thinks is right. Her friends stay by her even as her apartment blows up and her lie starts to unravel while there are tensions and relationships change from the first book you really feel the connection between the people in her life and the choices she makes. I am excited about the next book and keep hoping that she will finally get the peace she deserves.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

Audiobook narrated by Hollie Jackson.

A fine and cosy second entry in the Lana Harvey Reapers Inc series. Our trouble-magnet of a reaper gets to deal with relationship drama, studying new subjects and being stalked by a whip-wielding demon. Fun times to be had indeed.

- I continue to love the way the author adds in bits of religion and mythology and melds it together to make a pretty decent story. You can tell she has researched and has good knowledge of various religions and myths.

- The relationship drama was drawn out. In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure how it lasted as long as it did. And I'm a million times happier with the direction Lana's love life has taken now.

- The ending was explosive but the build up took a long time. I've noticed with both this book and Graveyard Shift that at several points I though the book was ending but then carried of for a few more plot points and chapters. This is a little jarring and occasionally and me thinking "Oh get on with it!".

A fun sequel and continues my cosy recovery from some heavy books. Onto For the Birds!

[Cheryl Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it's the second in the series and I read the first quite a long time ago, but it didn't take long to get right into the book again. Lana is grappling with her powers, she has some good friends who back her up and help her. Grim the Reaper is not keen on her but she gets on with the job and in having to go back to school to learn mentoring the wandering souls and demonology, she also took wandering souls because Horus was blackmailing her a class with her ex boyfriend and she hates him, but Josie makes her study hard when it comes to the finals and she does in fact manage to pass with flying colours while breaking up with her current boyfriend and finding a new one. She discoveres another power she has she didn't know about and that works in her favour as well. It's a great series, now on to the next.

[Jess Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Pocket Full of Posies is the second book in the Reapers Inc. series - this was a mindless, bingeable, enjoyable read, with well thought out characters and a fun twist on the afterlife.

I must say, this series doesn’t quite have the magic that I felt for Roquet’s Blood Vice series.. The first 10ish chapters felt like a recap of book 1 which was a bit annoying, and the spelling errors kind of cheapened this experience for me.

My other issue with this book was that not a whole lot of anything happened to advance the overall plot. I bought the first 3 books in this series for $2.99 on my kobo- I’ve decided I’ll give the next one a read, but if it doesn’t blow me away I might give up on Reapers Inc.

[Gwen Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first volume Graveyard Shift

I was so excited to continue this series, I bought the second book Pocket full of Posies, before finishing the first one. I was so impressed with the authors writing style. This book felt rushed and the first quarter is spent explaining characters and settings from the first volume. I didn't feel the same connections to the characters. They all seemed bland and lacking. I disliked the "filler" multiple sex sections. This book read like it was written by a different author, or one that just didn't care and wanted to be done. So disappointed in this book, enough so, that I'm not going to purchase any more of this series.

[Tameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly I feel some kind of way about Lana. These special skills keep popping up out of the wood works which almost makes me want to demand that she go find Grimm's girl tell her what all she did impose on her.

Next those demons that keep popping out of the blue special the chic with the whip that messed up her throat and back.

As far as Malik is concerned...I wish he would have understood her a little more than the fly killer. I am glad that he did warn her but we will see how she handles the next task.

One question that was left lingering in my mind is Lana being groomed to take over and was the boy just a ploy in all of this? Thongs that make you go hum.

[Robbie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series of books. I believe I originally found the author and the 1st book in the series on an email that I receive but I am not positive.
The protagonist in the story is Lana Harvey who is a Reaper -- beings in a celestial world that work for Grim (aka The Grim Reaper) and help him harvest souls. Evidently as humanity's population exploded so too did the amount of souls that needed to be gathered and Grim couldn't do it by himself. ANYWAY Lana occasionally butts head with Grim and lands in hot water.

I found these books clever and funny and I would recommend them to any sci-fi fan.

[Paul Bennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as part of the "Lost in Limbo" collection which covers the first 3 books in the series. This review has been repeated for the individual books so that whichever route a reader takes, the review can be seen.

This book continues the story of Lana Harvey, a reaper. It has lots of elements in it - love, political intrigue, spying, murder This mix makes for a very interesting read and an enjoyable read. Although it can possibly be read as a standalone story, if you did this you would miss out on a lot of the character backgrounds and explanations of why things are the way they are. It is an interesting and enjoyable read.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, not great. I'm really usually not a fan of the 'ole love interest switcheroo, but it's been awhile since I read book one so it wasn't a big let down. I can't actually remember if I even liked Maalik, but he wasn't around enough in this book to make me like him. However, I did like Beelzebub, stupid nickname aside. So I don't hate that Lana ditched Maalik for him. But, most of the time I was bored. Lana spent too much time studying and recovering and/or unconscious. I'm curious to see what happens next though so I'll keep going.