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Gang of Ghouls #1
The Stalking Dead
Kinda dead. Straight-up psycho. Totally obsessed with her.
I did a bad, bad thing.
Thanks to a blank in my memory, I'm not sure what that thing was, but it was horrible enough to get me locked up in the mental ward for seven years. Horrible enough that my little sister won't even speak to me.
But when I'm released back into a town determined to rub my unknown sins in my face, the past isn't the only thing that's haunting me. The four "imaginary" friends who made my childhood bearable barge into my life in a very real way.
They're crude, criminally inclined, and more than a little unstable after ages trapped in afterlife limbo. All they want is to protect me. Worship me. Avenge me.
So they'll bludgeon, maim, eviscerate—tear a strip of havoc right through this sleepy town.
Even rise from the dead.
Maybe I'm still not all that sane either, because part of me finds them strangely appealing. In ways very different from how I felt as a kid. And that's not the only strangeness stirring inside me...
I promised myself I'd stick to the straight and narrow from here on. But what if the only way to set things right is to get a little ghoulish?
*The Stalking Dead is the first in a darkly humorous new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Eva Chase. If you love sarcastic heroines with unexpected powers, obsessive supernatural men who'll do anything to defend their woman, and plenty of mystery and mayhem, dive right in!*
I did a bad, bad thing.
Thanks to a blank in my memory, I'm not sure what that thing was, but it was horrible enough to get me locked up in the mental ward for seven years. Horrible enough that my little sister won't even speak to me.
But when I'm released back into a town determined to rub my unknown sins in my face, the past isn't the only thing that's haunting me. The four "imaginary" friends who made my childhood bearable barge into my life in a very real way.
They're crude, criminally inclined, and more than a little unstable after ages trapped in afterlife limbo. All they want is to protect me. Worship me. Avenge me.
So they'll bludgeon, maim, eviscerate—tear a strip of havoc right through this sleepy town.
Even rise from the dead.
Maybe I'm still not all that sane either, because part of me finds them strangely appealing. In ways very different from how I felt as a kid. And that's not the only strangeness stirring inside me...
I promised myself I'd stick to the straight and narrow from here on. But what if the only way to set things right is to get a little ghoulish?
*The Stalking Dead is the first in a darkly humorous new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Eva Chase. If you love sarcastic heroines with unexpected powers, obsessive supernatural men who'll do anything to defend their woman, and plenty of mystery and mayhem, dive right in!*
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 6, 2021
2761 people are currently reading
11275 people want to read
About the author
Eva Chase
124 books3,782 followersEva Chase lives in Canada with her family. She loves stories both swoony and supernatural, and strong women and the men who appreciate them. You can visit her online at www.evachase.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 740 reviews
December 7, 2021
I really really hated this. Too unrealistic and just - stupid. Nothing about this made sense to me, not the bullying, not the way people interacted with the MC, not the way she chose to respond to anything, nothing.
May 12, 2022
Initial thoughts (11/17/2021): I read this day of release even though I had a ton of homework. Maybe not great decision making but Eva Chase is one of my favorites authors found on Kindle Unlimited and I am so behind on her other series that I jump to read this. I really liked it and I’ll write a more specific review this weekend. If you love ghosts and possession, you should give this one a go!
Review (11/20/2021): Let’s start with the cover. The design is beautiful and I love the pops of color from the balloons. The motorcycle confused me at first but apparently the ghost harem was formerly a MC or motorcycle gang. From there into writing technicals, I found this book to be very readable with no obnoxiously long paragraphs. This kept my mind rolling and allowed me to read it fast which made my enjoyment higher. I hate long drudging writing. She has such a way of expressing emotion in a lovely, vivid way.
For a better summary, definitely check other peoples reviews. But basically, Lily came back to her hometown for her sophomore year of college after a while away, much of which she was locked in an asylum. Thus locals know her and are judgy assholes. Ghosts scenanagones occur.
Let’s talk about characters: I did struggle a bit when the boys were possessing people because sometimes they were called their original name or the person they possessed even by each other.
Lily our heroine. Has a history of mental institutionalization. Is a medium or hears the dead as result of some childhood trauma. Cannot remember what she did to land in the asylum but something happened with her sister Marigold and this plot line has a cliffhanger at the end. Overall, I actually liked her. She wasn’t looking for trouble but wasn’t a cry baby. She would stand up for herself but wasn’t an over the top badass.
Nox the man in charge. Very dominant and very protective. As a result wants to maintain that power and possesses a hardass professor then proceeds to get forced to take leave because of unorthodox “teaching” techniques.
Kai The smart, perfectionist and mind reader. He figured out an elaborate plan to possess bodies so they could have a corporial form.
Ruin best described as like a puppy, a pitbull puppy. Such a sweetheart and a glass half full type of guy but mess with Lily and the gloves are off and he is vicious. To be clear I am the proud sister of a staffordshire bull terrier named Emmy so that is a compliment.
Jett barely speaks. Very broody and I had trouble getting a read on him. In the next books I am hoping that Chase will elaborate on his character and develop him significantly more.
Overall, a really nice start. Tad bit of a cliff hanger not like dangerous but if you want to know everything immediately wait to binge the series. The supernatural elements are very subtle and it was really enjoyable. The steam was light with some making out at the end but it set up to get going in that aspect with the next book.
Review (11/20/2021): Let’s start with the cover. The design is beautiful and I love the pops of color from the balloons. The motorcycle confused me at first but apparently the ghost harem was formerly a MC or motorcycle gang. From there into writing technicals, I found this book to be very readable with no obnoxiously long paragraphs. This kept my mind rolling and allowed me to read it fast which made my enjoyment higher. I hate long drudging writing. She has such a way of expressing emotion in a lovely, vivid way.
For a better summary, definitely check other peoples reviews. But basically, Lily came back to her hometown for her sophomore year of college after a while away, much of which she was locked in an asylum. Thus locals know her and are judgy assholes. Ghosts scenanagones occur.
Let’s talk about characters: I did struggle a bit when the boys were possessing people because sometimes they were called their original name or the person they possessed even by each other.
Lily our heroine. Has a history of mental institutionalization. Is a medium or hears the dead as result of some childhood trauma. Cannot remember what she did to land in the asylum but something happened with her sister Marigold and this plot line has a cliffhanger at the end. Overall, I actually liked her. She wasn’t looking for trouble but wasn’t a cry baby. She would stand up for herself but wasn’t an over the top badass.
Nox the man in charge. Very dominant and very protective. As a result wants to maintain that power and possesses a hardass professor then proceeds to get forced to take leave because of unorthodox “teaching” techniques.
Kai The smart, perfectionist and mind reader. He figured out an elaborate plan to possess bodies so they could have a corporial form.
Ruin best described as like a puppy, a pitbull puppy. Such a sweetheart and a glass half full type of guy but mess with Lily and the gloves are off and he is vicious. To be clear I am the proud sister of a staffordshire bull terrier named Emmy so that is a compliment.
Jett barely speaks. Very broody and I had trouble getting a read on him. In the next books I am hoping that Chase will elaborate on his character and develop him significantly more.
Overall, a really nice start. Tad bit of a cliff hanger not like dangerous but if you want to know everything immediately wait to binge the series. The supernatural elements are very subtle and it was really enjoyable. The steam was light with some making out at the end but it set up to get going in that aspect with the next book.
September 6, 2023
These guys take possessive to a new level!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🤓😉☺️😍🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Lily - something awful happened to her, though she has no memory of it. She has been locked up in a psych ward for seven years when she is finally released and is going to college and is determined to act normal. Though now she is back in her hometown it seems it is filled with people who treat her like crap because of her history. All she really wants to do is get back in her sister’s good graces, which is hard because she doesn’t remember what it was that she did.
The Heroes: Nox, Kai, Ruin, Jett - They were motorcycle gang members before they were shot dead, and as ghosts Lily was the only person that could hear or see them.
Nox - the leader and is dominant and protective, he immediately knows who Lily is when he sees her even though it has been many years since she disappeared from their afterlife.
Kai - he was the nerd of the group and was extremely intelligent and wore glasses when he was alive. He has a theory that they can all get bodies again. His plan is to commit murders so they have bodies that they can use and possess.
Ruin - he is an optimist and at first glance seems innocuous but can become vicious and cruel when needed.
Jett - he is the quiet brute of the group, he is broody, grumpy and doesn’t speak unless it is something really worth saying.
The Story: When Lily was young, she imagined that she wasn’t alone when she was down by the marsh, she could see the ghostly outlines of the four men and hear them as they played with her and protected her. Though now she is an adult, when she seems to hear voices calling her, she ignores them because she knows that would be just crazy to really hear her childish imaginary friends.
The guys end up taking over the bodies of guys who had been bullying Lily.
Mr. Grimes - he was a professor of Lily’s and called her out on the first day for being late and for having been in an institution. Nox decides to possess him since he has a bit of power over the students.
Zach - Big man on campus and star of the football team. He made fun of Lily as soon as she appeared on Campus. Kai possesses him because he is so opposite of his true form and personality.
Ansel - he is Mr. Popular and has a bunch of people who follow him around. He felt the need to tell all of them about Lily’s past and dumped a cup of coffee on her. Ruin possesses him, since Jett doesn’t talk enough to fit this one.
Vince - he was Lily’s peer counselor and he didn’t ask for the job and didn’t want it and made it known to Lily right away. Jett possesses him.
This is an original story, different than anything I have read before. I like the fact that the guys killed and possessed new guys that didn’t like them, but as time went on they started to look more and more like themselves as time went on. They had some makeovers, colored their hair and added glasses to look a bit more like themselves, and gradually things like muscles, skin shade and other things took on what they originally looked like.
The story also had a lot about the fact that the guys couldn’t just take on these new bodies and be their old selves, since these four guys had lives, jobs, friends etc… So they had to try to separate themselves from the former lives of the men they took possession of in order to do what they wanted with their new lives. They didn’t want to be a professor, a football player, a popular guy or a brilliant student.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Hollie Jackson and Joe Arden. These are both terrific narrators. Hollie Jackson’s voice isn’t my favorite, except for the Ice Planet Barbarian books. I think I got so used to her narrating those books, that it makes it hard to hear her in something different, though I do acknowledge what a great job she does. Joe Arden is always fantastic and is one of my favorite male narrators. My only critique is that I wish there were separate narrators for each of the male characters.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜💖
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🤓😉☺️😍🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Lily - something awful happened to her, though she has no memory of it. She has been locked up in a psych ward for seven years when she is finally released and is going to college and is determined to act normal. Though now she is back in her hometown it seems it is filled with people who treat her like crap because of her history. All she really wants to do is get back in her sister’s good graces, which is hard because she doesn’t remember what it was that she did.
The Heroes: Nox, Kai, Ruin, Jett - They were motorcycle gang members before they were shot dead, and as ghosts Lily was the only person that could hear or see them.
Nox - the leader and is dominant and protective, he immediately knows who Lily is when he sees her even though it has been many years since she disappeared from their afterlife.
Kai - he was the nerd of the group and was extremely intelligent and wore glasses when he was alive. He has a theory that they can all get bodies again. His plan is to commit murders so they have bodies that they can use and possess.
Ruin - he is an optimist and at first glance seems innocuous but can become vicious and cruel when needed.
Jett - he is the quiet brute of the group, he is broody, grumpy and doesn’t speak unless it is something really worth saying.
The Story: When Lily was young, she imagined that she wasn’t alone when she was down by the marsh, she could see the ghostly outlines of the four men and hear them as they played with her and protected her. Though now she is an adult, when she seems to hear voices calling her, she ignores them because she knows that would be just crazy to really hear her childish imaginary friends.
The guys end up taking over the bodies of guys who had been bullying Lily.
Mr. Grimes - he was a professor of Lily’s and called her out on the first day for being late and for having been in an institution. Nox decides to possess him since he has a bit of power over the students.
Zach - Big man on campus and star of the football team. He made fun of Lily as soon as she appeared on Campus. Kai possesses him because he is so opposite of his true form and personality.
Ansel - he is Mr. Popular and has a bunch of people who follow him around. He felt the need to tell all of them about Lily’s past and dumped a cup of coffee on her. Ruin possesses him, since Jett doesn’t talk enough to fit this one.
Vince - he was Lily’s peer counselor and he didn’t ask for the job and didn’t want it and made it known to Lily right away. Jett possesses him.
This is an original story, different than anything I have read before. I like the fact that the guys killed and possessed new guys that didn’t like them, but as time went on they started to look more and more like themselves as time went on. They had some makeovers, colored their hair and added glasses to look a bit more like themselves, and gradually things like muscles, skin shade and other things took on what they originally looked like.
The story also had a lot about the fact that the guys couldn’t just take on these new bodies and be their old selves, since these four guys had lives, jobs, friends etc… So they had to try to separate themselves from the former lives of the men they took possession of in order to do what they wanted with their new lives. They didn’t want to be a professor, a football player, a popular guy or a brilliant student.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Hollie Jackson and Joe Arden. These are both terrific narrators. Hollie Jackson’s voice isn’t my favorite, except for the Ice Planet Barbarian books. I think I got so used to her narrating those books, that it makes it hard to hear her in something different, though I do acknowledge what a great job she does. Joe Arden is always fantastic and is one of my favorite male narrators. My only critique is that I wish there were separate narrators for each of the male characters.
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November 26, 2021
This was just awful.
The writing was so cringey that I could hardly keep reading and the characters of the ghost gangsters was just so silly, especially the guvking artist one who in one chapter wishes he had some coke to get a proper high and in a few later is pissy because his friends aren’t getting buzzed on his “art” of arranging their drinks at the table “they just kept drinking them, what tomfoolery!”.
It really felt like a cringey teacher who’s “down with how the kids speak” wrote this. I guess the gangsters could’ve had such a ridiculous way of expressing themselves because they died in 2004 but it was played off as if they were just badasses. Just ew.
And I get that people with past mental illness get prejudiced against and treated poorly, but I never get how bullying of this level can slip by the student body, teachers and faculty. If I saw something of the assaults they committed in here I would go straight to the faculty. Obviously her bullies had mental problems, they tried to kill her several times and kept wrecking her car, why couldn’t she go to the police again? Because she had a mental break when she was thirteen and she think the police will say “you wrecked your own car missy you have the donkey brains” I mean?!!! And why couldn’t she speak to the faculty, they even say that there are cameras in the school, she has proof? It was sooo stupid.
Lilly was a bit whiny but most often rightfully so, having a teacher beating up people for you isn’t ideal. But she was so stupid so often, “ don’t follow me to class wait on the lawn I’m sure my bullies will leave me alone today when they have never before!” Like why?!? No good reason the ghouls came with her to school every day but waited outside and then she got assaulted. Every time.
And the end was so stupid I just, I barely care that this is a spoiled because I don’t want anyone to have to ggo through what I did, she tortures her stepdad for information using her marsh superpowers (so dumb) and when he tells her basically nothing but a flimsy lead she’s all “ok that’s enough gotta keep some mystery alive” I mean there was a million things she could have kept asking. Once one has started with the torture there is really no reason to stop until you got all the answers you need, she’s still tortured someone just now for no reason.
And the stupidness of Nox fucking self esteem into her? I mean, blah.
And the stupidness of having gangsters in a town so small that she can’t get a job because the gossip is so insidious. Like what are gangsters going to do in a tiny town? How will a motorcycle club, which I’m dreading they were building towards gonna work in a tiny town?
Nox and Jeff were such stupid guvking characters it was awful. Kai and ruin were fine, Lilly was stupid and annoying but that often comes with the genre.
The writing was so cringey that I could hardly keep reading and the characters of the ghost gangsters was just so silly, especially the guvking artist one who in one chapter wishes he had some coke to get a proper high and in a few later is pissy because his friends aren’t getting buzzed on his “art” of arranging their drinks at the table “they just kept drinking them, what tomfoolery!”.
It really felt like a cringey teacher who’s “down with how the kids speak” wrote this. I guess the gangsters could’ve had such a ridiculous way of expressing themselves because they died in 2004 but it was played off as if they were just badasses. Just ew.
And I get that people with past mental illness get prejudiced against and treated poorly, but I never get how bullying of this level can slip by the student body, teachers and faculty. If I saw something of the assaults they committed in here I would go straight to the faculty. Obviously her bullies had mental problems, they tried to kill her several times and kept wrecking her car, why couldn’t she go to the police again? Because she had a mental break when she was thirteen and she think the police will say “you wrecked your own car missy you have the donkey brains” I mean?!!! And why couldn’t she speak to the faculty, they even say that there are cameras in the school, she has proof? It was sooo stupid.
Lilly was a bit whiny but most often rightfully so, having a teacher beating up people for you isn’t ideal. But she was so stupid so often, “ don’t follow me to class wait on the lawn I’m sure my bullies will leave me alone today when they have never before!” Like why?!? No good reason the ghouls came with her to school every day but waited outside and then she got assaulted. Every time.
And the end was so stupid I just, I barely care that this is a spoiled because I don’t want anyone to have to ggo through what I did, she tortures her stepdad for information using her marsh superpowers (so dumb) and when he tells her basically nothing but a flimsy lead she’s all “ok that’s enough gotta keep some mystery alive” I mean there was a million things she could have kept asking. Once one has started with the torture there is really no reason to stop until you got all the answers you need, she’s still tortured someone just now for no reason.
And the stupidness of Nox fucking self esteem into her? I mean, blah.
And the stupidness of having gangsters in a town so small that she can’t get a job because the gossip is so insidious. Like what are gangsters going to do in a tiny town? How will a motorcycle club, which I’m dreading they were building towards gonna work in a tiny town?
Nox and Jeff were such stupid guvking characters it was awful. Kai and ruin were fine, Lilly was stupid and annoying but that often comes with the genre.
November 16, 2021
3.5⭐
So this is a new to me author and this story was okay for me it was slow burnnnnn. but since its a 3 books (I think) series I can understand.
Lily I'd back home in her hometown since she was locked away at a aysulm for about 7 years from a incident that she has no idea what happened because no one is telling her. But she's back and trying to connect some way with her sister but she's trying to follow those rules. And it's hard since well everyone seems to bully her for being at a psych ward. Like EVERYONE a teacher is a bully like what!! To her she's all alone.. but really she isn't.. long ago she thought she had some imagery friends wrong she really had ghost friends who cared for her and saved her from drawing.. and those guys are Kia, Kox, Jett and Ruin dead MC bikers they know there girl is back and hate that people are harassing her now they have a plan get new bodies and make sure no one hurts her. So now they take form of her bullies Zach/Vince/Ansel/Mr Grimes. Lots of drama and some mysterious drama surrounding Ansel.. I do hope the next book picks up the pace and we get some steam..
Low angst, no ow/om drama, no cheating, Drama, sexy time, no virgins
Recommend-yes/maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heat level- 🌶.5
Slowinsta
Age gap
Push away from h
Sharing
Violence
Abuse
Safe sex
PNR
HEA
CLIFFHANGE
So this is a new to me author and this story was okay for me it was slow burnnnnn. but since its a 3 books (I think) series I can understand.
Lily I'd back home in her hometown since she was locked away at a aysulm for about 7 years from a incident that she has no idea what happened because no one is telling her. But she's back and trying to connect some way with her sister but she's trying to follow those rules. And it's hard since well everyone seems to bully her for being at a psych ward. Like EVERYONE a teacher is a bully like what!! To her she's all alone.. but really she isn't.. long ago she thought she had some imagery friends wrong she really had ghost friends who cared for her and saved her from drawing.. and those guys are Kia, Kox, Jett and Ruin dead MC bikers they know there girl is back and hate that people are harassing her now they have a plan get new bodies and make sure no one hurts her. So now they take form of her bullies Zach/Vince/Ansel/Mr Grimes. Lots of drama and some mysterious drama surrounding Ansel.. I do hope the next book picks up the pace and we get some steam..
Low angst, no ow/om drama, no cheating, Drama, sexy time, no virgins
Recommend-yes/maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heat level- 🌶.5
Slowinsta
Age gap
Push away from h
Sharing
Violence
Abuse
Safe sex
PNR
HEA
CLIFFHANGE
July 24, 2023
dnf’d when she started singing as she rode one of the guy’s dicks
May 29, 2023
Okay, so this wasn't what I was hoping for. It was kind of a disappointment, and I didn't really enjoy reading this one very much.
November 28, 2021
Stupid MC
I get that the MC was working to redeem herself so that she could see her sister. It understandable that she allows people to call her derogatory terms, be pushed around, or even spit on. Never defending herself. That showed me she had an iron will.
Spoiler
What made me think that the MC is stupid is that she was pushed down a flight of stairs. She could have died. She was seriously hurt, but she let it go. Saying that the bullies have got it out of their system. Really?!?! This was even after she was kidnapped. Come on. You can’t help your sister if you are dead. So I decided that the MC was an idiot. I can’t stand by someone who lets everyone off, no matter how heinous the act.
By almost the last page, the MC tried to grow some balls, but at 95% it was too little too late.
I get that the MC was working to redeem herself so that she could see her sister. It understandable that she allows people to call her derogatory terms, be pushed around, or even spit on. Never defending herself. That showed me she had an iron will.
Spoiler
What made me think that the MC is stupid is that she was pushed down a flight of stairs. She could have died. She was seriously hurt, but she let it go. Saying that the bullies have got it out of their system. Really?!?! This was even after she was kidnapped. Come on. You can’t help your sister if you are dead. So I decided that the MC was an idiot. I can’t stand by someone who lets everyone off, no matter how heinous the act.
By almost the last page, the MC tried to grow some balls, but at 95% it was too little too late.
November 13, 2021
I usually don't do cover-buys. I know that covers can be deceiving and that not all books with pretty covers are pretty on the inside. However, in this case it was a combination of a cover-buy and an author-buy. I know Eva Chase. I know what kind of books she writes. I know her burn level and I know what kind of characters or plot to expect. So, when I saw this cover it went on my "buy and read as soon as I can list".
This book was just as addictive as I had hoped it would be. That's partly because Chase has a lovely writing style. She heavily focusses on the emotions and she describes those emotions very vividly. It's also because Chase created the kind of plot where I just needed to read on because I wanted to know what was going on. And Chase took her time to come with some explanations and answers. Hell, the book ends with a cliffhanger and more questions!
The supernatural elements in this book were a little more subtle. Apart from the fact that our dear ghosts decided to hijack a few bodies to protect their girl (I can't blame them for that. I mean, they did a lot of nasty stuff, but as someone who has been bullied for over a decade I could only think "they had it coming". In a way this book is kind of a bullied girl fantasy!) it takes a long while before we notice that it's not the only strange thing going on.
However, waiting for the answers and the supernatural elements wasn't that hard, because we had amazing characters to keep us company. Yes, like I just said, the heroes are clearly not entirely morally good, but it's so satisfying what they do and it's so easy to forgive them for it! Especially because it's easy to understand why they would do all that for our leading lady. She's smart, compassionate, hard working and fighting for those she cares about.
I can't wait for the next book to be released!
This book was just as addictive as I had hoped it would be. That's partly because Chase has a lovely writing style. She heavily focusses on the emotions and she describes those emotions very vividly. It's also because Chase created the kind of plot where I just needed to read on because I wanted to know what was going on. And Chase took her time to come with some explanations and answers. Hell, the book ends with a cliffhanger and more questions!
The supernatural elements in this book were a little more subtle. Apart from the fact that our dear ghosts decided to hijack a few bodies to protect their girl (I can't blame them for that. I mean, they did a lot of nasty stuff, but as someone who has been bullied for over a decade I could only think "they had it coming". In a way this book is kind of a bullied girl fantasy!) it takes a long while before we notice that it's not the only strange thing going on.
However, waiting for the answers and the supernatural elements wasn't that hard, because we had amazing characters to keep us company. Yes, like I just said, the heroes are clearly not entirely morally good, but it's so satisfying what they do and it's so easy to forgive them for it! Especially because it's easy to understand why they would do all that for our leading lady. She's smart, compassionate, hard working and fighting for those she cares about.
I can't wait for the next book to be released!
March 4, 2022
The Stalked Dead is kind of hard for me to rate right now. Like it was good, but I'm left with so many unanswered questions. It's like I don't have all the information I was looking for in this one and it annoys me so much. Obviously, I will find time to jump into the sequel over the weekend. Maybe even finish out the whole series. But right now, I just need to sit and digest it all.
In this you will meet Lily. She's pretty much treated like garbage by everyone in this whole freaking town. Even by her own family. Which sort of all changes when four mysterious guys come into her life. Or maybe it's back into her life since they knew her as a kid. Back then, she thought they were her imaginary friends or just voices in her head. Long story short, they are back and taking over the bodies of her bullies.
Not the smartest idea but hey - beggars can't be choosers.
The pace and the mystery were okay but so slow to get through. I'm still not even sure what to think after the little cliffhanger. Then there's the romance which I'm honestly not sure how I feel about. Maybe things will be more definite in the next book or so. I just need more information and for the pace to pick up a bit.
In the end, it was an interesting first book to this series. I'll definitely have to dive into the sequel whenever I get the chance.
In this you will meet Lily. She's pretty much treated like garbage by everyone in this whole freaking town. Even by her own family. Which sort of all changes when four mysterious guys come into her life. Or maybe it's back into her life since they knew her as a kid. Back then, she thought they were her imaginary friends or just voices in her head. Long story short, they are back and taking over the bodies of her bullies.
Not the smartest idea but hey - beggars can't be choosers.
The pace and the mystery were okay but so slow to get through. I'm still not even sure what to think after the little cliffhanger. Then there's the romance which I'm honestly not sure how I feel about. Maybe things will be more definite in the next book or so. I just need more information and for the pace to pick up a bit.
In the end, it was an interesting first book to this series. I'll definitely have to dive into the sequel whenever I get the chance.
December 2, 2021
Couldn't finish it
There may be more to this story but I couldn't get past 35% to find out. Deeply unpleasant characters persecute the heroine, who is so pathetic she made me want to shake her. She wants to be a social worker to help others like herself, but she can't even bring herself to report a professor who announced to a whole lecture hall her name and private personal medical history in a deeply pejorative way. If I had acted like that when I was lecturing, I would have been instantly dismissed and be facing a conduct investigation by my ruling body. Even the characters who are supposed to be the hero's are unpleasant and I think life is too short to force yourself to finish such a book.
There may be more to this story but I couldn't get past 35% to find out. Deeply unpleasant characters persecute the heroine, who is so pathetic she made me want to shake her. She wants to be a social worker to help others like herself, but she can't even bring herself to report a professor who announced to a whole lecture hall her name and private personal medical history in a deeply pejorative way. If I had acted like that when I was lecturing, I would have been instantly dismissed and be facing a conduct investigation by my ruling body. Even the characters who are supposed to be the hero's are unpleasant and I think life is too short to force yourself to finish such a book.
February 28, 2022
This book has a whole hell of a lot going on that sets up the series wonderfully, leaving you with more questions than answers. The pacing is a bit slow setting things in motion but by the end the momentum had already started to pick up. I'm not going to lie, the covers are really what made me prioritize this series, I totally judged the book by the cover though I am waiting a bit more for it to make sense because they are stunning.
The book opens with the heroine Lily having recently been released from a psych ward where she's been in for the past 5+ years. Even knowing her family has cast her aside after not contacting her once, she still returns to her hometown in hopes of building a relationship with her younger sister. Of course mending bridges would be a lot easier if Lily could remember what sent her to be locked up in the first place. Everyone acts like she's a menace to society and tries to bully her but still will not give her answers. So Lily does what she can day by day attending a local college and working at a grocery store while she pieces her past together. Not only has Lily forgotten what caused her to be sent away, it also seems Lily has forgotten some things about herself, particularly the weird connection she has with a few dead guys who may or may not kill and re-inhabit the bodies of her enemies. She thought the voices in her head were just that, voices. With the help of four ex gang members AKA her future harem, Lily seeks to solve the mysteries of her past just like the men. With so many enemies, they are unsure of who killed them, but even being dead won't stop them from taking back what belongs to them and seeking revenge. The relationship so far has been fairly slow going but she does hook up with at least one in this book so I don't imagine it'll be long for the kinky shit to start :) Can't wait!
The book opens with the heroine Lily having recently been released from a psych ward where she's been in for the past 5+ years. Even knowing her family has cast her aside after not contacting her once, she still returns to her hometown in hopes of building a relationship with her younger sister. Of course mending bridges would be a lot easier if Lily could remember what sent her to be locked up in the first place. Everyone acts like she's a menace to society and tries to bully her but still will not give her answers. So Lily does what she can day by day attending a local college and working at a grocery store while she pieces her past together. Not only has Lily forgotten what caused her to be sent away, it also seems Lily has forgotten some things about herself, particularly the weird connection she has with a few dead guys who may or may not kill and re-inhabit the bodies of her enemies. She thought the voices in her head were just that, voices. With the help of four ex gang members AKA her future harem, Lily seeks to solve the mysteries of her past just like the men. With so many enemies, they are unsure of who killed them, but even being dead won't stop them from taking back what belongs to them and seeking revenge. The relationship so far has been fairly slow going but she does hook up with at least one in this book so I don't imagine it'll be long for the kinky shit to start :) Can't wait!
October 20, 2022
Kinda dead. Straight-up psycho. Totally obsessed with her.
well this book sure has a different concept with the dead gangsters, body snatching and possessive protectors. the story was slow for me in the beginning but it did pick up more later on.
I'm intrigued and want to know what happens with Lilly & her gang. And also the mystery element on what happened to Lily, her blackout on how she can't remembered what happened.
3.5 stars, intriguing gangster ghost characters, however a bit slow to get going in the beginning. would like more drama, mystery, twist.
well this book sure has a different concept with the dead gangsters, body snatching and possessive protectors. the story was slow for me in the beginning but it did pick up more later on.
I'm intrigued and want to know what happens with Lilly & her gang. And also the mystery element on what happened to Lily, her blackout on how she can't remembered what happened.
3.5 stars, intriguing gangster ghost characters, however a bit slow to get going in the beginning. would like more drama, mystery, twist.
October 20, 2023
I have no idea how to feel about this one. I love why choose books and was excited about the idea of this one, but it's a bit clunky. It is poorly written, and the characters are really awkward and unappealing.
I'm intrigued by all the frog and marsh bits. I love the supernatural aspect. But the romance and spicy have an awkward feel to them. I love morally grey mmc, but these ones kinda give me the ick.
What the hell was the fucking singing at the spicy time?! Totally ruined the mood for me. This reads like really bad fanfiction on wattpad.
I am dnfing this series at this book which is odd for me.
🌶
I'm intrigued by all the frog and marsh bits. I love the supernatural aspect. But the romance and spicy have an awkward feel to them. I love morally grey mmc, but these ones kinda give me the ick.
What the hell was the fucking singing at the spicy time?! Totally ruined the mood for me. This reads like really bad fanfiction on wattpad.
I am dnfing this series at this book which is odd for me.
🌶
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2021
Honestly, this was probably one of the worst books I've read this year. It was like the male leads all shared two brain cells. I don't want to leave a review with only the bad/complaints, but I genuinely couldn't find anything good about this book 😞
My regret in reading this is unreal 😭
My regret in reading this is unreal 😭
November 13, 2021
You know you’re in for an interesting ride when the premise is “psychotic ghost reverse harem with praise kink” 💀
This was a super fun read—can’t say I’ve ever read a ghost RH before and I know this one will stick in my brain for a while.
Lily is starting her sophomore year of college after a 7-year long stint in the local mental hospital due to a supposed mental breakdown in her childhood. She doesn’t remember any of the specifics, but now has to deal with the uninformed biases of her idiotic classmates and peers. She’s bullied pretty severely at the start of the term, so if that’s a dealbreaker for you this might not be your book—and that’s ok!
When Lily was younger, she almost drowned in the marsh near her house and four ghosts helped her to survive. Those ghosts are the souls of four biker gang members, and they decide to come to Lily’s rescue when they see how she’s being treated. And naturally they decide to possess the bodies of four of her tormentors. LMAO.
This was great. The only issue I had was that it was kind of difficult to keep track of each guy, because sometimes they were referred to by the name of their host body and sometimes they were referred to as themselves. Spice took a bit to happen, but I think it set the stage nicely for a lot more spicy times in the next book. Definitely recommend!
This was a super fun read—can’t say I’ve ever read a ghost RH before and I know this one will stick in my brain for a while.
Lily is starting her sophomore year of college after a 7-year long stint in the local mental hospital due to a supposed mental breakdown in her childhood. She doesn’t remember any of the specifics, but now has to deal with the uninformed biases of her idiotic classmates and peers. She’s bullied pretty severely at the start of the term, so if that’s a dealbreaker for you this might not be your book—and that’s ok!
When Lily was younger, she almost drowned in the marsh near her house and four ghosts helped her to survive. Those ghosts are the souls of four biker gang members, and they decide to come to Lily’s rescue when they see how she’s being treated. And naturally they decide to possess the bodies of four of her tormentors. LMAO.
This was great. The only issue I had was that it was kind of difficult to keep track of each guy, because sometimes they were referred to by the name of their host body and sometimes they were referred to as themselves. Spice took a bit to happen, but I think it set the stage nicely for a lot more spicy times in the next book. Definitely recommend!
April 11, 2023
Utterly bonkers and not ashamed of it at all. Lily's been in an asylum for seven years (since she was 13) and now she just wants to be totally normal and get a totally normal college degree. Only her college is in a Small Town with a Secret, she's getting bullied since the first day of class (wild over the top should be expelled/fired bullying from students and one teacher), and she's being followed by frogs everywhere. Then the four marsh ghosts who used to be her 'imaginary' friends as a child figure out how to become corporeal to help her out. Seeing as they were gangsters when they were alive, they decide to just straight up murder her four worst bullies and possess their bodies.
I do wish we'd got more time with them adjusting to life in their new bodies. There's loads of potential for amusement as they learn how to be a privileged richboy or how to teach a class full of freshmen. But that gets glossed over fairly quickly as the plot barrels along. Lots of intriguing hooks: why doesn't Lily remember what happened seven years ago? What's up with all the frogs? What's up with the obviously Evil Company that employs half the town? What does Lily's sister have to do with all this? And who murdered the four guys 20 years ago?
I do wish we'd got more time with them adjusting to life in their new bodies. There's loads of potential for amusement as they learn how to be a privileged richboy or how to teach a class full of freshmen. But that gets glossed over fairly quickly as the plot barrels along. Lots of intriguing hooks: why doesn't Lily remember what happened seven years ago? What's up with all the frogs? What's up with the obviously Evil Company that employs half the town? What does Lily's sister have to do with all this? And who murdered the four guys 20 years ago?
November 28, 2021
3.5 stars
This was such an interesting premise and there are several aspects of the story that I thought were different, surprising me with what happened (spoilers). There’s a mystery of what happened with the FMC that forced her to be admitted to a psych hospital for years and then there’s the case of four ghostly men who are more real than she thought.
The FMC just wants to attend college and move on. She starts out allowing herself to be bullied because she’s trying to prove that she’s “normal” so she can be allowed to see her sister. The bullying does turn physical from her college classmates and it was hard for me to read sometimes how alone she felt, when she was just trying to get on with her life. The guys are protective and psychotic about getting revenge on those that hurt her. It takes time for her to trust them and they do not see eye to eye on how to go about dealing with the bullies or the mystery of what happened to her.
There’s some steam in this first book and no ow drama or mm/ff. There’s humor, action, and some feels. I think readers who esp love psycho guys willing to do whatever to protect their girl will really like this group.
This was such an interesting premise and there are several aspects of the story that I thought were different, surprising me with what happened (spoilers). There’s a mystery of what happened with the FMC that forced her to be admitted to a psych hospital for years and then there’s the case of four ghostly men who are more real than she thought.
The FMC just wants to attend college and move on. She starts out allowing herself to be bullied because she’s trying to prove that she’s “normal” so she can be allowed to see her sister. The bullying does turn physical from her college classmates and it was hard for me to read sometimes how alone she felt, when she was just trying to get on with her life. The guys are protective and psychotic about getting revenge on those that hurt her. It takes time for her to trust them and they do not see eye to eye on how to go about dealing with the bullies or the mystery of what happened to her.
There’s some steam in this first book and no ow drama or mm/ff. There’s humor, action, and some feels. I think readers who esp love psycho guys willing to do whatever to protect their girl will really like this group.
Read
October 31, 20231. I wish my first semester of sociology had been populated with such specific classes instead of introduction to sociological thought and Research methodology.
2. I really can't with beings that have supposedly been in existence as humans for more than a decade behaving and thinking like barely more than children.
3. There guys are seriously cringe, a lot of the time.
4. It was too close to a human romance for me. No Rating.
2. I really can't with beings that have supposedly been in existence as humans for more than a decade behaving and thinking like barely more than children.
3. There guys are seriously cringe, a lot of the time.
4. It was too close to a human romance for me. No Rating.
October 17, 2023
4.5 ✨
I’m rounding up bc y’all got this rated way lower than it should be and I think that’s bc this isn’t normally the authors style writing. But normally I don’t like this author and I did like this. 😂
This was unlike anything else I’ve ever read tbh
Very interesting and unique storyline.
I’m rounding up bc y’all got this rated way lower than it should be and I think that’s bc this isn’t normally the authors style writing. But normally I don’t like this author and I did like this. 😂
This was unlike anything else I’ve ever read tbh
Very interesting and unique storyline.
September 25, 2024
This was my first foray into a graphic audio production. I have both the graphic audio and original audiobook versions of this series, though I hadn’t listened to either yet, and I ended up choosing the graphic audio version over good ol’ Holly Jackson and Joe Arden because the graphic audio had voices that I felt matched my first impressions of the different characters, and let me tell you, the narrator COMPLETELY changes the vibes of a story. I’m going back over my favorite sections in the original audio now and I’m seeing scenes completely differently (though I can’t tell yet if that’s a good of bad thing 😝). I’d say overall, there are some ridiculous sound effects (and sometimes background music that really doesn’t match the mood well 😂), but I’m definitely not opposed to continuing the series in graphic audio format, or trying other graphic audios.
Oh, as for the actual story, this was so entertaining and I really enjoyed it. There was some really great mysteries that were being eluded towards throughout this book and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked all of the guys a lot too, especially Ruin and Nox (they’re really exemplar portrayals of the types of guys I tend to prefer in books 😂). I DO have to say though that all the bullying and mocking was so excessive to the point that it went beyond infuriating and was just completely ridiculously bonkers 🙄😑. So far this one wasn’t really steamy, but I have hopes for the rest of the series!
Oh, as for the actual story, this was so entertaining and I really enjoyed it. There was some really great mysteries that were being eluded towards throughout this book and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked all of the guys a lot too, especially Ruin and Nox (they’re really exemplar portrayals of the types of guys I tend to prefer in books 😂). I DO have to say though that all the bullying and mocking was so excessive to the point that it went beyond infuriating and was just completely ridiculously bonkers 🙄😑. So far this one wasn’t really steamy, but I have hopes for the rest of the series!
March 9, 2022
This book has been on my TBR list for awhile, so I'm glad i had the opportunity to read this as a "buddyread" with others. Eva Chase is clearly a talented author and has a way with words.
The Stalking Dead was a very slow-burn reverse harem / romcom / ghoul book. Main FMC forms a relationship with 4 "ghosts," after a long stay in a mental hospital.
The book was fairly slow-moving for me, which was a little rough at times. I prefer fast-paced books with a more medium / fast burn romance to keep me interested. BUT this book was easy to read and follow once I pushed through the slower points. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series!
The Stalking Dead was a very slow-burn reverse harem / romcom / ghoul book. Main FMC forms a relationship with 4 "ghosts," after a long stay in a mental hospital.
The book was fairly slow-moving for me, which was a little rough at times. I prefer fast-paced books with a more medium / fast burn romance to keep me interested. BUT this book was easy to read and follow once I pushed through the slower points. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series!
May 22, 2023
1/5
⚠️CW/TW: Bullying, Gore, Fighting, Murder, Attempted SA⚠️
Okay... So this was definitely a book... And I definitely read it... That being said this book was so bad. Okay for starters I don't like the excessive use of the word psycho. It just made me kind of uncomfortable especially since it was used to Lily simply because of the fact that she was sent to a mental institution. Obviously I don't know what she did to send her there but still. As someone who does suffer from mental illness it just made me uncomfortable. Next up, the bullying. It seemed so unrealistic. Like why not just go to the cops? They literally physically assaulted her and basically kidnapped her. Like come on. While we are on the subject of Lily she is just so insufferable. I do like how much she truly cares for her sister. I've always been really into tight family bonds in media. I always find it so wholesome and sweet but besides that there is literally nothing to like about her. She's very cringy and I had second hand embarrassment the whole fucking book. Not only from her but the guys as well. The guys appearances and personalities remind me of an OC that an edgy 13 year old creepypasta fan would make. They are so bland and not deep at all. I was also really uncomfortable with the fact that they would constantly reference her as a kid. As well as using the same nicknames for her as they did when she was a child. Even when flirting with her. It was so uncomfortable, gross, and just weird. I feel the same about the way the story is written. It's just so bad and shit. One of the worst scenes by far is the sex scene between Lily and Nox in one of the last few chapters. It started out normal BUT THEN SHE STARTED FUCKING SINGING?!?!? HELL NO. After that stupid fucking scene I started speed reading this book even more than I was before. If you liked this book go off! Whatever helps you escape from reality and make living slightly better I'm here for it, but to me this book was shit. Literal dog shit.
⚠️CW/TW: Bullying, Gore, Fighting, Murder, Attempted SA⚠️
Okay... So this was definitely a book... And I definitely read it... That being said this book was so bad. Okay for starters I don't like the excessive use of the word psycho. It just made me kind of uncomfortable especially since it was used to Lily simply because of the fact that she was sent to a mental institution. Obviously I don't know what she did to send her there but still. As someone who does suffer from mental illness it just made me uncomfortable. Next up, the bullying. It seemed so unrealistic. Like why not just go to the cops? They literally physically assaulted her and basically kidnapped her. Like come on. While we are on the subject of Lily she is just so insufferable. I do like how much she truly cares for her sister. I've always been really into tight family bonds in media. I always find it so wholesome and sweet but besides that there is literally nothing to like about her. She's very cringy and I had second hand embarrassment the whole fucking book. Not only from her but the guys as well. The guys appearances and personalities remind me of an OC that an edgy 13 year old creepypasta fan would make. They are so bland and not deep at all. I was also really uncomfortable with the fact that they would constantly reference her as a kid. As well as using the same nicknames for her as they did when she was a child. Even when flirting with her. It was so uncomfortable, gross, and just weird. I feel the same about the way the story is written. It's just so bad and shit. One of the worst scenes by far is the sex scene between Lily and Nox in one of the last few chapters. It started out normal BUT THEN SHE STARTED FUCKING SINGING?!?!? HELL NO. After that stupid fucking scene I started speed reading this book even more than I was before. If you liked this book go off! Whatever helps you escape from reality and make living slightly better I'm here for it, but to me this book was shit. Literal dog shit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2022
The premise of this one had me super excited and generally I enjoy this author’s books but it was almost entirely a miss for me. Super disappointed.
The writing was weak and tried too hard to be funny with a not funny at all plot. This level of bullying in a college setting was far too juvenile and hard to believe. The main character, Lily, was so passive that it was annoying. She gave her reasons for it which do make sense but when coupled with the over the top bullying by literally the entire town it just irritated me. She finally grows a backbone in the last two chapters but it is so sudden that it lacks any real impact.
The way the guys are written is absolutely bonkers to me. They are unhinged but in a campy way, I can’t take any of them seriously. There isn’t a drop of nuance or depth to any of them. It’s like the author gave each of them a very standard character archetype, dialed it up to an 11 while also watering them down somehow, and added max homicidal urges. They each got one personality quirk that was mentioned about 100 times a page. Nox was so annoying to me, did not like. I could only vaguely tolerate Ruin. Didn’t really learn enough about Kai and Jett to care either way…
Literally, the only thing keeping me from DNFing this was that I really wanted to know what happened with the sister to get Lily sent to the psych ward. The answer was very predictable.
Overall, did not enjoy this one and will not be continuing with the series.
The writing was weak and tried too hard to be funny with a not funny at all plot. This level of bullying in a college setting was far too juvenile and hard to believe. The main character, Lily, was so passive that it was annoying. She gave her reasons for it which do make sense but when coupled with the over the top bullying by literally the entire town it just irritated me. She finally grows a backbone in the last two chapters but it is so sudden that it lacks any real impact.
The way the guys are written is absolutely bonkers to me. They are unhinged but in a campy way, I can’t take any of them seriously. There isn’t a drop of nuance or depth to any of them. It’s like the author gave each of them a very standard character archetype, dialed it up to an 11 while also watering them down somehow, and added max homicidal urges. They each got one personality quirk that was mentioned about 100 times a page. Nox was so annoying to me, did not like. I could only vaguely tolerate Ruin. Didn’t really learn enough about Kai and Jett to care either way…
Literally, the only thing keeping me from DNFing this was that I really wanted to know what happened with the sister to get Lily sent to the psych ward. The answer was very predictable.
Overall, did not enjoy this one and will not be continuing with the series.
November 17, 2021
Damn that was a lot of fun.
Lily has just come out of a mental health facility after seven years, with no knowledge of what she did to get in there. She goes back to her hometown so she can see her sister, only to realise that those imaginary friends she played with in the swamp as a child? They aren't so much imaginary as ghosts, and they've come back to play.
The ghosts made this one. They were straight up psychos and I loved them all. Just the way their minds work... freaking hilarious. No one disrespects Lily on their watch. I'm hoping for very little growth from them because I want them to stay brutal and insane. You know, for science.
And Lily. How could you not love a character who has to remind herself not to sing her thoughts in public? Loved these characters, I will definitely be back for book two!
Lily has just come out of a mental health facility after seven years, with no knowledge of what she did to get in there. She goes back to her hometown so she can see her sister, only to realise that those imaginary friends she played with in the swamp as a child? They aren't so much imaginary as ghosts, and they've come back to play.
The ghosts made this one. They were straight up psychos and I loved them all. Just the way their minds work... freaking hilarious. No one disrespects Lily on their watch. I'm hoping for very little growth from them because I want them to stay brutal and insane. You know, for science.
And Lily. How could you not love a character who has to remind herself not to sing her thoughts in public? Loved these characters, I will definitely be back for book two!
December 22, 2021
DNF - quit at 10%
Wow, really hard to get into this when ALL the characters are bad in one way or another. I need a book to give me a reason to want to continue, not cringe at each page -hating it.
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
Wow, really hard to get into this when ALL the characters are bad in one way or another. I need a book to give me a reason to want to continue, not cringe at each page -hating it.
At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
January 17, 2022
This is the second book by Eva Chase that I've tried to read, and I'm beginning to think that her writing just doesn't jive with me. The previous book was Captive of Wolves.
I liked the beginning of this story -- what I read in the Kindle sample -- and the mystery surrounding Lily is very interesting. I was skeptical when Kai talked about doing his "experiments" to figure out how to make the guys come back to life. They don't have physical forms, so what experiments was he doing? How does a ghost without a corporeal form do anything? They say they couldn't touch Lily, but they can bang doors and lock latches? I was confused.
I could have gotten past that, but the story really fell apart once the four ghosts take over the bodies of Lily's greatest tormentors -- one of her professors, a senior who is her student mentor, the football jock, and the handsome, popular "cool" boy whom every girl in the school wants. The ghosts think it's such a great idea cos they had to kill those guys in order to take on their bodies, and they thought it was what those jerks deserved. (They weren't wrong...)
But, the ghosts are utter dipshits because all they focus on is their own agenda and they don't care about anything else. They don't put any effort into trying to fit in or trying to find out who those guys were so that they can slip seamlessly into their lives. The one who takes over the professor's body marches into the Juvenile Delinquency class that he's supposed to teach, stands on the table, and says, "I’ve associated with all kinds of juvenile delinquents. I was a pretty awesome one myself. Ask me what you want to know, and I can tell you all kinds of shit that doorstop of a textbook won’t cover.” Of course colleges do not want to hire professors who claim to have been a juvenile delinquent! It was only a matter of time till the students reported his bizzare behaviour and his claims!
These ghosts claim to have been dead for 20 years. The world hasn't changed so much in 20 years that this asshat wouldn't know how a teacher or professor would have to conduct himself. But he just doesn't care. He can't be bothered because it's not important to him. He never thinks about the consequences -- what if he gets fired from his job? How is he going to keep an eye on Lily then, and protect her? In fact, he does get suspended and put on paid leave. I stopped reading at that point, so I don't know if he ever figured out that he'd just gotten himself shot in the foot. And this guy was the LEADER of the group. If a group is only as good as its leader, these four ghosts were doomed. Under his leadership, they go around beating up people who insult Lily, never thinking that they could be arrested for assault -- and then how would they protect her from jail?
I just couldn't suspend my disbelief any more. Sure, it's sweet that they're all into Lily, but even Kai, the most brainy of them, didn't realise that Lily would have difficulty believing their story, or would think them utterly insane. Their unrestrained and rather violent behaviour doesn't help to convince her, either. She just thinks they're extremely unstable, and they're actually proud of their actions. As I've said, the world hasn't changed that much in 20 years that standards of behaviour have evolved so unrecognisably. Even 20 years ago, this kind of behaviour would have been considered maniacal and over the top. You can't go around bashing people up just cos you feel like it and think they deserve it.
So, did I like the guys? Heck, no. I thought they had shit for brains. Did I like Lily? Yes, I thought she was trying to make the best out of a bad situation and I admired her restraint in not retaliating when she was taunted and bullied by the other students. Did I like the idea of Lily having four protectors? Yes, but these guys were more like the three Stooges (except there were four of them) than like the Mafia, which is really what she needed. If you're going to gun down everyone who's against your girl, you need to be in an unassailable position of power and authority. Otherwise, it's just not going to work.
So... DNF at 44%. Will I try reading another Eva Chase book? I might give her another try; I want to read the Dragon Shifters Mate's series because I love dragon shifters. Here's hoping the third time's the charm.
I liked the beginning of this story -- what I read in the Kindle sample -- and the mystery surrounding Lily is very interesting. I was skeptical when Kai talked about doing his "experiments" to figure out how to make the guys come back to life. They don't have physical forms, so what experiments was he doing? How does a ghost without a corporeal form do anything? They say they couldn't touch Lily, but they can bang doors and lock latches? I was confused.
I could have gotten past that, but the story really fell apart once the four ghosts take over the bodies of Lily's greatest tormentors -- one of her professors, a senior who is her student mentor, the football jock, and the handsome, popular "cool" boy whom every girl in the school wants. The ghosts think it's such a great idea cos they had to kill those guys in order to take on their bodies, and they thought it was what those jerks deserved. (They weren't wrong...)
But, the ghosts are utter dipshits because all they focus on is their own agenda and they don't care about anything else. They don't put any effort into trying to fit in or trying to find out who those guys were so that they can slip seamlessly into their lives. The one who takes over the professor's body marches into the Juvenile Delinquency class that he's supposed to teach, stands on the table, and says, "I’ve associated with all kinds of juvenile delinquents. I was a pretty awesome one myself. Ask me what you want to know, and I can tell you all kinds of shit that doorstop of a textbook won’t cover.” Of course colleges do not want to hire professors who claim to have been a juvenile delinquent! It was only a matter of time till the students reported his bizzare behaviour and his claims!
These ghosts claim to have been dead for 20 years. The world hasn't changed so much in 20 years that this asshat wouldn't know how a teacher or professor would have to conduct himself. But he just doesn't care. He can't be bothered because it's not important to him. He never thinks about the consequences -- what if he gets fired from his job? How is he going to keep an eye on Lily then, and protect her? In fact, he does get suspended and put on paid leave. I stopped reading at that point, so I don't know if he ever figured out that he'd just gotten himself shot in the foot. And this guy was the LEADER of the group. If a group is only as good as its leader, these four ghosts were doomed. Under his leadership, they go around beating up people who insult Lily, never thinking that they could be arrested for assault -- and then how would they protect her from jail?
I just couldn't suspend my disbelief any more. Sure, it's sweet that they're all into Lily, but even Kai, the most brainy of them, didn't realise that Lily would have difficulty believing their story, or would think them utterly insane. Their unrestrained and rather violent behaviour doesn't help to convince her, either. She just thinks they're extremely unstable, and they're actually proud of their actions. As I've said, the world hasn't changed that much in 20 years that standards of behaviour have evolved so unrecognisably. Even 20 years ago, this kind of behaviour would have been considered maniacal and over the top. You can't go around bashing people up just cos you feel like it and think they deserve it.
So, did I like the guys? Heck, no. I thought they had shit for brains. Did I like Lily? Yes, I thought she was trying to make the best out of a bad situation and I admired her restraint in not retaliating when she was taunted and bullied by the other students. Did I like the idea of Lily having four protectors? Yes, but these guys were more like the three Stooges (except there were four of them) than like the Mafia, which is really what she needed. If you're going to gun down everyone who's against your girl, you need to be in an unassailable position of power and authority. Otherwise, it's just not going to work.
So... DNF at 44%. Will I try reading another Eva Chase book? I might give her another try; I want to read the Dragon Shifters Mate's series because I love dragon shifters. Here's hoping the third time's the charm.
March 21, 2024
Disappointing read for me, I thought about pushing myself through to the end but 2024 goals are to allow myself to DNF if I really am not enjoying the read so I got to 50% in and there is still no improvement for me.
I gave a couple of stars as I liked the overall idea of this (ghosts that were imaginary friends, but did what they needed to come back somehow) but the execution just fell flat for me. The OTT bullying just didn't make sense. I don't mind a bully read, but when it just is so unrealistic for no apparent reason it just makes me just skim through. Why would school not step in at any point? Why would a small town all start targeting?
The MMC's also felt uncomfortably exaggerated, are they adults or kids?? Possessive and protective is fine, but for every time a student said or did something they wanted to "make them pay" and break bones? It just got repetitive.
I wasn't sure about the FMC either, there weren't a wide range of emotions or much trauma from having spent all of her teens in a mental hospital. People experience a multitude of emotions on a normal daily basis, so characters should feel relatable and have a wider range with more depth.
She also wanted to to be a social worker and help those like her, but she let everyone push her around without raising the issue to any authority or teachers in the college.
The writing and characters speech also felt odd, it didn't flow very easily and didn't feel natural to read. Does anyone speak like the characters?
I gave a couple of stars as I liked the overall idea of this (ghosts that were imaginary friends, but did what they needed to come back somehow) but the execution just fell flat for me. The OTT bullying just didn't make sense. I don't mind a bully read, but when it just is so unrealistic for no apparent reason it just makes me just skim through. Why would school not step in at any point? Why would a small town all start targeting?
The MMC's also felt uncomfortably exaggerated, are they adults or kids?? Possessive and protective is fine, but for every time a student said or did something they wanted to "make them pay" and break bones? It just got repetitive.
I wasn't sure about the FMC either, there weren't a wide range of emotions or much trauma from having spent all of her teens in a mental hospital. People experience a multitude of emotions on a normal daily basis, so characters should feel relatable and have a wider range with more depth.
She also wanted to to be a social worker and help those like her, but she let everyone push her around without raising the issue to any authority or teachers in the college.
The writing and characters speech also felt odd, it didn't flow very easily and didn't feel natural to read. Does anyone speak like the characters?
February 17, 2022
4.4 stars.
I’m still not entirely sure what the hell is happening.
But, this has definitely caught my full attention.
I like the characters from what I’ve seen so far.
I like the chemistry brewing between some of them.
I really want to see that expand to the rest and watch how that turns out.
And the plot is complex and convoluted and mysterious, so I’m still confused about it a bit, but like I said. It’s got my attention.
Hopefully we get a few answers in the next book that push us along.
I’m intrigued.
Hopefully this doesn’t crash and burn at the end. 🤞
I’m still not entirely sure what the hell is happening.
But, this has definitely caught my full attention.
I like the characters from what I’ve seen so far.
I like the chemistry brewing between some of them.
I really want to see that expand to the rest and watch how that turns out.
And the plot is complex and convoluted and mysterious, so I’m still confused about it a bit, but like I said. It’s got my attention.
Hopefully we get a few answers in the next book that push us along.
I’m intrigued.
Hopefully this doesn’t crash and burn at the end. 🤞
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