THE HAUNTED LIBRARIAN by Auralee Wallace
Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy
4****

Blurb: A lonely librarian finds love, friends, and a few ghosts between the shelves in this cozy, paranormal tale from beloved bestselling author Auralee Wallace.

It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier. Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly). But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library. To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.

THOUGHTS: This was a fun book to read, especially since I’m a librarian who worked at one time in a haunted library! Amelia is a great character with a rough background that has caused her to be extremely introverted. She was abandoned as a baby, grew up in the system, and was always thought of as “odd” because she talks to the air – except for her, there is a person there. A ghost. So in order to seem “normal” she comes up with three rules – don’t look, don’t talk, don’t interact. And it works well until she gets a job at a special library where three ghosts live. They can’t leave and can’t move on unless she helps them, so she must break her rules and they have to work together before the building collapses from a cosmic maelstrom. Oh, and there’s an adorable main librarian – Simon – who makes her heart throb, but she can’t let him know what she can do or he’ll treat her like everyone else does.

While I really enjoyed the story, especially the interaction between Amelia and the ghosts, I thought the relationship between her and Simon could have been better. There was really no build up at all until the very end which was a little hard to accept. I liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and how they related to the chapter. But I really loved the subtle reference to “The Wizard of Oz” and the Cowardly Lion – “I do believe in you (spooks). I do. I do. I do.” I had to laugh at that. There are other little subtleties like that throughout.

Still, even with the relationship issues, I really enjoyed this book. It brought back a lot of memories of that old library (housed in an 1800s mansion) and the idiosyncrasies that go along with old buildings.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for providing this ARC.

DAUGHTER OF STARLIGHT by Molly M. Hammond
Fantasy, YA
5*****

Blurb: Luma was six years old when she was found wandering alone with no memory of a family or how she got the strange scars that crisscross her palms. Now, twelve years later, Luma is summoned across a magical bridge to another world: a world where the decimated population of elves suffer under the ruthless wizard army. Luma’s appearance is a ray of hope for the elves, who believe she is their prophesied “Daughter of Starlight”, the only one whose powerful magic can heal their broken defenses. Luma just wants to get back home, but the wizards discover her, and soon Luma is in the fight of her life. As she flees a mighty adversary, Luma struggles with hints of a strange power from deep within, a power she can neither control nor deny any longer. Desperate for answers, Luma joins a group of elf resistance fighters on a perilous journey in search of the exiled elf mage. Along the way, Luma begins to realize there could be more truth to this prophecy than she first thought, and that just maybe, she has a family after all.

THOUGHTS: Wow. This book grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go until the last. Luma is a good character, as are the others in the story. She is the one the elves have been looking for for twelve years—the one who will help free them from the wizards of another world who want to take over their world. There is action (a lot!), treachery, friendship, and even a dragon! She has to figure out how to come to terms with the fact that she is an elf and her life on Earth was an unfortunate accident of fate. She has no memory of before she got there, or of her powers, or how to use them, but everyone is depending on her to save the elf world. Unfortunately, there are just as many people who don’t want her to do it.

If you’re looking for a decent fantasy story with lots of twists and turns, treachery and friendship, long lost love, and a war that could end multiple worlds. Or help them. Then you need to pick this one up. Definitely worth reading.

And definitely recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

HOMETOWN HALLOWEEN HOMICIDE by Rosalie Spielman
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Hometown Mysteries #7
5*****

Blurb: It’s the spookiest time of year in New Oslo, Idaho, and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tessa Treslow is looking forward to spending time with her aunt and their friends as they give away candy at the New Oslo community Trunk-or-Treat event. But first she agrees to accompany local salon owner, Becky Baker, to a funeral home to style the hair of a recently deceased woman—where they are both in for a surprise! There’s a note addressed to Tessa in the decedent’s bouffant do, asking Tessa to solve her murder. But was her death even a murder? As odd as that is, things get weirder when the woman’s body disappears…and then another body disappears from the funeral home as well! Where did they go? Who would take them? Tessa has barely has time to wonder before she and boyfriend, Nick, stumble upon yet another body—only this one is fresh, wearing a creepy clown mask, and has clearly been murdered. As Tessa realizes she knows the victim, she also realizes Becky’s husband has a connection to all three of the recently deceased. Is it a coincidence or something more sinister? It’s up to Tessa to find out before more any more bodies pop up…or wander off. Between a trio of “Grim Reapers” haunting the town, a glowing orb floating in the fields, a mysterious skeleton left on Tessa’s front porch, and a pup dressed like a hot dog, Tessa’s hometown Halloween could not be wackier. Will Tessa and her friends find the murderer…before the killer makes clowns out of them all?

THOUGHTS: Tessa and Aunt Edna are at it again! I love Tessa. She’s not your usual cozy mystery heroine. She’s ex-army, a mechanic with her Aunt Edna, has a boyfriend but is in no hurry to make their relationship anything more than what it is – friends with benefits. And he’s good with that too. Magnus the Moose is back too!

In this mystery, there are multiple dead bodies and way too many suspects. And multiple Grim Reapers are all over the place. Tessa just hopes one of them isn’t real and after her – but that gets iffy when she and Edna are caught by the villain. I love these stories. Tessa is not a twenty-something bakery owner. She has aches and pains that come with getting older, an ancient dog, and lots of friends. The stories are fun, challenging, and with good endings that satisfy.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”