Holly by Adalyn Grace (Belladonna book 3.5)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the Belladonna series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Something strange is happening at Wisteria Gardens, the magical manor that Blythe and Aris call home. All they want is a peaceful holiday season with their family, but a group of restless spirits is determined to threaten their festivities. With a new mystery to solve, Signa, Death, Blythe, and Fate must uncover what happened to Wisteria’s ghostly inhabitants and help the spirits move on before it’s too late.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a nice wrap-up to the Belladonna series. Taking place during the Christmas holiday, all of our favorite characters are back to solve one last mystery. With that ending, the author may have one more book up her sleeve.

Visit Adalyn Grace’s website.

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

 

“Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book is based on the fairytale Blue Beard by Charles Perrault. Right from the start I knew that The House Saphir was going to be my favorite book by Marissa Meyer. Mallory Fontaine is quite the spunky character. She is trying to keep the fact that she isn’t a true witch like her mother and keep Armand Saphir in the dark about the truth in order to make enough money to start a new life elsewhere. The only magic Mallory does have is the ability to see ghosts, including Le Bleu’s three murdered wives. Before too long, she finds herself drawn to Armand. When a new murder occurs at the Saphir house, the Fontaine sisters realize that they are truly in over their heads. Can Mallory solve the murders surrounding Le Bleu and House Saphir before it is too late?

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

Flirting With Fate by J. C. Cervantes

 

“Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved nana's deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother's mystical blessing--one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations.

Then Nana's ghost appears with a challenge from beyond the grave. As it turns out, Nana did give Ava a blessing, but it missed its target, landing with the boy from the night of the storm instead. Was it fate? Ava refuses to believe so. With the help of her sisters and Nana's rather bumbling spiritual guide, she's determined to reclaim her share of the family magic and set Nana free.

For guarded Ava, befriending some random boy is the last thing she wants to do. She's gotten along just fine protecting her heart--keeping people at a distance is a great way to ensure no one ever hurts you. But as Ava embarks on her mission to retrieve the lost blessing, she starts to wonder if getting close to thunderstorm boy is worth the risk.” - taken fro Goodreads.

This was a heartwarming, uplifting story about love and loss. Ava rushes to get to her grandmother's bedside before she dies to receive her blessing. Only she has a minor fender bender on her way. Ava arrives in time to hear her grandmother's last words, a very cryptic message. Soon she realizes that her grandmother's blessing went to the young man she was in the accident with. With the help of her grandmother's ghost and a saint, Ava is in a race to figure out how to take back her blessing from Rion and be able to allow her grandmother's spirit rest peacefully. A magical love story that leaves Ava questioning her disbelief in the power of fate and destiny.

Visit J. C. Cervantes’ website.

Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry

“Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother's ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it's something more...

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose--can they conquer their demons together?” - taken from Goodreads.com

I adored this book and was so excited that I got to meet Katie and get a signed ARC this fall. Not a true series, we do meet one of the main characters from this book Veronica and her friends in a previous book Only A Breath Apart. Veronica and Sawyer both tugged at my heartstrings with their struggles and blooming relationship to become one of my favorite McGarry book couples. Once again, this story proves why Katie McGarry is one of my favorite authors. 

Visit Katie McGarry’s website.

Surrender by Lee Nichols (Haunting Emma book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the series, Deception and Betrayal, Stop! I don't want to ruin the series for you.

In the aftermath of the deadly battle with Neos at the Knell headquarters in New York, Emma Vaile and Bennett Stern are the only two ghostkeepers with enough power to defeat Neos. But when two ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one slowly loses their powers. In an attempt to keep this from happening, Bennett has begun taking the ghostkeeper drug Asarum, even though it is slowly killing him. He feels it is his duty to banish Neos for his sister Olivia’s death, even if he sacrifices his relationship with Emma.

Soon Emma sees the ghost of her Aunt Rachel even though that should be impossible. Come to find out Rachel was also in love with Neos and sacrificed her life to further his cause. She tells Emma that the one thing they need to destroy Neos, his ashes, are somewhere at Thatcher Academy. Armed with this new information, Emma begins her search only to discover that some evil ghosts are starting to possess the students and teachers at Thatcher. If this keeps happening, even a powerful ghostkeeper like Emma will not be able to stop them.

Even though she loves Bennett with all her heart, she gives him an ultimatum; Asarum or her. Bennett leaves and Emma knows she must stop Neos once and for all before she loses Bennett forever. Will Emma be able to find Neos’ ashes and banish him for good? Can Bennett stop his addiction to Asarum? And can Neos be defeated without Emma or Bennett losing their powers?

Visit Lee Nichols’ website.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

“Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story …”


Theseus Cassio Lowood, aka Cas, is a ghost killer, just like his father before him. Since his father’s death when he was just seven years old, it has been just Cas and his kitchen witch mother, a practicing a Wiccan who reads tarot cards, does aura cleansing over the phone and sells occult supplies online. They move across the country to wherever there is a ghost that needs killing. Their latest move is to Thunder Bay, Ontario and a date with a ghost named Anna Dressed in Blood.

Anna Karlov, aka Anna Dressed in Blood, was brutally murdered in 1958. No one ever discovered who or why. Anna was sixteen at the time and on her way to a school dance. She was nearly decapitated and the white party dress she wore was soaked in blood. She haunts the boarding house her mother ran and rumor has it she has killed 27 known people but no bodies have ever been found.

Ghost killing since the age of fourteen, Cas and his mother go to Thunder Bay based on a tip from Rudy “the Daisy” Bristol, a Goth kid from New Orleans. Cas’ first order of business is to get the attention of his new high school’s Queen Bee, Carmel Jones. By lunch, Cas has Carmel wrapped around his finger and garnered the wrath of her newly former boyfriend, Mike Andover and his gang of cronies. Carmel is Cas’ social and informational pipeline to the background scuttlebutt and teenage gossip he needs in order to find out about Anna before going to do her in. What Cas doesn’t count on is being followed by Thomas Sabin on his way home. Turns out that Thomas is telepathic and knows why Cas is in town. Cas assumes Thomas tipped off Daisy about Anna and he isn’t happy to learn that he has been played.

Cas goes with Carmel to the End of the World party traditionally held the night of the first day of school. He hopes to get her alone to learn more about Anna. Before he can get too much information out of her, they are interrupted by Mike and his gang who begin teasing Cas about his mother. He soon turns their attention back to hearing Anna’s story. To Carmel’s dislike, the two join Mike and his friends on a car trip to Anna’s house. Cas is thrilled to learn where Anna resides but soon finds his life in peril. Knocked out by a jealous Mike, Cas awakes inside Anna’s house. Before he can regain his footing, Anna descends the staircase. She is everything Cas imagined she would be but finds he is unable to escape. Fortunately Anna passes him by to Mike’s misfortune. Watching through the window, Mike soon finds himself in Anna’s clutches and literally torn in half. Cas finds himself being dragged from the house.

Cas wakes up to find that Thomas rescued him and took him back to his grandfather’s antique store. There he meets Morfran Starling Sabin, Thomas’s grandfather and he realizes that he is the one who tipped Daisy off. Cas is a little angry but Morfran soon explains that something is changing with Anna. He too is in tune with the dead but doesn’t elaborate. Anna has become stronger and killing people who she normally wouldn’t be bothered with. Both agree that Anna needs to be stopped but not before Cas does damage control with those who witnessed Mike’s death and learn more about what Anna has evolved into.

The plan is to perform a spell to learn how Anna died and how to stop her. They decided that Thomas will be the witch and Cas, Carmel and Mike’s friend Will round out the remaining four for the spell to work. Can the spell be performed without Anna killing one of them? How did Anna die and who killed her? Why is she bound to the house? What happens when one of the four goes rogue? Who is still killing the townspeople if it’s no longer Anna? Will Cas discover how and what killed his father? And can Cas make a life for himself if he desires?

Join Cas as he goes on a life altering journey as he learns more about himself. Cas’ story will be continued in book 2, Girl of Nightmares.

This book is really quite unlike anything currently being published. The story was refreshing bit of air and I loved that the text was in a blood red color a la Maggie Stiefvater Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Haunting Emma series by Lee Nicholas

Deception - Book One

“You really don’t know, do you?” There was an incredulous expression on Bennett’s face. “I can’t believe they didn’t tell you. I thought you were playing games, pretending you didn’t know, keeping secrets from me and – “


Seventeen-year-old Emma Vaile is left alone in San Francisco when antique-collecting parents disappear while on a mysterious business trip, she. Her brother Max is unreachable in Asia and her best friend Abby, now at college, is no longer speaking to her. When Abby’s mother and her parents’ sole employee abruptly quits her job, Emma is truly left to her own devices. She soon makes some new friends at her school, but when they decide to throw a party at Emma’s house, against her better judgment. When the police arrive, Emma soon discovers that they are not there to break up the party but to her horror because she was living alone underage. She soon finds herself in the custody of Child Protective Services. The next morning, Emma finds out she has a new guardian, Bennett Stern. Bennett was a friend of Emma’s brother he met in college until an argument between the two caused them to never speak again.

The next day, Emma finds herself on a plane with Bennett to Echo Point, Massachusetts. He enrolls her at Thatcher Academy and moves her into his parents’ mansion/museum. Soon Emma finds herself having vision of a previous life and visited by ghostly apparitions. She believe it is all connected to the Incident that occurred ten years earlier. Her parents had her committed to a mental institution after she wandered off with a dangerous ghost. Even though she has made new friends quickly, Bennett is the only person Emma feels like she can trust her fears to. And Bennett is about to fill her in on her ghostly secret.

Just what is going on with Emma? What do her visions mean? Where are her parents and brother Max? Why did they leave her? How did Bennett Stern know she was in trouble? Why has he brought her to Echo Point? But most importantly, why does Emma Vaile see ghosts?

Betrayal - Book Two

“I’m losing my powers Emma. I can feel it already. I woke up this morning and … it’s already happening. How would I explain to my parents that I can’t find my sister’s killer because I’m in love? I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”


Emma Vaile has discovered she is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. She even shares the same name and physical likeness of her predecessor. Emma’s powers to summon, compel, communicate and even dispel are great when it comes to the challenge of battling the ever increasing powers of Neos. Unfortunately it puts the brakes on her burgeoning relationship with fellow ghostkeeper and Emma’s soul mate, Bennett Stern. When two ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses their powers. Until Neos is defeated, Bennett cannot risk being around Emma.

With Bennett out of the picture, things at Thatcher Academy are even worse with the death of Coby. The entire student body blames Emma for Coby’s suicide and she cannot tell them Neos is the real reason for Coby’s death and that she barely escaped with her own life. Help arrives for Emma when the Knell sends two new ghostkeepers to Echo Point to join Emma and Natalie’s tea, teen heartthrob Lukas and Simon, a British ghostkeeping scholar. Simon’s job is to get Emma back into training. As the team gets stronger, so does Neos. What’s worse is that someone will betray them and Emma never sees it coming.

Who betrays Emma? Is she able to defeat Neos? Why are her parents and Max still missing? Can Emma set things right over Coby’s death? And will Emma and Bennett to able to find their way back to one another?

Look for the next book in the Haunting Emma series Surrender in December 2011.

Visit Lee Nichols' website.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall book 2)

SPOILER ALERT!! If you haven't read the first book in the series, Hex Hall, Stop! I don't want to ruin the story for you.

 It has been six months since the tragic events at Hex Hall that Sophie Mercer was involved with. Archer Cross has left school and Sophie is patiently waiting her father's arrival to take her to England for the Removal procedure. When he comes to get her, Sophie is allowed to bring her vampire roommate, Jenna and her newly revealed betrothed, Cal, the school's handyman to England for the summer. But when they arrive at the Council's headquarter's, Sophie learns that someone is creating demons. Can Sophie and her father find out who is responsible for the demons before all out war breaks out between the Prodigium and L'Occhio di Dio? And just where does the reappearance of Archer fit into the grand scheme of things?


Readers will be left hanging for the next book in the series. Hex Hall book three will be out in 2012.

Visit Rachel Hawkins' website.