Summer's Opus

  Title: The Afterlife of Holly Chase Author: Cynthia Hand Genre: YA Supernatural Fantasy Rating: Five Stars! Seventeen-year-old Holly Chase has it all — a famous father, a million followers, and every luxurious thing her spoiled-rotten heart desires. Life in her Malibu mansion couldn’t be better. Sure her mother died when she was younger, and sadly, her stepmother, who Holly had grown to revere, hadn’t lasted long either, but Holly doesn’t feel alone, or isolated, or even cares, because she has it all   —  or so she tells herself . Then one night, on Christmas Eve to be precise, three ghosts arrive to show her how selfish and spoiled she’s become. They assure her that it isn’t a dream; that it’s really a premonition that will come true if she doesn’t mend her ways before it’s too late. Naturally, Holly doesn’t believe them and she’s unimpressed with their spooky, Scrooge-esque themed nightmare. Her life is picture perfect and she doesn’t ...

  Title: Kate & Blake vs The Ghost Town Author: Dakota Kahn Genre: Adult Romantic Mystery Rating: Four Stars Kate Becker flees the big city chaos of San Francisco to return to her hometown for the same peace and quiet she had hoped to escape from not too terribly long ago. But there’s an opportunity for her to do some good as the local public defense attorney and of course, there’s Blake, her high school sweetheart turned fiancé. As one of sheriff deputies in Whispering Pines, Blake’s job is pretty laid back, so Kate foresees nothing but a lifetime of simplicity and wedded bliss for their future. That is until the local ghost town is picked to be the site of a major new resort, with two developers bidding for the rights to build there. The residents of Whispering Pines are none too pleased by the prospect of a garish resort, and just as Kate decides to join the fight to save her town, one of the developers is murdered — right on the gaudy gallows he had erec...

Title: That Old Witch Magic — Book 2 of the Wicked in Moonhaven series Author: J. D. Winters and Dakota Kahn Genre: Adult Fantasy Rating: Five Stars! Haley Greco still doesn’t know much about her past, but she does know one thing: Bentley St. Ames isn’t guilty of murder. Sure he’s a vampire. Sure he was seen threatening the victim. Sure he broke out of jail. As far as Haley is concerned though, that’s all speculation, and even though Bentley doesn’t seem inclined to proclaim his innocence, she’s certain he is — even when evidence starts to mount against him. Still, Haley — in her classic stubborn form — is willing to confront a gremlin wrangler, evil hunters, her major crush Deputy Sheriff Shane, and her own sorceress grandmother to prove it. It’s all a bit adventurous and as always, the authors deliver a fun and cozy mystery chock-full of wit and humor. My only issue, which revolves around Haley’s incessant stubbornness and brattiness, is truly a non-issue because...

Title: Realms of Ghosts and Magic: Fae Witch Chronicles Book 2 Author: J. S. Malcom Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy Rating: Four Stars In Book 2 of the Fae Witch Chronicles, we jump in right where we left off — with Cassie trying to figure out how to save her recently abducted friend. To do that, she must enter Faerie, which is a risky endeavor to begin with, and an undoubtedly harder venture when she’s trying to free a changeling. That’s never been done before, but that’s exactly what has to happen if she plans on rescuing her best friend. So when she runs into Cade, a half-blood thief who offers to help, Cassie couldn’t be more relieved. As the two begin to dig deeper into the labyrinthine fae city kingdom, Cade schools Cassie on all things fae. Namely, how it came to be that just a few fae now control all of the magic in their realm and how several missing humans have been spotted around town. Unfortunately, her best friend isn’t one of them, but just as Cassie and Cad...

Title: Even Witches Get the Blues Authors: J. D. Winters and Dakota Kahn Genre: Adult Fantasy Rating: Five Stars! Haley Greco wakes up in a strange motel room with no memories of her prior life, and with only one very odd clue to help unlock her identity: the deed to a property in Moonhaven, California, where everyone seems to know her. Back for less than a day, she quickly discovers that most of her family is missing, she has a reputation for being a wild child, and her eccentric grandmother seems to know more about her amnesia than she’s willing to admit. Naturally, Haley’s already bad day only gets worse when she stumbles upon a crime scene and manages to land herself on the top of the suspect list. She’s apparently no stranger to dealing with the cops though, and she’s instantly drawn to Shane McAllister, a tall, dark, and handsome, deputy sheriff who knows a lot more about her than he should — and seemingly in all the right ways. Yet, with nothing but gut feelin...